PlaceRelay/RightKneeoftheLap

Next Theme: The Right Knee of the Lap

Shrine of Argusa Lily -- (Dmccoy1693)

This is the shrine of a Fire god called Argusa Lily, a local god of watchfulness. The shrine is made mostly of local rock but is decorated with various jewels and red jade. The shrine looks like a small head with red jade hair and emeralds for eyes and marble teeth. The eyes of shrine look out away from The Lap, ever looking for danger it is said. Argus Lily can seldom be found at the shrine. She prefers the view from the left knee and the companionship of the elementals there.

The people that go to this shrine to pray also remember to bring an offering to place at ...

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The View From Heaven -- (Jiba)

A popular tavern, the View From Heaven appears as a rhamshakly construction to most outsiders. It is attached to the side of the Lap’s right knee, half cut into the rock, half beeing some kind of walled up balcony, only held by some massive wooden arbors. To enter the View From Heaven, the customer has to climb down a long corridor of stairs to finally reach the inner rooms of the tavern. The bar is half on the balcony, half on terra firma, the tables arrayed in a semi circle around it. The furnishing is pleasing to the eye and the room is lit by paper laterns.

The most outstanding feature of the View From Heaven, however, is the ceiling, that covers the airborne part of the tavern. It is entirely made of crystalline glass, that offers the visitor a perfect outlook of the sky. As the View From Heaven only opens at night and as the southern sky is not often cloudy, the ceiling of the pub is mostly filled with gleaming stars. The glass reflects the starlight to create a beautiful play of colours.

The owner of the View From Heaven is a Sidereal half-caste thaumaturge named Silken Horizon, who travelled the South as a wandering astrologer when he was younger. He settled in the Lap, after he met his wife there. When sternly demanded, he is still willing to draw up horoscopes or read the stars, but he will tell nobody, what he did before he build up the tavern. After all, this is a pub, no observatory.

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The Tree of Continuous Fruit -- Dmccoy1693

This tree received a blessing by a 1st age Sidereal, a Serenity Caste named Britney the Joyful, long ago. The tree is a large tree and every limb on it is strong enough to hold a medium weight adult. It is a large tree in it's own right but stopped growing over two centuries ago.

The fruit of the tree is quite delicious, having something of an apple-pear taste, but looks more like a pineapple then anything else and is about that size. No matter the weather or growing season or conditions, the tree swells full of fruit once a month. Britney returns to the Lap once every few years to enjoy the fruit as well as to check up on Silken Horizon and make sure he's being good.

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Scuttles -- DeathBySurfeit

Formed from fissures opened in the rock of the Lap by the ever-creeping roots of the Tree of Continuous Fruit, the Scuttles are an intensely claustrophobic, mazy web of natural tunnels interspersed with glowing lanterns, thick roots and carved alcoves. Its extremities reach down into the Lap proper and back down to the base of the mountain, making it a favourite getaway route, smuggling path and general meeting place for undesirables of all kinds from across the city. Whilst never surfacing properly, the Scuttles emerge through concealed paths into myriad basements and wine cellars, some controlled by shady types, others owned by completely innocous landlords. One such cellar is none other than that of...

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House of Councilmen Raging Squid - Dmccoy1693

Councilmen Raging Squid, known as Iselsi Burgess only to his family, is one of the more hawkish coucilmembers. He advocates stronger relations to the Realm but standing up to them, making them view the Lap with respect. Being a Water Dragonblood and a former Commander of the Lap's military, he earned his name from his Brawling fighting style where he seemed to grapple anyone that came near him and drown them in practically no time. He is most noted in the way he resisted House Sesus' attempted incursion into the Lap three years ago. He instructed the military to think they took over the city and hide the bulk of the military in the cities honeycombes as well as in the Scuttles and kill every member of the Sesus forces present in a single day. Thanks to a blessing from Argusa Lily, not a single member of the Lap's forces were lost. House Sesus did not try any further actions there. His house is built on the very stop where he personally killed the commander of the Sesus forces. Since his house is built with an opening into the Scuttles in his wine cellar, other members of house Iselsi are able to slip in and out of his house without being spotted. Even though it is not as old as some of Iselsi's holdings, it is quickly becoming a headquarters of Iselsi's intelligence network and coordination.

Comments

This theme might be closer to what this relay was intended for.

While the first theme wasn't exactly inspiring (for me anyway) I don't think this one is better. It's far too limiting. ~ Seiraryu

Have no clue where this is. -Miles

It's in the South. The lap is that little monk-guy-shaped mass a bit to the west. ~ Seiraryu

It's interesting... the Lap was not described in detail in "Scavenger Sons"; unlike the other southern locations. Hmm, I like the theme. It helps to flesh out the city. - Jiba

The lap is described in detail in Time of Tumult, where it plays a cruicial role as flashpoint in the Locust Crusade.
-- Darloth

DeathBySurfeit, Oh I like it. - Dmccoy1693

I think one thing that is important for entries in a place relay if to figure out how exactly the entry captures the essence of the place. It should address the question "why is what I'm describing here, and not somewhere else". For example, the idea of the tree of continuous fruit is neat, but nothing really indicates why it is tied to the right knee of the Lap. It might turn out that the answer is "just because", but you'd never know from the entry. The scuttles, in contrast, really integrates with the geography of the Lap in a way that creates neat story opportunities.

Conversely, I think place themes should try to bring out such entries. I'm (improperly) going to put words in Seiraryu's mouth by suggesting that his first comment indicates a preference for themes that are types of locations, like "mountain fortresses" or "secret caves", but I think the relay is cooler if the themes are for specific places in creation, to which the entries attach flesh. - Wordman

Well, yeah. "Mountain fortresses" would be a good theme. It's not limiting as to the location, it just gives a general theme. They could all be in the Realm or all in the West or whatever, but it doesn't necessarily limit so much. "The Right Knee of the Lap" is extremely limiting. -- Manu

Wordman, if you can come up with something better, I invite you to put it up as the 5th item. Like Manu says, it's extremely limiting. - Dmccoy1693

I'm glad the Scuttles are so popular. The trick, I think, is in imagining that "I'm running a story in X, which includes Y. What would be really cool to add?" Something like the Tree Of Continuous Fruit is a good addition, but becomes even better if it can be placed in context. If such a tree existed on the Lap's right knee, for example, it might become the centre of a meditation garden, grain market, or even a family-run juice bar, each with their own opportunities for exciting encounters and events. Themes done by concept rather than location are nifty, but no truer to the idea of a PlaceRelay; if we're lucky, we'll see a fair share of both as the themes rack up, and we can favour them as we please. Anyhow, that's my petulant opinion. I look forward to the final entry! ...DeathBySurfeit

Anybody mind if I put up the last one. I know I've done two but I think I have an idea that's pretty decent. and I think we're all kinda tired of this one and would like to see it move along. Or should I give it another week or two first? - Dmccoy1693

Go for it. As for "fleshing out specific places" vs. "archetypal location", I guess there is nothing preventing both kinds of themes. If anything, it may increase incentive to finish a relay to "control" the flavor of the theme. - Wordman

Last one added. -Dmccoy1693