Tag Archives: census

8Sanctuary

I. Census

II. Description

III. Map

I. Census

Census Guide

HouseholdNameRelationshipSexAgeAgeFrameSpeciesProfessionOrigin
Cemetery C. Bldg.MandelbotHeadF23AdultHumanConstructionPatchwork
Chapel GrottoDream (8SUN)HeadF6300AncientAxolotlPriestess8Sanctuary
Solar OktaviaHeadepistemologicallyuncertainhere for the vibes
GardensGhost (8SUN)HeadF52DeceasedHumanHunterConvergent Mistlands
Mess HallChaos (8SUN)HeadF788AdultWorldheartNurse/Farm
NE WatchtowerMiracle (8SUN)DependentF16AdolescentSilquiGuideFarandine
Student Quarters AJustice (8SUN)HeadF49AdultYaldaSecurityFallenvelt
Star (8SUN)DependentM8ChildWispitXNilam
Student Quarters BMirror (8SUN)HeadF312AdultGolemArtisan

II. Description

The settlement resides on a knoll in a mountainous valley within the Convergent Mistlands, with standard flora and fauna for the region. It was once the heart of a pastoral community of several thousand, but was abandoned. The Convergent Mistlands, generally, is a place where people pass through: permanent residents, even nomadic ones, are exceedingly rare. 8Sanctuary is unique in that the mist is often quite light, compared to the rest of the region, and is named because it is naturally secure. This settlement was used for several hundred years, making it one of the longest-lasting settlements. Most residents were human.

The valley is inaccessible to large groups, with entry and exit difficult. Travelers happen on it by chance or, as is the case today, Miracle guides people in when they are in need. The mists are both a defense and a burden. The Mistlands do not discriminate when bringing people in, but would-be raiders and bandits are often whisked away before they understand the nature of the land. Natives use structures and caves to avoid the mists.

The heart of the settlement is a grotto spanning the area underneath. The grotto contains an underground water and still pools stemming from the aquifer. The main area of the grotto is used for religious ceremonies, while other areas are used for bathing, potable water, and so on. Areas of the grotto are designed based on building they are connected to, e.g., the ceremonial grotto is accessed from the chapel, while bathing areas are below living quarters. The crypt is intentionally designed to keep water out, with walls using artificial materials to make it watertight. Several of the grottos are reserved for purely ritual uses, rituals which Dream and Miracle still conduct to this day.

The settlement grew out from the chapel and what is now the administrative building, as it was first built as the center of the community’s religious experience. The crypt, cemetery wall, and cemetery building were early additions. The facilities outside the inner wall were added at about the same time, in order to make the chapel self-sufficient for its inhabitants, add the educational complex, and host festivals for a growing community.

The civilization came to an abrupt end when the mist became disastrously thick, whisking most of the population away from the Mistlands and scattering them in a cataclysmic event. The mist almost had a force and life to it, seeping in through doorways and windows, into caverns that had always remained untouched. Furthermore, the mist was quicker to teleport people out of the Mistlands than normal and, another unique occurrence, even people born and raised in the Mistlands would be whisked out into unknown lands. While not everywhere nor everyone was touched, less than a sixth of the population remained. 8Sanctuary had never experienced such an intense accumulation of mist, nor has it again. Dream is the only remaining resident from that time, the rest having died or moved on. She believes some pollutant from outside the Mistlands had corrupted the mist (for why else would the mist steel away the lands’ natives, something it never does of its own accord?).

As for the name, the sanctuary was first built under the patronage of the nomadic worldheart, the Octagon Sun. Solar Oktavia visits the 8Sanctuary as the Octagon Sun’s representative.

The 8Sanctuary today is a modest operation, serving as a waypoint and refuge for wanderers and people who find themselves in the Mistlands.

III. Map

  1. Chapel: A 2-story building with grotto access.
  2. Administrative Offices and Housing
  3. Workers’ Quarters
  4. Gardens
  5. Cemetery Central Building: houses tools, the caretaker’s residence, and an entrance to the crypt.
  6. Cemetery
  7. Library + Schoolhouse
  8. Storage + Student Quarters A: Storage
  9. Mess Hall + Student Quarters B: The 1st floor includes a mess hall and kitchen. The large mess hall, seeing as it is no longer in use, has been repurposed for Chaos’ nest.
  10. Inner Grounds: initially used for all kinds of purposes, but once the public grounds were walled in, the inner grounds were reserved for religious and educational gatherings.
  11. Public Grounds: used for public ceremonies, festivals, and the like.
  12. Fields: used for growing crops.
  13. Stables
  14. Gatehouse
  15. NE Watchtower
  16. SW Watchtower
  17. Adults’ Meeting Area: a small, outdoor depression where people would gather and talk while resting. For more formal occasions, the speaker(s) would stand at the center.
  18. Students’ Meeting Area: as above, but used by the students.
  19. General Theater: as above, but used for community gatherings and the general public.