Hey folks! I’m planning a Lore24/Matea Q&A, but in order to get some A’s, I need some Q’s! So that’s what I’m asking for. You have literally ANY question about the world or its residents? I have answers! Perhaps we can come to a mutually beneficial trade of the two?
If you need a primer on what’s already been written, please check our Mastodon!
Following on from January’s post, here’s the collected sampling for the month of February:
In The Fall, not all of the great citadels fell to earthbound ruin. Such is the case of Bul-Ji-Ma. Desperate to escape their doom, the mageocracy demanded the magitek engines be pushed past their safe limits in order to minimise damage to a safe descent. The backfire was catastrophic. Not only was the citadel destroyed, but its citizens alongside. Travellers through the area speak of attacks from monstrous humanoids, covered in crystalline shards, almost calling to them.
Though there are many tales of horror and disaster from the days of Rakhada’s Folly, there are also tales of hope and survival. Many agree that none are more inspirational than the story of what now is known as the city of Nuvain. A thriving mining settlement, the city itself is built on, in, and around a giant fallen statue depicting a young woman with her arms open hands forward, angelic wings outstretched. - This is the story of Nuvain, a hero of the people, and her sacrifice.
Nuvain Firathiryth was, by all accounts, a champion of the downtrodden, never afraid to get her hands dirty in order to see those in the depths uplifted. Making a home for herself in Genna, one of the docktowns of the citadel of Weisai, she frequently found herself at odds with the upper classes, especially if they took umbrage towards the smallfolk who resided there. If necessary, she would even turn to villainy (and as we would come to find out, martyrdom) to achieve a goal.
Hearing stuttering reports that other citadels had started to fall, their engines failing, the Guiding Hand of Weisai ordered their return to the nearest docktown in the vain hopes of docking before anything happened to them. They never made it. Seeing the city on a collision course, Nuvain channeled all the magic within herself, and called for the aid of everyone around to join in. Her efforts were rewarded, as she herself had done for many others, as Nuvain grew to giant size.
Towering over the settlement, Nuvain found herself adorned with a majestic pair of wings, that would’ve made her the envy of her elven kin, as she flew towards Weisai on an intercept course. The time for restraint past, she drained the power within herself and her manasteel adornments and pushed back against the citadel with all the might she could spare. The faltering engines mixed with the incoming force, sending shockwaves throughout the citadel. The feedback was catastrophic.
Faced with an unenviable choice, Nuvain pushed past her limits, and tore the citadel apart magically, sacrificing unknown lives for those she loved. Her last thoughts were of joyful relief at accomplishing her task, and regretful sadness that it was necessary. The citadel crumbled into pieces around the land, and something else besides: a giant, winged statue of the woman who gave her life to be a saviour, arms wide in mercy. - Forever lost, and remembered, Nuvain Firathiryth: Hero.
The residents and their immediate descendants revered Nuvain as a respected figure, naming the town after her in memorial. It wasn’t until later that a chance find near the statue’s heel, already weakened by the impact and crumbling slightly, revealed the internal parts of the statue held manasteel. As by this point, all had thought it lost, the news spread quickly, despite the townsfolk’s best efforts. The mining companies established were the first to build homes on the statue.
Early survey attempts revealed that although the manasteel running throughout the statue was near identical to the pre-Fall variety, upon removing it from its resting place entirely, it too would unweave a majority of the time, leaving viability of mining a perpetual question. This question was answered by the owners of the mining companies with a resounding “yes”, as they saw only potential profit. And when the miners from out of town started falling ill, they cared even less.
With non-local workers falling ill from an unknown disease, the companies pushed harder to hire locally. Sensing desperation, the locals priced themselves accordingly. It wasn’t until a superstitious parent of one of the ill miners stole some of the manasteel and returned it to Nuvain that the mysterious disease revealed its true nature: a curse afflicting only those from out of town. To counter this, the companies begrudgingly raised payrates to entice their workers to stay on.
Not being familiar with the interior of the statue as they mined, the workforce accidentally cleared out to the exterior, leading to several falling deaths. The manasteel exposed to the air unwove partially, turning into a molten liquid. Hitting the ground, the fallensteel (as it was named) would flow like a river, and rejoin a connected vein in Nuvain’s heel, where originally uncovered. Support pillars were constructed, both to support the statue, and to isolate the fallensteel.
Palient S'choa, Aasimar vice-president of the mining conglomerate and First Counsel of Nuvain, serves the interest of capital gain over the duty of care to the citizenry. On his climb through the corporate ranks, he noticed that although not personally involved, the presidents of the company would also succumb to Nuvain's Curse, leaving the position frequently open. He opted to cease his climb through the company, control it from the sidelines, and go into the political field.
The Second Counsel seat belongs to Chalia Philen, an elf who represents the Upper Plates, consisting of the districts of East and West Gauntlets, The High Pauldrons, Cuirass Pass, and Diadem. The higher on Nuvain your location, the richer and more powerful you tend to be. Thus, Chalia’s portfolio pushes the interests of those who wish the divide of haves and have-nots clear and precise, though she seems conflicted at times with their agendas. But not enough to sway her opinion.
The Third Counsel seat is traditionally held by the Guildmaster of the Guildmaster’s Guild. For some time, this position has been filled by the warforged, Inspector. Though unions are the backbone of industry, Nuvain takes it so seriously that every job has a union, no matter how niche. The Guildmaster’s Guild exists to assist Guildmasters of their respective industries, as they are technically not members themselves. Inspector handles all the bureaucracy with peak efficiency.
Standing opposed to the prior seats, the Fourth Counsel is democratically elected by the residents of The Shades, the former, pre-statue settlement, renamed after being incorporated into the city at large for being in the shadow of the statue portion of Nuvain. Serving his second term as Counsel is Druld, a goblin with a long history of family within the town. Trying his hardest to advocate for the rights of the community in The Shades, he often clashes with the other three.
Adorned in a sash of midnight blue with silver-threaded trim sits the seat of the Fifth Counsel. Traditionally kept empty, it resides in the centre of the chamber, as a symbol of who the governing bodies are meant to be representing. The power granted by the position is not held by any one individual, but instead distributed by public vote in the event of a tie amongst the other four counsellors. To be eligible to vote, citizens must have resided in The Shades for a year minimum.
Self-styled “Count”, Vernie Nagle runs the Night Watch, and controls the Dawn Guard. As a vampire, he cannot be present in sunlit hours, nor can his vampiric spawn commanders. But that means that nocturnal security is well handled. Alongside the usual salary, he maintains a cadre of normal civilians for blood sources, most of whom also form the Dawn Guard: the morning-to-evening forces of Nuvain’s security. Who better to watch over people while they sleep than the sleepless?
For a sanctioned amount of theft, the Untouchables act as a Thieves’ Guild and enforcers for the underground elements that the Dawn Guard or Night Watch can’t handle. They are so named for the fact that only one member is officially on the books: An individual named Nort. Save for those they employ, none know the secret of their identity as a Changeling. While not officially listed, the majority of the Untouchables are ghosts, possessing individuals to accomplish their tasks.
The “accepted” rule is that the higher on Nuvain you reside, the more affluent you are. The notable exception is the Hanging Gardens. Despite the name, it is a prison that uses the open air setups provided by Nuvain’s wings to convey to criminals that their actions have consequences and won’t be tolerated. Perpetrators of lesser crimes “enjoy” cells with more secure foundations higher on the wing. Serious offenders experience the threat of gravity as they hang off the lower edge.
The Godshand district houses the Union Temple, the smaller dedicated shrines, and housing for those who serve the Divinities. Personal rituals and rites can be held at their respective shrines, while the more involved ones occur within the rooms within the Union Temple. These chambers also host worship services. The district gets its name from being nestled within one of Nuvain’s hands; the one closer to the sky. On landing, the statue leaned to one side, to ground it securely.
While Godshand enjoys the greater elevation, Nuvain’s other hand is no less occupied. The Market of Offerings claims residence within the opposing palm, utilising its admittedly awkward positioning to advertise itself as a purveyor of finer goods and upscale commodities than the more conventional markets in Bootland. Shopkeepers tend to agree that while they aren’t necessarily the busiest, the amount of money on their books makes the trade they DO take more than worthwhile.
The Crawling Courier Company handles deliveries across Nuvain for big or small requests. Operated primarily by Goblins, they use their innate abilities to cling to walls and a variety or surfaces to traverse paths that others would struggle with, or simply fall from. Longer distance communications or deliveries available. You can always tell a Courier post by the happy goblin face stamped onto a sign next to it. Like the song says: “Hire a Crawler today, it’s the Nuvain way!™️”
Though Greaves is the official name for the district, it has another name unofficially among the citizens: The Caps. Famous for its availability of services of the more adult variety, it is a place of impropriety that many faithful publicly decry. In private, however, many threats are made along the lines of “If I catch you with the harlots in the Kneecap again, you're going to lose yours!” Greaves or The Caps by either name is a place of varied entertainment for the masses.
Almost as if by design, the only lifts directly from The Shades to anywhere on Nuvain go to The Pillars. Housing is reserved for members of the Engineer’s Guild and their families, as their job is primarily to maintain and protect the support pillars holding Nuvain upright (as much as is possible). Residents must present their Guild membership card before being allowed on any of the lifts as a safety precaution. Further Nuvain access begins with the Bootland station funiculars.
Regardless of the district, structures are built on rings around Nuvain, with some partially carved into the statue for support. Those in the higher districts also enjoy the security of manasteel support beams, whereas closer to the ground, people make do. The Operators Guild run funiculars between the levels, but cross-guild restrictions dictate that an ascending funicular cannot serve as a descending one. This means traffic flow is an issue for the Traffic Controllers Guild.
The Nuvain Faithful are a cult that work behind the scenes to sabotage the mining guilds and regular citizens alike, with their belief that their savior could be restored via specific applications of manasteel, and the destruction of most of the structures withing the statue. Despite several arrests, the cult remain at large, and as adamant as ever. If you spot any suspicious behaviour, please report it to your nearest Reporter's Guild member, to be passed on to authorities.
The Repository sits within the domain of the Diadem district, though it is based near the statue’s mouth. It remains one of the few exceptions of places allowed public access within the district, as it is intended as a public library and educational facility. Non-residents or citizens below the Belt must present an issued transit pass, be accompanied by a member of Repository staff, or be in the hire of a member of the Authenticator’s Guild to vouch for their identity.
The Authenticator’s Guild works as creditors and verifiers for all manner of things, due to their magically compelled inability to lie. This comes from an artifact recovered from the ruins of Weisai, the citadel that Nuvain sacrificed to save her people from. Once you join the guild, you swear upon the artifact to tell no lies, and the magic takes hold. There is no known way to remove it. People wonder how it still works, but the Authenticators say it does, so it must be true.
A popular superstition among the miners of Nuvain says that although the gods are powerful, their intervention is too high-level to assist in smaller parts of a mortal life. In the unlikely event of a tunnel collapse, miners will pray to Captain Arno: A Tabaxi with (according to story) a predisposition to tunnel with extraordinary ease after having claws replaced with manasteel, vanishing once the job is done. No such individual is registered in town, and confirmation is spotty.
The agricultural landscape around Nuvain has expanded drastically since its pre-statue days, for a pair of very good reasons. Firstly, the population boom needing to be fed. Secondly, a new, highly tradable crop grown from the soils near citadel wreckage. Gosaberries resemble grain pods, but in a bright blue hue, and can be plucked individually. Easily fermentable, it produces a smooth liquor that has the mysterious effect of increasing one’s gravitational force for a time.
the amazing gorgeous talented @legallybrunettedotcom tagged me to put my spotify wrapped playlist on shuffle and post the first 10 songs. thank u as always 💞💞
1. despues de la playa - bad bunny
2. tiny boy - von
3. bottle it up - hundredth
4. asmr- only fire
5. spit. - wargasm (UK)
6. artificial suicide - bad omens
7. cheers - seventeen
8. tia tamera - doja cat ft. rico nasty
9. obsolete - of mice & men
10. one more day won’t hurt - slaves
I tag @inmyskin2002 @juguetona @polskiebagno @frogdyke420 @eaterofdreams @kutyozh
you know what vampire lounge is the way to go but i also love cleaning bathrooms it calms me down so i reckon if i was in the saw bathroom it'd be super clean and sparkly and then i'll join you for coffee in hrt garden after a long day.
matea let’s run away and live together…. you love cleaning bathrooms?? i’m filled with admiration lmao we can make each other snacks in the cannibalism kitchen too i can’t believe i missed it at first glance!! also suits you poetically 😌
