16 City of Morning Star

Uniting and creating a community; it was as one big concept and ideology of telling one was weak before the enormous elder nature which had been inhabited the whole world of living since the dawn of a creation day. The arbitrary and random occurrences the nature showed off, oftentimes if not always ended with the unforeseen disasters, for it was the inherent nature of Mother Earth, thus creating an awareness of powerless minds as one of the weakest creatures that roaming and sometimes venturing around the Mother Earth. 

A unification was necessity. They began, therefore, to exploit the land, scouting for a suitable place to make their little wishes came true. Creating, and settling, becoming a part of larger community in which emotions and feeling might be shared together, to complement each other as fragile creatures. And those fragile creatures proudly called themselves humans.

Instincts for one's survival cautiously, slowly faded away when most of the land had been tamed upon learning the pattern of nature as the humans grew in term of curiosity, thirst for knowledge as well a desire for reproduction eventually became a thing. When no threat appeared prominent at last and the hostile environment had become a gentle one, an urge of passing the legacy to the descendants simply took over, both as biological and social creatures, thus issuing the side effect, it was the humans were growing too fast in a couple of centuries, even too fast for the standard of evolution. No longer the humans had to tune themselves with the surface of the nature. The nature became upside down, as they were struggling in an attempt of altering the very fabric of nature.

Land of dirt, full of green grass had been changed into many pavements consisted of detailed carving stone, deliberately created for the purpose of human's path connecting each habitations that replaced most of the thick woods becoming no more. And not only hills and mounds role as a protective barrier, for humans also have their own way of protecting their kin, either from the nature itself or their own kin themselves. Utilizing the surrounding sources... frame woods, stones and mud... humans created their own defensive wall, towering high into the skies. Similar to that of a city, which was built upon an elongated terrain, lower than the surrounding, for it was surrounded by a vast plains of green and the distance hills as its outer natural wall... in there, many rivers were running from one end to the others, created quite a number of waterfalls scenery hence evoked a nuance of frequent fresh odor of water stream all around the environs.

And this city was situated in such environs, in far eastern edge of the continent, many called it a Valley of Morning Star, for it was the very first face of the world being greeted by a warm golden ray of a sole daytime star saluting to that one face of the world full of human-made structures and one large civilization in an enormous city,

A City of Ospheus.

The Jewel of Pagaean.

Estimated its size was tens of thousands of square miles of an urban community behind the defensive towering wall... City of Ospheus, a metropolis, was carrying hundreds of thousand---if not nearly a million---of living breathing humans since the dawn of the era, thus becoming the largest and most populated city in Rhukas Region. Its economic, one could say it as the most successful system, for it relied on traveling caravan that came and went as though a respiratory system of the city. A strategic and very safe highway once the caravan parties set their feet in the valley, was the main reason why they truly favored to trade their goods in the city... not to mention less taxed, and less strictly rules hence became the birthplace of the trade hub center.

Many people were being called by the renown of Ospheus City, hence many of whom committed ruralization yet only to find the struggling of owning at least a plot of private land within the city wall however unwilling to just let it go. Instead many of those bought the land outside the city wall with less price yet less safety... given that almost every night, the fog descended from the slopes, shrouding the entire valley as the temperature slowly dropped. The land however... apparently more fertile than they were once expected thus deeming of buying the land outside the city wall was truly worth it.

Quite sometime later, ten or more small inns were built scatteredly outside the city wall too, amongst the vast valley being surrounded by privately owned farmlands where the loyal customers came from... as well from the travelers and visitors alike, for those small inns were less costed for their pockets. Many of them could rest easy inside of the warm and bright inns, protected from the cold foggy night after the stressful work in the bright of daytime.

Farmers or wanderers... not quite a problem, for one was capable of building a new relations from different places regardless of status.

While their others brothers and sisters, who lived within the city above the well-structured paved ground and path, may not really lived the hardworking everyday life... they too overcame their own difficulty of living within an urban section. As a consequence of becoming the most populated trade hub in the continent, the average income of its residents was quite high, so was the living expense. It required a bit more gold coins to have a simple shelter above one's head. So that trading, instead of farming, was one kind of a job which oftentimes was being undertook to meet such a living standard. Though the honest wages were quite promising, the competitive activity in quite a large urban community seemingly wouldn't meet its end very soon.

Crowds were fussy and noisy. People were talking so much that chatter could almost be the whole purpose of this market district – and in many ways it was. The kind of district was the one open public area in the city, in which many people could meet and exchange goods... as well less-known information. When a caravan performed a mystery play, it was to the marketplace that they would drag the cart containing their stage, displaying the best of their goods.

Those were the whole purpose of the southern district of Ospheus City, situated near the enormous entering gate so that the very first thing that would ever greet them was simply the chatter of crowds, ringing inside their ears, and their eyes would be spoiled by a majestic white tower, standing gallantly in far horizon of the southern district. That white tower, being regarded as gods-made landmark, designed and built by themselves from materials unknown to humans... magically imbued from an alien source simply was foreign to humans – towering so high into the skies, exceeding the city wall itself that one could possibly strain their necks to see its top.

This white golden tower represented the southern district of the city, for there were more than one of such a kind,

Four distinctive districts. Four distinctive white towers but with the same design and materials.

One of the four district; the northern district where many inhabitants could rest, lying down their back on their bed inside their own houses in the most visibly cramped and crowded human civilization district. Both cramped and crowded flaws meant nothing however, if the structure of terrain was beautifully and neatly arranged, either the paved sidewalk and the main street itself, constructing close affection within the neighborhood. Coupled with a lovely appearance of outer layout where many gas lamps were lined up and illuminated the main street which led to the palace where the ruler of this city and region, as well his family lived in for generations.

Knowledge district was the other name for the western district. Famous for the University of Ospheus, taken from the city's name itself where the university majestically stood for over four centuries, without any flaw being visible through out and in. Associated with knowledge and serenity, the yellowish azure color adorned this garden of knowledge and virtue... graduating many fruitful knowledge seekers who were an expert in many aspects; mainly alchemist, architect, art, medic, and most notably mages who had been learned and mastered the way of arcane. This yellowish azure landmark became the second largest man structure in the city, just behind the King's Palace. Despite being the narrowest district, this western area became the most extensive, less crowded and noisy except for the students roaming around the surrounding beautiful green parks, wrinkled themselves inside the city library while studying many things and experimenting peculiar things.

The continuance of merrymaking from the southern district, went on to the eastern part, in there... many large and most of them were fancy urban taverns and inns lied on the brick-structured street. Situated quite close to the market district, many visitors and travelers whose pocket full of coins may spend the rest of night within this district. Many local hunters might be found in there too, for resting as well distributing the hunted meat in exchange for few coins. One could enjoy many types of a quality liquor, warm dishes then placing one's head on soft and gentle pillows, and the body relished the warmth inside the cozy blanket while the outside was foggy. And in this district only... probably the quantity of the city guards were being deployed in there was pretty high, to keep the serenity and peace in order, for it was the most basic human nature to go wild when freedom and pleasurement were being given a bit more than usual.

The four district... each district was separated by a single small river,  flowing  peacefully across the city thus the meandering river becoming somewhat a clear border between southern and western district... eastern and northern district, hence many more prefer to group them in a pair... in terms of business and pleasure, and in term of knowledge and society – all were thanks to that meandering river.

And separated by space other than a simple river, each one of the four district. Having their own traits and features that distinguished them from one another. Despite of that however, they presented in the same city. The dissimilarity was nothing more than the variance of basic human necessities... a place they could call it a home, a place to satisfy their curiosity, a place to interact and forge a new relationship with the others, and a place to let things go... lighten the burden on their shoulders.

However, each district had seemingly a resemblance nonetheless, that was being the others white golden towers, representing the terminology of wind direction standing in each district.

North Tower,

East Tower,

South Tower,

West Tower,

Standing tall above the level of crowded land, appeared same size, same outer layout, same material, same magical energy and perhaps same creator. The calculation was so astonishing, accomplished such a commensurable variable perfectly surrounding yet another single tower in the center with its very divergent interpretations.

As though being guarded by the others four, this main tower had very distinguished dimension than the four white towers surround it. Almost thrice in breadth and height, different material as it seemed was, so was the magic imbued in it. That majestic tower appeared darker, as though absorbing all visible wavelengths of light which couldn't be reflected by the four white towers.

No a single soul knows a single thing regarding the purpose of those towers unfortunately. If they were really made by gods, both curse and blessing assuredly – without a doubt – would be contained inside, and that seemingly wouldn't emerge soon enough as long as the four white towers were still intact on their places... and no one would ever dare to bother testing it.

Therefore there was a specific religious group resided inside that stygian tower... preserving, observing, and performing their religious life inside of it, as they were already did for very long time even before the Valley of Morning Star could be regarded as a city. Their ideology already lived long before the Great War five hundreds years ago, passing down their legacy from generation to generation until today.

Sventas Council, many people regarded them as.

Consisted of seven councillors in white robes.

They were one kind of a group who rarely got visited... only a handful could speak even to meet them in the eyes by entering this stygian tower.

And one of those handful individuals, was this white silver-armored figure... dragging his silver-plated feet alongside with his heavy and thick silver chest-plate armor while his large back carrying the notorious crystal black greatsword. The well-known Holy Knight was seen walking entering the stygian tower through the immense antechamber which led into the main hall in which the Sventas Council was waiting for him... more precisely his compte rendu regarding the unexpected twist in reality he just stumbled across... recently.