The River Cora stretches for over 800 miles from the northern tip of the Dusky Mountains all the way south to Lake Cora through Banshee Bogg.
Passing through Elysia's acknowledged capital, New Alexandria, the River Cora is a major trade route between the mountains and the flatlands. It also provides gateways to other travel networks such as the Espur trade runs and the River Theseus.
At its birth in the Duskies, the River Cora is steep and brutal, gorging a path for itself through solid rock in the form of waterfalls. However, by the time it splits off into the River Theseus only a hundred miles from its source, most of its power has dimished. For much of its length, Cora is a wide and shallow waterway meandering its way slowly through green and gold fields before it seeps into Lake Cora through the marshland.
There are a number of small towns and even smaller hamlets dotted along Cora's banks. Many of these are little more than a tiny inn with a few surrounding houses where merchants and travellers can rest overnight or replenish their supplies, with a few having built up around this trade or around clay and ceramics workshops. The river travels through any number of farms as well and provides the primary source of fresh water (and fish) for Alexshire and the surrounding lands.
Cora is not without her dangers, however, as many freshwater creatures swim her currents, including the more dangerous monsters like kelpie wolves (though these tend not to stray far from their lakes). As well, her currents can be treacherous and powerful during storms, and she has been known to flood repeatedly on the lower flood plains, but she is perhaps the friendliest of Elysia's rivers nonetheless.
Now describe the place itself. Be sure to state what *type* of place it is (a village, a town, a manmade or natural landmark, etc).
For towns and villages, consider:
- When it was founded (try to use the Elysian calendar wherever possible, unless of course it's a Zanaryan or Dragon place in which case you should use their calendars instead).
- What architecture is most common there. Remember to consult regional profiles for general, overall styles (for instance, homes near Danurai have to be on stilts due to the wet, marshy soil, and homes on Dardanos rarely use expensive materials because the volcanoes erupt too often to make it worthwhile).
- Who built it, and if different, who lives there now.
- What kind of history the town/village has seen, and what kind of things happen there. For instance, Acheron Fort has seen a lot of skirmishes and probably a famous battle or two, while somewhere like Marport might have seen a lot of piracy.
- How many people live there? (You don't have to use specific numbers, but try to give an idea of how big or small the place is.)
- Why the town was built where it is. People need three basic things to survive: water, food and shelter. If those things don't exist near your town, then what *does* that people would want to live there (eg. Danurai struggles for food and freshwater, but the tepua and other animals only grow there and provide resources for a nifty profit, that profit being the main reason people want to live there). Even then, remember that towns can only grow so big when they're reliant on outside resources for basic needs, so you aren't likely to get a big town growing up where there's no food or water.
- Consider the atmosphere of the place. Is it cheerful and bright, wealthy and well-maintained, or run-down and depressing?
For building and landmark submissions, consider:
- When it was built or discovered (try to use the Elysian calendar wherever possible, unless of course it's a Zanaryan or Dragon place in which case you should use their calendars instead). You don't have to be specific, but this will give an idea of how old it is, and what kind of traditions might have sprung up around it.
- What it looks like.
- Think about what it's made of, how that material has aged, as well as who made it and consequently how they might have made it (eg. an Anyeli statue would most likely be made from rock chiselled out of a mountain, while a Dardanian statue of the same hero would most likely be carved out of wood or some other cheap materials).
- Who does it belong to (if anyone)? Is it a national treasure, like the Cloud Palace, or a local one the way Acheron's Tear is to Acheron Fort?
- Consider the atmosphere of the place. Is it cheerful and bright, wealthy and well-maintained, or run-down and depressing?
- For landmarks in particular, what myths or legends or folk tales have developed around or about it?
And finally, for both:
- Remember to include its location. That is, what realm and region is it in, and what is its placement in relation to other towns/landmarks that are already on the map?
Some things to remember:
- It's best to read existing descriptions and submissions, and to make sure you understand how the worlds of Elysian Fields are supposed to feel, before adding yours. That way you don't accidentally submit something that doesn't fit the setting. ;)
- Don't just add something that took you two seconds to type out, especially for towns. Be as detailed as possible because other people have to take what you've submitted and work with it, and that's tough if you haven't given them much to play off.
- I'm going to keep my hands off these submissions as much as possible because the idea is for you to have the freedom to get creative. However, if entries are too outlandish or just don't fit the setting, I'll PM you to ask you to make some changes and work with you to make it fit.
As long as you try to answer all of these questions, you can format your page however you like (eg. a form for picking out the detail easier, or paragraphs so it reads more naturally, etc). You can delete this comment once this page is complete.
