Post by Risukage on Jan 5, 2017 23:28:19 GMT -5
Tired of the fighting and suffering that remained in the aftermath of the Great War, Lysander ("Lys") Morgenlied disappeared for a while, searching for a new home, one where he could work and live in peace. His travels took him deep into the forest in the south of Novem, and, finding the climate pleasant and the surroundings conducive to relaxation, he built a small house in which to live. Shortly after he began work on a slightly larger, yet still small, place of rest and recuperation for travelers in the area, as it was somewhat equidistant between the other major cities on Novem and the islands in the Star Sea and saw a fair number of travelers. He named this first building "Deep in the Forest," as it was eloquently and amusingly descriptive, and later, when it became a small town, the residents took part of it and named the entire settlement "Deep."
Originally little more than a glorified beer hall/coffee shop where people could stop on their travels and rest, exchange information, and receive healing for injuries, Lys slowly expanded the "Deep" to offer more accommodations. When merchants began to frequent the location a trading outpost was built, and from there the town of Deep was founded and began to flourish. Lys was genuinely surprised by how much traffic that his secluded home had accrued, particularly when commonly-used paths to and from the town began to appear, instead of the intermittent signposts and verbal directions that had been the norm thus far. By the time the trading post was established there was a small population living there permanently, and he had to figure out how to administratively run a town, when he had intended for that place to just be an unremarkable spot of civilization in the woods. He visited the great cities of Sinis in order to gain insight, wisdom, and guidance, and returned to the slowly-growing town with confidence and inspiration. He had no desire for power, but retained the position of "mayor" while he set down the laws, taxation, and other bits that allow a collection of people living together to do so efficiently and sufficiently. Several times he tried to pass this power on to others, but nobody wanted the position. Not that it was bad, mind you, it was just that he was doing a good job, and all of the other residents were busy with other things. Eventually he found a successor (though he refuses to explain how), and "retired" to go back to doing what he had originally wanted to.
As a disciple of Taliesin, he is an innate musician and skilled with vocals and many instruments. Now that the town's population was growing from the inside and not from immigration, he decided that he would take it upon himself to build a school so that the next generations could be informed, upstanding citizens. He stated often that once he finished the school and staffed it he planned to go off and find solitude again, but he never quite got around to it. Nobody is quite certain whether this is because he actually enjoyed the company, or if because his somewhat perfectionist nature prevented him from doing anything else until things were perfect. A small school of music, magic, and healing was built, and Lys himself taught the classes for the first couple of years, given the limited number of students. Once word of this got out traffic to Deep got even more frequent as more people arrived, attempting to petition to study there as well. Surprised (but pleased!) by the success, Lys expanded the school and hired staff and instructors from all over Sinis in order to support the baffling number of new students. He would still take on private students to tutor himself, but these were exceptional cases or working to train up specific instructors for particular disciplines.
Within a hundred years the town of Deep was flourishing and making a name for itself. Lys continued to expand his school, now called the Lux Cantatio (the Song of Light), and added a library, more classrooms and rooms for study, separated out the disciplines into their own sections of the conservatory, and built the first dormitories for students who were not residents of the town. Now headmaster of the Lux, Lys devoted his time and energy to running and improving the school, only keeping a passive eye on the governing of the town. To his further surprise (and happiness) the governing body of the town remained honest and attentive, maintaining and managing the town, which was well on its way to becoming a city. With the taxes collected from the ever-growing populace and the merchants who were setting up permanent shops of their own, Deep paved the roads properly in quarried and worked stone, zoned off the city into specific sections, built gardens and parks, and constructed entertainment facilities, often hosting the students and graduates of the Lux. In two hundred years Deep was a full, proper city in its own right, and growing rapidly. The Lux was the center of the city, not because of politics, but the peculiar way in which the city had evolved. (Though early records do state that it was a political move in that it was meant to hint that the city desired an image of prosperity and learning.)
One of the earliest edicts that Lys had passed was that the Lux would be a sanctuary, and neutral ground. Having been a participant in the Great War he desired to never again see such suffering and hate, and had set out to build a haven for learning and progress. As such, Deep also maintains a fairly neutral stance in comparison to most of the other politics from other Sinis cities, but this has been to its benefit, allowing commerce and education to flourish where it might have otherwise been quelled or directed by dictators. The Lux has been heavily warded and enchanted against outside attacks, and even has safety measures for disasters from the inside. There are no offensive capabilities, as Lys rigidly states that there will be no fighting within the walls of the Lux, and the surest way to infuriate him is to violate that peace. Quarrels and physical disagreements are encouraged to "take it outside," to the courtyard, which is not only under the authority of the Deep city and therefore its guard, but is "easier to wash clean afterward." Quite often, once the aggressors are outside they have found that the time in transit had given them time to think and reconsider, particularly if it draws a crowd of amused and interested onlookers. The most interesting fight of note was in the early 4000s AGW when the ancient Mythou known as Refrax challenged Lys within his own office. In the ensuing battle a mirror-twin of Lys was created, who finally drove off the attacker. He called himself "Xander," and he is almost never seen without Lys (or rather, Lys is almost never seen without him), and though many aren't entirely certain why Lys keeps him around, Xander has been quite useful on occasion, and Lys is notoriously tight-lipped about secrets pertaining to the Lux.
One of the other edicts was that it was not mandatory, but highly encouraged to bring any new books or tomes to the library for copying. The owner would always be compensated for the inconvenience (and authors of those works doubly so!), and their name would be added to the list of generous benefactors that aided in bringing the light of knowledge to the people. Anyone is allowed to visit the library and copy or check out anything at no cost, but for a small fee one can ask one of the professionals present to do so for them, which is often taken advantage of, given the length of time it would take and sometimes the skill involved. As such, Deep has become renowned for its amazing wealth of knowledge on nearly any subject. The research results from all students are stored as well, regardless of findings or disciplines, as whatever the information, someone will find it useful, eventually.
It has been several thousand years since Lys first constructed a tiny home in the middle of an unsettled forest, but that same home still stands, though updated and much more luxuriously furnished (not expanded, however, he does not have family other than Xander and therefore has modest needs). The old pub/cafe still stands as well, likewise updated for modern times, and it still bears the name that it gave to the city around it. It is a favorite place for the city residents to visit, as it boasts many craft brews both from within the city and foreign locales, the coffee house on the other side brews the smoothest and most elegant cup of coffee one will ever taste, and therefore it draws no small amount of tourism as well. Very rarely, if you are quite lucky, you might catch Lys there on one of his rare jaunts out of the Lux, often accompanied by Xander, remembering what it was, and wondering what it someday will be.
Notes on the Lux, from the observations of visitors, students, and staff (unverified, as Lys and Xander refuse to comment further)
The Lux's primary defenses are wards and other forms of shielding to prevent outside attack, but indoors the warding is primarily to counter/jam spellcasting. Sections of the conservatory can be "sealed off" in order to contain particularly dangerous personnel or effects, though this is something they don't like to use unless that area has been evacuated first. All staff have devices on them that, when activated, will alert the facility to danger, the general type of it, and the section it is in. From there, other automated defenses or responses will activate, and Lys/Xander will be notified, as well as certain personnel in Deep itself.
In the years after the attack on Lys by Refrax (that created Xander), a refit and upgrade of the defenses and systems was performed, to prevent teleportation magics from working anywhere within the school, particularly with mirrors. It was expensive and time-consuming, but all mirrors are warded such that any one that is broken (which is what will happen should someone use them for magic or movement) will trigger an alert. So far, there have been a few false alarms, but it is proof that the system works.
For students, a list of authorized personnel that are allowed to pick them up or make decisions for them (financial, educational, health-wise, etc.) is made upon enrollment, and is updated once a year or if something changes. Anyone not on that list has to be confirmed by the student, in the manner that they choose. Students cannot be removed by the facility without their consent, the only exceptions being expulsion (a VERY rare case that has only happened a few times in the thousands of years that the Lux has been functioning) or life-threatening injury/illness that precludes them from giving consent on their own. Anyone attempting to extract someone without their permission will trigger defensive mechanisms, as well as the wrath of the headmaster and his guardian, who take the sanctity of the sanctuary VERY seriously.
Originally little more than a glorified beer hall/coffee shop where people could stop on their travels and rest, exchange information, and receive healing for injuries, Lys slowly expanded the "Deep" to offer more accommodations. When merchants began to frequent the location a trading outpost was built, and from there the town of Deep was founded and began to flourish. Lys was genuinely surprised by how much traffic that his secluded home had accrued, particularly when commonly-used paths to and from the town began to appear, instead of the intermittent signposts and verbal directions that had been the norm thus far. By the time the trading post was established there was a small population living there permanently, and he had to figure out how to administratively run a town, when he had intended for that place to just be an unremarkable spot of civilization in the woods. He visited the great cities of Sinis in order to gain insight, wisdom, and guidance, and returned to the slowly-growing town with confidence and inspiration. He had no desire for power, but retained the position of "mayor" while he set down the laws, taxation, and other bits that allow a collection of people living together to do so efficiently and sufficiently. Several times he tried to pass this power on to others, but nobody wanted the position. Not that it was bad, mind you, it was just that he was doing a good job, and all of the other residents were busy with other things. Eventually he found a successor (though he refuses to explain how), and "retired" to go back to doing what he had originally wanted to.
As a disciple of Taliesin, he is an innate musician and skilled with vocals and many instruments. Now that the town's population was growing from the inside and not from immigration, he decided that he would take it upon himself to build a school so that the next generations could be informed, upstanding citizens. He stated often that once he finished the school and staffed it he planned to go off and find solitude again, but he never quite got around to it. Nobody is quite certain whether this is because he actually enjoyed the company, or if because his somewhat perfectionist nature prevented him from doing anything else until things were perfect. A small school of music, magic, and healing was built, and Lys himself taught the classes for the first couple of years, given the limited number of students. Once word of this got out traffic to Deep got even more frequent as more people arrived, attempting to petition to study there as well. Surprised (but pleased!) by the success, Lys expanded the school and hired staff and instructors from all over Sinis in order to support the baffling number of new students. He would still take on private students to tutor himself, but these were exceptional cases or working to train up specific instructors for particular disciplines.
Within a hundred years the town of Deep was flourishing and making a name for itself. Lys continued to expand his school, now called the Lux Cantatio (the Song of Light), and added a library, more classrooms and rooms for study, separated out the disciplines into their own sections of the conservatory, and built the first dormitories for students who were not residents of the town. Now headmaster of the Lux, Lys devoted his time and energy to running and improving the school, only keeping a passive eye on the governing of the town. To his further surprise (and happiness) the governing body of the town remained honest and attentive, maintaining and managing the town, which was well on its way to becoming a city. With the taxes collected from the ever-growing populace and the merchants who were setting up permanent shops of their own, Deep paved the roads properly in quarried and worked stone, zoned off the city into specific sections, built gardens and parks, and constructed entertainment facilities, often hosting the students and graduates of the Lux. In two hundred years Deep was a full, proper city in its own right, and growing rapidly. The Lux was the center of the city, not because of politics, but the peculiar way in which the city had evolved. (Though early records do state that it was a political move in that it was meant to hint that the city desired an image of prosperity and learning.)
One of the earliest edicts that Lys had passed was that the Lux would be a sanctuary, and neutral ground. Having been a participant in the Great War he desired to never again see such suffering and hate, and had set out to build a haven for learning and progress. As such, Deep also maintains a fairly neutral stance in comparison to most of the other politics from other Sinis cities, but this has been to its benefit, allowing commerce and education to flourish where it might have otherwise been quelled or directed by dictators. The Lux has been heavily warded and enchanted against outside attacks, and even has safety measures for disasters from the inside. There are no offensive capabilities, as Lys rigidly states that there will be no fighting within the walls of the Lux, and the surest way to infuriate him is to violate that peace. Quarrels and physical disagreements are encouraged to "take it outside," to the courtyard, which is not only under the authority of the Deep city and therefore its guard, but is "easier to wash clean afterward." Quite often, once the aggressors are outside they have found that the time in transit had given them time to think and reconsider, particularly if it draws a crowd of amused and interested onlookers. The most interesting fight of note was in the early 4000s AGW when the ancient Mythou known as Refrax challenged Lys within his own office. In the ensuing battle a mirror-twin of Lys was created, who finally drove off the attacker. He called himself "Xander," and he is almost never seen without Lys (or rather, Lys is almost never seen without him), and though many aren't entirely certain why Lys keeps him around, Xander has been quite useful on occasion, and Lys is notoriously tight-lipped about secrets pertaining to the Lux.
One of the other edicts was that it was not mandatory, but highly encouraged to bring any new books or tomes to the library for copying. The owner would always be compensated for the inconvenience (and authors of those works doubly so!), and their name would be added to the list of generous benefactors that aided in bringing the light of knowledge to the people. Anyone is allowed to visit the library and copy or check out anything at no cost, but for a small fee one can ask one of the professionals present to do so for them, which is often taken advantage of, given the length of time it would take and sometimes the skill involved. As such, Deep has become renowned for its amazing wealth of knowledge on nearly any subject. The research results from all students are stored as well, regardless of findings or disciplines, as whatever the information, someone will find it useful, eventually.
It has been several thousand years since Lys first constructed a tiny home in the middle of an unsettled forest, but that same home still stands, though updated and much more luxuriously furnished (not expanded, however, he does not have family other than Xander and therefore has modest needs). The old pub/cafe still stands as well, likewise updated for modern times, and it still bears the name that it gave to the city around it. It is a favorite place for the city residents to visit, as it boasts many craft brews both from within the city and foreign locales, the coffee house on the other side brews the smoothest and most elegant cup of coffee one will ever taste, and therefore it draws no small amount of tourism as well. Very rarely, if you are quite lucky, you might catch Lys there on one of his rare jaunts out of the Lux, often accompanied by Xander, remembering what it was, and wondering what it someday will be.
Notes on the Lux, from the observations of visitors, students, and staff (unverified, as Lys and Xander refuse to comment further)
The Lux's primary defenses are wards and other forms of shielding to prevent outside attack, but indoors the warding is primarily to counter/jam spellcasting. Sections of the conservatory can be "sealed off" in order to contain particularly dangerous personnel or effects, though this is something they don't like to use unless that area has been evacuated first. All staff have devices on them that, when activated, will alert the facility to danger, the general type of it, and the section it is in. From there, other automated defenses or responses will activate, and Lys/Xander will be notified, as well as certain personnel in Deep itself.
In the years after the attack on Lys by Refrax (that created Xander), a refit and upgrade of the defenses and systems was performed, to prevent teleportation magics from working anywhere within the school, particularly with mirrors. It was expensive and time-consuming, but all mirrors are warded such that any one that is broken (which is what will happen should someone use them for magic or movement) will trigger an alert. So far, there have been a few false alarms, but it is proof that the system works.
For students, a list of authorized personnel that are allowed to pick them up or make decisions for them (financial, educational, health-wise, etc.) is made upon enrollment, and is updated once a year or if something changes. Anyone not on that list has to be confirmed by the student, in the manner that they choose. Students cannot be removed by the facility without their consent, the only exceptions being expulsion (a VERY rare case that has only happened a few times in the thousands of years that the Lux has been functioning) or life-threatening injury/illness that precludes them from giving consent on their own. Anyone attempting to extract someone without their permission will trigger defensive mechanisms, as well as the wrath of the headmaster and his guardian, who take the sanctity of the sanctuary VERY seriously.