Armil

The stories of Armil and the Ecdys are inherently intertwined. Before the discovery of armillaria all the peoples of the Ecdys spoke their own language. There was a lack of understanding among their kind, and this lack was the cause of much suffering. The spores unified their thoughts, imparting a language all shared and through which true feelings could be directly communicated. This lead to the first ecumenical council, the unifying of the Ecdys, and the eventual establishing of the Ferrous Cooperative.

The Ecdys remain unified. The fungiwood has grown to staggering heights under their care, and the forest houses much life. The tall ochre trees seem to catch and hold the light, and at night the faint light of their bioluminescence keeps the shadows from ever fully closing in.

Armil occupies part of the eastern edge of the forest, near the river. Houses are built up and around the stems of the trees and in circular orbits around their base. There is a symmetry and orderliness to the architecture here, reminiscent of the hives of bees.

On the road to Armil~

• Outrider Leonia (1/1/3) and Frix (2/2/10 🐎): It is rare to not see the two walking down the road and among the thousand rivers, naming each one and sharing their stories. With pike and knife Leonia keeps the wyrms from getting too close to the main roads, and the people are grateful for it.
• Gunny (3/1/5): A roadside mender, Gunny travels up and down the riverlands offering their services to all who need them. On her boat she flies a flag bearing the flower Mother-of-Glory, a symbol of healing.
• Sonja (1/3/3): Once a sailor on the open sea, Sonja has been one of the mainstays of the river networks for the last 15 years. Her vessel—the Argosy—is a collection of trinkets, odds, and baubles from the world over.

Locales and Travel in the Riverlands

• The Rotted Mill (2 watches): The old mill fell into disrepair nearly an age ago, but some force has kept the building from crumbling away completely. There are whispers that something old lives there, something wild. Every now and then someone will come by town seeking an odd or peculiar object, “an offering”, and as soon as they find it they cry out with joy, as if what the object represents is more than itself, as if some greater thing awaits.
• The Eastern Shores: After an hours ride from Armil one will see the rivers begin to widen as their waters mix with that of the eastern sea. An hour more and you will see small inns, fishing stands, a lonely cottage or two, until eventually you come across the many docks and ports by which traders and travelers find their way to the continent. Many an impromptu market can spring up here, and often one can cut a good deal on wares before they leave the ship.
• The Armillary Sphere (1 watch): North along the coast is a rocky outcrop overlooking the sea. Mounted there on a huge pedestal is a sphere around which constellate many rotating and pivoting rings. It has been here for as long as anyone can remember; many astronomers consider it the cornerstone of the study of the stars and lunar orbits.
• The rolling hills and glens lie west (6 watches).
• Southward to the pampas, where one can find Stonetop and Còmhlataigh (4 watches).
• Even further south, the uplift (8 watches).

Institutions of Almir

• The Hypogeum Apotropaic: Beneath the city is a large stone cavern—a place of sanctuary, warding, and luck. There is an inherent magnetism that mildly influences Ecdys behavior and can instill a feeling of calm and ease. Over the years it has been the backdrop for many important moments in their history.
• The Ferrous Cooperative: To trade iron in these lands one must register with the co-op. Each harvest is carefully timed, disbursement of lots selectively curated; the whole process closely overseen. These mechanisms help guarantee the responsible utilization of a limited resource, and also (though not stated outright) to prevent any one power from amassing enough metal to facilitate an army.
• The Golden Lune: The ecdys are known connoisseurs of the many flowers of the riverlands and beyond, but the apians and other peoples that trace their lineage back to the primary pollinators have refined a biological impulse into an art: mastery over the distillation of flavors in the form of honey, mead, and ciders. The Golden Lune is, while maybe not the most popular, certainly considered one of the best exemplars of this tradition. And the rooms they have for rent aren’t half bad either.
• Emporia Perpetua: The markets of Almir never rest. New faces are always leaving and arriving: those seeking the sea and those returning from it. There are mainstays of course, toward the center of things, but one may begin to feel—as they walks the many variegated rows of stalls and booths, card tables, stages, converted wagons, apartment blocks fitted with teller windows, newsprint stations, portable ovens, roadside cobblers, menders, counselors, jewelers, and all other manner of traveler and proprietor—that the city truly does contain the whole world.

People

• Mikael (2/2/7): Witch, small business owner, eccentric: a spring primed for release. Has a mind for the alchemical and the processing of metals. Dabbles in the esoteric and the things behind things. He has lost more than one lab to the side effects of his work, but none argue as to his effectiveness.
• Warden Volek(5/2/7): The forest is old and dense and the shadows cast by the towering domes of its tallest trees stretch far indeed. Volek watches over it all, and over the years has learned the many languages the Wood can speak.
• Namir the huntress (1/1/1): Instructor of the hero Castor, ascender of mountains, paragon of the battleaxe, and now an incredibly popular chef. Her kitchen is decorated with the great weapons and treasures from her days as an adventurer. Anyone who can present to her something that she has never before seen, competed for, stolen, or had stolen from her eats for free.
• Quartermaster Rodina (3/3/8): Basic needs can always be met in Almir, there is careful planning that guarantees this (or at least tries to). Rodina is the quartermaster and overseer of one of the permanent market blocks, and as a side effect of their work they see and hears everything. If you know the right questions to ask they can always point you in a good direction.
• Rillwright Melba(2/3/2): Their drafting studio is just outside of town, a stilt-hut at the river’s edge. Because of the location and the specific clientele he sees, there is a wide selection of maps from other lands, composited on a large wall so as to make a map of the entire known world.
• Djura the seer (1/3/7): There’s no one way to find her. You can ask, and each person will describe to you a different path, a different destination, a different person. She leaves signs of her passing in the city everywhere she goes, and by following these each person finds their own way to the seer of Armil.
• Kettlewright Meschia (5/5/7): The forge is the heart of Armil. As iron is harvested from the trees it must be refined and broken up into lots, and the lots are processed and smelted if being used locally, or shipped by armed caravan is being sent elsewhere. Meschia has been the primary smith of Armil for almost two decades; xe and xyr many apprentices have long kept the forge running efficiently.
• Samorost the Armiger (5/2/7): A weapon is a type of curse: in wielding one we also wield responsibility for its use. From this idea did Samorost take on the role of instructor in the use of arms, himself a master of many . The small academy xe runs can be found on the north end of town, right outside the Snow Gate.
• Shroomtender Burl (5/4/7): The Tw’k tend to the tallest of the fungiwood, and they always have. They are small in stature, dragonfly-like beings which flit and dance in the shadows beneath domed trees above. Burl is the most talkative of them, and will often be found trading stories in the markets.
• … and more!