Thalassia

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Thalassia and the Fǣr Wildes¶

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Thalassia¶

Deep within the enigmatic Fǣr Wildes of southern Ororos stands Thalassia, the mysterious seat of the Fǣr Council and perhaps the least understood major settlement on Ermis. Unlike the rigid structures and clear boundaries of human cities, Thalassia appears to grow organically from the ancient forest itself, its buildings seamlessly integrated with living trees and natural formations in ways that confound conventional architecture.

Few non-Fǣr have ever been permitted to enter this hidden city, and those who have returned with accounts speak of constantly shifting pathways, structures that appear to rearrange themselves, and a pervasive sense that the entire settlement possesses a mind, perhaps even a consciousness, of its own. Population estimates remain impossible to verify, though scholars believe several thousand Fǣr make their permanent home in Thalassia, with many more traveling between the city and various enclaves throughout the Wildes.

The exact location of Thalassia remains deliberately obscured, with different travelers reporting wildly different journeys to reach it. Some speculate that the city itself may not maintain a fixed position within the physical geography of Ermis, instead existing in a state of perpetual transition between the material world and other planes of existence.

Approaching the City¶

There are no known maps leading reliably to Thalassia. Those few outsiders permitted to visit are typically escorted by Fǣr guides who follow seemingly random paths through the dense forest, often traveling for days in patterns that appear deliberately designed to disorient. Some visitors report walking through patches of mist or crossing unusual natural formations before suddenly finding themselves within the city’s boundaries with no clear sense of how they arrived.

The most consistent accounts describe an initial encounter with ancient standing stones covered in spiraling patterns that seem to shift when viewed peripherally. Beyond these markers, massive trees with silvery bark form a natural archway that serves as the primary threshold to the settlement.

What Little is Known¶

Information about Thalassia’s history, governance, and daily life remains fragmentary and often contradictory. The Fǣr themselves show little interest in documenting their past in ways accessible to outsiders, preferring oral traditions and memory-sharing practices incomprehensible to humans.

The city appears to be administered—insofar as such a concept applies—by the enigmatic Fǣr Council, a gathering of their most ancient and powerful members. This Council reportedly meets in a central clearing beneath a canopy formed by interwoven branches of colossal trees. Their deliberations may last for what humans would consider impractically extended periods, with some sessions reportedly continuing uninterrupted for weeks or months.

Thalassia is known to contain various “districts,” though these do not follow human conceptions of urban organization. Areas of the city are instead defined by natural features, seasonal attributes, or relationships to abstract concepts that outsiders struggle to comprehend. Visitors have described sections where time appears to flow differently, where gravity seems optional, or where colors exist that have no names in human languages.

Notable Features¶

The few consistent landmarks reported include the Council Grove where the Fǣr leaders convene; the Singing Pools, a series of interconnected bodies of water that produce harmonious tones when disturbed; the Luminous Arbor, where bioluminescent plants and fungi create spectacular light displays at Strom’s Ebb; and the Grove of Remembrance, where the Fǣr commune with ancestral memories through means unclear to outside observers.

The Fǣr Wildes¶

Surrounding Thalassia and extending across much of southern Ororos, the Fǣr Wildes constitute one of the most mysterious and potentially dangerous regions on Ermis. These ancient forests, misty valleys, and otherworldly groves defy conventional exploration, with landmarks shifting position, compasses failing inexplicably, and time itself seeming to flow inconsistently throughout the territory.

The Wildes represent one of the last expansive regions beyond effective Dyarchy control, maintained as such by both the formidable natural barriers and the active resistance of the Fǣr themselves. While not openly hostile to visitors, the Fǣr permit outsiders only limited access to their domain, typically restricting them to established paths near the boundaries.

Geography and Environment¶

The environment of the Fǣr Wildes defies easy categorization, containing microclimates and ecosystems that should not naturally coexist in such proximity. Ancient forests of impossibly tall trees give way to crystalline grottoes, which themselves border misty moorlands that transition into flowering meadows where seasons seem to operate independently of the surrounding areas.

Flora and fauna throughout the region exhibit unusual properties, from trees that appear to consciously rearrange their branches to creatures that seem to phase between material existence and something other. Naturalists from the twin cities who have attempted to catalog these phenomena typically return with contradictory observations and samples that inexplicably transform or dissolve once removed from the Wildes.

Water features prominently throughout the Wildes, with countless streams, pools, and waterfalls forming an interconnected network that some scholars believe serves as both a physical and metaphysical circulatory system for the region. Many of these waterways exhibit unusual properties, from reversed flow patterns to water that glows, sings, or temporarily grants strange abilities to those who drink it.

Known Settlements¶

Beyond Thalassia itself, the Wildes contain numerous smaller Fǣr settlements, though these bear little resemblance to human villages. These communities might consist of dwellings grown directly from living trees, structures that appear only during certain phases of the Strom’s cycle, or habitations that exist partially in alternate planes of reality.

The most accessible of these settlements is Gloaming’s Rest, located near the eastern edge of the Wildes where the forest meets the plains. This small community serves as an occasional trading post where Fǣr exchange exotic materials and crafted goods for specific items from human lands. The settlement materializes fully only during the ebbing hours, gradually fading from visibility as either night or day becomes dominant.

Inhabitants and Culture¶

The Fǣr themselves comprise numerous subgroups with distinct characteristics and affinities, though they present a unified front when dealing with outsiders. Some appear nearly human but for subtle differences in proportion and coloration, while others exhibit more dramatic variations that suggest connection to elemental forces or abstract concepts.

What little is understood of Fǣr culture suggests a society that places tremendous value on balance, cycles, and interconnection. They appear to measure time differently than humans, with some individuals reportedly living for centuries while maintaining perfect recollection of events throughout their extended lifespans.

Communication with the Fǣr presents significant challenges, as even those who speak common languages often employ circular reasoning, metaphorical references, and conceptual frameworks alien to human thought. Many seem capable of forms of telepathic or empathic communication that transcend verbal language entirely.

Relations with the Outside World¶

The Fǣr maintain deliberate isolation from the affairs of the Dyarchy and other human powers, intervening only when activities directly threaten the integrity of the Wildes or disrupt what they consider essential balances. The Council occasionally sends emissaries to Eryth or Astryth when necessary, though these representatives typically deliver cryptic warnings or enigmatic advice rather than engaging in conventional diplomacy. Often a Fǣr envoy will visit areas of natural resource extraction, in the hopes of protecting the natural structure of things from what the Fǣr regard as aggressive intrusion.

Trade between the Fǣr and outsiders occurs sporadically and under strictly controlled circumstances. The Fǣr show interest primarily in certain metals, knowledge recorded in specific forms, and occasionally mundane items that hold significance for reasons they decline to explain. In exchange, they offer botanical specimens with unusual properties, crafted items imbued with subtle enchantments, and rarely, guidance through portions of the Wildes that would otherwise prove impassable.

Various human expeditions have attempted to map or exploit resources within the Wildes over the centuries, almost invariably ending in failure. The few that have returned often report encounters with “guardians” that range from massive creatures resembling animated plant matter to phenomena that defy description entirely.

Notable Locations and Phenomena¶

Beyond Thalassia and the scattered settlements, travelers have reported numerous remarkable sites within the Wildes, though locating them again deliberately proves nearly impossible:

The Dreaming Pools – A series of still waters where those who gaze into their depths reportedly witness possible futures or alternate realities.

The Whispering Groves – Areas where the trees themselves seem to communicate through rustling leaves, conveying knowledge to those capable of interpreting the patterns.

The Inverted Spires – Stone formations that appear to grow downward from nothing, defying gravity and conventional geology.

The Mist Labyrinth – A perpetually fog-shrouded region where pathways rearrange themselves based on the intentions and emotions of those attempting to navigate them.

The Confluence – A location where multiple streams meet in physically impossible patterns, forming a natural nexus of magical energies that the Fǣr consider sacred.

Major Figures¶

What little is known of the Fǣr Council suggests it comprises entities of great age and power, though their names and specific domains remain obscure to outsiders. A few figures have become known through limited interactions with the Dyarchy and other human settlements:

• The Watcher – A Fǣr of indeterminate age who appears at significant historical events throughout Ermis, observing and recording in ways imperceptible to others. Recognized by their cloak of continuously shifting patterns that seem to reflect past and future events simultaneously.

• Lysandros the Boundary Walker – The most frequently encountered Fǣr emissary, who occasionally visits Eryth and Astryth when circumstances require communication between realms. Distinguished by eyes that frequently shift color, they act according to purposes largely unknown to human observers.

• The Green Mother – A powerful entity rarely seen but often referenced by other Fǣr, reportedly responsible for the vitality and growth patterns throughout the Wildes. Some accounts describe her as indistinguishable from the forest itself, capable of manifesting through any plant life within her domain.

• The Circle of Seven – A group of Fǣr who specialize in relations with other realms, occasionally permitting scholars or dignitaries limited access to certain areas of the Wildes. Each member appears to embody a different aspect of natural or metaphysical forces.

Mysteries and Dangers¶

The Fǣr Wildes present numerous enigmas that continue to perplex scholars and adventurers alike:

• Time flows inconsistently throughout the region, with travelers occasionally emerging from relatively short expeditions to discover that years have passed in the outside world—or conversely, spending what feels like months within the Wildes only to return and find mere days have elapsed.

• Certain areas exhibit properties suggesting connections to other planes of existence, with visitors reporting glimpses of landscapes and beings that have no counterpart on Ermis.

• The boundaries of the Wildes appear to expand and contract periodically, sometimes encompassing territories previously considered safely outside their influence.

• Objects removed from the Wildes often lose their unusual properties or transform unexpectedly once beyond its borders, making scientific study of the region’s phenomena extraordinarily difficult.

• Visitors who disrespect the explicit or implicit rules of the Wildes sometimes disappear entirely, while others return fundamentally changed in ways they cannot or will not articulate.

• The relationship between the Fǣr and the Strom remains subject to speculation, with some scholars suggesting they possess knowledge of its true nature and origin that they deliberately withhold from other inhabitants of Ermis.