All righty, Travancians! Now for the next nifty newcomer order of operations: orientation!
By which I mean, how to orient yourself on the Proper lands where the Feasts are held. I've been asked to write some things regarding where some of the more popular locations on the Proper are, so if you've ever found yourself asking "Where's that Mages' Guild that doesn't let wild mages join (even ones who actually know things about magic) located?" this installment is for you!
Back when I was a newcomer, there was one time I got lost late at night. I remember I was stuck right outside of the Alisandrian statehouse one time... I was essentially walking around in circles, worried that something was going to jump me. And then I saw someone on the path. And then I gave them a hearty "Hello!" And then they ran the other way. My guess is because they thought I was going to jump them.
It would have been terribly ironic if they were lost, too.
But after a long time of walking around in circles, I eventually found my way back to the inn! For a person who hasn't set foot on the steps of the Proper before, something like that can be pretty darned scary.
But anyway! Let's get started.
For starters, here's a
map of the Proper
!
I get it. You're probably thinking, "Oh, this is a bunch of squiggles!" or "Oh, now I can navigate all by myself!"
I flipped back and forth between the two thoughts until I managed to navigate by memory alone.
In the meantime, it was really frustrating
but hopefully I can mitigate some of that frustration by putting certain locations of note into words!
Let's start with the
Dragon's Claw Inn.
It's pretty easy to find. It's the big building, multiple doors, two stories, people sleep on the upper levels, it's where we have feast, THE BAR IS THERE, chances are you already know it. This is where much of the action happens during feasts and festivals at the Proper. It's a good place to meet people, and is generally a good central hub of activity. Like I said in a previous installment, though, it does tend to attract a fair bit of attention from thugs, monsters, and other nasty things for the simple fact that it sees a lot of foot traffic. At the same time, though, that foot traffic makes it also a safe place. But it also makes it occasionally troublesome. CUE THE NEVERENDING LOOP OF TRAVANCIAN SAFETY/DANGER!
Also, just a friendly reminder, if you have the gold, remember to tip your bartenders! Keep 'em happy, and they'll put in the extra effort to make sure there's nothing suspicious floating around in our drinks.
Now, there are two places you can see from the inn. We'll get to the other one later.
If you go out the double doors that open up to the field, veiled slightly by the woods, there's another rather large building. That's the
Monastery. In it, you'll find altars to all the Light gods, and a few of the Neutral ones as well. If you happen to be a worshiper of the Dark Pantheon, well, that's a secret you should probably keep to yourself, especially considering it's illegal to practice without a writ. If there's a "Dark Monastery" or somewhere they do their spooky-creepy-dark rituals somewhere in Travance Proper, hell if I know where it is. (Get it?
Hell if I know? Heh heh...)
Anyways, the Monastery of Light is a nice place of your proclivities swing that way, and it's also one of the few buildings on the Proper with indoor plumbing! Trust me, that's a big thing 'round these parts.
If you're ever at a loss for information as to what's going on in the Proper, there's a purple-clad elf named Belegchand who usually holds Mass devoted to Chronicler in there a short time after the Baronial Feast. Even if you're not a follower of Chronicler
(like myself, praise be to Brazen)
, it's still a good place to go to get caught up and clear up any questions. This is, of course, in addition to the routine Masses of Light that go on here.
After the Monastery, there's a road that stretches further from the Dragon's Claw. Only a short walk away lies the
Pendarvin Statehouses. You can tell you've reached it, from its two buildings, one of which has a
blue-and-
white-painted exterior. This is where Pendarvin's vassals typically stay. It's in a pretty tricky location, given the fact that, intersecting the main road, there's a path that leads to all manner of dangerous locations. Just last moon, I'd encountered werewolves from down yonder in the dead of night. The Pendarvin vassals do a good job of keeping those particular nasties at bay when they're out in force, and considering they have an out-of-doors cooking grille and a fair amount of festivities, that tends to be quite often. I've also heard that the statehouses do a rather good job of insulating sound at nighttime, so if you ever stay here, if you hear something that sounds like people getting murdered halfway across the Proper, you
may want to stick your head out in case they're right outside.
If you're looking for the people in charge of this place, look for one of two Quinarian elves - Lord Ardin Silverbow, a fun chap to talk to, and Lady Mirwen Silverbow, the exceptionally well-dressed.
Anyway! Carrying on down the main road, you'll come across a big field on your left with an old wooden tower and another building. That would be the
Armory/Guard Barracks, though on the map attached, it's listed as the
Baron's Manor (somewhat out of date, considering our last "Baron" was, in fact, a Baroness). This is where most of the Guardsmen stay (obviously) and back when I was a trainee, the field outside is where most of their drills were practiced. As vital as the Guard is, however, it's not the most important thing in this location.
There is a
Healing Focus in the vicinity behind the Barracks, and it's BECAUSE OF THIS THAT WHEN SOME TRAVANCIANS ARE KILLED, THEY ARE ABLE TO COME BACK TO LIFE. It's an immensely powerful beacon of positive energy, and I believe the Proper's Focus is immensely strong. Don't bother trying to take it with you, as it cannot be moved. If you are a priest of a deity or able to channel positive energy in a healing manner (sorry, Witch Hunters), you are able to attune yourself with its Warden's permission. I believe in this case, that would be Lady Angelica Tartaros. If you wish to learn more about it, I would advise to find another priest or healer in town, as my knowledge of it is rather lacking. The Claw's bar is usually a good place to inquire!
Anyway, if we continue in our sunwise (I believe Londwyns call this "clockwise") direction, you'll see on the map that there's another building called
Winterdark on the map. This building is a trek to get to, as there IS a path directly behind the Barracks, but it wanders down a VERY steep hill. You can try to traverse it during the day time at your leisure, but I would not recommend trying to go down it at night. Even with a light, it is still very treacherous. For an alternate route to get there, there is another crossroads along the main path - if you're traveling sunward down the main road past the barracks, it will be on your left. The
Winterdark Statehouse stands out fairly well, as it's the only two-storied building other than the Inn. While it's not listed on the maps, a short distance past it, there is a
Bathhouse, complete with plumbing and showers. This is one of three places to go if one wishes to bathe themselves. Useful to know, as when people are making food for the Feast, they prefer that no one uses the Inn's showers - we can only heat up so much water at once, and frankly, I (and a good deal of people in Travance) would much prefer having food than a singular person smelling nice.
Seriously.
Food is serious business.
But I repeat, this bathhouse is always open for that! It's a wonderful spot to brush your teeth, as well.
Continuing, let's say that you didn't go to down one of the paths to Winterdark and continued onwards down the main path. You should come across a scarecrow with a pumpkin's head wearing a
red and
white tabard. Welcome to
Alisandria Statehouse! I regret to say that I don't spend as much time here as much as I'd like, but out of all the statehouses, it's rather spacious and has a relatively large fire pit. It's a bit of a trek to get here from the inn, sure enough, but this particular Statehouse has a wide variety of individuals that stay there, and definitely worth a visit during your stay!
If one is looking for the people in charge, they should ask for Lord Lucius Blackthorne or Lady Cassandra Blackthorne, both of whom are Kormyrian humans.
Further down the main path, you've got a nice little cottage with a
beautiful lakeside view. This is the
Mage's Guild. If you're a spellcaster of arcane proclivities, be it traditional mage or bard, you can usually find a place to stay here. However, if you're a wild mage, you should probably seek shelter elsewhere. Harumph.
Until Guildmistress Tari lets me in one of these days, that's all I'm writing!
(
Of course, I jest, Tari.
But seriously, though! Imagine all the possibilities of having a wild mage WHO ACTUALLY KNOWS HOW MAGIC WORKS around! It could be SPECTACULAR!
)
During the summer season, people can usually swim in the lake during designated times. Swim at undesignated times, and you risk getting eaten by the Hydra. DON'T DO IT.
AND NOW LET'S STOP AT THE MAGE'S GUILD FOR A SECOND AND GO BACK TO THE INN!
Remember how I said there were two buildings visible from it? Let's go back to that for a second. If you go out the exit closest to the bar (with the small porch) and look to your left, you'll see the
Barn. It's pretty much the collective bunkhouse if all the Statehouses are full or if you don't wish to ally yourself with a land. That's pretty much it.
Around the side of the building is the Travancian
Bank. If you check in at the teller window, you can deposit gold, withdraw gold, and do a whole BUNCH of other stuff. It's also the place to report to when one has to do "paperwork" or their "civic duties." One could say that it's the best place for
Logistical matters.
However, if you stop just before going towards the Barn from the Inn and turn left, there will be a path going down into the woods. You should find a small clearing after a while and see a whole bunch of tents and a building with
white and
green accents. That'd be the
Kaladonia Statehouse! It, like many other of the locations, has a fire pit that sees many cookouts, bard circles, and just good old campfire conversation. It also has a few altars to some of gods in the woods near it, which is also a rather popular spot for Druidic meditations. It, like Pendarvin, is also near a crossroads, which means it sees its fair share of roving monsters and brigands, but when there's activity down at the Kaladonian statehouse, chances are there's going to be a sizable amount of vassals there. If not, it's within shouting distance of the Inn, the Pendarvin Statehouse,
and the Monastery!
Continuing up the path, you will eventually reach the Mage's Guild again, but along the way from Kaladonia, there will be another
Bathhouse. Similar to the one beyond Winterdark's Statehouse, feel free to use this one if you feel the need to clean yourself while people at the Inn are preparing the feast.
And now that we've returned to the Mage's Guild, let's keep going with the main path! You'll find a foundation with a bit of a roof to it and a few tents - while the map
says this is Drega'Mire's lands, they unfortunately don't have a statehouse of their own. Usually, you can find their nobles and vassals staying in one of the rooms in the Dragon's Claw.
Past them, you'll find a few
Caravans and a large tent-like structure. These are all habitable, though it may be inconvenient to stay in them during the Winter seasons. After these caravans, the main road pretty much just goes onwards past an open field until you reach an even BIGGER lot of land where most peoples' travelling caravans are parked - er, placed. Stationed? Hitched? Something like that.
Bear with me, Travancians. We've almost hit all the main stops, with the last one being...
The Bloody Stump! While not as large as the Dragon's Claw, the Bloody Stump usually serves food later than the Claw. It's got some prime rat and dog meat, and trust me, it tastes much better than it sounds. You can find your way here by walking in the opposite direction of the so-called "Drega'mire" lands into the open field with the small-ish building. There are also a few tents in the area, which are also perfectly habitable, just like most of the other tents on the Proper grounds. And if you keep walking ahead up a hilly, rocky path (be careful at night), you'll reach the Kaladonian statehouse, thus completing the long, convoluted, twisty loop.
And that's that! There may be some other minor places here and there that I've forgotten or don't know about, so once again, if you hear about a place that seems interesting from someone in town, don't hesitate to ask them about it!
Oh, and if you see someone in the middle of the night who is saying "hello" to you, please don't just run away from them. They might be a lost traveler who is just as scared as you are.
