The Court of Hearts, or the Empire of Lucilline, lies in the northeast of the world. It’s known for its colder weather, with rigid winters and cool summers.
The capital of the Empire, and the throne of Lyria. Lucilline is a grand city swathed in gold. All who reside within its walls are said to be well cared for and protected, but getting inside of the city is extremely difficult and exclusive. Because of Lyria’s love for festivity, there’s festivals and celebrations being held year round for all those blessed enough to enter. (Aesthetic Influences: Leyendell Elden Ring, knights and stuff)
The second most powerful city of the Empire, after Lucilline of course. A city that values romance, opulence, and indulgence. It’s also known for having a rather fearsome military and one of the best knighthoods in the world. Devotion does not have an earthly patron god as they follow Inamorata and Lyira. (Aesthetic Influences: Rococo era France, 1700s Spain)
A city very closely neighboring Devotion. Some consider it the Devotion slums, or where Devotion’s poverty goes when they can’t afford a life of nobility. It’s mostly filled with casinos, clubs, and gaudy tourist traps. Many nasty rumors float around about Eden nobles. Eden’s earthly patron God is The God of Fortune (currently missing). (1920s New York City, Vegas.)
(Revival was created by my wonderful talented wife Chiffon Angel Princess Knight light of my life best writer in the world btw. I love you)
Revival is a large village, bordering on city, built atop an island in the center of a great lake known as Moss-bottom Lake. Moss-bottom Lake is sprawling enough that it is affected by the tides, and the bottom is not clearly visible except at its very fringes.
Before it was affected by a large-scale Resurrection event, Revival was known by a different name- Lariat. Lariat was a city of wizards powerful enough to rival any major city in terms of firepower and strength, known for its otherworldly connection to places not of this earth. They utilized this connection to summon creatures from the depths of their ocean-like lake, as well as to try and commune with things in the stars beyond their home. They were masters of their craft and a force to be reckoned with. It was hypothesized that these connections came from something lurking deep within the depths of caves that ran into the earth around the city, some above-water and some underneath. The great castle of Lariat was built atop the mouth of one such cave.
However, during the Resurrection event, Revival was hit especially hard by abnormalities and all manner of things unearthly. Not only were the citizens changed, ruined, and slaughtered in droves, the water levels of Moss-bottom lake began to rise drastically and quickly swallowed the city whole. For forty years the city stayed submerged before the water fell as quickly as it came- the peak of the island and the central castle poking out atop the water, then land. The island never returned to its former glory, but about 60% of the city became inhabitable again.
Almost immediately, eccentric historians and wizards began to salvage what they could. The sheer number of people who flocked to the island necessitated the amenities to accommodate them, and businesspeople looking to make a buck off of the eager adventurers quickly followed. It wasn’t long before the city was- well, Revived, under its apt new name.
One of the first places to be explored was the aforementioned manor where the former royals once stayed. Many discoveries were made, but the most unexpected of these was the former heir to the throne standing guard in front of a sealed door. The royal was changed- morphed into something almost inhuman, but spoke with the same eloquence and fought with the same vigor they did just about fifty years prior.
Once the ordeal was settled, the former royal agreed to allow the adventurers to explore and reform the city so long as they accepted their rule. They promised that, over time, they would begin to unfurl the mystery that was the events that led to Revival’s demise.
Today, Revival has become a hub of spellcasting. The books they’d found, the artifacts uncovered, and the secrets given to the people of Revival by the former heir all proved to give the city an extreme edge in the world of magic. Magicians here are largely unbothered, and are able to practice whatever magic they see fit in an environment that is encouraging and safe. In fact, the air of Revival is such now that anyone who doesn’t cast magic is heavily frowned upon, unless they are a historian or archaeologist.
Revival’s streets are lined with cottage-like buildings, thick brush, and overgrowth. Climbing ivy makes its homes on the bricks of every building. It’s extremely urban with very few large areas of green, but the current citizens remedy this by letting nature take back the streets where it can. Despite the emphasis on magic and history (or perhaps because of it) there is a resounding feeling of unity amongst Revival’s citizens.
Around the fringes of the city are docks and watertop buildings that serve as extra shopfronts and homes. As its an island, a good amount of its food come local fisherman, and things from inside the lake, while the rest tends to be magicked up from nothing. It’s slightly less nutritious and tasty than real food, but it does the job of keeping people fed. Revival thrives on being an entirely self-sustainable city.
Not everything is all business- as such, there are many common places to rest and relax. The lakeside atmosphere lends a laid-back feeling to the scholarly energy of the whole place. The most prominent of these common places is a very interesting bar scene. Magic drinks and potions line the walls of taverns meant to host long-term residents, or people passing through just to study or visit. Another common pass-time is karaoke.
Magic is cast freely in Revival. In fact, boats in and out of the city come only once a month. If one wants to leave the city in a hurry, it’s best to don your broomstick and fly yourself across land.
Revival’s government is, as stated by the heir, headed by the same bloodline that ruled almost 100 years ago. Previously, Revival was ruled by a counsel called the Coven. with one person at the center who was elected due to their spellcasting ability.
The truth of the Heir’s power lies in a trial performed by those seeking the title of Lariat’s Heir. In the caves underneath the castle, there lies a powerful.. demon? Abnormality? Both? It’s uncertain. But it lays there chained and desperate to escape- generations of rulers have been using its blood and body as powerful components in their own magic ability.
