COMMUNITY - FORUMS - SELENE DOMAINS
[EU] Ombrelune ~ Aurora Beach

Why bother? it's just a hamlet.

And what hamlet this is! As an involved mayor, I simply decided to make my own settlement the main protagonist to support your and mine stories.

First and foremost, a good location to build upon (one I gush about in lengths further in this post), one as freed as possible from the errements of procedural generation.

Second, a city design that blends all the advantages we can muster, still there will be some obstacles, changes and uneven terrain to deal with, but prepared and with a good plan ahead, this city in the making aims to provide the best refinement there is to offer.

The final choice is yours : a matter of trust indeed, so go and have a look at a few pictures below, worth their weight in thousand words, then come back to read the details at your own pace. Thanks for your time, see you there.

Last edit: 2019/10/28

Ombrelune ~ Aurora Beach

Aurora Beach, banner Gifted by Nature with a unique and paradisiac locale, from procedural hamlet to a thoughfully hand-crafted city, one of many wonders in Al'Khezam : players wanted!

Intro : checked

TLDR: Welcome esteemed guest to the bustling coastal settlement of Aurora Beach, home to an 🔗"arts & métiers" campus ("skills and crafts" in english), a prime tourist destination carefully groomed to become one of the finest spots for your pursuit of knowledge, arts, crafts & entertainment.

In an idyllic scenery nested in the woodland savannah on the southern coast of the Asebeian peninsula, come and participate to an ambitious project : a custom-made municipality designed for synergy through twin development of both self and environment.

Thanks to meaningful districts, a clear roadmap ahead and your cross-skill masteries, lets make Aurora Beach an in-game reality!

You can breathe now! ^^ Like what you see? Ready for more? Come for the knowledge, stay for the spa... we got cookies, deliciously home-made, like the rest of our sweet and energetic lifestyle.

Read more : checked

Interested in citizenship, apprenticeship or partnership within our fair Aurora Beach? planning a visit? or tickled by curiousity about which concepts we weaved in, find more in the sections below :

...and maybe join us on the 🔗Asebeian discord or visit our 🔗webpage.

Proud member of the Duchy of Asebeia


A pleasantly unique location

In Al'Khezam and beyond, all the way from the south end of the continent to the distinctive asebeian peninsula, Aurora beach is the first sand beach to be encountered, and only settlement I know that focused on tourism and entertainment as economic pillars to fuel our thirst for knowledge.

Aurora Beach - Landmarks Design of future Aurora Beach : constructible zones, landmarks and street layout.

Some color-coded map keys : municipal parks in lilac (aromatic, botanic and ancestor's parks) and buildings in elevated white (except for the private stilt residences ashore).

Cooperative fields in yellow, rice paddies in verdant green, strategic and resource parcels in earthen tones. Agroforestry and the tree nursery mainly take place in the eastern forest, while orchard gardens and landscaping are all over the town (in casual green) for citizens to enjoy.

A point known to anyone who has worked in the tourism industry, vacations for the visitors means constant hard work for the locals : from providing hosted guests with uncommon delicacies to supplying them with those exquisite custom-ordered gifts (omiyage) to bring back home. Note that we aim for state-of-the-start and high-end quality rather than quantity. Then safely send them back on their way, giddy and boasting, by boat, foot, ride or stagecoach (NDLR: sorry no gliders allowed ;-)).

Said "location" thrice

Not sure how many will ever want to leave a biome which has defined paradise as a location on Earth : the Carribean, Thailand, Brazil... immediately come to mind, especially as ciseled a jewel we intend to make of Aurora Beach.

Thankfully for all the al'qaum population around, we're open for business. South and west, reside our closest customers and the royal capital, fellow water-dwellers and long-time mineral suppliers.

Surely the northern duchies may also miss the appeal of a beach resort. Since on the whole eastern side of the continent, only our good nansuri friends have the potential to birth a similar entity, yet no current plans for said twin concept.

From a minimum of twenty five elyrian kilometers around, fellow countrymen of many tribes or the undecipherable appeal of the ocean, a toreshian heart can only be moved by such scenery.

For business or leisure, both in our case, northerners and westerners are more than welcome to come to us as well, a good occasion to meet their southern peers half-way while traveling in style along the three highways close by.

Eastern-most player experience

Since we expect esteemed visitors to make the trip from even farther away, either for the lifestyle, the live arts or the knowledge, you can be sure we'll have all kinds of accomodations and gourmet styles prepared to cater to them, such is the exotic allure of what we try to achieve.

This end of the known world has never sounded so inviting before, not only oriented south Angelica-wise, there is a wonderful 180° panorama on the bay that you'll want to check especially during the silvery-moonlit nights.

Aurora Beach has designed a complete seaside district, the Emporium Hub, around their trading post which aurorans nicknamed the "Trading Palace" instead : for its regular shows, auctions of rare goods and proximity to the kingdom's trade routes, maritime and terrestrial.

The Skyfall Academy's campus, boarding school and orphanage, make sure that in the many fields required by such hefty goals our innovation spears ahead of the technology curve. We're cultivators of both mann and nature, we won't settle for less in the process to become a beacon for arts and skills.

Domain Selection : checked

Located on the fringes of the unclaimed county of "Montspider Arch", and expanding into "Gartmount". Not only breathtaking, our position should also offer a natural haven and harbor for our numerous resorts and seaside activies, while the bountyful woodland savannah will help support our innovative agroforestry and dedicated pursuit of fine arts and knowledge.

Aurora Beach

Historically a well-endowed "paper" industry-oriented hamlet, Aurora Beach is the prime location for our ambitious project : close to a small stream's estuary (freshwater), with many resources available like clay, sand, stone, wood essences (some imported) in a thriving ecosystem (game, fish, forage, farmland, aquaculture and caves).

Additional clues for things to come allow this to'reshian mayor to be quite optimistic, as the initial professions among the small cosmopolite population (6 Nerans, 5 Waerd, 3+1 To'resks, 2 Dras, 2 Janoas) depicts a potential cave system, harbor potential and a nearby forest : parchmenter, dungeoneer, boatmann, woodworker and merchant.

Not sure how our village tokens will shift that demography, but To'resk, Kypiq and Hrothi immigration is a thing we will try early on during "Kingdoms of Elyria" pre-game, in coordination with other wanabee globetrotters from the whole kingdom.

A bit of reminiscence

Initially, years by now, the idea was to start a city from scratch, quite the challenge but away with the dreads of procedural-generation.

Yet as the world design turned a bit different than expected, so did our project on that fateful morning of the 18th of september 2019 : still foregoing interesting town+ settlements and considering our sky-high requirements, the choice was so narrow that it went unique, in more ways than other : definitely a place with greater potential.

Leonim (founding mayor)

Like with everyone else around these days, the journey to reach DS&S was lenghty and bumpy : we lost the few we were but plan to gain plenty more. Still a long way to go until and after the launch, best enjoyed in good company, so shall we?

Call to players : checked

We are somewhat at a large disadvantage with the small starting population, yet it leaves more room for player characters to actually become the major "players" in town for their chosen field of expertise and make a name (legacy) of it. Especially since the orphanage within the school campus will be one of the first infrastructure project to be built.

Make yourself comfortable and take a short tour below, delve further in the following chapters at your own pace, but here's our 🔗discord, so join us maybe, welcome to an exhilarating endeavor in perspective for all those involved.

"Providing Rhyme & Reason to invest yourself into : with a healthy mind in a healthy body, we reap what we sow."

-Auroran saying-


Lore

As funding mayor, there are a few things I can write on my own, like establishing the auroran cooperative, town regulations or current biome considerations. But the lore is what we will make of it, together, especially during Exposition and as early as KoE, a city made by players for players have a lot to tell.

In later phases and post-launch, in addition to the orphanage welcoming fresh bloo... I mean newly-created players jolsting the status quo and keeping the existing community on their toes, there is also our attractive situation as hot spot for entertainment and lodging. With our multiple resorts, sand beach and natural haven, events aplenty are a safe bet as new and recurring visitors alike blend their stories with us.

Our people, your neighbors

Following those guidelines, obviously becoming a citizen of our fair city is a matter of choice and dedication.

We make a distinction between being a resident (living for a while or a lifetime in our numerous lodgings, we're a tourism spot after all) and settling in : our citizenship is something that we make worth working for.

To sum it up, citizens have monthly quotas for chores to be achieved through civic contracts, effective and efficient works for the betterment of our city and community, while anything above and beyond gets them creds to be redeemed for some exclusive opportunities.

With higher potential comes higher responsibilities, yet anything is possible when garnering the support of a whole city thanks to your deeds and our thoughtful approach.

Presentation : checked

Who 🔗aurorans are and what they live for (identity) : Innovation & Cultivation (aka refinement)

How we'll manage (focus) : Arts, Agroforestry, Ranchology, Education, Workshops, Logistics, Community, Tourism, Common Sense & Urban Planning

Where we are (settings) : In Al'Khezam, south coast of the Asebeian peninsula, the eastern-most province of the Selene continent.

Why could it matter to you (interests) : an elaborate place to help shoulder your worries, synergize our efforts and focus on your dreams

What drives this settlement ahead (principles) :

  • Fairness not uniformity : nurturing & diversity
  • Retribution not malevolence : creds & sanctions
  • Forgiveness not kindness : chores & bans
  • Collaboration not exploitation : knowledges & legacies
  • Freedom not independence : incentives & rules

What we frown upon (dislikes) : Weed (trespassing), Pest (cheating), Toxin (assault), Waste (depravation), Ravage (destruction)

What we look forward to (goals) : Self-sustainability, Exchange, Efficiency, Comfort, Knowledge


City tour

South, the Emporium Hub district, link between the shore and the commerces, is probably where most visitors got their first step in town, disembarking from the harbor, the coach station or at the caravanserail.

Next, acting as our business incubator, the nearby Workshop Central could as well be called a fully-fledged shopping center, with its food court and rent-a-stall markets jouxting commodities and luxury frontstores. Most other districts radiate from that commercial plaza and the crescent boulevard rounding it.

North, the Farm Ranch, with its many exotic features like its jousting facilities and racetrack, extends deeper inland. Quite the sight and size of an atypical pastoral village, with cultivated grovefields and agroforests - in more ways than meet the eye - a successful mix of mann's vision and nature's bounty.

On the eastern side, the Skyfall Campus is dedicated to the Arts, their expressions and teachings (from parkour to acting), fostering arts, performances and skills of many kinds with a fundation as gentlemann-farmers.

A little further both along time and shore, you'll witness the essor of our more private residential districts, Cloud Nine, with its stilted architecture hovering the seashore. While along the west side of the estuary is the historical founding location of Blacklantern Corner.

Finally your steps may eventually round up towards the Riverside Gardens and its iconic beach resort for some hard-earned R&R.

Though obviously, a lot of thinking have already been invested in, constructive inputs are equally welcome. Landmarks and finer details can be found in the urban planning section below.

Architecture and sights

I'll could go on (and have on our 🔗webpage) about how versatile and diverse buildings have been planned to provide a purposeful canvas to the city growth, yet in the tradition of mouth-watering shinies, I'll simply give you this. ^^

Inspiration: le style cambodgien de la villa Mysteres d'Angkor. Inspiration for a local villa, the cambodian style of the "Mysteres d'Angkor" lodge.

Job board : become the pillars of our future

Available at the watchtower office and the town hall : from Forester to Masterchef, or Conservator to Commissioner, those job offers are just the tip of the spearhead.

Lets have a look at 🔗our most challenging and sought-after job positions (updated listing).

Note that those lead positions are provided by the municipality and thus get an addditonal vote during Auroran Cooperative's hearings. True to our beliefs in healthy rivalry, many opportunities for your dream job or your starting career of choice await you in Aurora Beach : our infrastructures are waiting for your spark to shine brightly.

Proud member of the Duchy of Asebeia


Links : checked

Contents: Welcome, Discover, Learn, Participate, Cultivate, Thrive, Features

Miscelleanous: Related topics

  • Contest entry for the "Show Us Your Domain" event
  • Campus of the 🔗Skyfall Academy, our local boarding school and orphanage
  • Artisans and officials wanted, have a look at our 🔗job board to familiarize with what we can offer.

Sightseeing: Glad you're here and thanks for the read.

Discord: Come and join our friendly community on the 🔗Asebeian discord, where we hang out and stay connected with our fellow neighbors.

You've reached the end, nah just kidding... have a wondrous day and see you there!


[EU/EN/FR] An enlightened mind, a wandering soul (or vice versa) : mayor of the fair city of Aurora Beach, civil engineer by design, inscriber wanabee, outfit maker enthousiast... and editor at the Skyfall:Archives.

"May the land be fair to you." (Friend Code : 48FDFB)

9/7/2019 1:34:18 PM #1

Knowledge center

"The means to survive, the ways to enjoy life." [Skyfall Academy]

Both a boarding school and an orphanage, the Skyfall Academy [S:A] is focused on Arts & Métiers (low-fantasy version), with the clear goal to prepare students, wards and citizens for a fulfilling lifetime (or several) thanks to innately intricate ties with the city design and their alumni.

TLDR: Rather generalist than hyper-specialized, at least one themed category per district to get lessons and teachers from, training the gentlemann farmers and performers of tomorrow, our education style improve with partnerships, and we have plenty.

Meet us on the 🔗Asebeian discord, visit the 🔗Skyfall Archives or learn more on the campus of the 🔗Skyfall Academy's webpage.

Last edit : 2019/09/30

Towards citizenship and beyond

We believe that a strong fundation will never fault you along your paths, another reason why we provide a broad base of skill lessons, books and practical studies to start your journey from.

At the Skyfall Academy, our mandatory course is what we call the "Prime Arts", funding qualities of a gentlemann farmer :

  • Communication : eloquence, writing, etiquette,
  • Society : attending, first-aid, self-defense,
  • Outdoor : parkour, riding, swimming,
  • Survivability : herbalism, hunting (traps, bow, spear, knife), fishing,
  • Sustainability : irrigation, farming, forestry.

We believe that a strong fundation will never fault you along your paths, another reason why we provide a broad base of skill lessons, books and practical studies to start your journey from.

To keep some flexibility, at least two disciplines in each category must be cleared (journeyman level) to access graduation exams, though we encourage our pupils to aim for completion.

Then come a choice of vocation and its synergic relations with the urban planning (see below sections for more). Cross-skill experimentations are highly encouraged, especially while knowledge is blooming, innovation is never far... and in any case, learning to avoid further mistakes is a healthy process.

Which path(s) you choose to delve in is naturally up to you, and with no entry age limitation, the Skyfall Academy will remain a standfast beacon of knowledge you can rely on : after all "there is no better motivotional path than the one you want to pursue".

Campus facilities

Within a soothing and well-maintained scenery, the soft-walled enclave that defines the artful campus also encompass :

  • the aforementionned watch tower, home to the Auroran Cooperative,
  • a library and contract vault we're very proud of,
  • hosts the art gallery part museum,
  • and is ground to its own stadium and dojo,
  • practice stations (plus a few other contraptions) can be found along the walls.

Finally outside the campus, the archery range and obstacle course are embedded in the nearby forest, while the racetrack and jousting facilities circle the city ranch.

Enjoy learning, then never stop

Being located in a custom-designed commune with an accent on bio-diversity (rather than spawned as a generic procedural city) also bears bountiful fruits in the education department.

Once a basic level of understanding has been achieved in the main course, students can seek apprenticeships (part-time jobs) in the many disciplines that make the city so special (see the vocation lists below). As mentionned above, further competency is required to attend citizenship graduation.

Most apprenticeships generally require at least two elyrian years more of attendance to get the full benefits (later job opportunities and favored contracts to begin with). Most business tend to limit themselves to a few apprentice(s) per cycle in their domain of activity, so better make a good impression (creds is the solution).

  • Knowledge : one of the cornerstone of the city, the library and its contract vault are generally the start of many an adventure... thus naturally providing the perfect fundations to those handling lore and knowledge on a daily basis (librarian, teacher, interpret, accountant, scribe, lawyer, author, cartographer, astronomer, scholar).
  • Refinement (about making and processing components and materials) : the adjacent design lab (recipes, alchemy, aphotecary, herbalism) hosts most of such process except when they are on-site (kiln, press, tannery, saltern, textile factory, paper mill, sawmill) or at the mills (animal, water, wind) spread within the city, all close to their client workshops.
  • Entertainment (music, dancing, singing, acting, courtesanship, poetry, writing, painting, sculpting, carving, gardening, landscaping) : provided at the museum, its art gallery and the theater within the campus district.
  • Ranchology : at the nearby farm ranch (grocery, dairy, poultry, granary) with a double focus on eco-friendly agroforestry (synergy farming, aquaculture, beekeping, animal training/handling) and responsible "resource" management (forester, tamer, naturalist, groundkeeper).
  • Gastronomy : all about making the best use of ingredients in most creative ways, provided at the versatile auberge (cooking, spicing, serving) and subsequent facilities around (bakery, butchery, brewery).
  • Logistics (including quartermaster, innkeeper, trader, fence, clerk, messenger) : provided at the caravanserail, docks and trading palace in the emporium district.

Note that should you wish for inspiration and/or enlightment, diverse performances are regularly held by students and professional troupes in the central district and the compass gardens found along the crescent boulevard, while many streets and other public spaces (especially the workshops) are adorned with prized artworks from recent years graduates.

Special scholarships

The following training programs are directed more at those who want to represent their faction and make more impact than coins by their actions.

  • Strategy : provided at the town hall, come and earn an apprenticeship to a surveyor, dungeoneer, architect, diplomat or engineer if you seek to influence the greater picture.

The city denies any allegation about a so-called spymaster in its official buildings, but you may try to challenge the scout master to a game of "hide & seek" to prove your valor, but maybe you'll lose more than you sought.

  • Martial : more olympian style than soldiering fighter, themed around fitness, small unit tactics, cavalry, martial arts, duels and contests (combat, joust, archery, parkour), trainers can be found within the campus (lessons at the stadium and archery range) and at the racetrack arena around the ranch.

Even more than with any other vocations presented so far, expect to learn how to maintain and tend your chosen tools of the trade : be it your mount, equipment and self.

Just like mountains, most metals are a foreign commodity within the region, thus our combat styles, versatile and on-point, will feel different to the usual trend : both an asset in our own vision.

Workshop apprenticeships

Again, as friendly reminder, sponsored artisans generally limit themselves to only one apprentice per year, though exceptions may happen. Nonetheless, age is not a limitation, yet wards and students get prefered treatment for their first assignments.

  • Crafts : trainings and apprenticeships are part of the deal between the city, academy and sponsored workshops (granting the latter the lease to that activity-specific frontstore on the commercial plaza in the workshop district, included with housing for family and said apprentices).

While public and school stations can be found either within the campus or in those respective buildings (their masterful demonstrations observable at least twice a week as a bonus package) : by contract, one may expect tailor, jeweler, leatherworker, alchemist, woodworker, carver, potter, glass blower, tinkerer, blacksmith jobs and some variants aside.

Alternate cursus

Finally, there are some alternate (or final) cursus, which generally involve long travels to other academies, some of which we have established partnerships with (check the section below) : expect prolonged absences and/or dedicated pursuit, choose wisely if you embark on one of those.

  • Official : longer and stringer contracts with the city as-is in order to prepare specific and competent officials like the physician, veterinarian, nurse, firefighter, ranger, barber, mortician, investigator, constable or tax collector (and the occasionnal "scripter").
  • Seafaring : obviously initiated in the emporium district and aimed at developping the harbor potential and sea travel opportunities; though making ships and barges as well as leading them out there and come back safely is a lengthy and dedicated experience that requires good balance in many ways.

Knowledge partnerships

Despite our broad spectrum, knowledge is a vast ocean, thus many specializations are not well represented at the Skyfall Academy. As we're always trying to provide the best support to our students, we teamed up with other pursuers of knowledge.

Some you'll already know as they are regularly teaching on our grounds, others you'll want to contact on our behalf to further your education.


[EU/EN/FR] An enlightened mind, a wandering soul (or vice versa) : mayor of the fair city of Aurora Beach, civil engineer by design, inscriber wanabee, outfit maker enthousiast... and editor at the Skyfall:Archives.

"May the land be fair to you." (Friend Code : 48FDFB)

9/7/2019 1:44:41 PM #2

Involved citizenship

"Before, There & Then : Legacy matters" [Ombrelune]

Last edit : WIP

Creds

Despite those could be seen as a form of currency, creds are not some flimsy coins but book records of your deeds (and misdeeds), more like a measure of your engagement. One peculiarity of note, the more you use them over a short period of time (or repeated perk), the more it will cost you : pacing oneself is a good recipe to longevity.

Since creds can be redeemed - wherever Ombrelune extends, Skyfall teachs and Aurora reachs - for timely perks in many ways : like renting a luxury villa for a party, getting community's help for a massive build (like in those TV shows), obtaining preferential VIP status at stores or auctions, etc..

You may gain them through officially-sanctionned contracts (chores among them)... and yes it costs creds to create such contracts, except for the town council, which leads us to our next point.

Community orchestra

You may have heard of our peculiar voice representation (pun intended) in district-level decision making. For instance, one goes to the campus headmaster, some others also shouldering the duty through their civic functions : watchtower commissioner, auberge inkeeper, lead physician, museum conservator, emporium quatermaster, ranch administrator, head forester, harbor master and last but not least the acting mayor (which also act as a tie-breaker in any such case).

Next, in a similar pattern to village tokens, for every four citizens one represent/host, that individual (or group representative) gets a voice : family heads most often than not. Moreover, a hosting citizen (generally the amenity manager) may gets additionnal voices for year-term residency of declared guests (aka non-citizens), though at a much lower ratio : the orphanage and boarding school being fair examples of such situation.

Finally if a city vote impacts one's declared parcel (job or residence), each individual relevant citizen gets a full voice instead, half as neighbors (non-cumulative obviously).

Duties, chores and sanctions

Keep the city "clean and proper" (see dislikes), includes maintenance, cleaning, patrol and surveillance as well as public displays of expertise, on a regular basis, coordinated by the watchtower office (as PC, you may borrow some of their updated OPC scripts by the way) : one of the reasons there is an exam to become citizen (see prime arts in knowledge section) in order to be effective through their civic chores.

If one is caught making a "simple" mistake, one doesn't pay but redeems one-self (and their family's name) through more chores (generally on the more tedious, dangerous or lengthy sprectrum). The watchtower office generally deals with the whole process, non-compliance may lead to the section and consequences below.

For repeat offenders and "major" mistakes, additional sanctions will be voted and applied by the city itself (as a community) to them and their direct family on top of any punishment that the legal system may apply. Oh and yes, by education, we're vindicative, perceptive and have a collective good memory.

Anything heavier or more sinister may lead to "incapacitate-on-sight" and "persona-non-grata" status, with confiscation of belongings and adverse possession of parcels by the city, in an attempt to recover the losses incured by the victim(s).

Legacy matters

Sure the city grows with precise land incorporation and management, yet parcels donation/incorporation is not the unique way for a family or group to establish a city legacy. Be it a revolutionary process, new renewable source, specialty recipe, best-seller blueprint or ground-breaking technique, there are many ways to be recognized by the council and immortalized in stone on the city monuments.

Glory has its perks and a famous citizen or alumni could also become a legacy (by oneself), but more importantly one of the city's principles is retribution (both positive and negative), and it means that because of such forementioned deed(s), current family and future heirs will enjoy the benefits for at least a full cycle (52 elyrian years), up to three (lifetime-equivalents) for world-changing achievements, unless they mess up badly in the meantime.

So don't rest on your laurels and stay innovative, come and join us, lets make a difference in a place we can call our own.


[EU/EN/FR] An enlightened mind, a wandering soul (or vice versa) : mayor of the fair city of Aurora Beach, civil engineer by design, inscriber wanabee, outfit maker enthousiast... and editor at the Skyfall:Archives.

"May the land be fair to you." (Friend Code : 48FDFB)

9/14/2019 12:16:49 PM #3

Planned city

"I love it when a plan comes together." [Mr Smith]

Last edit : 2019/09/25

Thoughtful urban planning

But lets start with one image (link below), rather than my thousand words : one of the many possible layouts (due to unknown topography): commercial promenade hosting the auberge and resident workshop guilds, flanked by the seaport and ranch arena districts, boulevard arcing around and between landmarks, from emporium to granary, art & métiers campus for the academy and orphanage nested near the watchtower, while a stream is flowing through the riparian orchard, then, more inland extends the belt of grovefields, most sustaining the gourmet town and then some.

🔗Possible city layout/map

🔗Districts

Most districts are the size of a hamlet and packed with buildings, while the farm ranch, with its dependances, has more the size of a village, but is mainly cultivated land (in more ways than meet the eye). No need to detail where you may find the beach resort, but the river gardens may just become a repurposed orchard due to the lack of opportunities at mayor-level (the rice paddies and willow energy park will be more difficult to implement, but still cornerstone to the project).

At a later date (after the actual domain selection for sure, whenever it will be)... you may expect a more detailled description of landmarks, sites and other purposeful parcel/land management. Though obviously, a lot of thinking have already been invested in, constructive inputs are equally welcome.

Land integration

For the city to be effective, especially logistics-wise, paved streets and roads are an obvious necessity : which means less "usable" land for "your" own activity. Hence the focus on synergies, urban planning and civic charter, as such all incorporated parcels are subject to building and infrastructure regulations depending on their uses and locations.

  • Maximum building ratio (highly subject to changes, but you get the gist) : Industrial (7/8), Residential (3/4), Commercial (5/8), Agricultural (1/4)
  • Reserved infrastructure ratio : Landmark (100%), Critical (1/2), Major (1/4), Minor (1/8), Natural (1/16)

Examples of street-laced public infrastructures : wells, rain gardens, lighting posts, art exhibitions, merchant stands, benchs, public stations, bridges, parking slots and roads obviously.

Don't forget that most parcels are not entirely buildable to begin with (waterway or cliffs, rocky or floodable terrain as well, relief in general, etc...).


[EU/EN/FR] An enlightened mind, a wandering soul (or vice versa) : mayor of the fair city of Aurora Beach, civil engineer by design, inscriber wanabee, outfit maker enthousiast... and editor at the Skyfall:Archives.

"May the land be fair to you." (Friend Code : 48FDFB)

9/14/2019 12:18:23 PM #4

Features sheet

Topography: coastal (sandy beach), western riverbed, northeast hills

Biome: semi-humid tropical climate, low altitude, mix of forests and grasslands

Layout: urban planning, precise zoning, workshop center, dedicated districts

Population: families, students, wards, apprentices, bedded guests and tourists

Tribes: To'resk, Dras, Neran, Janoa, Kypiq (KoE), Hrothi (KoE), Waerd

Parcels: 25~80+ (staged growth)

Housing: inns, grand hotel, canopy hotel, boarding school, orphanage

Landmarks: watch tower, grocery, trading post, port, ranch, campus

Defenses: alarm bell, watch tower, commissary, emergency teams, citizen's watch contracts, cavalry barracks

Education: orphanage, school (survival, crafts & arts), library, guild apprenticeships

Religions: any, agnostic, spiritual, state religions

Major influences: Skyfall Academy, Ombrelune Consortium, Duchy of Asebeia, Kingdom of Al'Khezam, sponsored artisans

Resources: river, sea, beach, clay, stone, caves, groves, fields

Specialties: culture, carpentry, pottery, glass, textiles, leather, food

Exports: knowledge, art, fashion, equipment, tools, recipes

Districts: campus, docks, workshops, farm ranch, resorts

Bans: siege weaponry (forbidden), poisons (restricted)

Imports: ores, metals

Entertainment: theatre, tavern, parks, track arena, obstacle course, throwing range, gymnasium, bath house, auction house

Sight-seeing: city parks, sea shore, gardens, museum, library, shopping plaza

Locals: fair, multi-lingual, cosmopolite

Government: mayor, voices council (Auroran Collective)

Infrastructures: water mill, wind mill, animal mill, press, kiln, citern, storages, streets...

Taxes: low (chores alternative)

Reputation: education, legacies, arts, scenery, gastronomy, parkour

Buildings: eco-friendly, practical, sturdy, ornate

Streets: large, drained, artistic, flowery

Corruption: small favors (creds system)

Guards: professional, plus every citizen and some more

Crime: below average

Motto: "Providing Rhyme & Reason to invest yourself into : we reap what we sow."

Famous for: knowledge, entertainment, education

Notables : Twenty (overseers), Elders (land-owners), Skyfall (academy), Ombrelune (consortium), Leonim (founder)...


Ombrelune ~ Aurora Beach


[EU/EN/FR] An enlightened mind, a wandering soul (or vice versa) : mayor of the fair city of Aurora Beach, civil engineer by design, inscriber wanabee, outfit maker enthousiast... and editor at the Skyfall:Archives.

"May the land be fair to you." (Friend Code : 48FDFB)

9/14/2019 1:35:46 PM #5

Civic-driven synergy and business incubator

"Art transcends Nature, while Necessity is the Spark for Invention." [Ombrelune]

Last edit : WIP

The main districts (campus, plaza, emporium, ranch, beach, grove) are managed by the town or its subsidiaries (Skyfall Academy for the education part, Ombrelune Consortium for handling business), the four compass gardens (aromatic, botanic, subsurface and copse), waterways (to install riparian ecosystems, handle irrigation and limit pollution and soil erosion) and some fields (for sustained diversity, pasture and communal farming) are civic-driven : chores can be done, creds can be gained, lessons can be learned.

In a nutshell, the town shoulders the investment and maintenance of project structures the size only big entreprenarial business could muster, while citizens and sponsored guilds/artisans use them to the best of their ability for the betterment of both, generations after generations.

Workshop incubator

As you may know, our commercial district, the Workshop Central, can be considered an open-sky mall of nine parcels in a square formation, circled by the crescent boulevard to facilities moving of goods and customers. The district doubles as a business incubator where the best (more on that later), rather than the richest, are rewarded with the best spots in town.

To these ends, the three central parcels align to form the core of our pedestrian plaza, where the markets, rental stalls and food court are. Meanwhile the remaining parcels on the sides are each dedicated to a particular craft theme (outfiter, auberge, onsen, lab, atelier, forge).

With such design, the district can easily afford to host up to 18 sponsored guilds in as many crafting abilities (workshop, lodging for family and apprentices, stock and front-store reserved for each), on top of other activities available in-situ all over the city.

So each of those nine buildings have their frontstores blend within the plaza and thus occupy roughly 1.25 parcels each; except for the unique auberge and onsen (bathhouse), the last four are relatively similar in design :

  • three dedicated front-stores, each around 80 square meters with at least 12m directly facing the pedestrian markets on the plaza (think open-sky mall),
  • numerous versatile side premises on both lateral streets (some private for rent, some open with community stations, others as stores, those closest to the back as small warehouses),
  • a central garden atrium to observe the regular public demonstrations (and stations) or wait leisurely for orders and deliveries,
  • comfortably-sized lodging and offices in the upper story (note that contrary to medieval-equivalent, our workshops should have a higher ceiling at street-level than typical buildings),
  • the shared loading bays at the back-end area to manage goods and materials on their way to and from your workshop,
  • and convenient parking slots for supply carts in the meanwhile, so to not cluster the streets.

Healthy rivalry : sponsored artisans and guilds

Greetings from your landlord : the town's council.

Quite the priviledge to earn the best and most synergic spot (in terms of clientele, exposition, logistics and cross-skill opportunities) when it comes to a specific craft, as such a sponsored guild is rewarded this lease by city contract after a public contest of skills (part demonstration show during the city fair, part creds, part vote) and has a few extra requirements like weekly expert demonstrations, work hours for the city benefit and providing apprenticeship for one academy's graduate at least.

As mentioned in the above description of the workshop buildings, the side premises are roomy, despite being less exposed can be just as busy as the main "front" and they still retain the advantages of the municipal site, enhanced security and logistics network. Indeed a good opportunity for unaffiliated artisans and challenger guilds to show their worth and attract plenty customers.

The exact details still need to be hammered down but the leasing contract should last enough (around a decade in elyrian game time) before getting challenged in the aforementionned contest, though to be "fair", it will start shorter for newcomers and last longers for old-timers, based on their local in-game reputation. And maybe if some ambitious expert gather enough creds and votes, such challenge can be acknowledged sooner, always a town-issued decision in the end.

We highly recommend for guild branches and independents only to candidate for those sponsorships : since the town own the place, not the business, it would define a headquarters there a futile process. There are requestable, yet not easily purchaseable, land plots near certain districts that an entreprising business could discuss with the council and either count (land management) in order to settle and base themselves in our bustling city.

So don't worry about your favorite shop moving out to the sides soon, they just have to stay the "best" in town : no pressure! ;-)

Interested parties

Jump in!

Contact us on the Asebeian discord if you are interested in such collaborations or simply curious about the viability.


[EU/EN/FR] An enlightened mind, a wandering soul (or vice versa) : mayor of the fair city of Aurora Beach, civil engineer by design, inscriber wanabee, outfit maker enthousiast... and editor at the Skyfall:Archives.

"May the land be fair to you." (Friend Code : 48FDFB)

9/20/2019 11:54:01 AM #6

Biome considerations

Last edit : 2019/10/07

As far I know, outdated yet latest description from the devs about the elyrian tropical savannah biome.

Found between 300-1200m above sea level {ahem, yeah sure} the Woodland Savanna is a type of grassland that has woods spread across much of its otherwise featureless surface, but that aren’t big or lush enough to create a canopy so most sunlight still reaches the ground under the trees. Often found in the humid tropics, they sometimes occur in subtropical or temperate latitudes as well.

Annual rainfall is between 60-110cm, and the water retention rate of the soil is 40% {compared to more than 80% defined in the wetlands}. Rivers snake through the region from higher elevation run off, and settlements tend to crop up near them. The ground is arable and suitable for farming crops or rearing livestock, but there also exists wild game of all sizes.

Making up 55% of the total population are To’resk, with 15-20% of Neran and The Waerd also having migrated southward to the region. The religion in the area is predominantly Qindred, but Virtori missions can also be found.

Food is neither abundant or scarce, thanks to the variety of agriculture and supplementary hunting. As such, the overall population is relatively average, in line with the Lower Montane Forest or Swamp, just a little higher than the Taiga, but fewer people than the Broadleaf Forest or Tropical Rainforest.

Los Llanos The savannah plains of Los Llanos, inland Colombia

Earth equivalence

About the climate, tropical for the most part : the aforementionned elyrian woodland savannah is quite difficult an eco-region to pinpoint, for an earth equivalent (you may want to check 🔗tropical savanna climate on Wikipedia) may be found among the following eco-regions :

  • Continental coasts of Southeast Asia :
    • Indochina, the mainland part of south-east asia (Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, continental Malaysia),
    • none of its maritime counterpart, the Malesia archipelago (Indonesia, Borneo, New Guinea),
    • then northern Australia (from Darwin to Cairns).
  • West and Central Africa on both sides of the equatorial line :
    • the shore along the Golf of Guinea (from Ivory Coast to Cameroon),
    • middle west and inland "below" the tropics,
    • east on both sides of the Mozambique Channel,
    • and strangely enough (latitude), some micro-biomes in South Africa.
  • The West Indies around the Carribean Sea :
    • the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Caymans),
    • the lowlands of Central America (Honduras and mayan Yucatan noticeably),
    • northern parts of South America (the "llanos" in Venezuela and Columbia).
  • Plus most of inland Brazil, where the biome is called 🔗cerrado.

Thus we can expect from those paradisiac locations hot yet distinct wet and dry seasons, I surmise of relative equal durations, since Asebeia is a coast. Rainfall will probably be distributed unevenly through the year, with rare events during the dry season.

More inland, without a coastal influence, the climate may turn more semi-arid than semi-humid : the alternate between vegetation and dry seasons in South Sudan (central inland Africa) and New South Wales (Australia) would be good examples. A point backed up by the lower sustainability of inland asebeian counties, a consequence of their lack of freshwater supplies, though sinkholes should be an uncommon sight (those allowed the mayans to flourish for instance).

A special note about the modern cerrado biome, inland with a semi-humid tropical climate, as it is still the second largest biome in South America and the most biodiverse savanna in the world. Home to the largest freshwater reservoirs, with agriculture (soybeans, maize, beans, rice, coffee, beef cattle), charcoal and... steel as primary industries (yeah I know, no mineral deposit for its eventual elyrian counterpart).

Worldwide tropical savanna climate Worldwide zones of Tropical savanna climate (Aw/As)

Indeed, handling freshwater through years after years will be a good challenge to keep us on our toes : solar desalination (salt as byproduct for conservation), water recycling (for unedible crop irrigation and fertilization) and rain storage are some of the feasable solutions in-game, others like subsurface flow constructed wetlands for water treatment will be on a wait-and-see approach.

Agroforestry focus

In Aurora Beach, our primary effort will go to irrigation : well-thought water and land management once secured, will act as springboard and bolster the chance of success for other activities. A quick reminder in constraining game terms : forestry, rainfed and pastoral farming, fishing, textiles and paper; while port will occur later on, responsible hunting and foraging if the game can manage. Education, entertainment and resort seems to have slip out of some dev(ilish) minds.

Similarly to traditional medecine, in our modern world agroforestry got forgotten then slowly rediscovered yet rarely used in nowadays single-minded earth fields. Teamwork was always a thing in the plant domain, no surprise that organic is one of the main concept behind the whole city design : "we reap what we sow" is unsurpringly part of our motto.

We are dedicated to responsible and innovative sustainability, as such we chose intercropped polyculture and siviculture as our farming methods, coupled with bocages, copses and riparian hedges, truly antique ingeniosity as its best : up to four interacting species, one being schrub or tree-based, following the antique best practices, with modern knowledge of botanic components. By contract the fields' production is distributed between storages (city), sales, workers, owner (parcel), legacies (seeds, techniques) and providers (tools, animal workforce, incident resolutions).

Consequently, yearly ratios and quotas are negociated during district reunions and use our particularly representative decision-making as well : the 🔗Auroran Cooperative.

Demography

You could say that from traveling alumni and esteemed guests to close-knit neighboring ties, our cosmopolite community knows no borders.

For one, our latest addition were a few northern families (Kypiq and maybe Hrothi migration adventures during KoE) from southern Demalion and northern Tryggr, enticed by the agroforestry and groundkeeping management enforced in our domain, they will bring some of their signature trades with them and fit right-in to develop the grove preserve.

Since lodgings are provided in-situ by our strict urban design and city charter, most families are to be found close or on-top of their workplace of choice, this is the case for those which tribal origins complete the rest of the canvas (To'resk mainly, Neran also well-represented, some welcomed Dras and Janoan as well). While the historical center remains a prime place for residence, noticeably for the ever-present Waerd siblinghood.

Though To'resk families culturally prefers to install themselves closer to the waterways, aquaculture and rice fields - or reclaiming part of the shore on their own typical stilt architecture, the beach resort being a prime example of their mastery in this domain.

Diversified Lifestyle

Since one of the main points of this city planning was to avoid an urban sprawl debacle, the main avenues for future residential extensions are parcels on the other side of the campus waiting to be carefully incorporated into the city, business included, a smaller yet similar situation can be found on the other side of the river. Not much to write about real estate, still some expensive villas can be found along the river, but most of the land serves a civic purpose.

Indeed this city is not meant to become a capital (or barely), but a balanced place of living, work and leisure : a challenge since it was also designed as both an attractive tourism spot and a refined education setting. Will it become your own place of cultivation as well?

Logically, most known languages can be learned and heard along our streets and establishments, as diverse and mixed as our population, through naturally croçais is our official written language, especially for legal and business endeavors.

As you'll notice when visiting, our street signs have an attached pictogram to help tourists and visitors alike, while some of the academy students are on guide duties at the port and coaching station.


[EU/EN/FR] An enlightened mind, a wandering soul (or vice versa) : mayor of the fair city of Aurora Beach, civil engineer by design, inscriber wanabee, outfit maker enthousiast... and editor at the Skyfall:Archives.

"May the land be fair to you." (Friend Code : 48FDFB)

9/26/2019 8:56:01 AM #7

Added biome considerations (previous post), edited our potential partnerships when we'll know more about the game, cleared some explanations and descriptions, brushed on the business incubator and legacies are still a WIP, added a job board.

Expect a revamped map soon, will probably double as an entry for the "show your domain" contest.

Still reserved for later announcements as I rewrite information from our webpage. Thanks for your time. :)


[EU/EN/FR] An enlightened mind, a wandering soul (or vice versa) : mayor of the fair city of Aurora Beach, civil engineer by design, inscriber wanabee, outfit maker enthousiast... and editor at the Skyfall:Archives.

"May the land be fair to you." (Friend Code : 48FDFB)