04-19-2007, 09:19 PM
The Cohai Observatory is more of an outpost than an actual city, however it is a node on the Kalijor portal network and as such it bears mentioning as a population city.
The observatory sits atop a spire of rock that juts out from a high, sheer cliff on the western face of the Uraval Mountains. The only physical access to the observatory is via a narrow gap in the cliff wall in the Forest of Brume, barely wide enough for a single person to squeeze through. Once through the gap, you must make your way through a narrow valley that is filled with twisted, interwoven trees and shrubs. As you move deeper into the ravine, you head up a sharp incline and eventually it widens as you move higher into the mountains. Eventually it becomes wide enough that the trees no longer have to be threaded through in order to gain passage. At the top of the pass, after you move above the treeline you turn around a sharp bend and come face to face with wide open space. From here you can see the entire Forest of Brume, the Great Inland Sea and even the edges of the Endless Ocean. In the center of the view, sitting atop a massive column of rock is a large, walled keep that is connected to the top of the pass by a rickety rope bridge.
Entrance into the observatory is gained by ringing the bell next ot the massive gate in an alcove in the surrounding wall and then waiting until someone answers the call, which can take upwards of a week in some cases. Even those arriving by portal will appear in a small chamber that is locked from the inside and has a similar bell set up next to it.
Once inside the wall of the keep most people are taken by surprise. The courtyard is filled with well manicured flower gardens, trees, and rock gardens. Many sentients move about the grounds taking care of things, meditating, debating, and practicing magic or martial arts.
Inside the keep is a simple, utilitarian environment that is nothing more than what is neessary to keep its occupants clean, out of the weather, and well fed. Beneath the keep, well below the level of the forest floor far below, is a giant reservoir with a massive column of water rising out of it. This column pushes its way up into the bottom of the observatory. This magic spring is where Cohai gets all of its fresh water and the caverns around the reservoir lead into the depths of the Uraval Mountains and, eventually, to a myriad of other places in Kalijor.
The shepherd of the Observatory is a troll by the name of Gornin who is said to have been there for centuries, and whos council, although cryptic at best, is highly regarded among all sentients of power throughout Kalijor.
The observatory sits atop a spire of rock that juts out from a high, sheer cliff on the western face of the Uraval Mountains. The only physical access to the observatory is via a narrow gap in the cliff wall in the Forest of Brume, barely wide enough for a single person to squeeze through. Once through the gap, you must make your way through a narrow valley that is filled with twisted, interwoven trees and shrubs. As you move deeper into the ravine, you head up a sharp incline and eventually it widens as you move higher into the mountains. Eventually it becomes wide enough that the trees no longer have to be threaded through in order to gain passage. At the top of the pass, after you move above the treeline you turn around a sharp bend and come face to face with wide open space. From here you can see the entire Forest of Brume, the Great Inland Sea and even the edges of the Endless Ocean. In the center of the view, sitting atop a massive column of rock is a large, walled keep that is connected to the top of the pass by a rickety rope bridge.
Entrance into the observatory is gained by ringing the bell next ot the massive gate in an alcove in the surrounding wall and then waiting until someone answers the call, which can take upwards of a week in some cases. Even those arriving by portal will appear in a small chamber that is locked from the inside and has a similar bell set up next to it.
Once inside the wall of the keep most people are taken by surprise. The courtyard is filled with well manicured flower gardens, trees, and rock gardens. Many sentients move about the grounds taking care of things, meditating, debating, and practicing magic or martial arts.
Inside the keep is a simple, utilitarian environment that is nothing more than what is neessary to keep its occupants clean, out of the weather, and well fed. Beneath the keep, well below the level of the forest floor far below, is a giant reservoir with a massive column of water rising out of it. This column pushes its way up into the bottom of the observatory. This magic spring is where Cohai gets all of its fresh water and the caverns around the reservoir lead into the depths of the Uraval Mountains and, eventually, to a myriad of other places in Kalijor.
The shepherd of the Observatory is a troll by the name of Gornin who is said to have been there for centuries, and whos council, although cryptic at best, is highly regarded among all sentients of power throughout Kalijor.