The Sisters Anathitae - OOC thread located here (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=210179.0)<br/><br/><hr/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 24pt;"><span class="bbc_u"><em><strong>Beyond</strong></em></span></span><br/>(http://i.imgur.com/nclpBry.jpg)</div><br/><hr/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/jki1Vbg.jpg)</div><br/>The city of Laelith sat upon the water like a hunched jungle cat, taut and ready to spring.  The early summer temperatures on the continent of Mara meant that the weather had started getting quite hot.  And around Laelith, that meant damn hot.  Inside the tropical region of the world's southern hemisphere, A tropical jungle sat not far from the cities borders.  Laelith sat along the coast, the entire city being built upon a slope that rose upwards to the west, leaving the small bay at the east busy with the hustle and bustle of several ships.   Most of the ships in the port were docked and busy.  Countless men, women, and neutral warforged, or 'forged' as some of them preferred to be called, swarmed up and down the docks and over the ships.  They loaded precious gems, antiques, or cargo, bound for a return to the Faded lands and the eager buyers there who clamored for the treasures of this lost land.<br/><br/>Some small flat boats made their way west, up Laelith river.  The river wound up stream to the west, between an increasingly higher and higher set of canyon walls, taking explorers deeper into the jungle wilds beyond Laelith's small claim of civilization.  They would stop at the hilarious, and yet appropriately titled outpost at the very edge of the jungle named 'Fort Last Chance.'  The small outpost was last place for adventurers to prepare before heading out into the wilds of Mara.<br/><br/>Other boats in Laelith's docks were floating calmly anchored however, and showed no signs of moving.  At least one powerful figure made his home on such a floating pleasure palace, enjoying the benefits of the cities protection as well as the independence of a floating home.  In fact one such boat, with a semi permanent dock, was the sound of much laughter and raucousness; Big Bronau’s Boat, the title of a riverboat casino at permanent anchor.<br/><br/>Around the city sat ancient walls, older than anyone could guess, but at least a thousand years old or more.  From the south walls one could, if one had a powerful spyglass, make out on the horizon the dead grey mists that marked the borders of the faded lands.  There beyond the mists lay an entire nation, no, several nations, of relative peace and stability.  But here, on this side of the mists, where Laelith lay, sat wild jungles, a savage group of pioneers eager to make their fortunes, and find the thing in this ancient wild world that would bring them whatever it was they were seeking.<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/iqWFmYI.jpg)</div>This world was wild, there was no doubt of that.  Magic had s sometimes unforeseen consequences, and everyone who lived in Laelith for more than a few days found out about the travelers curse.  Some warping of reality caused the world to behave... strangely... at least in this area that people had explored.  Sometimes a path would travel a relatively straight line, and yet, other times it would twist and loop about, doubling back on itself.  A traveler who didn't know their way around could get lost, quickly and easily.  While the city of Laelith had seemed to be mostly immune to such strange magics, not a week went by when a traveler, new to the city didn't complain of it taking him half a day to walk around the block to the market or some other such odd tale.<br/><br/>Since Laelith was built on a hill, the town rose upwards, and the alleys and streets did too.  Space was at a premium as it was being reclaimed from the ruins of the ancient city, and people often build upwards, higher and higher, to find the space they wanted for their shops, businesses, or homes.  But one thing was certain, Laelith was a crowded city.  With travelers who came and went constantly, it's streets were packed and often alive with the feel of life.<br/><br/>Laelith's homes were often built right into the ruined walls of the cities ancient structures.  It wasn't uncommon to see a mix of architecture either.  Dwarven squat foundations sat below sturdy houses made in a human style.  Those homes sharing an ancient wall with an elven temple, graceful and curving where the home was blocky and firm.  Often too the homes had no distinct style, as people shored up the ruins and reclaimed more and more of the city with no feel for aesthetics.  Who had time to worry what the apartment house you were living in looked like, when there was ancient riches and ruins to explore beyond the cities walls?<br/><br/>Despite the cramped nature of the city, it actually remained fairly clean.  The tropical climate meant that there was at least one rain storm once a day, sometimes lasting only minutes, other times an hour or more.  The rain constantly washed any filth and dirt down into the ancient sewers of Laelith.  Sewers that the protectors of the city swore were finally secure.<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/Vpa05Nk.jpg)</div>But the rain never dampened anyone for too long.  It was too hot to stay too wet for long.  The brutal summer sun baked away moisture from the surfaces it touched after too long, leaving the humid heat of a city surrounded by jungle.<br/><br/>Every type of people were present in the city of Laelith.  The red skinned, horned demon people known as teiflings.  The metal and wooden people known as the forged.  The black skinned and white haired elves known as the drow.  Squat dwarves and tall humans, cunning halflings and wily goblins.  The angelic looking eldarin who shared blood with the earthy elven people.  There were gleaming scaled men and women known as dragonborn, and the sometimes feral, sometimes sensual animal people known as shifters.   There was even the odd person who defied any of these racial groupings, but suffice it to say that all had their place in Laelith, no matter what they looked like... of course... Laelith was a city of constant change and while one might find a home there for a time, caution was advised, lest it also be your grave.<br/><br/>It was this city that was the focus of so much attention, so much strife, drama, and potential that all of the civilized eyes of the faded lands were set upon.  Since the magical border of dead land and sea that ringed the faded lands has begun to fade, the thousand years of exile of the civilized races has ended.  Explorers have struck out, most never to return.  But the ancient city of Laelith has grown and become a powerful center for trade, exploration and adventure.  It has drawn people from all walks of life from the Faded Lands for a thousand different reasons.<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/2HqNvll.jpg)</div>The sisters Dawn and Stephanie Anathitae are only two of these people, women of exquisite and almost unearthly beauty.  The redheaded and blonde half elf share blood with a fey nymph ancestor, and journey to Laelith to seek their fortunes and spread the faith in Shoni, the goddess of sex, love, and physical pleasure.  Dawn, the younger of the two sisters, a coppery tressed spell caster of skill and sensuality, and her fair haired sister Stephanie, a lithe and able combatant deadly with a blade or her body.  The two stood on the deck of the 'Dawnchaser' a two masted schooner bearing passengers and trade goods for the reclaimed city.  Sapphire waves broke across the Dawnchaser's bow as it cut westward towards the active and bustling port of Laelith.  Behind the sisters, the deck bustled with frantic activity as people made ready to land in the city.  The day's hottest period had passed, and much of the afternoon and evening would be in front of the passengers when they'd finally made berth.  Late afternoon and evening being the most busy time for the residents of Laelith city.  The oppressive heat that blanketed the city had broken by third bell in the afternoon, and by the time they landed it would be closer to fifth bell.  The heat of the jungle climate would still cling to a person once they were off the ocean, but it would be much more bearable.<br/><br/>The captain of the Dawnchaser had told the sisters that they could find decent lodgings at the inns near the docks, though if they saught a place to call home, they might find more civilized accommodations further west, higher up in the city.  The docks were the bailiwick of the sailors and merchants that came and went every day.  He also suggested that they might find fantastic opportunities for profit in the dock side markets.  Or if they were looking for a guide to the city, a local who could help them for a price.  He let them know about the various guilds that ran the city, and to steer clear of deals that seemed too good to be true.  There was a temple in the northern part of town, though while the captain had heard of Shoni, didn't know much of it's practices or faith.  They'd heard that the adventurer's guild would be a good place for them to find work, and that the mages collective had an impressive library and access to old recovered knowledge, gleaned from the ruins of the old world.  Finally the sisters had been told, several times, that with their looks, they could easily find employment at any of the cities brothels, which there were several of.  The captain even went so far as to suggest that with their looks they might be able to name their commission rates, and not settle for a standard deal.<br/><br/>So as the Dawnchaser pulled into a slip and was roped off by active sailors, the sisters knew that despite all they'd done to reach Laelith, the adventure before them had truly just begun.