Welcome to Prismere Keep!
The Official History of Prismere Isle
Having exited through the back of Aurora Library, you find a residential section. Its colorful banners seem even more brazen; you realize they don't match. At least the shops in the square worked to coordinate with each other; here was a mishmash of whatever a resident decided they wanted. Entering the dirt street, the pungent smell of burning excrement hits you; you try not to gag. Fortunately, that means they're getting rid of the smell; humans really did come up with some great uses for lenses. You breathe through your sleeve as you continue ahead, kicking up dust as you stride along.A little way ahead, the battlements of an inner keep rise above the squatter buildings. You test the air, and gratefully lower your arm. Long green-and-gold banners hang from every other parapet, bearing Queen Sarsetta's sigil: a woman with arms raised, one side dressed as a warrior, sword in hand, while the other wore an enchanter's dress and held a gold light in her hand. A portcullis guards the keep's entrance, though it is currently open. You nod to the guards as you pass inside, dusty road giving way to cobblestone. The street ahead is still dusty, but less so.
Inside the gates, all mismatched colors give way to the queen's colors - even the courtyard walls seem to reflect green and gold, marble and jade flowing together to form the walls of Jade Keep. Empty planters dot the courtyard, awaiting landscaping, but for two round planters on the left, bearing fledgling trees. Landscaping must have been last on the mercenary queen's list.
White marble steps lead to a large wooden door with a pointed arch. Hinges creak as you pull the ring and enter a large room with upper balconies. On the ground level, and just to your left, a clerk smiles at you, "Hello, there!"
Prismere's Official History
Our first records regarding Prismere Isle date back to its previous title: Illusia's Dais. Illusia's priests had built a beautiful temple on this island, commissioning a lens, which they placed at the top of the island's mountain. This lens reflected the sun's rays miles beyond the lake's borders, displaying different colors depending upon how far away you stood. This wonder added to the awe of the site, and they lived undisturbed for quite some time. Illusia's priests kept not only theological records, but also historical ones, which further nurtured a cultural and religious significance - a respect for the priests and their work. This granted them a measure of unspoken protection.
Time passed until a godless man named Deegan, Duke of Teshál, couldn't resist the island's fortification potential. He sailed from Teshál's shores to the southeast and seized Illusia's Dais. Outraged, Arden, Duke of Lartas (located north of Teshál and due east of Illusia's Dais), mustered an alliance to reclaim the sacred island. After chasing Deegan from the island, Duke Arden remained to care for Illusia's priests. Duke Bryll of Frellya pressed on with the rest of the alliance to rout Deegan and his godless followers from Teshál.
Deegan's men had torn down much of the temple, repurposing its stone for mass fortifications around Illusia's Dais. Their work hadn't gone far, but Duke Arden decided it might be wise to afford the priests some protection. He rallied donations to rebuild Illusia's Temple, fortify the island's shores, and provide a regiment of soldiers to guard Illusia's Dais. Serving on this garrison became a privilege rotated among the human duchies. For his ardor and leadership, the alliance decided to grant Teshál to Duke Arden. Illusia's Dais, too, was placed under his stewardship.
When Duke Arden died, both Lartas and Teshál passed to his daughter, Jada. His passing left his wife, Lydia, seeking a new home that wouldn't remind her so much of her late husband. Jada, an accomplished mindseer who loved Illusia's Dais, suggested the island, and soon discovered jade in its mountains. Jada offered Illusia's priests a proposition: if they would allow Jada to build her castle on the island, she could personally see to their protection and restore the temple to even greater grandeur. Additionally, she would build a bridge to the island, inviting more followers to worship Illusia. The priests agreed.
Illusia's Dais flourished in both travelers and trade, and Jada provided Hyndal, a renowned architect, for the temple's reconstruction. Hyndal, with Jada's financial support, erected what he called the "fountain room," which is where Illusia's priests have worshiped to this day. If you haven't visited Illusia's Temple, it stands at the western corner of the city square; its beauty and innovation are a sight to behold.
Jada also established Atara Tower at the height of the island's peak. After so much time, the lens had fallen into disrepair, and she had it renovated and placed atop Atara Tower. She dedicated the tower as a place for mindseers to gather their knowledge and study. It offers an immense library on a range of topics - not just magical in nature.
Darker times fell on Treya, when other races turned on humans and actuated the Fracture. Our entire race faced annihilation, but thanks to ataran intervention, the other races left us alone. By this time, however, human government had been all but destroyed, and many grabbed at whatever power they could. Myriad human kingdoms sprang up in the Fracture's wake,
Though Illusia's Dais lost Jada to the Fracture, the atarans watched over the island and protected it from the chaos of the outside world. They allowed the priests to remain and serve at Illusia's Temple, but destroyed much of the 2-mile bridge spanning from Lartas' shore to the island fortifications. They even raised the fortifications into sheer cliffs surrounding the entire island.
Illusia's Dais remained this way, still accumulating knowledge from across the world under ataran care in the tower, but they didn't allow others in for many years. It wasn't until our Queen Sarsetta came along that they once again made this knowledge available to the public. She managed to teach herself thought magic, make her way past their defenses onto the islan to convince them. She vowed to unite the humans and put an end to the human chaos and suffering. Toward this end, she renamed the island Prismere Isle, commemorating the island's old name by assigning it to the tallest peak, where Atara Tower stands. Now, the colors reflected from Illusia's Dais serve as a comforting reminder to all humans of this new era of peace in our united country of Prismeria.
© 2019 Jenari Skye
