Arcadia (CofD)

The Realm
Arcadia is a realm of constant change. The weather, the landmarks, even the geography is never the same per visit. Each Acanthus reports different features through which they must travel to the watchtower upon their Awakening. Mostly, the physical features of Arcadia are similar to those of the Fallen World, but taken to extremes. Great mountains, vast oceans, deep caves, fetid swamps, and plains and deserts that seem to stretch on forever are commonplace, but these features are transient. Rivers change their courses at will; mountain ranges rise up and erode over night. Only two features are known to be constant, and only one is ever in the same place for any length of time. The source of the Alphaeus River, though it’s always around somewhere, that place changes frequently. The second is the Watchtower of the Lunargent thorn, its always at the center of the realm however the that center has been known to shift around from time to time.

The weather in Arcadia is even more fickle than the land. Storms form up out of a clear blue sky; F-10 tornadoes spin up out of nowhere, accompanied by earthquakes at least 10.5 on the Richter scale. These conditions disappear as soon as they come; giving way to skies of blazing azure with light, cool breezes. Droughts and floods, rain and snow, gales and storms each occur in places on a regular and disorienting basis. Time is as temperamental and unpredictable as the weather; there is some Acanthus who believes that the rapidly changing weather can be attributed to the fluctuations of time that move across the realm like the very storms themselves. Stories of people going to sleep in an isolated part of the wilderness only to wake up decades later, (i.e. Rip Van Winkle) probably stem from contact with the realm of Arcadia.

There is one element in the entire realm that is absolutely permanent, that element is the power of the spoken word. Words uttered in Arcadia have a great and terrible power, and the realm can exert this power over those who put their foot in their mouth or intentionally break a promise. So in other words lying and breaking your word will guarantee a penance until you admit your lie, or keep your word.

The Watchtower of the Lunargent Thorn
The Watchtower of the Lunargent Thorn is the watchtower Arcadia. It sits at the center of Arcadia and is perhaps the only constant feature to be found there. Sitting in the place of eternal nighttime lit only an ever-crescent moon; the watchtower is made of brambles and is always lit, from the moonlight shining off the silver thorns and roses that surround it. The interior of the watchtower is a series of chambers, each circular, spiraling upwards and ordered by size, from the largest room at the base of the tower to the smallest at its summit. The features and fixtures of the room change according to whoever is viewing it, depicting scenes from the mage's past, present, and future. It’s the only known structure in Arcadia, though others are theorized to exist.