Chrysalis

I suppose to some, it might be considered appealing… sort of. Others, perhaps some would say, those with better taste would call it tacky! Overdone! Gaudy, even!

Then again… no, no, I will not admit it! There’s no tunnels! How can any place be considered the best without nice, wide tunnels? It can’t, end of discussion. The roads do seem nice and spacious, though.

Bah! Who would ever want to dwell in a house covered in metal? Nobody! Even if that metal was… so soothing, and emitting such a glorious, ephemeral light….

DAMMIT!

I connect a mind bridge to Eran Thouris who is leaning against the railing next to me, looking smug.

[Well?] she asks.

[It’s nice.]

[Nice?] she asks, raising one scaled brow.

[Very nice.]

That’s all she’s gonna get out of me.

Mount Atreum, heart of the Atreum empire that bears its name, rises tall and imposing from the shimmering waters of the Lake before us. From the waterline up, the great and glorious Silver City covers the slopes. And I do mean covers. There isn’t a single square inch that hasn’t been developed, all enfolded within six rings of mighty walls. That’s not to say there aren’t any green spaces, oh no, there are frustratingly luscious and attractive-looking parks all over the damn place! The rest of it is large, well organised buildings connected by clean, wide streets. All of it, ALL of it (not the trees, obviously) is covered in what I’m told is Soul Silver.

And it is absolutely stunning.

shininess. Thinks it’s all that! Well,

clouds are going to part. We should get a good look at it now,]

at

don’t call them the Twin Cities for

and mist, but, for a moment, I catch a glimpse of something golden breaking through, a beam of light that stabs me right in the eye. Then, like magic, the clouds part, the mist fades, and I slump

it’s covered in GOLD?! Not just any gold, but

damned fortune, and you decided to coat your damned

lifted without the author's consent. Report

kilometres high. Each is a work of art, as if someone let Michaelangelant off the chain for a thousand years. Beautiful in design, delicate in construction, each line is

welcome up there. That’s for

the sixth, wouldn’t that be worth

is the place to be. I’ll take my life under the waters any day of the week, but it’s not like I don’t understand the appeal,]

amount of resources just to make things look nice? Impossible.

imagine, the ka’armodo love this place, but for the most part, it's filled

the place where all the humans are. No giant magic lizard-wizards, no second-skin rock people, just humans. I mean, humans are scary enough by themselves, but at

shadow us on the way. The outer wall looms large as

unspeakably, eye-meltingly attractive artworks into the wall. Because of course they did. If Michaelangelant is in this

much trouble here?]

secret war against the Atreum

we have, it's just as much a

be fine. The Atreum can be a little bureaucratic, but they are a well-run and organised sort of place. We have all our documents sorted

words, of course, doom us before we even