THE COMMUNE
a quiet place for demigods to thrive
Intro
Buried in the cliffs and peaks of the harsh Morelle Mountains lies a tiny village. With a miniscule population and in complete obscurity, one has to wonder: how have they survived?
The answer is simple: all residents are demigods. Able to revive after death and boosted by naturally high levels of magic, they have crafted out a small world for themselves, away from the stresses of colony life and war. Here, they live and flourish, living a reclusive, quiet, happy life with their closest friends. With no plans to return to the lower world anytime soon, they tend to their tiny commune and their peers.
After all, as half-gods and half-mortals, there is no place for them in the outside world. Abandoned by the gods and idolized by the mortals, to live life for themselves was absurd. At least - until they arrived here.
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Founding...
Anoixis and Afanasii left Letter Colony, as Anoixis was exhausted by the bickering and politics of the rest of the world. They boarded a ship from Shell Colony on Anoixis' command, disembarked on the shores of Ink Colony, and hiked deep into the Morelle Mountains.
Together, they built the first structures of the commune, as Anoixis' contacts arrived and settled in. The end.
Geography...
The Morelle Mountains are north of Rain Colony's territory. North of the peaks resides Hatterne Cove, a deep bay full of fishes and plants. South lays the Palorme Drylands, an enormous desert.
Pine forest grows over the mountain, which sees snow and rain year-round.
The commune is constructed in a small, lush valley about halfway up the mountainscape, which receives plenty of rainwater. Though the weather is sometimes extreme, the valley is relatively safe and elusive.
Religion...
The demigods obviously know that the gods are real, considering that they are... demigods. But active worship of the gods is seen as weird, as 1) that's their parents 2) they're gone, anyways.
Most of the individuals have different theories as to why they're gone, or if they'll ever come back. But it's not really discussed among them.
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Internal Culture
As a very small band of Ants, the Commune members are even more fiercely defensive of each other than the typical colony. Thankfully, their remote location is not host to many dangerous creatures, and is outside of the reach of Rain and Ink Colony's territory claims.
Leaders & Government
Anoixis is the 'official' leader, as founder and eldest, though she is rather hands-off and more prefers to relax. Afanasii handles most of the day-to-day (what little there is), directs chores, and mediates conflicts.
Most of the residents pull their weight and are self-sufficient. There's little governing that has to be done.
Gyne
Anoixis is the only gyne. She rendered herself infertile shortly before setting out to found the Commune, and has no plans to reverse this. Though she is treated with a higher respect than most, it's more out of seniority than her gynehood.
The Commune is not interested in adding more gyne to its ranks.
War & Violence
War is inevitable for the colonies, therefore anyone who wishes to disengage must leave that life behind. Though it may be difficult, the peace of mind allowed to those who abandon colony life is not to be underappreciated.
Violence between colonymates is disgusting and repulsive. The act of dueling for leadership of a colony is actively horrifying.
Killing and hunting animals is a natural and accepted part of life, though care must be taken to use all parts of the animal in respect.
Architecture
Most of the Commune's structures were built by the residents, with materials from the local land. Only small additions have been made using magic, allowing for a variety of strange and fascinating constructs.
Still, many buildings are large log cabins, with stone and brick serving as trimmings. Several pavilions line the area as well, with various flowers, benches, and cushions within.
There are solar panels for electricity, a mill on-site, automatic irrigation systems, and several large barns for livestock. Work in these buildings is rotated through the Commune. Maintenance is generally handled by Circinus.
Opinions in the Territories
The Commune has no territories, and no population outside of its main locale.
Foreign Policy
The Commune is incredibly isolated, and as such, has little contact with the other colonies.
Allies
The Commune is careful to keep its location and members a secret from the outside world, fearing newcomers or war might knock on its door and disturb its peace. As such, it largely keeps to itself.
Quiana travels to the Rain Colony city of Palorme occasionally to sell their wares and trade for other goods. The visits are infrequent enough that they hope no one remembers their face.
Adversaries
The Commune has none, and would vastly prefer to keep it that way.