Aurelia Pools

City Description

The myriad small pools, streams, and ponds that spot the forest around this ancient location have a distinctive property: they are all sustaining. That is to say they provide a person with all they need. The creatures who swim in their waters are beyond plentiful and are so docile as to be picked right from the water to be consumed. The algae that breeds on the waters' surface are used medicinally and are practically miraculous. The water itself is thirst quenching and delicious. Swimming within them is rejuvenating and energizing. The trees and plants that grow around the pools are strong, produce succulent fruits, and are gorgeous to behold. It is a true paradise. 

The pools were discovered by an Elven explorer named Aurelia, a name which means "one who is still." She had always hated the name, which spurred her life of exploration, but it became something a prophetic name as she never left the site of the pools once they'd been found. Over the centuries, people have noticed the waters may have an effect on those who drink it, creating a supernatural docility that lulls them into staying put and putting away their dreams and appetites. But those who live near the pools claim it's not supernatural at all; they've simply found belonging in a way difficult to describe to anyone who hasn't experienced it.

The Elves of Aurelia Pools then are from all walks of life, but share in common a love of their home. They've built cottages, markets for the sharing of art, and social spaces to bask in the shared exploration of what it is to be alive. Poets, artists, thinkers and philosophers all call the Pools home; a place where the needs of living are met by nature, so no one need toil for the sake of survival.

However, where there is solace, there will always be those who wish to upset it for the sake of personal gain. There have been multiple attempts from outsiders to invade the Pools and claim its resources and waters for their own. And while the people of the Pools lack both the ability and the desire to defend themselves, the Pools have their own way of defending its magic. 

When the Aurelia Pools are in danger, the people who have tasted its waters and swim in its streams are transformed into what they call "Depth Fiends." The people have no say or control over this transformation -- when called upon to defend their home, the transition happens without warning. These Depth Fiends look as water elementals but have a ferocity and rage that transcends normal elemental traits. Their power is such that no force invading the Pools has ever survived the encounter. And while the Fiends come on without permission from the individual, the individual also has no memory of what has occurred when the transformation ends. One moment the people of the Pools are living their lives, writing songs and weaving baskets, and the next a day has passed, and there may be bloodstains upon the ground that were not there before.

The people of the Pools understand this happens, as outsiders have witnessed it, but they seem content to allow the Pools to take care of itself. Every once in a while, a denizen of the Pools does perish during this defense, but such casualties are rare, and the people there understand the cost of defending what they so dearly love.