Vivace
the last stop before the wilds
On the edge of the known world, Vivace stands as the last bastion before the magically altered Arachnae Wilderness. Inspiring adventurers and acquisitionists, this village is known for preparing explorers for their next journey and welcoming them on their return home.
During the off-season, Vivace invites out of town guests for artisan themed vacations. Particularly, watercolor and tempura painting outdoors with locally sourced pigments.
Demographics
While a friendly town, Vivace is not a child-friendly town. Most of the local's children are sent to a nearby town that is further away from conflict.
Defences
Wooden fences line the forest-side of the village and carry on several miles in either direction. The path between the forest and fence is kept clear of overextending tree branches.
The gate leading from Vivace into the forest is guarded at all times with an alarm beacon. Should anything occur at the gate, a minor alarm is set off in the Wizard's Tower. From there, messages are sent to other nearby towns.
Most of the buildings only have one entrance, barring the Bunk House. This building houses visitors who are happy to pay less money for housing in exchange for on-call duty in case of emergencies.
The old training ground by the wizard's tower is often used as a sparring ring to keep adventurer's in shape.
Infrastructure
During exploration seasons, the town is packed full with adventurers and acquisitionists vying for a position in a guild. The bunk houses are full and the stores are regularly depleted of goods. Traveling merchants set up make-shift stands on the edge of town by the beer garden. The town makes most of their money during this time.
In the off-season, the guild's warehouses become a target for thieves, enterprising individuals, and other organizations. To keep Vivace - and the artifacts - safe, the Den of Papyrus and Weaver's Guild hire adventurers and the Silverswords' SOMETHING Formation. Since the locals aren't paying for this protection, they turn a profit, albiet a small one, during this time.
Most of the locals use this time to focus on their hobbies and preparing goods for the upcoming season.
History
In its early days, Vivace was a centered around a lumber mill run by the Tarrenbrooks, a prominent family in La Chiave a Croce. In the wake of magic flooding the world, the village was unprotected from beasts and overgrowth. The Tarrenbrooks abandoned the mill.
Several years later, the Silverswords took over. The village became a military encampment and stronghold against the creatures that sought prey in nearby towns. In a few decades, these threats dwindled and Vivace was abandoned, yet again.
With most of the buildings left in tact, the Whispershadows decided build out the town into an Adventurer and Acquisitionist village. Dotting every 'i' and crossing every 't', they bought the land from the Tarrenbrooks and the buildings from the Silverswords. In the following years, Vivace became known as the ideal place to start and end any adventure.
Locations in Vivace
- Teapot House
- Repair Shop
- Rejected Artifacts Shop
- Cartographer
- General Store
- Healer
- Potion Shop
- Art Stop - gift shop with artisan goods
- Long-Term Care Facilities
- Inn 1
- Bunk House - Cheaper but On-Call for Emergencies
- Inn 2
- Food & Beer Garden
- Weaver's Guild Hall
- Weaver's Guild Offices
- Weaver's Guild Artifact Warehouse
- Gate, Active Town Protection, & Alarm Beacon
- Den of Papyrus Artifact Warehouse
- Den of Papyrus Offices
- Den of Papyrus Guild Hall
- Aviary
- "Wizard's" Tower
- Training Grounds
- Garden
- Greenhouse
- Apiary
Comments
Author's Notes
Article Seeds:
WASC 2023: Settlement at the limits of the "known' or "civilized" world - Stub
WA Prompt: When people say "the middle of nowhere" or "the frontier" what settlement name do they use?
WASC 2025: A city many people want to visit