Summary
Riverstone is a fortified settlement built around Living Lake at the top of River Rock Mesa, a large stone formation that is the source of the River of Life.
Riverstone began as a refugee camp filled with survivors of
The Great Flare who fled from
The Gardens of Collapse. Over time, the refugees built up their new home, constructing houses made of smoothed stones from the River of Life. These houses are believed to be blessed by
Andromeda herself.
The Living Lake
The lake centered atop River Rock Mesa, known as the Living Lake, is a steaming reservoir of clean water which ebbs and flows in 12 hour cycles, much like the ocean, due to geothermal activity beneath the mesa. When the tide goes out, manmade stepping stones appear, creating a pathway to the shrine at the center of the lake.
The people of Riverstone worship the Living Lake, so named because of its movement, construed as apparent "breathing". The people believe that the lake's movement is in tune with the breathing of Andromeda, the
Worldsoul of Teralt. They offer tribute to the lake, in the form of fruit harvested from the trees that surround it, cooked food, and crafted artwork.
The Shrine
The Shrine at the center of Living Lake is also the location that the head of the town spends most of their time. When a new town leader, called the Interpreter, is elected, they spends three days at the shrine in silence and meditation, attuning themself to the movements of the lake and the will of Andromeda.
The Interpreter spends 12 hours each day at the shrine, going out when the tide ebbs, and staying until it ebbs again. They sing a song with the rising of the tide, and offer tribute to the lake.
History
After the Great Flare, many
Androns were displaced by natural disasters and unstable magical Aetheliths. Those that fled were lost in the wilderness, their civilization having lost most of their knowledge during the Time of Paradise.
They wandered, starving and dehydrated, until they came across a river they had never known before. The water was the cleanest the survivors had ever seen, and delicious fruits floated along its path. This river was the sole reason the wanderers continued to live, and they followed it to its source, an opening at the bottom of a massive rock formation they then dubbed River Rock Mesa.
Here, the people lived on the fruits the River of Life provided to them as they attempted to scale the mesa. While some tried this, others rediscovered simple technologies to escape the weather, crafting simple survival shelters, which eventually evolved into tents. Spears were a secondary rediscovery, as the people were under frequent attack by vicious wildlife that had been warped by an
Aethelith's destruction.
While the climbers tried to scale the formation each day, more Androns joined the survivors, having followed the River of Life in the same way the first people had. Then, one day, the climbers returned, having found a route to the top.
From the top of the mesa, they had lowered ropes of intertwined vines, and the survivors were raised to the place they would settle and eventually establish Riverstone.
In the modern era, Riverstone and River Rock Mesa is a solitary settlement spoken about in legend and sung about by bards in taverns. Those that find it often stay, if they do not perish during the journey, and so it remains shrouded in lore. It is home to many
Azher'Tek who had never known
Mordred, and were somehow able to resist the compulsion to seek him out in
Jada, the City of Glass
Conclusion
Riverstone is a paradise for the people who find it, and remains an example of the rare peace one can find on Teralt, a place unbothered by the actions of
Ancients, unaffected by
The Shattering of Andromeda, and untouched by the
Traveling Parent. It stands as a resilient mark of mankind's potential.
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