Comet
Cosmic Origins
One day, the Blue felt a tickle in its cavernous nostril. A small bit of gravel or some other kind of debris had got lodged there. The Blue inhaled sharply - an action that caused a column of apocalyptic winds to rage for a thousand miles in front of the Blue's maw. The Blue sneezed with a sound that resembled the universe itself snapping in two and Comet, as it would come to be called, was launched out into the ether. The roughly spherical rock, 23 kilometres across, sailed through the air but was unable to escape the massive gravitational pull of the Blue. Comet curled around the Blue's galaxy-sized frame and hurtled back, directly towards the planet of Thera Pægana. Fortunately for the fledgling planet, this enormous nasal excretion approached at an extremely shallow angle and, somehow, an extinction event was avoided. Instead, the Cometfall Valley was created as Comet dug a straight, smooth, continuously-sloping furrow into the earth before coming to a halt at the edge of the cliffs overlooking the the Panoptic Sea. Comet's impact and abrasion with earth and rock caused it to split horizontally in a clean crack right through the centre. As the bottom half of the now-split asteroid slowed to a halt, the top half of the giant rock slid away, fell onto the ground, and came to a stop, leaning at an angle against the bottom hemisphere of Comet. This is how the iconic, yawning half-roof of Comet was made, and this is why the enigmatic blue crystal core of Comet is exposed and visible at the centre of the metropolis.History
First settlers: Lance-worshippers
Believing this fallen asteroid to be some grand divine gesture from the Lady of the Lance, a small but determined chapter of devout, nomadic Lance-worshippers and warriors built the very first bridge across from the southern edge of the fresh Cometfall valley to the relatively flat surface of Comet. This bridge has today become the mighty southern bridge onto Comet that is protected by Southgate Garrison. The Lance-worshippers may have attributed the celestial delivery of Comet to the wrong deity, but they were correct that this was a gift from a god. Awestruck at this supernatural object and fervent in their belief that this was some divine imperative from their Lady, the Lance-worshippers wasted no time in building the first rudimentary huts in a circle around Comet's crystal core. Towards the back side of Comet (where the "roof" of Comet meets the base), but not straying too far from the crystals, the settlers built a humble church to the Lady of the Lance. Today, the church of the Lance in Comet is the same one that was built nearly 1800 years ago (albeit with several major reconstructions having been completed), and it sits on the same site that it did when it was the first and only proper building on the surface of Comet.Rapid Growth
Comet was an incredibly visible source of immense curiosity and a great variety of people from across Aerlan all turned their eyes to Comet. Rumours grew and spread as fast and as ferociously as wildfire, and soon Comet was receiving the inquisitve gaze of about half the planet. Comet quickly filled up with an unprecedented mix of peoples and cultures. Churches to all the Ladies sprang up around the church of the Lance and ramshackle settlements and marketplaces were established to cater for everyone atop Comet. The multicultural utopia lasted for the briefest flicker of time before the inevitable jealous disputes began. Every race and sect seemed to have a different argument as to why their group deserved to lay claim to Comet. Of course, if Comet could not be shared then it should have been the Lance-worshippers that got first claim to it. As tends to happen, the loudest and most numerous voices beat the more eligible ones. The noble and entitled race of orcs made the most forceful arguments and grudging treaties were drawn up that established the very first Orcish Council, nestled at the feet of Comet's blue crystal core.This is a visual comparison of the size of Comet against some fictional cities (and one very large, fictional object).
Comet, without "roof"
An artist's impression
Comments