Acreslia
Acreslia is a mystical, extra-dimensional city that has been lost and found many, many times. Once built as a city by the Nephilim eons ago, tucked in between the realms within The Void, nowadays it acts as a refuge for those that have left the realms after The Withering.
Demographics
Acreslia's inhabitants are a varied sort, composed of various races from all of the realms. More magically inclined species end up living on the underside of Acreslia, while a majority of the population lives on the top part of the city. The bottom half of the city, due to it's hanging nature that's slowly growing out every month, has often allowed for there to be plenty of space for the inhabitants to use their magical abilities in.
Older individuals will live at the top of the towering structures, keeping to themselves oftentimes, while the younger folk will take to the streets and hanging pathways on top and beneath Acreslia.
Government
As of present, the government is composed of a small group of around 20 individuals. These individuals hail from different realms, working together to oversee and watch over various parts of the city. Before The Withering, taxation was a small price to pay for most individuals to live here, but afterward, people are not charged with taxes or anything.
There is no required payment for living in a home, nor is anyone charged for medical attention. This came about as a result of the massive refugee crisis that occured due to The Withering, with a good 70% of the current inhabitants having fled to Acreslia after the realms were devastated.
History
Early history
Although it's history has been mostly lost to time, it's been understood that Acreslia was once built as a shelter for the Nephilim after an event known as the 10,000 Days warped Earth beyond recongnition for a time. Not much can be determined about this era, aside from the fact that the Nephilim left Acreslia to go to the Land Of Nod, leaving a small skeleton crew on hand, though what happened to this crew remains unknown.
The first time Humanity discovered Acreslia was during the end of the American Civil War, when a group of confederate soldiers found a Tear that brought them to this city. Signs of prior civilizations having lived in Acreslia were discovered, though there were no signs of life despite this. In an attempt to keep the 'dream of the south' going despite their losses, a good part of the Confederate government transported hundreds of civilians and soldiers to Acreslia. It was during the transferring of these folks that the Tear would suddenly close, stranding them there.
Not much is known of what happened to these indivduals, as no one would be able to get into Acreslia until after The Bloom brought magic back to Earth. All that's known is that when explorers discovered Acreslia and searched it, there was no trace of the Confederate civilians and soldiers being there. All that remained was markings found in the lower section of Acreslia, of shadows etched onto the walls. Alongside that, there were further signs of other large groups having made their home in Acreslia, though as it was before, any life was absent.
Rediscovery
During the Cold War, as a safety measure from the outside world in the event of Nuclear War, the U.S. Government began an operation to send people into Acreslia, to preserve humanity in the event that it faced nuclear annihilation. To facilitate this, hundreds of scientists, Arcanists, soldiers, and civilians were moved into the city. Although the threat of nuclear annihilation had long since passed, this didnt stop people from staying within this city. Infact, people were allowed to move into Acreslia to live under it's newly founded government as established by the United States soldiers.
After the Lunar Vault was opened and realm travel became possible, it wouldnt take long for species from other realms to take notice of Acreslia and begin to move into the city, expanding it's demographics by a massive margin. This ultimately paved the way for better relationships between Humanity and the civilizations of the other realms, providing prosperity and unity between everyone as they united to make the city even better than it was before, with cultures and knowledge being exchanged on a daily basis.
Then, The Withering occured.
The Withering
Although Acreslia was safe from the physical devastaion that had hit the other realms, the entire population was exposed to heavy amounts of Mana, causing a majority of it's population to undergo Transmorphification Syndrome. Alongside that, any civilian that was outside of any interior within Acreslia were exposed to The Void rapidly shifting in appearance, going from it's typical Devoidia color to varying shades of Black, Purple and Red for 3 hours.
All of those who were exposed to it suddenly went mad with Black Heart Sickness, their minds warping and turnig them violent. By the end of the month, all of those who were exposed were deceased, either due to people having to fight them off in self-defense, infighting amongst themselves, or their hearts simply stopping.
In the span of all of this, many from other realms began to flood into Acreslia, finding it as a shelter to escape from the chaos that had overtaken everything. Although they grew and recovered here, things had changed immensely, with a majority of the populace being broke, both financally and mentally; and the government of the past no longer being able to sustain itself with the hundreds of deaths and the flood of civilization.
Things began to calm down, however, after a visit from the stranger known as Red. He would get the few government officials that survived and guide them on how to proceed from this point forward, hand-picking anyone who could help them out as far as restoring order would go. This extended into making changes in the laws and government systems into what they are now.
Now, Acreslia acts as a refuge for those whom no longer wish to live in the realms, away from the horrors and terrors of the world, though accessing it has remained a difficult task thanks to all of the original ways into the realm having been destroyed. Yet, this hasn't stopped some from trying to get into Acreslia, to try and get a new home and a new sense of peace in these troubling times.
Architecture
The buildings all take on various differing, strange forms, the architecture being composed of the different styles and looks from over the ages and from all of the different realms. This has often resulted in a mismatched looking state all across Acreslia, an elegant cacophony of design that often gives newcomers and travellers a sense of confusion and wonder as they go through it. Needless to say, some have called Acreslia a maze, but one that will bring you to something new every day.
Geography
Scattered throughout Acreslia are various pieces of land that have been harvested and inserted into the city. These include a chunk of a mountain from Terra Eclipsis, a park that was once from Moonblight, and a floating island from Strakh.
Outside of Acreslia, there is The Void, a massive, endless expanse that makes up everything between realms, a gateway to everything and to nothing all at once. It's been compared to moving through space, if one were to go off of the city, though typically this is not an advisable thing to do as one can easily get lost in The Void.
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