Night Duchy

🪐 Architecture

Night Duchy architecture is - in a nutshell - celestial steampunk themed. 

Most buildings and landmarks are either circular or half moon shaped. Strucutres often have mechanical ornamentation in the shape of the moon, stars, planets, shooting stars, helixes, galaxies etc. If not decorated with space motifs and models, you will find intricate star charts and maps.

Blue and gold are the main colours, and metal, glass, dark wood, and granite are the main building components.

🪐 Clothing

The weather is always comfortably warm in the Night Duchy (like a summer evening) so inhabitants don't need to wear heavy fabrics or multiple layers of clothing. Fabrics often include sheer lace, silk, satin, taffeta and velvet - anything that shimmers and shines. 

They like thin, flowing fabrics and often wear them in the form of long skirts or dresses tied with cords. It's perfectly acceptable to show some skin and so cleavage and thighs are a common sight.

Gold accessories are commonplace and design motifs are celestial or space themed.

City-folk living in Orionis may incorporate steampunk aspects into their outfits as well. Things such as gears, goggles, and waistcoats would be common.

Renaissance style clothing is common for artisans and nobles.

Dark colours like midnight blue or black contrasted with gold is common, or shimmering pale lace in white, blues and purples.

🪐 Races

Playable races: Polypores, Nymphs.

• The primary races that live in the Night Duchy are Polypores and Nymphs. 

• This Duchy is open to temporary visitors, but other races are uncommon as its extremely hard to get to the Night Duchy and the air is full of psychedelic polypore toxins (nymphs are immune to these). To outside races, visiting the Night Duchy is like being in a waking dream or being slightly drunk, and they will likely become charmed or confused.

  • You can come and visit the night duchy for an evening as long as you can find a way to get there. You may spend one incredible evening partying in the polypore grove, watching the most amazing play you've ever seen in the ampitheatre and going for a moonboat ride on Gruis lake, but you will wake up the following morning in some rural town in the Spring Duchy, bleary eyed and unsure of how you got there.

• High Fae don't do well in this Duchy even as visitors, as they go dormant at night and so find themselves tired and sleepy in this place.

• Only high willpower races like Dryads and Florans can survive in this place short-term without losing their marbles.

• This Duchy is friendly to the other duchies, but have their own ruling system and do not answer to the Summer court. They love to party with other fae, and share their knowledge and creations with the realm, but they will retreat back to the safety of their Duchy whenever Seelie court politics flare up. They are naturally more isolated due to the toxins in the air, so the friends they make are there for a good time, not a long time.

🪐 Wildlife

Moths, wolves, owls, deer, foxes, moon rabbits, fireflies, beavers, swans, turtles, dragonflies, black bears, bats, racoons, hedgehogs, nightjars, coyote, badgers, skunks, leopards, pangolin.

🪐 Travel

Caravan, moonboat, moon jellyfish, dire moths, were-owls.

🪐 Industry

• Navigation and Cartography

• Inter-Planar Travel

• Astronomy

• Arts & Culture

• Technology and Innovation

🪐 Important Figures

• The Court of Stars — The Night Duchy doesn't have a duke or duchess. Instead it has a committee of councillors elected by the people for being the most intelligent, powerful, or popular. They vote on how to solve issues in the Duchy.

  • Gladiolus "Shootin' Star Gally" — Councilor Gally is a charismatic nymph performer and represents the interests of the Artisans of the Night Duchy. He/they are a brilliant musician and swordsman.

  • Venus — Councilor Venus is a zany nymph woman who represents the interests of the Artificers of the Night Duchy. An inventor and scientist at heart, Venus likes experiments and innovation and sometimes has to be brought back to reality and practicality by the other councilors.

  • Aphelion — Councilor Aphelion is a Polypore (saprophyte type) who represents the interests of the cartographers and inter-planar travellers of the Night Duchy. He is very intelligent but easily stressed out and talks very quickly.

  • Callisto —  Councilor Callisto is a Polypore (parasite type) who represents the interests of the cosmic witches and astronomers of the Night Duchy. She/they are incredibly powerful and intelligent and usually very quiet, although can be fierce.

  • The Proxima Centauri —  The Knights of the Court of Stars.

• The Jupiter Cartographers Guild — A group of scholars and huntsmen that study the planes and experiment with inter-planar travel. They are seeking to record every plane of existence on one big map. Aphelion often lobbies for their interests at court.

• Union of Gravitational Heliocentrists (UGH) —  A group of citizens that lobby the Night court to form an alliance with the Day court as they think the Day Court is the centre of the Folkland universe. Led by an enigmatic and charismatic leader called Starlight. Starlight also believes there is going to be a lunar eclipse that will destroy the realm.

• Nightingales — An exlcusive group of artisan performers that are sought after in the Duchy for performances. 

• Orbital Academy — A school for young creative and academic minds.

• The Midnight Circus — The travelling circus that is always moving around the realm, performing in all the other duchies (only appears at night, disappears by morning).

🪐 Locations

• The 'Astra Planeta' Ampitheatre — Massive ampitheatre on the shores of Lake Gruis where performances are held.

• Dwarf Star — A shop that sells trinkets, gears and gadgets. Run by a Polypore (spore type). He travels the realm, then comes back and sells what he finds. He particularly loves the Autumn duchy. It's speculated as to whether he trades for his goods or acquires them through other means...

• Celestial Bodies —  A luxury tailor in Orionis.

• Satellite Plates —  An excellent restaurant.

• Russell's Teapot —  A cozy tea shop run by a philosopher.

• Gruis Lake — The lake that the Court of Stars rests on the shores of. It has bioluminescent algae in it that make the waves glow in the dark.

• Orionis Mountains — The gentle mountain ranges that some of the Night Court structures rest on. Full of nocturnal wildlife and forests.

  • Ephemeris — Hidden away at the foot of the Orionis Mountains is a small town that seemingly sprang into existence about four centuries ago. This little slice of starlit heaven is well-hidden and almost impossible to find if one does not know where to seek. The celestial beauty and mechanical wonders of Ephemeris is oft whispered about amongst those in the know, though it is a well-guarded secret from many. That is… unless you know who to ask.

  • Comet's Rest - A beautiful little village that lies in the cliffs at the edges of the mountain range of Orionis. It serves as the routine meeting grounds of the Comet’s Tail, the Caravan Diantha grew up in. Each year they meet at Comet’s Rest, recuperating and preparing for the next journey around the Night Duchy - welcoming new folks and saying goodbye to others as they take their next turn around the Duchy.

• Polypore Grove — The home of the polypores and where they create their progeny. Glowing mushrooms everywhere. Has a trading square, a healing glade, a meeting circle.

• Planetarium Universum — A celestial navigation institute and interdimensional travel research lab.

• Observatory no. 9 — An astronomy research centre and stargazing point.

• Synodica —  A popular club in Orionis where many artisans party.

• Starry Hearts —  A 'pleasure den' in the red light district.

• The Clocktower — The tower where the Court of Stars convene and work.

• Night Market — A bazaar type market that is always bustling with activity. Many trinkets, magical goods, instruments, art supplies, fabrics and clothing and scrolls and paper to buy here.