A bog of hope...

Cypress Springs - The Stepping Stone of Life

A town built upon floating docks and treehouses built into the large, ancient cypress trees that populate the surrounding Umbreglade Swamp, Cypress Springs is one of the oldest and largest settlements still standing in Lvukarr. While the swamp houses many cities and towns, Cypress Springs is the most notable settlement within it. With several Caretaker Lodges, Keystone springs and shrines scattered around, Cypress Springs is the birthplace of many Motti and a stepping stone settlement for many anthroids. Once upon a time, the old city offered a safe haven for those to get their bearings, acquire familiars and prepare to venture out into the dangerous world of Lucerna.

 During the Age of Corruption, Cypress Springs was one of few settlements blessed with a divine barrier in the inner city. The barrier covers the largest Caretaker lodge and the multi-keystone springs surrounding it as well as numerable shrines, main street and a large residential area consisting of layered treehouses.

 There aren't large patches of safe land to traverse in the swamp. Despite tall grasses and shrubs, most of the land has bouts of quicksand and clay mixture, threatening to swallow anything that bears weight in it. The safest way to travel is by boat or by beastial companions. In large settlements like Cypress Springs, the motti have connected rope bridges high up near the branches to traverse through the town which is built primarily on the large Cypress Trees, though there are stilted houses and cobbled shrines built from the ground. There are often floating docks connecting small patches of land together, though most of the land is not viable to build houses on as the water level in the swamp can fluctuate greatly depending on the seasons.

While there are many untamed beasts lurking in murky waters, the swamp is otherwise safe with bioluminescent algae often floating on the top, preventing the fatal darkness from creeping in at night. In addition to the algae, there are many variations of beasts that provide light in the swamps. While you may have to worry about the beasts roaming around, the shadows will likely never claim your life in the swamps.

Types of Homes

The city of Cypress Springs is large and sprawling, once holding over 10,000 motti. These days there are roughly 3,000 motti remaining in town, with over half of them being from the old days before the corruption cut them off from what was left of the world. Despite this, regular foraging, hunting and light farming has kept what's left of the town fed and relatively content. 

While there are many dilapidated mossy cobblestone buildings in the heart of the town, most of the actual homes are located on the large Cypress Trees scattered around the town. These are known as "Cypress Dorms" and each building may contain a family. A Cypress Tree may hold as many as 30 families and are the most common type of household in Cypress Springs. There are many motti that live on house boats as well, but they often have to deal with the predators living in the murky waters.

Another form of housing that's much less common are wooden homes on stilted docks, though many motti refrain from this type of housing as it's susceptible to the wild life, rotting and flooding.