Waters of Truth

Despite its grand reputation, the Waters of Truth is an otherwise normal well in a residential neighbourhood in downtown Ruibarsa. Nearly as old as the city istself, the well is still in daily use, and serves as a community hub, as well as the meeting place of the Mtasamaalyi, a philosophical school concerned with seeking the truth behind apperances.

The Well

The well attracts travellers and pilgrims from far and wide, who travel to Ruibarsa to speak to the elders of the school. Expecting a simple hand pump or fountain, they are often suprised to see that Lwakhan wells are not, in fact, water source, but a communal space in their own right.
Approximately thirty feet wide and nearly 90 feet deep, the well is surrounded by a shallow spiral staircase with carved archways looking out into the shaft. Vendors ply their wares from niches along the stairs and, every 137.5 degrees around the spiral, there is a deep landing where people meet to socialise out of the harsh midday sun. At the bottom of the well, the elders of the Mtasamaalyi sit in the shade, debating the nature of reality through a process of logical reasoning and long periods of careful obsevation. Pulley-based lifts are arrayed around the edge of the well, so that those unable to walk the steps can still participate in the commuity and attend the Mtasamaalyi.

The Mtasamaalyi

Students jostle as close as they can get, sitting on the stairs or hanging out of arches to listen to the elders, though students will always make way to allow older and less nimble students to pass through the throng to the floor, to sit and listen at the masters' feet.

by Stijndon

Those who choose to partake in the debate are welcome, though expected to make a good show of themselves, and the Mtasamaalyi do not hold with unearned authority. The famously acerbic Safiri Kalere is said to have reduced Don Adalrico, Duca d'Canora, first to tears, then to a beggar, simply through ignoring him when he tried to intimidate her with his titles. She would not restore him to himself until he had lived three years as a beggar, "so that he may learn to live as a true man, before he returns to living as a beast".

Type

Well