The Hidden Village of Mothlights
The Hidden Village of Mothlights is a location within Tympi's Forest in The Gates. This village is, as the name suggests, hidden within the light produced by Mothlight Trees and is only ever accessible by moths, mothlings, those that are traveling with a mothling and are invited in, and those that have been granted permission to cross freely by Tympi's Court.
Demographics
The entirety of the citizens that inhabit the Mothlights are Mothlings, with exception to the subrace Myotlings. While other species can visit, stay the night, sell their wares and what have you, the only actual inhabitants are mothlings. This is largely due to their explicit spiritual connection to the mothlight trees themselves.
Government
The Hidden Village of Mothlights is governed by Tympi's Court.
Their Current Leadership is divided. While there is still Tympi’s Court which includes her advisors and other trusted people, most Mothlings feel that nobody should replace Tympi since they feel she isn’t dead.
Laws are voted on democratically and usually through magical conveyance. The telepathic capabilities of Tympi's Court are able to sense the emotional distress and sometimes the more focused thoughts of the mothlings that are currently located in the Mothlights. Through this extrasensory perception, they are able to determine the methods to improve the village per the citizenry to the best of their ability and hold town hall meetings or rallies for certain, more divided, issues.
Defences
Entrance to the mothlight village requires invitation from a mothling citizen or permission granted by someone on Tympi's Court.
Mechanically speaking, the village exists within a demiplane with access points at each Mothlight Tree. Moths, and by extension mothlings, are capable of entering the "light" of the mothlight trees and can cross between these two dimensions with ease. Since entering the light is all but impossible without the help of a moth, most things are incapable of finding their way in.
Beyond this first barrier there exists magical defenses within the town in tandem with mothling guards. These guards rarely ever see any fighting and the village has been rather peaceful for as long as it has existed, but should they be needed they will fight as ferociously as any other guard.
The highest amount of defenses exists around The Meadow, a section of the city devoted to maintaining the flowers which mothlings spring from. Magical barriers that cannot be passed without invitation, enchantments on and around each flower, and nearby guards all work to prevent anyone from accessing these flowers in a malicious way.
The barriers around The Meadow and around the mothlight trees in general are maintained by the members of Tympi's Court. Nightly rituals performed by each member are necessary to keep the defenses up.
Infrastructure
The Mothlight Village is impressively large though it still feels like a village or a small town. There is a distinct lack of industrialization, with most of their base needs being taken care of by personal or community gardens, foraging, and larger farms at the outskirts.
They process grain with magically turning mills and their clothing is weaved by the individual from their own favorite plants. Everyone is rather self reliant without the need for certain businesses, however, there is still a community feel where they all seem keen on taking care of each other.
There are still roads, despite their ability to fly, as they, along with Tympi, believe that "The walking ones should be able to get around too!" This ties into their desire to help outsiders. Along with these roads there are also bridges connecting either side of a gently flowing river that runs throughout the town.
Districts
There are five districts within the Hidden Village of Mothlights. All of these districts are accessible by Mothlings and Outsiders alike, though some of them might be a bit more interesting than others. Smaller mothlight trees can be seen throughout town along with a great deal of smaller plants such as grass, flowers, moss, ferns and so on. These smaller mothlight trees are used by the mothlings to get around town faster if needed.
Entrance/Shops
Upon entering this village, most travelers will first see a small and gorgeous stretch of land with a bridge crossing over a gentle river that flows over the side of a cliff a few yards behind them which hangs over an endless expanse obscured by clouds. The stretch of land in front of them is covered in grass, moss, ferns, flowers and the occasional tree. Rolling hills cause certain buildings to be at slightly higher elevations creating an all around enjoyable sensory experience. This area has all of the shops available in the town along with an inn, a tavern, and more! Details on these shops will be outlined later on in the article.Residential
The Residential area of Mothlight Village is arranged along and behind the left side of the Entrance/shops from the perspective of someone facing the center of town from the entrance. Residential areas are largely unimportant to travelers that aren't currently on an evil mission to destroy innocent mothlings, and they mostly just have homes, community gardens, and smaller meeting places like parks, halls, and others for mothlings to rendezvous at.Farms
On the other side of the entrance (right from the perspective of somebody just entering) are the farms which extend a good ways out, beyond what you'd find reasonable. These farms have a variety of crops designed for a vegetarian diet along with some adderhens and goats which they utilize the eggs and milk of for baking. There are also large stretches of trees that are populated with silk worms. They keep Silkworms in their homes and on these farms to harvest silk and make textiles which they will snack on, sometimes absentmindedly. Quite adorable.Town Hall/Center
At the end of the path that runs from the entrance, through the shops, and beyond a small portion of farms and residential sections lies the Town Hall. This building is only larger than others in town to be able to hold all the citizens for town hall meetings, but it is otherwise just as simple and connected to nature as the other buildings in the village. While it may have some fae ornamentation like swirls and mushrooms and other cute things, it is no more intricate than the average home or shop. Mothlings congregate here to discuss the future of the town, new laws, old laws, transfers of power, and it is where (the new) Tympi's Court resides.The Meadow
Behind the Town Hall is a vast field and a hill with a path leading up and around the hill. The field is mostly just grass and some wildflowers and other small plants like bushes and ferns for a few dozen yards, but beyond this brief stretch of regularly occuring plant life from throughout the village there is a meadow of gorgeous magical flowers. These flowers are each connected to a mothling somewhere out there in the world. The mothlings are born from these flowers, and their life cycle is detailed on their article. This field is one of the few well guarded places in this village as the flowers must not be damaged lest the connected mothling suffer a similar fate. While the flowers aren't behind a fence or a gate, they are protected by magical means and most things that have been permitted to enter this village will have a difficult time harming them.Assets
There are many shops within the village that are ran by mothlings as a way to meet new people and collect new objects. Their economy, like many economies in the Spirit World, is based around sentimentality, levels of shininess, and general function rather than one based around coins.
That being said, there is also the occasional popup stand ran by The Citizens of Greed which accepts coins in exchange for goods. Because of this, some mothlings have started to accept coins as payment to buy illusive items and plants from these wandering merchants.
Pondside Paraphernalia - A shop that specializes in a lack of specialization. They sell miscellaneous items that you might need while traveling along with tools for particular trades. Its located, as the name would suggest, next to a pond, and is framed exquisitely with cattails, reeds, rushes, and other aquatic plants. The shop is ran by Cali and her brother Marae. They are identical twins and have designs similar to a Ruby Tiger moth.
Treestump Tavern - A tavern built inside a massive treestump. They offer the usual beers, wines and other spirits along with a fine selection of cuisine ideal for any tourist looking to sample mothling culture. They also, of course, offer some unique Spirit World alcohols including their very own Mothlight Bean Vodka! This tavern is ran by the bartender and owner, Daxi. She has a color scheme and design that is similar to an Eyed Hawkmoth.
Inn the Light Place - An inn built in the side of one of the many hills leading up to the residential area, it's directly to the left of whoever enters the mothlight village and is the first building anyone would come across. Each night's stay is either a mildly sentimental item, anything shiny, a nice textile of some sort, a pretty flower, or whatever gold the visitor is comfortable giving. It's ran by Dayae, a mothlight gentleman of highest social standing...or so he would claim. He has a design and color palette similar to a White Witch Moth.
List of Shops
Bridgehill Bakery - A Bakery built into a natural hill that connects two sides of the river. The river flows beneath the hill, uninterrupted, and people can cross over by passing through this bakery, grabbing a treat or a drink along the way. They sell all sorts of delicious baked goods, the pride of the mothlights! The Mothlight Pastries in particular are famous throughout The Gates thanks to the Citizens of Greed, and they even have specialty coffees too! This bakery is ran by a mothling gent named Bhodrae along with his two helpers. He has a color scheme similar to a Fairy Longhorn Moth, long antennae and glitter included!Pondside Paraphernalia - A shop that specializes in a lack of specialization. They sell miscellaneous items that you might need while traveling along with tools for particular trades. Its located, as the name would suggest, next to a pond, and is framed exquisitely with cattails, reeds, rushes, and other aquatic plants. The shop is ran by Cali and her brother Marae. They are identical twins and have designs similar to a Ruby Tiger moth.
Treestump Tavern - A tavern built inside a massive treestump. They offer the usual beers, wines and other spirits along with a fine selection of cuisine ideal for any tourist looking to sample mothling culture. They also, of course, offer some unique Spirit World alcohols including their very own Mothlight Bean Vodka! This tavern is ran by the bartender and owner, Daxi. She has a color scheme and design that is similar to an Eyed Hawkmoth.
Inn the Light Place - An inn built in the side of one of the many hills leading up to the residential area, it's directly to the left of whoever enters the mothlight village and is the first building anyone would come across. Each night's stay is either a mildly sentimental item, anything shiny, a nice textile of some sort, a pretty flower, or whatever gold the visitor is comfortable giving. It's ran by Dayae, a mothlight gentleman of highest social standing...or so he would claim. He has a design and color palette similar to a White Witch Moth.
Town Hall
The Town Hall is where Tympi's Court meets for various reasons and where the rest of the mothlings congregate for the important decisions that might need to be made. It is also the reservoire for most mothling knowledge as the Mothlight Library is attached to this building. Those seeking knowledge about the mothlings, mothlight trees, the forests, or The Gates in general will want to visit the library for more information. Keep in mind, however, that it is a fae library and is protected with strange magic. Those that seek to bring harm or steal from the library may find themselves unable to leave for one reason or another. Even the most innocent of scholar may find themselves lost just wandering the halls as they find themselves seeking more and more knowledge.History
The Hidden Village of Mothlights was first founded by Tympi as a sanctuary for her and the other mothlings. From what is gathered of her explanation to The Writer on Nurend 03, 258, there may have been some disaster that led to the old home of the mothlings no longer being suitable for their survival.
With Tympi's disappearance, the new leader of the forest and the mothlight village was determined to be Croak. Ilven, Tympi's sister, took offense to this and splintered from the court, thus forming her own society and taking many of the myotlings with her.
A very cold civil war has been constantly on everyone's mind for the past 50 years, but no real violent acts have taken place yet, just high tensions. Croak defers most ruling activity involving the village to the new Tympi's Court as he is allegedly busy with the rest of the forest. Because of the rising tensions, most mothlings have begun to no longer sleep during their usual seasons and have yet to sleep for some time.
Maps
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The Hidden Village of Mothlights
The Hidden Village of Motlights is the home and sanctuary for the numerous mothlings in The Gates. It's located in Tympi's Forest and only accessible through the titular Mothlight Trees.
Theme
The Hidden Village of Mothlights (Youtube)
The Hidden Vilage of Mothlights (Soundcloud)
The Hidden Village of Mothlights (Youtube)
The Hidden Vilage of Mothlights (Soundcloud)
Founders
Alternative Name(s)
Mothling Village, Mothlight Village
Location under
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Related Reports (Primary)
Related Reports (Secondary)
- Session 18: Tympi's House, A Place to Sleep, and Continuing the Search!
- Session 31: Weresnails, The Unblinking Sein and Home at Last!
- Session 33: Late Afternoon Discussions, Evening Myotlings, and Spiritual Travelers!
- Session 34: "Having Fun" Even Without a Library Card
- Session 36: Delightfully Devilish Developments: Ilven's Return?
- Session 48: Ice Cream, Pizza and Suffering
- Session 73: Tympi's Abandoned Creation
- Session 74: Finally Free
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