Sithern Environment
All portal gates to Summer Court lead to the same entrance the first time one enters Summer, a steep staircase that climbs high up the side of a living volcano to the Seat of Truth. All who seek entry must come before the Summer King and be measured before being granted access to any other part of the Summer Isles. To step off the stairs and seek another way invites the guards to react, and all know that to be a very foolish action indeed, particularly here where the Obsidian Blades watch sharply at the base of the middle central isle.
The Summer Isles are split into five sprawling land masses, the shape of flames with the central Isle being the heart of the realm.
At the base of the central Isle is the Seat of Truth, and behind its rugged mountains lies a thick, verdant jungle full of life, beauty and danger for those who do not follow the safe marked paths. Summer is both beautiful and deadly, after all, and the lands reflect that. At the base of the back of the volcano lies the Forge. The largest city within the Realm is located at the tip of the flame, a tropical paradise with brightly colored buildings, verdant foliage and crashing waves; the city, Flameheart, grew around the sprawling pleasure palace of the Summer ruler, and teems with guards, courtesans, and merchants. Other smaller settlements lay along the coast on both sides of the heart of the flame, and within the jungle.
Each of the other four islands act as proving grounds for warriors. The first, the Isle of Unseen, located to the far east, is devoted to the use of magic, both offensive and defensive. The second, the Isle of Courage, is physical combat, both with their living bodies and with weapons; both the first two islands have widely different biomes to train in all environments. The third is the Isle of Actualization, where the soul is stripped down to its roots and purged of impurities, many do not seek this due to the struggle it can mean, this place is utterly barren, save for endless dunes of sand save for rare oases. The fourth is the Isle of Totality, where all of what came before is put into the crucible of deadly challenges that adapt to each challenger and the strongest warriors are born.
Summer is lovely and brutal, and it has sheltered those who have seen both sides of life. They are the Court that welcomes the warriors, both those who were thrown away by their commanders and those who made it home only to never fully recover themselves, yet also the Court that supports the largest population of courtesans. Pleasure and pain, both dance in the Flames. Often healers will spend long passages of time within the central plain of the heart of the flame, a scorching desert with a lush oasis at its center where they tend to those tormented by their pasts.
Seat of Power : The Throne of Light, in the Seat of Truth.
Main Locations
Seat of Truth
Set within the first volcano upon entering the Summer Realm, the Seat of Truth is build into the volcano itself, the steps toward the grand entrance hewn into the mountain side itself, with only fire flowers and the obsidian trees can survive on the mountain, making it a place of fire and brimstone. It is a fortress, rather than a palace, and if the gates are closed impossible to breech. Within the halls of the fortress lay barracks, a passage to the Forge and the sacred space carved out for the Throne of Flames, where the Unburning King judges those who apply for entrance to his realm.
The Forge
Located in the base of the Seat of Truth, accessible only through hidden passages from the fortress, lays the Forge. It is where nearly all of the great weapons of the fae have been made. Some rare few have been crafted in other realms but those typically only last for a short time where those crafted in the forge can not be unmade, even by the Voidborn's touch. Regular shipments go to the other realms with thee flame born weapons, using light and heat to combat the nothingness of the Void. The Forgemaster is one of the most powerful in the Summer Realm beyond the King himself. The Forge closely guards their secrets of their craft, and the Forgemaster is chosen by the Forge itself.
Balm
Balm is a sacred oasis located on the Isle of Actualization, surrounded by desert and protected by elemental beings. It is here that those broken in war are brought to be tended to if the injuries are not so grave as to be send to the Cradle of Dawn in Spring Realm. In modern terms it is akin to a rehabilitation center, and run by a council of four, one from each realm, a healer of Spring, a combat master of Summer, an illusionist of Autumn and a dreamweaver of Winter. Together they and their staff works to purify and cleanse the troubled souls of those haunted by the things they have faced.
Flameheart
The capital city of Summer Realm, Flameheart lays at the very tip of the central isle, a massive, natural cove facing an endless bright sea. It is a city of pleasure and delight, with buildings in a rainbow of colors, the cobblestones themselves gold and red, like a living flame that the people walk upon. Vast open air markets and plazas command several spaces with the city, and the Palace of Bliss is located along the western rim of the natural barrier wall, for once a volcano was here. The sands are soft and white, with lush jungle spilling in over the barrier wall through the city itself. Countless pleasure houses call Flameheart their home, and the Embers are said to be trained in the city.
Coliseum of Heroes
The testing grounds for heroes is a place where warriors can compete in various games set to test their strengths and abilities. There are countless levels to the games, and they are a way for those who dare to attempt to join the Sunburst Guard or the Obsidian Blades. Graduation from the training is put to test in the Coliseum, either with a class as a whole, or a singular brave soul. Light games of strength and prowess occur weekly and monthly, though the most famous use of the Coliseum of Heroes lays in the Great Challenge held every year at the start of the summer, where warriors from all the Realms converge to compete before a massive audience. The winners of these games are often granted boons by their respective regents.
Palace of Pleasure
Constructed by the Summer King Xin, a Phoenix born fae, the Palace of Pleasure was made with the input and encouragement of Darina of Spring, the daughter of the then Queen of Spring and Xin's once guardian, Titian. It is said to be all the wonders of Spring and Summer combined, located on the outer rim of the natural harbor in Flameheart, and shares the harbor's sparkling waters.
