Visiting the Conservatory

How your esk accesses and builds onto the Conservatory is up to you. There is no level requirement or GP cost to participate in this feature, it is intended to be an open, collaborative, player-created environment that everyone can contribute to in their own way. There are many wings and connected rooms in the Conservatory for esk to explore and develop, and all player-contributed designs for rooms and Conservatory features become canon locations in this world.

Conservatory-related artwork and writing submissions now earn you a 20AP and +5GP bonus.

Conservatory artwork must have a partial or full background. Remember to submit your artwork and writing to the Conservatory folder. These bonuses do not apply to sketches. You do not need to include esk in your Conservatory artwork and writing, you just need to prominently feature the Conservatory itself in order to receive scoring and bonuses.

 Bonus update applies to new Conservatory submissions only starting from September 1st 2018 onward. Scoring calculator will be updated shortly!

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Conservatory Guidelines

 In order to collaborate successfully on a shared environment we need some guidelines to keep Conservatory artwork and writing cohesive. The environment is designed by players but establishing limitations will ensure that contributions all build on a collective goal. We want to grant as much freedom as possible within these guidelines, please send us a group note if you have any questions about Conservatory concepts.
 Treat the Conservatory as a non-physical plane. Physical objects, plants, and wildlife cannot be physically brought in from Earth but they can all be recreated here magically.
 There are no humans in the Conservatory.
 Beyond its crystalline walls the Conservatory is surrounded by empty space that can be manipulated by the esk inside. They can make it look like the sky on Earth, a view of outer space, or filled with colors and magic auras. This space is infinite, an esk could float through it and never reach its end.
 The Conservatory itself is an expanding crystalline structure. It can resemble the walls of a greenhouse, a building made of glass, geometric architecture, or it can be more unusual like sheets of ice, a crystal cave, shattered windows, and magical thresholds.
 The Conservatory can be surreal. Different wings of the Conservatory can be whimsical and strange, there may be unusual weather, there may be no gravity, be creative!
 The Conservatory should not simply look like a normal location on Earth. You can easily suggest that you are within the Conservatory by including the crystalline walls or ceiling in your artwork, but there are other ways to indicate that you are in this supernatural location such as including magic effects or artifacts in the landscape, depicting objects that are related to the esk lore such as statues of esk or references to the Wanderers, or by including crystals and treasures in their surroundings. As long as you have elements in the background that would seem out of place in a normal Earthly location it will help establish that the scene is taking place in the Conservatory.
 Everything in the Conservatory is connected. Esk do not create disconnected areas or "pocket dimensions" here — Conservatory contributions should feel like part of a whole, not isolated or floating in space, and should all be accessible to other esk.
 That said, your esk is encouraged to create their own nook or room to hang out in within the Conservatory as long as it is clearly part of the shared Conservatory structure by including the contextual cues mentioned above.
 The biome wanderers do not visit the Conservatory and cannot be depicted there.

Beyond this framework the Conservatory is yours to design and expand upon. Since this is a shared space for all of us please make additions tasteful and connected to the collaborative esk lore.

You may want to consider these questions when contributing to the Conservatory:

Creating spaces

• What kind of space or room would your esk design?
• Would your esk collaborate with others or possibly modify existing areas of the Conservatory?
• What is your esk's favorite place to visit here?
• Will your esk build or add features to the Wellsprings?

The biome wings

Many esk use their home boundaries and biomes as inspiration when building the Conservatory.Over time these contributions merged into vast wings of the Conservatory, each dedicated to one of the eight biomes.
• Which biome wings does your esk like to spend time in?
• What types of boundaries and habitats are represented in these wings?
• What kinds of artifacts, structures, and magical features exist there?

Visiting 000

• Will your esk seek out 000 for guidance and stories?
• Will they ask 000 a question? 

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 We now have monthly features for Conservatory artwork and writing!

 Every month in the Updates + Announcements blog we will post featured Conservatory submissions. 

 000

There are currently three NPC that occupy the Conservatory. 000, the grandmother esk, spends most of her time here to rest and connect with esk from across the Earth. 

Read more about 000 here

 The Luminaries

The Luminaries Ist and Nor are permanently part of the Conservatory. They are the creators of this realm and their elemental power of vibration is what gives this place its power and holds its shape. 

Read more about the Luminaries here

The Altars

There are two altars that lie opposite each other in the Conservatory and each is the epicenter of the Luminary's presence. The vibrations emanated from these altars is what generates the Conservatory's form and power, all esk that visit are connected to the field it generates and it moves through them as they create and modify this realm together. The altars are surrounded by structures and rooms that form elaborate, maze-like temples. These temples can be freely entered and explored, but as you head closer to the center the rooms and pathways become perilous to travel through as they are warped by the energy field. Thus far, none are certain of whether it is truly possible to travel to a temple's altar and meet one of the Luminaries face to face, or what might happen if they could.

Esk are able to visit the temples but they are not able to enact permanent changes to them or create their own rooms there. The temples are generated by the Luminaries themselves and attempts to alter them are overpowered. However, the temples are still growing and changing — as long as the Luminaries reside within them they will keep expanding and new areas can be explored and discovered by visiting esk.

The Temple of Silence

The Luminary Ist resides in the Temple of Silence which can be accessed from deep within the Forest wing of the Conservatory. It is comprised of overgrown stone ruins, moss-covered sculptures, reflection pools, dark caves, and worn-down wooden structures. There are many openings to the temple — stone doors, fern canyons, mossy tunnels, wooden gates, underwater caves, and more are always being discovered. Scenes in this temple should appear rustic and weathered, plants should spread freely and not be overly maintained, materials and objects here should feel naturally crafted or assembled. 
Many esk visit this temple for quiet reflection and contemplation. Ist's energy exudes a feeling of acceptance, receptivity, and peace that many esk find restorative and soothing. 

The Temple of Sound

The Luminary Nor resides in the Temple of Sound which can be accessed from deep within the Developed wing of the Conservatory. It is comprised of maze-like catacombs, ornate statues, lush gardens, freshwater streams and canals, crystal spires, and large echo chambers. There are many openings to the temple — carved archways, hedge mazes, glass tunnels, flower-filled hallways, marble waterfalls, and more are always being discovered. Scenes in this temple should appear cultivated and aesthetic, there are ruins and overgrowth but they appear fresh and unworn as if no time has passed, materials and objects here can be more structured or manmade, referencing civilizations past or present intermingling with nature.
Many esk visit this temple for gatherings and conversation. Nor's energy exudes a feeling of excitement, creativity, and curiosity that many esk find invigorating and inspiring.

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The temples are available for all esk to visit and for all players to help imagine and design

The inner reaches of these temples and their altars have yet to be revealed, but the open areas of the temples are open to creative interpretation and design by players. Use the prompts above as inspiration to imagine what these spaces might be like and what might be found there, but please build upon them and do not feel limited by what is mentioned specifically in the provided lists. The esk characters themselves do not design these spaces since they are grown by the Luminaries, but as artists and writers we get to invent how these temples grow and change, and what our characters discover there. Have fun!

More about the Luminaries' Temples will be revealed in the future...