Runehack: Timberhaven

Ever since I started to work on Runehack, I knew that I wanted fairies to play an important role in this world. If there were humanoids roughly six times smaller than we are in our worlds, maybe minimizing the technology would have gone a lot faster. Looking for inspiration made me realize, that fairies are usually associates with freedom and nature. And the latter is a hard thing to do in a world like Runehack, seeing how the wilderness here is dominated by the massive monsters looking for prey at all times. Not to say, fairies would be even more vulnerable to such creatures than a regular human. In order to survive out there, they’d need a protective figure, a guardian. So, keep reading to see how I tried to mix the natural aesthetic of fairies with a cyberpunk world populated by monsters that prowl in the wilds. Enjoy, and have a grand day!

Timberhaven

In the deep woods of the Old World stands a city populated by fairies, found inside of the tallest tree in the forest that happens to be shaped like a woman in a dress. While most cities have "fairy towns", which are districts smaller than the regular ones so that fairies can live in them comfortably, Timberhaven is primarily built for the fairies.

"I will always be here to take care of you, my little ones."
All of the art featured in this article was kindly provided by Arell, a friend of mine

Geography

Somewhere in the eastern Old World Timberhaven, surrounded by the Antediluvia Jungle. There are no rivers going through the city, but there are some water springs found underneath the city through mining.

Eating meat is rare in this city since animal herding is rather difficult for the fairies. Fortunately, the barks of Timberhaven are very fertile, allowing them to grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables, sometimes even without access to the sunlight. Underneath the city is a plentiful reserve of amber for their use in the technology they create.

History

There is an ancient fairy legend of the wild mother, a woman taller than all trees, who was overgrown with bark and created the first fairies. She wandered the wilderness, growing throughout her life and carrying the first settlement of the fairies with her. But one day, she had to pass away. Instead of rotting like most do, though, she has supposedly rooted herself, in order to keep growing and blooming every year.

The only piece of evidence that supports this legend being true is the fact that Timberhaven is shaped like a tall woman in a long dress, lined at its bottom hems with silver to protect the city from the monsters. The world's most leading academics in cravenlore suggest that the tree has been shaped through the use of shaping molds developed by an early civilization before the foundation of the earliest kingdoms. The city of Timberhaven is found on the inside of the tree's trunk, underneath the "skirt" and inside of the "body" of the tree, up to and including the head.

Over the last few decades, Timberhaven has been experiencing some internal struggles due to a small group of fairies who wish to end its monarchy. One attempt at a revolution was made 19 years ago, but it did not succeed.

Structure

Timberhaven is a vertical city, with most of its districts determined by their relative altitude when compared to the other districts. Only two out of these six districts are exceptions, neighboring multiple other districts due to their heights.

Lower Circle. The lowest district of the city is used for the mines and many other forms of manual labor, as well as crafting workshops.

Middle Circle. This is a mixture of a residential district, the cultural center of the city, and workplaces for non-manual labor. It's taller than the Lower Circle, High Circle, and Crown District combined. Most of the non-prestigious schools are found here.

High Circle. Mostly mirroring the Middle Circle, High Circle is a mixture of a residential district with some establishment for respectable jobs, entertainment, and higher education.

Crown District. The highest-located district is used for farming due to its greater access to the natural forms of sunlight. The moss growing at the highest parts of the city is surprisingly fertile, providing plenty of nutrients for the crops grown on it.

Outskirts. This district is on the outside of the city. The only buildings located here are the watch shelters and gateways for the intercity forms of transportation.

Tram's Quarters. Due to her massive relative size, Tramona's room is a district of its own, neighboring the Lower, and Middle Circle on the south. While the room doesn't take that much space up, it's big enough to keep Tramona comfortably inside even while she rests.

Culture

For many years, Timberhaven has been a place of freedom, a cultural notion that persists even after the city has been connected to the Mistweb. There were very few unwritten laws to follow, and they shared most of their belongings so that everyone would get what they needed.

Isolated from the rest of the world thanks to the mother-tree's protection, the fairies have grown both judgemental of the outsiders, but also curious of the lives they lead. While the tall ones were strong, hairy, and grounded due to their lack of wings, the little folk were fascinated by their culture and over time started to imitate it. The big ones seem to have these "Kings" and "Queens" who establish rules for others and represent them? The fairies figured they should find someone like that too. The big folk seems to keep animals around, so the fairies have tried it too a couple of times. They like to write things down, so fairies started to do the same. This imitation game has stopped when the monsters have appeared, and the fairies had to isolate themselves. Though, that didn't last too long.

When the first flying machines visited Timberhaven, the big folk have for the first time entered Timberhaven and found the fairies within. Sure some of the fairies have moved out of the city to live in the bigger cities, but plenty of them remain within the tree. While nowadays the Timberhaven fairies recognize the need for laws, they still put great emphasis on the freedom of everyone. Their thoughts of the big folk have grown less judgmental and offensive, as their exposure to them became a lot more direct thanks to the runetech they have provided and keep providing them with.

Some of the phrases and traditions that originated here include:

• "Snatched by a fairy" is a comical descriptor for anything that's lost.
• "Living in a tree" is used to describe people who are clueless about what's happening in the current times. It's seen as somewhat offensive by the fairies who don't live in Timberhaven, while those that do usually laugh at it.
• During the last 7 days of the last month of winter, the denizens of Timberhaven have a tradition, in which they give gifts to each other by hiding them someplace where the receiver of a gift will sooner or later find it. It's advised to inform the receiver where any unfound gifts are before the summer starts, but some people forget or prefer to not tell the person at all, leading to small unexpected gifts found once in a while.
• "Wingless" is a metaphorical nickname for someone who is not free, either because of being enslaved, in prison, or in a complicated social situation that feels inescapable. In the old times when the first laws came to be, the only punishment comparable to execution was tearing off one's wings.
• On the last evening of summer, the fairies share plenty of sweet meals out of various berries with each other. This tradition doesn't seem to have a name or a specific historical origin.

Fairies

I don't know when I'll get around to writing a separate article on all of the races, so now's probably the best time to talk about how fairies of Runehack function.

All the races of fairies in Runehack. Going from left to right: Barrens, Meadow, Oceanic, Mountain, and Tundral. The banana is there for scale, and so is a runecard. The fairies wear outfits that are all mixes of various Runehack subcultures.

Fairies are winged humanoids recognizable for their very small size, a pair of wings sprouting from between the shoulder blades on the back, and long downwards-pointing ears, that can rise up when they experience great excitement or pay close attention to something. The skin tones of fairies range from the beige and brown skin tones typical to humans to light and dark green skin tones. Uniquely, their hair can be naturally of any color. Their wings are for the most part monochromatic gossamer wings, but occasionally a fairy with butterfly or multi-colored wings can be born. Their eyes are monochromatic, and glow very lightly.

Fairies are capable of flying at about the speed of a slow-walking human. There are no historical nor present records of a male fairy ever existing, making the fairy species all-female. Their average lifespan is 200 years, and their height ranges from 6 to 17 centimetres tall (2.3 to 6.7 inches) with no proven correlation between the various races of fairies. An average fairy is capable of digesting meat, but it is not required for their survival. (Note: They reproduce asexually, but so far I don't know how exactly so I'm omitting that for now.)

There are five basic races of fairies that people of this world distinguish. Understandably, plenty of fairies nowadays are mixtures of these, but they tend to recognize themselves as one of these, or a combination of two.

• Meadow. Meadow fairies originated in the midlands. Their skin tends to be pale green, and their hair is usually some shade of brown or blonde. 
• Barrens. Barrens fairies originated in the desert. Their skin tends to be dark brown or reddish-brown, and their hair is of any vibrant color. 
• Tundral. Tundral fairies originated in the arctic environments. Their skin tone tends to be pale beige, and their hair usually takes on hues of cold colors such as blue, purple, or rarely green. 
• Oceanic. Oceanic fairies originated in or near the seas. Their skin tends to be dark green, and their hair bright, usually green, blue, or yellow. 
• Mountain. Mountain fairies originated in the hills and mountains. Their skin tone is usually a saturated green skin tone, and their hair is of some dark color. 

Subculture Showcase: Wilderpunk

Note: This section is not meant to imply that the presented subculture is in any way unique to or most represented within this city. It is just a subculture I chose to present because it felt most thematically fitting and it wasn't introduced yet.

So many times are fairies dressed up in leaves and flowers and other natural clothes, I figured it would only be fair to put a subculture that's like that into my world too. Pun intended.

Art Curiosities: Drawing toes is hard, and these are just models for outfits anyway, so please don't judge. Also, these two are not fairies.

Traditionally, the natural world outside of city walls is viewed with an acquiescence. People are aware of the monsters out there that can take on any form they wish, which is a major concern for anyone who wishes to move between the cities. But where some see tricks and danger, others see beauty and freedom.

Wilderpunk is about rebelling against civilization by embracing that which they fear the most—the natural world. The most visible way in which they show this is in their outfits, which commonly use leaves and petals (or cloth that’s made to resemble them), and more unusually bark, vines, furs and scales, or sometimes even imitations of wings. Elves, fairies, and goblins make up a disproportionate majority of the various Wilderpunk communities.

Folks who would consider themselves part of the Wilderpunk subculture live their lives with little to no concerns. Ideally, they’d prefer to move out of the cities to live in the country, creating their own food and managing on their own without all this fancy runetech. But the silence of those few who tried this is a lesson for any who would actually wish to attempt this. In fact, it feels like the megacorporations are making citizens of their cities more dependent on them with each passing day. It’s why most of these punks prefer to move into the Independent Kingdoms, hoping that not all of them will succumb to the two biggest movers and shakers of the worldwide society.

The punks who remain in the city-states have one goal that they share: to bring independence back to the city. Whether it’s through attempts of reaching the government level to change the local laws, educating the public, or by protesting loud and clear, wilderpunks do what they can to change the world. The means by which they wish to change it divide the community into smaller ones, mixing them with Acumen, Loyalists, and sometimes even with the corporations.

Relations

Timberhaven is the closest ally to the Amberwatch, as well as independent kingdoms generally. Avurai University knows of Timberhaven and usually picks up personal assistants there. Currently, the city has also good relationships with Nexuspace, meaning if it were to lose its independence, it would most likely be purchased by that company.

Curiosities

Several points of interest are in the Timberhaven, including but not limited to:

• Rooted Mines are mines found beneath the Lower Circle, where the hollowed-out roots of the tree have grown. These mines are surprisingly rich in amber.
• The Heart is a wooden statue found in the High Circle district. Its shape is closest to an elven heart, but some differences are present there. It's assumed to be a creation of a long-forgotten artist, and it's found slightly lower than it would be in an elf scaled up to the size of Timberhaven.
• Candyrock Spa is an establishment built in one of the mines currently unused due to a water spring. It is a fairy bathhouse that also contains a confectionery store.
• Firefly Season is the name of two annual periods of time. First starts in the middle of spring and lasts until the first days of autumn. The second period lasts for the entirety of winter. At this time, fireflies enter Timberhaven to reside there, either safe from the jungle's summer wildlife, or for protection from the cold. Fairies used to bring fireflies with them as a portable hands-free light source before runetech, and some still do to this day.
• The Empty Portal is a structure located in the Middle Circle. It's a ring shaped out of natural branches, standing on one of the few city streets. It was created by a long gone fairy artist, inspired by the ancient myths from the nearby kingdoms of witches and wizards who could create portals that allowed for instantaneous travel between distant places.
• Fairy Tunnels are entrances to and exits from Timberhaven, hidden well to be unseen by naked eye from the outside.
• Glowing Orchard is a mossy garden in the Middle and High Circle. All of the moss here is bioluminescent, glowing in the dark well enough to illuminate the immediate surroundings.

Tramona Towers

Years before the monsters have appeared, Tramona Towers was born in the city of (city name). She was a nice child, and a good climber, but she was shy due to other kids in the school making fun of her for her small height. For many nights, she wished to grow taller so that the kids wouldn't make fun of her anymore. And once she reached puberty, she got her wish in a way she never would have expected. She grew quickly, and in a matter of months, she has become the tallest female elf in the whole world, at a height of 240 centimeters. Taller than even average height orcs, however, she has once again become a target of judgments and jokes, this time due to her extreme height. Frustrated, she left the city and went into the world to find a place for herself.

Over her travels, she has stumbled upon Timberhaven, the city of fairies. They were rather small, and while they recognized she's taller than average, they welcomed her with open arms. Over her time spent in the city, which was massive even for someone as big as her, she helped fairies by carrying them to the various heights of their city to let their wings rest. This has lead to the fairies gifting her with an outfit equipped with plenty of pockets and standing platforms, employing her as a mode of mass transport within Timberhaven. Tramona, nowadays also nicknamed "Trammy", has become an instant celebrity when the Mistweb found out about her years later, inspiring many of the children worldwide who thought like they don't fit with her life story. One entire district is dedicated to serving as a room just for her. Once every year, she takes a three weeks long vacation, spending two of these weeks at its unstopping festival to meet up with her fans. One thing is for sure—since elves live for a long time, Tramona will be helpful to the Timberhaven for many years to come.

Trammy, surprised by her small friends bringing her an ice-cream of her favorite flavor (cookie).

Important People

A few examples of the important people from the Timberhaven:

• Jenissa Sevenleaf, fairy, female; the current queen of Timberhaven.
• Tramona Towers, elf, female; the carrier of Timberhaven's fairies.
• Sallice Redleaf, fairy, female; influencer, internationally popular singer, actress originally born in New Prista.
• Imma Freshblade, fairy, female; doctor who has graduated the Avurai University.
• Lanessa Freestone, fairy, female; representative of Nexuspace who's waiting for her opportunity to buy this city.