The Worldbuilding of Poesy
Poesy is a fantasy world full of magic, strange creatures, and astounding events. What sets it apart from other such worlds you may have seen is the fact that the most powerful people here are poets. The way they perform their magic is through words and verse.
Those who find themselves drawn to words aspire to studying at the Poesy - a monastery for poets.
Here, young poets learn to use their words to shape nature, alter reality, heal people, and fight dark forces. They also learn to follow the Verse, which is a faith all poets must live by. It teaches courage, perseverence, and kindness.
Students also learn the science of Poesy (after which the monastery has been named). They learn how angry words can crack stone and burn wood. They learn how loving words can heal the sick and how words of encouragement and belief can give life to stones.
Their education draws upon thousands of years of tradition and history. The library of Poesy is home not only to books composed by the ancients, but also to works that came into being before language came to be spoken. The walls of the library are lined not only with books, but also with stone tablets with poems in languages no one speaks anymore. It is said that somewhere in there, is the verse that created the world. And also, the poem that Kavinar (the first poet) spoke to the Arkin tree.
Though Kavinar is now long dead, the Arkin tree remains, and is the foundation of Poesy even today. It grows through rock and river and cloud and holds the entirety of Poesy together. No one knows how old it is, but most agree that it is at least as old as the world itself. Its branches flow through Poesy, and can be seen in many places, including the library, the town of stonecarvers, and the lake in the deep.
Its branches are densest however, in the western corner of the library, where they become a veritable forest lit only by the blue luminescenece of the night spore. The masters tell the students to not venture in there. The Arkin tree is home to all manner of creatures. Not all of them like socialising.
On the other side of the night spore forest lies the falcon shrine. It is abandoned, not because there are none from the falcon faith in Poesy, but because the Arkin tree grew into it a few centuries ago and ritual worship became impossible. The masters of Poesy withdrew from the shrine out of respect. Yet, young poets whisper tales to each other about the falcon priest that haunts the shrine still, wandering in the darkness and speaking obscenities.
