Venthrey: Part 1

Within the Planar Complex exist fourty Named realms across its nucleus and four rings, thirty-one existing entirely within its rings... Within the second ring of the Planar Complex exists Venthrey; the Battle Realm. - Heteronimous Jackal (Accounts of the Planar Complex vol. 1).

The Parthenon had been erected four sleeps ago by Evan's count. Venthrey had constructed many buildings, many structures of unknown purpose, and it had even terraformed itself at will more times than Evan could count. The Parthenon was different. There were no perpetual sounds of combat ringing from within it, no monsters and beasts roaring, screaming, or scratching at the polished marble. It was quiet, this was uncommon in Venthrey.

Most structures within Venthrey were either layered towers with dozens of floors; each containing a new challenge or pitch for combat, though he had rarely seen inside any of these; or expansive and threatening open territories, designed to act as the testing grounds between deities that called upon Venthrey's rules. The Parthenon, instead, gave Evan the air of nobility, honor, even welcoming. The marble it had been constructed from was painted and adorned with incredible and colorful tapestries, murals, depicting tales and stories that were mostly unknown to Evan.

When the Parthenon had appeared, Evan observed it with his usual wariness, he had not deigned to get too close to its perimeter but watched from a distance. It had appeared a couple of hours walk from his home, appearing just on the horizon.

New structures rarely meant anything good for Evan, however some of them brought with them much needed supplies. His sword had been scavenged from a territory, a battlefield decorated with a weapon-laced perimeter. His two pigs had been snatched from a hunting game between an Archfey and Elemental Lord that wouldn't miss them. Even his clothes were fashioned from deteriorated tarps and fabrics from structures that had served their purpose. 

But now, he stood close to it. Closer than he had ever been to a structure he did not know for certain had been abandoned. He was crouched and using the overgrown grass as cover as he skulked towards the corner pillar. He gingerly placed a hand on it, the warm marble heated by the perpetual sun was cooler than he thought. It was smooth, clean even. Without any reaction or surprise to his touch, Evan stood up and began to trace his hand over the tapestry depicted along the marble pillar. He chose to approach this pillar in particular as he believed he recognised this story. A long reptilian creature that coiled around the pillar, its large maw opened attempting to devour a winged individual, spear readied and aimed towards the leviathan. 'The Iron Angel' Evan thought, a great warrior of the Prime Plane, whose stories he had heard growing up. If his recollection was correct, this tapestry depicted his fight with Basill, the great serpent.

The other pillars seemed to depict other stories. Anyone could infer that they were great tales; one depicted a smaller humanoid going up against what Evan believed were giants; another showed two dragons locked in fierce combat. Evan began to believe that this structure might be far from the usual constructed by Venthrey, for he had not encountered one that seemed to recall... anything. There was never any depictions, not even words beyond the Rules. 

Hesitantly, he crept towards the opening of the interior chambers, the central part of the structure protected by the pillars. Looking through the large archway, it quickly became apparent this structure did not obey the usual laws of space, nothing entirely uncommon within Venthrey, but surprising given what Evan had seen already. Beyond the entrance was an impossibly long hallway that stretched well beyond the dimensions of the parthenon, and seemed to grow wider than it as well. The hallway was sparsely lit by green-flamed torches that cast a sickly glow throughout the hallway. As disturbing the light was, it had a terrifyingly inviting aspect. Without the thought to do so, Evan's feet began to ascend the steps towards the hallway. It was only through instinct he caught himself, before he had traveled too far.

This disturbed Evan. What magic this place had, it had affected him already, nearly removed his guard entirely. He quickly descended the stairs on which he stood and stepped away from the Parthenon. He then turned and sprinted back the way he came, down the wooded hill, passing through the thinnest part of what he had named "The Amber Woods" towards the plains that stretched behind it. Once he came to the border of the plains, just before the treeline of the forest in which his home laid, he finally let himself rest.

The plains were the only safe haven of Venthrey, Evan had discovered early on. The Amber Woods were not lethal in and off themselves but were the hunting grounds of some of Venthrey's predator species. That is not to say Venthrey had native fauna. Indeed the realm had no life of its own, it was a sentience, as Evan understood it, that terraformed and constructed for the pure purposes of battles and challenges. All that lived within the Realm had been conjured for challenges and escaped, or were brought by the challenger deities, usually in violation of the Rules. 

In particular, roving Spitfires were the greatest threat posed by the Amber Woods. Evan had given the woods that name since all of its trees were coated in a thin layer of resin, which meant that the Spitfires' presence did not start fires. As such, it was the only space where other invasive species, such as rabbits or swallows, could be safe from wildfire. However, that just meant the Spitfires moved in anyway. 

While the plains were safe, they were also exposed. Visiting challenger deities would see any settlement he made, and would exploit it however they desired if they did. Additionally, flat surfaces in Venthrey were the most commonly developed. In the last twenty sleeps, three small structures had appeared and been razed in these plains, and none of them remained long enough to be a suitable home.

While there were other territories, biomes and habitats that Evan could have chosen from, there was only one on which he had settled; The Greywitch Forest.