I am participating in the Write Tribe Festival of Words September 1 – 7, 2013. It’s seven days about all things “seven” and I’m writing about the seven tiers of Solstice. It is the world my fantasy series The Song of Solstice is set in and there are seven tiers, they are like countries, in Solstice. Each tier corresponds to one of the colors in the visible spectrum and since this is day 5, we are all blue today.
The blue tier of Cyannis is famous for its water. Thousands of natural springs dot the landscape and keep fresh water flowing towards the southern tiers of Solstice. There is fresh water, fizzy water, scalding hot and ice cold water and even highly acidic water in some spots. With sparkling streams and an abundance of fertile meadows, there are many beautiful scenic areas in Cyannis. But the tier’s greatest natural wonder are the people who live there.
The Cyans are well known for fertility of all kinds, including crops, livestock and creating little Cyans. People who live in the blue tier generally have large families – that rampant fertility was the biggest reason the Cyans were enslaved by their northern neighbor Yndigon for centuries. The Yndes used magicks, enchantments and brutish violence on the peaceful Cyans for over 500 years, until the fateful siring of a Cyannish prospector who rallied the people.
After a violent uprising, the Cyans reclaimed their homes, their surviving kin and what few cats that escaped Yndigon tortures. They rebuilt their families and culture without turning to retribution, instead the Cyans hewed to their core beliefs. People in the blue tier believe in living, they believe in creating, they believe in loving and they believe in forgiveness. While the citizens of Cyannis haven’t forgotten what the Yndes did, they have chosen to be happy despite the history.
It comes as no surprise to anyone in Solstice that more than half of the prospectors sired throughout history were Cyannish. It’s a matter of great pride to the blue bloods and it seems only fitting that the Last Prospector was born into one of the greatest clans in Cyannis. There is no one more qualified to protect the legacy of Solstice than a Cyan.
