Now you're just handing them to us. Come on, give Arstotzka a chance to win one of these. Culture? Those northern barbarians don't even know the word.
Saadiya will naturally feel right at home in the glittering cities of Moskurg. The capital, a sprawling metropolis on the southern end of the island, has over half a dozen universities, a score of galleries, and uncountable public gardens where the finest of Moskurgian poets read their latest works. Step onto the paved streets, and make your way into the city, surrounded at all times by stalls selling the finest goods in all of Forenia. The streets may be mazelike, but rather than getting lost, one simply discovers a new part of the city- a small temple, no less impressive for its humility; a walled garden with a flowing fountain, providing a remarkable coolness in the southern heat; a bazaar, the air thick with the scent of spices, where friendly merchants invite you into their shops for tea and conversation.
Once Saadiya has gotten used to the layout of the city, he will be able to make his way to the Grand Temple, the shining star of Moskurg. Legend has it that a temple has stood here since the first man set foot on Forenia, though obviously it has been heavily remodelled throughout the ages, and stood empty for a while after the original inhabitants all mysteriously disappeared- but the point is, it stands there. Currently dedicated to the true God, Saadiya will admire the geometrical mosaics on the floor, and the grand dome, which is covered in bronze, finding many similarities to the temples of his homeland. He may even find the faith they practice similar, adapted as it is from that of the Iberian invaders from long ago.
After visiting the temple, he may wish to visit the second most important building in the city, the Palace. As a guest of honour, he will be granted entrance into the luscious gardens that surround it, guided past the ingenious pumps that irrigate them, through the bronze doors into the outer sanctum, where he shall remove his shoes and step lightly on the marble floors, admiring as he goes the fine artwork lining the walls, and indeed the walls themselves, made as they are from hardwoods sourced from deep within the jungle. He shall be granted access to the middle sanctum, where attendants will provide for his every need, whilst musicians and dancers provide background entertainment. He shall not, of course, be granted access to the inner sanctum, as that is for the Sultan and his closest attendants only, a place of peace where he can retreat and meditate on the state of the realm.
Once he has tired of the luxuries on offer in the palace, he may wish to slake his thirst for learning, by visiting the University of Truth, the first and foremost of the centers of learning in Moskurg. Within the imposing building that houses it he will find dozens of fellow scholars debating philosophy, theology, geometry, and many other subjects. In the scribe halls he may witness the rows of scribes carefully copying, in flowing calligraphy, the texts of ancient books, preserving knowledge that might otherwise be lost. He might peruse some of said tomes in the library, which is said to contain ten thousand books, though obviously no one has counted. He might visit the room of Truth, and be somewhat confused to find it empty, for the goal of the university is to fill said room with nothing but the truth, and so far no one has been able to propose anything that can be considered undeniably true- there is always some philosopher with an annoying little question that undermines the whole notion.
Anyone else feel like chiming in with an exposition of some aspect of Moskurgian culture? I mean, I know getting a credit now seems like overkill, but at the end of the day, we play to win- and if that means stomping on Arstotzka whilst it's down, so be it.
Storm Strike: evictedSaint (essentially a more advanced form of Weather Control)
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Topic: Wands Race - [Moskurg] {COMPLETED} (Read 186565 times)