The Great Cities
The Great Cities of Gnomestones come from the brilliant novel Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. The realized cities are listed below.
Octavia, the Hanging City
The Great City of Baskets, which hangs between the faces of two high cliffs, and has done so since time began. Several artists have depicted the city of Octavia, below are a few of our favorite renditions.
Posted on Pintrest by Thara
Likely Carlo Cassini - Posted on Pintrest by Thara
Gerard Trignac - https://www.warnockfinearts.com/gerard-trignac
Rebecca Chappell -
https://tonidejesusblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/invisible-cities/
The Robur - https://atisuto17.artstation.com/projects/zEnzm
In our TTRPG adaptation of Octavia, the Hanging City carries a population of 15,000, including the rich Central Basket Market, lavish basket palaces held by elite families of ancient creed, a dilapidated underside run by rival basketgangs, hallowed academic, religious, and philosophic institutes, its own cliff-racing sport, and thousands of years of contested history.
In the year 193 U-O (1193 B), the Great City of Octavia is led by an uneasy alliance between the Ulfan pilgrims and the Octavian high families. The Sky Council has elected a Governor, but it unclear who he serves. The Ulffirstsmith is unflinching in his faith, and there are rumors that the high families have crowned a new queen. The underside is embroiled in a long-standing turf war between the gangs of Dill and Gribbet, and the information relayed to basketeers by the gnomes on the gorge floor gets darker by the week.
Olendor, The Tree-Ring City
"There are no roads to Olendor." The Great City of Tree Rings has been the bastion of the forest elves since the Long Dark Age. The Elven Queen has ruled in the forests of Olendor for 500 years, after the last one abdicated during the Jromokan Disaster. This paradise of the elves is considered imprenetrable by outsiders, a perfect sanctuary to protect the elves' immortal lives. Those seeking to treat with the agents of Olendor can wait in the village of Vitpip for the elves to cross the lake, which they do once every ten years.