Tourmaline Peaks

The Tourmaline Peaks consist of a trio of mountains of dark grey stone, set in the northern range of Sundry. Their lush vegetation, jagged heights and apparent youth are stark against the dark brown, barren peaks of Sundry's ranges. Nestled in the heights of the central mountain is a single city - one of the largest alternate reality locations in Sundry.

Appearance
The mountains themselves are largely formed of a dark grey stone. As the name suggests, numerous tourmaline formations can be found; these shine dully in the light, resulting in the appearance of rippling paler patches through the stone. Most areas are difficult to explore, as it appears the peaks are largely uninhabited. A wide pass at the base of the central mountain leads to the city. Despite the height of the peak, climbing to the city takes only two hours at walking pace.

The city bears two names on its entrance arch: "Escala" and "Louve". These are most likely the names of two separate cities in the original world. Escala appears to be a city associated with the sun, day and clouds; whilst Louve is associated with moon, night and stars. The archway is carved from what appears to be a single block of tourmaline, immense in size.

Two distinctive styles of architecture are present in the city. The first style consists of wide, sprawling households packed tightly together, often with communal courtyards featuring elaborate gardens and pools. These houses are generally built of stucco, often painted beige or salmon in colour. Their roofs are constructed from sun-baked brick, with bright planters of green vegetation contrasting with the terracotta tiles. A large sun motif is seen on most doors and in the same of many of the windows.

By contrast, the second style has narrower houses, often a few storeys in height above their Escalan neighbours. Slate roofs and ash-coloured walls of painted weatherboard or stone predominate. The occasional building is painted cool blue or green; this appears to indicate their relative importance. The streets of Louve are decorated brightly with gas lamps that give a warm glow. No power source for these lamps has been located. The motifs of Louve are more subtle - generally they consist of a small line of stars on a windowsill, or a moon carving tucked into the corner of a wall.

These two styles are not neatly demarcated, but interweave unpredictably. Sometimes entire blocks seem to be from one city, but more often, one will find half a street, or even a single building from one city in the midst of the other. The exception to this rule is in the central courtyard, a circular space which is neatly ruled in half. A large mosaic takes up most of the courtyard. Half of this mosaic depicts a full moon, whilst the other half depicts the sun. In the centre of this courtyard is a simple cottage with a peaked roof. Its appearance is incongruous with the rest of the city's architecture, being built of the grey stone of the mountain. There is a single door with both a moon and sun marking on it, similar to the courtyard's mosaic. No door handle or keyhole is immediately obvious. The windows are tinted and thus the interior of the cottage is obscured.

The city appears to be in the midst of preparation for a festival. Stalls line most of the main roads, and the buildings are festooned with pennants, streamers and signs proclaiming "The Canticle of Turning". Remarkably, these festive decorations are not restricted by the city they are in, with both sun and moon decorations being found in both cities.

Phenomena
As soon as one steps into the city, whether it is Escala or Louve, the sky changes. Both cities have a cloudless sky, so different to the constant cloudcover of Sundry. In Escala, the sky is always the pure azure of high noon. In Louve, it is always midnight, with a full moon and endless constellations of stars. Moving between the cities can therefore by quite disorienting, as one moves from day to night to day again.

As time progresses, each part of the city that is Escala gradually transforms into a part of Louve, and vice versa. It takes 24 hours for the city to swap entirely. The last part to change is always the central courtyard, with east and west switching between sun and moon abruptly.

Despite the motif changing, the central courtyard is exempt from the night/day demarcation found in the rest of the city. If one approaches from Escala, it will appear to be dusk in the courtyard. If one approaches from Louve, it will be dawn in the courtyard. Time does not shift in any part of the city.

Field notes
The city of Escala/Louve may be one of my favourite locations to visit in all of Sundry. It is bizarre, yes, but the location is beautiful despite that. Though barren of life or even spirits, the festive atmosphere fills it with warmth; I can imagine that a crowd is waiting outside, excited to begin a festival. It is so lovely to feel the warmth of the sun again. Ironically, the changing of the city also makes it one of the places where it is easiest to keep track of the time!

My attempts to enter the central cottage have proved fruitless thus far. Despite the door's unassuming appearance, it is has been remarkably resistant to both force and my admittedly rudimentary lock-picking skills. I am quite keen on discovering what lies within. On my latest trip to the Library, I believe I have identified a young woman who may be linked to the location. If I could convince her to accompany me to the city, I will be able to test what occurs when a person is exposed to a shard of reality from their world.