Cherryblossom Court
The Cherryblossom Court
The Cherryblossom court, or metacourt depending on whom you ask, is a virtual reality deep-dive recreational environment created by The Order of the Fae, serving as a public forum for all Starlit Court citizens.
Origins and Evolution
After extensive conversations with the gestalt consciousness of our ancestors with that of the oldest of them, it has been visually designed to look similar to one of the grandest cities our original homeworld once had. After millennia of technological advancement and general refinement, it also has areas added to it to allow for certain permanent virtual locations. Examples include the Great Library of Sihi, the Grand Shrine, and even a thriving virtual market space. Additionally, there is a stylized virtual representation of Castle Sihi itself, complete with a reception hall large enough to hold all knights within, functioning as a gathering space for system-local knights.
This project was helmed by the lead designer of the Cherryblossom Court, it being the reason he was elevated to the role of grandmaster of his order, Syr Grandmaster Poe, the Raven Code. Within the past decade, he spearheaded the design team and creation of the Cherryblossom Court, mainly for the use of the knightly orders for relaxation and an enjoyable location to spend their downtime. He has been working to open it up more to the public of Sihi so as to allow those of the Starlit Court's citizens to both learn and bask in the beauty of the place they had once, long ago, called home.
(Visual snapshot of the city)
The Grand Shrine
The Grand Shrine is a place of reverence where many can go to not only honor the dead but also, with accepted clearance, to access the stored memories of the gestalt. Many wings of the shrine are held privately by various distinguished families, whereas the average visitor goes to a general shrine. At the very end of the shrine, a visitor can find statues of the grandmasters of the original orders standing above their virtual resting place. There is even a tomb present to represent and honor those that are unable to be identified.
The Eternal Library of Sihi
The Great Library is a cumulation of knowledge brought together virtually where both common folk and the knightly orders can access useful knowledge in almost any field of study. The tree at the center is fondly called by the librarians within ‘Yggdrasil’ with its branches reaching out to different areas of the library. And always found sitting within the branches of the tree are two ravens that, when asked their names, are ‘Huginn and Muninn’.
Grand Bazaar
This grand bazaar Is a vast marketplace filled with merchants where much of Sihian trade takes place. It sells many things, from tangible items of food orders, clothing, and furniture to items for use in virtual reality. There are even small taverns to listen to local bards play while people drink and enjoy themselves. Of course, there are seedier areas, but what marketplace is without them? The Order of the Fae does its best to monitor those areas.
The Fields of Mars
The Fields of Mars are a place where all knights can go to watch reenactments of famous battles of their order history and also those battles of their ancestors. Some, if given permission, can use one of the many fields as ways of training, which is very common in the forms of field trips for schools on Sihi.
The Court
This grand chamber within a castle above the virtual city is where most knights can be found wandering, as it has connecting doors to many side rooms for each of their orders. There are three main doors that are locked, permissions issued only to leaders within the Starlit Court hierarchy. One of the doors leads to the chambers and office of the steward. The second is where the Grandmasters retreat for silent council. The last is the largest of them all: the Room of the Round Table, a vast antichamber where all grandmasters sit in pews above and around an empty round table, reminiscent of the original knights that once sat with the High King. This is for grand meetings, especially for those that can not make it to in-person sessions. As for the main courtly chamber, at the head of it behind a barrier sits a virtual representation of the High King’s throne from ancient times, waiting for the new king to once more sit the throne. A virtual copy of the High King’s armor sits upon the empty throne, waiting to be claimed.