Gardens of Pentas

Situated at the base of the Needle of Pentas on the Isle of Ornath, the Gardens of Pentas are a collection of horticultural gardens maintained by the Order of the Lumnasi Viragos in honor of the five spheres of Lumnis's influence. Each garden has a statue depicting a portion of Lumnis's lore and/or history, as well as a plethora of flowers, resting areas, ambients, and earthnodes.

Garden of the Planes

• earthnode is in [Garden of the Planes, Fountain]
• Colored theme is crimson
• 6 rooms in the garden
• 2 separate seating areas

Rooms

[Garden of the Planes, Entry]

Cream-hued travertine walls, incredibly smooth and glass-like in appearance, are interrupted by an ironwood portal wrought in the shape of a ring that is partially embedded in bright red brick cobblestones. Protecting the entry from the elements is an umbrella-like awning fashioned of lacquered wooden slates, its ends dangling dormant lanterns that have eahnor rooves. A blown glass hummingbird feeder rests to the north of the path, its wrought iron supports hidden amid a wealth of showy camelia bushes.

lanterns - Attached to a thin slat of lacquered ironwood, the lantern is comprised of thin eahnor-framed doors and frosted red glass. Matching metal rooves are perched at an angle on the top of the tiny boxes, the steep angle preventing water from accumulating on the piece.

hummingbird feeders - Kidney-shaped in design, the hummingbird feeder is fashioned of whorled crimson and gold glass. A long metal nozzle distributes the nectar to the tiny birds that might seek it, while a large wrought iron frame gently cradles it aloft.

showy camelia bushes - Bound by a brown, organic sheath to the spindled limbs of the bush, the spear-shaped leaves of bright green are decorated with vibrant yellow veining along their waxy lengths. Vivid red camellia blossoms, with their rows of overlapping petals that hide the stamen, stand out amid the verdant foliage that frames the cobbled brick pathway of the garden.

You gaze at a showy camellia bush with a practiced eye, noting that you could probably harvest a vivid red camellia blossom, a spear-shaped bright green leaf, a blade of short grass.

[Garden of the Planes, Lawn]

Garnet sweetspire forms a decorative border to the lush lawn of cultivated and manicured lawn, which spreads its luscious grass from the bright cobbled pathway to the low travertine wall at its far end. Purplish-red fountain grass sprouts up in various locations, lanterns housed in their cascading depths. Positioned beneath an umbrella of golden orbs, a small wooden lectern holds court over the lawn.

[Garden of the Planes]
Bordered in travertine, cobalt, and pink soapstone, several tiered garden beds rise from the pathway's bright red cobblestones towards the garden's high walls. Red sunflowers nod their dark heads from the upper tiers, while a bed of autumn-hued verbena holds the middle ground. Coral-hued coneflowers give way to the ruffled spikes of canna buds upon the lowest basin.

[Garden of the Planes, Tree]

Towering over the garden walls, an enormous ironwood tree stretches its broad fingers towards the sky as if reaching for the apex of the Needle of Pentas. Broad leaves of a pale green hue wreathe the arboreal giant, while small, blood-red blossoms decorate its lower boughs, which are laden with tiny prismatic baubles. A low stone bench rests within crimson gravel along the southeastern bend of the cobbled pathway.

[Garden of the Planes, Trellis]

Thick vines are draped across a series of river-reed arbors, the linked structures forming a tunnel down this section of the brick cobbled garden pathway. Shadows lay heavy upon the area, with faint glimpses of sunlight peeking between the verdant leaves and the burgundy blossoms that resemble bright red child's pinwheels. Carefully placed amid the colorful mandevilla vines are tiny blown glass orbs that emit a warm golden glow.

[Garden of the Planes, Fountain]

Concentric bands of alternating cobalt, alabaster, and crimson-hued bricks spread outward from a shallow broad-basined fountain, the carefully crafted rings artistically blending with the various pathways that wend their way through the gardens. Golden mirrors fitted with dormant votives are positioned at various intervals within the foliage, the sunlight playing off of the prisms positioned before them. Two wrought iron tables provide refreshments, while red geode benches offer space for repose.

Garden of the Spirit

• earthnode is in [Garden of the Spirit, Fountain]
• colored theme is blue
• 6 rooms in the garden
• 2 seating locations

Rooms

[Garden of the Spirit, Entry]

Sunlight reflects off of the cobalt blue tiles of the garden pathway, its soft and luminous light lending the incredibly smooth, glass-like travertine walls of the Needle of Pentas a frosted appearance. An arched awning of haon and glass provides the rounded entry with protection from the elements, while small white statues cupping orbs in their hands line the pathway. Bushes of indigo butterflyweed occupy every bit of untiled ground and house tiny bowls of nectar in their depths.

[Garden of the Spirit, Shelter]

Fashioned of haon, an arched tunnel trellis creates a connective corridor between the northern and southern ends of the garden. Cobalt blue tiles surrounded by a thick, golden moss fill the pathway, while tiny statues fashioned of marble hold dimly glowing orbs aloft in their intricately carved hands. Bands of amethyst, indigo, and niveous wisteria blossoms dangle between the slats like floral icicles that release their gentle, sweet fragrance in the air.

[Garden of the Spirit, Tree]
Verdant green moss forms an organic carpet along the northeastern edge of the pathway, the fuzzy blend terminating at a granite ring of smooth stones that create a border to small pools that house koi fish and lily pads. Rising from the standing water, a towering and ancient haon tree stretches its limbs towards the sky, its translucent leaves allowing the sunlight to filter through the garden.

[Garden of the Spirit]

Ambling down the hill-like incline of the northeastern section of gardens, a small brook lined with silvery-grey limestone pebbles passes beneath the cobalt blue tiles as it travels to the southeast. In the higher reaches, long stalks of blue irises bend their curving limbs towards the cool waters as if paying homage to its passage. Nearer at hand, the short-stemmed glory-of-the-snow blossoms dance around the edges of a mossy bank that sprouts indigo woodland crocuses.

[Garden of the Spirit, Lawn]

Encircled by a low travertine wall, the manicured lawn is pockmarked with tidy, dwarf mounds of verdant blue fescue and silvery blue oatgrass. Smooth limestone boulders are arranged in evenly spaced, semicircular rows that face a copper and haon lectern in the southwestern section of the expanse. High above and stretching from one end of the lawn to the other, a canopy of loosely woven netting dangle a plethora of frosted globes that reflect the sunlight as they twist and turn with the ambient, yet fragrant, breeze that filters through the gardens.

[Garden of the Spirit, Fountain]

Cobalt tiled pathways surrounded in bright yellow moss converge upon this small courtyard, which is filled with the soft sound of mechanical buzzing and purring. At the heart of the space, a half-wall of metallic parrots lifts from the glass-like surface of a small pool of water recessed into the ground. Rising from the aquatic depths, a beautiful copper statue greets a copper and carnelian sun that is brightly illuminated by some unseen source.

Garden of the Elements

• earthnode is in [Garden of the Elements, Pool]
• color theme is green and then elements of air, earth, fire, and water
• 6 rooms
• 2 seating areas

Rooms

[Garden of the Elements, Entry]

Blankets of verdant moss surround the smooth limestones of the pathway, their rounded edges appearing like floating islands in a sea of green that stretch away from the glass-like travertine walls of the Needle of Pentas before disappearing into the garden. Sunlight and shadows place across the sea glass panels of the awning above, its protective shelter affixed to the walls with brass and modwir supports. A pair of large terracotta planters housing several spiky bougainvillea vines rest by the entry.

[Garden of the Elements, Earth]

Moss-encircled flagstones lead a sinuous path through the western planter that rise to the east and west of the simple, earthy pathway, while in the manicured lawns to the north, chocolate sunflowers nod their enormous heads in the moonlight. White-tufted goat willow creates a decorative screen that hides the travertine walls of the garden, while burnished murkweed grows in loose rings around a dark brown statue.

[Garden of the Elements, Water]

Floored in pale blue limestone, the high walls and domed ceiling isolate this section of the gardens from the rest. Massive rhimar and glass pillars, five in total, stand at even intervals and exude an extremely cold air that causes nearby plants to be kissed in frost. An enormous ice sculpture wreathed in pale frostflowers and azure iceblossoms rises at the heart of the garden, its outstretched fingers nearly touching the rhimar-framed roof.

[Garden of the Elements, Air]

Cold air from the southwest clashes with warm air from the southeast, the combination filling the lush garden with an odd mixture of mist that is enhanced by the travertine steam vents that rise in a curtain along the northern edges. Verdant mistweed forms a bright groundcover, while pot-bellied pitcher plants and spotted cobra lilies encircle a series of glowing mineral pools that cascade down the garden's high slopes. The humid air is alive with small and large jewel-toned insects, their zipping bodies and rapidly moving wings filling the air with a soft buzz.

[Garden of the Elements, Fire]

Moist, steamy air trickles in from the northwest and is heated by ironwood and drakar columns that flank the moss and limestone pathway. Towering drakefern, larger than can usually be found in the wilderness, create a decorative screen of burnished green that almost completely obscures the travertine walls of the garden. Crimson lava stones form barriers around a variety of bromelaids, their waxy leaves varied in color and shape, while an enormous red obsidian sculpture rises in the background. You also see a red lava stone bench covered in thick hides.

[Garden of the Elements, Pool]

Yellowish green moss and granite flagstones converge upon the center of the garden where an enormous pool is recessed into the ground, its depths divided into equal quadrants that glow brightly. Four painted boulders are arranged at various places around the body of water, their painted faces turned towards the statue that sits in its center. Stone benches and a smattering of wrought iron tables line the edge of the area offering respite for visitors.

Garden of Chaos

• earthnode is in [Garden of Chaos, Boulder]
• color theme is black
• 6 rooms
• 3 seating areas

Rooms

[Garden of Chaos, Entry]
High travertine walls converge upon an enormous dome that completely seals the garden off from the outside elements. Waves of hot, arid air radiate outward from the russet terracotta tiles that form the ambling pathways, while dimly glowing lights lend the area a feeling of perpetual twilight. Two large, blackened stone boulders flank the entry like silent sentinels.

[Garden of Chaos, Shadow]

Dry heat radiates outward from the drakar rods that are erected within the dark sands of the surrounding gardens, the air rippling with their intensity. Fulgurite spires, tall and brittle, cast long shadows across the terracotta pathway, while squat barrel cacti form a pale screen of brown and crimson foliage against the travertine walls. Zorchar disks, strung from thick rafters beneath the enormous domed ceiling, randomly flare with electrical sparks.

[Garden of Chaos, Tree]

Surrounded by a boulder garden of rough stones, an ancient dragon blood tree dominates the garden and provides shelter from the heavy, arid heat produced by the drakar rafters above. Dozens of blue-flame agave plants grow just beyond the tree's shadow and under the bright glow of a decorative copper sun that is suspended high in the air. Protected by a triangular glass enclosure, several thorny lizards bask in the heat from their perch upon various smooth stones.

[Garden of Chaos]

Rising from the sand, several desert rose clusters dot the garden with their pale, crystalline heads and glint slightly in the dim light of false stars that are imbedded in the black glass of the garden's dome. Small calcified shrubs burst from the black sands that surround a salty pond of bright pink, while the skeletal remains of a sea eagle is perched upon a dead log. Soot, sulfur, and brimstone fill the air with their biting, acrid odor.

[Garden of Chaos, Lawn]

Thick panes of glass separate the garden from the terracotta tiles of the pathway, the broad expanses protecting the denizens of the enclosure from escape and harm. Dried-out, dead branches rest at angles against the travertine walls, their crossed limbs home to an enormous grey chuckwalla. Dark, burnished brown sands litter the ground where flat stones provide sunning spots for an armadillo girdled lizard that is housed in the western section of the garden. You also see a flat grey stone bench.

[Garden of Chaos, Boulder]
Encircled by towering shards of blackened granite, the large patio is formed of terracotta and illuminated by glazed ceramic torches that rest upon wrought iron tables. Black sands fill a pit at the center where an enormous boulder is split down the middle, a male statue resting against its cracked face. On the opposite edges of the sand, a copper female statue crouches.

Garden of Order

• earthnode is in
• color theme is white
• 6 rooms
• 2 seating areas

Rooms

[Garden of Order, Entry]
Sheltered from the elements, the entry to the Needle of Pentas is wreathed in an arched trellis arbor of bright white that is blanketed in ice white climbing roses. Carefully hidden amid the verdant leaves, frosted globes shine brightly and dispel the encroaching darkness of the night. Crushed sea shells line the pathway of the garden, the rainbow-hues of their nacre dazzling in the moonlight.

[Garden of Order, Shaded Path]

Stretching from the Needle's entry to the eastern wall, a long series of arched trellis interconnect to create a tunnel through the gardens. Vigorously rambling roses weave through the open lattice of the wooden structure, the lavender rosebuds and ivory blossoms adorned with verdant leaves. Small glass lanterns illuminate the gold-veined marble pathway, while a smooth stone bench provides a place to rest.

[Garden of Order, Tree]
Towering over the surrounding lawns of manicured grass, an enormous mimosa tree has grown along the edges of the garden. Spindled limbs, laden with feathery sprigs, bend away from the travertine walls as they stretch towards the star-spangled sky. Large table-like boulders dimple the area, their surfaces covered with tablecloths, food, and fitfully burning candles.

[Garden of Order]
Twisting its way in an ambling fashion through the gardens, the crushed seashell pathway glitters in the light of the moon and slips between rows of carefully cultivated roses. Two different scents mingle in this area, the semi-sweet fragrance of the bright pink dog roses nestled in bushes and the heavy, heady scent of the black dragon roses that stand tall on their long stems.

[Garden of Order, Fountain]

Crushed seashells scatter across the circular court before trailing away to various places in the garden, their pathways lined with frosted lanterns and bright white pebbles. Constructed of white birch, an ornate pergola occupies the center and is encircled by a ring of gently burbling water, its source unknown. Wisteria vines fashioned of enameled copper trail across the structure and twine with faenor-leafed rose vines, beneath which an alluring copper statue stands.

[Garden of Order, Lawn]

Woven together like a tapestry, the lawn that stretches from the crushed seashell pathway to the travertine walls is comprised of various species of plant. Yellow yarrow, manicured to remain short, mingles with carpet bugle and short daisies to form the higher tiers of the sprawling lawn, while closer to the ground dog fennel, ground ivy, and creeping violets add color and texture to the mix. Despite the plethora of plant life, nothing is sturdy enough for cultivating but the air carries a rich aroma.