"Lumaria"

Lumaria’s landscape is an ode to serene beauty and immense natural splendor. This hidden land, cradled in a hopelessly romantic valley ensconced by larger-than-life mountains and caressed by the sea’s gentle kiss, is a marriage of various ecosystems. It is the home of enchanted forests, lazy rivers, hillsides embedded with wildflowers, and meadows flooded with the sunny laughter of light.

Whenever and wherever, the people of Lumaria have always rallied under the protection of the Great Oak to find solace, company, and wisdom. The towering guardian has stood for as far as generations could remember, as long as its welcoming branches measuring up to 100m spanned across the village and beyond, reaching out to every corner of the wild and cultivated land with the limbs.

Rivers surrounded by a pure riverbed winding between them shine almost sunny. Hundreds of variegated fishes swim with other aquatic life in the Crystal Gulf. The murmur of water pouring over the hills and smooth stones, falling on the flat banks, turns into a beautiful tune. This tune accompanies the song of rustling leaves and melodious birds, hopping among the leaves of trees.

The forests of Lumaria are a sacred grove consisting of ancient trees that stretch their gnarled trunk into the heavens like a sentinel guarding the land's hidden treasure. The sun danced through the canopy above and dappled the undergrowth, leaving tiny scatterings of gold and dozens of ferns, mosses, and wildflowers covered in the grounds in the madness of captured rainbow colors.

Deer runs through the sunlit fields, birds of all colors and sounds resound throughout the area, and rabbits flit in and out of the undergrowth. In the valley, they all live together, people among all these creatures. Such a gentle balance is maintained in the country people adore and where they live in harmony while being able to live.

The sun has already set behind the high mountain peaks of the horizon. It is, however, still warm, incredibly warm. The valleys of Lumaria are soaked in the gentle otherworldly glow, the sky is alive with the unseen, humming, something magical. The sweet smell of meadow blossoms and pine is carried by the breeze, drenched with spray and damp geur of the ocean below. Level of excitement is palpable form here, and it seems to promise exploration, untold adventure beyond the sea.

In Lumaria, time flows measuredly harmoniously with the rhythms of nature, the change of the moon, and the revival of the trees. People also pay enormous attention to time, celebrating their life with holidays and festivals to commemorate the land’ generosity and the cycles of sowing – gathering – drought- seeding- drought forging people and their traditions.

Lumaria is not a geographic mark on the map but the manifestation of unity, the haven of balance and meaningfulness in a realm of burdensome and denunciatory. It is the realm where the grandeur of existence makes one cringe and respect, and the unity and love for the universe devour the souls and minds of its family members and howl them into a whiff of a better tomorrow.

The society of Lumarians is universally recognized for its outstanding connection to the soil and all life forms huddled on it. They dwell in nature, drawing understanding and livelihood from the colorful biosphere of the Earth. Myriads of stories about the Great Oak and consecrated rivers’ tales have meandered their way across epochs and sparked mankind’s cognizance of unity with any conscious creature and the importance of maintaining this delicate balance.

At first light, mist would hang low in the valleys, blending with the winter blooms to create an otherworldly landscape. The birds sing as they announce the arrival of the dawn, and the villagers start to step out of their houses in good spirits to till the land, fish in the rivers, or just marvel at the beauty of Lumaria.

When the day comes, at dawn, the village square is filled with the buzz of organization in the air, as the market opens. Merchants argue with one another and dream instance productions show off their skills. The scents of freshly squeezed bread, tea leaves and herbs, as well as many other smells, float through the morning breeze. The hum of the chuckle and the thread of melodies waft through the air. The atmosphere of glee was adequate for the typical cheerful attitude of the Lumarians.

With perfect days filtered and dusty by sunset, also come star-filled nights. A nighttime blanket that unfolds the land across and a billion opportunities within it. Families draw around roaring fires, echoing the tales and accomplishments of their sorrow. Highfields, only the softest glows, breathed a trail of childhood chuckles up and down the land to hear the district. Stars link above, and billions of thin dots suckle the great magnificent span with one’s understanding.

Changes in seasons shall be a cause for great joy among the people of Lumaria! Each season is marked by an enormous festival, which marks the passing of the circle and the generous fruits of the soil. In spring, the sun blesses us and flora sprouts all across the land. Tiny, vivid wildflowers dot the ground. In summer, feast under the sun, which rises above us high since the solstice.

Autumn is the time of harvest enjoyed by the villagers who are to celebrate their hard work before the conquering of the winter. The orchard and harvest gardens were full of apples and ripened pumpkins, and laughter, and music filled the fields. And yet, the days become shorter, and the breeze grows colder as the villagers meet in each other’s houses to sit by the fireside inspired by the stories and fed by the food graced with earthly manna.

During the frosty winter, Lumaria is a place of calm and protection. The valley is filled with snow, which constantly descends from the heavens, covering everything in its way. The Great Oak remains, cold crumpled webs of limbs reaching for the mountain peaks with the leaves and the nobility stripped away. The people sit within their cabins and cottage homes outside the fireplace, sipping hot cider and telling stories to get through the long cold nights.

The lifestyle of the Lumarians consists of living in harmony with nature. While living and working, the people of Lumaria try to do as little harm to nature as possible and maintain its natural beauty. The population eats only as much as they consume, returning the excess to the land through work or conservation. The culture of waste recycling and composting has been developed. Solar and wind energy are successfully utilized.

In the Lumarian society, education is highly revered. Through the lens of stories and symbols, one learns the value of knowledge and wisdom. Even as a child, we discovered that all living things are connected; people must seek to maintain a balance between the earth and its creatures. Thus, schools are found among the trees, their walls decorated with murals of Lumaria’s flowers and fish; they become centers of love for the earth and its protection for the future.

Truly impressing are traditional Lumarian healers and herbalists, keepers of ancient wisdom which was transmitted through generations. Healers practice working with plants and minerals, combining them into remedies that affect the body on the corporeal and spirit levels. Rooted in the traditions of the valley’s abundance, Lumarian physical well-being practices treat the art of healing as a vocation, an expression of the unity and sacredness of life.

Whenever Lumarians have a reason to celebrate or mark the occasion as a feat, everyone in the nation assembles to honor the spirits inhabiting their land and give thanks for all they have thus received. They also perform rites to properly commemorate the season’s passage and turn to the old for wisdom and help. Dancing, singing, and splendid delight take everyone, leaving a lingering feeling of kinship and identification with everyone who comes to our gathering.

When the sun finally sets beyond the horizon and the stars start shining brightly in the velvet night sky, Lumaria is finally peaceful. The very ground seemingly sleeps, cupped within mountain hands, soothed by the wide arms of the sea breeze, and filled with the dreams of its dwellers. May magic and wonder thrive in the sun and moonlit so that the radiant beauty of the world around its people and blessed with unity, reverence, and respect towards the earth, could lead them to the land of a glowing future.