Many civilisations have a location or place that is known for being an entertainment hub. Some are family-friendly, others are for those who seek some of the more “adult” entertainments, with many being somewhere in between. One thing they do normally share is that they are not cheap places to visit. That is not to say regular people can’t afford to go there, but unless they have a discount or some other perk, they are not the kinds of places you can just go visit when you, metaphorically speaking, find some loose change down the back of the sofa.

Easthalen is no exception. It has a few resorts and holiday destinations, but being a high magic world where planar travel is relatively affordable (in much the same way that those in some world can afford to fly to other places on the same planet) there are not that many. A few stand out:Kayvam – A family-friendly/focused place in the EDA that is designed for those “outside the humanoid norms” “The Edge” – A resort in the heart of the Bleed that takes advantage of its proximity to the Great Barrier’s twisting effect on reality to give dangerous sports an edge and effects that can’t be found anywhere else in the multiverse.and of course, the most famous of the three: Parrissio, resort of the uber wealthy, where the elite and rulers go, away from the riff-raff and “common” folk.

Parrisso can be found on, what appears at first glance, a small tropical island, no more than a mile across at its widest point. But appearances can be deceiving, for you see, Parrissio resides in an area folded in on itself, a type of pocket dimension where the inside is bigger than the outside suggests. It is not fully “cut off” from the outside world, to take advantage of the tropical weather and so on, but it’s more like the area has been “pinched”. This pinching effect means that inside the bubble, Parrissio is approximately 50-60 miles across.This has resulted in two main and very well known features of Parrissio:

• The first is that to get into the resort, one must known the teleportation coordinates of the island resort. Leaving is much easier and can be done via teleportation or at the small dock area (but this is a one-way effect).
• The second is that those trying to enter or leave the resort via other methods, such as the ocean, suffer an effect that has been compared to when certain marine animals are quickly taken to depths that they are not adapted for, only more…explosive.

 

Those two features resulted in one of the most secure locations in the world and soon, the uber-wealthy, the nobles and rulers and the powerful adventuring types with more money than sense made it one of their must-visit locations. The island itself is, at first glance nature in all its glory, with only a small amount of civilisation outside the main resort complex.

On further investigation, however, those with a keen eye will notice it is almost entirely artificial..a fake nature, sanitised and made safe for its patrons. A mountain would have handy walking paths that just “happen” to bear there, the jungle is full of life, but all of them are safe, no accidentally stumbling into a grove of poisonous fungus, the sea animals are all safe to interact with and so on. Even the weather is carefully controlled with the needed rain falling at times that would not inconvenience their esteemed guests.

It is essentially an artificial tropical paradise designed to look after the needs of its patrons.It is an all-inclusive resort where food and lodging are factored in its price, but for those who wish to partake of any other activities, of which there are many, fees are required. Non-magical items are available here whether in the shops or can be acquired. The costs though at a lot more, starting at x2 the basic price for goods and sometimes going up to even x10. But, as their clients are normally in the wealth category where cash is no object, no one bats an eyelid.It is the “other” activities that Parrissio gets its reputation. For the most part, those who visit the resort simply want to relax, indulge in “nature” or feast on foods until they are full.

Some guests, however, wish to partake in activities that are looked down on or even illegal in other places. Parrissio does NOT allow anything that involves the dead, such as necromancy and, as long as there is consent between all parties, anything else goes. Even the staff are encouraged (financially speaking) to allow the guest to do what they want, but even then outright assaults are a sure way to earn a permanent banning from the resort. Now of course, if a guest and staff member agree to an activity, well, that is no business of management to enquire as to what that may have been.

Whilst the resort is big on consent rules, a few guests do like to push things as far as they can. Because of this, everyone who visits the resort is, in some way, observed. Be it through scrying, trained animals of even the staff themselves. This has resulted in a few people wondering what would ever happen to certain people if recordings or such ever got out to the general public.

But, as the saying goes…

“What happens in Parrissio…stays in Parrissio…”