Oneida
Established Nation
City of Tauritania
“Tauritania is not like the other cities of Auraria,” Samuel wrote “It’s a city of humble opulence. Its people know well the battles it has, is, and will fight. It’s a place where any man can feel human in a world where such behavior is vice.”
Tauritania is the second largest city of Auraria, located along its eastern shore. The perfect blue waters of the Long Sea create a striking contrast against the green mountainous regions that surround the city, which often appears orange due to the sun’s reflection off the buildings. The scene is reflected in the City’s flag – a bicolor of Green and blue with an orange ball in the middle.
“Ironically,” Sam scribbled “the flag is kind of ugly.”
Holding more historic sites than other city in Auraria, Tauritania is sometimes considered to be the nation’s heart – forever preserving what the character of a peoples who forged a nation. Depending on your view, it either celebrates the liberated human soul or has bastardized the teachings of God…but that normally goes hand in hand.
The city predates the arrival of the Tiburans and got its name from the mighty empire. Literally, “the Land of Bulls,” Tauritania was named after the extremely popular practice of bullfighting in the city at the time. Such a practice went on to become linked to the identity of the Aurarians, which may be one of the reasons it has lost favor in the city itself. The site of the Tiburan landing is Puerta Vulturna, named after the Tiburan God of the East Wind – whom they believed is what brought them to the peninsula.
“Solis…is wonderful,” Samuel continued “but Tauritania is fun, everything stays here. The memories you make here are yours, not the business of anyone else. I’m happy to be back, even if for just a short while.”
A loud bang came as the door to Samuel’s room flung open.
“Have you not heard me calling?” Vincente asked.
“Sorry, Vince,” Samuel replied, putting his journal down on the end table and getting up. He threw on his red hoodie and began walking toward the door.
“No,” Vincente shook his hands and head “There’s no way you’re going out dressed like that. It looks like you want to die. This is the festival of lights, not the festival of depression. Did you bring anything to wear that isn’t simply embarrassing?”
“No,” Samuel answered “It’s fine...I really don’t care.”
“God,” Vincente shook his head “You’re not doing yourself very many favors. Let’s go.”
The two walked downstairs to where a small crowd of people had assembled. A few guys, a few girls. “Maybe I should have brought different clothes,” Samuel thought to himself seeing a group of people who looked certainly dressed to impress. Jeans, a gray shirt, and a half zipped hoodie weren’t going to cut it.
“Amigos!” Vincente shouted “This is Samuel, from University City in Solis. He’s a bit stiff, so get him good and drunk.” The group gave an enthusiastic wave which was met by Samuel’s half smile. One of them handed him a glass. Some mix of vodka and soda, probably more vodka. “There’s no shell that vodka can’t crack,” Vincente whispered to Samuel.
“So, University City?” a girl said, as she approached Samuel “Solis is hours from here. You rode all that way?”
“It’s the Festival of Lights,” Samuel answered, sipping his drink nonstop in the hopes alcohol would takeover.
“Right…but it’s just another night of drinking and sex, only difference is everyone’s putting up colorful decorations and it’s slightly less embarrassing to be puking on the side of the street at 3:00AM. You came here for that?” she pressed.
“Well,” Samuel replied “I’m not sure about you, but I don’t puke. I can handle my liquor.”
The girl laughed and walked back to the bar, taking out two shot glasses and pouring the same bottom shelf Kadiki vodka into both glasses.
“I know,” she said “the vodka is as disgusting as the place it comes from, but its cheap. My name is Carmen.”
She handed Samuel the shot, which he happily took. The two cheered, and drank their shots.
“It gets the job done, Carmen” Samuel answered “that’s all it has to do.”
Vincente interrupted the entire group and said that it was time for them to go. The group huddled out of the tiny Tauritanian apartment and went into the streets. The historic sector is a mass of cobblestone streets and buildings that sprawl in any which way. It is often thought that the designers of the city had as much care and forethought as the bulls they fought. Still, even the tightest alleyways were full of people and above their heads, the streets were adorned in banners, lights, flags, and tapestries of all colors.
It didn’t take long for the entire night to start to be a blend. From club to club, bar to bar, street to street, drink to drink, the festival was being celebrated in the only way it could. The group was dwindling as some members turned back to their apartment or the apartments of someone they’ve been dancing with. Samuel had no idea how long the night went on for, but by the time they made it to San Carlo beach, the roars of the festival dulled. The beach was covered in cups and trash as everyone had left from the fireworks display – the largest in all of Auraria. It was dim and spotted only with a few couples desperately hoping to find a bit of romance in a night known for its debauchery. Shocking, Samuel thought, he found himself there with Carmen.
“What are you going to school for?” Carmen broke the brief silence.
“Books…” Samuel answered “well literature, Aurarine Literature.”
“Fucking literature?” Carmen exclaimed “What the fuck are you going to do with that?”
“I like to write,” he answered “I like to tell people’s stories, share them, make the world a little bit smaller.”
“So, what’s your story?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet. I’m more interested in everyone else’s. I guess mine will come later.”
“Ugh,” Carmen laughed “You’re like a shadow.”
“A shadow?”
“Yeah, the whole night you just stood in the back and watched people. Now here you are talking about wanting to learn other people’s lives but I feel like you don’t want to live your own,” Carmen went off “Imagine what you could learn about yourself if you tried and just went out there.”
“I went to university.”
Carmen laughed “Yeah, you had the opportunity to go anywhere in the world and see anything and you chose Solis.”
“Where would you have gone?”
Carmen’s tone changed. She turned from looking at Samuel to looking at the water. She leaned back and dug her hand into the sand, letting out a sigh.
“I don’t know, but it really doesn’t matter anymore.” She said.
“Why not?”
“My father lost his job two years ago. He worked at the canning factory up in Teruel. Things haven’t really been the same since then. I decided it would be best to stay home, help him and my brother.”
“That’s the factory that was going to close, wasn’t it?” Samuel asked.
“It was, but then they reached an agreement and let go workers to keep it going,” Carmen replied “My dad had been there his whole life, but they left him go. They gave a whole list of reasons, lowering pension costs, bringing in a new work force, trying to find different opportunities…whatever.”
“I’m sorry,” Samuel said.
“It’s okay,” Carmen answered “He got a new job a few months ago at the zinc factory just south of here. It doesn’t pay as much and the hours aren’t great, but it helps.”
Carmen rested her head against Samuel’s arm. He took the opportunity to put his arm around her and the two sat there like that for, what seemed to Samuel, was an eternity. Eventually, Carmen broke the silence and turned to Samuel.
“You know, underneath that ragged hair, you have very cute eyes.”
Samuel smiled at her as Carmen leaned in for the kiss.
“Tauritania is not like the other cities of Auraria,” Samuel wrote “It’s a city of humble opulence. Its people know well the battles it has, is, and will fight. It’s a place where any man can feel human in a world where such behavior is vice.”
Tauritania is the second largest city of Auraria, located along its eastern shore. The perfect blue waters of the Long Sea create a striking contrast against the green mountainous regions that surround the city, which often appears orange due to the sun’s reflection off the buildings. The scene is reflected in the City’s flag – a bicolor of Green and blue with an orange ball in the middle.
“Ironically,” Sam scribbled “the flag is kind of ugly.”
Holding more historic sites than other city in Auraria, Tauritania is sometimes considered to be the nation’s heart – forever preserving what the character of a peoples who forged a nation. Depending on your view, it either celebrates the liberated human soul or has bastardized the teachings of God…but that normally goes hand in hand.
The city predates the arrival of the Tiburans and got its name from the mighty empire. Literally, “the Land of Bulls,” Tauritania was named after the extremely popular practice of bullfighting in the city at the time. Such a practice went on to become linked to the identity of the Aurarians, which may be one of the reasons it has lost favor in the city itself. The site of the Tiburan landing is Puerta Vulturna, named after the Tiburan God of the East Wind – whom they believed is what brought them to the peninsula.
“Solis…is wonderful,” Samuel continued “but Tauritania is fun, everything stays here. The memories you make here are yours, not the business of anyone else. I’m happy to be back, even if for just a short while.”
A loud bang came as the door to Samuel’s room flung open.
“Have you not heard me calling?” Vincente asked.
“Sorry, Vince,” Samuel replied, putting his journal down on the end table and getting up. He threw on his red hoodie and began walking toward the door.
“No,” Vincente shook his hands and head “There’s no way you’re going out dressed like that. It looks like you want to die. This is the festival of lights, not the festival of depression. Did you bring anything to wear that isn’t simply embarrassing?”
“No,” Samuel answered “It’s fine...I really don’t care.”
“God,” Vincente shook his head “You’re not doing yourself very many favors. Let’s go.”
The two walked downstairs to where a small crowd of people had assembled. A few guys, a few girls. “Maybe I should have brought different clothes,” Samuel thought to himself seeing a group of people who looked certainly dressed to impress. Jeans, a gray shirt, and a half zipped hoodie weren’t going to cut it.
“Amigos!” Vincente shouted “This is Samuel, from University City in Solis. He’s a bit stiff, so get him good and drunk.” The group gave an enthusiastic wave which was met by Samuel’s half smile. One of them handed him a glass. Some mix of vodka and soda, probably more vodka. “There’s no shell that vodka can’t crack,” Vincente whispered to Samuel.
“So, University City?” a girl said, as she approached Samuel “Solis is hours from here. You rode all that way?”
“It’s the Festival of Lights,” Samuel answered, sipping his drink nonstop in the hopes alcohol would takeover.
“Right…but it’s just another night of drinking and sex, only difference is everyone’s putting up colorful decorations and it’s slightly less embarrassing to be puking on the side of the street at 3:00AM. You came here for that?” she pressed.
“Well,” Samuel replied “I’m not sure about you, but I don’t puke. I can handle my liquor.”
The girl laughed and walked back to the bar, taking out two shot glasses and pouring the same bottom shelf Kadiki vodka into both glasses.
“I know,” she said “the vodka is as disgusting as the place it comes from, but its cheap. My name is Carmen.”
She handed Samuel the shot, which he happily took. The two cheered, and drank their shots.
“It gets the job done, Carmen” Samuel answered “that’s all it has to do.”
Vincente interrupted the entire group and said that it was time for them to go. The group huddled out of the tiny Tauritanian apartment and went into the streets. The historic sector is a mass of cobblestone streets and buildings that sprawl in any which way. It is often thought that the designers of the city had as much care and forethought as the bulls they fought. Still, even the tightest alleyways were full of people and above their heads, the streets were adorned in banners, lights, flags, and tapestries of all colors.
It didn’t take long for the entire night to start to be a blend. From club to club, bar to bar, street to street, drink to drink, the festival was being celebrated in the only way it could. The group was dwindling as some members turned back to their apartment or the apartments of someone they’ve been dancing with. Samuel had no idea how long the night went on for, but by the time they made it to San Carlo beach, the roars of the festival dulled. The beach was covered in cups and trash as everyone had left from the fireworks display – the largest in all of Auraria. It was dim and spotted only with a few couples desperately hoping to find a bit of romance in a night known for its debauchery. Shocking, Samuel thought, he found himself there with Carmen.
“What are you going to school for?” Carmen broke the brief silence.
“Books…” Samuel answered “well literature, Aurarine Literature.”
“Fucking literature?” Carmen exclaimed “What the fuck are you going to do with that?”
“I like to write,” he answered “I like to tell people’s stories, share them, make the world a little bit smaller.”
“So, what’s your story?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet. I’m more interested in everyone else’s. I guess mine will come later.”
“Ugh,” Carmen laughed “You’re like a shadow.”
“A shadow?”
“Yeah, the whole night you just stood in the back and watched people. Now here you are talking about wanting to learn other people’s lives but I feel like you don’t want to live your own,” Carmen went off “Imagine what you could learn about yourself if you tried and just went out there.”
“I went to university.”
Carmen laughed “Yeah, you had the opportunity to go anywhere in the world and see anything and you chose Solis.”
“Where would you have gone?”
Carmen’s tone changed. She turned from looking at Samuel to looking at the water. She leaned back and dug her hand into the sand, letting out a sigh.
“I don’t know, but it really doesn’t matter anymore.” She said.
“Why not?”
“My father lost his job two years ago. He worked at the canning factory up in Teruel. Things haven’t really been the same since then. I decided it would be best to stay home, help him and my brother.”
“That’s the factory that was going to close, wasn’t it?” Samuel asked.
“It was, but then they reached an agreement and let go workers to keep it going,” Carmen replied “My dad had been there his whole life, but they left him go. They gave a whole list of reasons, lowering pension costs, bringing in a new work force, trying to find different opportunities…whatever.”
“I’m sorry,” Samuel said.
“It’s okay,” Carmen answered “He got a new job a few months ago at the zinc factory just south of here. It doesn’t pay as much and the hours aren’t great, but it helps.”
Carmen rested her head against Samuel’s arm. He took the opportunity to put his arm around her and the two sat there like that for, what seemed to Samuel, was an eternity. Eventually, Carmen broke the silence and turned to Samuel.
“You know, underneath that ragged hair, you have very cute eyes.”
Samuel smiled at her as Carmen leaned in for the kiss.
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