Travelogue | What If

Hibernaculumis

When you first stumble across Hibernaculumis it feels almost by chance. You probably saw the shapes off in the distance but didn't think anything more of it. When you travel closer across the land and see the shapes of the rocks more clearly, is assumably when you realised that there is more than meets the eye with this place.

Hibernaculumis is often celebrated for its decorative landscape and the buildings that seem so other worldly. Not too far back into history, the landscape in which this city was built, it could have been described as barren and lacking in life. The land was once full of rocks that seemly appeared from nowhere. Cliffs over look the city from most angles but these formations look like they were always detached and lonely. Over the years the acidic winds and stormy atmosphere reshaped the land dramatically. No longer looking so jagged and rough, they began to show almost intricately built shapes. The houses and buildings that you see before you were not sculpted by man but by the weather over hundreds of years. 

The people who chose to dwell in this city were nomads not too long ago either before they stumbled across this city. They saw the shapes in the rock formations that Mother Nature had carved so beautifully for them and began to carve deeper themselves. Only this time they chiselled away to create houses and buildings inside these formations. They took from the rock, never adding; choosing to admire the work of nature, treating it like a work of art. Only sculpting for their own needs when they deemed necessary. First came the housing. Then the hospitals and shops  and businesses when their city became more established. 

The folk who live here chose the formation for the building. The more intricate the design on the outside, the more significant the building. This does not always reflect the wealth or social status of those within. They love this landscape for its architecture and will often have a choice of where to place their house or business.  

Each building is unique. Each seems to be formed from a different type of rock. The wind and weather affected them in such dramatic ways. When the travellers first appeared, not all of the formations were symmetrical. This is the only time they change the outside, to make it more aesthetically appeasing to the eye. The city is always growing, always under construction but the religion within the Hibernaculumis has never changed for as long as memory can recall. 

There are no gods or goddesses as such for these people, they worship nature itself. In this modern age, the closest religion we can compare it too is Wicca. They thank nature for its gifts and constant protection, the weather, produce and health. Their medicines may seem prehistoric but they claim to draw from the 'magick' within the herbs and plants that they chose. All grown from the surrounding land, these people believe that nature is nurturing those who live there.

Although this city may seem newer than most, carving rock is a pain staking process that takes time and care. No one can pin point when this city was first established but they all agree that the founders of Hibernaculumis stumbled across this place by the blessing of nature. No real fact remains surrounding this subject, for it is now used as a bed time story for the children. 

Food is not much of an issue for this city. They are descended from foragers. Choosing to live on what the earth provides for them. They grow plants, herbs and berries for themselves all year round and only eat meat when the wildlife roams nearby. The meat from the hunts are often shared with the young, elderly and the sick before others can claim some for themselves. They also keep a close eye on the populations of animals around them, believing that mother nature occasionally allows a boom for the city folk to feed upon before reducing them back to a safe number. The plants they grow are not only in the grounds surrounding the buildings. The buildings themselves have many ledges on. When adding a thin layer of soil to these, the plants soon take root, fixing themselves to the rock beneath. They believe that by letting the plant life do this, it connects these rocky formations to the earth, bringing them closer to nature. Most homes only grow berries whereas the shops, cafes and restaurants grow all sorts of herbs, spices and vegetables. How they grow so well is a mystery none the less but it works well for these humble people. 

The people here don't just live on the ground. With the ever growing city expanding day by day, the workers build some temporary buildings in the trees surrounding the new project. They act as shelter from the wind and rain, where some chose to spend the night rather than venturing home in the darkened streets; and some even stay here until the project is done, moving in after the work is complete. These are not your typical tree houses, but more of a community of workers. Often built up in clumps of 6 or more, they become their own family. Once construction is complete, they move their mini community to the next build location.

All of the streets and buildings are lit with candles. Made by the women of Hibernaculumis while nurturing their babies; they sell them back to the city for a small price, to help light up the extravagant buildings by night and provide beautiful decoration by day. 

Hibernaculumis is a truly breath taking place. They say once you've been there and have been so lucky to watch the sunrise over tops of the buildings, it will change your view on the world today, leaving you breathless and open to Mother Nature herself. Only time will tell if you will miss the city as much as I will but it is sure to stick in your memories for a long, long time.