The following is the transcription of a book of myths popular in Oiler’s Pass, titled The First Seven Stars You Wish On. It’s a collection of research on a number of common myths believed to be tied to wish granting in the Pass, along with some myths from the other Ten Cities, including stories related to the highly dangerous method of storm chasing in order to be granted a second chance (occassionally translated as ‘a fresh start’, often interpreted very literally in stories) down to the most mundane of lucky phenomena such as seeing a ladybug or a shooting star (both believed to be Pre-Resonance beliefs that persisted through the events of the Resonance, which some say grants them credibility as beliefs). The practice of searching for a method of wish granting is what some would call the ‘foundational myth’ of Oiler’s Pass, though in a city as old and as storied as the Pass is, there is understandably much debate on what is truly foundational and what is simply popular in the public conscience.

This specific chapter of Seven Stars is about the mythical city of Marquis, thought to be somewhere in the far north of the Morganic ocean. The myth of Marquis is, surprisingly, one that appeared in both Primary and Oiler’s Pass at the same time, even though the two cities were not in contact in any way at the time, and, perhaps more surprisingly, even though Oiler’s Pass is not a city with any access to the ocean. True believers in the myth say that this is proof that Marquis is, in some way, real, as for the people of Oiler’s Pass to spontaneously invent both an ocean to their west that was not on any Pre-Resonance maps and to tell stories of the city somewhere in that ocean - stories that often share extremely similar physical descriptions with those out of Primary - the story must be based in some sort of truth.

As we all know, truth is largely a subjective thing in West Faraday - so if this book believes in the existence of Marquis, it must be so.

TRANSCRIPT BEGINS

CHAPTER 6: MARQUIS: HER LOCATION, DESCRIPTION, ABILITIES, AND GENERAL UNDERSTANDING THEROF

Written by Imogen Sunswain

THE first thing to know about the city of Marquis is that it is not, as many say, a city of the dead. This is perhaps the most common misconception of Marquis: it is simply a dream of an afterlife, or it is where the dead are seen and heard by sailors who have been too long trapped in the doldrums or are sailing on ghost ships themselves, the city itself becoming the bones of an illusion conjured by the collected minds of it’s living specters. This is, by all accounts of the city, simply not true. Marquis is as alive as Oiler’s Pass herself is, full of living souls with dreams and aspirations and goals like you and I, it is not their fault they live in the mirage-city of the northern sea.

The city of Marquis is a city of mystery: she appears one day and disappears the next, or disappears if the observant sailor simply turns their head in the wrong direction and does not look at her head on. To be in the city is to be in all of the city at once, her past and future playing out on the same streets which you now walk, her populace familiar with this uncertainty and living in it as easily as we live in the certainty and safety which defines the Pass. Some of the oldest myths of the city say that it is the summer home or permanent residence of the god of the Shallow Sea, and that the city built itself out of the Sea’s waters to build her castle, it is the same fact that makes the city so elusive as the waters of the Shallow Sea very often create mirages, falsehoods, and untruths for her sailors to encounter. It is this same myth wherein her ability to grant wishes resides: the god of the Shallow Sea, while fickle and easily swayed, will grant you one true thing if you find her in her unseen palace, as truth begets truth, as to see is to be seen. This is the core of the myth of the city, and the heart of the mystery that surrounds her, and will be discussed at a later point in this chapter.

Though much around her existence is shrouded in mystery, even the very sea that she is built upon, Marquis presents an unstoppable call to the humble seeker who has picked up this book in search of a wish to be granted. Unlike many of the other methods presented within this text, the wish granted by Marquis is almost completely assured to come true and will be granted with no caveats, as long as you are able to find it. For those seeking the most treacherous wishes to be granted, who cannot afford to fail, who may be rebuffed by storms and shallow ponds alike, listen carefully to this story, embark upon the path to find her, and travel safely but travel true. Marquis is waiting.

To find the lost city of Marquis, one must first find the Shallow Sea itself. From the westernmost point in Oiler’s Pass, travel due south in as true of a line as possible until you reach the mouth of the River Dirge and where it exits into the sea to the west, this is the southernmost entrance to the Shallow Sea. Take care that in your journey you do not travel too far to the east, as you may encounter Shreveport, a city that does not believe in myths. At the mouth of the sea, here charter or find a boat with which to travel. We recommend that you also bring with you someone who is used to the Shallow Sea and her tricks, for those unfamiliar with her ways she will make the journey very dangerous indeed. Once you have set out upon the sea, travel due north until you no longer see a spire on the horizon, then, acting with utmost care as you are now in the most dangerous parts of the sea, travel to the west for a span of three days and seven nights (allowing for the wind, add or subtract one day of travel). Traveling by night, while more treacherous still, is the only way to truly ensure you find the correct location of the city, she only appears in daytime and does not take kindly to being seen on the horizon.

Once you have traveled this far, weigh anchors and wait in place until the sun is directly overhead, then look to the west, along the direct path that the sun has just traveled. Do not use the aid of any spyglasses, binoculars, or similar, to see the city in a reflection through glass is to trap her in that reflection and she will be completely unreachable to you. The city will appear as a mirage on the horizon; it will appear to be a false image of a false city, a series of impossible towers and buildings and fleets of ships on the water that float above the very horizon, that are seen in their inverse, that are could not possibly exist for their shapes, this is the city of Marquis! Once you have seen her, sail directly towards the mirage that you see, do not lift your eyes from it for even a second, it is just as likely to disappear from under you yet again.

When you reach the city, you will be welcomed by a grand pier and docks full of ships of shapes and sizes that you have never before seen, ships with sails of paper and glass and hulls of light or bone or color. Dock your ship here, and step out onto the docks. Once you have set your foot upon the city, you make look away from it, it will not disappear so easily - but it is still dangerous to look away for quite so long. It’s not wise to spend too much time considering the direction you came from instead of the direction that you’re going.

The city itself is often described as if it were made of light or glass, but many visitors have also seen wood and stone, only of colors and varieties that they have never before witnessed. The buildings stretch up into the sky, higher than should be possible, and can only be looked at with wonder. The people of the city have learned all of this as ordinary and do not see it with wonder, but as a visitor, be sure to admire the city’s glory, her command of light and shadow, her graceful buildings and the beauty her architects bring, her gardens full of impossible plants, her libraries full of never before heard myths, her sights and sounds, her food trucks and newspaper sellers on the corner and her ghosts that walk the street with you. You will see then that she is very much not a city of the dead but a city alive, a city breathing, a city made of stories but nonetheless real, it is only if you appraise her with this sense of wonder that she will grant you what your heart desires.

Almost no seekers return from their journeys to Marquis; many say this is because they do not want to leave a city so beautiful once they have seen her.

Others say that there is no true way out.