The Legend of Pyrocumulon
Pyrocumulon is a city set
upon a floating island. At the center of the island is a volcanic
mountain, the majority of which hangs below the level surface where the
city is built, much like a massive iceberg, which only has a small
portion visible above the surface of the water. The massive push of hot
air from the volcanic lava at the core of the island provides it a dense
cloud cover, for which the city is named.
Pyrocumulon is a magical place, and all its inhabitants know that it
is not a sheer fluke of science that holds the island aloft. A glowing
magical substance — dubbed phosphus by the city's denizens —
also circulates through the mountainous caverns of the island's
interior, and is believed to be the source of the magical current that
permeates the lives of the Pyrocumulans.
The city consists of vast, towering spires, and wide, open archways.
The buildings have been constructed to accommodate the wide variety of
creatures who call this place home. Gryphons, Dragons, Humans, and
others all live side by side, in a mostly harmonious fashion.
Pyrocumulon has been home to great minds, and great hearts, but was
guarded as a secret from most of the rest of the world, knowing that
there was no way for everyone who would want to be there to all inhabit
the small island at the same time. Visitors were brought to the island
from time to time, to experience its wonders, and then to take
scientific, philosophical and mechanical feats and ideas back to the
mainland, no one the wiser for their true origins.
At the center of the city's main square stands the Great Library, a
massive hall of a building. It is a place of learning, and stored
knowledge, and imaginative creation the likes of which had not been
cultivated before. Children learned here, writers left volumes of text
here for future generations to share, and the engineers and inspired
creators of Pyrocumulon had their own special place — a place
rivaled by no other in this wonder of cities. The Imaginarium.
Some of Pyrocumulon's more pragmatic minds posited that, since the
main conduit for delivery of both steam and phosphus from the core of
the island to the rest of the Great Library and from there, out to the
surrounding buildings of the Main Square traveled directly through the
center of The Imaginarium, the concentration of phosphus in that space
must have given it extraordinary magical qualities. Those who simply
accepted it for what it was were happy to leave the question of why this
place was singularly wondrous to other minds. Anything, literally,
anything you could dream up, once fabricated inside the walls of The
Imaginarium, would work. Hence, the motto at its doors: The
Imaginarium — Where Anything is Possible. Some, more
practical, creations were found to continue to work no matter where they
were taken. But, unfortunately, some creations were too fantastical to
continue to function once outside the Great Library's walls — they
would just simply stop.
The inhabitants of Pyrocumulon became quite worried at the increasing
number of earthquakes caused by some instability of the island's
volcanic core. Unable to identify the cause of the problem, and unable
to control the massive power of the volcano and steam, plans were made
to evacuate. After that evacuation, a small secret society, PROGOPS,
kept the legend alive. But no one could find the floating island
again... until recently.
Join us as the members of BayCon return to Pyrocumulon.
The Guilds of
Pyrocumulon
as told by Jennifer
Brozek
- Artists Assemblage
- A picture is worth a thousand words. A painting can make the heart
soar. A few lines of charcoal can create a sketch so evocative as to
bring a tear to the eye. The Artist Assemblage is home to neophyte and
master artists alike. Displaying their wares in the Art Show, these
wizards of the visual medium, cordially invite all to come enjoy their
talents and admire their skills. Or, should the artistic passerby so
chose, join their ranks in merry companionship and a trade of skill or
story.
- Boffer Battalion
- Not for the faint of heart, the weak of body or the thin of skin.
The Boffer Battalion is an active guild of men and women who test their
skills against each other in combat. Proper training is a must and is
provided by the guild. Spectators are welcome. Cheer for your favorite
warrior as they spar their competition with boffer weapons and shields.
New fighters and experienced ones are welcome to come test their mettle
within the Boffer Battalion.
- Costuming Coalition
- Designers, seamstresses, tailors and admirers of all things fabric
related. Clothing is more than just fabric that is worn. It is a
statement, a story and an homage to things beloved. Masters of the
needle and thread, bobbin and sewing machine, congregate within the
Costuming Coalition to match skills in competition or learn new ones at
the hands of costuming masters. Come share your designs, compete with
the young and old alike or simply admire the works of art meant to be
worn.
- Fanzine Fellowship
- Historians and archivists of fanzines from long ago, the Fanzine
Fellowship meets every year within their own hallowed halls to enjoy
each other's companionship, discuss the merits of the fanzines of old
and new and, generally, to have a good time. It is also an active
Fellowship, seeking stories of the ages for the newest fanzine of this
year. For all who love to write or sketch for the mere joy of it and to
share their creations with travelers near and far. Please join members
of the Fanzine Fellowship in the Fanzine lounge.
- Gaming Guild
- Be they games of pen and paper, of chance, of skill, of strategy or
any other game that one can think of, the Gaming Guild takes all who
would pit themselves, their minds, their dice, their miniatures and
their bragging rights on the line. Come together in camaraderie and the
thrill of the quest or come together out of need and the thrill of the
hunt, the Gaming Guild is the place to meet. Come, together we can beat
the enemy, win the treasure and save the day.
- Lyrical Legion
- A cacophony of sound becomes a symphony for the senses –
especially the ears. The Lyrical Legion truly is more the sum of its
parts when its members raise their collective voices and instruments in
song and concert. Soothing for the soul, joy for the heart and open arms
to greet those who wish to participate or simply enjoy the music
produced by this most admired guild, all are welcome to join in. Come
one, come all and listen to the stories of love, betrayal, heartbreak,
and victory told in music.
- Media Militia
- "Never a dull moment – ever." This is the Media
Militia's motto. Manning the station at all hours of the day and night
is BCTV as well as the Anime room. BCTV will continue to bring the
denizens of BayCon the best of fan vids, bad B movies and trivia
questions. The Media Militia is, as always, soliciting new entries in
the fan video area. The Anime room will show old favorites and new all
day, every day, so that even the greatest of night owls will have
something to do when the rest have gone to bed. That is the Media
Militia's promise.
- SMOF Society
- The SMOF Society... secret and mysterious. No one knows what they do
or why they do it but everyone wants to be a part of THE society. This
is clandestine cabal of top science fiction fans who, by their unseen
influence, are responsible for the trends and changes in the popularity
of particular subgenres, media, or individual authors. These are also
the men and women behind the scenes who actually do the organizational
work behind much of fandom and are regarded highly by others for their
work in running conventions, fanzines, and fan funds. New blood is
always welcome—if you can find your way into the SMOF Society's
clan.
- Writers Wing
- Storytellers, archivists, historians, and biographers all meet with
within the Writers Wing Guild in order to share knowledge, teach
literary skills and entertain one and all. These are the people who
write the adventures of present day, past experience and future history.
They are adventurers of the mind and captains of the written word
– or their longing apprentices. All may those who appreciate the
bards of the page may come, join and share in the lectures of the
learned professionals or merely enjoy the stories they have come to
tell.
