Post by Rumerin on Nov 10, 2004 8:47:24 GMT -5
Behind a high red brick wall with spikes on top (both to keep people out and animals in) is the Elurian Zoo- two jinks for adults, one jink for children. The only opening in the wall is where the gates are- they are shiny gold-coloured metal and allow a look into the courtyard beyond, where small stalls sell icecreams and drinks and hotdogs and popcorn and candy and balloons and stuffed animals and books with pictures of animals and monsters in the wild. On either side of the gates are ticket booths with friendly people in the yellow zoo uniform.
Once you get inside and past the courtyard, you can choose one of many many paths winding through the park-like landscape of the zoo. Even though the area within the enclosure isn't all that big, it gives the impression of being a huge terrain. The park has been made to look like exotic landscapes. Here it is a common park with oaks and grass, there it turns to a jungle-like corner with a waterfall, rubber trees and exotic flowers. There are spots with cactusses and sand, and parts of the park have rock gardens or water gardens or palm trees or eastern-like features, and some places have trees and flowers and plants and rocks and shells and gods know what that doesn't seem familiar at all, that have likely been brought in from other Planes. Every here and there are small signs explaining where in the Multiverse "you are", what the plants here do, what the place is like, and what animals live there.
And between it all- this is not a zoo for nothing- are the animals. There is a wide variety of them, and a wide variety of keeping them. Some animals, like poisonous snakes, are kept in terraria in small buildings called "the House of Snakes" or "the House of Bugs" or "the House of Butterflies" (where you walk into a grand chamber with many, many butterflies and rare flowers) and so on. Others are kept in true cages, like the Gibberlings. There are huge ponds/tanks for fish and small whales and seals and such, where you can walk down some stairs and have a look under water through a huge window. There are habitat-like cages where you can see wolves running around, and there are even some animals, like ponies and llamas and small monkeys, that just wander free through the park.
All in all, there is always something to do, and something to see. The zoo boasts of many many creatures from throughout the Planes, from mice and lizards and elephants to griffins and giant owls and kelpies and worgs and unicorns. They even have a few goblins, a kobold or two, even a tame Ogre that wanders through the park and lets small children take piggy-back rides. They have a pseudo-dragon, and used to have a real life White Dragon, but that was a while ago. It has probably long since grown up and no one knows where it is now.
All in all, it is a perfect Planar Zoo, child and adult friendly, and a great day out for the family indeed, with a small restaurant to have a snack or a pancake and a glass of soda in the back of the park, so you can rest there half-way your visit, and visit the loo. Not too far from there is a small building labelled "employees only"- devoted to staff canteen, changing rooms, toilets, and an office marked "management" where even most of the staff never come.
There is one strange thing to this zoo though... Not far from the exit is one cage that is empty, except for a large mirror all over the back wall. Look into it and you will see yourself in a cage. It flies way over most people's heads, of course.
Once you get inside and past the courtyard, you can choose one of many many paths winding through the park-like landscape of the zoo. Even though the area within the enclosure isn't all that big, it gives the impression of being a huge terrain. The park has been made to look like exotic landscapes. Here it is a common park with oaks and grass, there it turns to a jungle-like corner with a waterfall, rubber trees and exotic flowers. There are spots with cactusses and sand, and parts of the park have rock gardens or water gardens or palm trees or eastern-like features, and some places have trees and flowers and plants and rocks and shells and gods know what that doesn't seem familiar at all, that have likely been brought in from other Planes. Every here and there are small signs explaining where in the Multiverse "you are", what the plants here do, what the place is like, and what animals live there.
And between it all- this is not a zoo for nothing- are the animals. There is a wide variety of them, and a wide variety of keeping them. Some animals, like poisonous snakes, are kept in terraria in small buildings called "the House of Snakes" or "the House of Bugs" or "the House of Butterflies" (where you walk into a grand chamber with many, many butterflies and rare flowers) and so on. Others are kept in true cages, like the Gibberlings. There are huge ponds/tanks for fish and small whales and seals and such, where you can walk down some stairs and have a look under water through a huge window. There are habitat-like cages where you can see wolves running around, and there are even some animals, like ponies and llamas and small monkeys, that just wander free through the park.
All in all, there is always something to do, and something to see. The zoo boasts of many many creatures from throughout the Planes, from mice and lizards and elephants to griffins and giant owls and kelpies and worgs and unicorns. They even have a few goblins, a kobold or two, even a tame Ogre that wanders through the park and lets small children take piggy-back rides. They have a pseudo-dragon, and used to have a real life White Dragon, but that was a while ago. It has probably long since grown up and no one knows where it is now.
All in all, it is a perfect Planar Zoo, child and adult friendly, and a great day out for the family indeed, with a small restaurant to have a snack or a pancake and a glass of soda in the back of the park, so you can rest there half-way your visit, and visit the loo. Not too far from there is a small building labelled "employees only"- devoted to staff canteen, changing rooms, toilets, and an office marked "management" where even most of the staff never come.
There is one strange thing to this zoo though... Not far from the exit is one cage that is empty, except for a large mirror all over the back wall. Look into it and you will see yourself in a cage. It flies way over most people's heads, of course.
