The question is oft asked, and rarely can a straight answer be given -
so I am here to do so.

To begin with, however, one must define a city, and one must define a
commune. Yet, to define them, one must define Nature. Therefore, let us
define Nature. Nature is a series of balances, systems, and cycles that
have been put in place since the creation of the First World, by Dynara,
and expanded upon greatly by the Sixth and Seventh Circle Elder Gods. In
other words, Nature is something brought into existence by a higher
power.

Now, for the rest of this argument to carry merit, I must first cast
away these shadows of doubt that are the Taint, the Wyrd, and unnatural
existence. Contrary to the ignorant beliefs of certain wicca and
city-dwellers, not all Fae are Spirits of Nature - yet, all Spirits of
Nature are Fae. Now, for the more difficult part - as I said before,
Nature is a series of balances, systems and cycles that have been put in
place and later expanded upon by both Dynara and the Elder Gods. These
balances and cycles are critical to the overall health and survival of
Nature - without them, life would become out of control - for instance.
We have a small island, where there are deer and wolves - nothing else
but plant life. The wolves suddenly die out - the deer would continue to
eat and grow out of control, until they either exhaust their food
supply, or adapt and change their size. With a lack of a predator, and
an abundance of food, a species will grow out of control, eventually
exhausting said food supply and, in this instance, end with the deer
starving to death, leaving the island barren until plantlife can manage
to start again. Nature will always be able to heal itself, and does not
require the protection of the communes.

Now, the Taint, and Wyrd. From what I can discern, the Taint seems to
debase the natural instincts of something - for instance, one of the
Priestesses of the Shallamurine Cathedral, Ephrani I believe, was once
an orclach of love and beauty. A physical love, but true love - using
the body and the senses to back the deep bond of love. However, with the
coming of the Taint, she has been debased to a lustful tramp, so to
speak. Willing to sleep with anything, for no reason other than physical
gratification. Thusly, such things as the Taint throw off the Natural
cycles and balances.

Now, the base instinct of a forest - as all things do have base
instincts, at least, living things. A forest's primary goal is to
survive, then. Should this be met, it's goal then becomes to flourish
and grow. However, with the coming of the Taint, the Gloriana died, and
the forest was resurrected in some undead, tainted mockery of life. As
the White Hart put it, no longer is the Glomdoring, especially know in
it's wyrden state, prone to growth and life, but to infestation. A trait
sharing great kinship with the Taint. Indeed, one must wonder if the
Taint was truly "burned away", as Viravain would have the Wilde,
Terentia, and New Celest believe, or if it was simply masked beneath
Isune's touch. Indeed, when the World's Serpent came, Crow became Raven,
removing the spiritual and physical corruptions of the Taint - however,
when the Seals were weakened and Kethuru sent out waves of Taint, Raven
become Crow again, as the taint settled into Glomdoring. In truth, it
would seem the forest is in fact tainted. And thus, the Wyrd is nothing
more than mauve taint, but perhaps stronger, as it has been empowered
and is being controlled by an Elder Goddess. However, the Taint seems to
pose a greater threat, simply because it makes home in Magnagora
primarily, in it's most base form, where the Traitors live.

Now that those seemingly errant points are out of the way. What is a
city? What is a commune? Well, to define a city is simple but confusing,
without the definition of a commune - therefore, a Commune is a group of
people living in harmony with their natural surroundings. For instance,
if a colony of Celestines were to recluse themselves entirely to
Celestia, never leave the Plane, and live and die there serving the
Supernals, one could, in fact, consider them a commune, as corrupt and
debased as it would be. As a more appropriate example, a colony of
Aquamancers living beneath the Marne Ocean, fashioning homes out of
spires of coral, displacing nothing in their natural environment but
instead living alongside and within it, healing the seas, as once was
the Aquamancers original intentions... This would be a commune. The
Serenwilde, as a third example, is a massive forest - a commune is built
in the treetops surrounding the Mother Moonhart, wherein the trees
support her, and, in exchange, we protect, nourish, and heal the forest.
The Serenwilde is a commune because we live in harmony with our
surroundings, with the forest, animal life, and general existence that
takes place around us. This does not mean mulching a tree is bad - it is
not uncommune-like to mulch a tree because it grows in an inopportune
spot, for instance, if a sapling decided to shoot a trunk through a
shop's floor. Though every attempt would be made to safely move the
sapling, it's death, though perhaps regrettable, will feed other forms
of life and other saplings in other places.

As this question has been oft debated on the Huntsman's order aethers,
it is of interesting note and worth to wonder what a village such as
Rockholm or Southgard are. Clearly they are villages, however do they
exhibit more commune-like, or city-like behaviour? They do live in
harmony with their surroundings, living inside the mountains, not
building atop them. It is generally doubted they would destroy an entire
section of the mountains solely in greed - however, one cannot be
entirely sure. They dig tunnels and mine from them, instead of simply
stripping back the bedrock in huge sections. This is more communelike
behaviour, however their intentions may or may not be harmony with their
surroundings, simply finding it more practical. Likewise, if they felt
it necessary are much more efficient, I would not put it past some of
them to blast through the mountains to reach greater deposits of iron or
platinum.

Hopefully the idea of a commune has been well-defined, by now - it is a
group of people living in harmony with their surroundings. Now, to
define a city - it is a group of people living without thought or care,
or perhaps in spite of, their surroundings. For instance, New Celest, as
you so joyously pointed out, cut rock, coral and marble to lay the
foundations for their spires and walls and cobblestones for their roads.
Yet this rock is dead and empty, without spirit or life. There is, in
truth, no natural life within New Celest, aside from the mortals who
wander there, and the obese felines that are seen wandering your walls
and streets. Your hummingbirds are queer creations, probably decorated
by Isune, and your pathetic excuse for a garden is disgusting and
insulting. New Celest was built over a beach and valley, hundreds of
thousands of animals and plants had to have been displaced for it to be
built - not to mention the mines that had to have been dug for the
material, the trees blithely chopped for supports and frames, for camp
and signal fires, to ward off the beasts who sought to avenge the fallen
trees and animals.

Were New Celest to abandon their city and build their homes out of sand
on the beaches of the Inner Sea, abandon the Holy Supernals or, in lieu
of that, send their Celestines off to the Cosmic Plane they worship and
destroy the Pool of Stars, and work on living in harmony with their
surroundings, not in spite of them... Yes, then I would happily welcome
the two-legged fish of New Celest as serving life and Nature, and call
them friends, not enemies. Until then, though - you are my enemy.
Magnagora is my enemy. Glomdoring is, most clearly, my enemy. Yet of the
three, Glomdoring is the clearest, serving tainted and unnatural Night.
Celest, then, comes second - too many of you Celestians believe the
Serenwilde should be at your beck and call, to bow and bend knee, as
though we were naught but serfs or peasants in your great empire.
Magnagora comes third, in my eyes - ever a threat, and one that will
need to be dealt with, but one I will most willingly fight alongside,
should New Celest overstep her bounds once again. Despite being a city,
and despite the Taint, New Celest's pride and ego has become a greater
threat than even Glomdoring. How sad is it, that those Spirits who wish
my own harm, but have grown torpid on their Creator's affection and
malevolent and weak in Her own shadows and caves, are becoming less and
less a threat than the one city I would think would be our closest ally.
How sad your city has allowed their ego to grow so.

Kalodan Faechild
Keeper of the Sacred Grove

Penned by my hand on the 2nd of Dvarsh, in the year 174 CE.