Post by Kynikos on Jul 30, 2017 18:25:01 GMT -4
THE END DAYS OF ERIDA
"in the corner of one's eye, steaming up the river of Kelani, comes the most wondrous city known to man. The towering high rises, the bright glowing lights, the paper lanterns that adorn balconies and windows, and the Tower of Raspua, it's charm is unimaginable. It is the birthplace of beauty." ~ David Collins, Guide to the Kashmu Empire
The city of Erida sits at the widest part of the Kelani, covered in dense jungle where mighty beasts prowl. Considered the marvel and fitting capital of the world, the city has become legendary for it's sublime splendour. Skyscrapers dot the landscape, typically covered in paper lanterns beneath the window sills, and large floating domes rise above the city as luxury resorts. The Tower of Raspua is above all of it, featuring some of the most magnificent architecture seen in the world. At the very top of the tower, it is said that the twin gods of Vivilus and Woda rest in contemplation over their creation. Pictured is the religious quarter where thousands of monks perform rituals and build paper lanterns to keep the people safe from the beasts that lie in the forest.
THE DOCKS
The city itself is divided into quarters - although you can typically find anything anywhere, zoning laws try to restrict areas as a one-stop shop. The port area is where every visitor to the city steams in from, typically coming from the city of Praugh which lies on the ocean and where Kelani River lets out. It is covered in glitz, with museums, hotels, and beaches dotting the river. Commercial shipping is the farthest south of the city, barring the four towers, and is a popular sight for it's charmingly rustic line of ships. The Museum of the Jungle is renowned for its indoor jungles and sculptures while the Carnival of Flowers features the most talented performers in the world. The Glow Lantern, situated above the Kelani able to watch the ships come in and out, is famous for its style and cuisine.
"One night in Erida and the world's your oyster. / I can feel the devil walking next to me." ~ Murray Head
CITY CENTRE
Visitors that have disembarked can head in to the centre of the city, where the real nightlife shines through. Clubs, bars, brothels, casinos, and the Moon Boardwalk all feature here. Known for being gaudy and larger then life, many visitors find themselves stuck there, playing cards and sipping expensive fruity drinks. The Ziggurat lies in a prominent spot and features the classy, rich casino. Plush furniture, guns, shares. people, and companies being bet here. Fortunes are won and lost here, and for those that lose, there is a private service that helps you cope with that in the basement. For those favouring a seedier club and casino, one does not need to look beyond the Star (pictured). All five casinos lie inside featuring gals, boys, and wine like rivers. Riding an elevator up to the Star is a legendary experience. For those not a gambler, one can find their kicks on the Moon Boardwalk. Water bars, waterparks, and amusement parks curled up in one stretch. Prominent theatres including the mythic Crescent Opera and arcades line the inside of the stretch.
BUSINESS SECTOR
The largest part of the city is the business sector, found if one curves to the right from the centre of the city. Featuring the Citadel where the current Empress resides, the parliament buildings, and mega-corporations find their place here. The Light Gardens is featured prominently in the middle of it all, all kinds of plants from every corner of the world lit up with lanterns and beams of light. The Monastery of Shu is also here, a historical site that has been abandoned by monks for many years in favour of the religious quarter. This is also the place to be lifted up the floating luxury resorts. The Bazaar of the Gods is the best place in the world to find any good your heart could possibly desire - from fabrics to food to furniture, it has it all. The cobblestone streets are littered with voices of all sorts. There is no more diverse part of the city.
SLUMS
If you head even further right, you come to the slums of the city and the red light district. Drugs are sold here at alarming prices, for good reason. Many of these would make a normal man's heart stop but is still sold freely. Gang wars are common over claimed turf but the police have managed to keep them from infesting any farther then the slums. In an ironic twist, many that once walked in the centre and its casinos now find themselves stuck here, unable to pay their way to go back home.
MIDDLE CLASS SECTOR
If one heads left from the centre, universities and colleges appear along with the sort of middle class area. The Mechanical Mansion fits in here, while closed for tourists, is available for any skilled technician looking at one of the seven modern wonders of the world. The University of Kelani features at least one student from every country in the world, has the largest selection of fields to major in, and is singlehandedly subsided by the government for any student wishing to try and make it through the stringent entry requirements.
"The four towers is what keeps the jungle out. The beasts that lie outside have grown afraid of the towers and the mechanical marvels that lie within. At any moment, one could flip a switch and be able to distract and lead away any beasts of the jungle threatening to harm the city. That is their biggest strength, Mr. Dalma." ~ The Third Empress
TOWERS
If one goes further left, they will find the beginnings of the jungle, heavily patrolled by the police and military. The first of the four towers is found here and is constructed to not ruin the architectural beauty that lies within the city. A solid military fortification, it features enough tools and tricks to keep the beasts of the jungle away from the city. Careful management is needed since there is no known way of damaging the beast and any attempt to do so has met with catastrophic failure. (See: The Lily Incident) The other three towers are found in the northeast corner of the city and two guarding the dock.
RELIGIOUS QUARTER
In the north lies the religious quarter, featuring a large assortment of temples, monasteries, and factories built to protect the Empire. Guns, battleships, and other important tools are built here. The current project is the Dreadnought Centaur which is planned to complete in two years. Those religiously inclined that are not involved in the military instead devote their time to pleasing the gods or building paper lanterns, considered a necessity to keep the evil spirits out. The Tower of Raspua lies here too, constantly guarded by the most faithful Knights. No public information about the outside is known, but many people find enjoyment posing with the constantly serious guards.
"I have seen all the glories of the world and there is no place I would rather like to be then back at Sil." ~ Marcius Kaeni
LUXURY RESORTS
The luxury resorts featured above the city and below the river are famed for their beauty and elite class. Nightlife taken underwater, every entertainment known to man can be found here. Even drugs are legally sold here and endangered animals find themselves on the menu - along with people. The ones in the river are seen as the less prestigious resorts while the ones above water are famed. Sil is the most famous resort and glows like the sun itself during the night. There is even a miniature city inside, complete with bazaar and living space.
You are a visitor to Erida, from one of the far flung regions. Many lands are under its dominion, but in general IRL cultures would be the same. It's the common ground that speaks many languages and common is well, the most common. For whatever reason, you are enjoying the city as a tourist or off from your business travel for a day of fun. And then, that's when it happened.
The first hint was a loud, rumbling sound from beneath the river followed by a horrific grinding sound. For a single moment, the city paused uncertain of what it was. Soon it was followed by one of the floating luxury domes crashing to earth in the business region, taking down half the parliament building. Several other explosions soon rocked the region and with two more domes finally coming down, that's when you knew the capitol was going down in flames. And you had no chance of getting out.
GAME MECHANICS
The Start
In the beginning, there is a great deal of uncertainty. Not out right chaos, but a certain panic. Businesses will remain open. People begin stockpiling resources and religious artefacts. After two days of relative silence, the Citadel and several military installations are soon bombed. Several large shootings happened in the centre. The Moon Boardwalk finds itself bloodied after someone releasing a bio-chemical weapon. That's when people turn on each other, unable to trust each other. You start right at the beginning of this mass chaos.
The Animals
The four towers fall quickly in the chaos, which will let in the animals (also known as: leviathans, the jungle spirits, etc) to the city. There is no known method of killing them, making avoiding them your top priority. You aren't entirely sure what to expect from them having never seen anything about them yourself.
The Spirits
Entirely dependent on the religious quarter keeping the city safe from the old spirits and other malicious threats, with them gone you quickly have to rely on your own supplies to ward them away or remove them.
Disease
Disease quickly gets out of hand in the city. You can and will be infected - it won't be pretty. Several diseases have been released to destabilise the region and while the cure is known, it will be difficult to cure. Gas masks, no open clothing, and keeping a healthy supply of medicine are the best when heading into severely infected regions. What are those regions? You don't know. Corpses are also a great way to catch a disease, so being careful around already dead bodies is a good idea.
???
The city is constantly changing. New threats will emerge, the city will find itself in its darkest throes. Not everything happens instantly. What threats or relief will emerge is entirely dependent on how well the city puts itself together... or alternatively falls apart.
START/PERKS
In general, any location that is reasonable (ie not the citadel or tower of raspua) is fine. Survivors of the floating cities are possible due to inbuilt safety measures that didn't quite work as well as hoped, but still functioned admirably.
START
Companion - You paired up with someone before this all began. You know you can probably trust them and they feel like they can trust you.
Connections - You're known around the city. People know you're different - they know you're something else. Some may not even shoot you on sight.
Traveller - Come a bit better prepared in your starting load out.
Wanderer - You know the city better then some of the other folks. Back alleys, ambush points, and some stores are known to you depending on which region you are in.
Nothing - For those that nothing quite appeals to them or prefer starting from the bottom.
PERKS
Ex-Soldier - You were a soldier that saw significant combat in several far flung colonies. While not quite a war hero, you are trained in the use of a gun and will find yourself more accurate with it.
Doctor - You were a skilled practitioner and find that your abilities carried on pretty well.
Monk - You hailed from a monastery originally, learning the way of the Monk. Unarmed combat and warding away evil spirits is what you spent your early years doing.
Gym Star - You're just that much more fit then the rest of these people. You can run, you can haul more guns then probably necessary, and you can really pump iron. Whether or not that's useful is debatable.
Lucky - Naturally lucky.
Ex-Hitman - Not every path to wealth is ritzy. Yours came from years of sneaking about, carefully working around guards to kill your target. Sneaking is just that much easier.
Tinkerer - You were never really able to put down the idea of toying around with devices even as you became wealthier and wealthier and carried that habit on. You can build some things, fix a few others, and keep things in better repair.
None - Who needs perks? Who needs luck? You'll make your own.
??? - Make something up. If I like it (and it's not insane), I'll run with it.
CS
Name -
Age-
Physical Description -
Location -
Start -
Perk -
) Crippled Bio-mechanic: A combination doctor, surgeon, and tinkerer, I used to make prosthesis's and augments for the rich and well-to-do. I'm the best - if someone has the resources, I can rig up just about anything or stop anyone, no matter how grievously injured, from dying. The one surgery I ever botched was performed on a mob boss, and it cost me nearly everything - including my life. Luckily, his goons only beat me within an inch of death when I was able to promise them my entire fortune. This saved my life, but now I'm penniless and lost a lot of my standing and connections (though I have a precious few left). In addition, I'm scarred and crippled for life. I had to have a leg amputated, and my jury-rigged prosthesis leaves me at a real disadvantage when it comes to physical activity. The only way to go is up - I can't go any further down save by being dead. Now I do what I've always done - save for much less and with not nearly as much artistry. Maybe someday I'll taste riches again, but until then...