Darkcomet
2010-07-21, 10:50 PM
Current events:
-The constant storms have ceased.
-K-Corp has spontaneously exploded.
Rules and locations in the spoiler. Please Spoiler any fan service written in this thread. Thank you.
All standard forum rules apply here, as do the godmodding rules generally agreed upon on this sub-forum.
Locations
PM Darkcomet to have a new location placed in this registry.
A note on the 'Zones'.
The Blue Zone is the area of the greatest Imperial presence, housing the Imperial Army and ISF HQs and boasting the greatest concentration of Imperial influence. Physically, it's located in the center of the city.
The Yellow Zone has some Imperial influence, but it's not as significant, so crime rates there are higher than in the Blue Zone. The Yellow Zone is physically located at the outskirts of the city, with the justification of having to keep an eye on what's coming in and out of the city, and thus the main concentrations of Imperial influence in the Yellow Zone are at the docks and city gates.
The Null Zone is around midway between Yellow and Blue, and lacks much Imperial influence. Despite this, it's largely a quiet environment.
Perhaps it is because the Red Zone, a blemish on the otherwise neatly-organized Zones, is essentially a fancy term for the crime infested slums? Who knows! The Red Zone is essentially just the slums, independent of the neat physical arrangement of the others, though DC imagines it's around Null/Yellow, physically, since it wouldn't make all that much sense for the Red Zone to be right on top of ISF HQ of all things. This is where you go if you're trying to escape the prying eyes of the Empire in Inside.
Imperial Bases
Acro-Imperial Army HQ (Blue Zone)
The Imperial Army HQ itself is a massive dome-like structure in the center of the city. The building itself is fairly standard at ground level, but going up from there is when you reach the dome. The dome is the focus of the visible structure, and is capable of housing one of the Empire's oh-so-loved airships.
The main building itself also has underground portions, as it's not like the rest could contain everything a building of this purpose needs.
This building, however, has concrete walls surrounding it at a sizable distance in a square shape, with gates in the center of each segment. The walls have rapid-fire laser turrets mounted at corners and on each side of each gate. Interlopers beware!
ISF HQ (Blue Zone)
The ISF HQ is a fairly standard military-esque compound used as the main base of the Empire's 'police force' of sorts for the city of Inside. Originally the Empire's main base, it has since taken on a somewhat less significant role.
The main building features a large garage used for landspeeders and APCs.
This base is surrounded by electric fences rather than concrete walls, though the gates are in similar positions to the main Imperial Army HQ.
Acro-Imperial Civil Government Complex (Blue Zone)
The main center of the Empire's central government is an odd complex composed of five main structures.
The more notable four are a group of futuristic, utopian-looking towers arranged in the shape of a Y, with the tower taking the position of the center joint being significantly taller than the outer three towers, by about 40% of the other towers' height. This is harder to make out than it seems, however, due to the odd nature of the fifth 'structure'.
This one is actually surrounding the lower two-thirds of the outer three towers, with all four appearing to be coming out of it from the outside. It resembles an odd set of walls, following along the Y-arrangement of the towers. These 'walls' are in the shape of a highly irregular hexagon. The top side, with the two points of the top of the Y within, is fairly long, with two shorter segments heading downward at an obtuse angle from them. These are very short, and two more long wall segments soon move downward and inwards, speaking from a bird's-eye view, ending a bit after the edge of the bottom tower in the Y-arrangement. A final long segment links these two ends.
However, the 'walls' are not merely walls, but actually enclose the area around the towers, with their own roof. The four towers seemingly erupt out of the top of this structure, while they do actually have the rest of them beneath it. The wall-like structure is built around the towers, linking to them at certain points. The structure is not merely that shape described previously with a flat roof, however-the walls reach to a certain point, then slant upwards and inwards, again from a bird's-eye view. The upward slant stops at the edges of the outer three towers, and from there now forms a flat area, this flatness marred only by the towers.
There are three main entrances to the odd complex, each at the center and bottom of one of the longer wall segments. These are oversized sliding doors, essentially. Each is a long, dull metal slab in appearance. When the entrance is open, these are drawn upward into the wall-structure, and when closed, they drop back down like blast doors.
The complex is guarded by normal military and ISF elements alike, landspeeders patrolling the ground outside with the silent gunships patrolling the skies above. The main soldiers guarding the area are ISF troopers, as they are more specialized for urban warfare. Several rapid-fire pulse laser turrets (laser chaingun turrets, essentially) are mounted on the slanted portions of the outer structure, with a single heavy turbolaser turret mounted at the upper central area of each slanted area of the longer sides.
There are two enclosed bridge-like structures linking each of the three outer towers to the main building. The lower one is within the wall-esque structure, and the upper one is visible from the outside, linking the upper areas of the outer towers with the main, central one. To avoid confusion, there are two of these per outer tower, putting the total count at six.
Imperial Docks (Yellow Zone)
These rather typical drydocks hold the Imperial naval fleet. Due to its relative lack of size, the Imperial Navy falls under the Imperial Army's authority.
Evolution Electronics and Power Headquarters + Factory (Player: Darkcomet, Blue Zone)
The headquarters of the company known as Evolution Electronics and Power is a fairly standard-looking modern-day tower in appearance, not quite reaching the level of skyscraper.
The company owns a large factory nearby, used in production of its MACE units, and potentially other products, should it be desired.
Retail outlets for Evolution's products are scattered around the city.
Trader's Trove (Player: EleventhHour, Null Zone)
A large, crashed starship lies in what was once a park, now ruined by its crash.
The ship is very strange to most, resembling Gothic architecture, particularly cathedrals, in appearance, while at the same time being a spacefaring craft. Or, rather, a former spacefaring craft.
The ship remains in use, however. The owner is a Rogue Trader, and is currently using the ship as a shop.
Erin's Emporium (Player: The Bushranger, Yellow Zone)
Construction Gnomes have been hard at work renovating a small store along one of the various merchantile roads. Well, it was small. Now it's bigger on the inside.
And filled with every sort of weaponry imaginable, from across the multiverse. From blaster carbines to P-90s, surface-to-air missiles to ballistas, zats to nunchucks, they're all here.
Is that a siege crossbow sitting in the corner?
The Misspelled Cemetary (Null Zone)
It's the rain that makes for the perfect atmosphere.
Since the party left the well lit cobbles lanes of the Market Streets the sky has opened up upon our intrepid band of adventurers with a vengeance. The wind howls through barren trees as the rain descends in sheets. The heavens are split by a ribbon of lightning and a roar of thunder.
A massive cast iron gate surrounds this place of once hallowed ground. Yes, hallowed once but no longer. The earth appears dead. Rotten. A phosphorescent green fog creeping along the ground. Misshapen fungus and molds clinging to crumbling monuments. Corpses exposed on the surface, half-eaten with decay.
The gate creeks open of its own accord as the party nears.
And above the gate, in rusted iron letters, reads:
The Misspelled Cemetary
Currently in use as the base of operations of The Most Secret Ebon Mirror (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8630837&postcount=55). (Played by Lord Iames Osari).
MagMart (Player: Lord Magtok, Blue Zone)
An absurd mash-up of K-Mart, Wall-Mart, Target, and every other vile retail chain, MagMart is staffed by an unswervingly loyal Magbots, lobotomized talking cats that are too brain-dead to know any better, several voodoo spirits, and a pickle jar that everyone insists is a sentient being that only communes with those who truly believe in it.
Here you can find everything from curtains to carpets, macaroni to monkeys on motorcycles, groceries to zombies. The staff is always happy to help (or else), and if you aren't entirely satisfied with your shopping experience, you can pay a small fee to watch the MagMart employee of your choosing get fired out the MagMart complimentary employee morale cannon.
Pontius' Custom Constructs (Player: Earl of Purple, Null Zone)
The caravan of 6 wagons (I never said 3! Well, I did, but still.) arrives at a warehouse, previously for sale. The gnomes lead the golems and other constructs inside, and get to work. The warehouse has an open yard at the main entrance, and several golems, like crude figures of worked stone or wood, stand in the yard. A gnome wearing an apron over smart-yet-practical artesan's clothes and puts a sign up.
Pontius's Custom Constructs
Golems of Any Material* at Unbelievably Low Prices!!!**
You Won't Find a Golem, Gargoyle, Guardian or Homonculus Cheaper!!***
Come Now and Buy 1 Get 1 Full Price!!!****
*Flesh has an additional charge. **Define 'low'. ***Except at our competitors. ****Terms and conditions apply.
Sanctuary Fortress of Zoemaytare (Player: Rebonack, Blue Zone)
Like so many other prominent buildings in Town, or not so prominent buildings for that matter, this place seemed to pop up out of nowhere over night.
Buildings are like mushrooms in Town. Probably spread via spores, too.
Regardless, here it is. A rather sizable campus marble hewn from the mountains some distance away. Carved and hauled here near the edge of the slums where they were no doubt assembled. Though... no one can quite place a finger on when this happened.
Though the buildings aren't of only cold hard stone, no. There are timbers as well. Not what one might expect, however. They seem almost organic. As though they had grown into place rather than being hewn.
Oddness aside, the temple is arranged in a rather interesting fashion. Several concentric wall and courtyards ending in a central temple.
The outer wall is lower than the rest, each tier of the temple built onto higher ground like a wedding cake. Each wall is topped with a roof supported on the inside by pillars, creating a sheltered walkway. The exact use of these porches depends on the section of the temple one happens to be in.
Anyone is allowed entry through the first wall and into the first court, the Court of Meeting. Beyond the second wall only worshipers of Zoemaytare are allowed admittance to the second court, the Court of the Blessed. Beyond the third wall only the priests are allowed, where they carry out holy rituals within the temple itself.
The Court of Meeting is dedicated to service of those the worshipers of Zoemaytare dwell among. Food is prepared for the hungry here and given out without expectation of recompense. Those without a place to lay their head are allowed to sleep within the porch. The grounds beyond the porch are devoted to a wondrous garden boasting vibrancy and spectacular color. This are is always comfortably warm and brimming with life. Wounds heal faster as the body is refreshed. Undead creatures will find that remaining here is decidedly uncomfortable.
The sky above the temple seems to be perpetually clear, filled with pleasant sunlight in the day and cloaked with gossamer stars at night. Benches are set up here and there, under trees with hanging branches and above fragrant shrubbery. A lively stream flows endlessly in a circuit about the Court, spilling into several larger pools and meandering up a small outcrop of stone before cascading back down the other side.
This section of the temple is tended by members of the faith. Not priests, though devote. They can be found tending the garden and serving warm food. When in service to the temple these devotees wear a white linen ephod bearing the symbol of a willow tree, ornately rendered in blue thread. They'll be more than happen to answer any questions. Priests tend to have stricter ceremonial garb, including a blue tunic and white robe in addition to the ephod.
Welcome, traveler. May you be more blessed when you leave than when you came.
New information that isn't readily noticeable at first glance at the temple will be added here.
The temple grounds are protected by a dampening field that blocks unauthorized teleporation and dimensional shifting. The place is something of a fortress after all. Being able to pop in and out at will would defeat the purpose.
Zoemaytare isn't a god of (fill in the black) but rather the patron and protector of her people. As such, her domain, if she even has one, is over all that her people do. The people in question are collectively known as the Zoeos, and this particular temple is their first major venture into Town. At present their stated goal is to set up trade relations and aid the city. This is ministered through the temple on account of the Zoeos government being a theocracy.
It just so happens that there's a dungeon under the temple, though the entrance to it is well hidden.
NPCs thus far:
Potentate of the temple: the head priest and administrator. He has yet to be seen 'on screen' though he has been referred to.
Regent Zachius: And elderly human with a coppery complexion and deep-set wrinkles, the sort of face one expects of a person who has spent a great deal of time in the sun smiling. He's a kind old fellow who is in charge of the Court of Meeting.
Regent Stephen: A younger human who smells rather distinctly of wolf. He's in charge of the dungeons of the temple and seems to be a rather caring and compassionate fellow. It's his job to bring the cases of prisoners before the Potentate.
Regent Thadeus: One of the priests who aids in minor upkeep in the temple proper. He usually isn't seen outside the temple and since his position doesn't put him in much contact with the common folk he tends to be somewhat aloof and judgmental. Also happens to be an elf. Those snooty elves!
Bognus Thundershield: a lay dwarf that operates the temple's teleporter, primarily from Trog's. Though people can be 'ported in from elsewhere as well. While it isn't commonly known, this device can send people over rather long distances, though it's somewhat inaccurate when doing so. Bognus is a bit gruff, though generally good natured. He speaks with a thick Scottish Dwarven accent.
Currently burned down Divinations (Player: happyturtle, Yellow Zone)
Not far from the city walls is a small shop which opened up soon after the war with Felina. Over the door hangs a painted sign.
http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/happyturtle-avs/hamsa-1.jpg
Divinations
Inside the air smells of dead things - musty and unpleasant. Ghavrion, a rather plain young man is behind the counter. (PM Happyturtle to interact with Ghavrion)
http://public5.tektek.org/img/av/0912/d04/0830/db0f761.png
Trollfinger, Ironpick & Greencheek, Mining & Engineering (Player: Morty, Blue Zone)
A run-down building near Trog's Tavern was bought by three goblin enterpreneurs with a large crew and now houses their mining and engineering company. Everyone who needs something dug, built, repaired or blown up is welcome.
The Temple of Dalachrech (Player: Earl of Purple, location pending)
The first room entered is a foyer. On the walls are red drapes with silver, two-tailed scorpions embroidered on to them, and next to the door is an ornate font. The granite font stands about waist height, and is a plinth with a bowl of unholy water. Winding around the font are carved centipedes. A door away from this chamber leads to the main prayer hall. This room also has drapes with the two-tailed scorpion device on the walls, and a red velvet carpet flanked by wooden pews leads to an altar at the far end. The altar is covered with red velvet, with a gold statue and red candles placed upon it. The statue depicts a demon with a centipede's body, a scorpion's tail with spinnerets next to the sting, a stag beetle's head and the claws of a praying mantis.
Warwick Works (player: happyturtle, Yellow Zone)
In the industrial area, a building is rented and has a new sign put out front.
W
Warwick Works
The building itself consists of a small office area in front and warehouses in back. There is no indication of what sort of business this is, but a certain cyborg with a satellite might recognize the logo and name.
Eternal Library - Across from Trog's (player-Eternal Drifter)
The First floor has bookshelf after bookshelf of various books, and a few tables in three corners, and a checkout counter. There is a fireplace leading upwards at the side opposite the door. All the books are stamped "Property of the Eternal Library," and have security devices on them. There is a security bar at the entrance of the building. In one corner is a stairwell leading upwards.
The Second Floor is a hallway with three rooms. One of them is a bathroom for public use. The other two are rooms with chairs and a large table in each, mainly for meetings. The larger of the two meeting rooms, "Space," has a fireplace.
The Third Floor is Drifter's personal residence, with all the necisities. This floor is private, officially only open to Drifter and those who have recived and invitation from him.
Drifter (played by Eternal Drifter) is the librarian. You are free to check out books as you wish, but be sure to actually have the books checked out before you leave... those who forget quite often find themselves at the receiving end of Drifter's glare and Magic Missile spell.
Emergency Bunkers
Eight bunker-like structures in a ring-like arrangement at about the midpoint between the walls (or the docks) and the center of the city have been completed.
The interior of each is rather dull, rather befitting a bunker, but there are underground areas beneath the visible bunkers. These are similarly dull and military-styled, but they also act as hospitals.
These are mostly designed with emergencies such as shelling in mind, and are usually closed.
Hastings and Sons Mortuary (player: Kid Kris, Yellow Zone)
Near one of the older parts of the city sits a large and somewhat dour building of brick and mortar, built in the traditional sense, with a metal plaque by the door that reads (predictably enough):
Hastings and Sons
MORTUARY
For the preparation of the dearly departed.
And indeed, should one go in one should find all the trappings of a conventional mortuary, including several large visitation rooms, run by this guy:
http://public5.tektek.org/img/av/1008/d05/2213/715a669.png (http://tektek.org/avatar/38746382)
Though of course, usually without the zombie there.
In recent times however, the true business of the resident Mortician has branched into a more heretical bent, offering certain services to the living impaired (more commonly known as the foul Undead). These start at simple healings and flesh grafts (the flesh occasionally obtained 'legitimately', when a body comes in for cremation and the Mortician gives them an urn full of wood-ash, but usually corpses are obtained through donations from customers or good old fashioned grave-robbing). But services can also range into body part replacement and augmentation for the undead who wishes his creator had seen fight to give him a giant lobster claw or retractable venomous spines, or even full body/flesh reconstruction for the self-conscious lich (or lich in disguise, though making your new flesh look like someone else usually costs extra) or the zombie in his golden years. These customers usually come in through the back door, where there is a plaque listing the full list of services. Though of course some are brazen enough to come through the front door anyway.
((PM if you wish to interact with the Mortician, as Kid Kris may not always check the thread.))
On the City's government
As the capital city of the Acronymian Empire, Inside is subject to its laws. They largely resemble modern-day laws*, with the exception of weapons control and small-scale vigilantism, as those would be extremely difficult to enforce. Vigilantism, however, once again becomes problematic when it causes more problems than it fixes.
Slavery is illegal in the Empire. This would be treated as a given (see above), but it has come up many times.
The Empire has also imposed a light tax on arms sales and a light-moderate one on imports. The latter grants much more funding than it normally would, thanks to the Empire's location in a nexus of realities-many goods, mundane and exotic, often pour into Inside and the greater Empire.
*DC may experiment with punishments, though, as he's aware that being unable to play a criminal character because they're stuck in jail for a realistic amount of time is no fun.
The title is a misnomer, of course. No doubt the moniker of this place was settled on after a brief conversation that started with, 'Wouldn't it be funny if...?'. But now the name has stuck.
But what is this place, you ask?
The city of Inside is the capital city of the nation known as the Acronymian Empire. The city was once the center of the Nexus, the dimensional anomaly that acts as a crossroads between any number of radically different worlds. Now, it is no longer the center, but still shows the influence of the Nexus.
Thanks to the Nexus, the cityscape is high in variety of architectural styles, varying tech levels factoring in to the myriad designs. Though the city is now relatively stable, it's still possible to find buildings of any number of architectural styles within it. Shopping malls lie beside medieval architecture, and futuristic towers rise alongside old cathedrals.
The city is surrounded by defensive walls, with an artificially and accidentally created moat outside the walls. A gap in the walls and a bridge allow for entrance into the city proper, the main gate opening up to welcome newcomers Inside.
-The constant storms have ceased.
-K-Corp has spontaneously exploded.
Rules and locations in the spoiler. Please Spoiler any fan service written in this thread. Thank you.
All standard forum rules apply here, as do the godmodding rules generally agreed upon on this sub-forum.
Locations
PM Darkcomet to have a new location placed in this registry.
A note on the 'Zones'.
The Blue Zone is the area of the greatest Imperial presence, housing the Imperial Army and ISF HQs and boasting the greatest concentration of Imperial influence. Physically, it's located in the center of the city.
The Yellow Zone has some Imperial influence, but it's not as significant, so crime rates there are higher than in the Blue Zone. The Yellow Zone is physically located at the outskirts of the city, with the justification of having to keep an eye on what's coming in and out of the city, and thus the main concentrations of Imperial influence in the Yellow Zone are at the docks and city gates.
The Null Zone is around midway between Yellow and Blue, and lacks much Imperial influence. Despite this, it's largely a quiet environment.
Perhaps it is because the Red Zone, a blemish on the otherwise neatly-organized Zones, is essentially a fancy term for the crime infested slums? Who knows! The Red Zone is essentially just the slums, independent of the neat physical arrangement of the others, though DC imagines it's around Null/Yellow, physically, since it wouldn't make all that much sense for the Red Zone to be right on top of ISF HQ of all things. This is where you go if you're trying to escape the prying eyes of the Empire in Inside.
Imperial Bases
Acro-Imperial Army HQ (Blue Zone)
The Imperial Army HQ itself is a massive dome-like structure in the center of the city. The building itself is fairly standard at ground level, but going up from there is when you reach the dome. The dome is the focus of the visible structure, and is capable of housing one of the Empire's oh-so-loved airships.
The main building itself also has underground portions, as it's not like the rest could contain everything a building of this purpose needs.
This building, however, has concrete walls surrounding it at a sizable distance in a square shape, with gates in the center of each segment. The walls have rapid-fire laser turrets mounted at corners and on each side of each gate. Interlopers beware!
ISF HQ (Blue Zone)
The ISF HQ is a fairly standard military-esque compound used as the main base of the Empire's 'police force' of sorts for the city of Inside. Originally the Empire's main base, it has since taken on a somewhat less significant role.
The main building features a large garage used for landspeeders and APCs.
This base is surrounded by electric fences rather than concrete walls, though the gates are in similar positions to the main Imperial Army HQ.
Acro-Imperial Civil Government Complex (Blue Zone)
The main center of the Empire's central government is an odd complex composed of five main structures.
The more notable four are a group of futuristic, utopian-looking towers arranged in the shape of a Y, with the tower taking the position of the center joint being significantly taller than the outer three towers, by about 40% of the other towers' height. This is harder to make out than it seems, however, due to the odd nature of the fifth 'structure'.
This one is actually surrounding the lower two-thirds of the outer three towers, with all four appearing to be coming out of it from the outside. It resembles an odd set of walls, following along the Y-arrangement of the towers. These 'walls' are in the shape of a highly irregular hexagon. The top side, with the two points of the top of the Y within, is fairly long, with two shorter segments heading downward at an obtuse angle from them. These are very short, and two more long wall segments soon move downward and inwards, speaking from a bird's-eye view, ending a bit after the edge of the bottom tower in the Y-arrangement. A final long segment links these two ends.
However, the 'walls' are not merely walls, but actually enclose the area around the towers, with their own roof. The four towers seemingly erupt out of the top of this structure, while they do actually have the rest of them beneath it. The wall-like structure is built around the towers, linking to them at certain points. The structure is not merely that shape described previously with a flat roof, however-the walls reach to a certain point, then slant upwards and inwards, again from a bird's-eye view. The upward slant stops at the edges of the outer three towers, and from there now forms a flat area, this flatness marred only by the towers.
There are three main entrances to the odd complex, each at the center and bottom of one of the longer wall segments. These are oversized sliding doors, essentially. Each is a long, dull metal slab in appearance. When the entrance is open, these are drawn upward into the wall-structure, and when closed, they drop back down like blast doors.
The complex is guarded by normal military and ISF elements alike, landspeeders patrolling the ground outside with the silent gunships patrolling the skies above. The main soldiers guarding the area are ISF troopers, as they are more specialized for urban warfare. Several rapid-fire pulse laser turrets (laser chaingun turrets, essentially) are mounted on the slanted portions of the outer structure, with a single heavy turbolaser turret mounted at the upper central area of each slanted area of the longer sides.
There are two enclosed bridge-like structures linking each of the three outer towers to the main building. The lower one is within the wall-esque structure, and the upper one is visible from the outside, linking the upper areas of the outer towers with the main, central one. To avoid confusion, there are two of these per outer tower, putting the total count at six.
Imperial Docks (Yellow Zone)
These rather typical drydocks hold the Imperial naval fleet. Due to its relative lack of size, the Imperial Navy falls under the Imperial Army's authority.
Evolution Electronics and Power Headquarters + Factory (Player: Darkcomet, Blue Zone)
The headquarters of the company known as Evolution Electronics and Power is a fairly standard-looking modern-day tower in appearance, not quite reaching the level of skyscraper.
The company owns a large factory nearby, used in production of its MACE units, and potentially other products, should it be desired.
Retail outlets for Evolution's products are scattered around the city.
Trader's Trove (Player: EleventhHour, Null Zone)
A large, crashed starship lies in what was once a park, now ruined by its crash.
The ship is very strange to most, resembling Gothic architecture, particularly cathedrals, in appearance, while at the same time being a spacefaring craft. Or, rather, a former spacefaring craft.
The ship remains in use, however. The owner is a Rogue Trader, and is currently using the ship as a shop.
Erin's Emporium (Player: The Bushranger, Yellow Zone)
Construction Gnomes have been hard at work renovating a small store along one of the various merchantile roads. Well, it was small. Now it's bigger on the inside.
And filled with every sort of weaponry imaginable, from across the multiverse. From blaster carbines to P-90s, surface-to-air missiles to ballistas, zats to nunchucks, they're all here.
Is that a siege crossbow sitting in the corner?
The Misspelled Cemetary (Null Zone)
It's the rain that makes for the perfect atmosphere.
Since the party left the well lit cobbles lanes of the Market Streets the sky has opened up upon our intrepid band of adventurers with a vengeance. The wind howls through barren trees as the rain descends in sheets. The heavens are split by a ribbon of lightning and a roar of thunder.
A massive cast iron gate surrounds this place of once hallowed ground. Yes, hallowed once but no longer. The earth appears dead. Rotten. A phosphorescent green fog creeping along the ground. Misshapen fungus and molds clinging to crumbling monuments. Corpses exposed on the surface, half-eaten with decay.
The gate creeks open of its own accord as the party nears.
And above the gate, in rusted iron letters, reads:
The Misspelled Cemetary
Currently in use as the base of operations of The Most Secret Ebon Mirror (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8630837&postcount=55). (Played by Lord Iames Osari).
MagMart (Player: Lord Magtok, Blue Zone)
An absurd mash-up of K-Mart, Wall-Mart, Target, and every other vile retail chain, MagMart is staffed by an unswervingly loyal Magbots, lobotomized talking cats that are too brain-dead to know any better, several voodoo spirits, and a pickle jar that everyone insists is a sentient being that only communes with those who truly believe in it.
Here you can find everything from curtains to carpets, macaroni to monkeys on motorcycles, groceries to zombies. The staff is always happy to help (or else), and if you aren't entirely satisfied with your shopping experience, you can pay a small fee to watch the MagMart employee of your choosing get fired out the MagMart complimentary employee morale cannon.
Pontius' Custom Constructs (Player: Earl of Purple, Null Zone)
The caravan of 6 wagons (I never said 3! Well, I did, but still.) arrives at a warehouse, previously for sale. The gnomes lead the golems and other constructs inside, and get to work. The warehouse has an open yard at the main entrance, and several golems, like crude figures of worked stone or wood, stand in the yard. A gnome wearing an apron over smart-yet-practical artesan's clothes and puts a sign up.
Pontius's Custom Constructs
Golems of Any Material* at Unbelievably Low Prices!!!**
You Won't Find a Golem, Gargoyle, Guardian or Homonculus Cheaper!!***
Come Now and Buy 1 Get 1 Full Price!!!****
*Flesh has an additional charge. **Define 'low'. ***Except at our competitors. ****Terms and conditions apply.
Sanctuary Fortress of Zoemaytare (Player: Rebonack, Blue Zone)
Like so many other prominent buildings in Town, or not so prominent buildings for that matter, this place seemed to pop up out of nowhere over night.
Buildings are like mushrooms in Town. Probably spread via spores, too.
Regardless, here it is. A rather sizable campus marble hewn from the mountains some distance away. Carved and hauled here near the edge of the slums where they were no doubt assembled. Though... no one can quite place a finger on when this happened.
Though the buildings aren't of only cold hard stone, no. There are timbers as well. Not what one might expect, however. They seem almost organic. As though they had grown into place rather than being hewn.
Oddness aside, the temple is arranged in a rather interesting fashion. Several concentric wall and courtyards ending in a central temple.
The outer wall is lower than the rest, each tier of the temple built onto higher ground like a wedding cake. Each wall is topped with a roof supported on the inside by pillars, creating a sheltered walkway. The exact use of these porches depends on the section of the temple one happens to be in.
Anyone is allowed entry through the first wall and into the first court, the Court of Meeting. Beyond the second wall only worshipers of Zoemaytare are allowed admittance to the second court, the Court of the Blessed. Beyond the third wall only the priests are allowed, where they carry out holy rituals within the temple itself.
The Court of Meeting is dedicated to service of those the worshipers of Zoemaytare dwell among. Food is prepared for the hungry here and given out without expectation of recompense. Those without a place to lay their head are allowed to sleep within the porch. The grounds beyond the porch are devoted to a wondrous garden boasting vibrancy and spectacular color. This are is always comfortably warm and brimming with life. Wounds heal faster as the body is refreshed. Undead creatures will find that remaining here is decidedly uncomfortable.
The sky above the temple seems to be perpetually clear, filled with pleasant sunlight in the day and cloaked with gossamer stars at night. Benches are set up here and there, under trees with hanging branches and above fragrant shrubbery. A lively stream flows endlessly in a circuit about the Court, spilling into several larger pools and meandering up a small outcrop of stone before cascading back down the other side.
This section of the temple is tended by members of the faith. Not priests, though devote. They can be found tending the garden and serving warm food. When in service to the temple these devotees wear a white linen ephod bearing the symbol of a willow tree, ornately rendered in blue thread. They'll be more than happen to answer any questions. Priests tend to have stricter ceremonial garb, including a blue tunic and white robe in addition to the ephod.
Welcome, traveler. May you be more blessed when you leave than when you came.
New information that isn't readily noticeable at first glance at the temple will be added here.
The temple grounds are protected by a dampening field that blocks unauthorized teleporation and dimensional shifting. The place is something of a fortress after all. Being able to pop in and out at will would defeat the purpose.
Zoemaytare isn't a god of (fill in the black) but rather the patron and protector of her people. As such, her domain, if she even has one, is over all that her people do. The people in question are collectively known as the Zoeos, and this particular temple is their first major venture into Town. At present their stated goal is to set up trade relations and aid the city. This is ministered through the temple on account of the Zoeos government being a theocracy.
It just so happens that there's a dungeon under the temple, though the entrance to it is well hidden.
NPCs thus far:
Potentate of the temple: the head priest and administrator. He has yet to be seen 'on screen' though he has been referred to.
Regent Zachius: And elderly human with a coppery complexion and deep-set wrinkles, the sort of face one expects of a person who has spent a great deal of time in the sun smiling. He's a kind old fellow who is in charge of the Court of Meeting.
Regent Stephen: A younger human who smells rather distinctly of wolf. He's in charge of the dungeons of the temple and seems to be a rather caring and compassionate fellow. It's his job to bring the cases of prisoners before the Potentate.
Regent Thadeus: One of the priests who aids in minor upkeep in the temple proper. He usually isn't seen outside the temple and since his position doesn't put him in much contact with the common folk he tends to be somewhat aloof and judgmental. Also happens to be an elf. Those snooty elves!
Bognus Thundershield: a lay dwarf that operates the temple's teleporter, primarily from Trog's. Though people can be 'ported in from elsewhere as well. While it isn't commonly known, this device can send people over rather long distances, though it's somewhat inaccurate when doing so. Bognus is a bit gruff, though generally good natured. He speaks with a thick Scottish Dwarven accent.
Currently burned down Divinations (Player: happyturtle, Yellow Zone)
Not far from the city walls is a small shop which opened up soon after the war with Felina. Over the door hangs a painted sign.
http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/happyturtle-avs/hamsa-1.jpg
Divinations
Inside the air smells of dead things - musty and unpleasant. Ghavrion, a rather plain young man is behind the counter. (PM Happyturtle to interact with Ghavrion)
http://public5.tektek.org/img/av/0912/d04/0830/db0f761.png
Trollfinger, Ironpick & Greencheek, Mining & Engineering (Player: Morty, Blue Zone)
A run-down building near Trog's Tavern was bought by three goblin enterpreneurs with a large crew and now houses their mining and engineering company. Everyone who needs something dug, built, repaired or blown up is welcome.
The Temple of Dalachrech (Player: Earl of Purple, location pending)
The first room entered is a foyer. On the walls are red drapes with silver, two-tailed scorpions embroidered on to them, and next to the door is an ornate font. The granite font stands about waist height, and is a plinth with a bowl of unholy water. Winding around the font are carved centipedes. A door away from this chamber leads to the main prayer hall. This room also has drapes with the two-tailed scorpion device on the walls, and a red velvet carpet flanked by wooden pews leads to an altar at the far end. The altar is covered with red velvet, with a gold statue and red candles placed upon it. The statue depicts a demon with a centipede's body, a scorpion's tail with spinnerets next to the sting, a stag beetle's head and the claws of a praying mantis.
Warwick Works (player: happyturtle, Yellow Zone)
In the industrial area, a building is rented and has a new sign put out front.
W
Warwick Works
The building itself consists of a small office area in front and warehouses in back. There is no indication of what sort of business this is, but a certain cyborg with a satellite might recognize the logo and name.
Eternal Library - Across from Trog's (player-Eternal Drifter)
The First floor has bookshelf after bookshelf of various books, and a few tables in three corners, and a checkout counter. There is a fireplace leading upwards at the side opposite the door. All the books are stamped "Property of the Eternal Library," and have security devices on them. There is a security bar at the entrance of the building. In one corner is a stairwell leading upwards.
The Second Floor is a hallway with three rooms. One of them is a bathroom for public use. The other two are rooms with chairs and a large table in each, mainly for meetings. The larger of the two meeting rooms, "Space," has a fireplace.
The Third Floor is Drifter's personal residence, with all the necisities. This floor is private, officially only open to Drifter and those who have recived and invitation from him.
Drifter (played by Eternal Drifter) is the librarian. You are free to check out books as you wish, but be sure to actually have the books checked out before you leave... those who forget quite often find themselves at the receiving end of Drifter's glare and Magic Missile spell.
Emergency Bunkers
Eight bunker-like structures in a ring-like arrangement at about the midpoint between the walls (or the docks) and the center of the city have been completed.
The interior of each is rather dull, rather befitting a bunker, but there are underground areas beneath the visible bunkers. These are similarly dull and military-styled, but they also act as hospitals.
These are mostly designed with emergencies such as shelling in mind, and are usually closed.
Hastings and Sons Mortuary (player: Kid Kris, Yellow Zone)
Near one of the older parts of the city sits a large and somewhat dour building of brick and mortar, built in the traditional sense, with a metal plaque by the door that reads (predictably enough):
Hastings and Sons
MORTUARY
For the preparation of the dearly departed.
And indeed, should one go in one should find all the trappings of a conventional mortuary, including several large visitation rooms, run by this guy:
http://public5.tektek.org/img/av/1008/d05/2213/715a669.png (http://tektek.org/avatar/38746382)
Though of course, usually without the zombie there.
In recent times however, the true business of the resident Mortician has branched into a more heretical bent, offering certain services to the living impaired (more commonly known as the foul Undead). These start at simple healings and flesh grafts (the flesh occasionally obtained 'legitimately', when a body comes in for cremation and the Mortician gives them an urn full of wood-ash, but usually corpses are obtained through donations from customers or good old fashioned grave-robbing). But services can also range into body part replacement and augmentation for the undead who wishes his creator had seen fight to give him a giant lobster claw or retractable venomous spines, or even full body/flesh reconstruction for the self-conscious lich (or lich in disguise, though making your new flesh look like someone else usually costs extra) or the zombie in his golden years. These customers usually come in through the back door, where there is a plaque listing the full list of services. Though of course some are brazen enough to come through the front door anyway.
((PM if you wish to interact with the Mortician, as Kid Kris may not always check the thread.))
On the City's government
As the capital city of the Acronymian Empire, Inside is subject to its laws. They largely resemble modern-day laws*, with the exception of weapons control and small-scale vigilantism, as those would be extremely difficult to enforce. Vigilantism, however, once again becomes problematic when it causes more problems than it fixes.
Slavery is illegal in the Empire. This would be treated as a given (see above), but it has come up many times.
The Empire has also imposed a light tax on arms sales and a light-moderate one on imports. The latter grants much more funding than it normally would, thanks to the Empire's location in a nexus of realities-many goods, mundane and exotic, often pour into Inside and the greater Empire.
*DC may experiment with punishments, though, as he's aware that being unable to play a criminal character because they're stuck in jail for a realistic amount of time is no fun.
The title is a misnomer, of course. No doubt the moniker of this place was settled on after a brief conversation that started with, 'Wouldn't it be funny if...?'. But now the name has stuck.
But what is this place, you ask?
The city of Inside is the capital city of the nation known as the Acronymian Empire. The city was once the center of the Nexus, the dimensional anomaly that acts as a crossroads between any number of radically different worlds. Now, it is no longer the center, but still shows the influence of the Nexus.
Thanks to the Nexus, the cityscape is high in variety of architectural styles, varying tech levels factoring in to the myriad designs. Though the city is now relatively stable, it's still possible to find buildings of any number of architectural styles within it. Shopping malls lie beside medieval architecture, and futuristic towers rise alongside old cathedrals.
The city is surrounded by defensive walls, with an artificially and accidentally created moat outside the walls. A gap in the walls and a bridge allow for entrance into the city proper, the main gate opening up to welcome newcomers Inside.