Aterat Mod Account (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ateratmods) wrote2021-08-03 05:50 pm
ateratmods) wrote2021-08-03 05:50 pm
The City of Aterat
The City of Aterat
The City of Aterat and its environs serve as the last (and evidently only) bastion of civilization in a world mostly shattered by some as yet unnamed calamity. As such, most activity centers around the city itself, and while mountains are visible in the distance to the west and while a seemingly endless ocean spans to the east, the horizon ends in impenetrable fog.
The city itself is an odd assortment of architectures, ranging anywhere from ancient Greek to post-modern, as the city has grown from the collective energies of those who've called it home, either long or short term, in the time since it was rebuilt by the Aspects. While the architecture is eclectic, and the technology in the communicators almost out of place, the most common level of technology is late Victorian. While some structures are powered by electric light (with seemingly no source), most of the streets are lit by gaslamps, there are no automobiles, and while flintlock pistols can be found, any modern handguns would have had to come along with a lucky resident.
While there are oxen and horses, the most common beast of burden is the chocobo, a large, flightless bird that comes in various colors. They are of gentle temperament and most keep them as life-long companions.
If viewed from above, the city's organization leaves much to be desired, giving the appearance of having been assembled at different times, though it is roughly gathered around the Central Square and fans out from there. The Central Square is home to a towering fountain with stairs and portals leading to the offices of the Aspects, around which are several benches and at any given time of the day, buskers can be found there plying their trade and hoping for a few coins to be tossed their way. There are also street vendors peddling street foods.
Canals run throughout the city, both irrigating the various small parks to be found throughout the city and carrying waste out to the sea to the east. Throughout its various grow spurts, the walls surrounding the city expand. They stand tall, protecting the interior from invasion from without, though what it's protecting from exactly had yet to be revealed.
To the north stretch seemingly endless plains that fade into fog. To the west, plains that contain Chocobo ranches, a fast track, a sprawling natural park with a lake, and a combat arena (more on the area here). To the south is verdant land dotted with farms and windmills, and a deep thicketed forest beyond the locals warn shouldn't be traversed at night, and of which they warn their children to stay away. You can read more on the Forest here.
This is the square in which all arrivals appear. At the center is a grand, multi-tiered fountain from which flows the purest water one might ever encounter. It also happens to be connected to the same water flow from which all citizens get their water. Upon each tier is an archway large enough for a person to walk through, as has been demonstrated, and it can be assumed they're all portals of some variety, though only one seems to function with any sort of regularity. If one works, though, it serves to reason the others might activate as well...or could be activated. The square is also a central point for culture, much like a park. There is seating, a small gazebo for quiet outdoor reclining. Street performers accept coins for performances, cup game performers work to swindle you out of your coin, and minor artisans peddle their goods such as glass jewelry.
Just to the north of the Fountain Square can be found the Residences and the Historium.
Located just off the North of the square around which stand the four buildings to which all characters are assigned upon arrival, the stone edifice of the Historium is enormous, but plain. Once inside, however, characters are overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the place. Walls from floor to ceiling covered in books, curling hallways that seem to go on forever, tables littered throughout and comfortable seating dominates the interior of the building, and just at the center, across from the entrance, stands a charming statue of a gentleman, at whose feet is the plaque "Percy".
"Ask and you shall be answered" is inscribed just below the name, and those adventurous enough to simply speak into the void will be rewarded with a treat: the spirit of a man closely resembling the statue will appear, helpful to retrieve whatever you might be searching for. If you'd like to thread out this interaction with the Custodian, you may do so by replying here. Note: if you would like to obtain a specific text from home, please use the like to thread out a chat with Percy.
Found West of the Arrival Point and the Fountain Square, the Market District is arguably the most bustling area of the City. At its center lies an open-air market around a small grassy park. It is also home to larger, almost retail-like establishments that surround it in a gathered way, as though this area of the city had been arranged by a small child playing at architect. There is an entrance to the city sewers to be found here as well, to the far west of the district, but the gated entry point is locked and chained and the heavy padlock seems to resist all attempts to pick it.
The Open-Air Market seems to be the focal point of the Market District as a whole. Its stalls are arranged in a haphazard circle around a small grassy noll on which, on sunny days, individuals and small family units can be found sharing lunch in the sunshine. While there are several stalls occupied by jewelers, spice merchants, greengrocers, and fishmongers, there are also several that stand empty, ready to receive the goods of the next eager merchant. Meandering through the crowd, which gathers daily on clear days, are hawkers of treats and the like.
For more information on businesses and locations, player-run or otherwise, that exist in the Market District or elsewhere in the city, click here!
The Market Streets diverge out in all directions from the central market square and are home to various establishments, including a highly reputable tavern nestled along the main street leading from the Fountain Square in the east to the Market district. Various apartments and lofts are scattered about as well, and serve as homes to merchants, traders, messengers, and the like. Many shop fronts sit abandoned as well, or half-constructed, as though inviting curious and eager entrepreneurs to give them purpose, either again or for the first time.
In the far west of the Market District, hunkered near the base of the city walls at the end of an alley populated by stray cats who have grown fat from all the rats, and the occasional dog lies a curious shop run by an equally curious gnome who calls himself Raimon. He doesn't deal in the currency of the city proper, but for the right kind of coin, is willing to strike a bargain.
Raimon and his curio shop serve as the Bonus Activity Point shop, and can be found here!
Labyrinthin and multi-tiered, it's clear from entry that the sewers of The City are not regularly maintained. Littered with refuse from the bustle of life above, the dimly lit tunnels, crumbling in some places and threatening to collapse in others, reek of fetid vegetation and waste.
Waterways abound in the sewers, but there are a few landmarks with which to find your way. Creatures, for one, call the sewer home, and they tend to stay toward one area or another. In the western stretches that run beneath the Market District, one can find dire rats, kobolds (which are found throughout the sewers, except to the northeast), and giant roaches (also found throughout the sewers). To the north can be encountered massive crocodiles and deteriorating steps downward. A leathery, musky scent rises from the stairway which is also marked with what appear the be deliberate claw marks. A warning, perhaps?
To the southeast, beneath the docks district, things are much the same, though the smells are more putrid and even the locals warn you not to descend. They say a pack of wererats call the southeastern reaches of the sewers home, and to be bitten is to become one yourself.
The central facet of the district is the grand ballroom, and more can be found about it in the businesses section.
There is an abandoned ship, the Maiden's Mercy, moored at the dock, and if one walks far enough down the quay, they'll find an abandoned lighthouse as well.
The waters in the harbor, however, are teeming with life. There are shellfish such as shrimp to be found, as well as crabs of varying sizes, oysters, clams, and mussels. There are fish to be caught, and barnacles have encompassed many of the pylons of the docks. The water is murky with algae, which the sealife feeds on as well.
If one ventures beyond the seawall, though, they will see that the mist that appears to be on the horizon is actually much closer. Several hundred yards from the seawall, they will find a barrier reef which is home to hundreds, if not thousands, of kinds of life: giant eels larger than a man with electricity vibrating along their bodies, schools of fish, great stingrays, sea anemones, sea turtles, octopi, and more. Enormous sharks several times the length of a horse can be glimpsed as well, the verdant life living among the reef drawing the predators to supper.
A few yards beyond the reef, though, the water darkens such that even the most well-adapted eye cannot pierce it, and any who peer above the waves to investigate will find they've reached the wall of mist they spied from the shore.
The city itself is an odd assortment of architectures, ranging anywhere from ancient Greek to post-modern, as the city has grown from the collective energies of those who've called it home, either long or short term, in the time since it was rebuilt by the Aspects. While the architecture is eclectic, and the technology in the communicators almost out of place, the most common level of technology is late Victorian. While some structures are powered by electric light (with seemingly no source), most of the streets are lit by gaslamps, there are no automobiles, and while flintlock pistols can be found, any modern handguns would have had to come along with a lucky resident.
While there are oxen and horses, the most common beast of burden is the chocobo, a large, flightless bird that comes in various colors. They are of gentle temperament and most keep them as life-long companions.
If viewed from above, the city's organization leaves much to be desired, giving the appearance of having been assembled at different times, though it is roughly gathered around the Central Square and fans out from there. The Central Square is home to a towering fountain with stairs and portals leading to the offices of the Aspects, around which are several benches and at any given time of the day, buskers can be found there plying their trade and hoping for a few coins to be tossed their way. There are also street vendors peddling street foods.
Canals run throughout the city, both irrigating the various small parks to be found throughout the city and carrying waste out to the sea to the east. Throughout its various grow spurts, the walls surrounding the city expand. They stand tall, protecting the interior from invasion from without, though what it's protecting from exactly had yet to be revealed.
To the north stretch seemingly endless plains that fade into fog. To the west, plains that contain Chocobo ranches, a fast track, a sprawling natural park with a lake, and a combat arena (more on the area here). To the south is verdant land dotted with farms and windmills, and a deep thicketed forest beyond the locals warn shouldn't be traversed at night, and of which they warn their children to stay away. You can read more on the Forest here.
The Fountain Square
This is the square in which all arrivals appear. At the center is a grand, multi-tiered fountain from which flows the purest water one might ever encounter. It also happens to be connected to the same water flow from which all citizens get their water. Upon each tier is an archway large enough for a person to walk through, as has been demonstrated, and it can be assumed they're all portals of some variety, though only one seems to function with any sort of regularity. If one works, though, it serves to reason the others might activate as well...or could be activated. The square is also a central point for culture, much like a park. There is seating, a small gazebo for quiet outdoor reclining. Street performers accept coins for performances, cup game performers work to swindle you out of your coin, and minor artisans peddle their goods such as glass jewelry.Just to the north of the Fountain Square can be found the Residences and the Historium.
The Historium
Located just off the North of the square around which stand the four buildings to which all characters are assigned upon arrival, the stone edifice of the Historium is enormous, but plain. Once inside, however, characters are overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the place. Walls from floor to ceiling covered in books, curling hallways that seem to go on forever, tables littered throughout and comfortable seating dominates the interior of the building, and just at the center, across from the entrance, stands a charming statue of a gentleman, at whose feet is the plaque "Percy"."Ask and you shall be answered" is inscribed just below the name, and those adventurous enough to simply speak into the void will be rewarded with a treat: the spirit of a man closely resembling the statue will appear, helpful to retrieve whatever you might be searching for. If you'd like to thread out this interaction with the Custodian, you may do so by replying here. Note: if you would like to obtain a specific text from home, please use the like to thread out a chat with Percy.
The Market District
Found West of the Arrival Point and the Fountain Square, the Market District is arguably the most bustling area of the City. At its center lies an open-air market around a small grassy park. It is also home to larger, almost retail-like establishments that surround it in a gathered way, as though this area of the city had been arranged by a small child playing at architect. There is an entrance to the city sewers to be found here as well, to the far west of the district, but the gated entry point is locked and chained and the heavy padlock seems to resist all attempts to pick it.The Open-Air Market seems to be the focal point of the Market District as a whole. Its stalls are arranged in a haphazard circle around a small grassy noll on which, on sunny days, individuals and small family units can be found sharing lunch in the sunshine. While there are several stalls occupied by jewelers, spice merchants, greengrocers, and fishmongers, there are also several that stand empty, ready to receive the goods of the next eager merchant. Meandering through the crowd, which gathers daily on clear days, are hawkers of treats and the like.
For more information on businesses and locations, player-run or otherwise, that exist in the Market District or elsewhere in the city, click here!
The Market Streets diverge out in all directions from the central market square and are home to various establishments, including a highly reputable tavern nestled along the main street leading from the Fountain Square in the east to the Market district. Various apartments and lofts are scattered about as well, and serve as homes to merchants, traders, messengers, and the like. Many shop fronts sit abandoned as well, or half-constructed, as though inviting curious and eager entrepreneurs to give them purpose, either again or for the first time.
In the far west of the Market District, hunkered near the base of the city walls at the end of an alley populated by stray cats who have grown fat from all the rats, and the occasional dog lies a curious shop run by an equally curious gnome who calls himself Raimon. He doesn't deal in the currency of the city proper, but for the right kind of coin, is willing to strike a bargain.
Raimon and his curio shop serve as the Bonus Activity Point shop, and can be found here!
The Sewers
Labyrinthin and multi-tiered, it's clear from entry that the sewers of The City are not regularly maintained. Littered with refuse from the bustle of life above, the dimly lit tunnels, crumbling in some places and threatening to collapse in others, reek of fetid vegetation and waste.Waterways abound in the sewers, but there are a few landmarks with which to find your way. Creatures, for one, call the sewer home, and they tend to stay toward one area or another. In the western stretches that run beneath the Market District, one can find dire rats, kobolds (which are found throughout the sewers, except to the northeast), and giant roaches (also found throughout the sewers). To the north can be encountered massive crocodiles and deteriorating steps downward. A leathery, musky scent rises from the stairway which is also marked with what appear the be deliberate claw marks. A warning, perhaps?
To the southeast, beneath the docks district, things are much the same, though the smells are more putrid and even the locals warn you not to descend. They say a pack of wererats call the southeastern reaches of the sewers home, and to be bitten is to become one yourself.
Other Areas of the City
» The Noble District
Situation to the north of the Market district in the Northwestern quadrant of the city, the Noble District was obviously home to the elite at some point, though many of the stately homes here seemingly fallen into disuse. There are several well-to-do families to be found here, though, and suitably up-scale establishments to cater to them: tailors, seamstresses, upscale restaurants, and the like.The central facet of the district is the grand ballroom, and more can be found about it in the businesses section.
» The Harbor District
While the harbor district is teeming with all the shady dealings and houses of amusement one would associate with a trade hub, the harbor itself seems to have fallen into quite the amount of disrepair. Buildings housing ships are dilapidated, closing in upon themselves. What boats remain, for the most part, will never again be seaworthy, though there may be some salvageable parts to be found for the enterprising eye.There is an abandoned ship, the Maiden's Mercy, moored at the dock, and if one walks far enough down the quay, they'll find an abandoned lighthouse as well.
The waters in the harbor, however, are teeming with life. There are shellfish such as shrimp to be found, as well as crabs of varying sizes, oysters, clams, and mussels. There are fish to be caught, and barnacles have encompassed many of the pylons of the docks. The water is murky with algae, which the sealife feeds on as well.
If one ventures beyond the seawall, though, they will see that the mist that appears to be on the horizon is actually much closer. Several hundred yards from the seawall, they will find a barrier reef which is home to hundreds, if not thousands, of kinds of life: giant eels larger than a man with electricity vibrating along their bodies, schools of fish, great stingrays, sea anemones, sea turtles, octopi, and more. Enormous sharks several times the length of a horse can be glimpsed as well, the verdant life living among the reef drawing the predators to supper.
A few yards beyond the reef, though, the water darkens such that even the most well-adapted eye cannot pierce it, and any who peer above the waves to investigate will find they've reached the wall of mist they spied from the shore.