1001 Mythic Cities

[greyscale1]

The 'help me describe cities' thread got me thinking.

And I think 1001 threads are one of the most entertaining and useful D&D things on the webternet, so lets go.

Edit: That is FICTIONAL CITIES YOU HAVE USED AND VISITED IN YOUR GAMES + A LITTLE DESCRIPTION.

1001 Cool Cities:

1. Dar'es'Balat (might have ripped the name from Dune, no longer sure):

A Dragonborn city built into the walls of a massive ravine, a great river runs along the bottom of the ravine. The whole city I describe as smelling thick and rich with spices, lit constantly by massive bonfires in what look like huge iron woks hanging from wooden beams laid across the top of the canyon. It is a city of reds and oranges. Herb sellers, whorehouses, a dwarven mead-hall, debauchery is thick but the mood stays light. Several prostitutes have gathered, sitting on their haunches and listening to a smiling paladin of Bahamet, flagon of mead in one proselytizing hand, the other gesticulating wildly. At the bottom of the ravine on the shores of the river is another city, Sanlaash, sister of Dar'es'Balat. Sanlaash is a halfling trade city, and is painted in more somber tones. The smell of the sea is always fresh here, as many boats sail up the river that leads to the ocean and moor in the ravines safe harbors; great water filled caves that were cut eons ago into the canyon walls at the base of the river. Sanlaash is almost all business, while a spralling city in and of itself, it has almost no non-laboring residents.

2. Karish

A great obsidian fortress sticks out of the Westfens like a broken ogres tooth. From far away the city of Karish is a fearsome sight. However, once you get up close to the city, its a different story. Many of the obsidian walls of the fortress have been painted over by young children, most of the interior and exterior walls have been painted in great strokes of bright colors. The obsidian walls dont hold pigment well however, so you often see flocks of children lead by their schoolteachers out into the marsh to gather flowers and berries, then heading back and slathering the parapets with fluffy clouds and crudely drawn stick figures holding hands. It is said that Karish was once a fortress of the shadar'kai in ancient days. Those days are long gone, and the terrible fortress of Karish is now filled with the heady smells of swampfruit, ale, and flowers.

Go go go!

 

[greyscale1]

Come on now, I know this place is full of DMs who are proud of their cities and players who remember falling off of spectacular vistas in a drunken haze!

 

[howandwhy99]

2. Rome
3. Babylon
4. Alexandria
5. Moscow
6. London
7. Paris
8. Machu Picchu
9. The Forbidden City of Imperial China
10. Sparta
11. Atlantis

These are mythic to me. And many more.

 

[greyscale1]

Er, I guess I should just assume you misunderstood the point of the thread.

Editing first post to better reflect what this thread is about.

Edit: Here's some more content!

3. Lum

The massive city of Lum is filled with technical marvels, towers that scrape the sky, carts that drive themselves, magical conveniences beyond measure. However, Lum is unlike any other city in one other, even more fundamental way. Lum is a city entirely of undead. In ages long past, when the sky ripped open and maddening radiance shone through, mankind was forced to do anything he could to survive. The ultimate solution, however, was hardly pleasant. Lum was encased in a massive bubble of potent negative energy, and 3/4ths of the residents were willingly turned to stone, while the other fourth (mostly scholars and rulers) underwent a passage into undeath, determined to find a way to close the tear in the sky. To this day they have been unsuccessful, and under the stress of ages, most of the technical marvels of Lum have ceased to opperate, leaving the city utterly silent, massive, and nigh deserted except by an occasionally long dead garden filled with oddly realistic statues of families embracing, people lying on the long dead grass, head in hand, and people standing, looking ever skyward. Far from these heart wrenching statue parks are the remaining researchers, working night and day without need for rest - futilely.



There were so many responses for the other 1001 threads! Come on guys I know damn well that you are proud of your creations, as you should be! Fallen Seraph, Rechan, I'm looking at you. I have heard hints about your campaigns and they sound awesome, I want to hear some of that.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

3) city of Dusk

This city is ruled by the powerful Vampire Lord Thomas De'ark'angelo and His Wife the Pristess Demonica. The ripped a part of the shadow fell into the prime world, leading it to be a dusk to night perpetualy. It is a place of Comerce and trade, but it can be a dangerus place. Any dark ally could hold an undead monster, or a drow slaver, but that is half the fun.

4) The Crystal Towers

This city is on top of a messa. It is made of living grown crystals, and in the center is a large gyser that leads to a pocket of water on the elemental chaos. It sprays year round, and has lead to a constant mist in the air. It also created hundreds of mini waterfalls around the city. At dawn, High noon, and again at dusk this city is full of rainbow reflections off the water and towers.

5) The Iron Aries

This city is 25 toweres of steel wrapped in moss and plant growth. It was once skyscrappers, but time and nature have reclimed most of it. Humans and Dragonborn now live in the top layers of the aries, useing them as the ultimate high ground, with rope brdges conecting them. Many airships and Ornaathopters take off and land there, becuse ground travel is all but impossble. The lower floors are flooded, and almost half a mile out to sea.

 

[greyscale1]

I really like the crystal towers. Its funny, we both posted a city in constant artifical shadow at like the same time.

7. Din-Mara

This city is built into the great twilight peaks. The peaks are extremely difficult to pass even when well equipped, so the 'Great Gate City of Din-Mara' is really the ONLY way to get a large amount of troops through the mountains. The city is built on a layline of magic that allows clockwork constructions and golemns to be built and run significantly easier. It also allows for some very unique magical spells. The most potent of which disallows teleportation past the mountains when the great gate is closed. Thus effectively sealing off the only other option to cross the mountains. Whoever owns the city of Din-Mara is in a position of great strategic power.

The city itself is full of interesting little clockworks, and is known for its artificers, though most of their great works wouldn't last very long outside of the powerful city. Din-Mara is constructed like a circular step pyramid, each layer containing a different area of the city, the top being the 'Great Gate' itself.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Oh ! I've been called out

I'll crisscross various different campaigns of mine for these cities:

The City:

This enormous city is built upon and supported by a massive black monolith that has sunken deep into the plains that surround it. Gaping tubes and thick wires entangle the monolith and the plains around it, drawing out the energy following within to power the city. Massive amounts of cabling wind out like spider-webbing to other cities in the world.

This city is a mess of structures; the lower-city is a crumbling ruin of buildings cramped together to form a kind of living foundation to the city above, the huge pipes that draw energy throughout the city wind their way through it like massive black snakes.

The upper city is a causeway of glass and steel skyscrapers and reality-shifting pockets that light it with a hazy green glow. Billboards display moving images as they play back scenes of other realities and the skyscrapers themselves seem to shift as the various contraptions that keep the impossible structures stable in this reality.

The City, and all others like it are ruled by a Aristocracy of Aberrations called Pandorans and Human Nobles.

Haven:

A city that has etched itself into the fabric of the Spirit World, this city is a constant reminder of what lays beyond.

The city is built upon a land that has weakened barriers to the Spirit World, thus allowing the citizens of the city to tap into its resources. Will-o-Whips light the city in small lanterns that are laid across the streets on lines. Ghosts are trapped as eternal servants to do menial tasks and other chores for those that can afford it.

With this however comes a price, many of the buildings are "weak zones", there exists duplicates within the Spirit World where one can easily shift into if they enter a building when it is united with its dark-brother. Possessed people are a common occurrence and conflicts with rebellious spirits cause a constant wail and moan around the city walls as magick and sigils blockade their path.

Maˤdān:

A city surrounded by fear, folklore and the murky swampland and rising mud and gravel dunes of the "marsh desert". It is a city of decay and disorder.

Ruined minirets, temples and castles dyed green with mould and algae serve as the base of the city. Around this crumbling ruin lies the true city, wooden and mud structures supported on poles and walkways cover the majority of the city. Trinkets, tokens and relics deck every doorway and door.

The environment is a constant plague upon the city. Buildings, fabric and even the people combat mould and algae growth, constant rain and haze causes even the most resolute to grow miserable. Quicksand is a invisible threat swallowing sections of the city as the ancient dunes underneath lose their solid foundation.

A constant reminider of the superstition of the city is the open and common practise of ritual-magick and the wearing or use of crossroads in daily life. A agreement is usually for example signed upon a crossroads in the city.

London: (Alternative Earth):

The basic setting of London hasn't changed much from the London we know of the Victorian period, however somethings have changed radically.

The use of technology has radically altered. The phone, movie, etc. are all powered from a combination of necromancy and technology; vocal chords and ears make up the basis of the phone with a undead conglomerate of arms as a operator. Carriages are pulled by undead horses, or only their legs. Full necromatic body-changes is a common practise and animals replaced with human brains is becoming a increasingly popular fad.

Flesh-prostitutes literally sell their bodies for those who cannot afford the best necromancers, crudely sawing off their own limbs to replace missing ones for their clients. The streets they commute are usually commonly cleaned by massive blobs of flesh and mouths that eat any filth in its path.

Necromancers rule the city under a interconnected network of nerves that tie them to every facet of the city through a series of wires that protect these fragiel unraveled nerves.

 

[greyscale1]

I knew you needed to get called out!

Mind giving the phonetic pronunciation of that last city?

My mind wants to read it like Mai Dahn

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I honestly don't know, it is the name for what are called "Marsh Arabs" (they which is a influence for the campaign/city.

Oh and added a additional city below that one too.