50 fantastical cities (or How writers block sunk my campaign world)

[BluWolf]

I am making a plea for help to probably one of the most creative communities on the web I know. I have been working on my campaign world for the past two years. Mostly focusing on (and play-testing) the mechanics for my little version of fantasy-reality. The crunchy stuff. All the while I have been creating and jotting down all the flavor stuff I can. The fluff. But I have hit a creative wall in the road and I need your help in breaking down the wall.

My home-brew is yet ANOTHER post-apocalyptic world and in this world there are 50 remaining great remnant cities from the long sundered Mage-Lord Empire that once spanned the globe. The cities are huge by medieval standards easily supporting some 100,000 people in each. I have created a few (for play-test purposes) but now I need to flesh the rest of them out. I’m working on the world map and I want to place them so I can start working on various regions. Each region will be influenced to a great extent by these remnant cities.

Here is what I have so far:

1) City name: Argos
Hook-major shipbuilding city built on a partially collapsed volcanic bubble.
2) City name: Odessa
Hook- city is built inside a huge freestanding plateau.
3) City name: Cairhor
Hook: City has modern irrigation technology. The center of the city is a gigantic pyramid where the ruler and government reside.
4) City name: Asgard
Hook: Barbarian city built in the middle of a vast lake. City has the world’s largest drawbridge
5) City name: Atlanta
City is built on a giant anchored platform like a modern day oilrig, out in the middle of the ocean. If we could build oilrigs that big.

Here is what I need. Each city obviously needs a name and a hook that makes it a little unique. The hook can be something magical or technological or even geographical. My world is slightly steam punk. The world used to be dominated by magically based technology but now the survivors have had to adapt a lot of the technology to work with out magic. This has resulted in crude forms of water and steam power. Probably on par with late 16th to early 17th century technology. The hooks can be fantastical. The more bizarre the better.

So I have 5 so far, I need help coming up with another 45!!!! Can you help a poor struggling home brewer????

 

[Johno]

Hey dude, this is too easy...

Stop a while and start breathing...

why does everything have to be so "huge" and "gigantic"?

Looking at fantastic locations;

Sky-city, Underwater-city, Frozen wasteland (tundra, northpole, glacier) city, City in orbit, city on moon, city deep in earth's crust, desert city. non-city city; it just appears to be a huge game reserve...

and then inhabitants: mutant cities; (aliens, giants, insectoids, whatever) cultural differences; (views on science, art, the role of the family...

methods of ruling; dictatorial, democratic, theocratic...

different technological levels, and levels of magic.

jeeze, what have you been spending two years doing? This is the kind of fluff stuff I like to get sorted out first...

 

[Mr Fidgit]

can you add more information about the world? like does the world;

still have magic? (if so, how much/how powerful, etc.)

have demi-human races?

have post-apoc monsters, or fantastical (D&D-type) beasties? (example: are there dragons?)

have active gods, or even active religons? (some post-apoc worlds don't deal with religons at all, and some (kind of ) replace them with cults/alliances, etc.)


is there any other info you'd like to add? (like what the tech was before the apocalypse?)


this may help with some city ideas!

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Salutations,

I like city-design, but I am too wordy for one hook

Here is a thread I discussed a couple evil city options:

Evil Cities

I discussed the light frame work of a possible wizard city in a hijack on the second page of:

What's up with all the 'evil' books lately?

Good luck with the homebrew!

FD

 

[BluWolf]

I know Johno. I'm laughing reading your post.

Its the writers block.

You ever look at a huge to do list and just go into brian freeze??? Thats me right now.

I have been doing more than just the crunchy stuff and the cities I have posted are actually very detailed. To include things like legal codes. I've also been working on religous orders, perstige classes, spells lists, domains, racial issues, writing advetures, DMing, playing...........

 

[Jeph]

6) City Name: Luna
Hook-City positioned on other celestial body (maybe moon or other planet), can only be reached by a portal at the tip of a great mountain
7) City Name: Terheim
Hook-City is located in a warren of burned out volcanic tunnels. Outposts are positioned hundreds of milies below the city as an advanced warning system, should the lava passages become active again.
8) City Name: Anaema
hook-City is completely automated. A relic from the ancient world, many of the mechanisms are still magical, but over half have been replaced with steam power. machines take care of everything from hydroponics to garbage collection, resulting in citizens that either work to maintain the machine or dont work at all.
9) City Name: Pristae
Hook-Prystae is was forged completely from glass. After the apocalypse, the citizens have added much non-pure material, but the city's central area is still perfect crystal.

Like 'em? just give a ring if you want a few more.

-Jeph

 

[BluWolf]

still have magic? (if so, how much/how powerful, etc.)

Yes. Before the Sundering(apocalyse) there were no Socerers. Now there are. Wizards still exist but wizardry is considered evil to varying degrees in most of the world. Some societies have outlawed it. Others treat it as a don't ask don't tell. So there are no (open) magical universities.

At the same time many people still use or benefit from magic. Some one can buy just about any magic in a remanant city. Some more open than others.

have demi-human races?

Yes. All the mainstays except gnomes. No Orcs. Orc is just a word for big goblin.

Hobgoblins are actually a intentionally genetically manipulated race of solders.

Plus planetouched races are more common than most settings. Not as common as planescape.

Mongrelman, genetic throw aways fro the Mage-Lords labs.

The Kindred. Anamorphs bred by the mag-lords.

have post-apoc monsters, or fantastical (D&D-type) beasties? (example: are there dragons?)

Yes there are dragons. All aborations are a result of the Sundering. So is the "Dire" consition of some animals.

Planar monsters such as demons and devils are more common as well as regular animals with elemental templates.

Cosntructs are much more common than the average world. Half-golem and clockwork templates are possible.

have active gods, or even active religons? (some post-apoc worlds don't deal with religons at all, and some (kind of ) replace them with cults/alliances, etc.)

The world is monothiestic with many competing religions and philosphies.

is there any other info you'd like to add? (like what the tech was before the apocalypse?)

The technology level prior to the Sundering was equivalent to late 18th century except entirely founded on magic. So food production and medicine was about equivalent.

Long distance tracel and communication was easy and safe do to gates and various flying apporatus. Probably more similar to the 1950s. Were mostly the rich and powerful and abundant access.

 

[GrayIguana]

Fantasy Hotel California??

I had this idea as I read your world. What if there were a city where the mage lords had created various golem/technical servants. These servants eventaully took over many roles of human society for thier masters (farming, hunting, food preparation, waste removal and ultimately defense). Perhaps the mage lords found a way of binding living spirits into their mechanical constructions. These advanced creations direct the more mundane constructs daily activities.

To an outsider the city is the home of a reclusive race who has not emerged in hundreds of years. Some trade may even be conducted by merchants who travel to the city (but never allowed in). The truth would be that the constructs have taken their masters prisoner in a twisted form of servitude. Generations of humans have lived and died here with few or none escaping to see the outside world. Perhaps the human population is shrinking and the higher thinking constucts devise a plan in which they add more humans to serve on occassion. So this wonderous city that appears mysterious and magical is in fact a trap for humanoids.
"You can check out any time you like but you can never leave" - The Eagles, Hotel Californai . . . I couldn't help using the quote.

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Re: Fantasy Hotel California??

"You can check out any time you like but you can never leave" - The Eagles, Hotel Californai . . . I couldn't help using the quote.

That is a clever idea, but why would they want more people?
What are they doing with the ones they have?
Turning them into grease?

Perhaps they are breaking down and they are hoping to attract someone they can force to fix their problem.

The only part of the process they know is how to transfer souls- and that is exactly what they do with any wizards they capture. They transfer them into one of their own that stopped moving a while ago.

FD

 

[Khorod]

For names, I suggest playing with TableSmith, it is real easy to find a table for city naming, or slap one together yourself if you have some particular sounds in mind.

1) Name: Koret
Hook: Humans have access to an abandoned dwarven community beneath the city, complete with Dwarven forges and the remnants of a mithril mine.

2) Name: Ambarsin
Hook: Built in the middle of a wasteland, the one safe highway through it goes by near them (along the water lines). The road connects three cities over a long distance. City has spies in the other two so they can no the plans of passing caravans and raid them.

3) Name: Fayrin
Hook: A magical mist from long ago appears at random at least once a month, petrifying everything it touches. Most of the surrounding forest is made of various types of stone. Most houses dedicated indoors section to gardens, particular multi-story ones. (Simple warding charm keeps the mist out of buildings).

4) Name: Cambria
Hook: City has an obsession with death. City palace was once the headquarters of an ancient knighthood. Some of the last of those ancient paladins are said to be resting in the catacombs, waiting to pull a King Arthur.

These are fun. Want more?