Help with city locations!
- Thread starter Morrus
- Start date
diaglo
Adventurer
inspiration for the idea came from the coffee cup i picked up off the street on the way to my car. the white foam stuff is called syfoam iirc. it was crushed and looked almost shell shaped.
4- Foundation of Expanded Thought
that might be mistaken for a psionics school though
that might be mistaken for a psionics school thoughCool.
I cant find it in the dictionary though -only foam. Interesting that it also reads the same as "sea-foam".
I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
dialgo said:
Styrofoam?
Hahaha, Syfoam is a good name for a seaside cave, though.
But this is a lake...hmm...
The Runnel: It's a great big trough of ick that empties into the lake a bit south of the city, the waste of the city all runs/is shoved here, and then it goes into the lake. It smells awful, and there's a lot of vile critters feeding on this run-off (in addition to more mundane gulls and algae and the like). But if someone has lost something, it might end up here...or if you're looking for something that someone else wants to loose...(a body? a cursed relic?)
diaglo
Adventurer
Jack7
First Post
A large city, by the sea, will be open to invasion.
So I suggest the following things for these sea-cities, as well as for some land-locked cities.
A system of fortifications along the waterline, or at least a system of long walls, intersecting each other, to prevent a direct approach from an landing or marine force. You could call it something as simple as the Longwalls as the Athenians did, or something like the Tesserae (the block, or the cube).
A cistern system. If the city were walled by land and fortified by sea to withstand a siege then it would need to assure a fresh water system. Ordinarily that would be the nearby river, but if invaded then the river could be diverted and the water cut off. You'd need an underground cistern system, in bedrock (maybe coated in marble, not a sandy foundation or of shale) that was at least partially filled at all times. Empty cisterns could be used for supply storage and even as secret escape passages or bunkers for VIPs. You could call such a cistern system something like, the Hularion, named after the architect who designed it. The Hularion would be an opens secret to the people of the city but not generally spoken of to foreigners.
A large city, which was thriving, would probably need a museum of some kind, probably attached to their library system. I am using the word museum not as it is used today, but as the Greeks used it. A museum was a place where one went to be inspired by the "Muses" and a vast number of things went on there, everything from repairing and inscribing scrolls and books, to the writing of plays, to the recording of history, to workshops for inventing new products and even to the invention of weapons or war and new types and methods of defense. You could call such a museum anything from the Luminaria to the Operatum. Or you could just call it the Museum.
The Refractory. This would be a large, interconnected series of polished mirrors and stelae covered in reflective crystal that would have two functions. If various pillars were struck simultaneously then the entire area could produce subsonic waves that could be channeled and funneled out to sea against enemy vessels. It would also have thousands of polished surfaces that could direct sunlight against enemy ships at harbor like one huge but multi-faceted magnifying gals, to set such ships afire before they could land or approach for docking.
A dyeing district, to make valuable cloth goods and perhaps also to take part in something like a silk trade. You could call it something like the Weal, or the Wister.
A industrial district, to help build inventions from the museum, and to help arm the Army and the Navy. You could call this something like the Endeavory.
A large market or bizarre (or series of them throughout the city) to help sell imported and exported items brought in by land and sea. You could name such markets after the nearby animals and products, such as the Fish Market, the Gull Market, the Bull Market, the Whale Market, the Grain Market, etc.
The Lines - these would be a series of copper or metallic lines, strung along poles in the air, or even buried underground. When stimulated with energy (such as magical force) they would vibrate and send out signals that could be received anywhere else such lines were strung. in that way imagine a city with a sister city ten miles away, or a sea-city with a garrison on an island just over the horizon. If such lines existed then they would be a sort of magical version of the telegraph. Maybe even a crude type of telephone. Unless the enemy knew what they were and how they operated you would not have to rely upon runners or horse riders to send urgent communications. And you could send message sin secret without much fear of interception or decoding.
You could achieve the same effect by building aqueduct type lines (maybe thorough an underground piping system) in which you could send written communications. Just place your message in a water tight container small enough not to jam your piping or water system and let the water flow deliver your message to the desired destination. Unless someone knew the message was being delivered in that way no one would suspect to inspect the water system for messages.
Anyway, I hope that helped.
So I suggest the following things for these sea-cities, as well as for some land-locked cities.
A system of fortifications along the waterline, or at least a system of long walls, intersecting each other, to prevent a direct approach from an landing or marine force. You could call it something as simple as the Longwalls as the Athenians did, or something like the Tesserae (the block, or the cube).
A cistern system. If the city were walled by land and fortified by sea to withstand a siege then it would need to assure a fresh water system. Ordinarily that would be the nearby river, but if invaded then the river could be diverted and the water cut off. You'd need an underground cistern system, in bedrock (maybe coated in marble, not a sandy foundation or of shale) that was at least partially filled at all times. Empty cisterns could be used for supply storage and even as secret escape passages or bunkers for VIPs. You could call such a cistern system something like, the Hularion, named after the architect who designed it. The Hularion would be an opens secret to the people of the city but not generally spoken of to foreigners.
A large city, which was thriving, would probably need a museum of some kind, probably attached to their library system. I am using the word museum not as it is used today, but as the Greeks used it. A museum was a place where one went to be inspired by the "Muses" and a vast number of things went on there, everything from repairing and inscribing scrolls and books, to the writing of plays, to the recording of history, to workshops for inventing new products and even to the invention of weapons or war and new types and methods of defense. You could call such a museum anything from the Luminaria to the Operatum. Or you could just call it the Museum.
The Refractory. This would be a large, interconnected series of polished mirrors and stelae covered in reflective crystal that would have two functions. If various pillars were struck simultaneously then the entire area could produce subsonic waves that could be channeled and funneled out to sea against enemy vessels. It would also have thousands of polished surfaces that could direct sunlight against enemy ships at harbor like one huge but multi-faceted magnifying gals, to set such ships afire before they could land or approach for docking.
A dyeing district, to make valuable cloth goods and perhaps also to take part in something like a silk trade. You could call it something like the Weal, or the Wister.
A industrial district, to help build inventions from the museum, and to help arm the Army and the Navy. You could call this something like the Endeavory.
A large market or bizarre (or series of them throughout the city) to help sell imported and exported items brought in by land and sea. You could name such markets after the nearby animals and products, such as the Fish Market, the Gull Market, the Bull Market, the Whale Market, the Grain Market, etc.
The Lines - these would be a series of copper or metallic lines, strung along poles in the air, or even buried underground. When stimulated with energy (such as magical force) they would vibrate and send out signals that could be received anywhere else such lines were strung. in that way imagine a city with a sister city ten miles away, or a sea-city with a garrison on an island just over the horizon. If such lines existed then they would be a sort of magical version of the telegraph. Maybe even a crude type of telephone. Unless the enemy knew what they were and how they operated you would not have to rely upon runners or horse riders to send urgent communications. And you could send message sin secret without much fear of interception or decoding.
You could achieve the same effect by building aqueduct type lines (maybe thorough an underground piping system) in which you could send written communications. Just place your message in a water tight container small enough not to jam your piping or water system and let the water flow deliver your message to the desired destination. Unless someone knew the message was being delivered in that way no one would suspect to inspect the water system for messages.
Anyway, I hope that helped.
Last edited:
RefinedBean
First Post
The Confectory: Once a simple sweets dealer, The Confectory has expanded to provide elite catering and celebration services to the city's wealthier inhabitants. Many of its employees are paid handsomely for the gossip they snatch from unknowing customers as they sample the delicious foodstuffs provided to them at parties.
Stinksquare: The nickname for the large factory that processes a large amount of the city's "garbage and runoff", the politest term its workers could find for the stuff. In turn the factory's secretive owner sells the distilled products (manure, various curing chemicals, and recycled paper) to various craftsmen and traveling merchants.
The Orphan's Hope: A low-rent housing area where many of the city's orphans are housed (and most likely forgotten), this series of crumbling buildings is used as a hideout for thieves, who use it for quick access to the sewers.
Stinksquare: The nickname for the large factory that processes a large amount of the city's "garbage and runoff", the politest term its workers could find for the stuff. In turn the factory's secretive owner sells the distilled products (manure, various curing chemicals, and recycled paper) to various craftsmen and traveling merchants.
The Orphan's Hope: A low-rent housing area where many of the city's orphans are housed (and most likely forgotten), this series of crumbling buildings is used as a hideout for thieves, who use it for quick access to the sewers.
Just a couple of notes:
1) It's on a lake, but it's not by the sea (as noted in my original post). I'm not sure where the "sea" idea came from. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the word "lighthouse".
2) I'm looking for the less-fantastical stuff. The campaign saga itself is full of fantastical stuff; this is more "padding" - colour and character.
There are some great suggestions so far! Thanks! Keep 'em coming!
1) It's on a lake, but it's not by the sea (as noted in my original post). I'm not sure where the "sea" idea came from. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the word "lighthouse".
2) I'm looking for the less-fantastical stuff. The campaign saga itself is full of fantastical stuff; this is more "padding" - colour and character.
There are some great suggestions so far! Thanks! Keep 'em coming!
Wik
First Post
Statue's Corner Found in the market district, this is a single stone slab that once held a statue of an ancient emperor, before riots saw the statue toppled over. The base for the statue remains, and it has become a sort of soapbox for local dissidents to voice their opinions. A peculiarity of local law states that individuals cannot be harmed for expressing their views while standing upon the statue's base (provided they do so in a non-violent manner), making this a popular locale for anarchists and rebels to explain their opinions and beliefs. The corner has become a gathering spot for many crowds, who bring soft fruits and rotten tomatoes to throw at some of the particularly "rotten fruits" (as they are sometimes called).
The Grates There is no sewer system in the city, but instead a series of tunnels that lead out to the lake. Individuals in the wealthy (higher) parts of town dump their effluent directly from their house, while those less well-off must carry their waste into the street and dump it into metal collecting grates. Individuals who commit crimes not worthy of execution or forced labour but demaning more than a simple fine (perhaps some forms of assault or minor theft) are chained directly beneath one of these grates - truly vindictive peasants have been known to "save up" their waste for when a particularly reviled criminal is chained within the grates.
Such criminals are always under guard by one or two recruits for the city watch, who are often bribed to "take a walk" while other dangerous liquids (such as acid) are poured upon stockaded criminals. The tunnels, which lead throughout the city (and into many of the homes of the wealthy) are sometimes prowled by truly desperate thieves.
The Floating Corpse The most infamous tavern in town, the "corpse" is actually a lake barge that has been converted into a floating tavern, with many of the holds converted into drinking halls, gambling dens, and private rooms. Most nights it remains moored to the docks, but every week or so the Corpse schedules a "night voyage" where it drops anchor some ways offshore where it is no longer subject to city laws (or taxes!). This, of course, is when the true fun begins.
The Grates There is no sewer system in the city, but instead a series of tunnels that lead out to the lake. Individuals in the wealthy (higher) parts of town dump their effluent directly from their house, while those less well-off must carry their waste into the street and dump it into metal collecting grates. Individuals who commit crimes not worthy of execution or forced labour but demaning more than a simple fine (perhaps some forms of assault or minor theft) are chained directly beneath one of these grates - truly vindictive peasants have been known to "save up" their waste for when a particularly reviled criminal is chained within the grates.
Such criminals are always under guard by one or two recruits for the city watch, who are often bribed to "take a walk" while other dangerous liquids (such as acid) are poured upon stockaded criminals. The tunnels, which lead throughout the city (and into many of the homes of the wealthy) are sometimes prowled by truly desperate thieves.
The Floating Corpse The most infamous tavern in town, the "corpse" is actually a lake barge that has been converted into a floating tavern, with many of the holds converted into drinking halls, gambling dens, and private rooms. Most nights it remains moored to the docks, but every week or so the Corpse schedules a "night voyage" where it drops anchor some ways offshore where it is no longer subject to city laws (or taxes!). This, of course, is when the true fun begins.
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