Where Shall We Shelter? (Locations)

[Tyrant]

Repository of Locations

Within Quacia

Fortress
The Citadel of Truth
The Seeker's Conclave
The Gleam
Shanty
Plenty
Lair
Condemnation

Outside of Quacia

The Underway
Mirage
The Royal Woods
Majesty Dockyards

Far Outside of Quacia

Outside Island
New Haven

[Tyrant]

Fortress

The principal structure of the city of Quacia, Fortress is the permanent residence of both the King's family, and many other members of the Quacian nobility. It possesses thick stone walls which prevent intrusion from the outside world, and a gatehouse which can be closed at any time to prevent unwanted visitors from entering. A series of slits within the walls allow for archers to fire upon potential invaders, easily making Fortress the most defensible location in the entirety of the city. Fortress is comprised of seven distinct floors, with the highest housing the Throne-room, and personal quarters of the King of Quacia.

Fortress is comprised of 307 rooms, including living quarters for the King and his family, the Dukes and their families, the Dragoon garrison barracks, two armories, storage for food and drink in the event of siege, a throne-room, several dining halls, and other structures necessary for a house of government including assorted office spaces. Any and all official government business is conducted within the confines of Fortress including the dispatching of the Dragoon force, and the renewal of Vicemen licenses.

Unknown to most, the area directly below Fortress houses an impressive pit-arena and a series of stands where the nobility of Quacia can gather together and observe assorted blood-sports. It is a seldom occurrence that these blood-sports are participated in by volunteers, and rather typically make up captured criminals and creatures which were ensnared and not a potential threat to city security. When the arena is not being used for blood-sports, the Dragoon garrison uses it as a training and practice area to better their skills for any oncoming conflicts.

[Tyrant]

The Citadel of Truth

The seat of the Theocratum, the Citadel of Truth is the most grandiose symbol of the power that the official religious body of Quacia possesses anywhere in the land, and is a symbol of their influence. The Citadel stretches upwards nearly as high as Fortress, topping off at a solid six floors. Stained glass and vicious statues depicting injury and pain decorate the structure, identifying it as a worship point of the Wounded God.

A grandiose staircase leads up to the primary entrance of the Citadel. Admittedly, this has led to some issue in gathering together the infirm faithful, but the Theocratum cares little for such unfortunate realities.

Whilst religious services are often provided within the Citadel, most of the rituals and rites done in worship of the Wounded God are instead conducted throughout the several small chapels scattered across the city. Nevertheless, the Citadel serves as the key-point of religion in Quacia. The lowest floor of the structure is devoted to services for the masses to indulge themselves in, and on rare occasion these are conducted personally by the Voice.

The second and third floors host rooms for the storage of equipment and for the organization of the Tribunals. Whilst the Tribunals do not actually reside within the Citadel, there is always a healthy number of them garrisoned within these two floors to protect the hierarchy of the Theocratum from heretical threats.

The fourth floor acts as an assembly for members of the Theocratum to gather together in times of urgency, or so that the Voice may dictate new edicts to his or her organization. The fifth floor hosts the personal quarters of the Voice, along with a few rooms kept empty so that any visiting guests of the Theocratum may be kept comfortable. These empty rooms are only rarely filled, and it is not uncommon for them to be used for temporary storage in the absence of guests.

The sixth floor hosts The Caller, a massive connection of pipes, horns, and amplifiers which allow for the Voice of the Theocratum to make grand announcements to the entirety of the city. The Caller itself is typically reserved only for emergency usage due to the potential for disruption, though, in times of distress it has been used to broadcast the sermons of the Voice across the city, and at least once to denote the presence of a large band of heretics for the faithful to hunt down.

[Tyrant]

The Seeker's Conclave

(This will remain empty for some time still, as it is in the purview of the creator of the Seekers)

[Tyrant]

The Gleam

Industry and commerce are necessary for any civil state to function, and the city of Quacia is no different. The Gleam is comprised of dozens upon dozens of small workshops, stores, and other businesses. Whilst many businesses struggle to find enough customers, especially those selling items that are commonly considered luxurious, there is enough general income to keep the commercial sector of the city operative, if in constant danger of hitting red numbers in their account books. The presence of Inns has been strategically arranged so that newcomers to the city are forced to interact with the fledgling businesses on their way to and from any Quacian business, and it is no secret that many of these shops rely primarily upon migrant and visitors.

The Gleam itself is owned and operated by a series of Guild Halls. These guild halls are typically moderately sized structures which artistic depictions of their general products. The Guilds themselves have no authority whatsoever over one another, and frankly are better thought about as separate overarching companies as opposed to a combined front. The only exception to this is when something threatens the general health of the entire market, but such occurrences are excessively rare.

As of the year 718, the primary Guilds are Agriculture, Raw Materials, Industry, War, and Hospitality. There are the occasional bickering debates over who owns the rights to what products, but for the most part, The Gleam is one of the safest and most secure sections of the city, and is heavily patrolled by Dragoons seeking out common thieves and robbers to meet their quotas.

[Tyrant]

Shanty

Perhaps one of the most accurately named locations of the city, Shanty is, in fact, a series of shelters of rough quality which comprise the homes of the majority of Quacia's citizens. Though on occasion one may find a house which appears at least somewhat suitable for human residency, for the most part, homes are comprised of whatever could be thrown together on short occasion. That is not to say that the area is entirely unlivable, but there is an evident contrast between the residences that one may find within the confines of Shanty, and those within The Gleam.

The streets of Shanty are only rarely patrolled. This is due in part to the fact that many Dragoons are still at least moderately afraid of the mob mentality that tends to form at their presence within the deeper portions of this detritus-ridden residential block, and the constant stirrings of revolutionary-minded individuals only intensifies the possibility of violence.

Scattered throughout the residencies, one may locate small structures of colored glass and statuesque depictions of suffering which mark the presence of chapels to the Wounded God. These serve as local places of worship for the busy locals, and also as gathering points for the poor who seek the assistance of the pious and their well-remarked upon charity towards the Heaps. Indeed, the Theocratum holds a fair amount of control over the lower classes, and their influence can be seen scattered hither and thither. Whilst the Dragoons do not dare enter for fear of political strife, Tribunals of the Theocratum meander freely through the area, knocking upon doors, searching for vulgarity and vice out of Lair, and dragging heretics away to a torturous demise.

[Tyrant]

Plenty

The primary source of food for the city of Quacia. After the growth of the Creep outside of the walls, residents were forced to move all of their agricultural pursuits to within a more secured area. As there was little room for proper agricultural within the city squares and streets, it was decided that it would be placed within a large chamber of the Underway which had been separated from the remainder of the massive roadway in the midst of the Cataclysm.

Plenty is operated, ostensibly, by the Guild of Agriculture, and they are responsible for the accumulation of foodstuffs and the payment of workers. Plenty itself takes on the form of a large chamber, several thousand square feet in length, and which continues to be expanded to accommodate the number of citizens within Quacia. This massive chamber is held up by a series of stone columns reaching upwards to hold the ceiling up, and to prevent it from collapsing inwards upon the denizen workers. In terms of vegetation, one can expect to find several differing species of mushrooms, each renowned for their different medicinal effects and for the nutrition and taste that they provide. An experimental hybridization of wheat also exists, and has shown a great deal of progress in recent arcs, finally granting the Quacian people a source of bread... if not somewhat off-colored.

The only creatures officially raised by Plenty are a large herd of swine, chosen both due to the large amount of meat that is provided by each one, but also for their relative ease of care. Swine are also set aside and milked to provide a source of cheese and drink. An alternative source of meat are the poultry flocks whose confined status simultaneously makes it easy to care for them, and where a fair amount of the people's protein arrives in the form of eggs.

The infamous Bloodlights are also grown inside of Plenty, their meals provided by the blood of faithful ones in their worship, and which is typically taken from chapels and the Citadel after services have concluded. The swine and poultry also provide a fair deal of fertilizer for the fledgling crops. On occasion, workers of Plenty have also been buried underneath the dirt to provide further nutriment to the crops. No one bats an eye at the sacrifice of bodies to the sole food production site in the city... after all, everyone wants to eat.


List of Plenty Products

► Show Spoiler

Mushrooms (Varying sizes and types, some with psychedelic or herbal properties)
Poultry (Meat/Eggs)
Pork (Meat)
Cave Wheat (For use in soups, stews, and pastries.)
Bloodlights (Primarily for use in lighting, but it is edible.)
Cave Grapes (Brewing)
Potatoes (Vegetable)
Cave Cotton (Clothing)
Silkworm Nests (Clothing. Emergency meat)
Bee Hives (Very rare, very protected. Honey is a delicacy.)

[Tyrant]

Lair

The den of vice and scum throughout the city. Lair is not merely a singular building as it was originally intended, but has instead evolved into several differing structures, a village of its own comprised of those businessmen who deal in less reputable substances. Were it not for the Heap's Rebellion several dozen Arcs in the past, this vile location would not even be allowed to function in the same territory as the Theocratum. As it stands, however, the religious organization and its members are not permitted to access any of the structures that comprise Lair.

The buildings all specialize in their own differing products, though for the most part one can purchase alcoholic beverages from all of them. Beyond that, several import assorted drugs and medicinal items from around the world, each of them with differing effects, and a few have even taken to designing their own chemical concoctions to maximize the pleasure and minimize the risk of their customers. Others tend to deal in more fleshly pleasures, acting as the masters of gangs of courtesans.

Of recent, the Vicemen have over-stepped their boundaries. Whereas they are legally allowed and permitted to deal in as many vices as they desire, they have recently begun to deal in other services. There are... speculations that certain Vicemen have been involved in smuggling mortal beings into the city of Quacia, managing to bypass Condemnation and the scrutiny of the authorities in the process. It's also been rumored that they're assisting some of the more radical factions of Heaps by smuggling in shipments of equipment that by all rights would never be allowed into their hands.

[Tyrant]

Condemnation

The only official entryway into the city. Condemnation is a large stonework gatehouse which provides access to the city whilst protecting against unwanted intruders, and vile creatures of the Creep. A twin pair of metallic gates provide the primary source of protection for the gatehouse, one acting as an exterior blockage, and the other as an interior control. This means that persons attempting to enter the city may be locked within the exterior gate, questioned, and then allowed into the interior as opposed to allowing them access all at once.

To facilitate conversation and avoid any troublemakers, a Dragoon is stationed at all times within the gatehouse. A small window is provided for him to communicate with travelers there, and to question them on their reasons for visiting. When large numbers of migrants or unknown persons arrive, it is also customary for the Dragoon to summon a Tribunal so that the religious integrity of those visiting can be tested, and so that there is no admittance of potentially heretical individuals. Ignorance of the religion of the Wounded God does not prevent entry into the city, though direct heresy such as openly admitting to the regular worship of Immortals is unlikely to end well.

In order to remove unwanted persons and creatures which are trapped within the pair of gates, a lever is situated above the window, out of sight of all but the Dragoon. If the lever is pulled, the floor underneath the gates will rapidly retract, dumping any contents therein into a fiery spout of magma underneath the gatehouse. This allows for any potentially infectious Creep agents to be safely eradicated without risking any measure of contamination of clothes or personnel, and simultaneously avoids the risk inherent with combat.

Due to recent breaches of security, personnel passing by Condemnation are often supplied with documentation marking their status as visitors or temporary migrants. A more in-depth process occurs for those who wish to permanently migrate, but essentially simply involves additional paperwork to ensure that a person receives a job most fitting to them, and adequate housing for the duration of their stay.

[Tyrant]

The Underway

Once a grand underground roadway spanning nearly fifty miles, the Underway was once used by both the military and commercial aspects of Quacia. It allowed for a great deal of materiel shipment across vast distances without any worry about the weather or above-ground terrain, and simultaneously allowed for the rapid deployment of Dragoon forces to areas in desperate need of military attention. The entire construct took several hundred Arcs to complete, and was upheld by several dozen large stony pillars which kept the ceiling from collapsing inwards upon wary travelers.

During the great Cataclysm, the Underway was shaken with a violent force akin to an earthquake, and promptly collapsed inwards upon itself in several sections. This coupled with stories from the few survivors of monstrosities dwelling beneath the world, finally awakened by the Cataclysm has led to the cordoning off of the Underway, and it is now considered an offense of Trespassing to enter into it without explicit permission from the Quacian government.

Primary entrances into the Underway are located beneath the Fortress, near The Gleam, and with a very minor maintenance entrance which has only recently been re-discovered near the outskirts of Quacia, beyond the safety of the city walls.