Zaicher Inner City Locations/On-going Restoration Efforts
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2022 4:30 pm
Since the destruction that occurred on the 34th of Searing, 122, the city of Zaichaer has become a danger to anyone within its limits.
While the outer parts of the city, those further from the destruction and outside what would once have even been considered Zaichaer city proper, have been taken over by contingents of the Zaichaer Defense Corp, the inner city has become a mire of myriad hazards to anyone brave enough, or stupid enough to attempt to venture forward. Below is a list of locations of import and what currently occupies them.
The Presidium
The heart of the city both physically and cognitively stood for the initial blast and for a little while thereafter, leading the people of the city to believe they might be saved. When it fell it heralded the destruction of the city at large to the population. Those who could get out did, those who could not perished or succumbed to fates worse than dead.
The complex is in utter collapse, having been blown apart by multiple strikes directly to it and then endured the full might of the Chaos Storm and the Mist Storm. No one who was within the complex at the time of the destruction has been known to have survived. The current over all dangers are:
1. The unstable nature or simply rubble of the physical locations make them very difficult to traverse. While not all the buildings completely collapsed they are no longer stable and simply walking into one could cause it to collapse.
2. The Chaos Storm has left areas magically charged and what may happen in those areas is utterly unknown.
Areas of Note:
Hall of Reconciliation (This has location been explored but not cleared)
Some believe that powerful state mages holed themselves up inside the Hall and are keeping some members of the Government safe. This idea has not been substantiated by anyone who was anywhere near The Presidium on the 34th.
The Arcaeneum (This location has been cleared)
Some areas of the school where known to be magically warded quite heavily, whether they survived or not is unknown. Some naval officers on airships have reported strange flashes of color or energy coming from where the school once stood but whether this is due to experiments that no longer have minders ending badly or living beings is wholly unknown.
The West End
This area of the city, seemed to take less destruction than much of the rest, it still suffered the storms and is not habitable, due to being in better repair and the building materials used for most of the buildings being stone or otherwise quite sturdy, fewer of them have fallen. The further you get from The Presidium the less it looks like it has been through a disaster, but looks can be deceiving. The current over all dangers are:
1. Mist creatures prowl the streets and have made nests of the fancy houses and shops once frequented by the rich and powerful of Zaichaer's elite.
2. Due to the rich nature of the district, those who are left in the city and are still alive have taken to looting, or even taking up residence in the finer properties. Groups have formed into sort of desperate street gangs as food, clean water and other resources become ever more scarce. The groups are often well armed and contain a hodgepodge of the once wealthy all the way down to those who were once beggars.
Areas of Note:
Onneifer Airfield (This location has been cleared)
Any ships on the ground at the time of the destruction were torn apart, any ships flying over the city or tethered in the air were torn apart. The Airfield is a littered grave of once proud airships. The ground is covered in chunks of sharp metal from the size of a nail to larger than an average house. A fire raged for some time but has since gone out leaving the whole area covered in soot. The delicate magical nature of many of the ships has left unstable broken bits of magical equipment fizzing or smoldering and, occasionally, there is an explosion among the debris.
Fort Cathevelle (This location has been cleared)
The large garrison was lucky in that it was being led, at the time of the destruction by an officer who had seen combat and was as steady a man as could be hoped for. Within minutes of the initial blast he had organized the garrison to begin evacuating the citizens of the district. Once it became obvious that no ships would be getting out he set groups of soldiers with groups of citizens to get them far enough from the city. Due to his leadership a fair number of the citizens of the district were saved and his garrison remains intact, operating on the outskirts of the city, attempting to contain the dangers to the main city itself and awaiting orders should a higher level officer ever be located.
The Windworks (This location has been cleared)
The great airship factory was spared the destruction due to being heavily warded before the events of the 34th. It was a haven for refugees of the city throughout Searing 122 but has since disappeared. Where it once stood, and for several blocks in every direction around the complex, is a huge, empty crater. There are rumors that the factory was blown up to keep Zaichaer's enemies from discovering their secrets, but reports from those actually stationed on the outskirts of the city speak to having seen it rise from the ground and fly away.
The Knob
This section of the city, being further from the source of the destruction has survived better, in terms of structures. In terms of lives, the inhabitants had more time to flee, but those who did not merely died more slowly. The current over all dangers are:
1. The Mists swept through the Knob particularly harshly warping man and beast alike, even some of the structures. While Mist Spawn can be found throughout the city they seem to have concentrated, or congregated in The Knob. They prowl the streets day and night, lurking in buildings and attacking anything they view as apart from themselves.
2. In the midst of the Mist Storm the entrance to the Warrens was shattered, enlarging it and awakening the denizens. Creatures of every kind spilled from the massive new hole in the earth in numbers unseen in living memory.
3. The whole district has become a battle ground for the warring Mist Spawn and Warren's Creatures. Every day sees new destruction and no living being is safe within the bounds. The Army has done its best to construct barriers around the whole area to contain the horror within, but once in a while creatures determined or able will break through and spill out into the relatively safer areas.
Areas of Note:
The Old Mines
The Mists spilled down into the mines and have not dissipated. No information as to what is happening within is available at this time.
Verowa's End and Sheckle Alley
The Mists twisted the soldiers who made their home in this area, as well as those who patrolled there, into monstrous versions of themselves and the fighting between them and the Warren's creatures, and even other Mist Spawn is particularly fierce. It is possible that their warped minds believe they are still fighting for the city.
The Smoke Stack
In the type of irony only seen in times of greatest tragedy this neighborhood caught fire either directly before or during the events of the 34th. It was fully ablaze with no one to put it out by the time the Mists swept through and, as far as anyone can tell, is still burning even a full season later. What is actually burning, or how, no one currently knows.
The Knob's End Nursery
There are rumors that the old witch who ran the nursery managed to ward it or keep it from destruction by some other means and that it is a safe haven in the district. No one seems to know where these rumors originated and anyone who has heard them got them fourth or fifth hand.
The Upper Knob
This are is largely made up of partially destroyed buildings. It is protected on the north, west, and south sides by the high rocky ridge it sits upon. The east side is protected by the barricade manned by the rough militia. Most residents here live in or near to the Bulge, where Franky maintains his leadership from the Hobbled Gobbler.
The Lower Knob
This section of The Knob is mostly apartment buildings that have been filled with the survivors of the blast who found shelter in the Mines before the Mists began to sink into them. Once they dug themselves out, they made strongholds out of these buildings and eventually established barricades between them and West End as well as between them and The Taint. Having less natural geographic protections has made things more strained for them than the Upper Knob, but efforts are underway to help bridge the two areas.
The Taint
This area is beyond control. It sits at the crux of the Upper Knob, the Lower Knob and the Grungeworks. The ragtag militia of the Upper Knob has managed to barricaded off access from The Taint providing some security to those seeking shelter. The majority of monsters and roving gangs from the Upper and Lower Knob have been pushed into The Taint, making this area one of extreme danger to any who choose to enter.
The Grungeworks
Because the Vortex opened in the middle of the day, this area was a concentration of population during the destruction. Tens of thousands of Miners, Sweatshop workers and the employees of the Siegeworks were at their posts with no warning when the Chaos storm ripped through the city's industrial heart. The exact number of dead are unknown, but they are not lay quietly. The current over all dangers are:
1. The massive number of bodies were still warm when the Mists rolled in. They rose as the second type of chaos magic moved through them, into them, lighting their eyes to glow and their mouths to cry out. Mist Zombies now roam the district; some looking almost like injured versions of their original forms, some melted and moldered together into moving mounds of rotting flesh. The streets are littered but the workshops and factories themselves are clogged with these undead bodies. Though they are not destroying any of the buildings or goods within the district any living thing, no matter how small, ignites them to rage until it joins them in death.
2. Sometimes, when the city is quiet, survivors and soldiers familiar with the city swear they can hear the machinery of the factories churning away as they had before the 34th. No one knows what this might mean, and most of the commanders left alive dismiss the idea as a trauma response by those who claim to hear it.
Areas of Note:
The Coven Market (This location has been cleared)
By virtue of it's heavy concentration of magic this area sustained less physical destruction that the rest of the Grungeworks in the initial blasts, the chaos storms. It is rumored that there are still pockets of Coven mages holed up in the stronghold areas defending themselves and some of the population.
The Menagerie (This location has been cleared)
The pleasure den of Zaichaer still stands. Those who have had to pass by in fleeing have claimed that an odd aura surrounds the palatial building, like a bubble of warped energy projecting some fifty feet around The Menagerie. The same people report an odd tugging sensation or a pull they could not explain leading them to go into the bubble, and a few even speak of hearing music and laughter as they got closer. Anyone who has stepped into or touched the bubble seems to be sucked inside it, after which those left outside are no longer able to see them even through they can clearly see the building.
The Clinic
Though the physical structure of the Grymalka hospital was knocked down and is in complete ruins several refugees claim to have been taken under the building into a secondary hospital and given medical attention.
Any characters wishing to access any of the locations listed should contact me (Rune, via DM or Discord) for a moderated thread. These threads will have consequences, both positive and negative for any who attempt them. I will try to accommodate everyone who wants to explore but due to my own time constraints I will only be running two modded threads for these areas at any given time. If I have the time I will try and open more slots.
Good Luck, Explorers.
~~~
Locations Availability:
The Presidium:
Hall of Reconciliation (This area has been explored but not cleared)
The Arcaeneum
The West End:
Onneifer Airfield
Fort Cathevelle
The Windworks
The Knob:
The Old Mines
Verowa's End and Sheckle Alley
The Smoke Stack
The Knob's End Nursery
The Grungeworks
The Factories
The Coven Market
The Menagerie
The Clinic - Claimed by Hector
Remember that this list is not all inclusive, if you have an idea for an area you'd like to explore, make a request!
Current Moderated Threads Slots:
1. Nathan - Cross Family Estate
2. Aurin - General Overmann Assassination
3. Aura - Invitation to Join The Order
Wait list 1: Hector - The Clinic
Wait List 2:
Completed:
1: Aurin/Imogen - Sunsingers' Coven Headquarters
2. Reiner/Eitan - The Schiller
3. Stefan/Eitan - Lyra's Lair
4. Stefan - The Windworks
5. Stefan - The Arcaeneum
6. Stefan/Eitan - Onneifer Airfield
7. Stefan/Eitan - Hall of Reconciliation
8. Aurin - The Coven Market
9. Reiner - Fort Cathevelle
10. Dreyfus - Beomir Manor, Northern Zaichaer
11. Aurin - The Menagerie
12. Eitan - The Order