The Base, Part 4

In designing the starting city for the players, I need to settle on a few things to flesh it out. So far we've got a city that was near a battleground that has ruined the land, where food is difficult to grow, and where the poor are heavily oppressed and starved by the elite. It's good stylistic information, and you need to have a solid sense of flavor if you want your locations to stand out. But you also need some concrete details, so this time we'll work on that. Ray Winninger suggests several areas to start with:

A local authority:
Any home base needs to be at least somewhat stable. You don't want it being invaded by monsters or constantly having revolutions or wars. at least, not until your player base is sufficiently entrenched in the world to do something about it. Someone needs to keep control. In the case of our home base, we've already decided that whoever runs the place ultimately bows to the Church, so it could be run by the clergy. However, we also know that the local nobles manage to keep food locked away from the masses. Nobility suggests a monarchy. Now, while there is a historical precedent for clergy and monarchy vying for power, that smacks of the Middle Ages, and I want something more modern. Imperialism is closer to the attitudes I imagine people in this world having, so let's use that.

Our city was once part of a large mannish empire that spanned much of the known land. It had spread by conquering feudal territories, and those rules that surrendered peacefully were promoted to high-ranking government offices. Often, this meant oversight of local industry, which was controlled by the state. After the fall of the empire (due to plague and the recent war), many nobles fragmented their lands with war as they tried to carve their own feudal kingdoms from the carcass of the empire. As one of the core provinces, our city was particularly favored by the imperial Church, which worked hard to maintain order. As a result, most of the original government still stands, though lack of oversight by an emperor has allowed the officials to seek their own interests, rather than the good of the state. The government, then, is a small republic which represents the upper class: former imperial officials, wealthy families, and businessmen. Wealth gets you a place in politics, and the purpose of the political system is to maintain the privilege of the elite. The fact that the city is one of the primary trading ports in the old imperial lands means that they make quite a killing.

Who, though, is in charge? I'll settle on a fellow named Albus Engelhardt. Though he comes from a long line of nobles, he's chosen to ally himself with the imperial remnant, preferring his title of Governor to any conferring royalty. My inspiration for him comes from Havelock Vetinari of the Discworld novels. He's ruthless, but smart enough to realize he can't be brutal. As such, he courts the Church, and their charity work helps to pacify the populace. He also maintains efficient control over the republic, guiding policies so that the only entrench him more into power. Also of note in the city are the Harbormaster (who controls the docks and, thus, trade), the Marshal (who commands the city guard), and the Pontifex (the local head of the imperial Church).

That's a major piece of the puzzle, which means we need a secret about the rulers. I'm settling on the fact that Engelhardt has orcish blood in his veins, a fact he keeps quite hidden.

Townsfolk:
A city isn't just composed of rulers. They have to have someone to rule, and these are the people who the players will encounter most often. Where do they live and what do they do? What lifestyle do they have? How many are there?

I already know that the poor are starving wretches. But my more modern civilization suggests there is a rising middle class. I'm going to divide my townsfolk into three groups, then: the upper class (the aforementioned nobles, but also business owners), the middle class (merchants and shopkeepers), and the lower class (factory workers, farmers, and laborers). I know I want my city straddling a river, and this provides the perfect opportunity to split them up. The southern side of the river will be called the Southside, and is largely slums where the poor live. The Upper Side (side the Northside just doesn't sound as neat as Southside) is where the upper and middle class live, though the upper class citizens live in walled communities. The centers of business are located near the docks, so the wealthy either conduct business there or works from their homes through aides. I think my middle class's shops should be located in high-traffic areas such as the major roads and the docks, though there will be a few mingled with the general housing. The slums have plenty of little gardens and street merchants, but most of their work is done in the large factories the slums are centered around. The desperate and criminals slave away at the water treatment plant upriver. All in all, I'd say there's around 70,000 people in this city. There were far more, but many have fled or died because of famine and plague.

What's a secret for this? Those plant workers? Their bodies and minds are often horribly twisted from constant exposure to the toxins in the water, and there are a few communities of crazies scattered throughout the slums.

Shops:
Players need to buy things, and NPCs need to make money to survive. The lower class is likely to be more self-sufficient than the upper and middle class, since these two groups often specialize in their labor types. This means you'll generally find more shops in the richer quarters, and the shops will be more specialized the more wealthy those living in the location are. what types of things are for sale? What is the place known for? What is rare and in high demand? What is worthless?

Since factories are common in this city, we'll say there's plenty of manufactured goods. Metal implements are likely sold by large businesses, and they'll likely be cheaper than hand-made ones. Still, in a city like ours, crime is probably high, so basic weapons are likely to be easily obtainable. You'll be hard-pressed to find heavy armor or martial weapons here, though; those are banned by the government unless you have a licence. Wooden or cloth items are likely to be made by the general populace, though. I'm going to imagine that fine clothing, food, and books and other intellectual pursuits will be marks of wealth in this city. Local food is probably limited to bread, fish, and bland vegetables, so meat, spices, and fruit are likely to be hot commodities. I'm going to have some fun here and take a page from Firefly: some manufacturing companies have managed to synthesize proteins and combine them with high-density carbohydrates and other nutrients into bland but relatively nutritious food, sort of like protein bars. Everyone hates it, but it's cheap.

As for a secret here, I'm deciding that there's a thriving black market located in the sewers and slums. If you have the money, you can get some exquisite goods; but these are often stolen from nobles or the Church.

Temples:
Religion needs a place in most towns. Especially when people are as bad off as they are in Shadows & Silver, people need an opiate. Here, the Church fills this need. As the only sanctioned religion, it has small chapels and shrines scattered throughout the city. In the poor quarters, the chapels often are centers of charitable work, and soup kitchens are common. In the richer areas, they serve mostly to receive donations and prey on the rich's guilt over their oppression of the poor. The local pontifex makes his abode at a grand cathedral on an island in the middle of the river (which is where I'm also putting the seat of government).

Other religions are not as common as the Church of the Archons, but their cults do exist. Clergy of the Elemental Tides and the Fae Courts find their greatest supporters among the poor, who seek a change in the status quo. While the Church does not actively oppose these religions, their followers are often seen as troublemakers and are rarely trusted. Here's a secret: demon- and devil-worshippers are found most often in the wealthy sectors, where it has become vogue to dabble in black arts forbidden by the Church.

A fantastic element:
This is a fantasy, so we need something fantastic to distinguish the place and make it stand out in the minds of the players. I'm going to make this a secret about the city: some of the populace in the poorer quarters are afflicted with lycanthropy. On nights of the full moon, they roam the shadowy alleys. Their existence has never been proven, since the Church works behind the scenes to exterminate them. Gruesome killings are reported fairly often, though these are usually attributed to local gangs.

Alright, that's a lot of good stuff. But one thing is still bothering me: I don't have a name for my city. I've thought for a long time and think I've finally settled on one: Midport. I'm thinking it'll have been named for the island port in the middle of the river, which is now called Midport Proper. Sounds good!

So now I've got plenty of good solid details about Midport. How about some screenshots? The following pictures are made using the Gothic City and CC City Exterior tilesets, available on the NWVault. I think I like the Gothic City look better, since it's darker. It also feels more modern than the medieval-esque CC City Exterior shots. All of them are devoid of placeables and NPCs, though I went ahead and put some doors in so they didn't look too odd. Look at 'em and tell me what you think. First the Gothic City...






And now the CC City Exterior...







Next time we'll work some on the world at the national level. Until then, enjoy the screenshots!