Ecumenopolis is taken from ekistics, the academic discipline of city planning (thanks wikipedia), and essentially means world city. This is an attempt at this, a pet project to clear my head while i try to sort out the details of my main setting. While city-settings have been done, most focus on a big city in a functional world. This city is all the world there is, and the cityscape replaces the landscape.
The introduction might be a bit dull (although i hope not) but hang on, there are some good ideas in the mix as well. Or funny/interesting ones at least.
And although this is a side-project i would love ideas and comments.
Ecumenopolis '" the endless city
Introduction
What existed before the City is not only an unaswered question but also a completely nonsensical one. The City was the beginning and its destruction will be the end; the world wasn't the world before the advent of the City and humans weren't worthy of their name. The only question that really matters is what the city was before. Why are there so few people left?
Truth is, no one knows, but the city is clearly but a shadow of what it probably once was. Much of it has been neglected for too long, turning into the untraversable ghostmazes which hold nothing but blood and dust. Some parts have given up and collapsed in upon themselves. And beyond the Great Walls the Shanty Wastes extend lifelessly out into the horizon.
But not the entire City has been left to vermin and decay. The Wards, the cities within the City, still teem with human life. Here, humans live as they have always lived; trading, loving, working and fighting.
The City might be neglected but it hasn't been forgotten yet, and within its vast expanses humans continue to seek the purpose of not only themselves, but the walls that surround them. And in time, they will find this purpose, for the City is all there is and all there ever will be and within its mighty walls everything can be found.
The Blueprints
The City is incredibly vast; how vast is hard to say, though, when every journey seems to be a confusing mess of turns and cul-de-sacs. Sometimes distance even seems to lose its meaning; distances that took you a day the last time suddenly take you two. Some speculate that the City itself moves, thus making the journey different, but the mappers disagree. Their maps work they say. And in most cases they really do. But this doesn't change the fact that the City is a somewhat loosely defined identity that no one truly understands or knows in its full extent.
The City itself is roughly ellipsoid in shape, surrounded by a 30 meter tall and smooth wall aptly named the Great Wall. Only the west is unprotected by this feature as it is instead bordered by the salty depths of the Great Lake, a lake of such singular size that the distant coast and its city cannot be seen. Beyond the Great Wall lies nothing but the despicable Shanty Wastes; a slum that reaches out into the horizon but is devoid of life. Some claim that the Wastes end somewhere, but most find the claim preposterous. If there is no city anymore, you've reached the literal end of the world. Either way, the City proper is the only place where life can exist; any ventures beyond the limits of the Great Wall are subject to the ravages of the Homesickness.
Inside the Great Walls the City is divided into different districts. Most of these districts are ghostmazes; uninhabited and decrepit labyrinths of twisting alleys and sudden cul-de-sacs. These places are shunned and are the province of monsters and other uncivilized things. The Collapses are even worse than this. Collapses are areas where the city has fallen apart and aggressive and unnatural plant life is taking over. Although possessing of a sort of unnatural beauty, Collapses are almost universally lethal to the careless adventurer. These areas are often left to the whims of the fanatic Order of Preservation.
But all is not ruin and solitude. Within the walls there are also the great Wards, cities within the City where humans live and thrive, as well as the lush park districts and the roof-farms of the Wards where plants are planted by human hands in an orderly fashion.
And then there are of course the extensive network that makes up the Undercity; the sewers, basements and Path Tunnels that weave around each other deep underneath the streets.
Two of the most prominent features other than the Wall, are the Waterworks and the Great Concourse. The Waterworks consists of one major artificial river running from the north-east to the south-west with thousands of small channels sending the life-giving water out into the city. The Great Concourse is an enormous road that runs from the north-west to the south, forming a crescent of sorts. The Waterworks and the Concourse cross at the exact center of the city.
Races
Muckmen
Living rotten garbage essentially, muckmen are disgusting to the extreme, and usually as foul-mouthed and rude as their appearance would suggest, but they are not necessarily evil or malicious (although they can be). They are very human in their behavior in many ways, making them look like crude imitations at times. Muckmen are despised in most wards and most live segregated lives in the sewer or in ghettoes. Some muckmen who make their lives in wards often use perfumes (lots of it preferably) to cover their awful smell.
Livian
Livians are essentially human rock pigeons. If we start from the feet, they are distinctly bird-like, but as one continues up the legs they become distinctly more human until they end in a dark-gray skinned human torso. The bird features start reappearing again around the arms and the head which are both completely bird-like. Males are often somewhat fat, and their necks are obscured by both fat and fluffy mildly iridescent plumage. Females have more prominent necks, and slim, distinct necks are seen as a sign of beauty. A rare few livians are born with white plumage and they traditionally become ambassadors for their eyries.
Areas
The Great Concourse
An enormously long road, this street spans almost the entire length of the City, from north to south. It has six lanes with a small pavement in the middle planted with trees and frequently occupied by street vendors. It begins in the Ward called Traveller's End, lying near the northern part of the Great Wall and continues through Centrum and ends suddenly in one of the Southern districts where it has turned into a Collapse. But no one goes that far. The city is the main road for transportation and trade although not all Wards are in its vicinity. It is one of the best tended roads in the City, meticulously cared for by the roaming Freemasons who repair the stonework whenever they see a crack or a hole.
Centrum
The literal center of the City, and thus the world, Centrum is the richest, nicest, most powerful ward of them all. Protected by its own copy of the Great Wall and with both the Concourse and the Waterwork River passing through, and actually crossing each at the magnificent Adamant Bridge, the city remains safe while seeing plenty of trade. The city-state is ruled by the Magister, a notoriously secretive leader. But he is a fair, if sometimes strange, ruler allowing most Centrumians to live their life as they want to. Beneath his great palace lies the Gearhouse, a place of massive and frankly perplexing machinery. People profess to sometimes hearing a soft rhythmic thumping when in that mysterious chamber.
The Shanty Wastes
These eternal slums that lie beyond the Great Walls are despised and feared. Few dare venture out amongst the decrepit shacks of which many are strangely still standing even though no one has lived there as far as anyone can remember. The Wastes are dead-quiet and unusually lifeless although there are stories of expeditions being lost to something that wasn't the Homesickness or a collapsed shed. No one has ever reached the end of the Wastes, if there indeed is one. The Homesickness quickly grows strong enough to kill if anyone tries to walk too far. What can be found on the far side is only suspected. Some think they will find another city. Others believe that you'll suddenly find yourself on the edge of an unfathomable drop. A few others even believe that the mythical snow-topped houses of the Gods can be found out there.
Sinkhole Commune
Situated on the edge of a great sinkhole, thus the name, Sinkhole is the most prominent source of iron and precious metals. Miners lower themselves into the hole, past the hundreds of tunnel openings uncovered by the hole, and mine the ore that can be found in tunnels and the sinkhole wall. Sinkhole is ruled by the small Iron Cartel, an unscrupulous group of greedy metal merchants. They are enormously wealthy, and wear iron masks and are said to have replaced their rights hands with golden effigies.
The Great Wall
The Great Wall surrounds the city except for the shore and is 30 meters tall with towers every few kilometers. The walls are smooth, bearing no sign of being composed of many bricks. It seems to be constructed out of a gray granite-like rock, only much harder. The wall is almost 8 meters thick. It can't be climbed, but staircases in the towers lead to the top where they lend a great view over the City and the Wastes. Multiple levels are found within the walls, dark and dank chambers, only lighted by the occasional arrowslit, and now home to who knows what. Few seek out the wall, although a few Wards exist close to it.
Organisations, groups and styles of life
Order of Preservation
Somewhere between a historical society, pyromaniacs, a group of conspiracy theorists, and a religious cult, the Order believes that the City and the man-made is what keeps the world in perfect equilibrium and that it must be kept that way. Evil forces (rarely specified although they have numerous blacklisted servants) seek to unravel the city, which is why much of the city is abandoned and the buildings collapse. The main mission of the Order is to clear the Collapses of corrupting influences, which most often means plants. Plants are not man-made and must therefore be evil, which is the reason that the Order, also derogatorily known as the weedburners, set fire to large Collapses (and sometimes out-of-control parks). They do also occasionally do some reconstruction work, but most of them seem busy with clearing the plants away. The Order is known to employ massive flame-shooting weapons which they also use against random marauders.
Freemasons
The Freemasons are the custodians of the Great Concourse, travelling its length while repairing the road and the bridges it crosses. They are free spirits, living off the hospitality of those who live by the Concourse, and otherwise enjoying being their own boss. They have a loose fraternity, occasionally meeting to discuss big repair jobs. Although they don't really need money as they can get most things for free, they are supposedly paid a small sum of money by the Magister of Centrum.
Cityspeakers
Considered crazy hermits, cityspeakers seek out the places of the City only the City knows about and where the walls have ears and, on occasion, mouths. They know many strange secret and know the streets and alleys of the city better than most Mappers. But some of their abilities are far stranger and defy logic.
The Vigilantes
Coming out at night, the Vigilantes patrol the rooftops and streets of the City. The only force of justice beyond the Wards, the Vigilantes are well-liked although their identities are shrouded in both mystery, pseudonyms and masks. Some Vigilantes are veritable heroes, like the mysterious Muckman known as Balderdash who has foiled many a criminal plot.
Roofleapers
Nomads by nature, roofleapers are expert climbers and leapers, living their lives far above the dangers of the streets below. Roofleapers are almost by nature claustrophobic, and strive to remain on the roofs as much as possible. Although they do not know the streets well, they can find easy paths to most big landmarks in their vicinity.
Lowwaymen
Lowwaymen are essentially highwaymen, only they prowl on the often used Path Tunnels that run beneath the streets. They camp in alcoves and wait for a sufficiently badly protected caravan to approach and then they attack.
Characters
The Dark Piper
In the dark depths of the sewer lives the Dark Piper, king of the vermin. Whether he is human or retains any sense of sanity is unknown and the Piper is shrouded in an impenetrable layer of mystery. Only his haunting music as well as the chilling messages scrawled in rat blood in the sewers hint of his presence.
Phenomena
The Homesickness
Beyond the obvious reasons for not venturing out into the lifeless wastes or out on the open waters of a possibly endless lake, there is another and more enigmatic reason that nobody leaves the city. The phenomenon of the Homesickness strikes at the heart of any living being that tries to move too far away from the city perimeter. At first, people experience a tugging sensation and a longing to return home, then comes voices, hallucinations and nightmares, while the body starts to shrivel and dessicate ever so slightly. After a few days, unless the diseased returns home, the sickness will claim the mind of the explorer turning him into a catatonic husk. The body will continue to shrivel while it stares blankly out into the air, and only after a week will the life finally leave the soulless body. Whether this is because of a lack of the City's protection from the world itself, or because the wastes and the outer lake exert some deadly influence is unknown. Returning to City before the catatonic state will slowly cure the inflicted character.
Holy :censored: ! When I started reading I was thinking you'd managed to come up with and idea I'd has years ago, but now that I've read it you've gone in a very different direction but done a better job.
You turned one city into the world. My version was a planet that was one giant building/dungeon, with towers for mountains, giant forges for volcanoes, and immense underground seas covered by vaulted ceilings. Still, I only managed to put together a semi-fantasy world with that bit tacked on, whereas you've actually managed to make a cityscape into a fantasy setting.
At least it sounds like you were surprised in the good way :D
I didn't want to go with the city-world as i felt i wanted a city with its own personal identity. My friend and I discussed making the city continent-sized, but my mind really can't handle that size so i decided to go with something that, although easier to manage is huge beyond conprehension, basically sidestepping the size issue while giving me plenty of room to play in. I think it worked out quite nicely.
Can the homesick become zombies?
Hmm, i like the catatonic state better. We can't all have zombie diseases now can we :p
Or does a world-city require zombies per definition?
[blockquote=CC]Livians are essentially human rock pigeons.[/blockquote] OK, this was engaging. Do they live in the uper reaches, former old businesses and such? DO they hatch?
Also, by the notes of the Cdentrum, the tech level has slipped from future, higher levels. Tech levels past and present would solidify a lot. (and what level can the masons repair?)
And the architecture. How old and how many cycles can be seen? I get the feeling of immense age, but also of cycles, birth and renewal. Can one see generations from a high perch?
[blockquote=CC]Somewhere between a historical society, pyromaniacs, a group of conspiracy theorists, and a religious cult,[/blockquote] OK, this was also one of those nuggets that made the whole seem more real, as in 'wow, something this whacked has to be real'.
hehe, the livians and the order are also some of my favorite parts together with the freemasons, the shanty wastes, and the homesickness (okay, i have more than that now that i look at it).
And seriously, what kind of city is a city without rock pigeons? Mine are just bigger. :p
And yes, they live in the upper reaches. Sometimes merely on the roofs, but if possible they'll nest in churchtowers or skyscrapers and anything like that. And let's say they hatch just because it's more fun ^^
I'll post something more extensive on tech level some other time, but for now i'll adress the tech issue with a short comment here:
The world isn't meant to be Coruscant or I am Legend-NY or some other modern/future world. This is a fantasy world first-and-foremost, but as this is a pretty advanced culture after all I'm going to be somewhat liberal with what types of technology i add in; i might have revolvers and skyscrapers or some other anachronistic elements. The Path Tunnels i have mentioned are for example the more primitive substitute of subways; simple, uncluttered, underground roads for easy travel.
hmm, as to the architecture part, you can probably see distinct differences in some places yes. The skyscrapers for example are probably only found in specific districts.
By skyscrapers do you mean modern glass & steel framed towers or something more like the Empire State Building? I think the latter style of architecture would make for a nice athmosphere, perhaps with a little touch of gothic cathedrals thrown in and of corse the signs of age and decay.
I was definitely not thinking modern glass & steel. I haven't actually seen the Empire State Building, but from what i gather from the pictures it could be something close to that possibly with some more archaic towers as well.
Hmm, a small request on behalf of this setting: can people come up with stuff that is particularly tied to the concept of cities?
Currently i'm thinking of adding elements of bureaucratic and ineffective government, surveillance and... some other idea i had just before but which i've forgotten. I hate when that happens. Maybe it was garbage? But that's already covered in muckmen. I'm considering on focussing a bit more on the caricature aspect (seen in the pigeon-men and the weedburners) while still keeping the theme.
Anyway, please do brainstorm anything related to "City" on my behalf.
Quote from: Cataclysmic CrowThis city is all the world there is, and the cityscape replaces the landscape.
Organisations, groups and styles of life[/size]
I like the order of Preservation- it makes sense. The city wants to be preserved, and I can see how it would have a religious power over many.
The Freemasons also make a great deal of sense, being preservers and restorers of the city, I can see their lives being made very convenient by virtue of the city itself.
The Cityspeakers are very interesting. I could see them being in tune with the city beyond the ignorant order of preservation- who only have a vague idea of what the city really is or wants- and the Freemasons, who don't know what the city wants but who find their job inexplicably makes their lives easier.
I could see the Cityspeakers as able to cross great distances in mere minutes, the city shifting for them, opening doors and ways even. They could walk through doors that aren't there, and come out at the other end of the city. They might know everything, but be incapable of telling anybody else- probably being entirely mad.
I don't like the Vigilantes... they don't seem to fit, and without any strictly ordered social structure, and with that number, they don't seem to have any good motivation. They strike me as something corny that was just appended for the hell of it, and they break with the feel of this world from what I've gathered.
The Roofleapers and Lowwaymen are normal and would seem to be logical conclusions given the city. Neither particularly interesting nor out of place- they're good additions.
The Dark Piper needs work.
Crocodiles also swallow stones- this piper could be a crocodile that has taken to eating enough of the other crocodile gizzard stones (these crocodiles not having enough to become as the Livians) that it became something else. The piping would probably sound much different, though... more of a deep and somber rumble.
Emergent details are what it's all about- they generate unique ideas from others that we'd be hard pressed to come up on our own- the children of creativity and logic.
You have some serious world building talent. I'd love to invite you to crosspost this at conworlds (see sig).
For some reason, my post isn't showing up.
Quote from: 15pxOrganisations, groups and styles of life[/size]
I like the order of Preservation- it makes sense. The city wants to be preserved, and I can see how it would have a religious power over many.
The Freemasons also make a great deal of sense, being preservers and restorers of the city, I can see their lives being made very convenient by virtue of the city itself.
The Cityspeakers are very interesting. I could see them being in tune with the city beyond the ignorant order of preservation- who only have a vague idea of what the city really is or wants- and the Freemasons, who don't know what the city wants but who find their job inexplicably makes their lives easier.
I could see the Cityspeakers as able to cross great distances in mere minutes, the city shifting for them, opening doors and ways even. They could walk through doors that aren't there, and come out at the other end of the city. They might know everything, but be incapable of telling anybody else- probably being entirely mad.
I don't like the Vigilantes... they don't seem to fit, and without any strictly ordered social structure, and with that number, they don't seem to have any good motivation. They strike me as something corny that was just appended for the hell of it, and they break with the feel of this world from what I've gathered.
The Roofleapers and Lowwaymen are normal and would seem to be logical conclusions given the city. Neither particularly interesting nor out of place- they're good additions.
The Dark Piper needs work.
Crocodiles also swallow stones- this piper could be a crocodile that has taken to eating enough of the other crocodile gizzard stones (these crocodiles not having enough to become as the Livians) that it became something else. The piping would probably sound much different, though... more of a deep and somber rumble.
Emergent details are what it's all about- they generate unique ideas from others that we'd be hard pressed to come up on our own- the children of creativity and logic.
You have some serious world building talent. I'd love to invite you to crosspost this at conworlds (see sig).
Hmm, the problem with actually presenting the history of the city is that then everybody who reads it will consider the city as something that wasn't always there. And in that sense it loses some of the tone of being an endless city. But i really like some of your history ideas. They fit rather brilliantly. Although I'm a bit apprehensive as to make the city too sentient if you know what i mean. But the soul-stealing=homesickness is pretty slick. So is the idea about the city moving where the mappers haven't "locked" it. The gizzard stone idea is quite imaginative, but i think it might be a bit too much frankly.
The races and characters aren't done yet, so it's obvious that they'll seem a little uncompleted.
Hmm, i can see vigilantes not fitting exactly with the tone, but i would like to fit them in somehow. A city isn't a proper city without heroes :p
And the Gearhouse is meant to make you think of a heart (the first name i gave centrum was Heart, it just sounded a little cheesy). I just didn't want to spell it out ^^
My creative style is mostly to attempt to fit as many interesting ideas in as possible (sometimes with real world "counterparts" such as the Piper) so that's why some of it gets a bit jumbled style-wise.
And thanks for the praise :)
Reading your initial posts (and barely skimming the rest), I got the feeling almost of a post-apocolyptic city set on an uninhabitable plane (land...not cosmology). Homesickness almost seemed like some leftover vestige of the apocolypse, and the only reason everyone thinks The City is all there is is because no one can stray far enough away from it without dying first.
As for characatures not yet explored, you've hinted at, I think, a Big Brother of sorts. That would necessitate a Secret Police. You also haven't touched on the everypresent Marketing and Advertising of the merchants. If you're pursuing more traditional fantasy tropes, guilds may be appropriate, if you want more modern ones, unions. Let's not forget the overweight beat cop sitting at the local doughnut shop. What about organized crime syndicates? If you want a more ubiquitous symbol of modern cities, what about taxis and traffic jams? Or smog/fog/pollution?
You need a source of food, by the way. I didn't see mention of any farming or hydroponics facilities. How do people eat?
[EDIT]
Another symbol fo the city you mentioned before - skyscrapers. If you want some ideas for more middle-ages style city with lots of towers, look up Prague. It's beautiful and dark, almost like it was torn from teh pages of some forgotten fairy tale. If you are going with more modern skyscrapers, I personally pictured far more gothic structures reminiscent of the Catherdral de Notre Dame.
Quote from: Cataclysmic CrowHmm, a small request on behalf of this setting: can people come up with stuff that is particularly tied to the concept of cities?
.......
Anyway, please do brainstorm anything related to "City" on my behalf.
I'll give it a shot, but I'm not good at "grounding" my ideas.
Check out the Eberron book "Sharn, City of Towers" if you haven't already. That's a pretty good example of non-modern skyscrapers and other stuff that goes into a highly-urban fantasy city.
Have intelligent, 3-ft tall rats as a race. I don't mean rat-humanoids, as those have been done, but large rodents that can walk on both two legs and four and use their paws as hands. It seems more logical that way, I think.
Have some common city animal turn out to be the highly-wise secretive race every setting has. It's just a great twist when you think of a giant spider being the equivalent of that wizened wizard you need to borrow a tome off of.
Are there going to be any planes? Even if there aren't, you can still use this idea: Color all the mythological realms and their creatures with cityness. "Devil are lawyers" might be cliched, but it's a good example.
I did actually mention farming in the Blueprints section. They have farms on the roofs/terraces. But food is still somewhat of an issue. I could go UnMet-style and just have them make some kind of semi-edible yet nutritious goo in their cellars? But seems a bit too dark for this setting. This is a thriving world, only within a somewhat limited frame.
I do actually own the Sharn book (Eberron is way awesome in many ways) and might have to take a look at it. But Sharn's towers are way more than skyscrapers can ever hope of becoming. They are practically mega-structures.
And i think Pratchett already did semi-intelligent rats before. I think rats will be animalistic but bow to the will of the Dark Piper. Could do stuff with spiders perhaps. But i think they might be a bit too small (even though they are extremely cool). But i could just enlarge them of course.
As for taxi/traffic, maybe i should do some kind of rickshaw service? seems appropriate.
I'm pretty sure i won't have any planes because of the one world/one city aesthetic, but that doesn't mean i can't have demonic lawyers ^^
Perhaps the decaying remnants of an ancient subway or sky-rail, either mechanical or magical? Sections could be shut-down/abandoned (instant dungeon) but others might still be operational.
If you don't like spiders as your mystery race, you could always make normal cats secretly really wise and smart. They're strange in their ways naturally, nearly ubiquitous anywhere there are rats, and in a city there are rats everywhere. That would give them an instant network of contacts of vast proportions. They are kept as pets by even the highest posts, so they've be privvy to conversations even most spies wouldn't hear.
If you don't want all cats to be sapient, you could have a special cat race that just look like cats. Perhaps they are slightly larger or always have white paws or soemthing else distinctive. Perhaps odler generations speak in hushed tones when they are certain no felines are near of howls at night that seem to be more than just the mating cries of toms. Perhaps some hermit on the edge of the more civilized parts speaks of how he hears things in their catterwalling, but is thankful that it is masked in meows and just beyond perception. Perhaps he is glad that they do continue to meow for fear of learning what they might actually be saying.
It's funny... whenever I think of cats as in tune with the supernatural/occult/hidden worlds, I think of Mieville's Un Lun Dun, where they're the only species of animal that can't enter the mystic world of Un Lun Dun - they're too busy trying to look cool.
hehe, yeah, that was awesome. Actually, the roofleapers are kinda stolen from Un Lun Dun...
As far as the subway goes i do actually have the path tunnels already which don't inlcude much in the way of machinery though. Mainly just underground roads but they are meant as an allegory to subways.
Cats are a possibility. Although i'm sort of considering roaches as well, even though they are small as well. Maybe i'll make them into a race instead.
Hmm, or i could have sapient walls? :p the walls have ears you know... or a sapient street. There was some comic that did that... Nah, i should probably stay with the animals.
Well, if you're not going to use the idea of the stone-tasters/ sentient stonework, I'll have to adapt some of that backstory to one of my worlds. That class is just begging to be played :P
Reminds me of an as-of-yet unread fantasy series by Brian Sanderson where the mages apparently get their powers from eating small pieces of metal. You know, only with gizzard-stones instead. I'm pretty sure i'm not going to use it though.
Here is something about the powers of the Cityspeakers; the mages of this setting.
[note]Although the idea was mine it has been influenced and inspired by Kate Griffin's "a Madness of Angels" and the mini-series the Lost Room (for the Golden Key)[/note]
The Cityspeakers, Scions of the City
The Cityspeakers, sometimes known as Scions, have the city in their blood. Not literally, of course, but at some level they are connected to the city at a preternatural level. They become a natural part of the city, take on aspects of their home; aspects that might be considered magical by those who don't understand the true harmony of the symbiosis between man and city.
Aspect of the Faceless Masses
The city is home to many, and mos inhabitants remain anonymous aside from friends and family. Crowds is a union of disconnected individuals. When walking in a crowd, the Scion can manifest this anonymity, becoming unnoticable and practically invisible behind the cover of men and women; he becomes part of the crowd. Cityspeakers can manifest this aspect whenever he is in an area that is at least mildly crowded with non-hostile bystanders and wears somewhat mundane clothing. He doesn't become invisible as such, but he becomes absolutely anonymous; gazes do not linger on him, searching eyes disregard him, and memories do not remember him. As part of the crowd, people swerve out of his way subconsciously, allowing him to move at normal walking speed through even densely crowded areas. This movement is not directly visible to watchers.
Aspect of Sprawling Streets
Alleys and their ilk are spread out like an intricate spiderweb connecting more important streets and boulevards with their often forgotten cobblestones. No one truly realizes how many of these there are, some of them long-forgotten even by mappers, and many are known only to the Scions. The Scions can tread these paths, moving through the city with disturbing speed. Cityspeakers always know where they are, the way out and in, and where they can go; even buildings are prone to the inner map of the Scion. Their only limitations are new things, things that haven't truly become part of the city yet. These are like black holes in the Cityspeakers mind until they have settled in.
Aspect of the Generic Lock
Although locks require different keys, locks and keys follow the same principles and designs. Scions recognize this, and using generic keys they can fit them into any lock, changing them from their generic state to a specific state, unlocking the door, yet reducing the generic key from its superposition of all keys to a single key. Scions also recognize the similarity of doorways. Each of them create a Golden Key when they give themselves over to the city. The Golden Key unlocks any door with a typical basic lock, but instead of opening up into the room beyond, it becomes a gateway to any other similar door the Scion can mentally envision. The door closes automatically behind him, but anyone who steps through while the door remains open can use the portal as well.
Aspect of the Ubiquitous Vermin
Although humans pride themselves on being the majority in the city, they are far outnumbered by what they call pests: rats, pigeons and their ilk. Scions recognize that these are not pests, but part of the city. They are everywhere, and their eyes see everything, and by manifesting this aspect, the Scion can borrow their vision. Pigeons can be accessed from plazas or towers, while rats can be accessed while underground. The Cityspeaker can only access these creatures when they are within a mile and have no control over them while seeing through their eyes. They can switch around all they want, though.
Aspect of the Eternal Plan
The city moves with a certain rhythm and flow, and although each day is different, there are many things they have in common. The Cityspeakers are sensitive to time and place and the rhythm of the city. They are stressed in rush hours, glad when work days are over, relaxed on holidays, sad when visiting cemeteries etc. Their appetites are regular to the extreme, going like clockwork in accordance with the lunch breaks and the serving of dinner in the city.
Aspect of Unlikely Coincidence
Coincidences can be ever so unlikely, yet in the City coincidences happen with such frequency that even the unlikeliest of coincidences must happen at some point. Scions know how to be in the right place at the right time and be in this exact and very unlikely point. As such, Scions have some control over probabilities. When they need to see a friend, they will run into him in the street. If they are late for an appointment, the person they are supposed to meet might be late as well. They have luck on their side.
Aspect of Cultural Diversity
Although many diverse cultures live within the City, the Scion understands that all cultures are subdivisions of a greater culture: the culture of the City itself. As such, the Scion walks as an equal in all cultures. His traits undertake unnoticable changes, making it impossible do determine which culture he physically belongs to. Likewise, all languages of the City are understood completely, whether he has learnt the language or not. His own utterances are understood by everyone unless he takes care to speak in a specific language.
Aspect of Ghostly Emanations
Not all there exists in the city is material, and the Scion knows his way with the immaterial parts as well. He is immune to pollution as well as all other airborn poisons made by the city itself. He can sense telegraph messages in wires close by, and if he touches the line he can hear them in his head. He can also send his own messages by holding a wire, although it will become garbled if another messsage is in progress.
EDIT: added the Aspects of Unlikely Coincidence, Cultural Diversity, and Ghostly Emanations
Quote from: Cataclysmic CrowReminds me of an as-of-yet unread fantasy series by Brian Sanderson where the mages apparently get their powers from eating small pieces of metal. You know, only with gizzard-stones instead. I'm pretty sure i'm not going to use it though.
Mistborn. I loved it. Brandon, not Brian.
Does this project relate to Broken Verge, or is a completely separate one like Death Planet?
It's completely separate. Mostly a place to keep all the ideas that fill up my head so it all runs smoothly :p
Added two more Aspects
A few ideas -
1. A traveling circus/tent town that hops from Ward to Ward, entertaining the masses while they conduct campaigns of pickpocketing and petty theft, staying only as long as their welcome permits.
2. A capitalist/corporate part. Competing companies put advertisements and slogans every, like a peeling wall-poster that says "DRINK BOLGARTS BITTER BLACK ALE!" in a campy 1950's style with a happy family or something to contrast the rest of the world. Have "The Man" be a force of evil in the world.
3. Aspect of Smog
Travelling carnival is a nice idea, and the same goes for the commercials :)
What would the Aspect of Smog entail? It is somewhat covered in Ghostly Emanations, but did you have other ideas for it?
Also thinking of adding something about lost items or something that allows the cityspeakers to have near-infinite pocket space.
How have I missed this before?
Anyway, skimmed around. You might want to look at Life After People for some inspiration. You could easily go with glass and steel; after a dozen or two years of no maintenance (ie, your setting) most of the glass is gone, and at fifty years, the blown out windows, essentially the entirety of the outer walls, have been turned into a multi-layer forest. Plenty of food if you've got one or two of these dedicated and cultured to grow nothing but harvestable crops.
Regarding things ubiquitus with cities, I an extensive subway system or an elevated rail line might be in order, devolved into underground canals or grassy strips, depending.
I'm also trying to envision how much of the city is new construction, and how much is old. When they expand, do they clear out more rooms in their building, or do they build a new building?
I'm picturing something like Feros, really, from Mass Effect. I know that's completely wrong, but...
Path Tunnels are essentially subway lines, but i had the exact same idea this morning that they should be changed into underground canals.
While technological anachronisms will be present, I'm trying to avoid anything that obviously places the city in modern times. So elevated rail lines might be a bit too much.
Having walls turned into multi-layer forests is something i have considered as well since that allows for "vertical farms" with people scaling up and down the building, filling their baskets with crops/fruit. Which is an interesting solution to the food issue.
Hmm, i reckon that if they expand they will mostly just move into new houses and modify and repair them so they can be defended and such. Of course, if houses are terribly damaged they will tear them down or build something around them.
Also, spacious rooftops might instead be populated by multiple huts.
Thanks for commenting :)