Community Worldbuilding Project [Ishka: Urban and Urbane]

[Renrik]

Though, now that I think about it, magic can't be too crucial to the building process, or the city would be vulnerable to anti-magic. Imagine what a wilder with the right spell levels could do.

[Silverscale]

Though, now that I think about it, magic can't be too crucial to the building process, or the city would be vulnerable to anti-magic. Imagine what a wilder with the right spell levels could do.

That is exactly why the Wild-Mage in my campaign has a sigil on her forehead that prevents big mishaps from happening with her wild magic. (Read as I get to veto anything that would mess up the campaign/world in a significant way.)

[The Anarresti]

New guy, up to date, glad to be here, hope you'll welcome me, yadda-yadda. Now, I have an idea on steam-venting: why not just not have a hard-and-fast rule for steam-venting? Where they vent the steam varies from steamworks to steamworks, depending on the budget (and professional morals) of the engineer, and the scope of the foreman. Some are just vented into the air, causing (really cool-looking, steampunky/gritty noir city) clouds, giving many working-class districts their own cooler and wetter microclimates (giving rise to blue-collar slang "dry" meaning rich/upper class/white collar, "wet" meaning poor/working class/blue collar. It varies, too: a beggar might be "soaking," a low-level bureaucrat from a working-class background might just be "moist"). Some is pumped directly into the the canyon wall, making reservoirs of water than trickle down, providing low cost water to the lower levels. Some is even released extra-dimensionally, either into the astreal plane (industrial waste-dumper's heaven) or into places where Ishka needs water, like its holdings on the Earth plane.
I can imagine long, vertical shantytowns springing up along these trickles, people drawn by the free running water, like in Los Angeles.
Thanks for putting up with my extrodinarily long post. When I have time, I might make up a district summery for these shantytowns. I also might start yet another () Ishka story series, if no one objects. Should we move that to the Arts&Crafts Forum?

[The Anarresti]

How do you make spoilers?

[The Anarresti]

Possibly, the Ishkans foresaw that a well-placed anti-magic field or Mordikain's Disjunction spell could wreck havoc on the city, so the University cast a blanket abjuration across the canyon to protect it. Ishka proper (not it's extradimensional holdings, or places such as Gulliver's heights or Galdren) is treated as having spell-resistance 30 with regard to all metamagic spells.
Whaddya think? I can easily imagine the Wild or some other like-minded group dispelling the magic on a Station, and watching as another Station materializes in the same spot as the first every five minutes, gruesomely harming everyone inside both stations as it shunts just outside of the occupied space, onto a crowded city street. I'm sure the Council could imagine it as well, commissioning a metamagic abjuration from the University to protect Ishka. (Note: this could be one of those times when the University breaks out the Arcane Engine)

[Renrik]

That... makes a lot of sense.

[Silverscale]

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Possibly, the Ishkans foresaw that a well-placed anti-magic field or Mordikain's Disjunction spell could wreck havoc on the city, so the University cast a blanket abjuration across the canyon to protect it. Ishka proper (not it's extradimensional holdings, or places such as Gulliver's heights or Galdren) is treated as having spell-resistance 30 with regard to all metamagic spells.
Whaddya think? I can easily imagine the Wild or some other like-minded group dispelling the magic on a Station, and watching as another Station materializes in the same spot as the first every five minutes, gruesomely harming everyone inside both stations as it shunts just outside of the occupied space, onto a crowded city street. I'm sure the Council could imagine it as well, commissioning a metamagic abjuration from the University to protect Ishka. (Note: this could be one of those times when the University breaks out the Arcane Engine)

To answer your first question use {SPOILER}insert text here{/SPOILER} but replace {,} with [ and ] and it will look something like what I did to your quote.

In direct response to the Anti-Magic protection, I smell an Epic Ritual that is kept going by a Major Artifact of some sort, not unlike The Great Fountain or that huge cube that lights up Ishka (the name of which currently escapes me0

[BRC]

To answer your first question use {SPOILER}insert text here{/SPOILER} but replace {,} with [ and ] and it will look something like what I did to your quote.

In direct response to the Anti-Magic protection, I smell an Epic Ritual that is kept going by a Major Artifact of some sort, not unlike The Great Fountain or that huge cube that lights up Ishka (the name of which currently escapes me0

The Great Lantern.

Really, I don't know how much an AMF would mess up Ishka. Magic is used in the construction, but I don't think places are generally supported by active magic. You'd shut off the lights from the Great Lantern, Firefighters wouldn't be able to work, you might cause some serious problems with a Station or Portal if you were in the right spot, but I don't think you could actively destroy the city with it.

[The Anarresti]

Fire can do a lot of damage. After the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the firefighters couldn't get water from the underground pipes, leading to massive fires. If you cut off the power, pretty soon the emergency response suffers, and in a city as tightly packed as Ishka, I could see whole districts burning down due to a lack of fire-fighters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_Sa...bsequent_fires
Also, all the emergency response teams depend on teleportation, correct? So in order to gain access to an area, and hold it hostage terrorist-style, all I'd need are a few low-level mooks and an anti-magic field.

[BRC]

Fire can do a lot of damage. After the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the firefighters couldn't get water from the underground pipes, leading to massive fires. If you cut off the power, pretty soon the emergency response suffers, and in a city as tightly packed as Ishka, I could see whole districts burning down due to a lack of fire-fighters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_Sa...bsequent_fires

Which is why you have the Great Fountain to try to keep fires contained until Firefighters (With their magical armor that gives them fire resistance, speed boosts, and lets them shoot streams of water) arrive on the scene. In the case of an emergency, the Great Fountain can be sent into overdrive, essentially quenching a massive fire outright, though this shuts it off for some time.

[The Anarresti]

But that's all magical. Still, isn't the idea of a Station pile-up horrific enough? At the LEAST the Stations would have SR. They represent a vital part of the transportation system, and a huge monetary investment by the owners.

[The Anarresti]

You couldn't destroy the city with an AMF, true, but it's worth protecting against. Did 9/11 destroy New York City? No. Is it worth it to protect against future attacks of the same nature? Yes.

[BRC]

But that's all magical. Still, isn't the idea of a Station pile-up horrific enough? At the LEAST the Stations would have SR. They represent a vital part of the transportation system, and a huge monetary investment by the owners.

Well the Great Lantern and the Great Fountain are both major artifacts. I don't even think an AMF could be big enough to cover all of them (They're both large magical engines). You could shut off their effects in one area though.

The Stations on the other hand you could disrupt with an AMF. They probably have some sort of safety mechanism in place, or SR, or some combination thereof.

[The Anarresti]

I'd say that they are all linked, so if one in a cycle stops teleporting for whatever reason, they all do, so as to avoid pile-ups.

[The Anarresti]

And what do people think of the working-class district microclimate thing? I think it lends flavor and some cool slang words, and defiantly drives home the distinction between the rich (in Mithrail Heights, above the steam) and the not-so-rich, in the steam clouds

[Owrtho]

I agree with the local climates. It also makes sense just from the fact that the deeper you go in Ishka the less natural weather you would have (thus meaning most climate further down is either stale or artificial).

As for the anti-magic fields, I expect that they are handled on somewhat more of an individual basis. As in most places don't care about it (at most it might cause some discomfort to the people and put out the lights), but in some places if they think it is worth it they can protect against them. For example I expect that the streetbuilders all are taught some epic magic type building techniques (mind it takes around a hundred or more of them to use them and requires precise work) that allows them to make things immune to the effects of anti-magic and some other such spells. Due to the difficulty of performing it though, it is reserved almost exclusively for the big projects like the Great Fountain and the Great Lantern.

Also, I'll point out that anti-magic fields are the method of choice for suppressing rule breaking spellcasters in Ravenshome (it seems to take at least 4 Raven statues that form the boundaries if you made lines connecting them, though usually more take part, resulting in much more precise containment zones).

Owrtho

[TheLonelyScribe]

I like the whole thing about the moisture slang. Perhaps a 'soaker' is an exploitative business man or banker?

One reason I think we need anti-magic fields is because there are huge and relatively thin bridges stretching from one side of a 10 mile canyon to the other. To be honest, I don't think those could uphold an entire 0.6 billion people and their homes without some sort of magic.

Episode 5: Twoface

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Gerald opened the door into a tiny room containing only a bunk bed and the absolute necessities for living comfortably.

'Hmm, quite reasonable really,' said Xchi.

From the bottom bunk, which was covered up by a kind of curtain of drying laundry, there emerged a young man with standing-up blue hair and huge hands. His nose was like that of a snake's, and his eyes were bright red orbs.

'Oh, hello. I suppose you're a new room-mate. I'm sorry for my appearance, just wait a sec while I change.'

And change he did. His hair became a rusty red, and hung around his shoulders. Slowly his nose grew out, and his features became more feminine. His hands also became more delicate, he was evidently becoming a woman. Finally her eyes changed to bright green. She had become a delicate elf.

Gerald was astounded. He stood gaping, unable to speak.

'Oh, you must be an immigrant. I'm afraid I'm a doppelgänger. Twoface, shifter, changeling, whatever you want to call me. I'm afraid I'm an Afflicted. I'd like it if you instead refer to me as Gerutechening, Grute for short. I work at the Academy. Nice meeting you.' The doppelgänger held out her hand.

Gerald reached out and shook. Xchi yelped, 'No! Gerald, we don't shake hands in Ishka in case... oh well, it's happening now.'

Grute's hair began to shorten, shifting from rust to mousey-brown. Her eyes changed to blue. She slowly got taller, and her features once again became male. His hands got bigger, and slowly his form stabilised into exactly that of Gerald.

Xchi despaired. 'He told you he was Afflicted! He told you!'

Bit short today, I'm a bit busy.

[BRC]

One reason I think we need anti-magic fields is because there are huge and relatively thin bridges stretching from one side of a 10 mile canyon to the other. To be honest, I don't think those could uphold an entire 0.6 billion people and their homes without some sort of magic.

Wait, who said anything about Bridges? Ishka is a solid block built on top of itself like one massive building. A layer is supported by the layer below it, and it supports the layer above (That's why the Streetbuilder's are so important). Occasionally the weight is focused on specially designed columns of various sizes. Everything from a standard brick rectangle to the skyscraper sized "Saint's Columns" full of all all sorts of ingenious mechanisms and structures to support the massive weight of the city. It doesn't just exist in the canyon on a web of bridges, it fills it up like some sort of liquid pored into it.

Also, what are afflicted doppelgangers?

[TheLonelyScribe]

Something I made up just now. I decided that being a doppelgänger in Ishka is basically hugely embarrassing and difficult, and I made up the Affliction (referred to as just that). It's a sexually transmitted disease. Other races can get it, but unless they have some sort of low-caster level spell cast on them which means that they can change forms, they're simply carriers. However, when it gets a hold of natural shape-shifters it can have two effects. First, their assumed forms slowly warp over time, hence the blue-haired snake-nosed form. Second, if they make physical contact with any sentient creature, they instantly transform into their shape, and are stuck in it for several weeks.

Because of this, and because of more mundane diseases, physical contact is usually avoided. Instead, they just hold their hands out as if about to shake hands, then clench them into fists.

Is everybody O.K with these ideas?

[Silverscale]

Is everybody O.K with these ideas?

Interesting....At first glance I like it....at the moment I have too many things to pay attention to to give it much thought.

[The Anarresti]

I like the non-handshaking idea. In a city with as dense a population as Ishka, disease would be a huge issue. I like the slang "He has a lot of friends..." The idea of shape-shifters being distrusted makes sense in-and-of itself, even in a city as widely varied as Ishka: mortal humanoids would still be the the norm, so immortal creatures, such as fey or outsiders, non-humanoids, or creatures possessing powers that give them an edge in tricking others: Mind Flayers, Changelings, etc. But wouldn't the whole Affliction thing severely complicate the life of any PC wanting to play a shapeshifter of any kind?
Also, what about shapeshifters that can't mimic another's form, such as Lycanthropes? Do they mimic other people's forms to?
I was considering creating a list of slang (a la Nation of Dead). Does anyone have suggestions?

[The Anarresti]

New District!

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Name:Magetown
Other Names:the Sorcerers' Ghetto, Witchville, Arcanists' Haven, the Illusionary City, the Poor Man's University
Government Type: Magocracy
Police Force:The Blueshirts
The University by no means has a monopoly on Arcane knowledge. While neighborhood magicians are by no means rare, few places have a heigher concentration of Arcane Spellcasters than Magetown. In this district, to lack arcane powers is the exception, not the rule. Mundanes (Muds or Mudheads if you're feeling uncouth) are looked upon by the residents of the district with anything from pity, scorn, or occasionally envy. Almost everyone has at least one level of Sorcerer; the magical concentration is so heigh that even children have some ability: most kids born in Magetown are a 0-level sorcerer, and can cast a few cantrips each day (know 2, has 3 0-lvl spell slots). Magic is everywhere in this crowded and surprisingly poor district: people clean houses with prestidigitation, ropes move by themselves, and typical children's games use ghost sound to spice up games of hide-and-seek, or use arcane marks instead of sidewalk chalk. Runaway sorcerers, frightened by their out-of-control powers, gravitiate to Magetown, usually joining one of the many teenage gangs that flock the streets. These gangs are often surprisingly benign, serving usually just as a support group for young sorcerers, giving them the oppurtuntity to become familier with their powers.
The Blueshirts are the only police force that patrols unarmed and unarmored. Their uniform consists of sturdy black pants, boots, a canvas spell component pouch often containing scrolls and wands, and a loose dark blue shirt. They are all sorcerers of at least fourth level. They tend to use their good looks and winning personality to their advantage, talking their way to a peaceful resolution. Their reputation as arcanists usually works to subdue outsiders farly well, these people not understanding the magical power of the Blueshirts, and thus afraid of it. When they do have to resort to spells, they favor spells such as sleep that are effective and harmless. They also favor impressive and/or humiliating tactics such as lightning bolting a particularly troublesome youth. Area attacks are usually avoided, as are fire-based spells: these tend to get out of hand very easily.
The leaders of Magetown are the elders, a small oligarchy of sorcerers of at least 12th level. They elect the Doge of the district, however, a Doge is never elected who does not have the support of the people. The Doge is expected to be seen around the District, lending magical support to community projects and talking with the citizens.
Outsiders will often go the the District if they need magical assistance on the cheap. Rich citizens will often visit one of the many clubs on the jazzier upper portions of Magetown, full of illusionary entertainment and exotic sorcerous beauties. Some of the residents work as specialist magicians, seeking out work around Ishka in their particular speciality of magic, especially jobs that the clients would rather keep off the books.

Also, what about an Ishkan superstition? Giving money to Elvish beggars is considered lucky, and it's not uncommon for businessmen, before a major enterprise, to travel an Elvish ghetto and give liberally.

[erictheredd]

After reading the Thread, here's my take on the concept of how the city is put together:

1) As said above, the canyon is filled in by a crazy web/tower design that is fairly "solid"-- ie, the weight can be shifted both to the sides (bridge Idea) and downwards (sky scraper style).

2) the exact mechanics of how a particular spot are unique, thus requiring street builders and making their job more complicated

3) each area is supported by a good deal more than necessary, and from more than one source

4) magic has been used at least for building the city, if not permanently supporting it, at least partially.


Taking these facts as givens, I would say that magic could be essential to supporting the city, but the magic is spread out enough and aided by enough mundane means that an AMF isn't big enough to do any damage. for example, a slight boost to every level (perhaps a levitation effect) would work wonders, and could easily spread out a small loss in lifting power. Other magical buffing could include "magically reinforced concrete" (and steel, and mortar) feather fall effects, and gates to the elemental plane of earth (for a good foundation). of all of these effects, only the gates (the craziest Idea really) could be effected on a massive enough effect to make a difference.

of course, you could get an enemy intentionally targeting a point, trying to take out all of its supports at once. however, even if the effected area snapped, the next layer would probably catch it, and the stuff above it, while effected, would hold together. Such a plan would also probably require three or more AMFs, and the removal of some major support structures. A team capable of doing that is going to have more dangerous things to do.

[Silverscale]

RE: Magetown, I like it, not everyone can afford to go to University.

RE: erictheredd, Even if terrorist would have to go through a lot of trouble to effectively use AMF to disrupt the city, and they would probably have other more dangerous things at there disposal, I still think it would be a big enough concern that there would be an Anti-AMF Major Artifact protecting Ishka.

[Renrik]

On Magetown: Didn't we already have a magic district? Or just the Academy?

Also, Blueshirts is a *really* unfortunate name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueshirts

[The Anarresti]

Ooh yes. New ideas for names, please. I was trying to go for something informal, almost nicknamey, but not glib. Of course ____shirts brings to mind not the blueshirts, but also the brownshirts and Mussolini's blackshirts.

[The Anarresti]

We had a Wizard's district. I was thinking of a much more informal, chaotic, magic-as-art Sorcerer's district, as opposed to the formal, intellectual, hard-work-and-cold stone, professors and students only University. Magetown is a place where magic is everywhere, more so than normal for Ishka, with everything from illusionary clubs on the upper portions, to gangs of runaway sorcerers developing their powers, to kids playing with dancing lights in the streets. Not a study of magic, but a place were magical people go to live with their own kind.

[Owrtho]

On Magetown, I think we just had the Academy. As such it is a good idea to have a place people go that isn't formulated learning. However, I also expect a number of people there actually attend the academy as well, having chosen to live there so as not to deal with whatever issues there may be with knowing magic in a place where most people don't.
Also, while I expect most would be sorcerers, I could also see people who use other forms of magic that naturally occur (or at least can show up without being specifically sought after, such as the odd curse that can have beneficial effects, or even psyonics and if one wanted to include them in the setting, the homebrewed Harrowed or Xenotheurgy).

For the shapechangers, while I could see them being generally mistrusted, I expect it would be more an issue of the advantage that their skills give them rather than something they would be ashamed of (not that they might not apologize for their talents that give them a great advantage over a human, but it wouldn't be from shame so much as pity). As for the afflicted, I don't think it would work to have it do much more than possibly cause some small warping of their form if they didn't focus on maintaining it and even then it would be gradual. Thus a doppelganger might change gradually to look noticable different from who they changed into if they remained in that form for a week or two, and a lycanthrope could gradually shift to look more wolfen or human than they normally would when fully changed, but they wouldn't ever go outside the range of what they could actually become.

As for the anti-magic fields, I doubt they are much of a concern for most of the city. As for the areas where it could be an issue, I expect that Ishka has developed means of building in resistance to the fields for the thing that needs the resistance. However, this immunity would only extend to said thing, not the location. Thus the stations might be immune to anti-magic fields, however, one could still be made on/in a station and it would prevent other things from using magic there, though the station would still operate normally (it would work similarly with a magic enforced vault or the like that was considered important enough to have the anti-magic immunity built in, you could make the anti-magic fields there, and they would prevent other magic, but the magic built into the vault or whatever would continue to function, it would however block magic added to the vault that wasn't built into it with the immunity, such as an enchantment later cast on it).

Owrtho

[The Anarresti]

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Name: The Academy
Other Names: Scholarville, Magetown. Wizland.
Government: Magocracy
Police Force: The Custodians.
The Academy is one of the two major magical districs in the city. Unlike the Mages District, which is home to many independent practitioners, the Academy is one institution. Though Magic is it's focus, the Academy studies all the sciences, and it's magical students are highly encouraged to study at least one other science. The lower levels are for Novices and Apprentices, containing living quarters, classrooms, recreation areas, library, workshops, ect. The layers above those are more of the same, but designed for older, more advanced students. This pattern continues until the very top layers, the "Searchers Circle", where the ultimate graduates spend the rest of their lives in study. Though experimental labs and research happens throughout the district, once you become a "Searcher", the implication is that you know so much that, anything else you might learn about your science, you will probably have to discover for yourself.
Most Students leave the Academy upon reaching adulthood, often moving to the Mages District, but some stay, pursing Knowledge for Knowledges sake, For these individuals, their education never ends. Most become assistants for a Researcher, though some become Professors, or find some other position in the Academy.
The Academy is patrolled by a force known as the Custodians. Their numbers are actually quite small, but if need be, they can have Academy Wizards prepare for combat and join their ranks, or summon creatures to assist them in combat.*strikethrough by me

From the list of districts posted by Silverscale on page 12. It mentions that the University is one of two magical districts, but the list of Districts doesn't mention another one. Maybe we have two arcane magical districts, one professional, magic-as-science, organized collage Wizard one, one informal, independent practitioners, magic-as-art Sorcerer's one.
I'd also like to say that places like the Temple District would also be very magical, albeit Divinely Magical. Maybe the Grove as well would fit in this area of highly Divinely Magical.
I think that the feel of Magetown is very different from the feel of the University, so that it would not be redundant. Besides, in a city this size, there are bound to be tons of Sorcerers, right? They can't exactly go study at the University.

[TheLonelyScribe]

In response to Owthro, maybe the Affliction could have varying stages of severity, the most severe leading to the unavoidable change? Also, lythancrobes aren't as affected, the Affliction can't force you to take a shape that you can't take normally, however, the might not be able to control their changing as well.

One of the ideas that were going through my head when I made the Affliction is the fact that most shapeshifters (other than lythacrobes and such) would have some sort of connection to Hedon, and I thought that should haunt them wherever they go. It's as sexually transmitted disease, so in most campaigns it wouldn't be a problem for PCs.

I'm also glad someone likes my 'he has a lot of friends' slang. I'm very proud of it