American Mythology Setting (Help is welcome!)

[Zap Dynamic]

Sergei Tokarev, or "Dr. Steam," is the most innovative mind in the Empire. Churning out hundreds of inventions each year, Dr. Steam is responsible for nearly every technological advancement the Empire has made in the past decade, including harnessing the powers of steam to the benefit of each of the Empire's citizens. Dr. Steam works closely with the Imperial Government, developing everything from more sophisticated labor devices to--it is rumored--more powerful weapons for the Imperial Military.

His very first innovation seems simple by the standards of the good folk of the Empire. He theorized that--merely by heating air--he could make the heaviest of contraptions float into the sky. Thanks to this initial vision, Tokarev revolutionized the way the Empire transports goods, travels for leisure, and fights its wars.

Naturally, such a development as lighter than air technology earned the attention of the Empire, and he has been on a substantial government stipend in all the years since. Though he has known countless failures, he has been the guiding force in the quest for mechanical perfection.

In the years following his rise to prominence, thousands of intrepid inventors have expanded on his idea, but Tokarev has remained at the forefront of innovation. Among his inventions include the steam-powered rifle (its proponents insist that it will outrange any gunpowder rifle for the next 60 years), a means of increasing the labor capacity of Ironmen tenfold (Tokarev--it should be said--was the very to espouse the idea of machines controlling machines), and even a means by which one might survive beneath the very ocean itself.

This last invention began with a simple apparatus that would allow a human to walk along the floor of rivers, observing wildlife and hazards present along the floor of countless riverways. It ended--as all good Citizens know--in the great, underwater paradise of Aqualuxia in the city of Coterois. Granted, many of the city's inhabitants know it as the Sunken Quarter (a hive of scum and dark rituals if ever there was one), but the genius of his vision lives on.

Today, Sergei continues to churn out invention upon invention for the good of all Imperials and the Empire itself. As he has no taste for galas and banquets, he is not often found outside his complex of labs and storage facilities, a tall building located in the heart of New _____, the Empire's largest city.

[JackRackham]

Okay, so you mentioned wanting an Edgar Allen Poe tribute (I agree, a necessity)? Well, here's the thing, Poe has nothing combat-related in his mythos or in fact. Doc Holliday, however, was a pretty morbid dude, very (effete?), eccentric, and intelligent/verbose in additon to being DEADLY with a pistol. I say, combine the two. You've got a drunken (both), morbid (both), writer (Poe), who's probably married to a younger cousin (Poe, 14-ish), but gambles (Holliday) and is just deadly with a pistol (Holliday). Build ideas to follow...

EDIT: First of all, what I have in mind for Dr. Allen Poe would break the rules for PC character creation, but that shouldn't be a problem since he's a unique, legendary NPC and Legend specifically says the DMs can break the rules in creating monsters and NPCs.

Obviously, Poe would be a writer by trade - a crazy good one. He would be dressed in obviously lavish, expensive, but ill-kept clothes in darker colors. He'd be found at the back of a dingy bar, drunkenly cheating at a card game. He's from the equivalent of the East Coast, probably South and may have migrated West at one point.

If he's famous, any tall tales about him would revolve around him brutally gunning down rooms full of men, half-drunk. He would not be the initiator. Rather, he would owe them money (unsuccessful writing venture, or he said it was a writing venture, but drank away his advance and never submitted anything), or they would catch him cheating at cards, or they would catch their wife/girlfriend/sister/mother/daughter sleeping with him or one of their 'working girls' giving him a freebie. If he's not famous, he's likely to drunkenly regale people with these stories - but only drunkenly! He's probably quiet, brooding when sober.

His writing should obviously be like Poe's. If he's famous, there should be all kinds of superstitions about them and how he comes up with them (dark arts, consorts with devils, haunted by the men he's killed, blah, blah, blah). If he's not famous, or not famous for his writing, his work should just be creepy as hell. You can even just use some of Poe's actual, lesser known poems and short stories if this comes up in-game.

Now, I suggest giving him Esoterica Radica, Rain of Arrows, Better Quick Than Dead, and Arcane Secrets. His Iconic Feat will be "On a Pale Horse." The remaining feats would be To Iron Married, To Steel Beholden, Batter Down, Pistolero, Terror, and Dread Secret.

Likely Legendary Abilities: Suave, Awesome Presence, Plot Armor, Old Hero.

This character would have a maxxed bluff and intimidate and would have shunned diplomacy completely. He should be high Dex, Int, and Cha and his other 3 stats should be very low (Poe and Holliday were very sickly, and physically weak, Holliday was entirely, recklessly impulsive).

His Arcane Secrets and his dread secret and terror abilities (from feats) should be fluffed as a supernatural ability to weave magical, horrible, dark tales that grip his target and physically effect them...while he loosens his pistol in its holster.

Stories aside, his pistol hand is also one of the quickest and deadliest around.

Also, I'm puzzled by the need to combine Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, or rename Tesla and others- no-one's alive to come after you.

You'd combine them because having a bunch of epic badass wilderness guys running around would get old. So, you'd pick, right? But, why pick, when you can take the best parts of each of them, combine them, and make someone even more epic, more larger-than-life?

And then, the renaming is because using actual historical figures actually ruins verisimilitude more often than not. For instance, if a Jim Bowie character scolds someone for holding slaves, I'd be upset, because the dude had a bunch of slaves. But if a character representing the archetype did so, it'd be fine, because the archetype is about glorifying the little guy and the fact that some of these guys were slave holders (read:all, at one point or another) is not central to the archetype.

[Zap Dynamic]

Okay, so you mentioned wanting an Edgar Allen Poe tribute (I agree, a necessity)? Well, here's the thing, Poe has nothing combat-related in his mythos or in fact. Doc Holliday, however, was a pretty morbid dude, very (effete?), eccentric, and intelligent/verbose in additon to being DEADLY with a pistol. I say, combine the two. You've got a drunken (both), morbid (both), writer (Poe), who's probably married to a younger cousin (Poe, 14-ish), but gambles (Holliday) and is just deadly with a pistol (Holliday). Build ideas to follow...

I actually like the idea Ninjadeadbeard has cooked up. He's essentially a ghost the haunts an entire region, weaving horrifying webs of illusion and madness simply by the nature of his sad life.

Ninja, I have two things to say to you. First: I think Ravenholme would best be represented as a whole mess of haunts, a la Pathfinder. Second: how did you come up with a name like "Ninjadeadbeard"?

EDIT: He'd have

I await with bated breath!

[JackRackham]

I actually like the idea Ninjadeadbeard has cooked up. He's essentially a ghost the haunts an entire region, weaving horrifying webs of illusion and madness simply by the nature of his sad life.

Ninja, I have two things to say to you. First: I think Ravenholme would best be represented as a whole mess of haunts, a la Pathfinder. Second: how did you come up with a name like "Ninjadeadbeard"?



I await with bated breath!

Damn, I didn't catch that.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Ninja, I have two things to say to you. First: I think Ravenholme would best be represented as a whole mess of haunts, a la Pathfinder. Second: how did you come up with a name like "Ninjadeadbeard"?

First: Yeah, I can see that. I also think any GM would need to use every bit of their dark, twisted imagination to do Usher's House properly, and come up with Poe-themed haunts.

See what I did there?

Second: I use that name cuz of an experience I had. I was in a writing-rut and asked a friend to give me an idea, off the top of his head. He, being a smartass, told me to write about the adventures of a Pirate Ninja Zombie. So I did. And darn it if I didn't have fun cramming every cliched nonsensical reference into that story. The character's name (in true Pirate fashion) was Ryuzaki Deadbeard, both a pirate and Ninja. And a zombie, so instead of a Blackbeard or a Bluebeard or a Redbeard, he had a Deadbeard.

It's as good a name as any.

Anyway, I wrote up two more characters, one of which you came up with waaaaaay back on, like, the first or second page.

Colonel "Bear" Redfield and his Bear Cavalry

Spoiler

Show

Robert “The Bear” Redfield is the youngest Senator in the Empire. Though he is legally too young to hold the office, he was elected by popular acclaim in Deine, his state. It was only after he took office that his legend became well known to the public at large.

Redfield was born a sickly youth. He suffered terribly from colds and asthma. Well, to Redfield that would not do, so he took to a brutal regimen of physical and mental exercises. By the time he was fifteen, Redfield was running fifty miles every morning, downing his weight in raw eggs and steaks to keep up his pace, and already sporting his trademark walrus-mustache. Coming from money, he was able to pursue his education with little to get in his way.

After receiving his degree to practice law (age 18, naturally), Redfield decided to win a bet with himself. He gave away all his money and possessions and set out to earn it all back. He's since done this six times, each time pursuing a different tact to earn his living. He made millions at cattle herding, lawyering, teaching, fur trapping, and even once by writing his autobiography at age 23. His exuberance for life made him a star in his home state and they elected him to be their Senator by acclaim.

Most other Senators hadn't heard of Redfield before, and so were somewhat surprised to find him accompanied through the Capitol's streets by a huge Dire-Abominable-Snow-Bear (the species was later re-named the Red-Bear). Redfield had tamed the bear (named Theodore, thus the namesake for Teddy Bears) after he hunted it for three days. Well, he tamed it after hunting, and then wrestling the bear. Theodore is consider exceptionally well-trained, and often gives rides to little children. Redfield himself never rides Theodore, preferring to carry his Familiar on his back while going to and from Senate meetings. However, hearing people talk of Bear-riding has given Robert Redfield an idea. He hopes to one day serve in the next major war, hopefully at the head of his newly gathered volunteer corps of Bear Cavalry.

Redfield still leads his senate staff on fifty mile hikes every day, and tends to have to replace those who get lost or collapse on the way. He's also well known for being a leading member of both the Nostalgia Gardens and Academy of Steam. Despite attempts to make him pick one over the other, Redfield has continued going to both groups' meetings, sometimes having to crash through the barricades raised against him. He hasn't gotten the hint yet, and no one is willing to be the one to tell him he's out.

That being said, Redfield is a bit book-dumb and naïve. Though educated, he seems to blatantly disregard anything and everything that disagrees with his assumption that all people are generally good and decent at heart. When he met with leaders of both Ironmen and Allied Natives, Redfield was genuinely surprised that some other Senators made a big stink of the whole thing. Redfield has literally no concept of race as something that separates one man from another. He is, as Herbert Boatswain (see below) once said, “A Bear in every respect. Gentle of heart, nonjudgmental of mind, and a brick s***house in size”.

Mattimeo Sasquatcha Potter

Spoiler

Show

Mattimeo Potter was a career soldier in the years leading up to the Imperial Civil War (also known as The Iron War). Despite this, he was also a highly unconventional soldier. He always appeared to slouch, never tried combing his wild red hair or beard into something resembling respectable, and tended to view war as a harsh and terrible monstrous crime against decency, rather than as a large scale game of honor as his colleagues did. He was also something of a drunk and a cigar fiend. Potter's superiors disliked him for these qualities and others, but usually couldn't move against him because of his record. Graduating last in his military class, Potter had risen from the lowest order of the peasantry to command rank and soon found himself a general on the frontiers.

While Potter was of the opinion that the Natives he governed over were admirable sorts, when orders came down to march against those who partook in violent rebellion, he did not hesitate. The Natives granted him a second name during his governorship. They called him “Fire Dancer” as they recognized his flame elemental heritage, and his devastating campaigns against the insurgent Natives.

When the Imperial Civil War broke out, Potter immediately took up arms against the rebellion. He didn't particularly think of the Ironmen's freedom, but he did hold a special hatred in his heart for any who chose to begin a war. “They were the ones who began this terrible conflict,” he wrote, “But I shall end it. And I shall make them howl.”

Early in the war, Potter's particular sort of combat was ill-looked upon by the civilian populace. This was, in no small part due to his policy of killing every single living being anywhere that supported the rebels in any way. He was quietly taken out of command and retired for the Battle of Hirsch, where though he successfully defeated the Rebels, he also practically doubled the whole war's bodycount up to that point. But only a few scant years later, when the Empire was on the brink of total dissolution, Potter was given complete control as Imperator-General. He stood literally a hands-breath away from the throne.

The rest of the war is known only as Potter's March, where the whole of the rebellious states were shown exactly what Potter thought of as war. He made it absolutely clear that he detested conflict, which was why he was going to make sure humanity remembered the price of war from his example. The destruction was so complete that the rebellious states surrendered unconditionally. Historians are still trying to tally up the total damages.

Interestingly, Potter immediately resigned his position as soon as the war ended. He deeply respected then Emperor Copperton, and felt he could pull the nation together again. Thus did Mattimeo Potter step out of history.

In Legend

Spoiler

Show

Potter is a Full Buy-in Barbarian/Path of the Ancestors/Utter Brute/Fire Elemental/Fire Elementalist (not a typo)

[Landis963]

Landis: First off, thanks for being such an advocate for the setting! Even though you've only just recently joined the conversation, I feel like you have a solid grasp on what I'm trying to accomplish.

thankya thankya.

Second, I agree with you about the "conflict ball" nature of the Grit-Slate relationship. When I came up with it, I had these two separate characters in my head, and one of them could have benefited from a mortal enemy. I smashed them together, and that was that. That said, I think it can be salvaged with minimal work. I'll think on it, and probably be able to post something by tonight.

To be fair, Ninja and I talked it over while you were out, and we both think that if there's a detail in there such as "Grit hung Slate out to dry in hostile territory" it could work as-is. There just needs to be a reason for Slate to single out Grit - it doesn't even need to be apparent to your average PC group, not at first.

Sergei Tokarev, or "Dr. Steam," is the most innovative mind in the Empire. Churning out hundreds of inventions each year, Dr. Steam is responsible for nearly every technological advancement the Empire has made in the past decade, including harnessing the powers of steam to the benefit of each of the Empire's citizens. Dr. Steam works closely with the Imperial Government, developing everything from more sophisticated labor devices to--it is rumored--more powerful weapons for the Imperial Military.

Is this going to be expanded any? I mean, there was some talk a few pages back about his involvement in the creation of Coterois, but not much else besides that.

[The Durvin]

What was that about Poe not having anything combat related? He may not have written large-scale battle scenes, but I refer you to "The Man Who Was Used Up", one of the earliest depictions of a cyborg; it's a surprisingly light-hearted story about a general who's had so many war-injuries he's made entirely of mechanical prostheses. And you know, on the same subject, you know who else was an American author writing not long after on the subject of the supernatural? Lovecraft. Just sayin'.

Another one you might want to look at is Mark Twain's "The Mysterious Stranger"; it's lesser known because it's all about the Devil, maybe. By that token, your poet might have gotten his skills selling his soul at the cross-roads, you know?

And then there's a real person, way back in history, whose story is so crazy I wouldn't believe it except I've heard it from multiple stories: Windwagon Smith. This crazy mofo decided he was going to build a giant vessel based on a schooner, but with wheels, so as to sail across the grasslands to the Frontiers; much to everyone's surprise, the damn thing worked perfectly, until he discovered--during the public debut, with local dignitaries on board--that the brakes weren't strong enough. There were injuries, but no deaths; he lost all his funding, and wound up--seriously now--fixing the windwagon up and sailing into the sunset alone. Supposedly, later frontiersmen heard stories from Indians about having seen him, but nobody knows what happened to him.

And more...Emperor Norton, maybe? I could go on, but I won't.

[Zap Dynamic]

[QUOTE=Ninjadeadbeard;12772227]Colonel "Bear" Redfield and his Bear Cavalry

Spoiler

Show

Robert “The Bear” Redfield is the youngest Senator in the Empire. Though he is legally too young to hold the office, he was elected by popular acclaim in Deine, his state. It was only after he took office that his legend became well known to the public at large.

Redfield was born a sickly youth. He suffered terribly from colds and asthma. Well, to Redfield that would not do, so he took to a brutal regimen of physical and mental exercises. By the time he was fifteen, Redfield was running fifty miles every morning, downing his weight in raw eggs and steaks to keep up his pace, and already sporting his trademark walrus-mustache. Coming from money, he was able to pursue his education with little to get in his way.

After receiving his degree to practice law (age 18, naturally), Redfield decided to win a bet with himself. He gave away all his money and possessions and set out to earn it all back. He's since done this six times, each time pursuing a different tact to earn his living. He made millions at cattle herding, lawyering, teaching, fur trapping, and even once by writing his autobiography at age 23. His exuberance for life made him a star in his home state and they elected him to be their Senator by acclaim.

Most other Senators hadn't heard of Redfield before, and so were somewhat surprised to find him accompanied through the Capitol's streets by a huge Dire-Abominable-Snow-Bear (the species was later re-named the Red-Bear). Redfield had tamed the bear (named Theodore, thus the namesake for Teddy Bears) after he hunted it for three days. Well, he tamed it after hunting, and then wrestling the bear. Theodore is consider exceptionally well-trained, and often gives rides to little children. Redfield himself never rides Theodore, preferring to carry his Familiar on his back while going to and from Senate meetings. However, hearing people talk of Bear-riding has given Robert Redfield an idea. He hopes to one day serve in the next major war, hopefully at the head of his newly gathered volunteer corps of Bear Cavalry.

Redfield still leads his senate staff on fifty mile hikes every day, and tends to have to replace those who get lost or collapse on the way. He's also well known for being a leading member of both the Nostalgia Gardens and Academy of Steam. Despite attempts to make him pick one over the other, Redfield has continued going to both groups' meetings, sometimes having to crash through the barricades raised against him. He hasn't gotten the hint yet, and no one is willing to be the one to tell him he's out.

That being said, Redfield is a bit book-dumb and naïve. Though educated, he seems to blatantly disregard anything and everything that disagrees with his assumption that all people are generally good and decent at heart. When he met with leaders of both Ironmen and Allied Natives, Redfield was genuinely surprised that some other Senators made a big stink of the whole thing. Redfield has literally no concept of race as something that separates one man from another. He is, as Herbert Boatswain (see below) once said, “A Bear in every respect. Gentle of heart, nonjudgmental of mind, and a brick s***house in size”.

Just saying, Teddy's my favorite prez.

Mattimeo Sasquatcha Potter

Spoiler

Show

Mattimeo Potter was a career soldier in the years leading up to the Imperial Civil War (also known as The Iron War). Despite this, he was also a highly unconventional soldier. He always appeared to slouch, never tried combing his wild red hair or beard into something resembling respectable, and tended to view war as a harsh and terrible monstrous crime against decency, rather than as a large scale game of honor as his colleagues did. He was also something of a drunk and a cigar fiend. Potter's superiors disliked him for these qualities and others, but usually couldn't move against him because of his record. Graduating last in his military class, Potter had risen from the lowest order of the peasantry to command rank and soon found himself a general on the frontiers.

While Potter was of the opinion that the Natives he governed over were admirable sorts, when orders came down to march against those who partook in violent rebellion, he did not hesitate. The Natives granted him a second name during his governorship. They called him “Fire Dancer” as they recognized his flame elemental heritage, and his devastating campaigns against the insurgent Natives.

When the Imperial Civil War broke out, Potter immediately took up arms against the rebellion. He didn't particularly think of the Ironmen's freedom, but he did hold a special hatred in his heart for any who chose to begin a war. “They were the ones who began this terrible conflict,” he wrote, “But I shall end it. And I shall make them howl.”

Early in the war, Potter's particular sort of combat was ill-looked upon by the civilian populace. This was, in no small part due to his policy of killing every single living being anywhere that supported the rebels in any way. He was quietly taken out of command and retired for the Battle of Hirsch, where though he successfully defeated the Rebels, he also practically doubled the whole war's bodycount up to that point. But only a few scant years later, when the Empire was on the brink of total dissolution, Potter was given complete control as Imperator-General. He stood literally a hands-breath away from the throne.

The rest of the war is known only as Potter's March, where the whole of the rebellious states were shown exactly what Potter thought of as war. He made it absolutely clear that he detested conflict, which was why he was going to make sure humanity remembered the price of war from his example. The destruction was so complete that the rebellious states surrendered unconditionally. Historians are still trying to tally up the total damages.

Interestingly, Potter immediately resigned his position as soon as the war ended. He deeply respected then Emperor Copperton, and felt he could pull the nation together again. Thus did Mattimeo Potter step out of history.

In Legend

Spoiler

Show

Potter is a Full Buy-in Barbarian/Path of the Ancestors/Utter Brute/Fire Elemental/Fire Elementalist (not a typo)

Burnside meets Grant? I approve.

I updated the post Sergei Tokarev, fleshing out his story a little more. I'll update even more when I get more ideas.

[Landis963]

... I really want to see this "machines controlling machines" idea in action. Would this be closer to the practical idea of Warforged interfacing somehow with a combine harvester, or the cool idea of a mech suit for mechs?

EDIT: and subscribed, now that I'm thinking about it.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Just saying, Teddy's my favorite prez.

I like him too, but the time period we're in is too early for his presidency. So I wrote him as he was before the Spanish-American War.

Burnside meets Grant? I approve.

Actually Grant meets Sherman. Well, more like Sherman meets Pyromancer Sherman meets Grant. Burnside is a tad too incompetent to combine with either of those men with good results.

[JackRackham]

What was that about Poe not having anything combat related? He may not have written large-scale battle scenes, but I refer you to "The Man Who Was Used Up", one of the earliest depictions of a cyborg; it's a surprisingly light-hearted story about a general who's had so many war-injuries he's made entirely of mechanical prostheses.

I was referring to Poe's personal characteristics, not his works. Poe himself was no warrior.

[Zap Dynamic]

... I really want to see this "machines controlling machines" idea in action. Would this be closer to the practical idea of Warforged interfacing somehow with a combine harvester, or the cool idea of a mech suit for mechs?

Probably both, actually.

[Landis963]

Probably both, actually.

Now I have this deliciously insane idea of a mech suit, for a mech suit, piloted by a warforged.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Now I have this deliciously insane idea of a mech suit, for a mech suit, piloted by a warforged.

Spoiler

Show

You have brought this on yourself.

So, yeah, what else did we need to build in this world? I feel we need some direction, Zap.

[Zap Dynamic]

So, yeah, what else did we need to build in this world? I feel we need some direction, Zap.

I think we're starting to get to a good place in terms of mythic heroes. At this point, we need to start thinking about cities, what each is known for, and what organizations are there. Here's what we've got so far:

• The Capital: Did we ever name this?
• The largest city in the New World (New York): We never named this.
• (Chicago): On the Northern coast of the gulf. Needs a name.
• Coterois:
  The Sunken Quarter
• Tree Island: Basically Tombstone, but it's near the Rockies instead of in Arizona.
• New Borado Capital: There are plenty of other cities in the nation, but the let's start with the capital. It's a place of Ancient God Magic.
• Northwestern Cities: Alaska-ish places. Longhouses, etc.

Have at em!

[Landis963]

formatting nightmare ahoy.

I think we're starting to get to a good place in terms of mythic heroes. At this point, we need to start thinking about cities, what each is known for, and what organizations are there. Here's what we've got so far:

• The Capital: Did we ever name this?

Well, Washington is named after the most saintified Founding Father (a saintifying name if there ever was one), but I think we should look somewhere else rather than invent more heroes, especially since we've apparently got enough for now. However, Philadelphia was in the running to become the US capital, but it's position was moved closer to the south to appease the senators from the southern states over the slavery issue. The city's name is a mashup of two greek words, specifically philos and adelphos, "love" and "brother", respectively. The Latin words that fit those two the best are amitica or amicus and Frater, respectively. Therefore, we should call the Capitol Frateramica or Fratamica. "Frater" for short.

• The largest city in the New World (New York): We never named this.

First, this should be the home of Dr. Steam and the Academy you mentioned a few pages back. Maybe we can set up a corporate rival to the University, echoing Tesla and Edison's rivalry. As for the name... I got nothing so far. Frankly, I say merge this city and the Chicago-analogue, since there's only a few places we can put it without stepping on any other cities' toes.

• (Chicago): On the Northern coast of the gulf. Needs a name.

There was an interesting idea back a few topics about the original settlers fleeing personal prosecution from Draculian noble families rather than spiritual prosecution. What if, say, a group of werewolves fleeing some vampiric regime's prosecution landed there and founded a colony. Assuming that the Empire proper is at the southern end of the Gulf, and these settlers landed smack dab in the middle of "Algonquian" territory, then there could be friction between them. Also, I'm picturing a sort of animal magnetism between the wolves of the area and the settlers, enough that the natives might call it "wolf-town" because of all the packs congregating there. Research shows me that "Wolf" in Algonquin is mahigan, which works nicely, I think. Thus, I christen the Chicago analogue Mahigan City. Also, in a nod to the legends surrounding Chicago's naming, locals should call it the Big Onion due to the preponderance of similar plants growing around there.

• Coterois:
  The Sunken Quarter

I actually had an idea about this place, especially with the Chicago analogue being (originally) a werewolf town. What if a vampiric puppet government set up shop here in the very beginning, before the Sunken Quarter was built? They would have been ousted during this world's analogue to the American Revolution, but their logos, policies, and slogans might have stuck around for quite some time afterward, enough that a group of settlers with long memories and deep-seated fears would be scared off by the resemblance.

• Tree Island: Basically Tombstone, but it's near the Rockies instead of in Arizona.

This should be Slate's domain, the law-abiding town where the betting is good, as well as the drinks. We've even got something to crib off of for Grit's climactic betrayal: the real life Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

• New Borado Capital: There are plenty of other cities in the nation, but the let's start with the capital. It's a place of Ancient God Magic.

I think we should take a page out of WoW's draenei for this one: have the main capital building be one giant piece of Ancient-God tech, possibly a starship (as it's the only thing that could feasibly be mistaken for a building). This is the nation where they use the technology and don't just guard it, right?

• Northwestern Cities: Alaska-ish places. Longhouses, etc.

I'll leave these to someone more talented than I.

Have at em!

Hope the things I did put down work!

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Well, Washington is named after the most saintified Founding Father (a saintifying name if there ever was one), but I think we should look somewhere else rather than invent more heroes, especially since we've apparently got enough for now. However, Philadelphia was in the running to become the US capital, but it's position was moved closer to the south to appease the senators from the southern states over the slavery issue. The city's name is a mashup of two greek words, specifically philos and adelphos, "love" and "brother", respectively. The Latin words that fit those two the best are amitica or amicus and Frater, respectively. Therefore, we should call the Capitol Frateramica or Fratamica. "Frater" for short.

Or we could shorten it to just Amicus since it would be easier to say. Or we could use the latin word Paludem or something similar. It basically means “Marsh”, which is a god descriptor for Washington. The original land Washington was built on was worthless marsh no other state wanted too badly. And this capitol is (unless Zap's reconsidered) basically on a tiny isthmus, prime marsh territory if I ever saw it.

First, this should be the home of Dr. Steam and the Academy you mentioned a few pages back. Maybe we can set up a corporate rival to the University, echoing Tesla and Edison's rivalry.

I second the Edison-analogue. Back when I did a short story about an alternate America undergoing Magic Prohibition (partly the reason I was so interested in this project) I had Tesla at the head of a Super-Corporation (due to his beating out Edison with Super-SCIENCE), and Edison became his (traitorous) lackey. Just an idea to float around. It could also be good conflict to stick with competing companies.

There was an interesting idea back a few topics about the original settlers fleeing personal prosecution from Draculian noble families rather than spiritual prosecution. What if, say, a group of werewolves fleeing some vampiric regime's prosecution landed there and founded a colony. Assuming that the Empire proper is at the southern end of the Gulf, and these settlers landed smack dab in the middle of "Algonquian" territory, then there could be friction between them. Also, I'm picturing a sort of animal magnetism between the wolves of the area and the settlers, enough that the natives might call it "wolf-town" because of all the packs congregating there. Research shows me that "Wolf" in Algonquin is mahigan, which works nicely, I think. Thus, I christen the Chicago analogue Mahigan City. Also, in a nod to the legends surrounding Chicago's naming, locals should call it the Big Onion due to the preponderance of similar plants growing around there.

...I actually had an idea about this place, especially with the Chicago analogue being (originally) a werewolf town. What if a vampiric puppet government set up shop here in the very beginning, before the Sunken Quarter was built? They would have been ousted during this world's analogue to the American Revolution, but their logos, policies, and slogans might have stuck around for quite some time afterward, enough that a group of settlers with long memories and deep-seated fears would be scared off by the resemblance.

That's hilarious. Back a few pages I also suggested going with an Onion theme. It's as they say, “Great Minds look at the same Wiki pages.” I also suggested Railtown, Bigtime, Venteux (windy), and Zweibel (onion, as in The Big Onion). Or, Neugotham. As in, New Gotham. I guess The Dark Knight was filmed there a lot, so they use that as a nickname.

Still, Mahigan is an awesome name. Let's do that one. Merging it with NY might be problematic, though doable.

I also put down quite a bit about Coterois a few pages ago, but it might have been lost in the shuffle. I'll repeat what I had here:

Spoiler

Show

A portion of Coterois sank into the sea some time ago, due in part to Pseudo-Voodoo (a favor from the Other Side gone wrong/horribly right),and also in part due to the machinations of a cult following a Cosmic Abomination (of the Lovecraftian variety). This cult are monstrous fish-people who still live in the ruined Sunken Quarter, giving black sacrifices to their Unspeakable Gods.

The Natives hate these guys. Besides being under the "Biggest Lake Monster of All" (ie; the Ocean), these guys probably dabble in all sorts of forbidden magic and have traditionally used Natives as their sacrifices.

But some enterprising Imperials, Led by Dr Steam himself, have reclaimed part of the Sunken City, abandoned even by the Cult. Using advanced and novel Steampunk tech and Magic together, they have created a habitable underwater city, Foundation. Foundation is also known by another name: Ville du Sans, City of Vice. The city is open to all types of business, and has cemented itself as a thriving Party Town.

(Over a page later...)

RL New Orleans was allied with the South, but got itself swiftly occupied by the Union in short order. Personally? I'd make Coterois into this world's Casablanca, a place that, during the war, acted with great autonomy due to its remoteness, acting as both City of Spies and gateway out of a war-torn nation. During the war, Coterois was of great strategic importance (it was hard to chase smugglers into the swamps and its sailors were experienced enough to run blockades with ease), that it was the unoffical middle ground, where agents of the North and South could meet, both for diplomatic purposes, espionage and occasionally assassination. After the war, the city became a safe haven for deserters and veterans alike, particularly the more violent element who couldn't let go of the carnage they saw.

So, yeah. I'm slightly biased towards that idea for Coterois, but at this point it's almost becoming the most important metropolis in the world. Why not throw in your Vampires? Hell, at this rate, we should just combine New York's “Largest City” and “International Power” with Coterois' New Orleans/Cthulu/Casablanca/Spy-city/Bioshock thing together. Oh my god that would be too awesome.

I think we should take a page out of WoW's draenei for this one: have the main capital building be one giant piece of Ancient-God tech, possibly a starship (as it's the only thing that could feasibly be mistaken for a building). This is the nation where they use the technology and don't just guard it, right?

Combine this awesome idea with El Dorado. It shall be called... Silvarado!

[Zap Dynamic]

Great ideas, guys! Lemme take this point by point.

The Capital: I like the intuition to name it after a person, rather than an ideal. Just to clarify, while I think we have many more mythical figures than we used to, I don't think that means we must stop developing them. If we find that adding another one (or ten) would be beneficial for whatever project we're working on at the time, I'm totally okay with that.

Here's my suggestion: a few pages ago, someone mentioned Joshua Abraham Norton, First Emperor of the United States of America. He happens to be one of my favorite political figures, and I love the idea of putting him in the story. Why not take out all the crazy stuff, make "Norton" the surname of the first Emperor of the New World, and name the city after him? Something like The First Canton of the Empire of the New World? Just like Washington, D.C., it would have a nickname, "Norton," also often called "Norton, C.E." (Canton of Empire). Thoughts?

Edison: I like the idea of having Edison work as a defeated, treacherous underling for Tokarev. There's a lot of potential there. Let's have his name be Jameson.

Also, I like the idea of there being a rivalry against Tokarev, but maybe it's a whole conglomerate of different companies working to overthrow him? I like the idea of Tokarev being such a monolithic force that it takes several "normal" minds to compete with him on any level.

Vampires v. Werewolves: I'm really torn on this. I think it's a great idea with a lot of potential, but I find myself getting worried that the Vampire/Werewolf conflict isn't a solid-enough part of American myth. At the same time, I think about Twilight, and I feel like I'm being ridiculous for doubting in the first place.

Here are my feelings: I love the idea of Vampires in Coterois. Maybe not controlling the city, but unliving the unlife in the Sunken Quarter, and definitely planning to take over when they finish weaving their webs. I picture Vampire mafias fighting for control over certain parts of the Sunken Quarter, although that may only make up 30% of the stories that are going on down there. They should be a significant storyline, but maybe not the major one. A linked storyline could involve the Casablanca stuff, where the Vampires are basically like the Germans: working with the French government, less effectual than they wished, but still a force to be reckoned with.

Because werewolves are typically the "lower class/industrial" monsters, I love the idea of them running a place like Chicago. Because they're typically mindless brutes, I really don't like the idea. Also, I don't know how I feel about werewolves in this setting in general, at least not in a civilized place like a large city. I'd love to hear some argument about this, because Vampires v. Werewolves would be a really convenient trope to invoke.

No matter what, I love the name "Mahigan" and think we should stick with it. The Big Onion works for me as a nickname, too.

The New York/Chicago or New York/Coterois Merger: I'm not crazy about this. New York became a big deal because it was the most likely landing place for a whole heaping helping of Europe's immigrants. It was centrally located (relative to Europe), it had LOTS of coastline, and it was one of the closest pieces of land to the Old World.

New Orleans sprang up because it was an important point of trade between the Spanish, French, and natives. It rose to prominence because it was an ideal staging point to smuggle aid to the rebels during the Revolutionary War.

Chicago came to be because it was a great spot for a "short portage" between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. It grew to be a notable transportation hub, in comparison to the immigrant reputation of New York and the strategic value of New Orleans.

In my mind, combining any of these three will detract from the American story. We need a place of "first contact," and it seems only natural that it should grow to be the largest city around. It's okay if it's close to the capital, because DC and NYC are close in real life. Likewise, we need some place that can serve as a Northern Trade and Transport city, as well as a city that can be a Southern Transport City, a "Neutral Ground," and a decadent mire of the corrupt and beautiful. Unless there are any disputes, let's keep them separate, at least for now.

Tree Island: It's a nice place for Slate by design. I came up with the city while reading Hicock's and Calamity Jane's wiki pages.

El Dorado: I had originally planned for the Place of the Gods in the Southern desert to be the equivalent of El Dorado, but I like the idea of this capital being the next best thing. "El Dorado" means "The Golden One." What about "El Plateado," "The Silver One?"

Either way, I like that there should be a lot of Alien Magitek floating around this city, like you said. If there's an alien ship functioning as the capital building (a very cool idea), it should be relatively small (compared to the ones at the Place of the Gods), and we'll need to figure out how it moved a thousand miles to come to rest where it does. I don't like the idea of anyone actually flying it. Maybe it's always been there? Maybe the Boradoans used to protect it, but during the Rebellion of the Unworthy, the New Boradoans claimed it for their own and drove their brethren away?

[Landis963]

Or we could shorten it to just Amicus since it would be easier to say. Or we could use the latin word Paludem or something similar. It basically means “Marsh”, which is a god descriptor for Washington. The original land Washington was built on was worthless marsh no other state wanted too badly. And this capitol is (unless Zap's reconsidered) basically on a tiny isthmus, prime marsh territory if I ever saw it.

I was basically going for "Philidelphia in latin" when I made that name, and I'll be the first to admit that it doesn't quite roll off the tongue like Philadelphia does. However, I would like to retain both halves of the meaning. So why not Amicafrater or "Ammy" for short?

I second the Edison-analogue. Back when I did a short story about an alternate America undergoing Magic Prohibition (partly the reason I was so interested in this project) I had Tesla at the head of a Super-Corporation (due to his beating out Edison with Super-SCIENCE), and Edison became his (traitorous) lackey. Just an idea to float around. It could also be good conflict to stick with competing companies.

Ooh, that's a great idea. I also like Zap's recommendation of a coalition of normal minds being curbstomped by Dr. Tokarev.

That's hilarious. Back a few pages I also suggested going with an Onion theme. It's as they say, “Great Minds look at the same Wiki pages.” I also suggested Railtown, Bigtime, Venteux (windy), and Zweibel (onion, as in The Big Onion). Or, Neugotham. As in, New Gotham. I guess The Dark Knight was filmed there a lot, so they use that as a nickname.

Still, Mahigan is an awesome name. Let's do that one. Merging it with NY might be problematic, though doable.

Yeah, I saw that, which is where I got the idea for the nickname. Also, my main impetus for suggesting the merger was the fact that a lot of the details of Mahigan's backstory (as I wrote them) were taken from New York's history, not Chicago's (which, to compare, was explored heavily by French explorers before being handed over in the Louisiana Purchase, and then ceded by "some Native Americans" (Wikipedia) for use as a military outpost. The city then grew out from there.

I also put down quite a bit about Coterois a few pages ago, but it might have been lost in the shuffle. I'll repeat what I had here:

Spoiler

Show

A portion of Coterois sank into the sea some time ago, due in part to Pseudo-Voodoo (a favor from the Other Side gone wrong/horribly right),and also in part due to the machinations of a cult following a Cosmic Abomination (of the Lovecraftian variety). This cult are monstrous fish-people who still live in the ruined Sunken Quarter, giving black sacrifices to their Unspeakable Gods.

Wouldn't the fish people take a dim view of mouthbreathers trying to take part of their district?

Spoiler

Show

The Natives hate these guys. Besides being under the "Biggest Lake Monster of All" (ie; the Ocean), these guys probably dabble in all sorts of forbidden magic and have traditionally used Natives as their sacrifices.

Not just the Natives - everybody hates these guys. (The natives are probably the only ones whose hate for the cultists needs to be expressed in italics, but that's besides the point). Besides, they look like fish, sacrifice their victims to their gods, and, y'know, sunk an entire district into the gulf.

Spoiler

Show

But some enterprising Imperials, Led by Dr Steam himself, have reclaimed part of the Sunken City, abandoned even by the Cult. Using advanced and novel Steampunk tech and Magic together, they have created a habitable underwater city, Foundation. Foundation is also known by another name: Ville du Sans, City of Vice. The city is open to all types of business, and has cemented itself as a thriving Party Town.

Why should it be abandoned? I think it'd be a great source of conflict (and a campaign hook to boot) if the cultists regularly attack the watertight portion of the city.

(Over a page later...)

Spoiler

Show

RL New Orleans was allied with the South, but got itself swiftly occupied by the Union in short order. Personally? I'd make Coterois into this world's Casablanca, a place that, during the war, acted with great autonomy due to its remoteness, acting as both City of Spies and gateway out of a war-torn nation. During the war, Coterois was of great strategic importance (it was hard to chase smugglers into the swamps and its sailors were experienced enough to run blockades with ease), that it was the unoffical middle ground, where agents of the North and South could meet, both for diplomatic purposes, espionage and occasionally assassination. After the war, the city became a safe haven for deserters and veterans alike, particularly the more violent element who couldn't let go of the carnage they saw.

So, yeah. I'm slightly biased towards that idea for Coterois, but at this point it's almost becoming the most important metropolis in the world. Why not throw in your Vampires? Hell, at this rate, we should just combine New York's “Largest City” and “International Power” with Coterois' New Orleans/Cthulu/Casablanca/Spy-city/Bioshock thing together. Oh my god that would be too awesome.

This, right here? This is gold. However, I think we're spending so much time on the other cities that New York is kind of getting lost in the shuffle. Also, as to why the cultists got so much power in the first place? Two words: Blood Magic.

[SPOILER]Combine this awesome idea with El Dorado. It shall be called... Silvarado!

I see what you did there.

[Landis963]

Great ideas, guys! Lemme take this point by point.

The Capital: I like the intuition to name it after a person, rather than an ideal. Just to clarify, while I think we have many more mythical figures than we used to, I don't think that means we must stop developing them. If we find that adding another one (or ten) would be beneficial for whatever project we're working on at the time, I'm totally okay with that.

Here's my suggestion: a few pages ago, someone mentioned Joshua Abraham Norton, First Emperor of the United States of America. He happens to be one of my favorite political figures, and I love the idea of putting him in the story. Why not take out all the crazy stuff, make "Norton" the surname of the first Emperor of the New World, and name the city after him? Something like The First Canton of the Empire of the New World? Just like Washington, D.C., it would have a nickname, "Norton," also often called "Norton, C.E." (Canton of Empire). Thoughts?

It's better than my idea, and we can use Amicafrater as sort of a New York/Philadelphia hybrid. (God, I'm practically enamored of these mergers, aren't I? )

Edison: I like the idea of having Edison work as a defeated, treacherous underling for Tokarev. There's a lot of potential there. Let's have his name be Jameson.

Also, I like the idea of there being a rivalry against Tokarev, but maybe it's a whole conglomerate of different companies working to overthrow him? I like the idea of Tokarev being such a monolithic force that it takes several "normal" minds to compete with him on any level.

From what I recall of Edison's history, he seems like the sort of person who might be described as a "stick-in-the-mud," but is in fact very imaginative when it comes to solving problems. I'm envisaging him as the second-in-command of an engineering corporation who is at the head of this trust of science companies, with the head being someone who is much more imaginative when it comes to generating new ideas in the first place. Numero Uno would think up a plan, Jameson would thrash out all the kinks.

Vampires v. Werewolves: I'm really torn on this. I think it's a great idea with a lot of potential, but I find myself getting worried that the Vampire/Werewolf conflict isn't a solid-enough part of American myth. At the same time, I think about Twilight, and I feel like I'm being ridiculous for doubting in the first place.

But that's the beauty of it. Neither of them necessarily needs to be a major faction. The vampires are having enough trouble trying to consolidate control over Coterois, and the werewolves hide their wolfness enough that it's barely noticeable (I mean stuff like ramps outnumbering stairs two-to-one outside of buildings being one of the very, very few details apparent at a glance).

Here are my feelings: I love the idea of Vampires in Coterois. Maybe not controlling the city, but unliving the unlife in the Sunken Quarter, and definitely planning to take over when they finish weaving their webs. I picture Vampire mafias fighting for control over certain parts of the Sunken Quarter, although that may only make up 30% of the stories that are going on down there. They should be a significant storyline, but maybe not the major one. A linked storyline could involve the Casablanca stuff, where the Vampires are basically like the Germans: working with the French government, less effectual than they wished, but still a force to be reckoned with.

Vampire Mafias make me think of Vampire: the Masquerade. Which is awesome.

Because werewolves are typically the "lower class/industrial" monsters, I love the idea of them running a place like Chicago. Because they're typically mindless brutes, I really don't like the idea. Also, I don't know how I feel about werewolves in this setting in general, at least not in a civilized place like a large city. I'd love to hear some argument about this, because Vampires v. Werewolves would be a really convenient trope to invoke.

No matter what, I love the name "Mahigan" and think we should stick with it. The Big Onion works for me as a nickname, too.

They don't have to be mindless brutes, and again, they don't even need to be a large part of the setting. Also, I thought the werewolves were subjugated by the European vampires as much as the humans. Besides, the mindless brute werewolf archetype needs to die in a fire, not least because it's an excuse for angst in a protagonist, and an excuse for moustache-twirling in a villain.

The New York/Chicago or New York/Coterois Merger: I'm not crazy about this. * fair points about NY, New Orleans, and Chicago

Fair enough.

Tree Island: It's a nice place for Slate by design. I came up with the city while reading Hicock's and Calamity Jane's wiki pages.

Ah, Wikipedia. Is there anything you don't know?

El Dorado: I had originally planned for the Place of the Gods in the Southern desert to be the equivalent of El Dorado, but I like the idea of this capital being the next best thing. "El Dorado" means "The Golden One." What about "El Plateado," "The Silver One?"

A touch awkward, IMO, but I can't say much since I came up with "Frateramica".

Either way, I like that there should be a lot of Alien Magitek floating around this city, like you said. If there's an alien ship functioning as the capital building (a very cool idea), it should be relatively small (compared to the ones at the Place of the Gods), and we'll need to figure out how it moved a thousand miles to come to rest where it does. I don't like the idea of anyone actually flying it. Maybe it's always been there? Maybe the Boradoans used to protect it, but during the Rebellion of the Unworthy, the New Boradoans claimed it for their own and drove their brethren away?

Easy, it crashlanded there and is now for all intents and purposes earthbound, and the New Borodoans found it after the Rebellion (or even during - it'd be just the superweapon that would give them an edge), and have been using its wonders ever since.

[The Durvin]

All right, one more. Lumberjacks had their Paul Bunyan, and--I don't know how I forgot this one--steelworkers had Joe Magarac.

A forty-foot man made of steel.

Yeah, really. They don't actually call him mechanical, but he was made of steel and worked twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, which sounds like a giant robot to me. Some versions have him dying because his...uh...steelworking-place (steel mill?) was about to miss a crucial shipment because of low supplies and he allowed himself to be melted down.

Okay! Okay. I'm done now. No, wait, Poe made up all kinds of bizarre names for women in his poetry. Okay, now I'm done. Does Bigfoot count as mythology? No, no, no, I'm done. Seven Gates of Hell and the Melonheads--no! No. Done.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

I was basically going for "Philidelphia in latin" when I made that name, and I'll be the first to admit that it doesn't quite roll off the tongue like Philadelphia does. However, I would like to retain both halves of the meaning. So why not Amicafrater or "Ammy" for short?

Like, Fremeria? Or Amefreia? I guess I suck at this too.

Wouldn't the fish people take a dim view of mouthbreathers trying to take part of their district?

I figured there was some sort of Cold War going on. The Cultists lacked the raw power to keep Dr Steam from building Foundation, but they can certainly make life miserable for those who dwell in the city. Lots of potential plot hooks there.

Not just the Natives - everybody hates these guys. (The natives are probably the only ones whose hate for the cultists needs to be expressed in italics, but that's besides the point). Besides, they look like fish, sacrifice their victims to their gods, and, y'know, sunk an entire district into the gulf.

Okay, true. I meant that Natives, being aware of certain Lake Monsters (read: Monsters that are also Lakes), would have an especially bitter hatred for a race that seemingly lived beneath a Lake as big as the Sea.

Why should it be abandoned? I think it'd be a great source of conflict (and a campaign hook to boot) if the cultists regularly attack the watertight portion of the city.

Again, that's better. I imagined that the Cultists just couldn't fill an entire city on their own.

This, right here? This is gold. However, I think we're spending so much time on the other cities that New York is kind of getting lost in the shuffle. Also, as to why the cultists got so much power in the first place? Two words: Blood Magic.

You're right. We should pick out a spot on the map (page 1) where NY would most likely be in this world and get started on that next. But I think we need an angle. Coterois is “Halfway-Underwater Casablanca”, Mahigan is a trade hub on the edge of civilization, Norton is the Capitol (awesome name Zap!). We also should look at some Westcoast cities like San Fran. (California ftw!)

From what I recall of Edison's history, he seems like the sort of person who might be described as a "stick-in-the-mud," but is in fact very imaginative when it comes to solving problems. I'm envisaging him as the second-in-command of an engineering corporation who is at the head of this trust of science companies, with the head being someone who is much more imaginative when it comes to generating new ideas in the first place. Numero Uno would think up a plan, Jameson would thrash out all the kinks.

Actually, it was quite the opposite historically. Tesla (if I remember his quotes on Edison correctly) basically thought Edison was a colossal idiot. That whole “Genius is 1% Inspiration and 99% Perspiration” thing that Edison believed? Tesla hated that. He said that if Edison was halfway competent he'd just do the proper math beforehand so he could skip the first 4,999 attempts to make a ligthbulb, and instead just make a friggin' lightbulb on try one. Now, Edison had work ethic, don't get me wrong. It's just that it seems to me that Dr Steam (again, if we go based on historical models, which we might not for the sake of a good story model) would be the one who comes up with a brilliant idea, and then invents it himself, but then Jameson is right there to run all the marketing on the new product and make it a viable business option. Jameson is the practical businessman inventor, whereas Steam is the Genius, but cripplingly OCD/Insane inventor.

You could make it a sitcom. Wacky Dr Steam's oddness causes hijinks that Jameson has to fix. Hilarity Ensues.

But that's the beauty of it. Neither of them necessarily needs to be a major faction. The vampires are having enough trouble trying to consolidate control over Coterois, and the werewolves hide their wolfness enough that it's barely noticeable (I mean stuff like ramps outnumbering stairs two-to-one outside of buildings being one of the very, very few details apparent at a glance) ... Vampire Mafias make me think of Vampire: the Masquerade. Which is awesome.

Seconded. Oh so seconded!

Easy, it crashlanded there and is now for all intents and purposes earthbound, and the New Borodoans found it after the Rebellion (or even during - it'd be just the superweapon that would give them an edge), and have been using its wonders ever since.

What if Plateado is simply too advanced. The computer that runs the systems has some sort of Prime Directive hardwired in, just in case it's masters had to leave quickly and sentient life developed on the planet it was stationed on before they got back. Thus, Plateado itself only allows the Nuevo Boradoans to get ahold of tech that they prove they can use responsibly in the computer's eyes. The people don't know about this, only that a strangely high percentage of their scientists and archaeologists have these great breakthrough ideas while their dreaming, but can't remember what in the dream inspired them.

Here's my suggestion: a few pages ago, someone mentioned Joshua Abraham Norton, First Emperor of the United States of America. He happens to be one of my favorite political figures, and I love the idea of putting him in the story. Why not take out all the crazy stuff, make "Norton" the surname of the first Emperor of the New World, and name the city after him? Something like The First Canton of the Empire of the New World? Just like Washington, D.C., it would have a nickname, "Norton," also often called "Norton, C.E." (Canton of Empire). Thoughts?

Very cool idea. I'm onboard.

I picture Vampire mafias fighting for control over certain parts of the Sunken Quarter, although that may only make up 30% of the stories that are going on down there. They should be a significant storyline, but maybe not the major one. A linked storyline could involve the Casablanca stuff, where the Vampires are basically like the Germans: working with the French government, less effectual than they wished, but still a force to be reckoned with.

Pretty good idea. Although if anything the Empire is the Germans. They're the big, powerful, well, Empire. They are ruling over an ancient city with layers of civilization over it (Natives, the Afro-Carribean-French group, then the Empire (older), then Cthulu, then the Sunken Quarter, aka Foundation). If anything, the Vampires are the French. They've lost a lot of power and majesty from what they're used to, but many of them are at least somewhat established in the city. I think it's better for all sides in the Spy War going on in Coterois to be roughly equal in power/influence, just because it allows for more plot hooks.

El Dorado: I had originally planned for the Place of the Gods in the Southern desert to be the equivalent of El Dorado, but I like the idea of this capital being the next best thing. "El Dorado" means "The Golden One." What about "El Plateado," "The Silver One?"

I still like Silverado... but I'll consent to Plateado. Sounds good.

Either way, I like that there should be a lot of Alien Magitek floating around this city, like you said. If there's an alien ship functioning as the capital building (a very cool idea), it should be relatively small (compared to the ones at the Place of the Gods), and we'll need to figure out how it moved a thousand miles to come to rest where it does. I don't like the idea of anyone actually flying it. Maybe it's always been there? Maybe the Boradoans used to protect it, but during the Rebellion of the Unworthy, the New Boradoans claimed it for their own and drove their brethren away?

As I mentioned above, how about Plateado is an outpost? It's like a small research station set up by the original masters of the alien tech.

[Landis963]

Like, Fremeria? Or Amefreia? I guess I suck at this too.

Of course, we can always defer to the original poster on stuff like this. Zap? What do you suggest for the New York analogue?

I figured there was some sort of Cold War going on. The Cultists lacked the raw power to keep Dr Steam from building Foundation, but they can certainly make life miserable for those who dwell in the city. Lots of potential plot hooks there.

That also explains why the mafias are around - protection rackets that can be more everpresent than the police force.

Okay, true. I meant that Natives, being aware of certain Lake Monsters (read: Monsters that are also Lakes), would have an especially bitter hatred for a race that seemingly lived beneath a Lake as big as the Sea.

Fair enough. Like I said, the natives' hatred for these cultists probably needs to be expressed in italics, as opposed to the normal garden-variety hatred expressed by most others.

Again, that's better. I imagined that the Cultists just couldn't fill an entire city on their own.

Remember, we're only talking about one district, the size of Manhattan at the very largest.

You're right. We should pick out a spot on the map (page 1) where NY would most likely be in this world and get started on that next. But I think we need an angle. Coterois is “Halfway-Underwater Casablanca”, Mahigan is a trade hub on the edge of civilization, Norton is the Capitol (awesome name Zap!). We also should look at some Westcoast cities like San Fran. (California ftw!)

Well, NY in real life was the home of both Tesla and Edison, so why don't we make that the most technologically advanced place? (technically advanced in terms of steampunk, that is; no chance in h**l it could compete with, say, the New Borado capitol). Steampowered tramways (can be above or below-ground, doesn't really matter), steam-powered horseless carriages, Ironmen everywhere, you name it.

Actually, it was quite the opposite historically. Tesla (if I remember his quotes on Edison correctly) basically thought Edison was a colossal idiot. That whole “Genius is 1% Inspiration and 99% Perspiration” thing that Edison believed? Tesla hated that. He said that if Edison was halfway competent he'd just do the proper math beforehand so he could skip the first 4,999 attempts to make a ligthbulb, and instead just make a friggin' lightbulb on try one. Now, Edison had work ethic, don't get me wrong. It's just that it seems to me that Dr Steam (again, if we go based on historical models, which we might not for the sake of a good story model) would be the one who comes up with a brilliant idea, and then invents it himself, but then Jameson is right there to run all the marketing on the new product and make it a viable business option. Jameson is the practical businessman inventor, whereas Steam is the Genius, but cripplingly OCD/Insane inventor.

You could make it a sitcom. Wacky Dr Steam's oddness causes hijinks that Jameson has to fix. Hilarity Ensues.

Hehehe Walter Bishop meets Arthur from Inception. Also, I think you missed the basic gist of what I said on that topic, although I might be misremembering the historical evidence of what lead me to that conclusion. I'll requote it here, with added emphasis.

...he seems like the sort of person who might be described as a "stick-in-the-mud," but is in fact very imaginative when it comes to solving problems. I'm envisaging him as the second-in-command of an engineering corporation who is at the head of this trust of science companies, with the head being someone who is much more imaginative when it comes to generating new ideas in the first place. Numero Uno would think up a plan, Jameson would thrash out all the kinks.

Sound familiar?

What if Plateado is simply too advanced. The computer that runs the systems has some sort of Prime Directive hardwired in, just in case it's masters had to leave quickly and sentient life developed on the planet it was stationed on before they got back. Thus, Plateado itself only allows the Nuevo Boradoans to get ahold of tech that they prove they can use responsibly in the computer's eyes. The people don't know about this, only that a strangely high percentage of their scientists and archaeologists have these great breakthrough ideas while their dreaming, but can't remember what in the dream inspired them.

That implies some sort of AI program in the outpost/scout ship/whathaveyou that became New Borado. I'm not sure that fits with the setting.

Very cool idea. I'm onboard.

+1

Pretty good idea. Although if anything the Empire is the Germans. They're the big, powerful, well, Empire. They are ruling over an ancient city with layers of civilization over it (Natives, the Afro-Carribean-French group, then the Empire (older), then Cthulu, then the Sunken Quarter, aka Foundation). If anything, the Vampires are the French. They've lost a lot of power and majesty from what they're used to, but many of them are at least somewhat established in the city. I think it's better for all sides in the Spy War going on in Coterois to be roughly equal in power/influence, just because it allows for more plot hooks.

mmm.... Noir.

As I mentioned above, how about Plateado is an outpost? It's like a small research station set up by the original masters of the alien tech.

It'd have to be either bigger on the inside or possessed of some AI (or both) that keeps the Neuvo Boradoans from finding the good stuff. Again, I'll defer to Zap on issues of schizo tech.

[Zap Dynamic]

Wow! It's nice to wake up on a Saturday and see so much thought bouncing around for the setting! Thanks, guys!

That said, Landis, when you get a chance, could you go back and delete those three reposts of yours? The server sucks, but I'd like to minimize the product of its suckery.

Let's see if I can take this point-by-point again.

New York: It's identity should be 1) that it's the largest city in the New World, 2) that it's the greatest melting pot of people and ideas that the world has ever seen, 3) as a result of the first two, it's technological nursery for the Empire. I think it should be on par with Nuevo Borado in terms of technology, it's just that "New York" is all about Steam, and Nuevo Borado has all this super-advanced stuff lying around that they can't figure out how to use. N.B. only has access to a fraction what's lying around, but that's still enough to put them on even footing with the likes of Dr. Steam and his creations, which scares the Empire.

As far as names are concerned, let's look at the history: people are coming to this city by boat because it's the easiest way to get to the New World, a land full of potential. "Port" seems like a good element for a name. Maybe it's the first place people landed in the New World? Firstport?

The Sunken Quarter: I had forgotten the bit about the voodoo creeps sinking part of Coterois. I like it, but here's how I think we should handle it.

These natives sunk maybe 10% of Coterois, the equivalent of 100 or so city blocks. That's the "Sunken Quarter." Dr. Steam started a project to reclaim it, and has since managed to recover 20 or so blocks. What they've "bubbled" so far has been wet, seaweedy, and fishy, but otherwise unchanged from the city that fell beneath the waves.

However, explorations from the past year or so have started to uncover stranger and stranger things. Signs of large, seemingly intelligent life inhabiting the various underwater buildings. Things like writing-esque scratchings along the walls, strange structures that are cobbled together to resemble archways, altars, and even a large dais in one location.

Not long after that, the project started losing workers to more and more "accidents." Workers would disappear, and searches would only result in battered, bloodied equipment. Sometimes pieces of human remains would be found underwater, but nothing enough to offer any real clues, much less a conclusion.

Since then, the project has been officially tabled until further investigation can be made. The 3 or 4 blocks that were under exploration have been sealed off, and remain a sort of middle-ground between the underwater paradise of Aqualuxia and the ruins of the Sunken Quarter. Not even the largest, most powerful gangs have attempted to spread into this half-developed area, but it is rumored that strange lights can be seen coming from the district on the blackest of nights.

----

That will establish a sort of war-zone between the humans and the fish people. It gives the fish people a big enough area to be able to disappear when they want to, and it also gives the humans the feeling that they might be overwhelmed by a nameless horror without going into any details. Looking at a large city (I'm using Chicago's Loop area since that's where I live), 20 city blocks is plenty of space to have a lot of underwater vampire vs. Empire vs. shady types intrigue, and those 20 blocks could just be the shadier stuff that goes on, since we also have the entirety of the city on the surface to play with.

Steam/Jameson: We've got a lot of political intrigue going on in Coterois right now, and it's pretty dramatic intrigue. Making Jameson into an underling for Tokarev and pitting them against the faceless conglomeration of corportations could provide a lot of fodder for lighthearted/comedic corporate espionage stories. I've been looking for a setting that would accomodate that, so let's go for it!

In a broader sense, we could make New York and Coterois very similar in terms of content, but just make Coterois the "darker and edgier" of the two. Sort of a Metropolis vs. Gotham City kind of thing.

Vampires v. Werewolves: Let's go for it. We can re-envision werewolves as something more sophisticated/more intelligent. Chicago's own history of gang violence--although it was 70 or so years after what we're using for this setting--could provide a lot of inspiration. Mahigan: High-rollers and businessmen with a brutal edge.

New Boradoville: El Plateado isn't nearly as eloquent as Silverado. I'm more than okay with using that for the name. As far as I'm concerned, it would be really similar to that (nameless?) city that Zorro chills out at. That makes for one California city already... any thoughts for others?

I mentioned N.B. tech in the New York section, but I'll talk about it here too. Basically, I think they should have the most advanced stuff anyone has ever seen or heard of lying around in all these vaults, but they have no idea how to use most of it. They've managed to "crack the code" so to speak with a small fraction of what they've got, and that's still put them on even footing with steam power. That frightens the Empire, so the Empire has a treaty with them that threatens to boil over into a war at almost any time.

Visually, I think these "ships" should look verrrry similar to the pyramids of the Mayincatec people. They definitely shouldn't look like actual spaceships, and I'd like to stick to using rock instead of metal as much as possible. There's a lot of potential in nature, already.

The Seven Gates of Hell: We can incorporate this into Usher Ravenholme, yes we sure can.


.::EDIT::.
I added a section in the OP called "Locations," for listing the names and very basic attributes of the cities we're developing. More will be added as we settle on names.

[Landis963]

Wow! It's nice to wake up on a Saturday and see so much thought bouncing around for the setting! Thanks, guys!

That said, Landis, when you get a chance, could you go back and delete those three reposts of yours? The server sucks, but I'd like to minimize the product of its suckery.

Quadruple post ARRRGGGH!

New York: It's identity should be 1) that it's the largest city in the New World, 2) that it's the greatest melting pot of people and ideas that the world has ever seen, 3) as a result of the first two, it's technological nursery for the Empire. I think it should be on par with Nuevo Borado in terms of technology, it's just that "New York" is all about Steam, and Nuevo Borado has all this super-advanced stuff lying around that they can't figure out how to use. N.B. only has access to a fraction what's lying around, but that's still enough to put them on even footing with the likes of Dr. Steam and his creations, which scares the Empire.

As far as names are concerned, let's look at the history: people are coming to this city by boat because it's the easiest way to get to the New World, a land full of potential. "Port" seems like a good element for a name. Maybe it's the first place people landed in the New World? Firstport?

Sure, that evokes cities such as RI's Newport, which I think is a good thing. Especially since it doesn't resemble Newport in any other respect.

The Sunken Quarter: I had forgotten the bit about the voodoo creeps sinking part of Coterois. I like it, but here's how I think we should handle it.
*wonderful, scary, slimy gold here*

----

That will establish a sort of war-zone between the humans and the fish people. It gives the fish people a big enough area to be able to disappear when they want to, and it also gives the humans the feeling that they might be overwhelmed by a nameless horror without going into any details. Looking at a large city (I'm using Chicago's Loop area since that's where I live), 20 city blocks is plenty of space to have a lot of underwater vampire vs. Empire vs. shady types intrigue, and those 20 blocks could just be the shadier stuff that goes on, since we also have the entirety of the city on the surface to play with.

I like. A lot.

Steam/Jameson: We've got a lot of political intrigue going on in Coterois right now, and it's pretty dramatic intrigue. Making Jameson into an underling for Tokarev and pitting them against the faceless conglomeration of corportations could provide a lot of fodder for lighthearted/comedic corporate espionage stories. I've been looking for a setting that would accomodate that, so let's go for it!

In a broader sense, we could make New York and Coterois very similar in terms of content, but just make Coterois the "darker and edgier" of the two. Sort of a Metropolis vs. Gotham City kind of thing.

Sounds like a plan. Also, I had an idea about Steam and Jameson's relationship. If and when a PC group encounters them, they should be having a comically heated discussion on the steampunk equivalent to AC and DC - with Jameson espousing AC as more efficient and Steam espousing DC to be contrary.

Vampires v. Werewolves: Let's go for it. We can re-envision werewolves as something more sophisticated/more intelligent. Chicago's own history of gang violence--although it was 70 or so years after what we're using for this setting--could provide a lot of inspiration. Mahigan: High-rollers and businessmen with a brutal edge.

My thought was having the physics of Harry Potter animagi crossed with the normal trappings of werewolfdom - can turn every few hours as a function of fatigue, with the cooldown period getting shorter as the full moon approaches, with the changed form of a dire wolf. Intelligence is mostly retained, but smell, hearing and id are all amplified at the cost of colorblindness.

New Boradoville: El Plateado isn't nearly as eloquent as Silverado. I'm more than okay with using that for the name. As far as I'm concerned, it would be really similar to that (nameless?) city that Zorro chills out at. That makes for one California city already... any thoughts for others?

Silverado, however (WARNING: TvTropes link), is the name of a very well known western, not to mention a successful line of Chevy pickup trucks. Also, the original Zorro comics placed it in the pueblo of Reina de Los Angeles. Why don't we call that city something like Platarena, to get the best of both?

I mentioned N.B. tech in the New York section, but I'll talk about it here too. Basically, I think they should have the most advanced stuff anyone has ever seen or heard of lying around in all these vaults, but they have no idea how to use most of it. They've managed to "crack the code" so to speak with a small fraction of what they've got, and that's still put them on even footing with steam power. That frightens the Empire, so the Empire has a treaty with them that threatens to boil over into a war at almost any time.

Excellent idea, especially since it's very possible the people of Platarena could accidentally break it while trying to figure out WTF it is. Also, it moves it away from straight sci-fi in the way that an AI guardian or extradimensional storage space would.

Visually, I think these "ships" should look verrrry similar to the pyramids of the Mayincatec people. They definitely shouldn't look like actual spaceships, and I'd like to stick to using rock instead of metal as much as possible. There's a lot of potential in nature, already.

Why don't we model this advanced civilization that the New Boradoans have moved into on Starcraft's Protoss? They have similar sweeping lines in their architecture, and although they use metal (specifically, gold) more than rock, that can easily be changed for the ground buildings of this bygone civilization. Also, the Protoss have a predilection for floating crystals, one that can easily be done away with.

EDIT: to clarify, "sweeping lines" refers to the canyon walls in the pic, and I thought of it because of the similarity between the Protoss Nexus (the first pic, IIRC) and the mayan ziggurat.

The Seven Gates of Hell: We can incorporate this into Usher Ravenholme, yes we sure can.

Would this series of gates be, for example, near Usher's hometown?

[Ninjadeadbeard]

New York: ... Firstport?

I like that name. I agree with Landis that it's better than Newport (I live near a Newport, so that would've bugged me).

The Sunken Quarter: I had forgotten the bit about the voodoo creeps sinking part of Coterois. I like it, but here's how I think we should handle it...

Lost in the shuffle, like a lot of things. I like the angle you've gone with. Very creepy, very appropriate. When I wrote what I had on the Sunken Quarter, I did so thinking that you wanted Dr Steam's Reclaimed City to be like Rapture from Bioshock. Dunno how much that still applies.

In a broader sense, we could make New York and Coterois very similar in terms of content, but just make Coterois the "darker and edgier" of the two. Sort of a Metropolis vs. Gotham City kind of thing.

I also like this a lot. You're analogy actually made me imagine Steam as Superman and Jameson as Batman. Much lol'ing ensued.

New Boradoville: El Plateado isn't nearly as eloquent as Silverado. I'm more than okay with using that for the name. As far as I'm concerned, it would be really similar to that (nameless?) city that Zorro chills out at. That makes for one California city already... any thoughts for others?

I need to use more emoticons when I'm joking. Yes, like Landis pointed out, Silverado was a movie/truck. The joke was too good to pass up. El Dorado - City of Gold – City of Silver – El Silverado.

As for other Westcoast cities...

San Bernardo

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Once a thriving trade hub on the western coast, San Bernardo was destroyed in a massive fire and earthquake. It's position at the mouth of a huge gulf makes it a perfect harbor for trade ships as well as immigrants from across the world. San Bernardo was both the largest economic center of the Empire on the westcoast, but also it's largest cultural melting pot there as well. When it's destruction came, Dr Steam took the initiative and practically offered to rebuild the city for nothing. Jameson was said to have had a stroke over the incident.

Steam has since rebuilt much of the city, though his own peculiarities have bled into the project. For example, despite much of San Bernardo being built originally atop nearly thirty hills along the coast, all Steam's streets have been made straight as an arrow. This has led to a number of streets attempting to go up sheer cliffs in places. Nearer to the coast the street layout is navigable, even though carriages cannot take certain ones due to their elevation, near the inland portion of the city, San Bernardo becomes a labyrinth of side streets and staircases.

San Bernardo, or Steamopolis as some have taken to calling it, is already once again the most important, and largest western Imperial city, though there is still much construction left to manage. Dr Steam's attempts to remake the city into the world's most modern one may yet succeed, if he ever finishes it. There is also the trouble of the gangs. Various minorities, including foreigners, Imperials and Natives split the original city into ethnic lines, leading to a whole host of illicit activities and crimes, including the occasional gang war. Even after the destruction of the Old Town, crime showed no slowing down in the region. What happens next is anyone's guess.

Sounds like a plan. Also, I had an idea about Steam and Jameson's relationship. If and when a PC group encounters them, they should be having a comically heated discussion on the steampunk equivalent to AC and DC - with Jameson espousing AC as more efficient and Steam espousing DC to be contrary.

“Dad-blam-it Doctor! I tell you it'll never work. Steam can't go two ways. An alternating current wouldn't-”
“If you're just going to blather on about you're 'directed current', Mr Jameson, then maybe you should sit in your corner.”
“I dun wanna go in the corner...”

(Not to be contrary again, but I think Tesla was for AC and Edison against. Doesn't actually matter since we're talking about steam, but oh well.)

Also, the original Zorro comics placed it in the pueblo of Reina de Los Angeles. Why don't we call that city something like Platarena, to get the best of both?

I really like that name. It sounds fairly authentic.

Would this series of gates be, for example, near Usher's hometown?

Perhaps after Usher's...disappearance, the Sanitorium he spent some time in appeared to suffer a strange haunting. As in, every square inch of it started bleeding nightmares into the surrounding countryside, tearing a dimensional hole into the universe. Most people only believe this is a Gate to Hell. It's just that poor Usher's mind looks an awful lot like it.

[Landis963]

As for other Westcoast cities...

San Bernardo

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...When it's destruction came, Dr Steam took the initiative and practically offered to rebuild the city for nothing. Jameson was said to have had a stroke over the incident.

I lol'ed.

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Steam has since rebuilt much of the city, though his own peculiarities have bled into the project. For example, despite much of San Bernardo being built originally atop nearly thirty hills along the coast, all Steam's streets have been made straight as an arrow. This has led to a number of streets attempting to go up sheer cliffs in places. Nearer to the coast the street layout is navigable, even though carriages cannot take certain ones due to their elevation, near the inland portion of the city, San Bernardo becomes a labyrinth of side streets and staircases.

San Bernardo, or Steamopolis as some have taken to calling it, is already once again the most important, and largest western Imperial city, though there is still much construction left to manage. Dr Steam's attempts to remake the city into the world's most modern one may yet succeed, if he ever finishes it. There is also the trouble of the gangs. Various minorities, including foreigners, Imperials and Natives split the original city into ethnic lines, leading to a whole host of illicit activities and crimes, including the occasional gang war. Even after the destruction of the Old Town, crime showed no slowing down in the region. What happens next is anyone's guess.

Assuming that San Bernardo is a Los Angeles/San Diego-esque city, I can get on board with this, with one addition. What do you think of a steam-powered trolley system on the most impassible streets, a desperate addition by Jameson to make some profit off the project?

“Dad-blam-it Doctor! I tell you it'll never work. Steam can't go two ways. An alternating current wouldn't-”
“If you're just going to blather on about you're 'directed current', Mr Jameson, then maybe you should sit in your corner.”
“I dun wanna go in the corner...”

(Not to be contrary again, but I think Tesla was for AC and Edison against. Doesn't actually matter since we're talking about steam, but oh well.)

Not sure who's who in the argument exactly, but the switching of loyalties was deliberate as a twist on RL history. Also, "I dun wanna go in the corner" is troubling no matter who it's attributed to, especially as Jameson might be treacherous, but he would be competent enough to rate the position he's currently in, i.e. Igor to Tokarev's Frankenstein. This is a mad scientist-beleaguered assistant relationship, as I see it, with Jameson playing the straight guy to Tokarev's wild hypotheses.

Perhaps after Usher's...disappearance, the Sanitorium he spent some time in appeared to suffer a strange haunting. As in, every square inch of it started bleeding nightmares into the surrounding countryside, tearing a dimensional hole into the universe. Most people only believe this is a Gate to Hell. It's just that poor Usher's mind looks an awful lot like it.

Ooh, I like it, fits in well with the "latent psychic" part. Should we keep the number of gates at seven, or have the DM roll a d6 every time a party enters, just to keep the party guessing?

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Assuming that San Bernardo is a Los Angeles/San Diego-esque city, I can get on board with this, with one addition. What do you think of a steam-powered trolley system on the most impassible streets, a desperate addition by Jameson to make some profit off the project?

Actually I based this off San Francisco. It was destroyed in the 1906 Fire/Earthquake (a bad day to be sure), and I thought it would be cool for Dr Steam to want to rebuild it as some sort of Super-Science-City. I do love the Steam-Trollies though.

Not sure who's who in the argument exactly, but the switching of loyalties was deliberate as a twist on RL history. Also, "I dun wanna go in the corner" is troubling no matter who it's attributed to, especially as Jameson might be treacherous, but he would be competent enough to rate the position he's currently in, i.e. Igor to Tokarev's Frankenstein. This is a mad scientist-beleaguered assistant relationship, as I see it, with Jameson playing the straight guy to Tokarev's wild hypotheses.

Just a joke. A real argument would be really boring since it would be entirely made of Super-Steam-Science and industry terms no one in our reality could piece together. I agree with you entirely on this point.

Ooh, I like it, fits in well with the "latent psychic" part. Should we keep the number of gates at seven, or have the DM roll a d6 every time a party enters, just to keep the party guessing?

Roll a d6? That's manipulative, cruel, liable to cause panic in the players... I have no problem with this.

Edit: Got bored. Needed to photoshop. This is result. I can edit this much easier than the other one. Close?

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[ForzaFiori]

Hey, just noticed this thread, and I haven't read it all yet, but at least in the first post I noticed that you dont have a lot of stuff from the SE. The gullah culture on the cost has some really interesting ghost stories and myths. I don't know a whole lot about it, but I do know that hags (something I noticed wasn't on the first post under monsters) are fairly common, with stories about them all up and down the east coast. Also, you could consider having someone like The Swamp Fox, fighting a guerrilla war somewhere. He an extremely esteemed figure around here.

[Landis963]

Actually I based this off San Francisco. It was destroyed in the 1906 Fire/Earthquake (a bad day to be sure), and I thought it would be cool for Dr Steam to want to rebuild it as some sort of Super-Science-City. I do love the Steam-Trollies though.

It actually doesn't really matter what it was inspired by, it's a good idea either way. I notice on the map you have San Bernardo floating over two city markers. Maybe a pet project of Tokarev's is a grand archway or bridge connecting the two, as a sort of vanity project. Or maybe a similar bridge was destroyed in the earthquake, and Tokarev is making it self-repairing, or something.

Just a joke. A real argument would be really boring since it would be entirely made of Super-Steam-Science and industry terms no one in our reality could piece together. I agree with you entirely on this point.

I can see the concern, but if Walter Bishop and Astrid can banter wittily about "scientific" matters without getting mired in jargon, I don't see why Tokarev and Jameson can't either.

Roll a d6? That's manipulative, cruel, liable to cause panic in the players... I have no problem with this.

There's got to be a use for the Xykon smiley here, but for the life of me I can't think of a good, relevant, pithy quote.

Edit: Got bored. Needed to photoshop. This is result. I can edit this much easier than the other one. Close?

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Where's Firstport? Did we ever figure that out? Also, I noticed we have four other unmarked cities, not counting one which is reserved for Firstport, wherever that ends up, and one of the ones under San Bernardo. Are those for Zap to figure out?

Hey, just noticed this thread, and I haven't read it all yet, but at least in the first post I noticed that you dont have a lot of stuff from the SE. The gullah culture on the cost has some really interesting ghost stories and myths. I don't know a whole lot about it, but I do know that hags (something I noticed wasn't on the first post under monsters) are fairly common, with stories about them all up and down the east coast. Also, you could consider having someone like The Swamp Fox, fighting a guerrilla war somewhere. He an extremely esteemed figure around here.

We actually haven't covered that area of American mythology yet, although Norton, C.E. actually fits the bill in terms of relative proximity to the area. Also, it feels like we need another city, farther south, on one of the two peninsulas near the mouth of the gulf. If we end up implementing that, that would be the perfect place for southeast US myths and stuff.