Althea: Map and Physical Layout
Map
An urban town within a city's walls, perched at the rim of the mysterious Well, the residents of Althea enjoy modern conveniences not yet released to the Coast at large: high rise buildings, elevators, and a simple maglev train which provides public transit are among the many wonders there. With a population of only 9,000, distributed between two residential districts with apartments and penthouses scattered throughout, the majority of people living there might be considered "support" personnel for the city's greater mission and conduct their lives as any denizen of another city-state would.
Althea is known around the world for being its foremost repository of written knowledge: the very walls of the city, and of many of its buildings, also serve as bookcases which hold works from all over Qarna under magical protection. In many cases these are aesthetically integrated into architecture: a pub with an entire wall a glass-paned bookcase that doubles as floor-to-ceiling windows, for instance.
The area surrounding Althea is known as Dry Pines, chosen specifically for its treacherous terrain and high occurrence of magical anomalies as means of passive defense from any threat of invasion. This, of course, means that it is also quite hostile to residents - as such they are discouraged from wandering too far from the city's boundaries without a trained (and preferably armed) escort from the Ranger Corps.
There are no established roads leading into or out of Althea. The nearest waterway is some 50 miles from the city limits, with an intake facility heavily guarded by Sentinels where goods are exchanged with other city-states. Both incoming and outgoing shipments are subject to mandatory scans for contraband and stowaways using magical devices.
Central Square
The seat of government and infrastructure in Althea, Central Square is optimally located for easy access by all denizens of Althea. This comes about as the result of civil planning made possible only through the wonders of magical architecture: being able to lay down roads and erect buildings in a matter of hours or days means quite a lot when it comes to planning a city's layout. Alongside municipal buildings and offices which attend to mundane affairs such as sanitation, power (for Althea's fledgling electrical infrastructure), and waste management, Central Square also boasts an expansive two-floor dining facility called The Volary which serves meals round the clock. These meals are provided to the public free of charge, courtesy of generous donations by the Calavan city-state.
Also located here is the Wellsdawn Sanatorium, donated by a famous singer from Kansujian, which fields cutting-edge technologies capable of performing complex medical procedures through precision application of magic. For financial affairs, a branch of the Ashimachi Central Strategic Reserve Bank has an office in the main government building.
Atlas Campus
Atlas University is the largest academic program in Qarna - both physically and in terms of outreach. Students from across the Eastern Coast matriculate through highly selective admissions procedures to take part in the most comprehensive and advanced study program in the world. The most popular concentrations are Study of the Magical Arts and Applications of Practical Science, with both undergraduate and post-graduate programs available. A degree from Atlas is itself a high accolade, and sufficient to find gainful and secure employment anywhere in Qarna.
Following in the city's traditions, Long is the language primarily used by lecturers, but all teaching staff are authorized to use whatever language they prefer. This presents a number of concerns with regards to accessibility, to which end a limited number of translation stones and spirits who serve as interpreters are available for use.
The High Peak Observatory sits atop the Hall of the Cosmos where classrooms and lecture halls for Study of the Magical Arts are located. The observatory is used for research of astronomy and astrology as they pertain to magic, though knowledge and understanding of how they relate is quite limited and theories as to the makeup and purpose of the cosmos are the topic of some of the most heated discussions in Althea.
Skysteel Foundry is the center for research and training in the mystical art of artifice, located in the Terran Symposium for study of Practical Sciences and currently led by Drachenkronian Doctor Brigid Leer. A cohort of practitioners from the Maqqian Sojourn assist with endeavors here, though their production capabilities with regards to deicite refinement are quite limited -- so the majority of deicite utilized by the foundry is outsourced.This foundry features the only dedicated facility for the study, creation, and maintenance of Alchemical lifeforms. These are currently limited to simple, often four-legged constructs which are utilized in the city as drones for street sweeping and the like. There are rumors that a secret facility exists in the Underworld which produces truly sentient synthetic lifeforms. While most of the city's food supply comes from imports, Althea is not completely without its own farming operations: the Atlas Campus includes a facility dedicated to the study of hydroponic farming, and a small stockyard where a variety of livestock from the Coast are kept for study (and consumption, when warranted).
The Archive
A keep that overlooks The Well, and the rest of Althea, The Archive once held all of the literature safeguarded in the city. After less than a hundred years, the sheer amount of material arriving inspired authorities to reconfigure the keep for a primarily administrative role. In the modern day, it houses an innovative records system through which its clerks - known throughout the city as Booktenders - can accurately track, monitor, and refer to over forty million pieces of literature, maps, and other such written relics collected from around Qarna.
It also contains offices which manage the bureaucratic aspects of the Atlas Campus' upkeep, and a highly specialized laboratory dedicated to observing The Well. Despite the Well's peculiarities, these observations have contributed much of the Coast's understanding of deep zones.
The Underworld
Without a doubt, The Underworld is one of the best-kept secrets of Althea. Residents of other city-states seldom even know of its existence (Althea is mostly known for its university), and even citizens of Althea are kept uninformed as to the extent of it. While low-security facilities in the Underworld are easily accessible, escalating security checkpoints prevent anyone short of an Exalted from making their way deeper into the compound without proper clearance.
The Carrel
Originally a single log-walled hostel where the city's first scholars took residence, the last three hundred years have seen The Carrel transform into a highly functional residential complex where Althea's most crucial scientific and administrative personnel take residence in beautiful high-rise dwellings. Indoor and outdoor parks, recreational facilities for sports and performing arts, and a number of other entertainment options are provided to alleviate some of the tedium of scientific and academic life.
Wolf Yard and Crow's Nest
A pair of Shielded Faith installations set at the city's eastern and northwestern gates, the Wolf Yard and Crow's Nest both feature tall watchtowers from which the city's Sentinels keep a watchful eye to prevent anyone from making their way to the Well without proper authorization. Both facilities also provide housing and services to guard personnel, and the Wolf Yard is where the Shielded Faith's Conservators train new Sentinels - hence the name. The Crow's Nest features a lodge which serves as the headquarters for the volunteer Ranger Corps.
Stack Row
So named for the gleaming high rise towers that make up the majority of its residences, Stack Row in any other city would be referred to as its "working class" residential district - the lion's share of the population that does not directly contribute to Althea's scientific and literary pursuits (cooks, custodians, and the like) live there. It also houses a number of shops and small eateries for those looking to get away from the institutional fare of Central Square's dining facilities, as well as the bulk of the city's recreational facilities and entertainment.
Dry Pines
So named for its sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, which is the main cause for Althea's dependence on imports for its food supply, Dry Pines takes the form of a rocky coniferous forest rivaling the Everwood in size. Owing to the scientific nature of Althea and its population, the region surrounding Althea in an approximately 300-mile radius has been thoroughly surveyed and documented, with maps using a coordinate system based on latitude and longitude (relative to Althea's position) available for those looking to make an expedition.
Dry Pines is notable among regions of the Coast for its high concentration of anomalous sub-environments: while most of it is quite uniform, the explored area hosts many miniature biomes of every terrain and hazard known to man - and some which extend beyond that limit. There doesn't appear to be any order or reason for why or where these "miniature deep zones" appear; despite the moniker their concentration of magic is (in most cases) non-lethal to humans who are able to endure life in Althea. This makes them incredibly useful to both scientific and magical pursuits, enabling Althean researchers to field-test theories and equipment under a wide range of conditions.
propagation
Althea being so self-contained as it is, humanity has had little impact on its surroundings. Remote research stations appear rarely, most often close to one of the known anomalous zones, but there's been no record of defectors striking off to found their own settlement -- there are far more suitable places on the Coast to do so.
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