Vespa
Description
The capital city of Bastion, and seat of government for both The Saikar Coalition - S.A.C and the old Saikar Empire, Vespa is one of the largest and most well maintained cities in the Hyperion System. While it is heavily policed, the large population and covered land space leaves some districts the poster child of advanced civilizations and others run down slums riddled with crime, depravity, and crime.
Like all cities on Bastion, the city is a relic of the ancient empire, with its citizens living in soaring towers that are architectural phenoma that modern engineers and technomancers have been unable to replicate. Advanced, holographic displays and leylights leave the city glowing like a small star at night. Around this massive city, a huge and impenetrable wall separates it from the wastelands beyond.
Affiliation
The Saikar Coalition - S.A.C
Using this city as their seat of government, the S.A.C has a stranglehold on this world. They rigorously police the populations, and equally it is the focus of the majority of their maintenance and development efforts.
The Way of the Weavers
As the official religion of the Coalition, The Way of the Weavers is the primary religion practiced amongst the population, and temples to the various deities in the pantheon are commonplace.
The Dark Gods
Worship of banned faiths and practices is very uncommon here, and not done in public. Outside of lands controlled by The Flock, open temples, shrines, etc, to these old deities are not found publicly, and those who practice their faith do so in private, with extreme caution.
The Greater and Lesser Guilds
All Guilds, companies, and organizations officially recognized by the S.A.C operate freely across this city. While independent competition does exist, they are generally small companies and organizations that struggle to compete.
The Myriad
The Myriad bases their operations out of Vespa, as it is the most densley populated and thus the most profitable. They regularly wipe out competition that arises, and exist in a tenuous peacce with the government. It is a mutually beneficial relationship that is kept unofficial, and regularly reinforced with bribes and favours.
The Flock
The Flock have been heavily targeting this city with their attacks, as it is the capital city. Half of what had been Vespa is already lost to the unnatural jungle formations. They are working towards the full restoration of the planets natural environment, and in doing so have made themselves enemy number one.
Locations
Domunus Square
The central square of the city, this is where all of the official government buildings are located. At the heart of the area, the sprawling and web-shaped temple to Cynwy - Weaver of Fates serves as the headquarters of the The Way of the Weavers. Around this temple, luxurious walkways weave in and out of fountains, gardens, and statues of heroes of the Saikar, old and new. Surrounding this is a large ring road designed to handle heavy traffic, and facing into this circle are the government buildings. There is one guarded and gated main entrance into the square by foot, and the whole district is walled off and guarded by large emplaced guns.
- The Hall of Erudition
- Gwydion's Estate
Imperial Promenade
The nearest residential district to the heart of Vespa, the Imperial Promenade is a residential district of the highest class, home to the supremely wealthy, members of government, prominent Guild figures and Lords and Ladies. It is filled with tall buildigns of a dizzying architecture, from the most plush apartment buildings to the offices of some of the richest corporations. The area is kept rigorously clean and well maintained by the Guild Keepers.
Zendikar District
Located west of the city's core, the Zendikar District is a middle class area, populated primarily by white collar workers, and those who are a step above living paycheck to paycheck. While it isn't visible opulent like the Imperial Promenade, this area is kept clean and in reasonably good shape.
- Jig-Jig Street Market
- The Guild's Plaza
- Vespasian Park
Portside District
A large industrial district, this area is filled with warehouses, workshops both mundane and arcane owned by corporations and independent artisans, and ports and loading docks for both water and astral ships. The water here is mostly dried up, however, and the water ship ports have long stood abandoned and in disrepair. The rest of the district is primariy maintained by those who own the buildings, and it is a much dirtier, polluted feeling area.
Ironhand District
Another middle class district, this one was specifically designated to house Shadowed Eyes, Guild Keepers, and other lower level government workers, as well as other members of the middle class. Like the Zendikar District, this area has a moderate level of attention paid to upkeep, and is a reasonably clean space, with buildings of moderate scale and decor. It is the closest district to the massive wall that was constructed to halt the advance of the Flock's plant growth scurge.
Shadowlight District
The slums of Vespa, the Shadowlight District is an expansive region of Vespa that is very poorly maintained. The Guild Keepers rarely come here, so it attracts a variety of people who prefer not to be found. It is in this district that brothels, nightclubs, and seedy bars run rampant. The Myriad is highly influential here, and the are is known for drug running, and other illegal activities.
- The Rusty Robot - A hole in the wall bar that was attacked and transmogrified by the Flock in the Dark Legacy campaign
- The Warrens Entrance
The Warrens and The Undermarket
The Warrens are the impossibly twisting, maze-like tunnels that spider web across most of the underground of Vespa. Dark, cramped, and roughly carved out from the natural rock, this is where the lowest of the low go to wither into nothing. The most hopeless homeless, but also the worst of the criminals looking for a place to hide. At its heart, lies the Undermarket, the Myriad run black market and the location of their main hideout. Built in a massive cavern, the buildings here were built haphazardly, with twisting and winding streets, alleys, and squares. When they ran out of room, they just started building on top of existing buildings, without any effort paid to whether the size, shape, or style of the add on matched the building it sat atop.
The Old City
Once just another sprawling series of suburbs within the city of Vespa, the Old City occupies the entirety of the Talon Isthmus, on the southern side of Issylra. The entire peninsula has been taken over by the Flock, with all of the structurers having been changed to plant material, to some extent or another.
- Stoneheart Spire
Public Transit
Unlike some areas in the system, the population density and infrastructure crowding required an effective and efficient mode of transporting people around the cities quickly. So, the three transit branches were created by the Saikar Empire. They remain in use to this day.
Issylra Express
Costs 1 gp per person, and flies out of one or two stations per city state on Issylra, to any other city state on the continent.
The Skyline
Cost is 1 sp per person, and will fly from a limited number of stations in each district to other districts within the same city.
The Octo-Rail
5 cp per person, an interwoven network of massive, Arachnohulks (spider shaped walkers that stand 30 feet tall) that carry large quantities of passengers within their district. Are locked into a series of tracks on the street that are cordoned off, allowing them to walk at an even, smooth pace above the crowds, while their passengers ride in rows of seats on the back.
History
The capital city of the old Saikar Empire, Vespa used to be known as the Kingdom of Bokkara, until Vespasian I "The Conqueror" Saikar's ambitions led him to march out and conquer or unite the other human kingdoms under the banner of the Saikar.
Bokkara was a city state kingdom, with Vespa's position on a sheltered harbour, surrounded by fertile land giving them a strong advantage over the other kingdoms. The lands of Bokkara included Vespa itself, the harbour space surrounding the city, and the entirety of the lands of the Talon Isthmus, taken up by farmland, hunting grounds, and the small villages that supported those.
Maps
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Vespa City Map
Vespa is the capitol city of the S.A.C, and the cultural and commercial hub of Bastion.
Important Locations
@Libr
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