The Districts of Aekminur

The following are descriptions of Aekminur's eleven districts and their important landmarks in alphabetical order.

Citadel

A tall tower reaches out from the ground and touches and peeks over Aekminur's protective dome. From the tower's top, Aekminur is governed by one of its many noble families, and as you descend the Citadel you'll pass a great deal of shops and little civilian housing made of sheet metal and bolts.

Architecture

Pillars and plates of steel climb up to the top of Aekminur, peeking slightly out the city's dome. Most of the buildings within Citadel appear cheap and small, sheets of wood and metal are bolted and stapled together to create several levels of platforms within each major section of the gargantuan tower. Gears and chains can be heard constantly rubbing against each other as the screeching lifts rise through Citadel; its many markets and stores far apart and hidden.

Population

Citadel is seen as a glorified shopping center more than a neighborhood, the majority of the people who live here are lower-class government members who are obligated to reside in the tower's base section; mostly guard captains, secretaries, and certain lawyers. At the top of the Citadel is housing specifically for the noble family that is currently in power, though they most likely already have a permanent residence elsewhere in the city.

History

The Citadel Tower began as a monument to celebrate the completion of the Orchard and didn't become inhabited until the late 80s when it was used as a mage tower. It is ironic how Aekminur's government later views magic. After Alfleta's Bexely rule of Aekminur dissolved, citizens began to fight for the creation of a proper government. The top of the newly named Citadel became the center of this newly forming government of elected individuals. Because of the city's teleportation, Aekminur has found itself in many interesting locations- but not as dangerous as the Season Isles. The city was under attack, pirates surrounding them from all sides, and Aekminur was placed under a state of emergency. Since then, the Citadel has placed the city's military as a higher priority, starting several mandatory security procedures throughout Aekminur. While in Hagsfield, the city gained members of the Mage Slayers who (with the help of pre-established government members) gained a good foothold in Aekminur's politics. With magic becoming a rare practice- and Aekminur having no need of it- magic has been mostly outlawed, with little exception to licensed practitioners.

Landmarks

• Retroth Market - In the mid-section of Citadel is the Retroth Market, a block of tightly packed streets surrounded by storefronts and stalls. It was founded by Richard Retroth, who was given the space after he defeated its original owner in a duel- using it to fill his previously empty pockets. The bloody, violent market was converted to a safe space, where duels and secret affairs were banned and heavily (but quietly) punished.
• Eversine Garden - Past the gray and metal of the Citadel some can spy beautiful growths of flowers and trees in its dead-end streets. These patches originate from a garden between the tower's upper and mid-section. It slips out of the tower's body and slightly hangs over the city; filled with flowers, fruits, trees, bushes, herbs, and vines- the beauty of its nature rivals that of Aekminur's technological culture.
• The First Pillar - Nearly hidden within the center of the tower's base section: the First Pillar, the monument that was used as the Citadel's foundation. The shine of polished marble brightens the gloomy days of the citizens walking past it, and the carvings mimicking the street layout of the Orchard help guards plot out their next route. The small plaza built around it is quiet and respectful, some like to eat warm lunches on the benches placed against the monument's barrier.

Foundation

The Foundation of Aekminur: its birthplace. This district is a maze of winding streets filled with tightly packed buildings both new and old, mysterious and hidden. Be mindful of where you turn, on whose alleyways you step in, and what terrible secrets you may find.

Architecture

Over time Foundation has received many restorations, which also means the age of many of its buildings has a wide range of ages between them. Most of the larger buildings tend to be older- when there was more space to build them- and the smaller/more narrow being the newer buildings squeezed into what little space they had. The architectural style is also a major identifier; the older buildings have a traditional elven-inspired design (curved rooves, floral pillar carvings, wooden outlines, etc.). Newer buildings sometimes try and clone this style for the sake of consistency, but many share the newer industrial brick and concrete look that the Orchard and the Vents districts have. With the addition of newer buildings, many sections of Foundation are covered up and forgotten; side doors leading to enclosed alleyways taken by untamed nature, entire abandoned homes surrounded by newer buildings, secret cellars, and basements covered up. All an urban explorer's dream and a city cartographer's nightmare. Some of these hidden sections have been uncovered, but most are kept secret; used by the many factions of Aekminur to silently make their way across Foundation unnoticed. If it is not self-evident enough, the streets of Foundation make it a labyrinth of overlapping, old, new, and secret passages. The native people of Aekminur say that if you ever get lost, chances are you have ended up in Foundation.

Population

Being the oldest part of town, Foundation naturally has the oldest families living in it. Generations have passed down the same households since Aekminur's creation, and the oldest ones have gained the deepest respect from the city's government. On the contrary, the many abandoned construction projects and hidden alleyways are the hideouts for thieves and pickpockets who've claimed the district as their stomping grounds. Their most common victims are the new workers of Aekminur, teenagers, and college students looking for easy jobs with alright pay.

History

Aekminur started here in Foundation as a modestly populated hamlet of close-knit families; it began developing after [the to-be] King Arthur stayed here while on a quest to slay the very dragon that would be used to power the city. Things took a turn during 99 AG, win the two invasions brought destruction throughout Aekminur, leaving Foundation's maze-like streets as one of the only places left for refuge. The sudden overpopulation caused a war for resources that brought both street brawls and plague. Though Foundation's troubles certainly decreased by the early 130s, Aekminur landed in the Requian Coast in 138 AG within its Winter Isles. The Isles' pirates always had a difficult time living in its harsh conditions; making Foundation yet again a place of refuge, renewing its troubles with an emphasis on brawling and thieving. Foundation's tragic history has placed a gloomy blanket on its citizens, heartbroken families, rundown stores, and abandoned buildings are all common here. Concerning recent history, Foundation has become the epicenter of many ghost stories in Aekminur, some perhaps being more truthful than one would wish.

Landmarks

• Addaville Library - Writer Dillan Addaville began to keep records of Aekminur's history (specifically that of its families, politics, and factions) and created the Addaville Library in the process. The library has become a major player in the city's educational field- to say you were taught at Addaville would guarantee you a job in some form of city government. The haunting beauty of this library continues to be cared for by the Addaville family and stands as one of the many reminders of Aekminur's intellectual advancements.
• Bellvery Manor - During the late 50s, this Manor was built on top of several foundations made for homes that were demolished to make room for the project. The construction was specially funded by noble Ben Bellvery to be a home for his newlywed daughter and son-in-law. After Ben Bellvery was caught stealing money from the city's treasury, the family was banned from government positions and torn away from their nobility. They had become quiet and incredibly hostile; some say their disappearance was the result of rituals gone wrong, that their desperate wish to return to power had brought them down a dark and very unfortunate path. The manor is condemned but local superstition keeps it from being demolished.
• 'Glowing' Glyphs Graveyard - One of the only remaining graveyards is the Glyphs, the city's first graveyard. Its large and very filled capacity brought worry to Foundation after the many Vampires that were hiding in Aekminur began to reveal themselves. To defend the graveyard from Necromancers and Vampiric magic, the Candlelight Knights placed holy runes on every grave which would prevent any undead from nearing them.
• Novern Plaza - With the district's population once again rapidly growing (138-139 AG), Foundation became busier than ever. The increase in foot traffic, homelessness, and injury led to disease spreading through the population, and in an attempt to make more space in Foundation, the city revealed one of its many alleyways to discover a large plaza that wasn't previously there before. The intimidating and somewhat frightening atmosphere of the plaza discourages many from traveling through it, leaving it empty at most times of the day.
• King's Pillow - Famous for being the very inn King Arthur stayed in while on his quest to free Great Eethill from its draconic tyrants, King's Pillow has become a tourist destination for Aekminur. As the years go by it has been getting less and less attention, but locals still like to drink and dance in the ballroom and visit its observation deck to look out and fly above Foundation's many vein-like streets.

Lower Aekminur

In danger of ship debris falling upon homes, Lower Aekminur is a poorer community where the unfortunate and ruined go to sleep. It's also the hunting grounds for Aekminur's more sinister serial killers.

Architecture

Lower Aekminur is filled with single-story- occasionally two-story buildings, each having one or two families living and working from within them. The brick base of each home and shop is caked in thick, dry mud that has to be scraped off each morning. The dirt and gravel streets tend to always be wet and puddled to have the plants that flank them thrive. Oak trees are especially beloved in Debris Fall, their massive trunks and spindly posture giving life to the otherwise dull and quickly constructed district.

Population

Those who live in Debris Fall are those who can't afford to live anywhere else in Aekminur. No one would willingly live under ship repair bays if they had the choice to. Though the district has cheaper housing, there are still many who are forced to sleep on the city streets. These homeless are a tight-knit community, known for their resourcefulness and fortitude. When one of their members or their home is threatened, they're not afraid to rise and support each other in defense.

History

Upon the completion of Lower Aekminur, a feast was held in front of the district's famed Tass Tree, becoming a local holiday on the 19th of Late-Spring. There is some darker history following the creation of this holiday- as on the 19th of Late-Spring (112 AG) the Sath-Rin family was framed with murder and executed. Most can forget the terrible fate of the family, but even they can feel the lingering guilt. It was ten years later when the district was placed under attack. People started to go missing, bodies began to be found in disgusting artful displays. Local legend says that the monsters behind these killings were the revenants of the Sath-Rin family, but that's only legend. Despite what had happened, the community's leaders fell victim to it, and Lower Aekminur became unmanaged and nearly ruined. Though killings at that scale never happened again, fresh bodies are still found in the same gruesome positions, usually the day after the feast. Lower Aekminur continues to suffer from these local legends, and the accidents from ship debris falling from the Post have led to real murder and insidious action to go unsolved, simply swept under the rug as an accident.

Landmarks

• The Tass Tree - In the center of Lower Aekminur is the Tass Tree, an oak that takes the center place of holiday feasts. It was given its name because, when those feasts come, barrels of drink are hung from the tree and participants reach up to fill their glasses and mugs. Around the tree is a small plaza with loosely packed stones and creeping moss lurking in damp corners.
• Debris Dump - After a particularly grievous accident on the Port an entire repair bay fell onto Lower Aekminur. This spot (other than the memorial in front of it) is now used as the city dump. The clusters of debris may prove some value but by the time rescue and recovery missions were completed, the disaster area became infested with dangerous magic and creatures that would make it dangerous to retrieve any precious material.
• Chill Shire - Hiding on the edge of the city is the Chill Shire. This homeless shelter is a safe place for just about anyone in Lower Aekminur who finds themselves in a spot of trouble. The building is most recognizable by its three stories and tidy porches- but most beloved is the garden behind the building, filled with enough crops to feed the Chill Shire guests for months.

Orchard

Built around the remains of a red dragon lair, the Orchard was named after the many bones that stood like trees around it. The Orchard is Aekminur's centerpiece and where most paths cross.

Architecture

In the center of the city is the Orchard, filled with two to three-story buildings with gray stone bases and brick walls. The occasional tower (clock or watch) pops out of the ground and stands tall amongst the red and yellow clay roof tiles. Patches of grass, bushes, and trees interrupt long stretches of road and hide at the end of obscure alleyways. On the bow side of the district is a park known to be the place where the mansion belonging to Alfleta Bexely once stood, now completely demolished and replaced with a statue of the heroes who took down her reign.

Population

The most colorful district is without a doubt the Orchard. Half the people you see moving through the streets or buying from one of the markets are probably someone from another district running an errand or going to work. You can always tell apart who is a passerby and who lives in Orchard, those who live there are always wearing fashionable outfits and displaying fancy hairdos in preparation for the beauty contest during the Orchard Festival in Mid-Fall. Among the other common species of the Barren, the Orchard has a high population of halflings, their ancestors had lived in a small hamlet near Aekminur, forced to move into the newly built Orchard after it was destroyed during a snowstorm.

History

The Orchard was built on top of a red dragon hoard, its name coming from the many large bones that stuck up from the ground around it. This was the place where the dragon's soul was transformed into not only the city's main source of power but also the source of heat that kept the homes of Aekminur warm for so very long. During the year 99, the Orchard was the center of some very strange activity in Aekminur. At the time the city was governed single-handedly by a woman named Alfleta Bexely who also turned out to be a vampire that had been summoning a small force of her kind to hunt down Fate's Bane. Soon the vampires were slain, Aekminur was saved from the invaders of purgatory, and soon to face the Angelic Invasion. With the addition of ex-Pirate Syndicate members within the Orchard, crime had greatly risen. Scammers, pickpockets, and robbers filled the street, requiring the formation of a special detective agency to hunt and bring justice to each and every one of them. This agency still exists as of 154 AG under the name of the Siluten Detective Agency. Today the Orchard returns to its first age of peace in over fifty years. More buildings have been freed since the construction of the Roots, so the district has begun drawing the interest from both businesses in other districts wanting to spread their wings, and to new merchants looking for a place to sell their goods.

Landmarks

• Museum of Adventure & Invention - A five-story building with exhibits of Aekminur's history, the heroes, and scientific breakthroughs that had forever changed the city, and perhaps the world.
• Musket's Market - The biggest market in Orchard with a large auction house in its center. Tents and stalls line the streets, some leaking into the auction house halls where other vendors have set up booths or perhaps took over an entire room for their very own shop.
• Pantheon Park - A large park- flat and dotted with only a few trees here and there. The granite paths form an X across the field. In the center is the 'Defenders of Aekminur' a statue of the heroes who saved Aekminur from the vampiric tyrants, and the Barren from Fate.
• The Maxwell Inn - Ran by old lady Maxwell, the Maxwell Inn is known to be haunted (or was haunted). Several different speculations and stories have been made involving the Maxwell Inn, most fictional, some fictional in an attempt to fool others, and little are actually true.
• The Laughing Skull - High-grade weapons your thing? Come over to the Laughing Skull! selling firearms, advanced melee weapons, and dangerous prosthetics since before the Angelic Invasion! Don't know where to find us? Look for the massive steel skull, that's us.

The Post

The Post is a large wall jutting out of the Citadel. Its major purpose is to create space for airships to dock and be built and repaired. These docks have become a tight-knit community where adventurers and other sailors share stories and tales.

Architecture

The Post is thin and lowly populated, the majority of it is dedicated to storage for parts and ships, power generation (on top of the city's main power), docks, repair bays, structural support, warehouses, and management halls. Near the Post is a large vertical opening in the city's dome that allows airships to move through it, a great number of foreign animals also move through it and invade the Post and Citadel. On the sides of the district (especially under the docks) birds like to nest. The lamplights stay on until dawn, people of the Post tend to have early morning starts and enjoy having the light and watching them be blown out as the sun rises. Most would believe that it's expensive living on the dock, the housing hanging from the sides of the district, looking over huge portions of Aekminur, those views must be worth a lot. Though the view is nice, the housing units are small, they're made of steel, metal, and wood if you're lucky, and the noises of wind blowing, ships creaking, and equipment buzzing make it that must more difficult to live there.

Population

The folk of the post is a tight-knit, superstitious bunch. They're also incredibly closed off to outsiders- especially the sailors, they're used to being backstabbed by an impromptu crew or ripped off by a private employer. The work the sailors and boatswains have accomplished out on the docks and adventuring into the unknown new outskirts of Aekminur have brought them a reputation of being the utmost brave and adventurous people in the city. It takes a while to earn the trust of the Post, even the most selfless, good acts are but a step on a hundred-mile-long journey of becoming a friend. The best approach to take is to be mutual, putting as much trust in them commonly turns out an equal amount of respect back at you. Giving them valuable cargo to protect, hiring some bounty hunters to retrieve your kidnapped daughter, and giving good pay in advance for a difficult job all being examples.

History

The angelic invasion had left a good amount of the Post destroyed, and learning that Lady Fate was a false deity had truly turned the world upside down. Travelers passing through Aekminur commonly brought their own perspectives on Fate, sparking an obsession in the community and making each member of the family have their own belief on how Fate functions. By the 20s some beliefs became more concrete than others, particularly those that were passed on by fortune tellers. A man named Vaneff Vineia in particular created several temples and followings to accept one's fate and let the universe handle their destiny for them. Shutting down many conflicting beliefs had enraged very many people, resulting in slander, protests, and a handful of assassination attempts. In recent years, after Vaneff's passing, some smaller religious groups have risen back up to power- though are extremely private to not reveal themselves to be disbelievers of Vineia's Fate. One in particular does attempt to reach out to the public, an unnamed group but they're known for leaving carvings and markings of their symbol to be subtly displayed during public events.

Landmarks

• Crossroad Plaza - Towards the end of the district, a large rectangular plaza is the meeting place of many roads that lead to one of the main forty-two docks. The majority of it is empty- except for a few benches scattered across the area. The Post doesn't find Crossroad Plaza isn't seen as particularly integral to the district, but they do in some way care about it nonetheless.
• Ship's View - After an accident during repair, an airship and its repair bay both became damaged beyond repair. Because of it, the repair bay and ship became a tavern that looked out over the city. Most of the View's patrons are the upper class of the Post.
• Raptor's Alley - In a small, usually unnoticed alley, is practically the only place in the Post where you can find a great deal of greenery. The alley is overtaken by earth, with a tree huddling the corner where it can get the most sunlight. Its branches are long and spindly, hundreds of them reach out towards the center of the alley. The avian invaders swoop in and find refuge between its leaves, and it's all relatively peaceful- except for when the birds fight perhaps.
• Vineia Temple - The main temple for the followers of Vineia. Though he may be dead, his faith still carries on within this good-sized temple of stone and stained glass. Images of the Book of the Barren are shown, but ever mentioning the False Deity there carries much offense and is seen as religiously criminal.

New Repertoire

A project to create more housing after a substantial population increase, New Repertoire is an adventurer's dream. Here travelers come to retire or pick up a new quest at an Adventurer's Guild.

Architecture

No matter how Aekminur is positioned, the Post always seems to end up casting a shadow over New Repertoire. Most of its citizens don't mind, the materials that were used to make the district were primarily sandstone and wood from the Sands of Aethos, which due to the environment they were from, conducted a great amount of extra heat from the city's generator. Most residences are uniform, simple square shapes for the sake of there being enough room for the population, but the less vacant areas tend to have a great deal of alterations inspired by the city's newcomers, adding a little bit of their old home to their new one.

Population

New Repertoire is a big retirement location for adventurers and travelers, simply because the teleporting city allows them to continue doing what they love without the hassle and danger of adventuring (most of the time at least). This also means a huge variety of species can be found in New Repertoire including humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, orcs, gnomes, and so forth. The people of Aekminur in general find this information incredibly useful when the situation of needing an impromptu crew comes into need. If the crews in the Post are giving out their usual distrust or there's a mission that needs to be done within the city, its New Repertoire and its Adventurer's Guilds they need to go to.

History

Added to the city just prior to the Roots, New Repertoire is an extension to Upper Aekminur. With the city teleporting and thereby becoming far more accessible, the population increased greatly, the majority of these new citizens being turned towards New Repertoire. The month after the city teleports had become a very important time to the district because of the wave of people that it brought, shops, inns, and taverns were prepared to reap as much profit from incoming travelers.

Landmarks

• Aekminur Adventurer's Hall - Filled with adventurers who aren't quite ready to retire after all, the Aekminur Adventurer's Hall houses the guild that works towards Aekminur and its people's goals. The guild hall is large, divided into many smaller lounges for pre-established and pieced-together parties while they wait for work.
• Traveler's Tavern - The Traveler's Tavern is the largest in Aekminur, filled with people from in and out of Aekminur. The menu has a very wide selection to appeal to the bellies of anyone in Great Eethill, with foods from every country and region.
• Anchored Hotel - A low-flying airship appears to be hovering over New Repertoire. This "airship" is really a themed hotel for visitors to not only get an interesting experience sleeping in an airship but to also give them a good view of the district.
• Renewed Relics - This antique shop buys old family heirlooms and interesting items unique to the regions Aekminur travels to, selling any goods they found there a few months after Aekminur leaves that area.

The Roots

Under the Orchard is an underground district that allows engineers, repairmen, and other maintenance workers to more easily access the city's generator. Being so close to the generator has also created an increase in the Dragonborn population, as the mana spilling out of it contaminates several nearby neighborhoods.

Architecture

The Roots surround the source of all the heat that flows through the streets of Aekminur, which would be very dangerous to the district's citizens if it were not for the genius of Aekminur's scientific progression. All the tunnels (or streets) in the district are designed to carry wind flow from the world above throughout its entirety, stations throughout the Roots serve cold drinks, desserts, and ice to passerbys for low prices, and several insulators have been created to absorb the great heat. From the main entrance in the Sunken City, thousands of huge archways reflect through the underground district like a maze of mirrors. Vibrant shops and stalls rival that of the Orchard above, and you couldn't find masonry more beautiful anywhere in Aekminur. Lanterns and lampposts fill the halls, shining brightly at all times of the day and hanging from the high arched ceiling. Go in deep enough, and you will eventually find street walls completely covered by harmless, and occasionally edible moss that has stretched and grown down from the ceiling.

Population

Many- poor and rich- people find themselves living in the Roots. It's not a terrible location like many describe it to be. The district is so new that there are many real estate opportunities to take advantage of. Though, in honesty, the lower-class folk do tend to end up closer to the generator, which includes the workers who manage it. This caused a large number of the Roots' population to be Dragonborns. The rich live in the circles- places that are mysteriously untouched by the generator's leaking magic which also end up as gated communities. The guard defenses stationed at the generator, as well as how well these gated communities are structured, make the Roots the second safest district in Aekminur, surpassed only by the Warp Ward.

History

The most exciting district in Aekminur, the Roots is the latest addition to the city and is known to be quite the riot. The original purposes of this district were to (a), expand the limited space in Aekminur, and (b) to give engineers and other maintenance workers easier access to the city's generator. The Roots unlike the rest of the city is filled with magic- but not spellcasters to be clear. The generator is powered by the soul of a red dragon, and the large production of mana tends to leak out like radiation, filling the underground district. This has formed several health issues including mutations and disease. As of recent history, the district has been recovering from a disease that causes madness; although knowing the magic of the district, the disease may get a magical boost in spread sometime soon.

Landmarks

• The Generator - In the heart of Aekminur, is the heart of Aekminur. The city's generator both powers and warms Aekminur. It whirls with fiery draconic magic from a dragon slain by King Arthur so long ago and is now placed within a circular building of steel and stone.
• Mossy Masonry - Moss clings on tightly to these stone brick walls, carved out from the earth. Past the usually closed wooden gates is a small community of upper-class folk that enjoy the underground life of the Roots.
• River Flow Station - The monorail flows through the city's air and then dips below into a set of tunnels, running alongside an artificial waterfall. As the monorail comes to a stop at River Flow Station, it's covered by a thin layer of water and sits above a running river.
• Shinning Shave - In the corner of the district is the Root's greatest ice shaving stand, selling snow cones, milkshakes, and ice cream for just a few coppers. The Shinning Shave has been running since the beginning of the Roots and continues to be its favored spot.
• Central Hall - Leading up to the generator is the Root's Central Hall. It’s the district's widest and longest tunnel, with storefronts embedded in its walls and overlapping posters plastered to its pillars. Hundreds of caged candles hand from the ceiling, lit every day using the generator's excessive heat flowing through the top of the hall.
• Starlight Hall - A port side hall was built a little tall, causing it to peak out of the ground and into the Orchard. Its ceiling was removed and is now a beautiful piece of art. During the day the light that flows into the hall makes it glow like a temple untouched for centuries, and at night the starry sky makes it appear as if it’s a mystic point of mystery.

Sunken City

Before the Angelic Invasion, Aekminur was attacked by shadowy creatures from Purgatory. This portion of the city was where the portal opened and was naturally the most damaged from the attack, causing the entire portion of land to sink, becoming the lowest part of the city.

Architecture

After disaster struck and the city was in great need of repair, restoration resources became thin- which meant the Sunken City was refused total reconstruction. The district's volunteer forces did the best they could to repair with the old and torn blueprints, little experience, and a lack of funding. Now there are many dead-end streets, missing doors, waving elevation between buildings, and oddly shaped layouts. Street signs and maps can be found at every street corner, but they barely help. People end up very confused about where certain locations are, and will inevitably walk down the wrong street or alley.

Population

Folk like to stay away from the Sunken City, but many do still live there. Those who have the capabilities to resist the occasional dangerous magic surge, those who are not afraid of it, and those who want to learn about it. The latter is a concerning matter to Aekminur officials; the trend of cultists surfacing after the invasions has convinced many that they're trying to revive the chaos and get the forces of Purgatory to return (for whatever reason)- some believe they're Helsingers who've gone to far looking for the extinction of vampires, others think they're just plain crazy. Either way, the military has sent out the majority of their less-required detectives (those who specialize in a rare field, retired, etc.) so that they may keep an eye on the district and its citizens.

History

When Aekminur fell victim to an invasion of Purgatory's monsters and guardians, it was then followed by the Angelic Invasion. The starboard side of the Orchard had been the origin of the portal to Purgatory and was the most damaged part of the city. Damaged to the point where several cave collapses and foundation failures had caused the entire starboard portion of the Orchard to sink below the rest of the city. The impact of the invasions had left a permanent metaphysical mark on the Sunken City; magic (while it was still widely available) didn't always function as intended. Sometimes it would simply fail to cast, other times it'd become twisted and produce an unexpected effect. These patches of broken spaces of magic have healed greatly throughout the years but occasionally return for a short period of time. The first surge of broken magic had caused mass hysteria to spread throughout the Sunken City. A recent case of magical surges was the unfortunate deaths of several citizens who fell victim to a creature created by it. Its killing spree lasted three months, claiming a little over fifty lives. It ended out of complete luck too, no guards or special military units (including that of the Helsingers) were able to figure out how to deal with the creature, and none had even learned what it had looked like. Most assume that its rampage stopped simply because the surge ended, but no one knows for certain.

Landmarks

• The Stronghold - Once called the Druid & Apprentice, this tavern was briefly converted to the headquarters for the search and rescue teams during and shortly after the invasions. Its failure to completely sink allowed it to be a great viewing point over the Sunken City. It continues to exist by the name of the Stronghold.
• Ruined Meadow - Near the outer edge of the district is a field of toppled buildings, short walls, lone pillars, and with grass and moss overtaking it all. Citizens can be found wandering through this sad, yet beautiful patch of land throughout all times of the day.
• The Keep - Standing cartoonishly tall, a clock tower gazes over the Sunken City on a pillar of dirt and stone. It represents the survival of not only the district, but the entirety of Aekminur throughout the years deemed the keep.
• The Rabbit Hole - Hung up on the district's cliff face is a grand entrance to the Roots called the Rabbit Hole. It's where the roots first began to be dug out, and a place of interest to many transportation service companies, including the monorail. If you need a vehicle quickly (anything other than an airship of course) come to the Rabbit Hole and find yourself one from the many stores and lots.

Upper Aekminur

Once the generator was created, a wave of inspiration collapsed on many artists and inventors in Aekminur. The portion of the city that was being built around this time of inspiration was Upper Aekminur, nicknamed the Repertoire as every brick, stone, and stick used to construct it was made into a display representing Aekminur's inventiveness.

Architecture

Upper Aekminur is separated into many smaller sections, each walled and gated off from one another. These brick walls are fashioned with statues placed in alcoves and twin guard booths flanking the gate doors. Select sections require papers to enter, and the guards check for either criminal records, health status, or both. Moving through Upper Aekminur could be a pain, but the sights of the district may just be worth it; its buildings are made with grander, and the brick and stone used to make them have been weathered by time which gives the streets a brown and gray pallet. Gargoyles perch off buildings and cathedrals worshipping a variety of deities.

Population

Dark days have passed for Upper Aekminur, but now its people are looking the brightest they've been since the district's creation. Its rebound has inspired many to return to the district after leaving due to the chaotic company rivalries. A good number of noble families, both in and out of political power, live in Upper Aekminur in mansions among the other tall, square, and elegantly designed buildings of the district. Unlike most other districts that are organized by a single elected noble house, Upper Aekminur is governed under all noble houses within it.

History

Upper Aekminur was created with the intention of giving more room for inventors to work and live so that Aekminur could continue to surpass its already greatly advanced technology. Soon after the creation of the Great Invention Hall, an annual ceremony called the Excalibur Endowment took place for the first time, awarding Luke Landstrung for the invention of the Airship. The competitiveness for the following awarding led to the creation of several companies, rivalries, and criminal groups. Sabotaging and assassination became common trade in the early days, only enforcing these rivalries and extreme measures to go down in history as one of Aekminur's greatest inventors. It wasn't until the late 120s that the ceremony was canceled indefinitely for the peace and safety of the community. Families were torn apart, laboratories destroyed, and broken relationships would never be fixed and forever be an unfortunate side effect of the destruction, something that even the greatest of attempts couldn't fix.

Landmarks

• Great Invention Hall - The museum of Aekminur, and considering the city's advanced technologies, the Barren's greatest scientific discoveries and inventions. This is the city's number one tourist attraction, as well as its largest archive of prototypes, blueprints, and notes on technology.
• Temple of Wreez - A massive cathedral built to worship the god Wreez, the Winged Guardian. The magnificent structure brings a lot of attention to itself, the clerics are the only group within the city permitted to use magic outside of the city's legal uses for it. The worship was originally to give the Airships leaving the city the utmost divine safety, but then the entire city became entangled in its worship when it began teleporting.
• Landstrung Laboratories - Created and run by the Landstrung family, this company focuses on airship design and function. It can be easy to spot with its large flat roof and many support beams that allow them to work on airships without having to go to the port.
• The Codwell Company - Rivals of the Landstrungs, the Codwell Company once worked on the automobile, but began to create a wide range of vehicles including airships and monorails. The Codwell Company headquarters is known for its ginormous garage and neighboring track for testing.
• Valor Hall - The district's celebration hall near the Temple of Wreez celebrates the heroes who fought in the invading forces of both Purgatory and the Heavens. It's a large single-room building with a glass roof and a large chandelier hanging in the center of the hall. Every Aekminur holiday is celebrated in this hall by the citizens of Upper Aekminur.

The Vents

The first district to receive heating technology, the Vents were constructed as a large-scale sauna. Many pipes run down the streets, heating the water and traveling through them to boiling temperatures that allow the stones around them to warm, vents were built to allow for some pressure relief- causing the Vent's infamous steam visual.

Architecture

The broad streets of the Vents are flanked by three to four-story brick buildings with red-gray shingles and metal supports. Pipes can be seen crawling on the sides of buildings while walking through the inversely narrow alleyways between buildings. Shops and similar services prefer to have large bi-folding or lifted garage doors to display their wares. Most notable of course is the tall pillars of steam that rise from the district. Larger pipes and vents commonly dip out of the street, particularly spots where the heating system requires the most release of pressure, where the controls can be accessed, and places where the original engineers were forced to place them due to the lack of proper resources to place them underground. The tall and slender lamp posts around the district all have feeders filled with seeds and nuts to attract creatures called dormdens. These creatures are small and bat-like, they fly with gray, nearly white fur; they can usually be found hanging from the top of Aekminur's dome. The Vents want the attention of these creatures because they can naturally sense where the most pressure buildups are and safely drain them, using it as an oxygen supply when they return home on the dome.

Population

Like its neighbor Foundation, the Vents have very old roots in Aekminur. Many have ancestors who worked on the Vent's construction- a fact that families are very proud of to the point of excessive mentioning. The people of the Vents will fight tooth and nail for their family's difficult work on it. The noble houses in particular will also do their best to cover up any blemishes in the Vents- including any minor accidents that occur with the pipe systems. Their need for skilled operatives has created a competitive game of showing off talents and special abilities. All (mostly) open as well, the nobles claim that they need these special workforces for very mundane reasons (house remodeling, legal services, etc.), a scandal ready to explode. Only a fraction of the Vents still passionately work on the heating system, the majority now being in the Roots- bringing up this fact to a local from the Vents will also bring insult. The engineers and artificers from the Vents will no doubt be the most snobby in their field of work. They learn from lessons passed down in their family, simultaneously teaching them hard beliefs on how some things should be done in a certain way or the entire project is ruined.

History

The Vents were built between the Orchard and Foundation, around and between the roads that many workers and architects used. It started from simple rest stops, in case short lunch breaks left little time for workers to go home and back, but eventually became much more. During the Angelic Invasion, pressure buildups in the street pipes caused many explosions throughout the district. By the time Aekminur (in general) was put to safety, the inhabitants of the Vents stood their ground- through the fear and grief of lost loved ones, they foolishly stayed in their homes despite the possibility of further explosions. The people of the Vents care very much about their homes, as many are the offspring of the very people who designed and built the district. Several construction and medical companies had taken advantage of the Vent's destruction, forming the Help Institute to assist those who were harmed or in some way inconvenienced by the disaster while receiving funding from the city treasury. They became such a great help in the Vents that they spread out to the entire city. With the new repairs and generous commendations, the Vents entered a golden era. On the anniversary of the tragedy, the district gathers in a remembrance ceremony. Now aware of the danger the vents and pipes pose, the district has increased its laws regarding them tenfold. Control valves and similar points are heavily guarded which caused an all-time low crime rate as a sight effect.

Landmarks

• The Search News - Known as one of the most reliable news sources in Aekminur, Search News has delivery boys all over the city. A large spyglass protrudes from their building, The Search is written on the glass. Journalists hastily come and go, and a garage opens and closes for the automobile they use to get to major developments quickly.
• Help Institute Headquarters - A tall, square building towers over a small fountain. The Help Institute continues to work helping the city and fund several construction projects. Through its windows, you can see architects, nobles, and businessmen working, writing, and negotiating like their lives depended on it.
• Memorial of 99 - In the middle of a nicely maintained park is an obsidian slab, sketched within it the names of those who died in the Vents during the Angelic Invasion. No benches in sight, the occasional tree placed here and over there, flowers everywhere during the spring, and buried in snow during the winter.

Warp Ward

Easily the smallest of the districts, the Warp Ward was the portion of the city dedicated to space for its teleportation systems. Since the teleporter's construction, the district has become a land of grand mansions and rich people's property; taking advantage of the teleporter's security and constant maintenance.

Architecture

The teleportation system was made hastily, many structures popped up in random places to hold precious and or sensitive equipment. This maze of machinery, wires, and pipes leading out of the main teleportation system chamber makes this converted section of Lower Aekminur very difficult to build a traditional home on. Some mansions for the especially rich do make their way to the top levels of the district, but most are built to fit in with the pre-existing structures and frames, camouflaging them into the environment. Whenever you're walking through the pathways of the Warp Ward you can hear the whirling of machinery, the ticking of gears, the piping of steam, and the forceful shifts of pistons. Lights sealed in glass light up when the sun begins to fall, illuminating the mesh metal scaffolding, and vibrate when stepped on, shaking throughout its entirety. There are tunnels in which you must duck through, ladders to climb up or down to get to different passages, and ramps that must be manually moved about to cross gaps that can span ten to thirty feet on average.

Population

The majority of the ward's population are upper-class households, though it's also dotted with the homes of essential workers that allow the teleportation system to function. These lower-class households have been slowly removed over time, the upper class using their power to hire their own members to take their jobs and give them a reason to leave the district. Some remain, and the more logical noble families outside of the Warp Ward are always doing their best to stop these certainly unjust changes to the ward's population.

History

The Angelic Invasion was nearly devastating to Aekminur, especially so close after the chaos that was the vampires and the invasion of Purgatory. The Warp Ward was made to house the city's teleportation system so that they could easily relocate the entire population safely away from attacking forces. After the creation of the Ward many of the upper-class and noble families that had lost their homes during the invasions decided to build mansions within the district. What would seem like an odd choice- who would want to live in a place filled with nothing but a maze of wire and circuitry?- makes sense when you put the ward's security into factor. The heavy protection around the Warp Ward (because of the teleportation system) is where the most protection in the city is located. The move was expensive, to get approved to live in an area that was designed to protect the entire city from otherworldly beings that were far more powerful than any of the weapons or defenses Aekminur could produce was tricky. The assets these families had to pull from their banks and businesses left them very underfunded, starting a small economic depression that mirrored what was happening to the Barren outside the city. After the eventual recovery from this depression, the ward became oddly quiet. Not much news comes out of it- the snippets that do aren't in the least bit interesting or notable. Suspicion is constantly thrown towards the Warp Ward, the common rumor (or more likely conspiracy) is that the rich folk actually moved there so that they can alter the teleportation system to teleport only the Warp Ward when the city enters ruin, leaving everyone else to die. Though the nobles that live there are still successful, it has become more of an uphill battle to gain support because of these rumors.

Landmarks

• The Miscellaneous Machine - The device that determines the city's next destination is a large floating object with twenty sides that quickly turns and shifts, picking a suitable location within the Mortal Realm. To protect it, the machine cannot be observed from outside its chamber, but a building-sized replica always follows its exact moments, letting anyone within the district to see the possible places and positions that may be next for the city.
• The Spark Engine - Knowing that relying on a single generator would be disastrous to Aekminur, the Warp Ward uses its own generator called the Spark Engine. It uses a wand that was enchanted by a lightning strike from an Eldritch Storm to generate mass amounts of magical electricity to power the district.
• The Warp Dock - The Warp Ward is very special to have its very own airship dock. This one however is used exclusively by the Warp Wardens- the military group that keeps the ward safe. Their signature airships (using a more blimp design) can be seen flying slowly above the district, using spotlights to watch the dark city below.