[Storyteller's Point Of View] City Drawbacks

[Baku]

Why Riverfall Sucks Ironically, what gives Riverfall it’s breathtaking appearance also makes it problematic. Located atop of a large cliff, a long climb up-hill (both ways) is needed to access the city. Arriving inland sees you climbing a steep hill along a uneven, open path, making the arrival slow going and susceptible to quick hit and runs by wild animals (most notably Glassbeak), Zith or daring raiders and slavers who have courage enough to attack travelers so close to the city. By ocean, a more narrow path just up to the nearest tier of the city from the port of entry. The fact that Riverall is also located along a cliff face right next to the ocean and alongside the Bluevien River with the great waterfall makes its Winters bitter cold and Summers sweltering hot for those not already used to the climate. It’s the kind that others would say, optimistically at best, “Well, at least it’s not Aventhal,” during the winter, or “Well, at least it’s not Falyndar” during the summer. Considering also that the city boarders the Ocean, there can often be times of danger during times of storms in the form of hurricanes, should Zulrav and Laviku ever decide to get together and say, “Hey, wanna have a little fun with the locals?” There are often tolerance levels that will be tested for visitors who come to Riverfall with the sometimes obvious reasons. Considering the regular inhabitants of the city’s problem with procreation, females will often find themselves propositioned often to be child bearers (whether they are involved with a significant other or not), and will sometimes have to be on guard with the pampering, as some of the more unethical of the citizens will offer services with a tone of it being friendly and complimentary, but never say it is free, which will lead females into owing substantial debt that would be paid off by offering to bear a child. The males who visit, will most often be treated with indifference, unless they can prove themselves by Akalak means. Even if the subtle cultural aspects are avoided, there is often the political aspect of inner turmoil that happens deep behind the scenes in the city. Not being common knowledge, some Cerulean often make movements and power plays to gain more control, trying to subtly usurp the power from the Akalak Council of Elders in long drawn out plans, and most often they will use unsuspecting visitors in the city who are oblivious to the deep hidden Akalak culture of what the tattoo markings on their face really mean (plots for such still broiling in my head).

[Ophelia]

The Cons of Lhavit Lhavit sucks because of how rigid the society is. The poor are poor and the rich are rich. The class system is based so that a lot of the power, respect, influence and wealth is skewed towards the upper classes, the more 'skilled' members, and the Houses. There is by no means any sort of equality in Lhavit. People see it as a shining city of hope and light, but really, there is major division between the classes, and people seem to forget that. The Shimobe are downtrodden and have no rights whatsoever. The wiki states that they are treaten 'poorly' but really, in Lhavit, if one were to backhand them for stuffing something up, not an eyelid would be battered. Society protects the strong, the wealthy. Despite the fact that a lot of the food production and day-to-day runnings of the Towers and the more expensive buildings are completely hinged on the Shimobe and Aisha, the lower classes. It may not be in a grip as tight as the Syliran Knights, but certainly the Shinya, Seiza, and Houses have a monopoly on influence and power in the city - and there is no real class movement. Firstly, once you're a Shimobe, you're a Shimobe forever, and people very rarely move between the classes. It's a rigid skewed society. As Pao said, the Shinya - though chosen for their devotion to their city - are easily corrupted. Due to their communal living, commodities like wealth are not exactly common. It makes it extremely easy for people wanting their dirty work done to corrupt the Shinya and pay them a little extra kina for it. The geography of Lhavit is harsh, as is the flora and fauna. I'm in the process of writing up the Flora of Lhavit, and a lot of it is poisonous or dangerous. The high alpine peaks means that if things are going to survive up there in the lack of oxygen and isolated lands, they're going to need to be tough and wary, with their own defence mechanism. The animals of the Misty Peaks/the Unforgiving are going to be reckless, killing passing travellers as a source of rare, but fresh meat, and flora there are going to have their own way of dealing with bumbling sentient beings that threaten to kill them. Life in the Misty Peaks and its surrounding area is hard, which means that every thing is fighting for survival - and you could be seen as a threat to that survival.

[Colombina]

Why Yahebah Bites First off it's in the middle of the desert. I don't really need to expound why a desert is not a pleasant place. There's nothing for miles. If you need something they can't produce nearby, you're out of luck. I will say the weather is tolerable despite sand-storms, oppressive heat and winter hail. (It's always nicer by the sea.) Also if you like loose women and fighting, I hope you also like pits of vipers and swift sentencing. Yahebah isn't real big on vice, even vices most people would find "harmless". Add to that, the government is almost a loose family structure. If you rifle with someone, your judge likely knows and likes your victim. The inhabitants are pleasant despite their upright ways, but they are also a bit superstitious. And since good ol' Sagallius came from here, they really don't care for mages, so be on your guard if you want to start impressing the ladies with your Res manipulation. Why Kalinor Is Wretched Well, if you are a Sym living there it's not too bad. Then again you're more stressed about your people even staying alive than how mellow your city is. Kalinor is in a damp cave, the bottom of which is full of creepy crawly things that eat your trash. And what they don't eat goes up in a big stinky fire once a month. More than half the city is a ghost town requiring periodic patrol to make sure nothing "unpleasant" has taken up residence. Structures cannot be rebuilt or repaired easily, they were decades in the making. If you want ANYTHING that isn't made of rock, fabric or bats, you have to trudge outside where everyone hates you and find it. Or you have to make nice with traders (that tend to avoid the city like the plague). If you ARE NOT a Sym or a trader, coming here is one of the stupidest things you could ever do. Once in the city, you are trapped. Unless you have wings, there is no way down. If you're a female visitor, it's only a matter of time before you're raped and die a grisly death. And this may not matter to many, but the food sucks. (Unless you like meat flavored baby food.) Why Ahnatep Stinks Nobody like you here. You just walked into that high school party with the popular kids and you have toilet paper stuck to your shoe, acne and a booger in your nose. The level of contempt is palpable. And it doesn't just stop at dirty looks, you will be mistreated and no one will care. Heck, they might even cheer. And if you even breath on someone wrong who is in a "higher" position than you, the neighborhood Jackals or family guard will happily round you up for a multi-armed beating. The rigid hierarchy is actually imposed and those on the good end of it take advantage. There is also a well-known slave auction and slavers are known to harvest non-Eypharians just outside the city. Also, there's this nifty drug called mirage. People want it but they can't always afford it, so they'll do all kinds of things to get it. You may want to stay out of the iffy parts of town where they are. Because crime tends to be highly concentrated in certain areas. There's very little in the way of gray areas. It's either "safe" or really bad. Only parts of the city have been unearthed. The rest is covered in, you guessed it, desert. Why Hai Is a Bummer Do I seriously have to spell this out? This city makes me the Queen of writing crappy places to be. Is it a bummer to be there? Oh I don't know, it's a dark pit full of lepers, gnosis cursed, and the worst kinds of criminals. It's got gangs, sex slaves, cannibals, crazies, yet unnamed monsters, a few Zith and malicious Syms. There's not a lot of food or water and what you do get comes from the "garden" of the diseased. There's traps everywhere, very little light and most everyone is out to get you. Just ask the poor PC's on a quest there now. Also, there's not a single Nordstroms. Not Anywhere. Why Eloab is Awful It doesn't even count as a city. It's sad, abandoned and haunted by Mod knows what. Despite no apparent danger, everyone is creeped out by the village, even the hardcore Chaktawe can only handle it for a little while. And if you dare petition for a visit, be prepared for a whole night of weird.

[Templar]

Syliras Stinks

99 out of 100 Kelvics dislike Syliras, why? Because the city is crowded. Overcrowded. Anyone unimportant will get a 20 by 20 room to live in. Which is not a whole lot of space. Especially since it has no natural light. It is cramped and anyone with claustrophobia would run screaming away from the city. Step out of your room, and there are people... There are many people and they have some place to go. You're in their way. They are pushing you out of the way. Stop blocking the hallway.

And if a knight happens to be going in a direction and you're in the way? Don't be. Or you will be shoved out of the way.

99 out of 100 Kelvics dislike Syliras, why? Because they have a finer sense of smell than you. 50 thousand people are living close together and they eat and drink closely together. That food and water has to go somewhere. That somewhere doesn't smell very nice. Many places in Syliras STINK. Reek. Torches are everywhere, polluting the air. Knights are everywhere, sweating in their heavy armor. Stinking the place up even more.

Living in small places only lit by torches without proper ventilation (let's say, like inside a stone room without any windows) can lead to serious lung problems in the long run (and make existing ones worse in the short run).

[Archon]

Being the largest city in Mizahar Syliras is the place most likely to have people disappear into the system. While many of the other cities about Mizihar have their groups of people that are uncared for or despised Syliras makes an effort to not have such people. Those who obey the rules and don't upset the Knights can live in relative peace and comfort, but with Slyiras being a military focused dictatorship it functions much like a machine, and such machines care little if some of the workers get ground in the gears during their work. Yes the Knights are highly respected, honored, and compensated for their efforts, but anyone else in the city would not receive such treatment. A widow of a Knight can likely find employment with the Knights, but what of the widow of a man who died working the docks? If a Knight is injured in their duty they have access to healers to help them get back to work, but what of the worker who is injured while maintaining the citadel? The outer shell of goodness and nobility that Syliras holds up does little to help protect the little, unimportant people from the cold, uncaring machine that powers the city's military might.

[Growl]

Why Avanthal sucks: 1) It is a city of ice and snow. While snow is pretty and you can always have snowball fights, and make snow angels and snowmen, you are going to freeze your butt of... pretty much all the time. Even with Morwen's mark, you are likely to get cold. So stock up on hot chocolate and electric blankets... and functional heaters. Oh wait, we don't have electricity yet... 2) The city is divided into Holds based off families, interests, who your Vantha marries. While this can raise unity among the separate Holds, it can also bring up a certain level of division amongst the Holds as a whole. While no Hold is truly considered better than the others, at least in my opinion, some members of the separate Holds may see theirs as better than the others. 3) You are being watched by an ice queen, and her Icewatch, and their polar bears. You basically have a curfew... so insomniacs, I feel sorry for you... no late night treks, unless of course, you want to explain yourself to one of them. Also, those polar bears can easily kill you if you do anything stupid. They are also not likely to be too welcoming of exotic races, say Myrians, or Syms, or Dhani, perhaps. So tread lightly. 4) If you do anything stupid, you can't really hide from the bears. They have an amazing sense of smell, and of course, you aren't likely to blend into the snow too well. 5) You are at a constant risk for frostbite... and um... if you suck when it comes to wilderness survival, and get stuck out in the cold... enjoy becoming a block of ice.

[Leviathan]

Why Syliras Sucks: Syliras has knights! But wait, isn't that a good thing? Yes! Yes it is a very very VERY good thing. If you live in Syliras, these dudes and ladies keep you safe and cozy-comfortable in your little stone rooms you call a home. If you are a Billy Bob Blacksmith or Sally Sue Servinglady in a tavern, your life is perfect, safe, and you never ever need to worry about violence coming down on your pathetic boring little head. If you are Sorry Sam Stabber or Painful Patrick Punchaholic, then there's another story. You are in trouble for existing. Yep, the knights aren't your friends, which makes them your enemies. Oh, and did I mention that your enemies are everywhere? Did I mention that your enemies rule your city? Did I mention that even if they aren't your enemies, or if you're Bonny Betty Betrayer, then you may not join their Cool Kid Club? Yeah, they have this tree, and it knows if you are good or bad, like Santa Clause, except not so nice with Christmas Goodies. He knows if you are a lying sack of manure trying to breach the Knights to cause catastrophe from the inside out, which means you will not get your chance to cause catastrophe from the inside out. In fact, you'd be lucky to survive. Speaking of survival, did I mention that it is easy to do that in Syliras? Well, you know, if you are Brandon Builder McInnocentPerson or Tasha Tailor. If you are Carl CageFighterGuy then you are gonna be in trouble. To make things better, they are racists. *Gasp!* Yes, the truth is difficult to swallow. If you are an Akalak, Symenestra, Nuit, Zith, Myrian, or a Murderer then you are likely to die if you so much as give a dirty look or don't have the correct table manners. There are no real second chances for these Unmentionables. You make a mistake, you are exiled or, quite possibly, dead. So yeah, you know, Syliras is perfect and fun for the character, but can be boring or frustrating for the writer.

[Verilian]

Why Ravok Sucks I am there.. nuff said. What, you want more? Okay, here are some other things. There are no secrets in Ravok. Rhysol knows all, see's all, smells all, and tastes all.. oh and hears all. And he even touches all. Yes, if you are in Ravok, chances are Rhysol touched you and you didn't even know it. He's creepy that way. He's also crazy.. or perhaps a better word is chaotic. Anything can happen in Ravok and the only thing keeping people there is that if they at least pretend to be loyal to Rhysol they can expect at least a little bit of protection from the rest of the world. ...which makes no sense, because you can be stabbed just as easily in Ravok as you can anywhere else. Which brings me to my next point... Rhysol is a hypocrit. He offers protection from NOTHING!!! The same chaos that plagues the world runs rampant in the streets of Ravok! In Ravok, the Black Sun and the Ebonstryfe do whatever they want, whenever they want, and however they want. In other cities there might be caste systems, but in Ravok there is only the Black Sun and Ebonstryfe. And they are all dicks. All of them. There is no such thing as a nice Ebonstryfe. There is no such thing as a caring Black Sun. They might tell you they are, but really they are just using you. Which brings me to my next point... Everybody uses everybody. If somebody says they are helping you, they are really helping themselves. Ravok is full of users. The barmaid uses her customer to get a bigger tip, the customer uses her to get his jollies by comping a feel. The Black Sun uses the Ebonstryfe to kill people, people use the Ebonstryfe to scare people away. Also, Ravok is on a lake. The only way to get there is by boat. And the main way to get around the city is by boat, something a lot of people forget. The weather might be nice, but the water is full of corpses so you can't even go swimming. And if you did, somebody might steal your clothes while you were in the water. Also.. and I can go on and on.. there is a shortage of houses. It's almost impossible to actually own a house in Ravok, and most of the rental property is already taken. Anyone who moves there is likely to find themselves in the inn, or in a really crappy overpriced room. I'm sure there's more, but that's all for now.

[Poison]

Why Kalinor sucks First of all, Kalinor is underground. There is no sun, there is no moon, there are no stars, and the seasons don’t change. It’s really hard to get used to that if you come from the surface. It’s also hard to get into the city. In Kalinor you can’t just walk through a gate. You either need a pair of wings or a Symenestra that is willing to carry you – or you can hope that the guards at the Woven Gate will lower their basket and pull you up even if you are an outsider. Once you are in the city, you will be faced with a lack of proper roads. Kalinor doesn’t have nice, straight, paved roads. Instead you have silk cords connecting the buildings which, again, takes some time getting used to if you are a surface dweller. Oh, and did I tell you that the buildings hang from the ceiling? You are always high above ground. You’d better not fall down or try to find out what’s at the bottom of the cave. The Symenestra dump their waste there, and there are all kinds of unpleasant things on the cave floor, so chances are, you’ll either get a nasty disease or die. Once you have gotten used to the lack of natural light and moving through the city, you will be forced to deal with the lack of proper human food. Symenestra food is disgusting to humans. Most of their dishes are some kind of mushy stuff. Blood also makes up a certain part of the Symenestra diet which is again disgusting. You shouldn’t enter Kalinor at all if you are a human woman. In fact, if you get anywhere near Kalinor, a Symenestra will probably abduct you, rape you and lock you up until you give birth to his child. The child will poison you, and then you’ll die. That means, for women being in Kalinor is nothing less than lethal. Most of the inhabitants of Kalinor are Symenestra. That means you will always stand out and attract a fair bit of attention, and it’s not always the good kind of attention. It’s not only the children that are poisonous. All Symenestra are poisonous. It really sucks to be in a city where people are poisonous and where even something as simple as a kiss from a Symenestra can cause all kinds of unpleasant things.

[Mixcoatl]

Why Endrykas Sucks. A lot. Cyphrus is, to say the least, not a safe place. It has a nasty habit of being populated by things such as slavers, glassbeaks, Zith, and other creatures that are more than willing to eat people that stray a little too far from Endrykas. People who leave the safety of the city will, on occasion, disappear, with there being little to no chance of the bodies ever being discovered. It's actually hard to say that Pavilions and Endrykas are safe from such attacks. Glassbeaks will lash out at Pavilions that wander too close to their territory, killing both people and horses, while Zith will kill or enslave anyone who's out on their own/in too small a group at night. If the creatures and slavers don't kill you, then there's always the chance that a flash flood or an uncontrollable grassfire will. Keep in mind, of course, that the only way to obtain food is to go out and hunt animals or gather it, if you don't want yogurt or cheese from the Zibri. This means that, in order to eat, you have to expose yourself to these dangers. If you don't get picked by a Strider, your life sucks. You're not a "Drykas" until you're chosen by one, which means that if you have some sort of birth defect, or are naturally ugly or uncharismatic, you aren't going to become a "Drykas". Pavilions owe nothing to people who do not bear Windmarks. Sometimes, family members who aren't bonded are turned into a sort of slave laborer (though the Drykas would *never* admit to them being slaves, of course!), doing the tasks that none of the other Pavilion members with to perform. For foreigners, they're welcomed into Endrykas, but until a Strider bonds with them, they're treated under much the same rules, sans the slavery. If you don't know webbing or The Run, you aren't finding Endrykas. End of story. Also, even if you do find Endrykas, at some points in the year, Endrykas is just a few small Pavilions, as the rest have scattered. This means that Endrykas is a whole lot safer at some points than it is at others. If you can't pull your own weight in a Pavilion, you don't get attention. You get more demeaning chores, worse food, sleep further from the fire, etcetera. Basically, you either have to be good at something, or you better start looking for a well-off family to marry into, or else you're going to start getting some annoyed glares. Oh, yeah, I hope you're not coming to Endrykas looking for books, by the way. We don't have any. Those stupid things are too heavy! Same deal with metal. Every ounce of metal in Endrykas is imported from Riverfall or Syliras. Hope you aren't trying to make a blacksmith or a glassworker in Endrykas, because they'll be out of work in an instant! The city smells. A lot. All of the fires are run off of horse poo bricks because there's little to no wood in Cyphrus. Hope you brought a nose plug if you aren't a native.