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kaisoumods) wrote2021-12-31 12:19 am
Locations
Locations
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Kaisou City is a proper metropolis, with a couple million in population in the metro area. There's multiple neighborhoods and districts scattered across the city. If you don't have a car to get around, there's a reliable bus and subway system available.
Residential Districts
Technically you can live in any area of the city, but these districts are primarily residential and hold the majority of available housing in the city that player characters can buy or rent. Though despite being primarily residential, they all also contain plenty of businesses and unique services. The general price range of each district, from cheapest to most expensive, is as follows: University District, Midtown, Cathedral Hill, and Brick Alley.
University District
This district houses both the University and Technical College, and as such is outfitted primarily to benefit the student body. There's a lot of affordable housing to be found in this area so long as you're a student in either school. Dormitories are naturally located on the edges of campus, but lack a number of amenities required to truly make them a home, while a number of apartment complexes have sprouted up just on the outskirts of the dorms. They're priced within a student budget, and they certainly look nice from the outside, but the actual living experience can be a little bumpy at times. Spiraling out from there are a number of businesses that cater to the local clientele: bookstores and novelty shops, cheap restaurants, and— of course— questionably cheap bars.
Education & Childcare
Pre-K
A number of different childcare facilities are available all throughout Kaisou, although it can prove difficult to get small children enrolled as they always seem to be at capacity. Still, any one of them would be a good choice for a growing child, as all are staffed with attentive and caring adults who truly want the best for their charges. The childcare facility closest to the Entertainment District is run by Zodiac, and provides care and education for Kaisou's littlest supernatural oddities.
K-12
For school-age children, there are options. The Kaisou Public School System is a fine choice for any family looking to educate their young ones— it's not particularly noteworthy for anything, but it offers a solid base education for its students as well as a wealth of extracurriculars for varying student interests. There are a number of smaller, private schools in the area as well that cater to upper-class families, but scholarships are occasionally offered. It's hard to say if their programs are really any more effective than those of the public school system, but either way the children of Kaisou will gain the fundamentals they'll need for their futures.
Higher Education
For those seeking a four-year undergrad degree or above, look no further than Kaisou University.. A fairly large campus that garners a pretty solid reputation, Kaisou U offers a large variety of degree programs. It is also home to a sizeable reference library which houses materials for various fields of study, as well as a nicely-outfitted athletics department to exercise both the mind and body to the fullest. For those seeking a more vocational education, look to Kaisou Community and Technical College. While it's definitely the smaller of the two schools, it still offers a quality education experience. No matter the goal, anyone who seeks to hone either their knowledge or craft will find themselves doing well in Kaisou.
Midtown
A large residential area comprised of several different smaller neighborhoods, offering a wide array of housing for low to middle class families. Kaisou Public High School can be found here, as well as some private schools scattered throughout the district. Many neighborhood shops and restaurants can be found here, as well: beloved hole-in-the-wall joints that have been Kaisou staples for generations, as well as family-owned restaurants from various cultures around the world. The most notable thing in Midtown, though, is the Midtown Market— a large indoor marketplace with a large array of small vendors you won't typically find in a normal mall.
City Diversity
Like most major American cities, Kaisou has an extremely diverse ethnic population. Since it's founding in the 19th century, immigrant groups have come from all of the world to make Kaisou their new home. The city and local counties have had a long history of being welcoming to newcomers, which has made Kaisou a pretty popular immigration destination despite its low profile compared to larger cities like New York City and Los Angeles.
Due to this high rate of immigration, a number of ethnic neighborhoods and ethnic enclaves have developed around the city. Most of them can be found within the Midtown area, but there's a few that have sprung up in other parts of the city. While there are many different ones, some notable ones are:
Chinatown: A neighborhood with a high concentration of Chinese Americans and Chinese immigrants. This is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, established not long after the city's founding. Here you're likely to find the restaurants with the most authentic Chinese cuisine, shops that specialize in imports from China, as well as bookstores and a library that specialize in Chinese literature. Signs in this area are just as likely to be written in Manadrin here as they are in English. There is a small park in this neighborhood, where you're likely to find elderly people playing Mahjong on good weather days.
J-Town: Less a specific neighborhood, and more a number of neighborhoods within the same area of Midtown that have a notable number of Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants. In addition to the restaurants and shopping to be found, there is a Japanese garden with free admission you can visit, as well as a number of karaoke bars.
Little Italy: Another older neighborhood, this one with a high concentration of Italian Americans and Italian immigrants. This area of town is your best chance for finding fully authentic Italian cuisine and imports. Hang around here long enough, and you'll eventually hear the tale where some foolish businessman had the audacity to try to open a Pizza Hut in this neighborhood. The now abandoned building occasionally still has rocks thrown at it.
Le Port: A French area of town that can be found near Kaisou Harbor. This is a relatively new neighborhood, new enough that some feel like it's sprung up overnight. This part of town is aggressively french; with french all over the signs, and more french flags than american ones. There's a number of french patisseries and cafes to enjoy here, as well as some high end French restaurants. There's also a fair number of Canadians in this area, who offer their own unique cultural markers, including a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that's said to serve the best poutine you can find on this side of the border.
Cathedral Hill
While the namesake Cathedral is the largest visible landmark in this district, Cathedral Hill is actually home to a wide variety of places of worship. A synagogue, a mosque, a buddhist temple, a shinto shrine— with how many different immigrant groups Kaisou attracts, it's only natural that all of their beliefs have come to call the city home alongside them. In front of a cathedral, there is a statue of a winged figure holding an orb, which at least once a week you may spot a group of moogles dancing around or praying to. There is housing to be found in this neighborhood as well, though; a lovely place for those looking to settle in a quiet place where not much happens. In fact, it's been noted that out of all the districts in the city, this neighborhood seems to experience the least amount of Spirit Realm-related activity.
Gods in Kaisou
The Existence of Gods
To the vast majority of people, the perception of gods is the same as it is in the real world: they're mostly-benevolent figures that people worship all while lacking hard scientific evidence proving or disproving their existence. As such, major churches and religions work virtually the same as they do in the real world. Though fortunately, the Catholic Cathedral in the city is of the more laid back flavor of Catholic, mostly due to it being run by an eccentric parish (read: anime priests all over the place).
In truth, gods do exist in Kaisou. While some live on Earth in human vessels, the majority of them prefer to reside in the Spirit Realm and watch over the world from there. In ancient times, the paranormal historical record indicates there was a time where gods directly ruled over Earth and humanity, and as such Earth and the Spirit Realm had much more overlap with one another. However in the last 2000 years or so, gods have taken on a general policy of avoiding openly interfering with humanity. Should they choose to intervene, it will typically be in more subtle ways.
What are Gods?
Gods comes in all shapes and sizes, so it's not possible to make a definition that describes all of them perfectly. Some are spirits, while others are made of flesh and blood. Some are immortal and have lived thousands of years, while others are very much mortal. That said, there are three general criteria that a being must meet before they can be considered a god.
The first criteria is the ability to produce divinity. Divinity is a unique energy that behaves differently from the typical elemental energy. When harnessed, it can be used to perform great miracles (creating life, guiding souls, traveling the spirit realm with ease, etc), or to cause nuclear-level destruction (like Sodom and Gomorrah). The only known source of divine energy are gods themselves, who naturally produce it in amounts that match their overall power level. Gods may choose to imbue items with some level of divinity, or allow their pact holders to use some of their divinity. However, due to the sheer power of the energy, humans can only withstand harnessing very small amounts of divinity before their bodies start to break down.
The second criteria is a core principle. Gods are embodiment of a specific concept and/or principle, serving as physical manifestations of them. For example, Aphrodite is the goddess of love. Love can and does exist without Aphrodite's direct presence, but her existence centers around representing love in all its forms. While humans are free to change their beliefs and values at any point in their lives, gods are permanently tied to their core principle. To take an action that goes directly against their core principle is painful for them, while breaking away from their principle entirely could potentially kill them. Though it's not uncommon for gods to pick up multiple values they like to represent and promote, most gods only have one core principle that they must adhere to (for instance, Aphrodite is frequently considered the goddess of sexuality and she sure does her best to represent that. However since her true core principle is love, she will not die if she goes without sex for awhile no matter what she says).
The third and final criteria is that gods gain power through belief and worship. While gods can be much more powerful than mortals, their strength and godhood hinges entirely on the recognition and belief of those mortals. As such, the more worshipers a god has, the stronger the god will be. By contrast, a god with no active worshipers will be weak, though they will continue to exist as a god so long there are people who believe they're a god. Should there be no one left that believes in their divinity, the god will lose all their power and be rendered mortal, allowing them to join the same reincarnation cycle mortal souls in Kaisou experience.
Status of Major Gods
(Disclaimer: Please note that Kaisou is a work of fiction and thus all representations of gods in this game are also fictional representations of them. As such, they may not entirely line up with you what you believe about them, as some things had to be adjusted to make it work with Kaisou's lore. We mean no disrespectful to any real religious beliefs. That is, unless you're using your religious beliefs to justify hurting others. Then we mean full disrespect.)
This is the currently known statuses of the more famous gods. If there isn't one listed, it's because they haven't come up in Kaisou's plot yet.
Abrahamic God: Aka the Lord, God, Allah, Yahweh, Big G, etc. The God that's worshiped in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Due to roughly half the world population worshiping Him, He is currently the most powerful god in the world. However, He is also one of the most enigmatic gods, having not made any confirmed public appearances in about 2000 years and His personal realm (the Garden of Eden) has never been found by humanity. He prefers to work subtly in the background, and the select few who have manage a pact with Him follow a similar philosophy. While He has been attributed to countless things through the years, His core principle is Salvation.
Greek Pantheon: The once great gods that ruled over Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. There was a time in history that they were considered the most powerful gods in the world, and were well aware of that fact. Unfortunately instead of handling such power with responsibility and grace, they instead would routinely act like assholes and humans would get caught up in their petty dramas. After several centuries of this, humanity eventually started leaving them for a nice carpenter. These days, they still exist and have some people who still worship them, but they're nowhere near as powerful as they used to be. Some of them have accepted this fall with grace, even managing to mature and find ways to thrive in the modern eras. Meanwhile others... very much have not, and are the divine equivalent of those people who have not matured since high school.
Egyptian Pantheon: The gods that once ruled over Egypt and the Nile river valley. While they ruled their lands for thousands of years, they eventually hit a decline they could't recover from. Feuds with other gods (Abrahamic God, the Greek pantheon) only made the decline worse. There was a period of time where they were nearly forgotten entirely, but in the last couple centuries efforts in translating hieroglyphics by archeologists have allowed them to make something of a comeback. At least, enough of a comeback to decimate POKEGO after Professor Willow managed to anger them.
Norse Pantheon: The once great gods of northern Europe. In their prime, it was thought they could potentially rival the Greek pantheon. Unfortunately, the pantheons that have managed to survive to the modern day, the Norse pantheon met a more violent end through the form of Ragnarök sometime before the 13th century. Some say Ragnarök was an inevitable apocalypse that could not be avoided, while others argue it could've entirely been avoided had the Norse gods not been so smitten with war. Whichever it is, it's widely agreed that Ragnarok was a devastating divine war that basically destroyed the entire pantheon and countless numbers of their followers. There's rumors that some Norse gods survived Ragnarök, but no hard evidence of that has been found.
Notable Locations
Brick Alley
True to its name, brick streets and buildings make up the bulk of Brick Alley. This is considered the trendy part of town, where you'll find a lot of specialty shops and cultural places such as art galleries and antique bookstores. There's half a dozen coffee shops in this area, all of them independently owned, and all of them offering their own unique spin on staple caffeinated drinks. Restaurants and bars in this area tend to go for trendy and experimental foods, as well... in other words, it's a hipster's paradise. However, there's been a great amount of distress amongst the populace ever since a Poundland has moved in, lighting up the night with it's trademark green signs. This is a popular place to live for young adults fresh out of college, and while it's more affordable than Blue Fish Park, some of the prices here can be pretty steep.
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Free Housing Options
If you have money, the sky is the limit with your housing options in Kaisou. However, for those who don't have money (or just rather not pay for housing), there are a few places player characters can stay that aren't sleeping on a park bench.
Crystal Tower
Being right in the center of everything, the Crystal Tower is a convenient space if one decides they want to live there for free. Only the second-lowest floor offers space for housing and the apartments are very small. Around the size of a tiny Studio Apartment, albeit a well built and cleaned one. If limited space and the ominous sealed basement aren’t a deterrent, it’s a cramped but convenient space with internal teleporters for easy individual visiting... so long as your visitor is on the Libra app anyway, as they are the only folks with access through the magical front doors. Which hey, talk about top tier security there!
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Fortress of Meropide
The Fortress of Meropide was built to be an underwater prison in the world of Teyvat, but it found its way to Earth. After centuries of being used by the Black Order, it is now in the hands of its previous administrator. The place is now open for anyone looking for a place to live that doesn't mind living underwater. The entire place has a metal steampunk aesthetic, with quarters for anyone looking to have a room there. It is also the only place that offers free food, so long as you don't mind the meals being run on a gacha system.
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Zodiac Apartments
Technically the official name for this apartment complex is Zodiac Living, but absolutely no one calls it that and just refer to them as the Zodiac Apartments. Located in a neighborhood near Central Square, the Zodiac apartments are a once-failed airbnb business venture that the Zodiac company has now converted into free housing for any OUs that show up in the city. While the building isn't the WORST place to live... imagine every mediocre-to-crappy apartment building that's blatantly run by a corporation. AUs are also allowed to live here... but, why would you?
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Business & Commercial Districts
These areas of town are primarily devoted to businesses and other public services. While there's housing to be found if you look hard enough, it's not the main focus of the districts. Typically if there's a store or restaurant chain that exists in the United States, there's a real good chance you'll find it in one of these districts.
Central Square
Unsurprisingly, this is located more or less in the center of the city, and when locals refer to "downtown" this is likely the area they're referring to. It's a bustling area, fitting for the heart of the city; one might even call it a bit congested until they get used to it. The streets are home to a number of large skyscrapers, filled from top to bottom with the offices for all sorts of businesses, and the sidewalks are often full of important-looking business people in suits. Central Square isn't just for business, though: this is also where you'll go for any legal matters, as both City Hall and the Courthouse can be found here. Not only that, but Kaisou Central Hospital, a fairly renowned medical center, makes its home here. Of course, various offices and clinics can be found across the city, but the hospital's doors are always open for those in need of serious treatment. The center of Central Square is currently occupied by the Crystal Tower, which moved in at the start of 2024 after that area of the city was leveled in an incident.
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Notable Locations
Shopping Street
Once again, the name is a dead giveaway for the sorts of things you'll find here. The largest commercial district in Kaisou, it's home to a number of popular chains. The upper end of the district contains a lot of higher-end chains, such as Pottery Barn or Neiman Marcus, while the lower end caters to a more modest clientele; think more along the lines of Target and Ikea. Still, regardless of your price range, if it's a popular, household name, chances are it can be found on Shopping Street. Situated dead in the center of all of it is Seven Star Mall, home to several specialty shops such as a tech-focused pawn shop, an imported food grocery store, and a rather popular anime and video game shop. Outside the Seven Star Mall is a statue of a man holding a cube, which is regularly decorated in seasonal nipple tassels by the locals. Dotted amidst all the shopping are various restaurants, although these are all mainstream chains as well. The food they serve is certainly a step above your local MacDenny's, but it's still affordable and safe enough to bring unadventurous relatives... you know, the type that think putting pepper on a steak makes it spicy.
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Undertown
At the far end of the Entertainment District is a subway station. To normal people, this appears to be closed off, and if you ask around, people will say it was a subway station that was halfway through construction before it got caught up in legal red tape and the project abruptly halted. Those connected with the paranormal, however, will find the station is perfectly accessible. The old station has been converted into an extensive hidden marketplace, devoted to the paranormal. Among its offerings are spell ingredient shops, book stores that specialize in supernatural reading material (of varying levels of truthfulness), restaurants that serve meals using ingredients harvested from the Spirit Realm, magical weapon smiths, fortune tellers - you can find just about anything here. There's no singular group running the Undertown market. Some shops are affiliated with Zodiac, while others have emblems showing allegiances to other groups, and some are just independent merchants. The wares on sale here can go for a steep price depending on the rarity of the ingredients used, so those who want the best of the best had better start saving their pennies.
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Notable Locations
Entertainment District
The main hub for Kaisou's nightlife. This district is full of nightclubs, bars, maid cafes, and concert venues. For younger folks, there's also an arcade and a movie theater... but the district is known to be pretty rough at nighttime, so it's highly frowned upon for children to stay out there too late lest they wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Rumor has it that some of the businesses here are just a front for organized crime, but who can say if those rumors have any merit? There is housing here that's dirt cheap, but just know-- you get what you pay for.
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Parks & Outdoor Recreation
While Kaisou is a metropolitan area, there are plenty of places one can go if they wish to interact with nature. Whether it be hiking through the forest or taking a swim in the harbor, there's lots of places that those who want a bit more nature in their life can go.
Kaisou Beach
On the very edge of town sits a large body of water. An ocean? A great lake? No one seems to know, and those who do claim to know change their answer by the day. Even the type of water seems to change by the day! Bizarre... but what's even more bizarre is that no one in town seems to notice, or care. Regardless, it's a great swimming spot, and a popular tourist destination during the summer. Lake Ocean is lined with beautiful sandy beaches, and the crystal-clear water is great for swimming. On any given day, you can find groups of blubberbeasts relaxing on the sands. A pier extends off the boardwalk, which has a number of tourist shops and food stalls, and is also home to a small amusement park.
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Kaisou Harbor
Down the road from the Kaisou beach sits the harbor. At the harbor, you'll find a great number of docks for ships that come in and out of Kaisou on the regular. The most eye-catching of these ships are the Jackdaw and the Morrigan, which are two 18th century ships that appear to be in pristine condition and fully sea-worthy. Besides the ships, there's a robust french community in this area that's sprung up in recent years near the harbor called Le Port. If you want a dry entrance to the Fortress of Meropide, there's an elevator here that'll take you to the underwater fortress. Finally, there's also a statue of a woman with a sword in front of the docks, which has divine energy that'll allow people to breathe underwater in the harbor and beach area.
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Underwater (Harbor)
Thanks to the Statue of the Hydro Archon that appeared, people are able to travel under the harbor’s waters to find its myriad of creatures without the fear of drowning. People willing to swim deeper will find, of all things, a couple of structures under the sea that are free to enter. There is also a large amount of wildlife to be found in the harbor, whether it be seals to giant crabs to a giant squid that lives in the depths of the harbor that no one's figured out how to clear out. You know, normal things!
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Notable Locations
Blue Fish Park
While there are many parks throughout Kaisou, Blue Fish Park is the most well known. Blue Fish Lake is a large enough lake to be a popular fishing spot, and you can rent out boats for any romantic dates. There's an outdoor cafe that sells seasonal drinks and snacks and a few food stalls around the park during the warmer months. The park also includes a skate park, a basketball court, a playground, baseball fields, a Japanese-style garden, and a very normal duck pond that very definitely does not have a cursed object of the abyss lying in wait at its bottom. Be sure to keep an eye out for the gaggle of four geese that thrive on being terrible. Near the park is the Blue Fish Zoo, which has loads of different animal exhibits. Apartments and houses near this park tend to be on the pricey side, with some of the luxury condos being more expensive than a whole house in other neighborhoods.
Fae Forest
In March 2023, the Seelie court of the Fae attempted to move into Kaisou. Unfortunately due to cultural differences (such as the Seelie's cultural practice of kidnapping children), they were ultimately sent back to live in the original realm. However while they only remained in the city a short time, their presence left a permanent mark on the forest in Blue Fish Park. The forest grove has been permanently enchanted by fae magic. This causes the plants in this area to grow much larger than it normally would, as well as remain green throughout the entire year. You also have a good chance of finding magical ingredients in this forest, but you should take precautions - as damaging the forest in a careless way may result in you accidentally contracting a fae curse.
And while the Fae are gone, another spirit creature has decided to make this forest their home. A pack of kitsune now live in the forest. Unlike their fox counterparts, these kitsune are highly intelligent and capable of human speech. Unfortunately for everyone, they use this sentience to run constant scams on unsuspecting victims. Do take care not to fall for their schemes.
Notable Locations
Kami State Park
The western border of the city is home to a large state park, great for folks that are hoping to explore a little bit of the wild side. Kami State Park hosts a number of hiking trails of varying difficulty, as well as camp sites. While the trails are pretty safe, the park is home to a number of wild animals. Those exploring the park would do best to be careful with their food, unless they're looking to make very close friends with a bear.
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City Outskirts
On the outskirts of the city, you'll find some industrial areas that are full of warehouses. Past that, there's a couple suburb communities that are intermixed with farmland. Driving on the highways, the edge of town will have scatterings of run down motels and diners, with their primarily customer base being travelers and truckers. Should you drive to the west in the direction of Kami State Park, you'll find yourself in hilly and mountainous terrain pretty quickly. Like many American metro areas west of the Mississippi, it's a good full day drive to the next major city- so you best pack for a long road trip if you're planning to drive out of here.
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Notable Locations
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