Setting

[sanctum_mod]

The Park

The particular area where people have been shown to arrive most has been turned into a sort of park. The walking paths all have red arrows leading to the center, just in case someone pops out elsewhere, and right in the center of the park there are several booths, mostly constructed of wood, in a twentieth-century American style. A sign saying ‘Information’ appears above one of the booths, in bold block letters, easily legible.

This information booth seems to at all times to be staffed with friendly young people with wide smiles and excited voices, pleased with their job of greeting newcomers. They seem to come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, with a blend of features, skin colors from the palest white to the darkest ebony, with all the olive, rosy, and tan tones between. There is no particular standard of dress, beyond name tags, but overall there is a casual air.

If your character is shy, the cry of “Welcome to Sanctum” and the friendly greetings might almost be overwhelming. If your character is injured, they will be brought to a first aid tent for treatment, where they will be completely healed from all injuries. NPC healers use a combination of technology and magic, like many things in this world, and will be as friendly and informative as the information booth employees.

At the information booth, the character is introduced to the communicator, given a small starting budget which is loaded directly onto the communication device itself, and instructed on accessing important documents like maps, the general laws of the society, and employment/housing listings.

Once registered with information, the character is free to wander around the park, visit the other booths around the central square - which sell snack foods, clothing, and include several fair-type games, as well as a Ferris wheel and other rides - make their first network post, or move further out to explore the rest of town.

But what if your character is the type to come in fighting? Go right ahead! The NPCs have various levels of toughness, from normal human to godlike, so it’s possible that someone might be injured in the fray. However, the information booth is guarded by members of a special task force, and before your character can cause too much harm, they will be rendered unconscious and carried off to the infirmary to rest. Once they are awake and able to be reasoned with, they will be given the same treatment as everyone else - except they will lose any weapons or special powers that they arrived with until such time as it is believed they can be ‘trusted’ with them. Feel free to say that your character came in this way, and was knocked out how many times - and for however long - would be necessary to get them to realize it’s futile.

Please look here for some additional booths and stands located within the park.

The information booth and the task force will both eventually be open to player characters as jobs, so if you like to greet newbies, keep an eye out for that!

Beyond the Park

Sanctum, while used to refer to the entire world, is also the name of the only settlement on this world. The city of Sanctum is a strange mish-mash of cultures, each brought by those who have come to this world before. As a result, the architecture can vary widely, even in buildings within the same area.

The park itself is the center of the city, easy to spot from anywhere with its Ferris Wheel and spread of flowers, walkways, fountains, and booths. Once outside the park, one finds wide streets mostly filled with foot traffic and bicycles, with the occasional moped zipping through.

Just to the north of the park, one can find the government district, including City Hall itself - with a pretty exterior of white stone and tall towers, only to cover the real offices underground - and smaller offices for police, city planning, and other sorts of official things. Most of these buildings are built in white stone, meant to appear regal and imposing - though the grafitti kills it a little, especially considering the Mayoral committee does most of it themselves.

The hospital is also in the government district, though there are smaller clinics scattered throughout the city. All services at the hospital are free, and EMT teams with members capable of teleportation take the place of more traditional ambulances.

The Department of Sexual Education is an important landmark here. While sexual information and paraphernalia can be found all over the city, this is the place to go for formal instruction on sexual matters. Instruction is free, and while it doesn't guarantee actual sexual contact, most instructors do offer it!

Between the government district and the outer walls of the city, to the north, can be found more natural parkland, with heavily wooded areas and small walking trails. There’s even a campground for those who like to rough it but don’t dare attempt living outside the walls, and a small river runs through this area. The University of Sanctum also resides in this area, just inside the wall and far away from the bustle of city life, though... one might mistake the cluster of huts and wooden cabins for pretty much anything but a school.

To the east of the park, there’s the business district, running all the way from the edges of the park to the eastern walls of the city. Cluttered in close the park can be found small shops of various types, casual dining restaurants, and colorful street vendor carts. Beyond this area, there is the wider shopping district, home to malls, department stores, and more upscale shops. The builders get bigger and fancier as you move away from the park, but any local will tell you the best food is in the tiniest dives. In the far East, just inside the wall, lies the Sanctum Technological University, a cluster of tall glass-and-metal buildings.

To the south of the park, one can find the entertainment district. Just like with the shops, the places just outside the park gates are smaller, less fancy, and cheaper. The bars and clubs near the park play a variety of music and have a wide variety of food and drink available, as well as being in buildings of highly different styles, though mostly one-or-two story. The brothels in this area mostly offer fewer options in terms of setting and scenes, but are cheap and friendly.

As you go further south, the buildings get larger and fancier, and the entertainment provided becomes more varied and elaborate. From burlesque shows to movie theaters to laser tag and sporting events, pretty much anything can be found. Most notably, a row of multi-story buildings with high arches and gothic styles house the most affluent BDSM clubs of the city. Some of the brothels in this area look like just that, but others could easily be mistaken for office buildings from the outside.

To the west of the park, one finds the residential district. The hostel is just outside the park gates - a long low building built of wood that is one of the oldest in the entire city. Just around it, there are a few small shops selling essentials for people who don’t want to head across the park to the shopping district - a grocery, a sex toy shops, a thrift store, etc. Further in, one can find both apartment complexes and single-family homes, with and without yards attached. The places get nicer and more expensive as one moves outward, per usual.

Beyond the housing areas, the agricultural area of Sanctum exists, just up against the west wall. This area includes both greenhouses and fields, as well as pastures for livestock.

Please look here for some additional locations in the city, though these are primarily centered in the Entertainment District. Player Run locations as well as the application to start your own business are located here.

Beyond the City

The City of Sanctum actually lies in a corner of the only fully explored continent of the world (or at least, fully explored and reported back on!). To the east and south, there lie a couple of miles of plains, and then nothing but ocean as far as the eye can see. To the west, the plains stretch for quite a ways across the continent toward the ocean as well, to be replaced by a swampy area. To the north, the same plains extend for a few miles, and then turns into forestland in the east and rolling hills in the west, which lead to mountains in the far north.

Notable landmarks outside the city:



The Blossom Forest: Yes, it’s a cute name. It’s also a cute place, an area in the midst of the northeastern forests where the trees thin out a little and flowers bloom year-round. Before deciding to visit it, please do ask around (and visit the Bestiary) to find out the details on this pretty (not)haven.

The Ruins of Settlement One: No one really knows much about the people of this settlement, only that they seemed to have lived there before Sanctum. Much of their actual living space is dug into the earth, save for a few crumbling towers. The ruins themselves are hidden in the western hills, and more information for adventurers there will be forthcoming.

The Swamp Caves: To the far west, just before one reaches the ocean, there’s a large wetland area. Despite, like the rest of the world, being populated by various monsters, it’s also home to some very interesting animals, and quite a few explorers from Sanctum have gone out to investigate the wildlife there. A few have even decided to stay in that area and study, and thus a small settlement exists in the caves here. Of course, there’s no luxury available, but there are a lot of neat stories being told! The same laws apply here as in the City, however, and justice tends to be even swifter.

The Far Northern Mountains: Nope, there’s no ski resort up here, sorry. But there is a lot of snow, and some stories about Yeti-type creatures! Not many people have actually gone and come back, so please do be careful! Not only are there the typical monster-related risks, but freezing to death and falls happen.