pantheonrising:player:pg_alkenstar

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 ==== ALKENSTAR, CITY OF SMOG ==== ==== ALKENSTAR, CITY OF SMOG ====
-In the heart of the war-torn Mana Wastes, a metropolis of industry, innovation, and intrigue awaits travelers hardy enough to make the journey. Beneath the towering gaze of brass spires and stone fortresses, amid a tangle of oil-slicked streets and soot-stained alleys, human inventors and their clockwork creations walk beside mutated kholo +On the edge of the Hellfallen Cliffs, where the Ustradi River dives in a silver arc into the Spellscar Desert below, rises a city like no other: a place where brass towers and gear‑toothed cranes silhouette against the glow of smelters, and the air itself tastes faintly of oil, gunpowder, and ozone. Within Alkenstar’s massive walls, firearm duels and factory whistles set the rhythm of life, overseen by shieldmarshals whose badges gleam almost as brightly as their pistols. 
-scavengers, bronze-masked religious zealots, and fire-fleshed geniekin merchants. Many spend their days toiling without respite in grimy workshops or smoky factories. Others patrol the cobblestone streets for their fortunes, one hand firmly on their holstered sidearms, ready to confront a rival gang or runaway bounty. All the while, pistons, gears, and cogs within every machine and building turn as steadily as the hands of a clock, all maintaining the mechanical rhythm of a settlement that never truly sleeps. This is Alkenstar, the City of Smog. + 
 +To most, Alkenstar is an island of order and ingenuity in the wild, magic‑scarred Mana Wastes. To a few — the kind who notice odd clockworks moving without winding, or market‑stalls selling unidentifiable alloys that hum faintly when touched — it is also a city sitting atop… *something else*. Ancient vault? Lost workshop of the goddess Brigh? Wreckage from some other sky? No one speaks of it openly, but the whispers are there if you listen between the hammer blows.
  
 Whether your character is Alkenstar-born, a first- or second-generation immigrant, or a total newcomer, it’s worthwhile to master some of the City of Smog’s basic nomenclature. The following is some basic information about Alkenstar known to most locals and visitors alike. Whether your character is Alkenstar-born, a first- or second-generation immigrant, or a total newcomer, it’s worthwhile to master some of the City of Smog’s basic nomenclature. The following is some basic information about Alkenstar known to most locals and visitors alike.
  
 === Places of Note === === Places of Note ===
-Alkenstar is a large city in an arid desert environment built atop the edge of the 400-foot-tall Hellfallen Cliffs. Formidable stone walls protect the city on all sides from wasteland raiders. The easiest way into the city is via the steady-flowing Ustradi River, which naturally bisects Alkenstar.+Alkenstar is a large city in an arid desert environment built atop the edge of the 400-foot-tall [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:places:hellfallen_cliffs|Hellfallen Cliffs]]. Formidable stone walls protect the city on all sides from wasteland raiders. The easiest way into the city is via the steady-flowing [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:places:ustradi_river|Ustradi River]], which naturally bisects Alkenstar.
  
-In the center of the city is Alken Falls, a massive waterfall set several hundred yards back from the rest of the Hellfallen Cliffs to the north. Thousands of vessels traverse Alken Falls each year by way of the Screw, a technological marvel that can raise or lower multiple ships at a time from one end of the falls to the other.+In the center of the city is [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:places:alken_falls|Alken Falls]], a massive waterfall set several hundred yards back from the rest of the Hellfallen Cliffs to the north. Thousands of vessels traverse Alken Falls each year by way of the Screw, a technological marvel that can raise or lower multiple ships at a time from one end of the falls to the other.
  
-The wealthy districts and neighborhoods south of the Ustradi are referred to as Skyside, whereas the polluted, industrial quarters to the north are collectively known as Smokeside. Within these two major regions, the city is further subdivided into loosely defined wards.  +The wealthy districts and neighborhoods south of the Ustradi are referred to as [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:places:skyside|Skyside]], whereas the polluted, industrial quarters to the north are collectively known as [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:places:smokeside|Smokeside]]. Within these two major regions, the city is further subdivided into loosely defined wards.  
-  * Smokeside is home to the quaint inventors’ neighborhood of Steamhaven, peaceful Ustradi Heights, and lively Ferrous Quarter. +  * Smokeside — Grit, graft, and industry: from the inventor‑crammed neighborhood of [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:places:steamhaven|Steamhaven]] to the raucous [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:places:ferrous_quarter|Ferrous Quarter]]. If something explodes here, it’s either a mishap… or a message.
   * In Skyside, one can attend swanky aristocratic galas in the Capital District, peruse the many marketplaces of Auburn District, or head to Pilot’s Square to pay for passage aboard an airship or dirigible bound for major ports along the eastern Garundi coastline.    * In Skyside, one can attend swanky aristocratic galas in the Capital District, peruse the many marketplaces of Auburn District, or head to Pilot’s Square to pay for passage aboard an airship or dirigible bound for major ports along the eastern Garundi coastline. 
-  * A few city districts defy categorization into either Skyside or Smokeside, including Hellside—a shantytown that literally hangs from the side of the cliffs overlooking Alken Falls—and the monster-infested ruins of Ironside Quarter along the city’s far western wall.+  * A few city districts defy categorization into either Skyside or Smokeside, including [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:places:hellside|Hellside]]—a shantytown bolted to the cliff face, damp with spray from the falls, the perfect place to hide… or vanish forever—and the monster-infested ruins of [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:places:ironside_quarter|Ironside Quarter]] along the city’s far western wall.
  
-Alkenstar’s major institutions include Alkenstar Castle (from which the city’s elected politicians hold  +Alkenstar’s major institutions include Alkenstar Castle (from which the city’s elected politicians hold court), the Temple of Brigh (overseen by the highly influential priests of the goddess of clockwork), and Blythir College (the city’s only major magical academy and a hub of higher learning). Of course, as in any city, Alkenstar’s most important cultural movements occur among its people, not its leaders. In the sky-scraping towers of Graeson’s Fingers in the Capital District or upscale establishments like the Longhorn Lounge, socialites mingle and make deals behind closed doors at ritzy soirees and gaudy galas, whose electric luxuries are made possible only by the skilled engineers at the [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:places:tinwound_hydroforge|Tinwound Hydroforge]].
-court), the Temple of Brigh (overseen by the highly influential priests of the goddess of clockwork),  +
-and Blythir College (the city’s only major magical academy and a hub of higher learning). Of course,  +
-as in any city, Alkenstar’s most important cultural movements occur among its people, not its leaders.  +
-In the sky-scraping towers of Graeson’s Fingers in the Capital District or upscale establishments like the  +
-Longhorn Lounge, socialites mingle and make deals behind closed doors at ritzy soirees and gaudy galas,  +
-whose electric luxuries are made possible only by the skilled engineers at the Tinwound Hydroforge.+
  
 All the while, criminals both organized and independent haunt Alkenstar’s alleyways, sewers, and seedy taverns like the Hotfoot Hippodrome, where untold quantities of illicit wealth are pushed through the city like so much lifeblood. At popular saloons like the Barrel & Bullet Saloon, impoverished factory hands and honest laborers hold court from the fortress of a taproom table and wielding only a mug of watery ale. All the while, criminals both organized and independent haunt Alkenstar’s alleyways, sewers, and seedy taverns like the Hotfoot Hippodrome, where untold quantities of illicit wealth are pushed through the city like so much lifeblood. At popular saloons like the Barrel & Bullet Saloon, impoverished factory hands and honest laborers hold court from the fortress of a taproom table and wielding only a mug of watery ale.
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 Most of Alkenstar’s citizenry can be divided into either the working class or the aristocratic elite. The  Most of Alkenstar’s citizenry can be divided into either the working class or the aristocratic elite. The 
-former labor ceaselessly to produce goods, services, and wealth, while the latter live to consume these resources. Alkenstar’s best-known aristocrat is also the city’s leader, the popular and savvy Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia. Beyond politicians, the aristocratic class also consists of the city’s money movers and power brokers, including notorious financiers like Ambrost Mugland and infamous iron-fisted shieldmarshals like Deputy Anjelique Loveless.  +former labor ceaselessly to produce goods, services, and wealth, while the latter live to consume these resources. Alkenstar’s best-known aristocrat is also the city’s leader, the popular and savvy [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:people:trietta_ricia|Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia]]. Beyond politicians, the aristocratic class also consists of the city’s money movers and power brokers, including notorious financiers like [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:people:ambrost_mugland|Ambrost Mugland]] and infamous iron-fisted shieldmarshals like [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:people:anjelique_loveless|Deputy Anjelique Loveless]].  
-Lower on the social ladder but no less impactful are charismatic rumormongers disguised as humble workers, including the Bullet & Barrel Saloon’s own shotgun-toting barkeep, Foebe Dunsmith. +Lower on the social ladder but no less impactful are charismatic rumormongers disguised as humble workers, including the Bullet & Barrel Saloon’s own shotgun-toting barkeep, [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:people:foebe_dunsmith|Foebe Dunsmith]]. 
  
 Beyond humans, dwarves, and other beings of flesh and blood, Alkenstar is home to a diverse and populous class of clockwork servants. Incapable of thought, feeling, or even (in most cases) any sensation at all, these mechanical drones serve their creators diligently and without question. Private companies and well-off individuals build or buy their own clockworks to perform repetitive labor, private security, or miscellaneous errands. Likewise,  Beyond humans, dwarves, and other beings of flesh and blood, Alkenstar is home to a diverse and populous class of clockwork servants. Incapable of thought, feeling, or even (in most cases) any sensation at all, these mechanical drones serve their creators diligently and without question. Private companies and well-off individuals build or buy their own clockworks to perform repetitive labor, private security, or miscellaneous errands. Likewise, 
 clockworks commissioned by the Grand Duchy fill less-desirable civil roles—trash collecting, late guard shifts, road maintenance—so that working-class laborers can keep their heads down and focus on the job at hand. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, clockwork inventors wage their own shadow wars and arms races to devise ever more impressive clockwork creations. clockworks commissioned by the Grand Duchy fill less-desirable civil roles—trash collecting, late guard shifts, road maintenance—so that working-class laborers can keep their heads down and focus on the job at hand. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, clockwork inventors wage their own shadow wars and arms races to devise ever more impressive clockwork creations.
  
-In addition to inventors, Alkenstar is home to creators of nearly every stripe, particularly alchemists and gunsmiths. Among this class of tinkers and scholars, technological news and rumors of new innovations spread at the speed of sound— often literally, considering the booming explosions that can be heard from workshops and factories at nearly every hour of the day. For example, recently, an eccentric alchemist named Vashon Gattlebee +In addition to inventors, Alkenstar is home to creators of nearly every stripe, particularly alchemists and gunsmiths. Among this class of tinkers and scholars, technological news and rumors of new innovations spread at the speed of sound— often literally, considering the booming explosions that can be heard from workshops and factories at nearly every hour of the day. For example, recently, an eccentric alchemist named [[pantheonrising:campaign:alkenstar:people:vashon_gattlebee|Vashon Gattlebee]] 
 stunned onlookers at his ill-fated exhibition at Blythir College, where he showed off a devastating new explosive called pyronite. The pyronite incident, as the exhibition has become known, sent shock waves throughout Alkenstar’s  stunned onlookers at his ill-fated exhibition at Blythir College, where he showed off a devastating new explosive called pyronite. The pyronite incident, as the exhibition has become known, sent shock waves throughout Alkenstar’s 
 scientific community, with nearly every metallurgist, engineer, and researcher speculating upon the implications of this dramatic new weapon. scientific community, with nearly every metallurgist, engineer, and researcher speculating upon the implications of this dramatic new weapon.
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