Once the shining hope of the region, the grand city is now, on the surface, rotting away in the floodwaters. But beneath the surface, not all is what it seems.
New Hope used to be one of the finest cities in the region, one of the very few which could compare with Banhoesea.It was founded on a large island on the same latitude as the island of the famed and feared Black Tide.
On it was one of the largest amythest deposits so far found in Acqua.The Company sent a fleet to claim it but so did Big Red, appearing in person with a pod of great Krakens,which wore amythest bracelets carved and made by trusted human craftsmen.
However, both sides saw sense and split the island down the middle, sharing power on the Town Council.The city was built in two radicly different styles, the twisted streets of the Company and the wide open boulevards of the Coloman Empire. Criminals who were caught, and beggars caught begging twice, were fed to the Kraken.The rich districts were built of marble and the finest wood, whilst even the poorest districts were cleaner and safer then in most Acquan cities.
Then disaster struck when one of the strongest and most dangerous hurricanes ever known destroyed the levees that protected the low-lying city and flooded it.The high-ranking members of the De Madden Company and the Coloman Empire got out in time,and the Kraken rode the storm out deep beneath the waves, but many of those who were not so lucky were drowned. The survivors fell prey to bands of Shura warriors who swiftly and brutally took over the eastern side of the city.The Kraken accepted this but slew those who attempted to conquer the western side.
Now the eastern side has become a Shura city from which these bands of warriors can gather in such numbers as to threaten Banhoesea itself.They have repaced the rotting wood of the lower stories with stone and corals, and brought the city back to life. The old slave market, that was relitivly small, has been expanded, and whilst in former times the slaves were mostly convicted criminals from Banhoesea, now they are totally innocent people, many of them young human women sold to platoons of Shura soldiers, who club together to buy one.
On the surface, the western side appears far safer for a human to be,and a few still live there. But the Kraken who swims through the streets is a deadly menace who likes to eat whoever he finds there.The rising waters flooded a huge pile of amythest which the Kraken took and now he dreams of taking control from Big Red. There are rumours that Big Red himself plans to do battle with the tyrant, although that would be very dangerous as it would mean doing battle on his home ground.
It was found that an earthquake had happened at the same time as the storm, lowering the island below the sea.Although it could perhaps be raised with a great deal of hard work, neither the Kraken or the Shura will permit the work to take place.
Plot Hooks
Rising Waters
The PCs are in the city when it floods and they must struggle with the elements to survive and escape.
Save my daughter!
A wealthy merchant promises to pay a huge reward if the PCs can infiltrate the Shura side of the city and bring his captured daughter out alive.
Bomb Surprise
Fearing instability, the finest scientists in the Company have designed something, either a bomb (think steampunk) or a magical item, that can destroy the Kraken's amythest pile.Guess who gets sent to plant it? Yes, the PC's.
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Links to this article 1
- 30 Cities Cheka Man linked by Cheka Man
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Finished. :)
Wait... wouldn't water brought by a hurricane just ebb away, leaving the city dry once more?
To flood it permanently, the island would have to 'sink'...
Good point. What is needed then? An earthquake?
Perhaps both? I read some article sometime recently that tried to link hurricanes and earthquakes together...Perhaps the hurricane caused an earthquake at the same time?
Well, I would think that if fracking is able to create earthquakes, a hurricane with the huge movement of water, and subsequent adjustment of load could have an impact.
If the city had been built below sea-level - an insane idea on an island - then a hurricane could easily, and permanently flood it, for the water would have no place to go. Now, if the ground beneath the city was riddled with mines, its possible the flooding could add enough weight to collapse the mines and drop the city deeper.
Amethyst occurs in rocks with volcanic or igneous origin, so the ground beneath the city would be quite strong unless it was heavily mined, contained extensive open spaces (empty magma chambers) or both. Perhaps the island itself is an extinct volcano.
I'd give this a four,but since Cheka dosen't seem to be finished with it yet,I'll wait till he tells us its safe to vote.
You can vote now. :)
An interesting location..