LOCATIONS;
L o c a t i o n s
The city of Asgard is a city split into nine districts and surrounded by a tall, thick wall. The districts are named for their resident god (Odin, Thor, Loki, Sigyn, Hel, Heimdall, Freyr, Freya, or Baldr) and all of the decor within a district is predominantly in the colour of that God House. The architecture inside the city has a somewhat old-fashioned European feel, but the amenities inside of buildings are pretty much modern. Aside from anything that connects to the internet, it's not hard to find most things that are available in the real world.
What makes the city strange, though is the colour -- or lack thereof. Though each district is done up in the colour of its God House, all of those colours, and everything else in the entire city, is greyish. Things are highly desaturated, natural sounds are muted, etc -- it feels very empty. Natives are equally blank -- just like the maids in the castle, the citizens of Asgard are only superficially human. Their appearance seems to shift every time you look at them, and it'll be impossible to remember any details about an individual native. Animals are a little easier to identify (and are the usual city sort -- stray cats and dogs, small birds, the occasional raccoon, fox, or rabbit), but it's still hard to pick out individuals. This, however, will change as the game processes. Every place in which Travellers express or experience emotion will begin to gain colour, and every NPC both "human" and animal will gain individual characteristics and personality when interacted with frequently. Because of this, the Circle Room and the exterior of the castle are likely to be full colour very quickly, as are the Welcome Halls. The castle maids will get faces and personality quickly, as will bank tellers, shopkeepers, and wait staff at restaurants. Less frequented places will stay grey longer, but the effect on the world is constantly being multiplied. This is because once a native has been effected enough to gain emotion, he or she will also be able to bring colour to his or her surroundings. Just one waitress could spread life through a great deal of the city, so every interaction counts.
God Houses are the identifying factor for each district of the city. Located at the dots [•] on the map are Welcome Halls, the manors in which characters will live. Each Welcome Hall serves as both a residence for the Travellers and a center of power for its respective god or goddess. The grounds of every Welcome Hall will include a small dais with an altar to and statue of the patron god, where natives may come to worship. The interior layout of the Welcome Halls can be found on the housing page.
Aside from Welcome Halls, the House that rules over each district also directly affects the people within it. Natives are all loyal to a particular god as well, and only travel outside of their own districts when necessary. The natives of a particular House will be more accommodating to Travellers from the same house -- a character belonging to Thor House might be charged five copper runes in Thor District for a T-shirt that costs six copper runes to buy in Loki District, while a character from Loki would be charged five copper runes for that shirt while in Loki and six while in Thor. NPCs might throw in freebies for "their" Travellers as well, so basic shopping will be mildly more efficient in the character's "home" district. In addition to NPC behavior, it will be difficult for members of one House to spend time in another House's Welcome Hall. A Sigyn House traveller will feel distinctly unwelcome within Baldr's Welcome Hall -- while it begins simply as a feeling of being looked at disapprovingly when they stay more than an hour, the discomfort will decrease over time until the character begins to feel an undeniable urge to get out. This whole process takes a good 6-8 hours, though, so short visits can be easily done.
There are various special sites in Asgard that may be of interest to Travellers in the city. Listed according to the number marking them on the map, these locations are as follows:
1; Gladsheim Palace - In the center of the city is a castle, accessible from each of the nine main roads. This is the place where new arrivals and new revivals awaken. Characters may be invited back here for an event or two, but otherwise the gates are closed to Travellers and natives alike. It's impossible to cross the fence separating the castle plaza from the rest of the city -- even with super strength or flying, characters will simply bounce away as if there's an invisible wall.
2; The Bank of Dvalin - Situated in Heimdall District is the bank that manages finances for everyone in the city, native or not. Cash can be deposited or withdrawn using the accounts automatically given to each Traveller, loans can be taken out, and large bank transfers can be made. The bank also handles the task of transferring the items and funds of dropped characters to their friends and loved ones. The bank has small terminals (like ATMs) in various locations throughout the city, but large transactions, loans, and dropped character exchanges must be done at the main location.
3; The Great Library - Travel to Odin District to find a library of epic proportions. Books from all possible worlds line the shelves here, but there is little to nothing relating to Asgard itself in most of the library. Those materials are kept in the most central chamber which, for now, is unreachable for Travellers.
4; Folkvang Comfort House - This complex of buildings and hot springs in Freya District is more than a day spa -- natives and Travellers alike can come here for a soak, a massage, and the finest in finger foods, but that's not all. In addition to a sauna, a light fitness gym, and a myriad of skin treatments from mud baths to chocolate facials, Folkvang also caters to some... baser pleasures. Ask nicely, and you might be able to get special treatment during your massage. This is, however, not a widely advertised service, so it's up to the characters to figure it out.
5; The Hospital - Though it has no particular name, everyone in Asgard knows that the hospital in Sigyn District is the place to go if you're sick or injured. Native doctors there can cure most ailments with a combination of modern medicine and healing magic, and some of them might be willing to train and/or accept help from Travellers with useful abilities.
6; Draupnir - A large theatre can be found in Freyr District, and it's definitely the place to be to watch or practice in any of the performing arts. With an indoor stage appropriate for anything from opera to Shakespeare to a heavy metal concert, and a smaller outdoor one for casual performances, there's always something creative going on here. There are practice studios for dance and music inside that can be rented by the hour for a small fee, as well.
7; The Arena - A place as grand as this one needs no fancy name -- the arena is a massive building including an indoor colosseum, various training rooms (including a heavy work-out gym), and a pool, visitors will find just about anything pertaining to physical strength and combat here. There are sports fields outside as well, for those more inclined to harmless competition.
8; Gefion Park - Picture the most expertly tended, lavishly fitted park you can imagine: this is Gefion. Located in Baldr district, the gardens here include every type of ornamental plant one can think of, as well as a lake and a variety of small attractions (a petting zoo, row-boats for rent, horse-drawn carriage rides with eight-legged horses).
9; Sky's Prize - Looking for some nightlife? This swanky bar and dance club in Loki district is where it's at. Serving up a variety of drinks both alcoholic and virgin, there's something to please anyone's tastebuds at the bar. The DJ keeps the energy flowing from dusk til dawn, too, so you can dance your heart out on the blacklit floor.
10; The Dark Carnival - An amusement park sounds like fun, right? Sure, but this one's not for the faint of heart. While there are plenty of safe games and rides, being located in Hel District lends for a very creepy atmosphere. By day, the park is mostly normal, if a little morbidly cute in decor, but by night there are real ghosts to deal with. Nothing here is deadly, though -- characters might get scared or even roughed up, but it's all in good fun, right?
11; The Gate of Fire - Head straight north from the castle to reach the first of three large, imposing gates in the walls of Asgard. All three gates are heavily guarded, but this one is even more closely watched than the other two. For now, the thick metal doors aren't going to open for anyone -- but if someone were to head down the gravel road away from the city, they'd find themselves well on the way to Muspellheim, the land of the Fire Giants and their violent king Surt. Natives questioned about the gate will only mention that the road leads to a hot and terrible place.
12; The Gate of Frost - Follow the southeastern road between Loki and Sigyn districts to reach the second gate. This one leads to Thrymheim, the land of Frost Giants, ruled by a coldhearted queen named Thiazi. This gate is also closed to Travellers, and the guards will again give very little information if any at all.
13; The Gate of Fog - The southwest gate, situated between Heimdall and Freyr, is the least armed of the three. This gate is actually frequently used by natives, though Travellers aren't allowed through. The road here leads to Utgard, the third city of giants. Though it holds no affiliation to either Fire or Frost, the mysterious ruler of Utgard isn't entirely trusted by the Gods either. Still, there is (regulated) trade between Asgard and the rest of the world via Utgard, so the uneasy peace is kept -- so far.