[Information] World Map
world map
(not drawn to scale)
The world of Somarium, being a dream world, is significantly different from our own. The land is flat, with a large island in the center. Nobody knows what's beyond the ocean-- people have tried to explore it, but none have succeeded.
The exact area for Somarium is 312.5 sq. mi. with a distance of 20 mi. It's roughly the size of New York City. It should be noted it takes only about 15-20 minutes to walk a full, straight mile, and if there were no obstacles or barriers, one could walk the entire distance of Somarium in around 5 hours. Fortunately there are various modes of transportation available.
Somarium has a multitude of different places to explore, all mishmashed together in one place. First, in the very center, there is...
❦ the village: espoir
Complete Map (not to scale)
Map Legend
Tag: !location: espoir
The little village of Espoir is one of the many places new residents of Somarium may first find themselves when they arrive. Espoir is a cozy, quiet little place fashioned out of stone and brick, with some cottages made of wood and have a unique distinct flavor to their architecture. It hints more of Medieval Europe, though some look a bit more odd than others. There are some small farms and the fields are now being tended by the various NPCs that also live in the village. The scarecrow are a lot livelier now, too.
Otherwise, it's the perfect place to set up a home if you want to live a nice, peaceful life. While it might not have much, the basic necessities for living are available in the various small stores.
The total area is 7.5 sq. mi with a distance of 3 mi.
Surrounding the village on all sides is...
❦ the city: somni
Tag: !location: somni
The city of Somni is quite a change from Espoir. It's filled with skyscrapers, sidewalks, and one-way streets, like one would find in a typical city. The city is now bustling with activity with the recent installation of the NPCs. There are various new attractions that can be found around in the other districts, and after the renovations, it is no longer cruddy and run down as it was before.
There are districts within the city, each with a total area of 61 sq. mi. and a distance of 8.5 mi. There are rough 20 blocks to a mile. Here are some bare bone details about them:
❖ first district: residential
Complete Map (not to scale)
Map Legend
Many of the nicer apartments and the parks, including the main "central" one and gardens, can be found here. It's the more ritzy area and is more like a suburb. There are even small neighborhoods scattered about. If you like nature and wanna relax, that's the place for you other than Espoir. Also where some of the schools are.
Also, there is a golf course. And a water park. And a lake. Yes, Lake Meridian was recently formed at the outer edges of the district. A little bit of it extends past the barrier and into the desert, but so far no monsters have been able to get past the barrier. There is a lake monster though. Nessie. But no worries, she's harmless. Unless you provoke her. Finally, we have the floating mountain above the lake.
❖ second district: shopping
Stores galore! From major chains to small specialty shops, you'll be sure to find most of what you want here. Except weapons, unless you count costume props and steak knives weapons. Those are found somewhere else. Many of the major restaurants and fast food chains are here as well. Plazas can be found here and there.
❖ third district: business & arts
Most of the company buildings will be here, as well as some hotels and big restaurants. You'll find some special stores, particularly supply ones, here. There is a nice park near the center. It should be noted this is where most of the skyscrapers are and if you go to the top of the tallest one, you'll be able to see the buildings of the neighboring district (2) as well as the distant lights of the others. The main hospital? It's in there somewhere. Don't know how good it is though. Red light district? But of course.
You can find a lot of buildings for the arts here as well, such as museums, theatre houses, movie theaters, etc. Very cultural.
❖ fourth district: industrial/slums
Even though it's been renovated along with everything else, it's still the most run down and has more signs of degradation, particularly the closer you get to the desert. There may be signs that close off certain sections. You'll find old factories, labs, as well as very old run down apartments. The bad side of town? This is it. The super mondo science research facility is hidden somewhere in here. What’s inside it is anyone’s guess. And its exterior may fool you, which may be why it's so hard to find. And those weapon shops mentioned earlier? You might have more luck finding a secret store here. Just don't go crazy, okay? We don't need a mafia or do we?
❖ fifth district: government
Here you'll find many law offices and a court house, as well as the police and fire departments. There's even a capitol building, but the doors are locked tight, almost as if they were sealed by magic. Good luck breaking into that one.
[For a more detailed description of various things you can find in both the village and the city, look at this entry.]
Surrounding the city is an invisible, magical barrier that prevents the dangerous monsters lurking outside from entering, but allows residents to freely pass through into the desert.
❦ the floating mountain
Diagram (not to scale)
Tag: !location: floating mountain
A recent addition added at the end of the year (2009), it's set high above above the lake, with the distance between the ground to the base at about 3000 feet. The mountain itself is about 5000 feet high, so it's not a super huge mountain, but it is rather wide. A mile long in fact, which is about as wide as the lake, so it's more like a mountain range. This also means that it also has a small valley and a deep forest inside it.
It's actually easy to access. A strange, circular teleportation pad can be found by the southwest corner of the lake with two golems beside it. When your character steps on the pad, the golems will raise their arms and something like a giant bubble will form around the characters and they will float to the mountain, landing on another pad that is there.
There are all types of wildlife roaming around, typical of what you'd find on Earth. If your characters somehow manage to get to the center of the mountain through the caverns, they'd just find huge sealed double doors with strange writing encrypted on it.
The mountain is also special in how it works with the barrier. It's actually sitting right in the middle of it, and it is possible to go all the way around and outside of the mountain. This means you could technically get past the barrier. However, if anyone were to attempt flying or jumping off the other side, they would not land in the desert. They would instead fall into the lake back inside the barrier.
Note: The teleportation cards can be used to access the mountain.
As of February 1, 2011, the floating mountain is no longer stationary and actually floats around Somarium just like the floating castle did before. There is also a Coliseum where characters can fight and train, as well as a working hangar owned and operated by smokesinspace.
❦ the desert: ruins
Tag: !location: ruins
The ruins appeared on May 5, 2011 and are located at the edge of the sink hole out in the desert. Many rooms and mysterious rooms can be discovered here. But be careful! Monsters have made their home deep within, so it can be dangerous. A secret room was discovered, and details about it can be found here. The strange paintings on the walls seem to indicate certain events, but are they actually historical records or just myths and legends?
❦ the desert: saburra
Tag: !location: saburra
The Saburra desert is one of the more dangerous parts of Somarium. Where the desert borders along the city, there are remnants of what were once buildings falling to pieces and sinking into the sand. These can be found throughout the desert, although they get more sparse the further out into the desert you wander. It's not advised to go out too far, though, as the Saburra desert is home to multiple different beasts and critters, many of which don't like human visitors.
Nobody has fully explored the Saburra desert yet, so who knows what other wonders or dangers have yet to be found...?
As one wanders along, eventually the desert flattens out, and in time (and by time, we mean weeks) you'll eventually stumble across...
❦ the desert: sink hole
Tag: !location: sink hole
On August 28, this sink hole is the only visible reminder of where the floating castle once lay half buried in the sand after its crash. On this day, it sank deep beneath the sands and this sink hole was created. In the process, a 20-story tall giant statue emerged, standing atop the half-mile wide black hole. There seems to be a sort of barrier or seal that prevents others from traversing through the hole, and even if they try to dig around it, there was no way to it; as if it were a walled tunnel. The barrier provides a sort of concrete floor that allows them to walk over it without fear of falling through, and there is some visibility through the barrier. But there is only a dark, black void beneath.
What could be down there?
IMPORTANT! As of November 19, 2011, the statue no longer exists. It attacked the city and was beaten back into the sink hole where it sank.
❦ the beach
The beach is the very edge of land on Somarium, and very quiet all around from the looks of it. Nobody has managed to explore this far yet, either, so the mysteries of what may be on the beach remain just that -- a mystery.
Beyond the beach is the ocean -- another place that holds nothing but mysteries in its hidden depths. Anybody who tries to explore too far out into the ocean is mysteriously found back in Espoir with no memories of what happened. What other strange things could be lurking in the ocean's waters...?
And for the record, no one has been able to head out there. Yet. [cue spooky music]
❦ the floating castle: reverein
IMPORTANT! As of August 20, 2010, 10:29 PM (CST) the floating castle no longer exists. It crashed into the desert and then later sank. The description is left for archive reference sake.
Floating high above Espoir and Somni is the mysterious floating castle, Reverein. Actually there isn't much to say about the castle. It just floats high above Somarium, and no one can enter it. At least not yet. The only thing that anyone knows is that it's where the ghosts reside and if someone does attempt to enter the castle, they are met with flying horses, sent to the barrier, only to be ricocheted off it to some unknown place. ...Ouch.
(not drawn to scale)
The world of Somarium, being a dream world, is significantly different from our own. The land is flat, with a large island in the center. Nobody knows what's beyond the ocean-- people have tried to explore it, but none have succeeded.
The exact area for Somarium is 312.5 sq. mi. with a distance of 20 mi. It's roughly the size of New York City. It should be noted it takes only about 15-20 minutes to walk a full, straight mile, and if there were no obstacles or barriers, one could walk the entire distance of Somarium in around 5 hours. Fortunately there are various modes of transportation available.
Somarium has a multitude of different places to explore, all mishmashed together in one place. First, in the very center, there is...
❦ the village: espoir
Complete Map (not to scale)
Map Legend
Tag: !location: espoir
The little village of Espoir is one of the many places new residents of Somarium may first find themselves when they arrive. Espoir is a cozy, quiet little place fashioned out of stone and brick, with some cottages made of wood and have a unique distinct flavor to their architecture. It hints more of Medieval Europe, though some look a bit more odd than others. There are some small farms and the fields are now being tended by the various NPCs that also live in the village. The scarecrow are a lot livelier now, too.
Otherwise, it's the perfect place to set up a home if you want to live a nice, peaceful life. While it might not have much, the basic necessities for living are available in the various small stores.
The total area is 7.5 sq. mi with a distance of 3 mi.
Surrounding the village on all sides is...
❦ the city: somni
Tag: !location: somni
The city of Somni is quite a change from Espoir. It's filled with skyscrapers, sidewalks, and one-way streets, like one would find in a typical city. The city is now bustling with activity with the recent installation of the NPCs. There are various new attractions that can be found around in the other districts, and after the renovations, it is no longer cruddy and run down as it was before.
There are districts within the city, each with a total area of 61 sq. mi. and a distance of 8.5 mi. There are rough 20 blocks to a mile. Here are some bare bone details about them:
❖ first district: residential
Complete Map (not to scale)
Map Legend
Many of the nicer apartments and the parks, including the main "central" one and gardens, can be found here. It's the more ritzy area and is more like a suburb. There are even small neighborhoods scattered about. If you like nature and wanna relax, that's the place for you other than Espoir. Also where some of the schools are.
Also, there is a golf course. And a water park. And a lake. Yes, Lake Meridian was recently formed at the outer edges of the district. A little bit of it extends past the barrier and into the desert, but so far no monsters have been able to get past the barrier. There is a lake monster though. Nessie. But no worries, she's harmless. Unless you provoke her. Finally, we have the floating mountain above the lake.
❖ second district: shopping
Stores galore! From major chains to small specialty shops, you'll be sure to find most of what you want here. Except weapons, unless you count costume props and steak knives weapons. Those are found somewhere else. Many of the major restaurants and fast food chains are here as well. Plazas can be found here and there.
❖ third district: business & arts
Most of the company buildings will be here, as well as some hotels and big restaurants. You'll find some special stores, particularly supply ones, here. There is a nice park near the center. It should be noted this is where most of the skyscrapers are and if you go to the top of the tallest one, you'll be able to see the buildings of the neighboring district (2) as well as the distant lights of the others. The main hospital? It's in there somewhere. Don't know how good it is though. Red light district? But of course.
You can find a lot of buildings for the arts here as well, such as museums, theatre houses, movie theaters, etc. Very cultural.
❖ fourth district: industrial/slums
Even though it's been renovated along with everything else, it's still the most run down and has more signs of degradation, particularly the closer you get to the desert. There may be signs that close off certain sections. You'll find old factories, labs, as well as very old run down apartments. The bad side of town? This is it. The super mondo science research facility is hidden somewhere in here. What’s inside it is anyone’s guess. And its exterior may fool you, which may be why it's so hard to find. And those weapon shops mentioned earlier? You might have more luck finding a secret store here. Just don't go crazy, okay? We don't need a mafia or do we?
❖ fifth district: government
Here you'll find many law offices and a court house, as well as the police and fire departments. There's even a capitol building, but the doors are locked tight, almost as if they were sealed by magic. Good luck breaking into that one.
[For a more detailed description of various things you can find in both the village and the city, look at this entry.]
Surrounding the city is an invisible, magical barrier that prevents the dangerous monsters lurking outside from entering, but allows residents to freely pass through into the desert.
❦ the floating mountain
Diagram (not to scale)
Tag: !location: floating mountain
A recent addition added at the end of the year (2009), it's set high above above the lake, with the distance between the ground to the base at about 3000 feet. The mountain itself is about 5000 feet high, so it's not a super huge mountain, but it is rather wide. A mile long in fact, which is about as wide as the lake, so it's more like a mountain range. This also means that it also has a small valley and a deep forest inside it.
It's actually easy to access. A strange, circular teleportation pad can be found by the southwest corner of the lake with two golems beside it. When your character steps on the pad, the golems will raise their arms and something like a giant bubble will form around the characters and they will float to the mountain, landing on another pad that is there.
There are all types of wildlife roaming around, typical of what you'd find on Earth. If your characters somehow manage to get to the center of the mountain through the caverns, they'd just find huge sealed double doors with strange writing encrypted on it.
The mountain is also special in how it works with the barrier. It's actually sitting right in the middle of it, and it is possible to go all the way around and outside of the mountain. This means you could technically get past the barrier. However, if anyone were to attempt flying or jumping off the other side, they would not land in the desert. They would instead fall into the lake back inside the barrier.
Note: The teleportation cards can be used to access the mountain.
As of February 1, 2011, the floating mountain is no longer stationary and actually floats around Somarium just like the floating castle did before. There is also a Coliseum where characters can fight and train, as well as a working hangar owned and operated by smokesinspace.
❦ the desert: ruins
Tag: !location: ruins
The ruins appeared on May 5, 2011 and are located at the edge of the sink hole out in the desert. Many rooms and mysterious rooms can be discovered here. But be careful! Monsters have made their home deep within, so it can be dangerous. A secret room was discovered, and details about it can be found here. The strange paintings on the walls seem to indicate certain events, but are they actually historical records or just myths and legends?
❦ the desert: saburra
Tag: !location: saburra
The Saburra desert is one of the more dangerous parts of Somarium. Where the desert borders along the city, there are remnants of what were once buildings falling to pieces and sinking into the sand. These can be found throughout the desert, although they get more sparse the further out into the desert you wander. It's not advised to go out too far, though, as the Saburra desert is home to multiple different beasts and critters, many of which don't like human visitors.
Nobody has fully explored the Saburra desert yet, so who knows what other wonders or dangers have yet to be found...?
As one wanders along, eventually the desert flattens out, and in time (and by time, we mean weeks) you'll eventually stumble across...
❦ the desert: sink hole
Tag: !location: sink hole
On August 28, this sink hole is the only visible reminder of where the floating castle once lay half buried in the sand after its crash. On this day, it sank deep beneath the sands and this sink hole was created. In the process, a 20-story tall giant statue emerged, standing atop the half-mile wide black hole. There seems to be a sort of barrier or seal that prevents others from traversing through the hole, and even if they try to dig around it, there was no way to it; as if it were a walled tunnel. The barrier provides a sort of concrete floor that allows them to walk over it without fear of falling through, and there is some visibility through the barrier. But there is only a dark, black void beneath.
What could be down there?
IMPORTANT! As of November 19, 2011, the statue no longer exists. It attacked the city and was beaten back into the sink hole where it sank.
❦ the beach
The beach is the very edge of land on Somarium, and very quiet all around from the looks of it. Nobody has managed to explore this far yet, either, so the mysteries of what may be on the beach remain just that -- a mystery.
Beyond the beach is the ocean -- another place that holds nothing but mysteries in its hidden depths. Anybody who tries to explore too far out into the ocean is mysteriously found back in Espoir with no memories of what happened. What other strange things could be lurking in the ocean's waters...?
And for the record, no one has been able to head out there. Yet. [cue spooky music]
❦ the floating castle: reverein
IMPORTANT! As of August 20, 2010, 10:29 PM (CST) the floating castle no longer exists. It crashed into the desert and then later sank. The description is left for archive reference sake.
Floating high above Espoir and Somni is the mysterious floating castle, Reverein. Actually there isn't much to say about the castle. It just floats high above Somarium, and no one can enter it. At least not yet. The only thing that anyone knows is that it's where the ghosts reside and if someone does attempt to enter the castle, they are met with flying horses, sent to the barrier, only to be ricocheted off it to some unknown place. ...Ouch.