~*About The City*~

Submitted by mods on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 20:30.

~*The City*~
Eidolon City is a place of the highest, lavish heights, and the lowest horrible gutters. A city in the grips of a perpetual depression, economically speaking, the middle class is incredibly small. People in the city are either fabulously well off, or one step up from being homeless--and then there's the homeless. There's a huge lot of them in the city, street kids, old veterans, etc. That's one of the key things people know about the place. Either you're one of the Rich or one of the Poor, there's barely anyone that really exists somewhere in the middle, comfortably.

For a place that was built grandly, back in the day, with tons of beautiful architecture, statues, gorgeous landscaping...it's really fallen into disrepair. The gutters are filthy, and there's the feel of it all being a mockery of itself. It presents itself as a thing of beauty at first glance, only revealing a coat of grit and grime upon closer inspection. It's a reflection of what the city's generally about in the first place, a visual cue to the way it works. A lot of buildings in the worse parts of town have been left to rot and crumble on their own, and it isn't necessarily uncommon for transients to die when a floor drops out beneath them, or a roof caves in.

The weather is always dismal. The weatherman always says it'll clear up tomorrow...but that never seems to happen. It's usually raining, giving the sky an continually overcast, oppressive feel to it. Violent storms often sweep through, even if not even that seems to wash away the layer of tarnish the place has built up.

As for the structure of society in Eidolon City, it's a cracked, imperfect thing. Crime families rule the day, the police and government are riddled with corruption, and while half the city will show up every Sunday for Church...no one's turn at the confessional would even begin to cover the sins that happen every day.

There's a war going on overseas, something that's in the background of the city's awareness. Though most of the rich can afford to buy their way out of it, it's left a lot of the lower class families patchy with family members gone off to war, or who never returned from it.

Beneath the city, there's a twisted, maze-like system of tunnels, some of which connect to the old underground system. They're perilous, the very clear territory of the homeless, and accessible through certain points in the city. One is through the old bank building, one's near the sixth street bridge, one's in the basement of the library. If you aren't one of them, you'd better have a damn good reason to be there, and likely a guide that can vouch for you. Otherwise? You're likely to never be heard from again. Not even the police or mafia families venture down into the tunnels. Likewise, few people dare use the underground system either - in fact, there are some who question whether it runs at all anymore. The truth is that some trains do run, but they are infrequent, unreliable and dirty - and more and more the underground tunnels and trains are being taken over as an extension of the tunnels, and are best avoided if at all possible.

~*The Old Familiar Places*~
The Drake Hotel The epitome of glamour and excess, The Drake Hotel stands near the center of town, and is the most highly regarded establishments in the city. It's owned and operated by the DiGiovanni family, and caters to the rich and beautiful. It has it's own bar and it's own casino.
The Kitten Club A cabaret and burlesque club, it aspires to have the stature and reputation of the Drake Hotel, but always falls short. It does, however, claim some of the best singers, musicians and performance acts in town. It is also the place to go to dance. Run by the Konovich Syndicate.
Nighthawk's Diner Open all night, this is the main diner in the city, the one everyone knows well and goes to. The staff recognize everyone and knows just what people regularly order.
Babylon Created from an older, lavish hotel, it was restored, and turned into Babylon, technically billed as a 'hotel', though everyone knows it's a brothel. Everyone in law enforcement looks the other way. It had been it's own entity for a while, claiming itself neutral ground, though the madame of it has recently gone 'missing' and it's been taken over by the mob.
The Police Station A run down, out of date building that's got faulty electrics and plumbing. It's always in a state of 'we'll get to it next week' but the city never has enough money to actually get the place fixed up. It makes it easier to blame the building for anything that goes 'missing', etc. The jailhouse is attached to it, and it's across the street from the court house, downtown.
The Firehouse Downtown, a building that's in much the same state of disrepair as the police station. The only difference is it's in slightly better patched-condition, because the firefighters do the maintenance themselves. There are three trucks, though one's continually broken down and being repaired. Employs a full time fire crew.
The Alexandrian Library A large and rather forbidding building, the Alexandrian has a flight of steps running up to doors which could admit a couple of elephants abreast. Like a lot of buildings in the city, however, it is not what it seems. Whilst some areas of the Alexandrian are perfectly kept and cared for, a fire swept through the east wing of the library some thirteen years ago and the building work never seems to have actually been completed. Scaffolding still covers the east wing and it is signposted as off limits to the public.
St. Mary's Hospital Near St. Peter's Cathedral, St. Mary's is the largest, most 'modern' hospital in the city. Most people go to St. Mary's as opposed to Eidolon General, because you're likely to get a lot better care there. The staff there, while not under the direct control of anyone in the city, has learned long ago to just Not Ask Questions.
St. Peter's Cathedral A huge gothic-style stone cathedral, complete with gargoyles looking down from every nook and cranny, St Peter's is a spectacular and awe-inspiring cathedral. It's also seen better days, though it's former glory is more evident inside, where the small remaining number of priests and a handful of nuns work to keep it how it should be. Masses are held several times a day, though are not well attended. Confession is at 10am daily. The doors to St Peter's are never locked and sanctuary is offered to all who require it.
The 6th Street Bridge Over a canal that runs from the river through the city, the 6th street bridge runs through the bad part of town. Beneath it is a common place for the homeless to congregate, and often 'live' more or less.
The Sunny Shores Motel A small, in poor repair no-tell-motel, located near the water line and the docks. Often used for it's sealed lips policies, most un-mob-affiliated deals go down here. The mob will use it occasionally, for things they want kept from their more upscale places.
The Docks, Shipyard and Warehouse District Lining the river, the docks handle all incoming and outgoing trade within the city. There are a lot of commercial and private warehouses along the water line. It's also a well known place to avoid the crap out of, if you don't want to find yourself with a knife in the kidney. If bad things are going down, it's a place that's generally checked first.
The Hill Street Theater A beautiful old stage theater that's in a continual state of repair. Plays are put on constantly, the Hill Street Theater Company putting on elaborate shows each season with smaller plays and venues in between.
The Apollo A single-screen movie theatre showing a variety of movies 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Also shows news reels between films, generally of what's going on in the city and some updates on the war overseas (though locations are never mentioned) unless specified otherwise. The movies shown are a constant change-up of romance, musicals, crime and murder mysteries - all black and white, some silent. It shows serials on weekends.
The Old Bank Building A building that used to be the main bank in town. It was robbed at several points, and the last one had a huge chunk blown out of one wall. Since then it was abandoned and a new bank built, but it still stands. Nowadays, it's a home for transients, and a place to get whatever you might be looking for that isn't strictly on the level. It's a three storey building with a basement that connects into the tunnels beneath the city. There are several small vaults, some used for 'homes', others used for doing business, etc. People have been known to get locked in there, and die. These are usually termed as 'accidental' deaths, but generally speaking--they aren't. It's rumored to be haunted.
The City Echo The main newspaper for the town, the Echo's offices are situated in midtown, in a highrise, stonebuilt building. Printing is done on site.
One More Round The biggest dive bar in the city, the Round serves mostly smuggled and homebrewed alcohol. Police avoid the place, the mob tries to avoid many heavy dealings, and a new customer had best be prepared for a fight on their first visit. However, it is a haven for many of the city's underbelly, and has been known to dole out free drinks to the homeless or shelter for those who need it.
Rock Bottom Standing on the edge of Fontaine Park, Rock Bottom has been many things over the years. It has now re-opened as an Irish pub run by Moira O'Malley and the O'Malley family. The front of the house is where the "reputable" business is run- drinks flow, music is playing (sometimes live!), and there are billiards tables as well as some of the new "pin ball" tables in a room off to the side. The back rooms are where the "real" business of Rock Bottom takes place, however, and one would do well to not be back there without a very good reason.
Fontaine Park This large park sprawls across a nicer stretch of the city, but extends back to connect to rougher neighborhoods as well. By day, much of the greenery is the backdrop for the more idyllic moments the city sees. Upper class families picnic there, a restored rotunda hosts concerts and summer shows, and more (all under the watchful eye of the local mobs). By night, the scenic park path and tunnel thoroughfare lead from the protected fringes of the park to a seedier side, to where the prostitutes too poor or unaffiliated to operate within the local bars and motels do business. In the center of the park itself sits a dilapidated fountain, unflowing and tarnished, its' inscription unreadable with age. No one in the city knows exactly who the figure represented or what the inscription once read.
Bedlam Asylum for the Insane Located far back on it's own towards the edges of the city, on it's own large, walled in property stands Eidolon City's insane asylum. It's an ancient building, some wonder if it's one of the oldest in the city. It's got wings that have been shut down entirely, it's rumored to be haunted, and houses at any given time a rather large number of patients. Generally speaking, it's a place a lot of people tend to instinctively fear, and it's only spoken about in whispers. It's also thought that most of the staff is just as cracked as the patients.