Sandbox / Character Development Thread Capital

Capital

Locations

Visitor's District

The Visitor's District is an area filled with impressive architecture and a variety of nice but affordable restaurants, hotels and other establishments available for recently arrived visitors to the Capital. The district is intended to give people a good first impression of the city, and has been built accordingly with wide, clean streets lined by various small monuments and the occasional tree, and with huge banners hanging from the side of the buildings, welcoming the visitors.

There are also a number of currency conversion units and public transport terminals in convenient places around the district. These can be found all over the city, but seem to be more common here.

Visitor's Terminal

The Visitor's Terminal is the first thing many a visitor sees. For the most part, it bears resemblance to a typical train station, but with one very noticeable difference: instead of a train, there is what appears to be a massive gash in reality at the back of the building, with an arch built around it. For whatever reason, it isn't harmful; it can't break minds no matter how thoroughly it's examined, it won't attract beings that should not be or at least will not let them enter, or anything like that. In fact, it is rather benevolent; it is the primary means through which visitors come and go, and is extremely reliable in getting people to where they want to go.

Elsewhere in the station there are number of desks at which visitors can request information or even transportation around the city. The usual mode is by taxi, although more unusual methods are available if that is what a visitor prefers. There are also numerous benches if one wishes to sit down and rest.

Zan's Fast Food Diner

This place is easily identified by the large sign above the entrance in the shape of a cartoon hippopotamus wearing a purple fez. The interior resembles a classic 50's diner, but with an excessive use of chrome and neon lights. The kitchen provides a wide variety of dishes from all across the multiverse, but different variations of what looks like pizza are by far the most common. Despite the generally friendly and inviting atmosphere, visitors often get the feeling that something is not quite normal about the place.

Hotel Fantastique

Despite what the pretentious French name may have one believe, this hotel actually aims to present a welcoming, family-friendly image to potential guests. The entire place has a pleasant feel to it, and the rooms are affordable yet very clean. It has a dining room, a swimming pool, and an exercise room, and offers room service if so desired. Should any guests have special needs, the staff will take care to make sure those are met as well.

City Center

Known simply as the City Center, this is the beating heart of power and influence in the city. This is where the various political and economic dealings between the most influential of the city's interdimensional visitors take place. It's the safest part of the city by far. Architecturally, it's dominated by many skyscrapers done in a neo-futuristic style, gleaming with glass and metal during the day and lit up brilliantly at night; there is also a small park.

The Spire

If the City Center is the heart of the city, this tapering three-sided pyramid is the heart of the City Center. The tallest building in the entire city, the Spire (as it's locally nicknamed) is where much of the most important political and diplomatic business is handled, within conference rooms that offer impressive views of the city skyline. It also houses some of the central mechanisms of the city's own authorities, including a security center.

Embassy Row

Not actually containing any embassies in the conventional sense, this long street is home to a number of high-class - and highly-priced - hotels that offer suites to particularly large groups of visitors. They're often taken by diplomatic delegations to use as both a residence and a temporary headquarters for their stays in the city, earning the name.

Downtown Park

This small park exists near the very center of the City Center, mostly to add a splash of greenery to the place. It lacks the long walking paths and animal life of the Museum Park, containing mostly trees, grass, and benches. It's a popular place to visit briefly, but the city security forces tend to drive off anyone attempting to camp out overnight. Littering is discouraged in even stronger terms.

Fournier's

This expensive restaurant is located on the rooftop of one of the middle-sized skyscrapers, overlooking Downtown Park. Much of it is open-air, though there is also a glass dome in the center that contains the elevators down through the building. Tasteful sculptures and rare plants are scattered throughout. The food itself, which is prepared on the floor immediately below and brought up with escalators, is perhaps more "fancy" than actually "appetizing", but most people eating here are doing it as much for the prestige and the location as anything else.

New City

While it occupies its own district, many consider this part of town to simply be an extension of the City Center due to the great similarities in aesthetics (though it is noticeably lacking in skyscrapers). However, it isn't quite as focused on playing host to meetings between interdimensional political powers. Rather, as the youngest part of town, it is a hotbed of economic experimentation and is second only to Market Street as a place to set up new businesses. It also serves as the home to the Capital's rich and elite, which gives it a bit of a stuck-up reputation among the residents.

Multidimensional Marketing, Inc.

The HQ for this business is a tall, super-modern looking structure near the center of the New City. Multidimensional Markerting, or MM Inc. as it is also known, prides itself on being the very best choice for distributing the latest in top-of-the-line products. Enterprising developers who don't want to try selling their creations themselves can try bringing it here and pitching it to MM Inc.'s staff. As long as the product in question is reasonably complete, MM Inc. will happily handle the advertising and general sale of it and split the profits with the creator.

Old City

The border between technology and magic is a thin one in this city, but generally, it's a place more of the former than the latter. The Old City, though, has not forgotten its arcane roots; a strange medley of bohemians and arcanists, it's easily the most magical part of town, and certainly one with a flavor all its own. Those from older times may find themselves particularly at home; even non-mages in this part of town disdain technology or integrate it into old-fashioned aesthetic. Capital Security isn't entirely welcome here, and is usually only called in an emergency; too many anarchists of various stripes to make them feel entirely comfortable.

The Old Arena

Hosting both non-magical and magical tournaments, the Old Arena is the place to go for friendly competition. Actually several sparring rooms, its shields seem to be invincible, and its medics more than able to patch up anything up to and including atomization. The especially competitive can enjoy letting loose here; it's said that one can learn a lot about a warrior by how they fight an unknown foe.

The Fallen Flags Coffeehouse

Named for its impressive display of flags from extinct empires across the multiverse, the Fallen Flags Coffeehouse is a gathering place for would-be revolutionaries, iconoclastic artists, and other of that sort. Serving an eclectic vegan menu, and featuring art often too "controversial" (or perhaps meaningless) for conventional museums, it's a point of interest for reasons well beyond filling up with caffeine.

West Side

The West Side was once a bustling industrial neighborhood, but hard times have sapped it of wealth and vitality. Its warehouses and light industry are often shuttered and abandoned, its apartment blocks crowded and ill-maintained. Most people here just try to eke out a living, in whatever ways they can. Not all resist the allure of crime as a way out of poverty, ranging from merely selling illegal goods to more violent crimes against likely-looking victims. Even in a trans-dimensional nexus, where the most innocent can prove devastating, sometimes the risk of possible death beats the risk of certain starvation.

Ted's Canteen

Probably the safest place in the West Side; you won't find a fight unless you're looking for one, and security forces tend to move a bit quicker when called here — though Ted is usually happy to let fights resolve themselves if property damage stays minor. The food is cheap and greasy, but good for the price and passes health inspection with room to spare. Mostly it serves as a meeting place for the down-and-out to commiserate and figure out ways to help each other, but there are many dark and dingy corners where not-technically-legal deals can be made in relative safety. (You won't get violently robbed, but check the merchandise.)

Whitehall Motel

The Whitehall Motel is the kind of place that advertises itself on a complete lack of bedbugs. This is true, but there's a certain lack of other luxuries. The beds are only somewhat preferable to stone slabs and usually just clean enough to not present a health hazard, the showers rarely more than lukewarm, the breakfast only technically sustenance. Still, it's cheap. Really, really cheap. And the management doesn't ask too many questions as long as you don't seem to be planning anything that would harm their business.

The Undercity

The Capital is built on the remnants of an older city, but only in the West Side can it easily be accessed. Not just a sewer but a buried acropolis, it is said to hide many treasures. Indeed, some especially desperate residents manage to emerge from the depths with incredible treasures that change the lives of their families for the better... often at the price of their own sanity.

Museum Park

The Museum Park is simply that: a large park with various museums and other such attractions surrounding it. Considering the rest of the city the park is surprisingly rural; while there are numerous concrete paths through the park and a large, clearly manmade pond in the center, it seems like the city is content to let nature do what she pleases with the rest of it. Most of the flora and fauna within appears to be North American, though given how many visitors from many different places come through on a daily basis there's bound to be some more unusual organisms living there.

The attractions of the outskirts are dedicated to many different things, although the city does have high enough standards to prevent cheesy sideshow-type attractions from being set up there.

National Museum

The biggest and most elaborate museum in the park, the National Museum is a large and vaguely Greek-like structure with two floors that sits at the park's southern end. Its exhibits are mostly obtained from visitors to the Capital and as such are a hodgepodge of things from many different worlds covering all sorts of topics from prehistory to engineering to astronomy and everything in between.

While the museum staff takes effort to make sure everything is well preserved, it's debatable whether or not they actually know what half of the exhibits are even supposed to be (though given that they come from many different places with their donors having their own theories about them, it's to be expected). As such, the descriptions can be a little...inaccurate at times.

Monolith

The most prominent structure in the park sits at the northern end of the park, directly opposite of the National Museum. It is a massive, black tower that rivals some skyscrapers in height. It appears to be made mostly of obsidian, with a number of odd symbols carved into its surface. Although it looks like a building, it is quite solid and cannot be entered.

A large display in front of the structure contains some theories about what the structure could possibly be. It's generally considered to be a monument of some kind, but any records about it have long been lost and possibly never existed in the first place.

Waterfront

The Waterfront is a young district, where the newly rich — ranging from self-made heroes to tacky swindlers who got lucky — hang out, away from the judgment of more established peers. Hip, sleek, and sometimes a bit phony.

Experience

The sort of restaurant that considers a single portentous word a perfect name. The mysterious chef there is an innovator and experimenter who has apparently seen more of the multiverse than a human lifespan could possibly fit. Results of their experimentation vary, but the result is always at least interesting, and if one has a truly bizarre request, this is the most likely place to find it. It also offer fine wines, micro-brewed beer often as strange as the food, and a general atmosphere of lively mayhem.

Marina

The reason to build a home on the waterfront. A large facility that offers equipment for scuba diving, para-sailing, canoes, and even miniature submarines for rent. Plus the equipment to magically cordon off large areas of water, for whatever purpose — usually an unusual arena to settle a wager or rivalry between mages.

Market Street

Running nearly the entire length of its north edge, Market Street is home to many of the shopping and entertainment opportunities of the city. Its nature tends to be a reflection of the district below it: above the City Center, it's home to shiny, highly-rated, and expensive establishments, while at the west end things are much more run-down and questionable (though it's still the safest part of the West Side). In between, locations run the full spectrum from classy to glitzy, though there are relatively few small or "quirky" shops outside of the main shopping complexes as such things are found more commonly in the Old City.

The Arch Center

This large, H-shaped shopping mall earns its name from the way in which its middle section extends over Market Street itself as a vast arch, with stores located in the middle and glass windows allowing visitors to see the street below them. Situated directly above the City Center, it is futuristic and expensive, with stores within selling some of the most cutting-edge items of every sort; visiting characters will find relatively few odd knick-knacks here.

Open-Air Bazaar

Located near the middle of Market Street, this broad clearing features a wide variety of small stalls that constantly change as the day goes on. Sitting across the street from a number of small food places, the bazaar has some of the most eclectic goods offered on Market Street, and is popular with visitors whose ability to purchase things is limited. Currency conversion units similar to those found in the Visitor's District are also located here.

Mmphrlgmn's Casino

Found on the east side of the western canal, this sprawling casino complex is owned by a mysterious and reclusive being with an unpronounceable name, and is therefore widely just known as "M's". It is divided into several buildings, each taking a different stereotypical casino "theme" - pirates, Ancient Egypt, a volcano - though all are lit up at all times with an excess of neon or flashing lights. Despite its proximity to the West Side, visitors are kept relatively safe by a highly-trained private security force, though their money may not be so lucky.

Hole In The Ground

This small shopping complex, found within the West Side, lives up to its name: it is literally located underground, within a section of the Undercity that is (supposedly) cut off from the rest of it by cave-ins. It's home to many small shops offering cheaper, harder-to-find, or sometimes illegal items; haggling is a recommended skill here. Despite its location and poorly-lit nature, Hole In The Ground is safe for most visitors, though anyone waving large sums of money around without being wary of observers might be in trouble.

Characters

Active User Characters

• Miyuki Satoi (Blackfire667) Genetically engineered, cybernetically enhanced super-soldier. On a date with her boyfriend.
• Akira Nakamura (Blackfire667) An unwilling soldier for a failing nation. Hoping for a nice day out with his girlfriend.
• Zerrimus Garkin (Corvidae): A Cravyn (dragon-like alien) space captain.
• Moreena (Corvidae): A snarky, horned death goddess in a black dress.
• Kevin Montgomery (electronic-tragedy): A human detective searching for a murderer, who turned out to be Kommissar.
• Kommissar (electronic-tragedy): A scarred German bounty hunter who wears a red metal mask.
• Jade Vyvansen (electronic-tragedy): A human woman, ex-special ops soldier on a diplomatic/political mission.
• Jac Zowal'ri (electronic-tragedy): A Mezzarean (very human-like with goat/ram features) male youth who arrived with Jade.
• Rikael (Gault)
• Angua (Gault)
• Echo (KillerClowns): A masked vigilante from Republic City. Still wears her old Equalist uniform, but presently in civilian clothing.
• Koyel ulon'Uelshu (KillerClowns): An Uelane politician, wielder of The Dark Arts, and a powerful martial artist.
• Orunue qolon'Esilir ul'Valmoth (KillerClowns): A wealthy Uelane guildmaster with connections to the Crimson.
• Fatman, Sleazeball, and Baldy (KillerClowns): A trio of low-level and none-too-bright goons who followed Echo from Republic City into the Capital.
• Adam (Masterofchaos): A shy fifteen year old boy. He's friendly to everyone he meets and likes robots.
• Jackson (Masterofchaos): An amateur inventor who built the team's flying boots. He's British, the oldest on the team, and insist that they're not called Chaos Hunters.
• Marie (Masterofchaos): A young baker and is (so far) the only girl on the team. She's pansexual, but is far more flirtatious to girls than boys (though she will stop if asked or she feels like she's overstepping her bounds).
• Nick (Masterofchaos): A easy going (but sometimes impulsive) teen. He loves flying and is the one who keeps trying to call the group Chaos Hunters.
• Jeannette (Night): A female mecha pilot, at least now, who has some kind of psychic ability. Involved with Cima, they have apparently fought in the past.
• Cima (Night): Another mecha pilot, not serving the same nation Jeannette does despite their relationship. They have apparently fought in the past.
• Qrlil (nrjxll): A qrtxian diplomat, from the same setting as Seon and Trekesser but an earlier time period.
• Buso (Ryuhza): A man with a cool voice and temper buried beneath a strange black-and-silver garb. On a search for medicine, for which he claims to have a desperate need. ^{Click for more info} Illustrations
• "Buyer" (Ryuhza): A man in his mid 30s-40s, and the "buyer" of a mysteriously valuable, highly sought-after, yet seemingly ordinary-looking rock. ^{Click for more info}  Illustration◊
• Howell (Ryuhza): A young teenage boy with red skin, a reptilian-looking head, and a pointed tail. He seems to take a great pleasure in confusing—and possibly annoying—people, but has a more down-to-earth side as well. ^{Click for more info} Illustrations comprehensive description
• "Seller" (Ryuhza): An austere and rather sinister-looking man of age. He is the "seller" of a mysteriously valuable, highly sought-after, yet seemingly ordinary-looking rock. He appears to be in touch with unseen forces. ^{Click for more info} Illustration◊
• Kyana (Sphinxyness) - A wannabe super heroine with the power to summon and control fire. Always wears a strange scarf with colors that reflect a fire turning into ash. Very naive and energetic but has her heart in the right place. Her goal is to become a famous super hero so people won't fear her for her rather destructive powers. However she sometimes doubts if she could use her fire powers for good.
• Kiyumi (Sphinxyness) - The oldest of a trio of teen friends, Kiyumi is the least responsible. She acts as the leader and is always dragging her two friends into ridiculous situations. Decided to name the group the Party Girls and thinks they can be the entertainment of anything, even if they weren't invited.
• Midori (Sphinxyness) - The youngest girl of the group. Shy, clumsy and easily embarrassed. She has trouble saying no to Kiyumi's antics and though she may not say it, she thinks it's sometimes fun. Midori is teased a lot by Kiyumi as well but never in a hurtful way.
• Naoko (Sphinxyness) - The silent and expressionless member of the Party Girls. Naoko comes off as strange to others for her monotone voice and emotionless stares but Kiyumi and Midori don't mind her at all. While Kiyumi gets the girls into trouble, Naoko is the smart one who gets them out. She is also seen to have strange shadow abilities that have yet to be explained (though the other two don't question it).
• Nathaniel Varnas (Tehpillowstar) — A necromancer who ran into hard times, and is now trying to gain a resurrection commission/arrangement so he can pay the bills.
• The Captain Lt. Joshua Snow (Tehpillowstar) — An officer of the Galactic Federation Fleet, and Commanding Officer of the Kestrel. Is on a critical clandestine mission, while being actively hunted down by the entire Rebel Fleet. Is currently on liberty while waiting for the FTL drive to be fixed.
• Roderick Burke (Tera Chimera) — A police officer searching for an escaped criminal, who is now in custody.
• Lara Richardson (Tro Partner)

Inactive User Characters

• Sylvia Blaze (Bigger Ben)
• Ulrich Theign (Brain Sewage) A demon hunter. It's personal.
• Gharboa Born-In-Tree-Sap (Darkblood Carnagefang) A Jin-Taexi clad in black armor made from the exoskeleton of a large spider, wielding illusion, plant, earth and wind elemental magic and the ability to become a large raptor. Uses singular they pronouns.
• Scuttles (Darkblood Carnagefang) Gharboa's pet and unofficial guardian. Is a female, but Gharboa doesn't know and refers to her with 'he' pronouns.
• Energy (gameknight102xx)
• Flamist (gameknight102xx)
• Weiss Lindwand: a young girl who carry around an oversized plush bunny, talking to random strangers and her plush bunny. Not the brightest kid around but has unrivaled luck. (idiot)
• Morgenrot Lindwand: Supposedly Weiss' Mother.(idiot)
• Puddie/T45D3N11: A member of sentient Alien virus race,Invarus. Currently in form of a plush bunny, Its particular strain infects toys, converting them into its unliving(?) army. (idiot)
• Bezaliel: A Song remnant that provided Koyel with some backup from their place in Unreason. Lacking any motivation outside of sadism and fear of the Eyes and Teeth, they are extremely powerful, amazingly petty, and very, very stupid.
• The crew of The Afalina (Millership)
  • Max: The airship's Captain.
  • Sascha: The airship's Cook of unidentifiable gender (actually female) and turbulent past, present and future.
  • Cecile: The mind, body and soul of airship's Medical Department.
  • Iolana: The Wind Spirit serving as the airship's Pilot and Navigator.
• Tsukinoyo (Night): An apparent biker punk girl who is actually a freelance starfighter pilot.
• Gevian "Gev" Abassix (nrjxll): A female shvuim security officer. Does not like humans.
• Rah-Klev Seon (nrjxll): A jittery, prejudiced male etis-tra, carrying a briefcase-sized black metal container.
• Giun Trekesser (nrjxll): A shvuim (three-legged avian alien) captain in the Galactic Alliance Navy.
• Man in a Raincoat (Ryuhza): A bald man wearing a brown raincoat who has scars across each eyebrow. ^{More info} Illustration
• Luíseach (Ryuhza)
• Ulf Marten (Slysheen): Your friendly neighborhood lycanthrope, war refugee. Not unintelligent but impulsive at times.
• Katya Oborin (Slysheen): A misplaced Red Army sniper, victim of a less-than-successful execution.
• Whistler Eddirastfinar (SolipSchism): A six-member Tinish pack. A trained but inexperienced spaceship pilot and programmer, Whistler got to the Capital by a freak accident and is now stranded.
• Godsgift (SolipSchism): An shipboard artificial intelligence designed using heavily-altered code derived from Oobii. Originally installed in Whistler's ship, it transferred itself to his agrav skiff when the ship crashed. It can communicate with him remotely. A little buggy, but mostly stable.
• Sito Midas (SolipSchism): A pleasant young man who is much Older Than He Looks (by at least a few thousand years). Runs the Hell of his universe; he's essentially a strangely benevolent Satan. Claims to be in the Capital as no more than a tourist. A bit of a Stepford Smiler, of the "Depressed" flavor.
• Professor David Lessee (SolipSchism): An erratic young man. Half eccentric Gentleman Wizard, half Mad Scientist, all jovial, and constantly fascinated by everything. Looks like David Tennant, because he's, well, based on the guy. Additional description in this post.
• Ivin (Sonzai): Vencaran ambassador(?), is an exoskeleton-based four-foot-tall giant-chicken-proportioned alien of unknown favorite color. Allegedly here for diplomatic negotiations, but one never knows for sure with Vencarans...
• Lt. Cmdr. John Harrison (Sonzai): Terran officer in the UAN, from the year 2174. Commands a special-forces fighter squandron, but is on diplomatic duty in the Capital.
• Vice Imperator P'jwakh (Sonzai): Hxaon officer, is slightly over 7 feet tall, and looks rather like a four-armed upright komodo dragon, without the tail, with armor, and a lot of guns. Usually commands a space-fighter squandron as well, but is also here on diplomatic duty.
• Diplomats Group (Sonzai) (They will generally stay together as a group)
  • Mia: Terran ambassador
  • Tri'jnl: Hxaon ambassador
  • Sandra: Terran security for the ambassadors, also a futuristic cat-girl. (Rank: Lieutenant)
  • Grian'h: Hxaon security for the ambassadors, is usually silent and stoic. (Rank: Sr. Directive)
• Xia (Sphinxyness) - A manipulative beautiful blonde woman with the ability to summon and control plants of any type. Her favorite plant to summon is a vine/rose branch hybrid, a dangerous combination that has thorns as sharp as knives and can grow to immense sizes.
• Rani Day (starwhat) - A somewhat hippie/hipster Caucasian girl who is almost endlessly optimistic and tends to make decisions on a whim. Her Maine Coon named Thistle is the apple of her eye. May or may not be a witch. May or may not be from an alternate 1970s Earth.
• Foster Khan (starwhat) - A mute and rather stoic young man of African-American/Asian descent who often tags along with Rani, whether he likes it or not. He has a pet falcon named Banshee. May or may not be a wizard. May or may not be from the distant past. May or may not have had his tongue cut out after a witch hunt. But who really knows, right?
• Nero Lachlan (Tera Chimera) — Roderick's partner. Deceased.
• Felix (Too Many Ideas): A traveling multiversial hero going by the title of Commander who has seen it all and is tired of it.
• Rose (Too Many Ideas): Felix's adopted daughter. She just wants to see the multiverse with Felix, but she has a serious case of Hollywood ADD, and gets herself into trouble a lot.
• Blindman/Joshua Rent (Tro Partner)
• Genocide/Andrew Keystone (Tro Partner)
• "The Group from Terra Nova" (Wolf1066) - on a mission to get needed equipment and information.
  • Sir Archibald: An English Gentleman, formerly Diplomat in the service of Queen Victoria.
  • James: An Englishman, formerly a Grenadier Serjeant (sic) in Thomas Farrington's Regiment.
  • Karl: A German, formerly a conscript.
  • Teri: A young woman of African descent, born and raised in London's East End.
  • Kris: A young woman from New Zealand with an unusually pale left arm.
  • "Wolfe": A not-so-young man from New Zealand
  • Robot: Exactly What It Says on the Tin
• Gwion (Wolf1066) - Street-savvy cyborg of "no fixed abode" and "no fixed occupation" - and taking a holiday from both. Occasionally kicks arse but doesn't take down names - will make those up if he finds them necessary.
• Sophie Guillory (Yomegami): A magical girl who is still trying to get used to her current life.^note Transformed description
• Samantha Proudfoot (Yomegami): A magical girl who is Sophie's friend/mentor figure, and is far more used to actually being a magical girl.^note Transformed description
• Eliza (Yomegami): A young pilot of a Bleaksteel Scout unit, working to explore the Capital on behalf of the Bleaksteel.^note Mech description
  • Drone: One of a number of nonsapient robotic scouts working under Eliza.
• Darius/Samael (Yomegami): The current and surprisingly pretty leader of the Bleaksteel, who upon receiving a tip from Eliza chose to come to the capital for potential alliances.^note Mech description
• Iao (Yomegami): Darius's second-in-command and pilot of a Bleaksteel Archon unit, who is incredibly loyal to him despite being far older.^note Mech description
• Sabaoth (Yomegami): A Bleaksteel Archon unit, and by far the Bleaksteel's most vicious and bloodthirsty member.