SETTING

[meridianmods]

The city of Meridian is split into three levels of reality. The city itself, where characters arrive, is the First Level.

The City

The City of Meridian isn't so different from your average city. At about 45 square miles, it's a good-sized city, without being too big. To the north, there's a large expanse of farmland, followed by a forest which continues to border the city to the west. A beach can be found bordering it to the south and east. It is impossible to leave the city without crossing either the forest or the sea.

However, that's much easier said than done. If a character attempts to leave through the forest, they'll simply end up back in the city. They can walk and walk for hours, all in the opposite direction, but they'll still somehow end up back in the city limits.

If they attempt to swim out to sea, they'll find there's really quite a large expanse of water to cross. If, however, your character is strong enough to swim out more than half a mile or a mile out to sea, let us know! We'll let you know what happens when they get that far.

The most important thing to note about the layout of the city is the split down the center, diving it into east and west sides. What's at the very center of the city, however, is entirely up to who looks at it... and what mark they have.

If a character is marked, they will see and feel a large wall diving the city. The wall cannot be climbed, flown over, or burrowed under.

If a character is unmarked, they will see a series of well-kept metal bridges, all over a ravine with water flowing through the base. It's about an eight-foot drop (four during heavy rain), but the river is shallow at parts. We don't recommend jumping into the water.

That's not where the marks end though.

If a character is marked with the Mark of Opportunity, they will find themselves on the east side of the city and unable to cross over to the west side.

If a character is marked with the Mark of Foresight, they will find themselves on the west side of the city and unable to cross over to the east side.

Aside from the split, the city is much like any other city. Almost! Across the city are random spans of land, the largest of which is about 2mi2/3.2km2, that look as though some kind of disaster hit them. The buildings are crumbling, very little plant life grows, and the stray animals avoid them. But in general, these parts are uncommon, and the city is in a remarkably well-maintained state, considering it's mostly abandoned.

There's running water, but absolutely nothing electric works in the city. Computers, iPods, light bulbs, even hot water - none of that works here! Even if it's something that your character brought with them, if it needs batteries or electricity, it'll stop working. There aren't any generators or the like to be found either, so let's hope your character has some candles with them!

If a character has technology as part of them, though, that character's technology will continue to work. If, for example, your character is a robot, they'll continue to function as normal. But they still can't listen to their iPod unless it's embedded into them.

There's urban and suburban areas in close proximity in the city and one doesn't have to walk for long to reach the occasional mini-mall or even a 7-11!

On that note, the shops may have no employees, but every day, their stock will be replenished. Characters can find in them clothing, books, food - but nothing electric! The food, however, whether they get it from a grocery store or a convenience store, is somewhat... off. It'll fill them up well enough and keep them healthy, but nothing tastes quite right. The vegetables might taste like fruits, the fruits might taste like chocolate, or the chocolate might taste like pizza!

Note that characters will be unable to see who or what restocks the shops. Even if they stay all night inside a shop staring at an empty shelf, in the morning it'll be restocked, with them having seen no one do it.

There are residential districts in the middle of the city, evenly split between the two sides. The business district is mostly concentrated on the west side of the city, though there are some businesses to be found in the east as well. There's also a small industrial section towards the south of the city, near the coast.