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[yetsleeping]

All right! A while ago, there was a man named Mello (although I don't think that was his real name) and he kept a guide that welcomed new people to the city and told them about all the things in it. That is... here. But he's been gone for a long time. So, I thought I'd kind of write a new one.

...I don't curse as much as he did, so it may be more, err, appropriate anyway. So! Here we go.



A Guide to Anatole and Wynn
(By Priscilla. That is, me!)

I guess the customary thing would be to start with "welcome!" Except if you're like most people, you probably aren't feeling terribly welcome. Or at least... not terribly comfortable. After all, if you are like most of us, you've just arrived here from your own world, and you're confused, and you don't know where you are or who we are or why you should be reading this little thing, which will probably not be little anymore by the time I finish writing it. Sometimes we have people turning up who are used to traveling around from world to world, either because they've been taken into this kind of place before or because they're dimension-travelers anyway, but for most of us... well, my guess is most of us were just doing whatever it is we do and then oops, here we are. It's not exactly convenient, and it's definitely confusing. So we'll start with this:

Anatole, Dismas and Wynn: Places You Can Actually Live!
The city you find yourself in is called Anatole. It exists on the edge of the ocean on a world called The Sphere. There's a fair bit of history behind Anatole - an age of magic-users who lost their power, and the rise of the Mist (which I will definitely explain later), and the coming of the Twins, but the short story (which is all most of us really need to know, right?) is this: humanity was driven out of the rest of the world and to this place, where a new city was built on the bones of the old. I understand that Anatole means "dawn." It stood for hope.

Under Anatole, there's Dismas. It's actually part of Anatole too, but it has its own name and its own culture and its own... place. There's a lot of entertainment there, too - arenas and casinos and other things I'm not going to talk about, but if you want to pay for intimacies, you can do it there. And, of course, other things, too. There's also a lot of really questionable activities down there, so be careful especially since you can't use any superhuman abilities you might have, there. Unless you don't have any! In which case be careful anyway. So I guess it doesn't matter, except that you need to know you won't have them, otherwise you might get knifed in an alley thinking you're going to deflect the blade and then... well, just end up kind of. Bleeding.

So yes, moving on!

Then there's Wynn, which is across enough of the sea that we can't see it through the fog but not so far away that you need to pack for a long journey to get there. It's an island! And there's a town on it, and also a forest which I'll take about later, and some other things too. But the main point is, there's a town and it has taverns and restaurants and marketplaces and fairs and occasionally harpies and seamonsters. But Anatole gets seamonsters, too, so it's really not a specifically Wynnish problem. And I guess it's not a problem at all if you happen to like sea monsters!

So, those are the three places you can live. I'll talk about them in greater depth in a little bit, along with the dangers and the things around them. But overviews are definitely good. The most important thing to know is... you can't leave. Even if you want to. Even if you could normally just dimension-hop around. Even if you try to walk back through the Door. It doesn't matter. If you want to go home... you'll have to wait for the Door to send you. If it sends you.

I know it's hard to accept, but generally the community here tries to make it as pleasant as we can, under the circumstances.

Important things to note!All locations use the same kind of currency - a money standard called ivories. You can convert your homeworld's currency to ivories, if you happen to have any with you, of course. And if you find things that other worlds normally value, like gold, you can always sell it.

The Forge!
That's the machine you're reading this on. I'm not really sure why they call it a Forge - I think it's named after the inventor? Maybe? But in any case, it's a machine (if you don't know what a machine is, let me explain! It's... something like this. I mean, it's a thing made of things that works through means I don't understand, but it's not alive and some people here can make them, and my world didn't have any machines so... ask Tony Stark!) What you want to know about the Forge is this:✧it can mark things private or filter them to different people.
✧it can broadcast and receive video, text or voice.
✧it will read text to you, or transcribe things you say into text.
✧sometimes it broadcasts your thoughts. There's not much you can do about that.
✧if you break it, you have to pay for a new one. At least... after the first time. And
✧don't shake it!
There are buttons all over the place, and I'm sure you can figure out what they do, but there are also games and photos and all kinds of things. Get to know your Forge! It's very useful, I promise. ...it won't talk back to you, though. In case you were wondering. Which is to say, you can't know it in the way that you can know a person, or even a pet. It's just a machine.

Moving on!

Your Apartment
If you're like most people, you probably woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom. Err, congratulations, you can now live there! In the apartment, you'll find a stash of money, enough food for a month or so, and the Forge (of course). Some people also find clothes or some items they own from home. Some even find pets. Whatever it is you find, the apartment is yours for a month of free rent - after that, they'll ask for a relatively modest monthly fee for the use of the apartment, or you can move out! If you wake up somewhere else, you can request one in the Outlander Block offices. Which, by the way, is also where you go to get another Forge, if you shake it too much (don't!).

I should warn you that most of the apartments don't come with a water filter (unless a previous occupant left one), and the water here is... well, you don't want to drink it unless you have a filter or are drinking it from a river or something like that. So check for filtration devices before you drink it. Otherwise, there will be a fountain nearby in any direction where you can find potable water.

You could say that whether you'll find the technology available in your apartment to be annoying depends on where you're from. And when you're from. But there's an oven and a... stove. And there are refrigeration devices, although maybe less advanced than some of you are used to. Or more advanced than others would be used to!

The Scorched
That's what the people here call us. I think I already said that. For the most part, the Scorched community exists inside Anatole, although some people have taken to spending time in Wynn as well. I should mention that there are few things to know about being among "The Scorched," so to speak. ✧ it's said that we do not age. The time aging stops will vary from person to person, but there are Scorched here who have lived at least a century or two - for example, Milena Roew.

✧Sometimes, the Mist will change us. Our abilities. People who were entirely human, with no special abilities, will suddenly find that they have just that. People who had them will find their abilities limited, or enhanced, or altered in other ways. It's really a matter of trial and error, I guess, finding out what you can and can't do.

✧We abide by the laws of wherever it is we choose to live. But, for the most part, we police ourselves. More on that later, too. But the important part is to remember that you can't bring the laws of your world into this one. If eating fish was illegal on your world, that doesn't mean you can demand the arrest of people eating fish here, and I know this should go without saying, but we've had this problem before! So. Let it be known!

✧This is very important, too: Remember that no matter how strong or how influential you were in your homeworld, compared to those around you there... there's no guarantee that you'll have the same standing here. We have warriors and kings and nobles and soldiers and servants, and we're all the same, here. And think before you pick a fight - the person you're poking at may turn out to be one of the residents here who are... the closest thing to gods we have.

The Mist
Much more than the monsters, the most dangerous part of Anatole and Wynn alike is the Mist. You can see it anywhere you look - sometimes, even in the cities themselves. It's in the ruins and the tunnels and the forests and a form of it even overruns Erebos after dark.

The Mist is... not what it seems to be. It looks like a normal fog, but it's made of energy - magic, they say - so strong and so wild that it can play games with a person. If you go into it, you may find... time discrepancies, problems with your abilities, hallucinations, exhaustion... you may be moved from place to place without your knowledge... there are any number of strange things that it can do. And sometimes it gets even worse. It comes into the city, and brings nightmares, or monsters, illnesses, changes in behavior, in perception, in memory. If you stay too long in Mist too thick, it will even kill you.

Be careful.

Anatole: Where You Probably Are Now.
Okay, let's talk about Anatole. The city map is here! The population, as far as I know, is over one million, or maybe even multiple millions, but I have to admit I've never sat around and counted the people. So it's just a guess. The most important thing to know is the districts, because people will usually use them when giving directions! For example, they might say, I own a store in the Second Commercial District, or My stationary store is in the school district! Also, you should probably have a rough idea of a few other things, like where the marketplace is (so you don't starve to death!), or where the stairs to Dismas are (in case you want to go to Dismas!). Oh, and the baths. Because... well, you definitely want to bathe, I'm sure.

They call us the Scorched. It has something to do with sunlight and mist. But it's important to remember that, because even though we're in the city, and part of the city, and we live by the laws of the city... we're usually a little apart, too. It makes sense in a lot of ways - we're not from "here," as they say, but from "there," and it's not just that, either. We're different because we have abilities they don't, and come from cultures they don't understand. I guess that means they're afraid of us... and it can be difficult to tell them they shouldn't be when some of us really are dangerous.

But that just means we have to try harder not to be terrifying.

Something that really is a bit scary though, even to us, would be the rulers of the city. The Twins. Not much is known about them, but here's a little bit of what is known:✧Their names are Ciaran and Eilianora.
✧Their parents were powerful veneficus (mages) named Lord Cahir and Lady Assana.
✧They appear to be around eight to ten years old, though they are really several centuries old.
✧They are extremely powerful. It's hard to say why. But Claramond believes they were responsible for the loss of the veneficus' abilities. For more on her, um, see the bit on Wynn.
The city regards them, it seems, almost as much like gods as rulers. But they don't tend to leave their manor much.

There doesn't seem to be a normal, active police force run by the Twins, although a group of men in black outfits have sometimes come out of nowhere to take care of threats. I don't really know who they are, and neither does anyone else so asking around won't really tell you.

The Hunting Grounds
This is a mostly foresty area just outside the city limits, which tends to be the grazing and hunting area of animals that the Anatolians like to hunt for meat. Anyone is free to roam there and hunt or just kind of walk around... but please try to be conservative with your hunting! It's hard to predict when more animals will come through, and we definitely don't want to drive any of them into extinction.

The Ruins
I guess you could say the Hunting Grounds are part of the ruins. But not exactly. Because while the hunting grounds are mostly trees, and the buildings have mostly fallen into rubble... in the ruins, there are still mansions and manors and old complexes and stores and huts left standing. Or mostly standing. No one really lives there, now... or at least no one you'd want to know. There are monsters there, too, though the ruins are regularly patrolled by the patrol division of the Alliance, which helps to keep them a bit clearer. More on that later!

Parts of the ruins are flooded, and in the deepest parts of them, there's an orphanage that's... empty by day and full of ghost children by night. The ruins themselves are always full of Mist, though the thickness varies, and increases as you move away from the city. The Mist... is very dangerous. I wouldn't recommend going there if you can avoid it.

Important places to note in Anatole:The Bulletin Board: It's a wall in the city square where people put up posters and advertisements and sometimes other things, too. An easy way to let people know if you're starting a business or, well, looking for a dog. Or you have vegetables to sell? Although... you probably don't.

The bathhouses: Everyone wants to be clean! But not everyone has water filtration in their homes. If that describes you or, um, you just like bathing in public places then you can go to the bathhouse! You can have a cheap communal bath for free, or pay extra for a private room. Also... if you're going there because you just like bathing in front of people, you probably shouldn't tell them that. It's a little uncomfortable.

Berend's Found Goods Store: They pick up things that come through the Door from other worlds and sell them back to us. You might find books from your homeworld here. Or... gel pens? (I'm not sure what that is, but I think it's supposed to be important).

Carnival: Sometimes people here say they're bored, so let it be known! You can go to the Carnival and play games. It's not that large, to be honest, although it gets larger a few times a year when they decide it's big celebration time.

The Church: I believe it's officially dedicated to "the power behind the mist," which is very vague but no one knows what that power is, so it makes sense. In any case, it's open to any kind of religion you happen to have.

Greenhouse Row: This is where all the food is farmed. You can also plant things here if you like. It's very beautiful, and very peaceful. Oh, but don't eat everything. Not that I know anyone who could eat everything, but just in case.

Folkehaven Library and Folkehaven Bookstore: Books! They specialize in books from other worlds, and the bookstore sells otherworld books in little chapter bindings.

The Lighthouse: It's usually infested with some kind of slimy amphibious things. But not always? Anyway, be careful, there are sea monsters around the shore.

Memorial Tree: A metal and stained glass tree in the local park, filled with names to commemorate those Scorched who have come here, and left.

Public Market: This is where you go to buy your food and clothes and general survival goods! You can even get horses here. Although, come to think of it, I'm not sure where the horses come from.

The Clinic: Usually this clinic is staffed by at least one or two Scorched healers, as well as some native doctors. It's definitely the place you want to go if you're in need of help.

The Twins' Manor: This is where the Twins live. It's usually just a normal manor, but sometimes it eats people.

The Victoria: Well, it's a ship run by zombies and featuring ghosts. But they're pretty cordial, as long as you don't take one of them off the ship. Also, there's a dice game, which can be pretty fun as long as they don't throw you off the boat for leaving. Or... make you swab the deck.
That should be it for Anatole, I think. But I'll add things if I... think of them. Time to move on!

Dismas: The Undercity

If you take steps down from the street, then you end up in Dismas. It's as simple as that, really. Dismas isn't a different city or anything like that, but it's... I guess you could say it's a subcommunity, almost like the way the Scorched can be seen as a subcommunity, but they have a cave and some buildings so it doesn't really come off the same way. In any case, Dismas definitely has its own way of behaving, so to speak. It's a city full of, um, dubious things! And also some less dubious things like volunteer arenas and casinos and Tunnelmen. That last thing is important because the Tunnelmen are pretty friendly in a churlish sort of way, and also because they're the source of most of Anatole's technology. They live in the tunnels outside the city, but they come into Dismas and sell their wares at a shop! Also, they make huge battling robots.

Robot battles! You can invest in those, if you like - you can even buy permanent partial stakes in a given robot and make or lose ivories when your robot wins or loses! ...I don't really want to talk about the prostitutes. But they exist.

In Dismas, all superhuman abilities are effectively nullified. I'm not going to claim anyone knows exactly why, although the rumor is that it, like our name, has something to do with the sun.

The Tunnels
Dismas itself is in a very big cave. But the cave leads to and leads out of tunnels, and unlike Dismas, the tunnels are flooded with mist. There are monsters there, too. And Tunnelmen. So be careful of the monsters and the mist... not so much the Tunnelmen. Actually they're pretty friendly most of the time. But don't try to find their city - they do get defensive about that kind of thing.

Important places in Dismas:The Arena: As far our own community goes, the Arena is probably the most popular feature of Dismas. If you're a fighter type, then it's the fastest way to make ivories, and if you just kind of... like watching battles then, well... you can watch battles. Superhuman abilities are reactivated in the Arena, so things can get very impressive, I have to admit!

The Casino: There's gambling! Err, legal gambling - there are places where it's illegal, aren't there? Well, anyway, it's legal here.

Tunnelmen Trinkets: They sell little things and available gadgets, plus they take requests, isn't that nice? Also, since they make the battling robots, this is where you go to buy stakes in them.

Wynn
You reach Wynn by taking the Victoria across from the Anatole docks. The town there is different than Anatole - simpler, and less technologically advanced. Its ruler is a sorceress called Claramond, and has... I guess a more rural kind of way about it. There's a lot of farmland! Anyway, no one knew about it until fairly recently, so I guess we don't know as much about Wynn as we do about Anatole, but we're working on it. And one of the things we do know about is Erebos, the city of the Black Mist. You reach that through the Gate, which looks just like the Door.

Anyway, it's a lovely place and I'm sure I'll be updating this as time goes on.

The Adney Forest and Mountain Range
Bordering the town is the forest, which happens to have monsters and other unpleasant things in it. It also sometimes has mist in it, although it isn't quite as terrible that way as, for example!, the ruins in Anatole. And behind the forest, there's the mountains - which is also pretty much full of monsters, and giants, and also there's a cave with a dragon in it! If you look around, you can even see the dragon from time to time. Over Anatole, too! It hunts for... food, I guess, or maybe it just wants to spread its wings. Anyway, there's also a healing spring... and don't get punched by a giant.

Oh, the giants are in the mountains.

Erebos
I already mentioned this, but I really need to go over it in greater depth. Erebos exists in a pocket dimension beyond the stone archway called the Gate. The dimension itself is called the Chamber, and Erebos is the name of the city inside. If you'd like to call it a city. There are definitely... city-like things about it: there are buildings, and streets and a relatively constant geography. But there are also... strange things about it. Snowcovered mountains next to sunlit and summery forests. Rooms in places they shouldn't be. Pieces of other worlds. And they change... sometimes. They move. During the day, it isn't so bad - there are creatures inside, but monsters are manageable, if you're the kind of person who can manage monsters. But at night, more things come out, and so does the black mist.

It's definitely a good idea to stay out of that mist. It's much worse than the normal kind. And if you stay in it too long, it will break your body down.

I would personally consider Erebos to be by far the most dangerous place accessible to us. Do not go there without preparation.

Important places in WynnThe Apothecary: Potions and herbs and medicinal... things! If you like that kind of thing.

The Drunken Giant: A tavern that features reasonable food and, well, bad music. I won't pretend the music is any good, honestly.

The Healing Spring: A hot spring with magical healing properties! I've heard that it does leave you rather weak afterward. But it can bring you back from most serious injuries, so maybe it's worth it.

The Salty Pig: A restaurant that, well, usually gets visited by the same bard that likes to go through the Drunken Giant, so don't expect a lot. But the food is rather good! And there's a lovely atmosphere.

You're Here! So What Now?
Well! Probably you'll want to think about what to do for work. You have a month to figure it out, so I'm sure you can manage. There are traditional routes, like working in a shop, or you can start your own business! There are also other, less traditional but still workable ways to create a meeting of ends. For example, you could work as a fighter in the arena, go treasure hunting in the ruins, or join one of the Scorched-run organizations or businesses. You could also work in Dismas if you really have to. But I'm not going to talk about that. Oh, aside from the Arena. And the Casino!

You'll also want to get to know people! Having allies and friends can be extremely advantageous in case of a bad situation. If you'd like to work at an Anatolian run business, you'll find them all around you! And if you'd like to support your fellow Scorched, or have a particular idealistic bent, then you'll find a list below.

Oh! Let me know if you've begun an enterprise and would like it listed here, all right?

Scorched-run Businesses, Organizations and Services

I'm only listing the ones I actually know about, so if you have something you'd like to have listed, please let me know!

Organizations✧The Alliance: I feel a little strange talking about this, since it's my organization. However, it's important to know, so, yes! The Alliance is an organization dedicated to the safety of Anatolians, Wynnish and Scorched alike. ...well, right now we're mostly in Anatole, but sometimes we sent people to Wynn, too. Its leaders are Priscilla (Head Commander and head of the Patrol division - err, that's me), Arthur Pendragon (Vice Commander of the Alliance and Patrol division), Byakuya Kuchiki (head of the Policing Division) and Riza Hawkeye (head of the Search and Rescue division). There are other leaders too... but that's the list you need to know if you want to ask about joining.

As you can see, there are three divisions: ✧The Patrol, which handles monster threats in the ruins and, when they come into the city, in the streets as well.

✧The Police, which tries to neutralize community threats such as murderers and kidnappers.

✧The Search and Rescue, dedicated to finding and rescuing civilians during emergencies.
I should mention that, while there is a policing division, we really aren't any kind of government. We're trying uphold the laws of the land we're in because the superhuman nature of the Scorched means that no normal Anatolian can. But we don't create laws, for example.

Anyway, we provide a living wage, as well as free room and board within one of our three buildings, and access to training facilities and an armory, etc. If you are interested, see here for contact information!

✧Calligraphy Society: Dedicated to the art of beautifully done calligraphy! Founded and operated by Byakuya Kuchiki.

Scorched-Run or Friendly Businesses✧Bloodsgate Entertainment: A gladiatorial management business originally founded by Elena (as Speed Kills Entertainment) and currently owned by Tyrion Lannister. He sets up matches in the arena for a commission.

✧Break and Enter Detective Agency: A detective agency run by, well, Xerxes Break.

✧The Foxhole: A bar owned and operated by Helen. It's a little dangerous there sometimes. Err, in case you mind. But don't! it's also very friendly.

✧I.C.T.: A Forge repair shop with some kind of laboratory attached!

✧Muffin Alchemy Inc.: A muffin shop founded and run by Dawn Summers and Alphonse Elric! ...they sometimes name food after you. Err, or after people.

Scorched-Run or Friendly Services✧Buffy's Therapeutic Talking Services: I think this has something to do with ooglies, but I'm not sure what that is. Anyway, it's therapy?

✧The Clinic: I talked about this before, but it's important to stress because so many people need help all the time, and this clinic has always been very Scorched-friendly. Right now, I think the Scorched staff includes Remus Lupin, Merlin, Nymphadora Tonks, Raphael and Daenerys Targaryen.

✧Combat Training: There are a few people who can help you in this area. Offhand, I take students in swords, daggers or other bladed weapons - as does Isley, who is definitely well suited if you're a better fighter than me. Buffy Summers has been known to take students of staves, axes and crossbows. Isley always allows his personal training hall to be used publicly quite often, so keep that in mind if you'd like a place to train that doesn't involve actual monsters, and you don't have access to private halls.

✧The Dragon's Hearth: A not-for-profit cafeteria in the Outlander block that serves low-cost food and, to the truly needy, free food. It's supported in part by donations, and features a "television," which I think is actually the only one that's ever been in Anatole. It was founded and is operated by Daenerys Targaryen.

Scorched-Run or Friendly Free Things!✧Dear Buffy: It's an... advice column, I think? Err, here.

✧Let's Slay! Videos: Buffy Summers is trying to collect an archive of videos detailing how to handle specific monsters. You can see what's been gathered so far here.

✧The Welcoming Committee: In charge of welcomes and baskets that help with welcoming. Headed by Dawn Summers!

I'll keep adding as more things... come up!

Finally...
Right now, I don't have a list of criminals. But one day, no doubt I will.

I hope this is helpful. Even if it is a bit... long. I didn't want to just start updating someone else's document, but I didn't want to leave it undone either, so... well, I just wrote a new one and I guess I talk more than Mello did. Well... I know I talk more than Mello did. Hopefully that's not such a bad thing?

Let me know if I've missed anything. And if anyone is wondering what makes me qualified to write this... I've just been here a long time, that's all. Longer than anyone else, actually.

But don't call me old lady because I'm not that old.

Priscilla
ps. oh, thank you to Isley for making sure it was coherent!