City Information
City Information
As mentioned, the Masters only managed to grab a portion of New York City - the part shown in the map above. On the uptown border of Central Park squats the imposing edifice of the Brass Embassy flanked by an impenetrable forest of stalagmites stretching the width of the island. The downtown tip of the island is the Master's territory, walled off behind a twenty-foot high concrete wall that has thus far proven indestructible. A dark ocean surrounds the island, known as the Undersea. There are other lands out there somewhere over the waters, since ships come into the ports regularly, laden down with goods and supplies. But even from the highest points in Stolen New York, nothing can be seen across the dark waters except more water. Swimming in the Undersea is inadvisable, as things live in the water that seem to have a taste for human flesh. And no one's come back from being eaten by a sea monster.
Light
There is no sunlight in Stolen New York, nor moonlight. There are some faint twinkling lights far above in the roof of the cavern, but opinion is divided on what they are. And besides, they don't throw much light at all. Light in Stolen New York comes almost entirely from electricity, provided by the Masters and the Brass Embassy.
Food and Other Necessities
Without sunlight the only things that grow naturally in Stolen New York are mushrooms and other fungi. There are a few greenhouses that have UV lights and can grown some vegetables, but nowhere near enough to feed the whole city. Fortunately, most of the fungus is eatable, and the various food production businesses have gotten very good at manufacturing the native fungi into a variety of decently tasty foods. Likewise, meat is often from cats, rats or the strange fish and other creatures that inhabit the Undersea. Really, it's just best not to ask what's in the food.
Fresh foods are available, but they have to be imported, at high cost, so they are a luxury for all but the richest of Stolen New York's citizens.
Transportation
Transportation around the city is primarily by foot, bicycle or the occasional horse- or person-drawn carriage. New York's supply of gasoline ran out over six years ago, and despite constant attempts, no one has been able to import more. So yes, there are a huge number of abandoned cars on the streets, the vast majority of which have already been stripped of anything useful.
There are horses in the city, but because their food has to be entirely imported, owning one is far beyond anyone's means. Instead, business and other groups will collectively own a few, and attempt to recoup their costs by hiring them out for transportation.
New York's subway system did not make the transfer underground. There are still some entrances and a few tunnels intact, but they unstable, and often infested with either rat or cat populations.
The Animals of Stolen New York
With the lack of plant life, the only animals that survive are those that can either live off of the plentiful fungi or off of the detritus of humans. This means rats, mice and pigeons are plentiful, as are cats, which feed off of them. There are also a goodly number of insects and spiders, as well as bats that feed off of those.
Other animals may exist as pets, but characters should keep in mind the expense of fresh foods.
The rats of Stolen New York deserve special mention. The vast majority of them are typical New York City rats (meaning the ones near the docks are huge), but a significant minority seem to have developed not only sentience, but also a culture and civilization of their own. They mostly don't interact much with the human population of the city, though there is some limited trade, especially in electronics, which the talking rats, with their smaller (much) hands are often better at manufacturing and repairing.