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bent_the_world) wrote2020-07-19 11:05 am
bent_the_world) wrote2020-07-19 11:05 am
Djavulenstad
Once upon a time, a group of monsters who'd lost their home base due to god shenanigans decided to found a new one. Djavulenstad was born. Originally founded by Greed and his motley crew of monsters, the city and it's famed bar have passed through other hands until now it's under the eye and protection of former Avatar Korra.
Central District
1 - The Devil's Nest
2 - Illuminati Park
3 - The Crowsnest
4 - The Clocktower
5 - Abandoned
6 - Available
7 - Abandoned
8 - Hell's Court
9 - Available
10 - Afton Height
The Devil's Nest sits roughly in the very center of the city, and at first glance it's nothing much: just another run-down, seedy, neon-lit bar, all ragged walls and dark corners. There's probably ten in the Central District alone. But more observant eyes will soon notice this: it doesn't look like it's built into the city. It looks like the city was built around it.
If you've got business with Djävulenstad's monsters, it's the Devil's Nest the city's residents will point you to.
Inside is an eclectic mix of lavish and hole-in-the-wall, neon lighting in ample supply. Expensive looking upholstered parlor chairs mingle with metal bar stools and lawn chairs, mismatched tables are scattered around one side while an open dance floor and small stage takes up the other. In the center is the bar itself, a great wooden thing with a massive aquarium tank sitting raised behind it. All manner of strange decor hangs from the walls and ceiling and rests on random shelves and counter tops. Bizarre art, animal skulls, random street signs, tapestries, twisted metal things that could either be trash or sculptures...
Oddly enough, little pig figurines can be found tucked in among the decor here and there, almost hidden.
The staff is a mix of humans and monsters, the humans wearing elaborate and fantastical - though not often entirely covering - costumes that are clearly inspired by Ryslig's local monster types. At night there are performances, currently mostly erotic dancing provided by human dancers.
If you need information, or a line on black market art, knock off merchandise, drugs, or other such illicit trade, all can be found at the Devil's Nest. Violent crime, however, is not tolerated.
While there is a large upstairs and a basement, both are off limits to customers and marked with 'Staff Only' signs. Often, a massive polar bear dog in a black leather vest stands outside the door along with the bouncers.
Lovingly christened by Heather Mason, "because of all the nice lamp posts," Illuminati Park is a small spot of green in the middle of the busiest part of the city. It's not very well tamed - if it's gardened at all - but it's still not a bad place to take a walk. Especially when your alternatives are, well... the rest of the city. There's a tiny stream somewhere in there and everything, come on, you'll like it.
Notable residents: a tiger named Duchess. Do not antagonize the tiger.
The city's got a lot of glittering night-lights. But apparently, one little patch of trees in the central district is determined to out-sparkle everything else. Nestled up high off the ground (and decorated with as many colorful lights and shiny trinkets she can find) is the Crowsnest, roost of the notorious (at least among those familiar with the Devil's Nest gang) little harpy known as Mason. It's clearly a house meant for someone with wings-- the only way to get up is by wing or by precarious rope-ladder, assuming she's in the mood to have the ladders down to begin with!
While Heather Mason is no longer among the residents of Ryslig, the Crowsnest remains maintained.
It's a clock tower! Vaguely ominous looking and easy to see from most parts of the city. It seems weirdly inaccessible...
Where the Devil's Nest is the beating heart of the city, Hell's Court is... something a bit lower down. The place is blacked-out curtains and drab colours during the day, crowded streets and neon lights once evening falls, and when the sky is dark it doesn't really take breaks.
Let's put it this way: there are a lot of red lights. It's no East City bazaar, but if you're looking for some sort of experience, Hell's Court is where you want to go.
There are blackout curtains over the windows of the house on the hill; what glimpses of the inside you can get during the day glitter.
That said, there's a great view of the city from the top of Afton Height - the hill is steep enough to be called the highest point in Djävulenstad. And it's a nice hike to the top, breezy even on the hottest days. Maybe just... don't disturb the building's occupants..
1 - The Devil's Nest
2 - Illuminati Park
3 - The Crowsnest
4 - The Clocktower
5 - Abandoned
6 - Available
7 - Abandoned
8 - Hell's Court
9 - Available
10 - Afton Height
The Devil's Nest
The Devil's Nest sits roughly in the very center of the city, and at first glance it's nothing much: just another run-down, seedy, neon-lit bar, all ragged walls and dark corners. There's probably ten in the Central District alone. But more observant eyes will soon notice this: it doesn't look like it's built into the city. It looks like the city was built around it.
If you've got business with Djävulenstad's monsters, it's the Devil's Nest the city's residents will point you to.
Inside is an eclectic mix of lavish and hole-in-the-wall, neon lighting in ample supply. Expensive looking upholstered parlor chairs mingle with metal bar stools and lawn chairs, mismatched tables are scattered around one side while an open dance floor and small stage takes up the other. In the center is the bar itself, a great wooden thing with a massive aquarium tank sitting raised behind it. All manner of strange decor hangs from the walls and ceiling and rests on random shelves and counter tops. Bizarre art, animal skulls, random street signs, tapestries, twisted metal things that could either be trash or sculptures...
Oddly enough, little pig figurines can be found tucked in among the decor here and there, almost hidden.
The staff is a mix of humans and monsters, the humans wearing elaborate and fantastical - though not often entirely covering - costumes that are clearly inspired by Ryslig's local monster types. At night there are performances, currently mostly erotic dancing provided by human dancers.
If you need information, or a line on black market art, knock off merchandise, drugs, or other such illicit trade, all can be found at the Devil's Nest. Violent crime, however, is not tolerated.
While there is a large upstairs and a basement, both are off limits to customers and marked with 'Staff Only' signs. Often, a massive polar bear dog in a black leather vest stands outside the door along with the bouncers.
Illuminati Park
Lovingly christened by Heather Mason, "because of all the nice lamp posts," Illuminati Park is a small spot of green in the middle of the busiest part of the city. It's not very well tamed - if it's gardened at all - but it's still not a bad place to take a walk. Especially when your alternatives are, well... the rest of the city. There's a tiny stream somewhere in there and everything, come on, you'll like it.
Notable residents: a tiger named Duchess. Do not antagonize the tiger.
Crowsnest
The city's got a lot of glittering night-lights. But apparently, one little patch of trees in the central district is determined to out-sparkle everything else. Nestled up high off the ground (and decorated with as many colorful lights and shiny trinkets she can find) is the Crowsnest, roost of the notorious (at least among those familiar with the Devil's Nest gang) little harpy known as Mason. It's clearly a house meant for someone with wings-- the only way to get up is by wing or by precarious rope-ladder, assuming she's in the mood to have the ladders down to begin with!
While Heather Mason is no longer among the residents of Ryslig, the Crowsnest remains maintained.
The Clocktower
It's a clock tower! Vaguely ominous looking and easy to see from most parts of the city. It seems weirdly inaccessible...
Hell's Court
.
Where the Devil's Nest is the beating heart of the city, Hell's Court is... something a bit lower down. The place is blacked-out curtains and drab colours during the day, crowded streets and neon lights once evening falls, and when the sky is dark it doesn't really take breaks.
Let's put it this way: there are a lot of red lights. It's no East City bazaar, but if you're looking for some sort of experience, Hell's Court is where you want to go.
Afton Height
There are blackout curtains over the windows of the house on the hill; what glimpses of the inside you can get during the day glitter.
That said, there's a great view of the city from the top of Afton Height - the hill is steep enough to be called the highest point in Djävulenstad. And it's a nice hike to the top, breezy even on the hottest days. Maybe just... don't disturb the building's occupants..
THE DOCKS
blurb credit
WEST CITY
There are a lot of apartments in West City. Most of them are families, not necessarily by blood, but by networking and a means of surviving. There are plenty of open places for rent and while some of the landlords aren't too great on the eyes, you can find some affordable living here, depending on who you know and what you have to offer. If you're new in town, looking for a place free of the Gods and a little more lax on law? This may be a good place to start. The apartments here are usually loud with less-than-stellar neighbors, but hey - if you need a hand? They'll probably offer you one.
Every so often, workers from the Devil's Nest will come around to talk to residents, to make sure everything's going the way it ought to. Any reports of crime beyond the allowed scope of the city, extortion above the acceptable level, or outside organizations trying to get a foot in Djavulenstad are looked into and taken care of. Citizens here, while having to deal with the unsavory aspects of the city, enjoy a certain level of protection as long as they follow the rules.
Note: Priests of either God will have a difficult time getting a permanent residence in the West part of town. It's not impossible, but if they're open and trying to preach their cause, they may be given a swift eviction notice without warning. Or, at minimum, a jack on the price of rent.
Also, the neighbors might begin to ignore you. (No, they'll definitely begin to ignore you.)
If you're more lax, they'll be wary, but not entirely unfriendly. Just keep the preaching on the down-low.
Want, need: this is the place where you can find it. There are store fronts all around - offering odds, ends. Trinkets. Maybe you're looking for something particular, maybe you don't even know what you're looking for. Either way, someone will provide. Most of the businesses and apartments here run on a sense of community: one passed by word of mouth, by secrets kept and swindled like poker chips in a betting pool. Careful though - if you're a tourist, those pockets? They're ripe, oh just ripe, for the taking. But if you're looking for contraband? Something not entirely legal?
This is the place to go.
Every couple of months, a bazaar will pop up after the Fog. Why? Who knows. Tradition, maybe. But it's always offering up something: foods (for both monster and the not-so-much), bottles of liquor, makeshift street games you can play for something cheap. It's hard to predict just when it'll show up, but be it your lucky day, should it come around while you're in town.
Show them your matchbox though, and they'll grudgingly let you pass. If yours has a guide, they'll be greeted with far less animosity. After all, even criminals have a sense of code.
Crime:
The laws regarding crime are relatively simple. Human citizens are off limits for eating, as are other monsters. Violent crime such as assault, murder, and the like are forbidden. Breaking these rules results in a swift and deadly visit from the local Devil's Nesters. And of course taking care of rule breakers is always permitted.
Pretty much everything else is fair game. Black market dealings, drug trade, sex trade, scams and cons, robbery, counterfeiting...the city runs on crime, and everyone benefits from it in some way, shape, or form from the lifetime criminals who give the local monster 'authorities' a cut to the average citizen who pays protection money.
City Magic:
Give a man a fish, you can feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you can feed him for a lifetime. Steal his fish and well - you've got the town's lively docks. Most of the boats parked out here are questionable even at their best. What they're hauling, who runs them: they look like they've seen their fair share of time. Whether that's been behind bars, fleeing the scene, or merely pirating off of someone else's misfortune, it's hard to say. Most of the city's shipments come through here and more than likely, they've been given a five-finger discount. Is that a crate of liquor from Bavan? A carton from Vandare? Guesses are decidedly -
- yes. Yes, they are.
The shacks on the docks mostly belong to the residents that own them and you're likely to find some sort of activity going on. Gambling, food being chopped up and displayed. Like everywhere else, there's a lot of illegal activity here and if you're a tourist who's wandered off, the welcoming won't be too-welcome. If you're here because you've been looking to get away from the other cities and towns of Ryslig? Maybe you'll have a better time.
There is one rule regarding smuggling: trafficking monsters or humans is strictly forbidden. Break the law and you and yours might find the shady citizens here are the least of your concerns.
- yes. Yes, they are.
The shacks on the docks mostly belong to the residents that own them and you're likely to find some sort of activity going on. Gambling, food being chopped up and displayed. Like everywhere else, there's a lot of illegal activity here and if you're a tourist who's wandered off, the welcoming won't be too-welcome. If you're here because you've been looking to get away from the other cities and towns of Ryslig? Maybe you'll have a better time.
There is one rule regarding smuggling: trafficking monsters or humans is strictly forbidden. Break the law and you and yours might find the shady citizens here are the least of your concerns.
WEST CITY
There are a lot of apartments in West City. Most of them are families, not necessarily by blood, but by networking and a means of surviving. There are plenty of open places for rent and while some of the landlords aren't too great on the eyes, you can find some affordable living here, depending on who you know and what you have to offer. If you're new in town, looking for a place free of the Gods and a little more lax on law? This may be a good place to start. The apartments here are usually loud with less-than-stellar neighbors, but hey - if you need a hand? They'll probably offer you one.
Every so often, workers from the Devil's Nest will come around to talk to residents, to make sure everything's going the way it ought to. Any reports of crime beyond the allowed scope of the city, extortion above the acceptable level, or outside organizations trying to get a foot in Djavulenstad are looked into and taken care of. Citizens here, while having to deal with the unsavory aspects of the city, enjoy a certain level of protection as long as they follow the rules.
Note: Priests of either God will have a difficult time getting a permanent residence in the West part of town. It's not impossible, but if they're open and trying to preach their cause, they may be given a swift eviction notice without warning. Or, at minimum, a jack on the price of rent.
Also, the neighbors might begin to ignore you. (No, they'll definitely begin to ignore you.)
If you're more lax, they'll be wary, but not entirely unfriendly. Just keep the preaching on the down-low.
EAST CITY
Want, need: this is the place where you can find it. There are store fronts all around - offering odds, ends. Trinkets. Maybe you're looking for something particular, maybe you don't even know what you're looking for. Either way, someone will provide. Most of the businesses and apartments here run on a sense of community: one passed by word of mouth, by secrets kept and swindled like poker chips in a betting pool. Careful though - if you're a tourist, those pockets? They're ripe, oh just ripe, for the taking. But if you're looking for contraband? Something not entirely legal?
This is the place to go.
Every couple of months, a bazaar will pop up after the Fog. Why? Who knows. Tradition, maybe. But it's always offering up something: foods (for both monster and the not-so-much), bottles of liquor, makeshift street games you can play for something cheap. It's hard to predict just when it'll show up, but be it your lucky day, should it come around while you're in town.
OUTSKIRTS
There isn't much living out on the far edge. The buildings themselves seem quiet; as if the desert leading in has sucked them dry, leaving behind a remnant like that of ghost town wiped off the map. Because here, here is the gateway. The one way in and out. Ever heard the rhyme? City of Sin, City of Sin, you can only go out the way you came in.
There are people that live on this side of town, but how friendly they are? That begs the question. Most look rough, ragged, and if you're not a familiar face, you might feel eyes watching you as you pass. From a window, from the street corner. Because the citizens here, they know a thing or two and it's better the devil they know, than the ones they don't.
Show them your matchbox though, and they'll grudgingly let you pass. If yours has a guide, they'll be greeted with far less animosity. After all, even criminals have a sense of code.
MISC
Crime:
The laws regarding crime are relatively simple. Human citizens are off limits for eating, as are other monsters. Violent crime such as assault, murder, and the like are forbidden. Breaking these rules results in a swift and deadly visit from the local Devil's Nesters. And of course taking care of rule breakers is always permitted.
Pretty much everything else is fair game. Black market dealings, drug trade, sex trade, scams and cons, robbery, counterfeiting...the city runs on crime, and everyone benefits from it in some way, shape, or form from the lifetime criminals who give the local monster 'authorities' a cut to the average citizen who pays protection money.
City Magic:
The city itself is under an enchantment that makes it pretty much impossible to navigate without a guide or actually being a citizen. Visitors who just wander in will find themselves helplessly turned around and repeatedly encountering the same dead ends before find themselves right back at the gates.
Matchboxes:
The Devil's Nest matchboxes are the one exception to the rule: hold one, and the way through the city's as plain to you as anyone who lives there. You won't need a guide to find your way to the borders.
Matchboxes are one-use only, though: as soon you cross into the city, the matchbox you're using will burn up in your hands. You'll need another one if you want to loop back out and in.
Candles and Lanterns:There's an old saying in town: "A light for every moment, a candle for each event. Make sure to choose the right one and its worth is well spent." You might see them one night. Sometimes, it's only one - other times, most if not all the houses in town will have a candle or a lantern lit. The color depends on the situation and if yours happens to ask, someone might be willing to tell you what they mean.
For a fee, of course.
Purple: It means someone is terminally ill, dying, or already dead. These are usually placed on the roof or in the nearest place that can easily be seen. For the people in town, it's a permission for the monsters that live there to take a family member. It's usually seen as a better alternative to burying or, in the event that one of them is sick, some households may opt to use this as a kind of peaceful end. Choosing instead to die at the hands of a soul-eater than spend day by day, suffering out an illness. More fanatic residents may see this a blessing, but those are rarer. Most just consider it just a part of how life is here. After all, what's taboo to others - here? It's just a part of the norm.
Yellow: If yours comes when there's yellow is town, it makes you a lucky fellow. There's something going on - a festival, maybe. Who knows. But it's worth the time to stick around. A lot of shops and businesses will extend their hours if this color's afoot. And boy, oh boy, do they know their avarice.
Green: Alert. This may mean a bunch of things. The Fog may be rolling in, there may be a threat from one of the Gods. Either way, green lights mean nothing entirely good. Followers of either god should take heed whenever these show up. Otherwise, if they're open about their alignment or preaching, they may be rounded up by one of the citizens themselves, looking for some quick cash. And where they'll bring them? Surely, you can take a guess.
Red: Red lights spread like a wildfire as soon as one's lit, and there's good reason for it - it's a warning for the city's own residents. There's something serious going down, something more immediate and urgent than the Fog rolling in or a general alert to be careful. Red means: hide away, and let the city's monsters take care of it.
Children's Games:If you come during the day, you're as likely to see kids in Djävulenstad play Monsters and the Bloody Bones as they are Cops and Robbers. However, in this game, it's the Monsters that are the good guys, the Bloody Bones are the villains. Maybe this isn't all that surprising.
Sometimes, children will get masks or creative with the game. A paper bag that looks suspiciously like one of the Shades in town? A pair of horns made out of cups because their favorite monster is the local Minotaur? Maybe one has some colorful feathers and they're trying their best at a raptor walk.
Feel free to play with them. Chances are, if you're a monster, the kids will really dig you.