A sampling of cities from Nerdarchy’s Open Legend live game
Beginning today, April 28, Nerdarchy will host a weekly live stream Open Legend game starting at noon EST on Fridays. Nerdarchist Dave will be at the GM helm, and players Nerdarchist Ted, Nerdarchy.com web editor-in-chief Ty Johnston, staff writer William C (aka Professor Bill of Comic Book University), and staff writers Megan Miller and Doug Vehovec will form a party of adventurers to take on this exciting game system.
A Patreon-exclusive poll helped shape the game world by choosing the theme and genre for the setting, and there will be additional ways for Patreons and viewers to interact and engage with the game as it continues each week. Be sure to check out Nerdarchy’s Patreon to discover all the ways you can support Nerdarchy and get cool gaming tips and learn how to game with Nerdarchy, get exclusive offers, ask priority questions to guests during the daily live chats and more.
In preparation for Nerdarchy’s live stream Open Legend game, two live chat sessions took place with the players and GM to take on world building, and the players were given a homework assignment to develop some of the cities in the game world, which you can find below. In a setting fueled by arcanapunk, fantasy and horror themes, the world became a place of huge cities that float in the skies above a mysterious surface shrouded in fog. Recently, a 13th city emerged surrounded by a dangerous aether cloud called the Curtain.
Against this backdrop for adventure in a world filled with mystery and danger, a beloved sport called aetherball combines magic and athleticism for the entertainment of people the world over.
Check out the two pregame live chats, a session zero and a session zero-point-five, at Nerdarchy’s YouTube channel to learn more, and tune in every Friday at noon to watch how the adventures unfold. Also be sure to subscribe to Nerdarchy’s channel, follow us on Twitter and Facebook to find out different ways you can interact with this exciting Open Legend live stream roleplaying game.
Orashul (by Doug Vehovec)
This vibrant city reinvented itself as a cultural center after suffering heavy damage in war. The few surviving structures of elegant architecture of the past mingle with modern buildings and construction. Museums, cultural venues and shopping are major draws for both citizens and tourists. Known for its skilled artisans, craftspeople and artists, people of all races are welcome and make their homes in Orashul – as long as they join a guild. The establishment of guilds is a critical part of the city’s history that helped organize and rebuild following the war that caused so much damage.
The city is governed by a guild federation, with representatives from all of the guilds, of which there are now a great deal. This system works surprisingly well to maintain a city that is both industrious and beautiful.
Because of a laissez-faire approach to economy, Orashul has become a busy trade city and transportation hub. Merchants from all over come to do business here, importing and exporting or contracting and commissioning work. It is as much a city of art and culture as it is a city build on deal-making.
Like Falcress, the streets themselves are illuminated and aether lamps abound. The Luminii Guild has created innovative lighting that conserves aether by turning off or dimming when no one is around, and also changes color according to citizens’ preferences. Lighting can accompany you as you travel around the city, or even remember a regular walking path, illuminating your way or guiding you to a destination. This system serves a practical purpose as well as an aesthetic one. By conserving aether when it is not needed, Orashul has an abundance of energy – a fact that the guild federation carefully conceals from the other cities.
There is, of course, an aetherball guild, as well as a stadium – one of the biggest and most elaborate in the world. The guild maintains training facilities and sponsors professional and amateur teams. There are currently three pro teams and lots of amateur, casual and intramural teams. Anyone on an aetherball team is also a guild member and expected to assist in facility maintenance, training, promoting the sport and so on.
Dynamo is the most popular team out of Orashul, with legions of fans rallying behind the black and gold two-headed wolf logo. As the premier team, they eat, sleep and breathe aetherball, dedicating their lives to the sport and the guild. Becoming a member of this club, with its long history and tradition, is a dream for many aetherball players.
Triple Stars, with their logo of three eight-pointed white stars on a dark blue field, are a very quick and aggressive team specializing in high scoring blitzers. Triple Stars’ coach is a former Bandits star whose career was cut short due to injury, and summarily dismissed from the organization. Adapting their style, the coach aimed to temper the aggressive tactics with speed and precision, and would love nothing more than to triumph over his former team in the finals.
Talons seek a balanced mid-field game, and tend to hover about, waiting for their opportunity to strike. Like the inspiration for their logo, a grey roc on a disc of maroon, Talons carefully use their energy to take on much larger opponents.
Piatracas (by Doug Vehovec)
The dwarven “stone home” is a rather rigid society organized around the state. When the once-earthbound mountain kingdom was pulled from the ground to the sky above, the dwarves adapted with stoic resolve.
Piatracas is laid out in six sectors that radiate outward around a central, dwarf-made lake in the hollowed out peak of the mountain the city is built upon and within. Exterior structures are carved out of the mountain stone itself, and incorporate the natural veins of crystal that run through the rock. There is a lot going on underground, but the outside bustles with activity as well, with very little of the mountain’s exterior left untouched by dwarven craft. The city sectors are organized around specific facets of society: administrative, cultural, commercial, industrial, military and agriculture, and built in a sort of terraced construction. The head of state in the General Mayor, based in the administrative sector.
Dwarves are very industrious people, and the engines are always turning. Life in Piatracas can be kind of hard and filled with toil, and there are a lot of workers for the state to be responsible for. Most dwarven citizens are either workers or military, and life can be kind of hardscrabble either way. Those deemed unfit for work or soldiering are very often disenfranchised, finding little place in Piatracas.
Steampower and mechanical technology is prevalent in the city, which has a wary stance towards aether. Stacks emerge from underground emitting steam and the streets are lit with gaslight. The state is mistrustful of aether, preferring to rely on dwarven ingenuity. Unused aether is stored and sold to other cities, providing a huge amount of wealth to the state. The dwarves believe that abuse of aether is what led to the need to leave the surface. They long for a return to the earth below, and strive to keep the city as aether-free as possible in hopes they can exist on the surface without the need to use it. The General Mayor has different ideas, and has been secretly stockpiling aether for a purpose known only to the state.
A proud, tough people, dwarves are generally supportive of the state. They do not have a terrible or oppressive existence, at least from their own perspective. It is certainly no walk down easy street, and lesser, nondwarf people would probably find it awful and be unable to keep up, but dwarves relish in hard work and results.
There is a small, clandestine organization that opposes the state. Members believe there is something sinister going on in the halls of Sector One, and they risk danger acting as spies to find out what’s up.
Piatracas has a single professional aetherball team, which is state sponsored. Proudly wearing their symbol, a faceted gem inside a triangle on a shield of bronze, Vanguard relies heavily on dwarven resilience, playing a strong defensive game to outlast their opponents. They’ll also use their natural toughness to put themselves in harm’s way to gain an advantage.
Falcress (by Megan Miller)
The homeland of elven people, this city boasts a prestigious university where the most brilliant minds of the age have emerged. The intense pursuit of knowledge has also produced many cutthroat rivalries amongst researchers.
Concerned with the outward appearance of Falcress, city planners and government have maneuvered the more impoverished citizens and neighborhoods towards the center of the city, away from observation from outside. Adapting to their situation, those who live in these less gentrified or economically sound areas have developed their own tight-knit and vibrant culture. Residents here can be somewhat rough, but protective of one another. Their lifestyle is completely relative – the slums of Falcress are much better than those of other cities or even the upper class neighborhoods of some!
Agriculture is an integral part of the city’s identity, the elves having perfected the art of growing things through a combination of aether manipulation and science., and a large garden occupies the southern portion of Falcress. Likewise, the city abounds with trees, and there is unspoken competition between noble houses to cultivate gardens that are superior to each other. Plantlife is integrated into Falcress’ architecture, and the people of the city consider their environmentally-friendly society a point of pride.
At night, the streets are lit by aether-based devices embedded in the pavement and architecture and hanging from trees, a technology they share with Orashul. The devices capture sunlight and ambient aether, storing it to provide illumination throughout the night. Because of the lush greenery and aether, bioluminescent insects have evolved and thrive in Falcress as well.
Non-elven people are allowed within Falcress, but the elves make no secret that they are not wanted. A cold reception awaits non-elves in Falcress, and foreigners can expect at least a year of such treatment before the elves of Falcress show even the slightest change in attitude towards them.
Two aetherball teams call Falcress home, and share an intense rivalry with each other to be the city’s premier franchise.
The Hatters, in their purple and brass uniforms, are known in the league for their distraction tactics. They play as if every member of the team is a swoop, zipping around the bowl to be as disruptive to the opposing team as possible.
In red and black uniforms, the Bandits are an incredibly aggressive team with a reputation for violence. If you’re playing against the Bandits, you are probably going to get hurt. Their tactics in the bowl amount to winning by attrition, something these players from Falcress’ inner city are familiar with from the relatively rough life they’re accustomed to living.
New Renwick (by Megan Miller)
A gnomish city of extravagance and indulgence, casinos and brothels are plentiful in this city. Vice funds New Renwick, with visitors from every other city frequently coming to drop their coin on entertainment and a good time.
The actual population of New Renwick is very low, a fact masked by the huge swaths of people coming and going at all hours. The gnomes who do live there and manage the city take their jobs very seriously.
All of the buildings in New Renwick are constructed with the shorter races in mind, and have facilities that accommodate their physicality. In fact, it’s more likely that members of the larger races will experience some difficulty finding rooms and convenience because the scale of things disproportionately favors smaller folk.
New Renwick keeps it’s own special code of justice, and ticking off the wrong person can find the offender taking a long drop over the city’s edge. The city does not have an organized law enforcement, and settling disputes this way is neither secret nor shameful. That’s life in New Renwick.
New Renwick has two professional aetherball teams. The Incubi comprises a team of handsome men who wear masks during play to protect their beautiful faces. Decked in royal blue and silver, these players relish the fame and fortune professional aetherball can bring, making exorbitant amounts of money for public appearances and promotional contracts. For all the pomp surrounding the team, they are very good athletes as well.
The High Rollers, in green and gold, play a high risk-high reward aetherball game, employing bold strategies and risky plays. Disciplined on the field, the team is anything but away from the game and have been thrown out or banned from hotels in every major city for troublemaking.
Granglehold (by Nerdarchist Ted)
Like Kerfluffle, the kobold throne city, Granglehold is a poor city. Unlike Kerfluffle, there is no Golden Towers to contrast the poverty of this ghetto society. To the poor of Granglehold, money is a powerful stimulant, and the desperate folks are willing to do just about anything for the promise of coin and a better life.
Anyone is welcome in the city, although the regular inhabitants wonder why anyone would choose to make their home here. Because of the free and open nature of the society, many ships come and go from Granglehold’s ports, lending the city a reputation as a lucrative trade location where any item can be bought and sold if the price is right.
Even with the sprawl and poverty, the city does have a class structure. Although the term “noble of Granglehold” is a laughable notion elsewhere in the world, there are those of higher station within the city. The title is barely recognized abroad, offering a small measure of respect but purely out of protocol. The nobles of Granglehold weather such insults with quiet civility – at least on the surface. Behind closed doors, the insults and condescension has led to an alliance of the noble houses, which have banded together to experiment with aethermancy in hopes of changing their fortunes and status in the wider world. Thanks to the overcrowding and disorganized rulership of the population, citizens of the city or travelers are often the subject of these experiments, people who will not be missed.
The city does support a single aetherball team, which the people of Granglehold barely manage to scrape together. The Beasts, in their worn red and copper uniforms with the scale-patterned block B logo, are the worst in the league. However, they have a secret plan for the upcoming season that they hope will lead them to a first place victory and trophy if they can pull it off.
Alerion (by Nerdarchist Ted)
Of the known cities in the world, Alerion is the least unusual. Run by a primarily human population, this city welcomes all within its borders and is known for its racial diversity. Alerion’s progressive policies and values of freedom and acceptance inspire loyalty from the citizenry.
One of the most well-known of the noble houses of Alerion is House Felaris, which has a reputation for throwing extravagant parties and galas that last for days. Many visiting dignitaries have paid a small fortune to be entertained at one of these events. There is an ulterior motive to these parties, though. Felaris has used the proceeds generated from their parties and data collected from guests to develop a highly addictive drug that grants aether-based powers to those who take it. The designer drug has been distributed in test markets in other cities, and among the elite of society who can afford it, has shown to be very popular and profitable.
Airship construction is the city’s major industry. The shipwrights of Alerion have mastered techniques that make their ships the fastest in the world. The secrets of their art are closely guarded, and spies and agents from other cities have more than once tried and failed to uncover these secrets.
For all the polish and glimmer of Alerion, the tarnished parts show all the darker, and a strong criminal element exists within the city. This criminal underworld quite literally dwells beneath the city, operating in a twisting system of caves and caverns. With the right contacts, and the right amount of money, this network will take on work ranging anywhere from simple theft to outright assassination.
Alerion boasts three professional aetherball teams. The Fireballs, in red and orange, are known for their aggression in the Bowl and in most matches rush out to a quick lead. There’s a prevailing suspicion that players quaff some sort of potent energy drink, perhaps infused with aether, to give them a boost before the start of a game. The players seem to play a lot slower in the second half of a game.
The Blazing Dragons, in black and gold, are renowned for the skill of their seers and are frequently found at the top of the charts for their ranking in that position.
The Crush, whose grey and white stone patterned block C represents their hard-hitting tactics, holds the league’s record for most penalties and hardest hits. Though nothing has been proven explicitly, the common belief is that the team’s purpose is to cause injuries to players from other cities’ teams to pave an easier road to victory for Alerion’s other teams. Despite these rumors, and more than one official investigation, no criminal charges have even been filed and no player has been banned from league play. The team does count many good players in its ranks, and generally they perform well in the standings but have rarely come out on top during a season.
Theopholis (from Ty Johnston)
In the absence of a true divine presence in the world, the city of Theopholis clung to the old beliefs and remained steadfast in their faith. The holiest of cities, Theopholis is a huge central religious center. Populated mostly by humans, the people of the city present their philosophies in two primary ways. Maintaining a sanctimonious air is not uncommon. Many lord their moral superiority over others, looking down smugly on those who aren’t pillars of faith. But there are just as many citizens who are truly pious and devoutly follow the tenets of religion, embodying the spirit of community and goodness.
Non-humans are tolerated within the city, providing they can prove their worth. Typically this involves making a donation to the church and vowing t0 uphold, or at least respect, the principles of Theopholisian religious beliefs. They must also provide a viable reason for being in the city, which can include contributing a needed skill or talent. Under these auspices, passes are given to visitors identifying their sacred right to move within the city to authorities. However, even then non-humans are looked upon with pity or derision, for they surely must have wronged the gods to be cursed with deformed bodies.
The people of Theopholis are resolute in their belief that their home is the holiest place in the world, and in fact, the other cities are populated by scum and villainy.
Beyond providing a belief system and governance structure for the city, religion is also big business here. Those who violate the laws of either god or man can reduce the punishment awaiting them for breaking catechism by literally paying for their sins and receiving an indulgence from a church. Recipients of indulgences are required to perform specific tasks that may include prayers, pilgrimages or charitable works, but they can also be bought.
The wealthy especially take advantage of the last method, circumventing temporal punishment either in life or after by making large donations. A semi-secular organization handles the indulgence trade, taking a cut of every donation.
Clever citizens of Theopholis often take advantage of this system, finding loopholes in the laws, and there is widespread abuse. Authorities have even been known to look the other way in the case of heinous crimes when sizable donations are made.
Aether is nearly reviled in Theopholisian society. It is only barely tolerated because of its necessity, but the church advocates moving beyond the need for such unnatural forces. They believe it is man’s weakness that led them to manipulate aether, and that men must put their greed and selfishness behind them in order to progress to a better world that does not rely on aether. Man belongs on the surface of the world, not in the sky where the gods dwell. Whether returning to the ground below is dangerous or foolhardy, or leads to end times, it must be done.
Theopholis has a single aetherball team, The Pure. The sport is barely tolerated by the church, which considers the activity a waste of time that does not glorify the gods. However, it is seen as a means to placate the common folk, who seem to love it – especially when the seer gives thanks to the gods for their victories. The Pure exists purely out of public demand. The team is disciplined and professional, but team members do not enjoy the kinds of perks that teams from other cities experience.
Purgamentum (from Ty Johnston)
Built around a very old and traditional city center, the primary focus since before the current age revolved around funerary rites, interment and cremation. In fact, the city center is an ancient necropolis. People from other cities often contract to have their loved ones interred here, although non-citizens are restricted from visiting the necropolis.
A long and solemn history of mortuary professionals is an important part of the city’s identity, tied directly into their ancient traditions. These serious morticians are formal and sincere about their duties, and are highly respected and regarded members of society. However, there is a growing number of fly-by-night crooks who do not revere the same traditional vows nor have the same respect for the dead.
Although the populace is primarily human, people of all civilized races are welcome in Purgamentum.
In stark contrast to the city center’s ancient elegance, the outer rings of Purgamentum are colloquially referred to as “Junk Town.” A massive, sprawling junkyard occupies vast swathes of land around the city center. Disposed people of all races and origins might find a home in Junk Town, their lives being discarded in the same manner as the objects that fill the space here. The lot who call Junk Town home have learned to turn their misfortune into a way of life, however, taking contracts from other cities to store and dispose of their trash. Additionally, the more industrious inhabitants regularly sift through the junk, discovering objects that still have value either on their own or as materials to build, tinker and craft with.
There is an unspoken tradition that has emerged, practiced by both the folk of Junk Town as well as unscrupulous morticians. Lots of stuff winds up going over the side, dropped to the surface world far below. There’s only so much space for junk, after all. And sometimes a crooked mortician doesn’t bother spending time or energy to properly inter the dead, taking a family’s money and slipping the deceased in with the next load of trash dumped to the ground.
Purgamentum has too many aetherball teams to count. Most citizens look to the sport as the best – or only – way to move up and out of Junk Town. There are three professional aetherball teams, over a dozen minor league teams and hundreds of amateur clubs. On occasion a wealthy investor will spend big to start a new major league team, but these tend to fizzle out after a season or two unless they consistently make the finals.
Kerfluffle (from William C. – aka Professor Bill)
In an effort to engage with and involve the community and audience with the live-streamed Open Legend campaign, Professor Bill has put the call out for ideas to help develop the city of Kerfluffle. Visit his article at Nerdarchy.com, subscribe to Comic Book University on YouTube or follow him at Professor Bill on Twitter to find ways you can help shape the kobold throne city!
Although they may be the lowliest of the civilized races, the kobolds of the world have a city all their own, making the most of their situation. Without funds, regular transportation to other cities or the resources to build lasting structures, Kerfluffle is essentially one big slum. And it is big – one of the bigger cities as a matter of fact. Despite its size, it is the most poorly represented city in the world at large. The kobold throne city is perpetually in poverty, home to the lowest of the low, a people disenfranchised the world over.
Tenement housing abounds in Kerfluffle. Structures might hold dozens or hundreds of kobolds within the warren-like apartments partitioned within the walls. A single floor of a tenement might have twenty living units, and of those less than half have a window to the outside, with the rest being isolated in the interior.
The infrastructure of the city is terrible. The tallest building in the entire city is five stories high and is considered a marvel of construction by the kobold people. Running water, elevators, proper ventilation – these are luxuries kobolds can only dream about.
However, kobolds are nothing if not adaptable. Within and around their ghetto kingdom, series of slides are used to quickly and easily move between different levels and between buildings. It doesn’t do a whole lot of getting back up, but at least you can get down relatively quickly.
Despite, or perhaps because of the tightly packed population, smaller communities have developed within the dense society. Kobolds from the same floor of a tenement, for example, become incredibly close to their neighbors and fiercely loyal and protective of their turf.
There are as many liquor stores and taverns in Kerfluffle as their are churches and community centers.
Aether is not readily available in Kerfluffle, and so it has not become as integral a part of their society as it has elsewhere. Further, the aether that does flow in and around Kerfuffle is poisoned. Rumors abound that Kerfluffan aether can cause muscle spasms, nerve damage and more.
Not everything in Kerfluffle is terrible, though, at least in appearance. What little wealth Kerfluffle boasts is funneled into Golden Towers, a walled-off sector where the city’s government and elite live. The pinnacle of kobold civilization, Golden Towers is a beautiful area of Kerfluffle with expertly constructed spacious living, tended gardens and the like. Emissaries from other cities are welcomed here, and they rarely have want or desire to visit the other side of the wall, which is guarded day and night. So different than the rest of Kerfluffle are Golden Towers that from a certain perspective, it is an eyesore. Looking at the fanciful section of Kerfuffle from the other side of the wall can certainly make a kobold’s eyes hurt. Likewise, to those who live in Golden Towers, the kobolds who live beyond the wall are considered vermin.
Believe it or not, there is a class of people even lower than kobolds: tax collectors. Performing a hated but necessary task, kobold tax collectors are charged with exacting proper payment from people who already have next to nothing. The job is often offered to kobolds who see it as a step up from the dismal lives they lead. They are used to being looked down upon by every other race, and for some the chance to live even a little bit closer to Golden Towers is worth the scorn they face from their own kind. The sight of a kobold tax collector is not uncommon in any of the world’s cities. Likewise, many forms of manual labor and service are performed by kobolds, whose rapid and prolific reproduction creates a steady supply of personnel for the work force. This tends to work out well for the kobolds, who see the opportunity for employment as a step up. It’s also beneficial to other races, who often outsource these less-than-desirable tasks to the kobolds.
What most people aren’t aware of – especially in other cities – is that Kerfluffle has an enormous standing army. A large portion of these soldiers are conscripted into service by press gangs. War is always profitable, and Kerfluffle aims to retain whatever little power they possess by any means. In the absence of open warfare, the military wages secret wars across the world. As part of their obsession with war, experimentation to create superhuman spies and soldiers has left more than one kobold broken.
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Le Voyeur
May 12, 2017 at 4:25 pmThese are all so sick and well done. I wonder what points of interest any of you shared with one another when creating all of this world, or was it just a mosaic piece of minds melding together and it just is working out this well? xD
Doug Vehovec
May 13, 2017 at 12:33 amThanks for reading and commenting! Between session zero and zero-point-five Nerdarchist Dave gave us some homework and we all came up with these things separately. It’s a great example of how useful session zero can be to fostering a collaborative environment and how to give players agency in the game. We can’t wait for our characters to discover and explore these places in our adventures!