Sup /tg/, I'm working on a setting and need a little help.
See, when people end up lost on a dark forest road, they sometimes end up a place they'd never expect. A city; glowing in the night sky. Made of scrap, junk, and recycled things many times over. The people here are not of one race but of many; humans being just one. But this place is strange. It is never day here, it is always night. The forest seems endless now, you cannot return the way you came. This is where the lost folk end up; Night Garden.
The city itself is a mishmash of organic areas and urban high rises. Trees dot the sides of roads and parks with small stone or cement paths are where people travel. Cars that are still running are remade again and again with as many parts as they can get, often times making up new ones or combining several machines together. Many means of transportation ended up in the few mechanical factories of the city, re purposed to pull assembly lines or as a simple crane for construction.
The power never seems to stop flowing; the 'grid' where all the energy comes from is one of the greatest mysteries of the city. But residents cannot abuse it, else the grid may shut down for some time and cause horrible things from the darkness to sneak in. Guns are surprisingly uncommon here; made by hand they are called 'Chimneys'; Gunsmiths are therefore called 'Sweeps'. People eat racoons, semi-domesticated bats and pigs here, and occasionally go hunting in the woods for a few skittish deer, but sometimes they come back with something even stranger... or not at all.
But I still need your help with this setting. What sort of races can you find here? What body governs this city, if at all? What sort of magic or strange technology can be found? What about the interesting cultural traditions and crazy characters?
How would YOU expand upon this setting, if you so desired?
>>44400187
I think I would make it to where the flow of time is a bit off. Like you and a friend are playing in the woods one night and you end up here after you lose sight of your friend. You're freaking out for awhile of course but after awhile you get use to your new home. But then one day there's a festival of some great hero from like a hundred years ago. Once you see the picture of the hero it's your friend who you got lost with.
>>44400548
I like this idea, but only if it helps keep technology in the town at a relatively industrial/post-apocalyptic level. You can't make everything here, much of it has to be scrapped and reworked from that which is brought over or found.
>>44400656
How does agriculture work with it being night all the time. Maybe mushrooms and there's a couple of "food factories" that have sun lamps where them grow fruits and vegetables at. But there so over priced that the common class can only afford them maybe once a year or so.
>>44401018
Yes, there is a bit of both.
Some people can afford to own lamps in their basements or on oversized buildings, but it is really uncommon and they produce very little food, I'd imagine most of it is low quality as well. Most people would probably eat a low of low quality, gamey meat a lot and would rely on grains, vegtables and fruits as little as possible. I also imagine everyone drinking Pine Needle tea; boiled pine needles so they can get some much needed vitamin C in a place with little fruit.
Then you have a few strange plants that grow in the night time. Stuff like cotton grass and black apples; slow growing but reliable enough. Black apples are especially prized for making cider.
How about a kind of currency?
>>44401092
Barter or food based, maybe batteries for lamps?
>>44401092
With the lower tech in would be hard to control counterfeiting. But maybe some kind of magic ink that glows? Paint snail shells with different runes or symbols. But what would back the currency?
>>44401239
The grid would take care of most energy needs. I imagine most electric devices would use converted rechargable batteries.
>>44401323
I don't know how much 'magic' I really want in the everyday life. Paper money could be used as a backing in company stock as a form of currency; instead of using 1s, 5s, and 10s as units there could be something like stocks; One Flexman stock is worth Five Ficklebacks, that kind of thing.
Otherwise, I would go for some kind of poker-chip like thing created in workshops backed by whoever controls the city. But who controls the city?
>>44401458
If the currency is backed by the companies I would imagine that they run the city. Now openly or back room agreements maybe a different story.
>>44401718
I definitely like the seedy 1920s feel and the corruption of inter city politics kind of thing, but i don't know how I feel about it being so dystopian.
If was referring to the companies stocks being used AS a currency, not necessarily controlled by the companies. Hell there could be a more powerful business management entity that dictates what companies stand where in the rankings and enforces business laws and rules.
>>44401791
Maybe instead of "company" stock it's more of a "guild" stock. Each industry is its own guild with every company in that industry apart of that guild. With a city guild that works in the best interest of the city.
So the police are nightwatchmen. They prowl the back alleys looking for danger and crime to eradicate, though many citizens are self regulating the city still has a few government agencies, often underpaid and understaffed fighting uphill battles.
If you want to tie in some real world stuff, maybe there is an official by name only ban on things like heavy drugs, chimneys, and dog fighting rings but these things happen anyway?
Bump.
Are there lost cities as well?
>>44405402
Interesting idea! I suppose this could be wear they get some of their largesr scale building materials from and other interesting scraps; like lightbulbs and power lines.
I didn't think of that but that sounds perfect for adding in a 'dungeon' to this setting.
bump
