Setting

[hadrielmods]

OVERVIEW

As of December 2017, Hadriel has changed locations and is significantly different from the cave-based city it once was. While the city itself is unchanged, there is an open sky overhead and barren rocky desert as far as the eye can see- more on that later. The city itself is several miles in diameter, though much of it is in a state of disrepair, particularly after the recent attack.

As of March 2017, it has been revealed that Fear has been transporting the city to a new location every three months. These new locations have been on entirely different planets, which serves as the explanation for why the outside factors of the city have been changing every now and again.

The current world is mainly ocean, dotted with small islands. In the location where Fear decided to put the city, there are no islands large enough to contain the entire city. So Hadriel itself has been separated, broken up onto four different islands. While at first there was no form of transport between islands, eventually the gods supplied various different kinds of boats.

Whatever was on the islands before is gone, replaced by the familiar buildings and streets of Hadriel, except now some of the streets simply end at cliffs and rocky beaches, only to be continued on another island some distance away. The distance between islands varies, but the closest points are about a quarter mile apart, and everything else is further. It isn't always too far, and you might be able to swim it, but the oceans surrounding the islands are not exactly peaceful and warm.

The climate is temperate - cloudy and cool, with occasional rain. While the sun peeks out sometimes, and there are even clear and bright days from time to time, you can generally expect overcast skies and light rainfall, with a good amount of wind blowing across the unsheltered tops of the islands. Every once in awhile small storms will sweep in from the ocean, bringing rain and higher winds, but they're nothing dangerous - as long as you're on land. So... not exactly great beach weather overall, but maybe a nice change from all that desert heat, right? In addition, this world has only one sun, as well as one moon with a 12 day cycle.

Besides the islands the city is on, the ocean is dotted with a number of other islands - some as much as a mile or two across, others barely more than a boulder sticking out of the ocean. There are a few close enough to be visible from the city, but even the closest are much too far to swim to. The islands the city has been placed upon are reasonably close together, and the water between them is relatively calm as long as the wind's low. But venture too far beyond these islands, and the water gets deep and choppy and very, very cold. Exploring is going to be a tricky proposition, at least until you get some decent boats.

Traveling might be worth it, though - on the islands where Hadriel has appeared, there are no plants or animals besides what came with the city and some varieties of grass and moss along the rocky shores. On other islands, however, there's a bit more: grass, small trees, flowers, and even various kinds of small rodent and bird-like animals. Also on some of these islands might be found strange artifacts - but that's a story for later. In the ocean itself, if you choose to brave the cold waves, there are various types of fish, seaweed, and out in the deeper waters you might even catch sight of whale or shark-like creatures. Of course, none of them resemble anything from Earth, and some of them are quite dangerous.

ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of Hadriel is unlike most architecture that characters would be familiar with. Instead of squares, much of the inspiration for the buildings and appliances seems to come from spirals, circles, and hexagons. Standalone houses are shaped vaguely like snail shells, single-floor apartment complexes are laid out in an intricate spiral, and there are, frankly, more than the recommended amount of spires scattered about, some of which are cleared out and available for use as multi-floor apartments.

Appliances follow suit, with most being vaguely familiar, yet still somehow seemingly designed by a toddler. Microwaves, for example, are shaped like upright hexagons and have symbols instead of numbers for buttons. One button might instantly freeze your food, the other might set it on fire. Who knows? It'll take some experimentation to get used to everything.

You may also find a few temples in your wanderings, each paying homage to a different emotion, and each stylized to represent that emotion. Seven temples are lit and functional once more, and they're all strangely beautiful and inspire their chosen emotion upon walking through the large stone entryways. The eighth temple, belonging to Sorrow, is well-maintained but empty. All temples are risen up over a small pool of water, accessible by a stone pathway- somewhat similar to this.

SOCIETY

While the original beings who lived in this city may be completely gone, traces of their society remains. Certain houses have single walls made of ornately patterned glass, which seems somewhat reminiscent of storefronts. In these storefronts are an assortment of strange things: though technology is scarce, there is food from many different universes stocked in these, as well as blankets with interfacing in them to roll in a burrito style, heat lamps shaped like cubes, and an assortment of clothing made to fit all sorts of species. While there are no shopkeepers and no discernible cash registers or evidence of money, leaving the stores with your new items can sometimes cause a slight wave of guilt to be felt. Some parts of the city seem to be more lavish than others, with more ornate spires and houses carved in a smoother fashion.

There are roads along the houses- or things that could potentially function as roads- and with the inclusion of Tranquility's mopeds and the clearing of the rubble from the roads, mobility is much easier than it was once. The streets are unpaved, but still able to be driven on, as long as the driver is careful! If a character chooses to look, they may also find bicycles with which to travel, though some of them are strangely made for creatures with more than two legs. Still, it beats walking.

DISREPAIR

Though it's unclear what happened to the city's previous inhabitants, the state of the city points to nothing good. There's not much evidence of life, though there clearly must have been at one point in order to build the city. It's been some time since there has been life, as everything seems to have a thin layer of dust on it. Apart from the Colosseum, however, don't expect to find much blood or bones. Everyone is simply gone, like they all just got up and left.

In the months since the game began, both gods and characters have been working on rebuilding the city- and while it isn't in perfectly working order, it's much more habitable than it once was. While debris and rubble are still present, it's no longer in the way of everything else. Unfortunately, some of the spires were not salvageable, as some have toppled over the buildings next to them, while others are oddly cut-off, pressed up against the ceiling of the cave.

LOCATIONS