Tolkeen

Quadrants

• Western Quadrant

• Northern Quadrant

• Eastern Quadrant

• Southern Quadrant

Population Stats for Tolkeen

Total Population:.

Peacetime: Approximately 890,000.

Peacetime Population Breakdown:

480,000 Humans

400,000 D-Bees

10,000 Other (Gargoyles, Brodkil, etc.; included about 100 or

so Dragons; 90% Hatchlings)

Peacetime Breakdown by General O.C.C.:

6% Ley Line Walkers

5% Techno-Wizards

5% Warlocks

5% Other Practitioners of Magic

8% Psychic.

34% Scholars, Scientists, Educators, and other skilled occupations.

10% Men at Arms/Warriors (various)

27% Other (including farmers and unskilled laborers, City Rats, etc.).

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Ley LInes and Neighboring Kingdoms

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Section Cutouts of North, East, West, and Southern Quadrants

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TW Infrastructure

Elements Common throughout Tolkeen

The following places and situations are common throughout the city. This means it is either a part of the city's design, public services, ley line control system, or a result of the war.

Techno-Wizard Mass Transit System

The wizards at Tolkeen figured out a way to tap, modulate, store and transmit (via small stone pyramids) ley line energy. Using Techno-Wizard vehicles to ride or fly along ley lines without any mechanical means of locomotion was made possible with the advent of the art of Techno-Wizardry. This new system, however (put into place 25 years ago), made it possible to extend enough ley line energy in a grid across the city to create "lanes" of ley line travel. These "lanes" were straight lines that glowed a very faint blue, almost a pale reflection of the natural lines of energy. These "transit lines" were not powerful enough for living beings to draw energy from them or to cause magical disturbances or mental irritation as ley lines are prone to do, but were sufficient to power most basic and small TW vehicles such as cars, Wing Boards, and so on, at half their normal speed and altitude, perfect for city use. Thus, a simple network of ley line highways were established.

In addition, the Techno-Wizards came up with a simple string often person "cars" strung together with a length of cable that functions very similarly to the old subway cars and elevated trains of pre-Rifts Earth.

Techno-Wizard Teleport Stations

Tolkeen's Techno-Wizards and Shifters also developed a method of short-range, inner city teleportation as part of the public transit system. This was possible only at Teleport Pyramid Stations and one could only teleport from one Teleportation Pyramid to another. There were approximately 30 scattered throughout the city, placing travelers at key business, shopping and entertainment areas or other, more conventional transit junctions. Teleportation Stations were located at the Great Arch, the Grand Mall, the Zoo, various campuses and other places of note.

Techno-Wizard Power Grid

The Tolkeenites also tapped the ley lines as their primary sources of energy. It was clean, familiar and flowing down the ley lines just begging to be used. The city also has a hydro-electric power plant on the shore of the Mississippi in the Southern Quadrant and a small wind-based power plant in the Eastern Quadrant, near the north and west junction. In the last decade, however, both of these plants have been running at low levels, accounting for less than 25% of the city's overall energy needs.

Techno-Wizard Lighting

This network tied into the TW Power Grid and magic containment systems. With those gone, it's lights out for half the city.

Pyramids

All but a few of the small, Teleportation Pyramid Stations have been destroyed. The CS is smart enough about magic to know that pyramids represent magic and the means to channel and control mystic energy. Consequently all pyramids, starting with the biggest, were targeted by Holmes' air raiders and destroyed. Most are zones of magical or dimensional energies out of control and subject to the aforementioned dimensional anomalies, weird effects, random openings of dimensional portals and places that attract supernatural beings; not to mention CS troops.

Towers

Skyscraper-like towers are found throughout Tolkeen. Many are the equivalent of New York style high-rises, apartment houses and office buildings, but some are the private domiciles of flyers. You know, dragons, sphinxes, gargoyles, and all manner of intelligent winged creatures. The top floors and penthouses of most apartment buildings are reserved for dragons and like creatures.

Domes

Domes are used for a variety of purposes, including Bio-domes, places of science and residences, the latter often for dragons and other large beings. Bio-Domes are a big feature at Tolkeen. They are self-contained environments designed to replicate the natural environments of alien worlds from atmosphere and vegetation to the general appearance. These are places visited by home sick "D-Bees" (slang for Dimensional Beings) the same as we humans might visit a park or botanical garden for a little fun or relaxation. Here at a Bio-dome, the D-Bee can drink in the beauty and peace of an idealized version of "home," and enjoy the memories and pleasant emotions it brings. In addition to vegetation and atmosphere (sometimes toxic to humans, especially from prolonged exposure), the Bio-Dome usually captures the general look and feel of the natural terrain and may include some examples of that world's smaller and least dangerous wildlife.

A few of the most notable Bio-Domes are presented in the sections for the Southern and Eastern Quadrants.

Home Shops & Services

With resources scarce and work often minimal, some inhabitants, refugees and adventurers have set up shop in Tolkeen, working or offering services from their home, car or apartment. Many a skilled electrician, mechanic/operator, young Techno-Wizard and tinkerer has built himself a shop in his basement, garage, or spare bedroom to take on extra work or offer special services. This is usually done to make extra money to support oneself and/or a family, or to trade in order to get special or underground items and services in return. With the way things are, two or three years before Tolkeen's collapse these little home shops were sprouting up all over town. Even skills in cooking, canning and baking had their merits and their market. Unfortunately, in the dog days of the war, food was one of those resources in short supply and getting certain foodstuffs fell into the jurisdiction of the Black Market, smugglers and other underworld figures.

Operators and repair services are constantly in demand. Weapon smiths who can recharge E-Clips, make repairs and modifications, or build weapons from scratch are in constant demand too. The military, mercenaries and adventurers snap up most of the legal weapons for the war effort, leaving civilians feeling defenseless. Those who can supply them with a working weapon at a fair price (i.e. around normal market prices rather than the 2-5 times the Black Market and smugglers are charging) is a welcomed neighborhood friend.

Arms dealers: These range from professionals from the underworld, the Black Market and even Naruni agents, to rank amateurs, thieves, and adventurers. In the former case, weapons are often cheap knock offs at only twice the normal price to brand names including Wilk's, Northern Gun, Triax and Bandito Arms. In the latter case, 80% of the weapons and other sundry gear will be war trophies and equipment acquired from kills in combat and taken from the fallen enemy. The rest is stolen. In both cases that means most of it is Coalition issue armaments and equipment.

Techno-Wizards. TW weapons and equipment, and other magic items are among the hottest items in town. Everything not nailed down has been donated to or requisitioned by the Tolkeen Army. Thus, magic items of any kind are scarce, commanding 3-10 times their normal market price. Only those citizens with political clout, in one of the defense units, law enforcement, the underworld or who kept the item hidden have one or more magic items. Makers of said items are expected to contribute them to the war effort, getting special privileges now and a promise of compensation later, after the war. Consequently, some Techno-Wizards make and sell minor TW items under the table Healers and those with any kind of paramedic, first-aid or doctoring skills, or healing powers are in big demand. Huge when the siege starts, although at that point, most can not pay. Fortune Telling is forbidden by King Creed. The government doesn't want "doomsayers" panicking the people or stirring up unrest. Is it coincidence that except for those psychic freedom fighters and healers dedicated to the defense of the kingdom, that most other psychics and their friends and families left the tri-city area weeks before the Coalition's new invasion?

The Law

Standard police operations, units and methods. Until the refugees swarmed into town in droves, the law had everything pretty much under control. When the Final Siege hit, anarchy took over. A third of the lawmen have deserted their posts to look out for themselves. The rest do what they can to save lives and civil defense, rescuing people trapped under debris or in burning buildings, defending the innocent from obvious attacks, robberies and injustice, and doing what they can wherever they can. Including taking action against Coalition infiltrators, spies and advance troops who have penetrated into "their" city. Midway through the siege, the law too often becomes the will of those with guns, powers or strength enough to have their way. Even the underworld loses whatever control it may have had in sectors of town, the Black Market moving out immediately after the Final Siege begins