Chusett

"I wonder what my grandfather would say if he could see his home country today. What would surprise him most? The ever-expanding cities? The railroads? The fall of the monarchy and rise of democracy? It's strange to think this all happened in just over a century. But my grandfather was a religious man. I'm sure the thing that would take him most aback would be the Gods' abandonment."

Founding Date

1843

Type

National Territory

Population

~750000

Included Locations

Owning Organization

Chusett City Council

Characters in Location

An Emerging City

Chusett was established long before the Abandonment, but was stagnant as a stronghold due to its location on the water and it having constantly been captured and recaptured, destroyed and rebuilt. But with the peace drawn by Pontura and Feurgas, Chusett eventually became a major trade hub, and expansion became necessary. Multi-story buildings line every street, various construction projects with cranes can be seen on every block, and a large freight yard has been built to facilitate it all. Outside the city, in the nearby Panier Valley, large farms with irrigation systems are run, as well as large live-stock farms, that provide the food necessary to feed such a large population. The city government is far enough removed from the central government of Pontura to be rampant with corruption, but is seemingly stabilized by the growing organized crime rings, known as Arcusa.

City Districts

Town Square

Where the original stronghold, Fort Laynar, used to stand protecting the border from invasion now rests Town Square. This district of the city is mostly comprised of government and office buildings. It is generally highly patrolled by the local police, but still considered a high-risk area due to the amount of narrow alleys for one to be caught in. Locals tend to avoid the area unless on official business.

Downtown

The area least patrolled by police, but considered relatively safe thanks to Arcusa "protection", Downtown is where many business in the service industry lay. Great restaurants, theaters, inns and hotels, and particularly high-frequented shops are able to establish themselves in this bustling section of Chusett. But the great location for business comes at a price; the price of aforementioned Arcusa "protection".

Loren Market

In the center of Downtown rests the Loren Market, or Market Plaza, which includes a large shopping district. Butchers, delis, restaurants, armorers, smithies, and others often live in the floors above their shops. Unfortunately, the bustling streets also make this area an ideal location for pickpockets who can quickly disappear into a crowd.

Red Sign District

Under the guise of "residential zoning", the Red Sign District is a known area for the Arcusa to perform their nefarious acts. If there is a shady deal to be made, prostitution rings to be advertised, or any other criminal act to take place, this area is host to it all. But thanks to the heavy monitoring by the Arcusa, this district is the least susceptible to petty crime, but shakedowns by members of larger groups isn't uncommon.

Uptown

When it comes to high-end products, housing, or services, it will be found Uptown. North of Downtown, this area provides only the best services; high-end hotels, restaurants with month long reservation lists, and clubs that can't be entered without name-dropping. Menial crime is non-existent here, and even major crimes are extremely rare and usually only crimes of passion.

Suburbs

East of the tall buildings and bustling streets lies the main residential area, the Suburbs. Here, multi-story buildings are rare with mostly small houses and yards dotting the roads. Housing is expensive here and the area is outside the realm of influence of the Arcusa, and it is too far for the police to provide reasonable protection. Those who can afford houses here often hire personal security to protect their property.

Waterfront

The coast of the city is the host of the Murly Port, named after an old naval admiral. The port itself has been rebuilt several times throughout recent years in order to accommodate the growing size of ships and large traffic from them. Mostly the area is considered commercial, with cargo being stored in warehouses and transported deeper in the city, but a few sections of the area house families, restaurants, as well as the Chusett Fish Market, a long bazaar-like building that winds alongside the main road.

Railyard

Adjacent the port lies the Chusett Railyard, a massive array of tracks and cranes that load the trains which travel across the country and back in just four days. The yard cuts into the city and the loud noise has driven prices of land in the immediate area down to almost dirt cheap. Abandoned buildings are common here and squatters can be found in droves. Crime is extremely high in the area despite the police's best efforts, but it has become nearly impossible to separate legitimate residents from the homeless.

Experienced Hands

As important as Chusett was in the past as a defense against Pontura's neighbor, the city was left alone for many years after the Abandonment, residents moving to other cities in search of work opportunity. As the railway plans were being developed, Chusett's location was strategic for building a coastal freight yard. As workers of the railway project moved in to begin work, accomodations were also being built. People who had left in search of work came back to Chusett with the experience necessary to complete such large projects in a timely manor. After the completion of the railyard, many of those workers remained, either continuing to work or starting their own businesses.

Opportunity at a Risk

The growing city of Chusett is creating more work positions than it can fill. Construction, services, and administration business are being created as quickly as space becomes available, with a select few that were well established early on being able to expand and grow, often by buying out the new players. However, the lack of regulations being developed to mitigate hazard and exploitation in these jobs is harming many people who have no choice but to take up the dangerous work. Overworking is the most common complaint from many employees in construction, a number of who can only return home to their families every other week. Without laws protecting them, workers in many fields are receiving debilitating injuries that prevent them from ever working again.

Religion and Corruption

The Democratic Order of Pontura is the religious order of the country, but they don't necessarily force local governments to be religiously influenced. The Chusett city council is, however, at least that is how they advertise themselves. They accept an advisor from the Pontura Order but locals know the envoy's influence has a short reach. The real driving factor for the council is money, usually in the form of bribes. As such, complaints from lower-class are often overlooked, or worse claimed to be a necessity for the city to thrive. The city council, including the mayor, are all elected seats, and hopes are high that less corrupt individuals can take a win in coming years and help bring about good change.

Arcusa

As population grows, it becomes ever more difficult for police to handle crime. The problem is only exacerbated when criminals organize. Whether fortunate or not, the denizens of Chusett have one criminal organization to thank for keeping petty crime to a minimum; but nothing is free. The Arcusa of Chusett advertise themselves as "private security", providing protection for local businesses for a fee. They also, however, insist their services, and said fee, are mandatory, resorting to vandalizm, blackmail, and even violence in order to secure their payment. If the fee is paid on-time, business owners can relax knowing the Arcusa have their interests in mind; they can't collect money that isn't there. The Arcusa provide protection from burglary and will even help provide business to stores when times are slow.

Comments

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Yarik

Dec 25, 2020 11:09 by Rafael Martin

Many fictional settings have thse many-thousand-year-old cities. It was a nice change to read about a rapidly growing one. I really like that the rapid growth has effects on many areas of the city, even on the (construction) workers themself. A really well written article!

Chusett

An Emerging City

City Districts

Town Square

Downtown

Loren Market

Red Sign District

Uptown

Suburbs

Waterfront

Railyard

Experienced Hands

Opportunity at a Risk

Religion and Corruption

Arcusa

Founding of Chusett

Mayor and City Council Established

Location

More reading

1918 Labor Riots

More reading

Health of Chusett Bill Passed

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