3,5M Stretch goal: Surprise us Obsidian!

[septembervirgin]

A multilayered city secretly ruled by three royal families so powerful in sorcery that they are conceived to be gods (and claim to be gods). Their existence is only known to the leading members of ancient nobility and not to new nobility nor the elected officials (noble houses both old and new elect officials). Part and parcel to the ancient nobility are undead that protect the royal and noble families with avid vigilance and do not care about individuals within these families so much as protecting the families as a whole. They're not mindless undead nor evil undead so much as clever, dangerous liches that also have their own goals, but are dedicated to their purpose of keeping the noble and royal families existent (and filled with the living, not undead).

 

This city focuses more on science than magic, however, in its visible functions. The health and sanitation of this city are assisted by artificial rivers diverted from the ocean and made clean through a series of underground dams. Showers and plumbing exist just as such conveniences existed in Ancient Crete. Medicine is better here than anywhere else and the surgeons are hygienic. The zorkmid has yet to be invented however. Inventors exist as an almost separate social class, alongside artisans of fantastic skill.

 

Secret societies of necromancers exist but are eschewed as distasteful and not supported by noble funds. After all, necromancers might stumble upon the secret protectors of the noble and royal lineages. Necromancers might even find a way of controlling these secret protectors. Hence, the few necromantic groups that exist must pander to the lower and working classes, must remain legal as possible, and keep to standard studies -- experimentation in the necromantic arts tends to lead to mysterious death and misfortune for all involved. Outside necromancers feel that the societies of necromancers in this city are stupid, silly brothels at best. However it's unique that any city will have organized necromancers with the officials ignoring their existence unless matters get out of hand and they rarely do. A dishonorable noble or royal might decide to use select necromancers to discover ways to govern the liches that protect their families, but such nobles or royals would have to be very powerful indeed to escape suspicion and detection.

 

This is not to say that magic is prohibited. It's just not so well funded as in other cities. There are magicians aplenty, if not many necromancers. And of course, there are things lurking in the dams under the city, things that shy away from light but chitter from the shadows. It is likely these are monsters similar to grue but they might just be tourists from Trieste. Or friends of Cynthia von Buhler.

 

As to the thieves guilds and assassins guilds, these exist and are sort of "super science ninjas" of their time -- or better yet like chartered privateers of the city streets. Receiving letters of marque from city nobles and powerful local merchants, these robbers and killers make no secret of their deeds, confident they can vanish at their whim, that no detective will investigate past prohibitive whispers from an aristocrat's servant. These thieves and killers use the best in potions and grenades, grappling hooks and spiked boots, finely crafted weapons and armor.

[JFSOCC]

An oasis city, surrounded by desert, on this desert magical sand ships sail too and fro with trade goods from lands even further beyond.

Legend speaks that once this land was lush and fertile, what has happened since? could life spring up once more?

 

meh, I need to be more creative.

[Monte Carlo]

I'm thinking Apocalypto.

 

On this freaky, blighted island of Much Grimdarkness, the natives sacrifice souls to their rapacious native god(s). The avatars of which manifest in undead beast form and haunt the woods. They use a strange, almost alien artefact to separate man from soul, fuelled by the energy of fell ceremonies. Our intrepid explorers are a survey party for a consortium of merchant privateers, intent on pillaging the freaky blighted island of Much Grimdarkness (fbioMD) when they discover that the device has failed.

 

Without the ability to separate man from soul, the beast / avatars are now doing it themselves. Does the party steal the device? Do they parley with the avatar / beasts? So they ally with a faction that wants to move away from Soul-Sucking EVAL and instead trade peacefully with the outsiders? Does the group simply use the chaos to steal as much-bloody-gold as possible and hot-foot it out of there?

 

I'm seeing ziggurats, blood sacrifice, frenzied spear charges against muskets, piles of gold, soul-hungry cadaverous reptile-men, a strange device in the bowels of a forbidden temple that *might* just be from another world, evil, demented priests indulging in brutal politiking and murder and of course slave girls in small chamois bikinis.

 

Stretch Goal at 3.6 million, please.

[Tusck]

I would like to see either an underground city that is made of multiple platforms with seer drop offs and lava at the bottom, connected with wooden, rope bridges. Or a more woodland setting but the same type of scene. wooden, rope bridges connecting different platforms and possible buildings in the trees. The political battles could be frames as nature vs. urban, or mysticism vs. technology and modernism.

[Broadside]

I love the idea of an underground city. The Dark Elf city in Heroes of Might and Magic 4 had an awesome vibe. The buildings are constructed in enormous stalagtites with bridges conecting them.

 

Couldn't find a closeup screenshot but this one kinda gives you an idea:

 

[septembervirgin]

The architecture of the city is magnificent, towers existing throughout as tiered courtyards sporting miniature gardens and statuary, swift streaming gutters bisecting roads to assist in cleanliness, armed street cleaners marching slowly through the city marking the movement of foreigners as they clean, colossal columnades with hanging vines of windchimes colliding precious flutes to echo loudly in empty stadiums when no other artist performs, statues that utter the proclamations of lords and ladies throughout the day sometimes whisper ominous portents in evenings, rubber clad messengers sprint deftly on spring-loaded stilts, and the roads glisten through patches in the asphalt as the special concrete (diamond dust mingled with other ground stones is part of the mix) meshed throughout with bars of ceramic enhanced steel (damascened, in other words).

[MarauderESP]

Waht about a Skycity