Welcome to New Averoth, the beautiful City of Spires.
New Averoth is a jewel of industry, innovation and progress, right in the centre of the Union heartland. From a state of the art rail network and ever-productive guild-operated factory towers, to the thriving waterfront nightlife and beautiful spire-top Over City. New Averoth is a place of wonder and opportunity where all loyal citizens can feel proud to do their duty for the good of all the Union.1
The City at a Glance
The Inner City
The high-rise spires nestled in the city centre forms New Averoth’s beating heart, a thriving civic, academic, and administrative hub.
The Over City - The shining spire tops of the Inner City are home to New Averoth’s wealthiest citizens, including our venerable nobility, senior Guild officials, and our glorious Merizian leaders. Truly the pinnacle of Union progress. Access is restricted to authorised citizens only.2
The Middle City - Below the Over City is our bustling centre of commerce and culture. Here you’ll find licensed arcane workshops, Union-certified educational institutes, and Guild operated shopping facilities.3
The Dregs - A vibrant community built around the bases of the Inner City spires. A true testament to the resilience and pride embodied by all Union citizens.4
The Outer City
New Averoth’s most populous region. The Outer City is a patchwork of proud,working-class neighbourhoods providing the bulk of the city’s labour force. Civic centres throughout provide all for your basic education, commercial, and spiritual needs.5
The Under City
Guild engineers work tirelessly to maintain New Averoth’s sewer system, infrastructure, and energy grid. Large parts are uncharted and considered highly dangerous. Authorised access only.6
Magic, Technology, and Industry
The Union is set apart from competing world powers by our mastery of sarithal—specialised magitec devices encoded with advanced Eld-Siris rune script formulae. These range from day to day conveniences such as rune-lanterns and sending stones, to our magnificent train system, to the advanced weapons and armour employed by the Union Legion and City Watch to keep you safe.7
This incredible technology and the city’s energy grid are powered by specialised battery cells created from refined Karithite. Remember, unrefined Karithite8 and the dust by-product of the refining process, Kars9, are both extremely dangerous to handle and for your safety, their possession is strictly prohibited.
Your Governing Bodies
The Union
The central governing body across the entire continent. A shining beacon of peace, prosperity, and progress throughout all the Middle World.10
The Merizians
Our glorious leaders. Stewards of the Union, responsible for all high-level governance. We all owe them a great debt for their wisdom and guidance.11
The Guilds
Privately owned and operated, trans-Union trade conglomerates. The Guilds are responsible for all your education, entertainment, and infrastructure, as well as the production and distribution of all the sarithal, food, medicine, and every other commercial commodity you enjoy on a daily basis. Guaranteed autonomy under the Union Charter.12
The City Watch
Keeping the streets of New Averoth safe and upholding the rule of law. Make sure you show them respect, comply with all instructions, and be sure to report any acts of misconduct.13
Rumours and Conspiracy Theories
The Thieves Guild and The Watcher
Persistent urban legends about organised crime syndicates14 and all-knowing information dealing demons15 have no grounding and are not officially recognised. Citizens are reminded that the spread of misinformation is a serious offence.
TruthSeeker IX-IX-III
It has come to our attention that a dissident has been defacing official Union literature and public areas with dangerous misinformation and disinformation. His objective is clearly to stir up dissent and undo the fragile peace we’ve worked so hard to cultivate both here in New Averoth and in the wider Union. This individual is considered an enemy of the Union and any citizen with information regarding his identity is encouraged to report directly to the nearest City Watch barracks.16
Your New Home
Congratulations citizen. By moving to New Averoth, you’ve joined something truly greater than yourself. Do your duty. Remain compliant. And remember, your contribution brings the Union and us all one step closer to a brighter future.17
I’ve seen the truth of this city. I know its secrets and I’m not fooled by its endless web of lies. Pay attention. This might be your only chance to see New Averoth for what it truly is — TruthSeeker IX-IX-III
They look down on us from atop their gleaming ivory towers, but I see through their hypocrisy. They’re decadent and degenerate, living like Middle Time kings while the rest of us fight over the scraps.
Teaching you compliance while selling you worthless trash you don’t need.
Vibrant? It’s the city’s rotten foundation. Barely any sunlight. No order. The Watch pretends it doesn’t exist and gangs rule the streets. It’s got the best black market in the city though. They’ve got everything there from contraband sarithal to vials of drakeroot extract. Just stay off the streets after dark.
An endless sprawl of crumbling stone and decaying infrastructure. Call it what it is: a slum.
Dangerous is right. Full of toxic alchemical runoff and mutant monstrosities. Most of the underground Old Averoth ruins are unexplored and unpatrolled. Useful for getting around undetected if you’re truly desperate. Just be careful not to get lost down there.
Distracting you with shiny trinkets while making weapons and technology with which to enslave you. Access to the best is heavily restricted, but you can get anything in this city, if you know where to look.
I know a guy who got hold of a chunk of pure Karithite ore. The explosion took out a whole block.
It’s prohibited for a reason, but not the one they tell you. A pinch of kars in a shot of water and you’ll outrun a horse. A spoonful and you’ll punch through a brick wall. Any more than that you’ll probably have a brain haemorrhage. Either way, the hangover will have you spitting blood and writhing in agony.
More like the Merizian Empire. Peace for the compliant. Prosperity for the privileged few. Progress at the cost of everything else.
I saw a Merizian up close only once. They’re not human. Freakish strong, freakish fast, nigh unkillable, and they’ve got all the most powerful sarithal. The only consolation is that there’s so few of them. Keep your distance if you can.
The claims of autonomy are an illusion. The Guilds are an extension of the Union government, and they own everything. The food. The water. The housing and infrastructure. Even the news. They dazzle us with superficial abundance while poisoning our bodies and minds.
Understaffed and subservient to the highest bidder. There’s a few who care about law and order but most don’t bother. They’ll leave you alone if you’ve got enough marks.
The Thieves Guild is everywhere and nowhere. If you run the streets, you’ll end up working for them, even if you don’t know it.
The Watcher sees everything, knows everything. He trades in secrets, but you’ll never find him. If he wants to deal he’ll find you.
And I’ll continue spreading my ‘disinformation’ until everyone sees through the lies. Until the weight of the truth brings this whole charade down and we’re all finally free.
If you still can, leave this place. If you’re trapped here with the rest of us, welcome to the Underworld.
Great work laying the foundation for the setting, while simultaneously drawing us into the dastardly workings of New Averoth. Having TruthSeeker corrupting our "Orientation Guide" was a superb touch and quite effective. I'm excited to get lost in the labyrinth of Under City, finding access cards, and making deals with all sorts of sordid and unsavory characters. I hope we can track down TruthSeeker, pop some "Kars," and take down a Merizian! LET'S GO!
I enjoyed this immensely.