Forefront
From SteelStorm
Contents |
Forefront
Relocated slightly to the north of the original city, which was never fully rebuilt after the Cataclysm, Forefront remains the nerve center for much of the activites of the continent's human empire. It is here that the two most influential groups, the Guild and the Order, are based, as well as many other, smaller guilds and political organizations. It also houses nearly 20% of Lore's entire human population. As such, it has grown into a virtual metropolis, with residences and businesses spreading out from the towering buildings of the city center. The entirety of the town is surrounded by two barriers - the first a massive steel wall constructed by the Order, and armed by the Guild with advanced magic-powered weaponry. The town is also surrounded by a dome of repulsors that emit a screen of magical energy, a technology which is powerful enough to hold back all but the most determined of attacking creatures. And, should both these barriers fail, Forefront is home to the largest "army" of proficient fighters to be found just about anywhere.
Locations of Interest
The Guild Complex
Situated roughly in the center of town, and surrounded by workshops on one side and part of the marketplace on the other, the Guild Complex is a large array of buildings, surrounded by a waist-high wall of glimmering white metal, studded witha variety of faceted crystals - which emit a powerful forcefield that prevents any unauthorized access. The entrance is composed of a massive iron gate, enforced with bands of polished iridium, and inlaid with the shiny optics of small cameras, that monitor the goings-on in front of the complex. The inside of the complex is structured like a university, with relatively lavish residential apartments (and dormitories for the lower-level apprentices), classrooms, a sizable grand hall, and a large number of research complexes scattered around the perimeter, far enough away from the core buildings not to be a hazard should an experiment go wrong (as they quite often do). In fact, one grouping of buildings houses a squad of construction personnel, who are constantly at work repairing or rebuilding damaged labs. For similar reasons, the complex also has a large, on-site medical facility, and a small building which houses members of the clerical orders as well. Apart from its facility in Tekal, this is the site where most Technomancer research occurs, and is the very core of the sphere of influence that the Technomancers have created for themselves - and, as such, is one of the most well-guarded facilities in all of Legend.
The Compound of the Order
The Order's compound is a massive structure, consisting of a multi-story steel building that towers over Forefront, and is surrounded by a metal wall twice the height of a normal human. Inside, the bottom two floors house a formidable armory and garrison much of Forefront's division of troops, and the higher floors house various other types of bureaucracy, including offices that coordinate all of the regional outposts, as well as the war rooms of military commanders that monitor enemy and inhuman activity, and coordinate the protection of Legend's human population. Protruding from the top story of the building is an array of tubes that are believed to be powerful weapons, to be used in the event of an enemy attack on the town - or, some speculate, any forces that dare to rebel against the Order.
Neighborhoods
The Neighborhoods section of a town generally lists the various town sectors, and sometimes a bit about the character of each sector, as well as the cost to move your residence there.
- Forefront - Residential District- 10 TC community fee
- Forefront - Commercial District - 100 TC shop fee
- Forefront - City Center - 500 TC price premium (real estate in high demand)
- Forefront - Technomancer Sector - must be a Guild-affiliated Technomancer
- Forefront - Compound of the Order - must be an Order trainee
- Forefront - Back Alleys - Free
Player Locations
Full Forefront Business and Residential Directory
| I must say that even I was intimidated when I first sighted the massive gates of the fortress-city entitled Forefront. It was evident that a horde of rogue daemon-beasts had assailed the city some minutes before, and the offal was fresh and plentiful. Atop the massive metal gates, a vast array of fearsome weaponry panned its massed muzzles over the scene of carnage, some of the thick metal barrels still glowing from use. One beast, only wounded by the barrage, was trying to drag itself away as we approached, and a single barrel swiveled lazily over, coughed a gout of fire, and made quick work of the thing - almost like a casual flick of a giant finger, and this against a beast that would normally take a fully equipped mechanized battalion to properly brace. Upon later inspection, I realized that the ground all around the city, for some acres, is discolored from the standard dirt, doubtless caused by a never-ending river of monstrous blood. This odd environment leads to the outgrowth of a variety of unusual and dangerous flora, which flourishes for a short while until it, too, succumbs to a periodic sweep by the city's unopposable guns. | ||
| - except from Aldous Mazor's "A History of Travel by Steam: The First Collected Journals" |
