Cities

Ground Zero: Arizona

About thirty miles outside of Phoenix, the facility that housed the QEBS, or the Quantum Engine Bridge Stabilizer, sat. The facility, technically called Arizona Energy Conservation, was so much more than just an energy conservation and study facility. Inside, unbeknownst to most people in the world, they quietly built the machine that was made to pierce quantum space. The idea was simple: tap into the unlimited energy produced in that quantum space.

Unfortunately, upon delving into quantum space, they found more than they bargained for. Instead of pulling energy from the space, it forced Earth into alignment with four neighboring realms, ripping the barriers between them due to the close proximity of the realms to Earth. The QEBS imploded, taking out a large area around it by about thirty miles. That area now has a barrier around it of an electromagnetic sort that no one knows how to penetrate.

Phoenix

Nearest city to the QEBS facility. It’s about an hour outside the electromagnetic perimeter surrounding the place. Phoenix has a high level of technology, and if it weren’t for the fifty-foot-tall walls, it might seem as if nothing had changed. Phoenix is a stronghold in the United States, having been one of the first walled cities constructed. It took three years to complete and made use of many Tanner Lights throughout that construction. Against the walls on the inside, there are rows of apartment buildings which house many of the residents, leaving the inner business district intact. Power for the city comes from solar panels that line the top of the ten feet thick walls. Some buildings have their own solar power, and others tap into the grid. Phoenix, like most larger cities, allows creatures who are benevolent to enter the city, however, they have no tolerance for any problems and will summarily execute any creature that is dangerous.

Bennu

To the east of Phoenix, Bennu is a town comprised of the residents of the easter suburbs. Erected at the same time as Phoenix’s walls, the walls of Bennu are twenty feet tall, and around five feet thick. Like the city of Phoenix, Bennu relies on solar panels lining the top of the walls, and the interior of the walls has rows of apartments built against it. These, of course, aren’t as tall as those in Phoenix, but comfortably fit all the residents of Bennu. Technology in Bennu is not nearly as advanced as Phoenix, leaving many of the residents without the comforts that those in the bigger city have. Bennu has recently elected a new Mayor, a man named Galton Wilson. He is a charismatic man who easily got the votes necessary to win the election, however, he did so by campaigning on fear of the creatures that surround the city.

Simurgh

Situated eastof Phoenix, Simurgh is the largest suburban walled city in the area. With a larger perimeter, Simurgh’s walls are twenty-five feet high, and eight feet thick. Like the other cities, they depend on solar panels that line the walls and have the apartments lining the inside of them. Recently, strange things have started happening in the city. The council that runs the city appears to be going mad, forcing people to flee the city to Phoenix. The truth is that a demon from the Dark Realm called an arlecchino has been influencing people around him in the guise of a “spiritual advisor” who claims to know the way to utopia.

Rukh

A small city north of Phoenix, Rukh is run by a former army staff sergeant named Tom Porter. Porter is a fair man and does his best for his people. The city was originally an upper-class suburb of Phoenix, and due to the citizens demanding their area be surrounded by walls, the city remained there. This was early in the building of the walled cities, before materials were growing scarce, and the rich still held some sway. Since then, those with wealth have had to change their ways. Porter has been investigating the Dawnlight Society secretly and has worked with the Psychic Defense League to find out what’s happening in the nearby Center for Cognitive Wellbeing.

Flagstaff

At the foot of the mountains, Flagstaff survived mostly because of that protection. They are near the Grand Canyon and have a large city spanning almost in a thirty feet radius. It is around the same size as Phoenix, and many of the small areas around it sought shelter there. As the suburban areas began to be overrun, people came to the massive city as it was built. This area is the only walled city in the norther part of Arizona. Unlike around Phoenix, there were no smaller cities built since it was built later as the building materials were dwindling. Since Flagstaff was a large tourist area, they lack some of the manufacturing and technology of Phoenix. Their city is run by a fair and impartial mayor who has a council he works with to take care of the city as best he can.

Casa Grande

South of Phoenix, Casa Grande is about half the size of the larger city. The city was one of the earlier cities to be formed along with Phoenix. The people of Casa Grande live a relatively simple life, and do not want for anything. They have a community that helps each other and have no need of police or anything like that to take care of the town. Many residents are happy without the higher technology of Phoenix and prefer to have their life quiet and uninterrupted by issues that come with high technology. The city is led by a mayor who is rarely seen, with the edicts and decisions mainly come from his city council and approved by her. Some have hypothesized that the mayor does not actually exist, and the council is running the town without leadership. Since there have been no major problems, no one has investigated this theory.

Sierra Vista

As the furthest point south in Arizona, Sierra Vista is slightly smaller than Phoenix. They have a lot of industry they pulled into the city and built many manufacturing plants as they built the walls around the city. There is a high-tech scientific community, though regular citizens do not have access to the technology they use. Some citizens feel like it is unfair for them to have these things when the citizens cannot, but others feel it does not matter as these people protect them. The truth is, the city is run by a very corrupt mayor who bases all decisions on what he's told by the scientific community, often giving them resources that would be better used by the people of the city. There has been recent pushback from some citizen groups who are demanding equal treatment, but they have thus far been ignored. Sierra Vista has become a city with a great divide between the intelligent elite and the regular citizens.