Circle City Continued!

The heart of Circle City is made of neon and holograms.

The Circles

There is no day – night cycle in Circle City, only brighter periods of twilight for day and encompassing darkness for night. Despite being within the larger structure of the Church of Mad Love, the night is accompanied by stars. The perpetual streetlights, neon, and holograms do nothing to reduce the visibility of the stars. The stars fit no pattern to be found on any world of the galaxy. Those close to understanding the mysteries of the city say that the stars are somehow familiar to them. The circles of Circle City embody particular themes or concepts, holding to them in every street and bit of broken glass. While there are places to live, work, and play in each circle, the descriptions will focus on the areas that embody the theme of the place. All currencies from across the galaxy can be spent or earned in Circle City, there are even currencies that are unknown to most knowledgeable financiers of the galaxy. Each circle, outside of Vestibule, has a particular manager that oversees the day-to-day management of the borough. These managers have their own form of law-enforcement and code of 'justice'. Each manager has their own set of motives and plans for their circle, giving outsiders a chance to earn a place for themselves or a way on to the Black Pyramid. All of the managers answer to the Controller, the ruler of the Villa of All Men / Black Pyramid, and all of them want to stay on the Controller's good side.

Each circle can have an effect on the emotions and perceptions on people who live and work within them. When a character enters a circle for the first time, and every 12 hours there after, they must make a roll to avoid being influenced by the psychosphere of the circle. If the character succeeds, they avoid being influenced by the circle. If the character fails, and depending on the degree of failure, the particular feeling will have a stronger impact on the characters' behaviors and actions. While these states of mind do not have a direct mechanical effect, players and GM's are encouraged to roleplay out these mental changes.

Influence Mechanics

Machinations of the Space Princess: Characters must roll a Will save every time they enter a new circle and every 12 hours there after. A successful save means that they avoid the effects of the circle's influence. A failure, but not on a roll of a natural '1', means that they are dogged by the particular feeling exuded by the circle. A character who has failed their save in this way can be reminded that they are acting oddly, and will be able to 'pull themselves together' for a short time before slipping back into their previous behaviors. A failure because of a natural '1' results in the character being completely under the sway of the circle, and cannot recognize the fact that they are acting oddly.

Alpha Blue: Characters must roll a save every time they enter a new circle and every 12 hours there after. The save will normally be 2D6, but additional dice may be added depending on the characters' mindset and the current situation.

Save Results

6: Character overcomes and becomes immune to the influence of the circle for 24 hours.

5 – 4: Character overcomes the influence of the circle, but must make another save in 12 hours.

3 – 2: Character is dogged by the particular feeling exuded by the circle. A character who has failed their save in this way can be reminded that they are acting oddly, and will be able to 'pull themselves together' for a short time before slipping back into their previous behaviors. May make another save in 12 hours to shake the effect.

1: Character is completely under the sway of the circle, and cannot recognize the fact that they are acting oddly. The character must wait 24 hours before making another save to shake the effect.

OSR: Characters must roll a save versus Device every time they enter a new circle and every 12 hours there after. A successful save means that they avoid the effects of the circle's influence. A failure, but not on a roll of a natural '1', means that they are dogged by the particular feeling exuded by the circle. A character who has failed their save in this way can be reminded that they are acting oddly, and will be able to 'pull themselves together' for a short time before slipping back into their previous behaviors. A failure because of a natural '1' results in the character being completely under the sway of the circle, and cannot recognize the fact that they are acting oddly.

Scared people on ruined streets...

 

Vestibule

Manager: None

Feeling: Alone, without protection from anyone or anything. General paranoia that 'somebody' might be out to 'get them'.

Description: While the order of the circles may change from rumor to rumor, Vestibule is always the first place outsiders see when they arrive in Circle City. Vestibules' streets are strewn with bits of broken glass and compact-discs, giving them the appearance of prismatic star fields. The residents move from place to place furtively, as if hunted, leaving the streets devoid of loitering and pleasure seeking. There is no evidence of any group or individual being in control of Vestibule, be it official control or criminal. The entirety of Vestibule has the feel of being over-worn without the luxury of maintenance. Streets are littered with trash and dilapidated vehicles, streetlamps flicker until they burn out without hope of repair. Flickering holograms dance above most of the buildings, each a false advertisement of liveliness. Within the places, people shed only a small part of the anxiety they show on the streets. Interactions are subdued here, reduced to the fewest words or gestures to get the point across. When approached, people have a tendency to act as if cornered, which can make interactions unpredictable at times.

People of any species or ethnicity can be found in Vestibule, but few are willing to interact with outsiders. Shopkeepers, bartenders, and motel staff only talk long enough to conduct business before receding back into another part of their establishment or themselves. Getting information usually requires a bit of effort, or money on the part of the questioner.

Morning: Drunks stagger out of the bars, gazing about warily as they make their way to whatever cheap motel of flop-house they call home. People walking or driving to work as quickly as possible without speeding or running. People avoid each others gazes or an unnecessary interactions.

Mid-Day: The streets are a bit more populated, with people willing to engage in very short interactions before shying away. Those on the street continue to look about nervously while going about their business. Those in businesses and bars might linger for a few moments to talk.

Night: Streets are practically deserted, with people running or speeding to their destinations. If approached on the street people will either flee or become violent unless effort is made to calm them down. Shopkeepers, bartenders, and other business people will openly carry various kinds of weapons as they do their job. Business interactions are kept as brief as possible, real effort is needed to get anything more from the individuals.