The city of Nessus is divided into four equal sized "districts". The buildings in each district for the most part contain related services. Every building in the city is owned by the city. While they might be rented out, they are never sold at any price.
Although compasses do not function in the city, map makers generally use north, south, east, and west as a key. The "Court Yard" (the arrival point of those that travel through the portal) is always considered in the far south. "Lords Manor" (Malek of Sorens home, the center of all goverment activity) is always considered in the far north.
The city of Nessus contains sixteen streets. While it also contains back alleys and corridors between buildings, these aren't used much. The main streets are the primary paths of travel and the only ones which are named.
Streets which run east to west are named with odd numbers. The southern most street (The first street a visitor will step upon as he exits the "Court Yard") is 1st street. The northern most street (The street which runs directly in front of "Lords Manor") is 15th street. All streets between are named in proper order from 3rd to 13th street.
Streets which run south to north are named with even numbers. The eastern most street (The first intersection a visitor will come to as he heads down 1st street from the "Court Yard") is named 2nd street. The western most street is 16th street. All streets between are named in proper order from 4th to 14th street.
These streets are often given unofficial names by the mercenaries which visit the city. For example 1st street is often refered to as "Arrival Way". However, the streets are only marked with their official numerical names. A visitor would be wise to familiarize himself with these and use them to find his way around. A building on the corner of 1st and 2nd can be found in the far southwest. A building on the corner of 15th and 16th can be found in the far notheast. Directions such as these will obviously be easier to use than looking for a building on the corner of Arrival Way and Malek Place.
All of the streets are completely straight. When looking at a map of the city one could see it appears to be a grid. Each street is 2 miles long. They are spaced 1/4 mile apart.
The surface of the streets is composed of a dense rubbery material. If one was inclined to cut into this substance he would find a thick liquid beneath it. This liquid fills in holes and repairs damage as needed then hardens. This effect keeps the streets of the city in good shape at all times.
The city is 4 square miles in size. Travel is always done on foot. Steeds and other modes of transport are non-existant in the city.
The buildings themselves vary in height and size, however all of them are built with titanium outer walls. These walls are infused with strong technomantic magic. This enchantment causes them to literally repair themselves when they are damaged. The interiors of buildings do not share this feature (Infact a few buildings have been gutted by accidental fires.) The city is surrounded by thick titanium walls. (Much thicker than the buildings.) These act as a barrier between the city and the "Pocket Dimension". (A transparent magical wall also exists over the city.) These walls also regenerate, however the process is much slower than that of the cities interior buildings. A large dent might take a day or two, an actual hole might take weeks. (Damage to these walls is extremely rare as most visitors and residents simply do no possess the means, however it has happened.)
Exposure to the Pocket Dimension (The nothingness which completely surrounds the city.) is not harmful to those that manage to reach it. It does contain breathable air. The temperature is normally 60 degrees. (Chilly but not particularly deadly.) However, it does not contain gravity. (The city obviously produces its own somehow.) One need not fear falling forever into nothingness, however he might float away if he did not possess some way to control his momentum.
Exploration of the Pocket Demension has been attempted several times since Malek took control of the city. Various curious individuals and parties have travelled as long as two weeks and several hundred miles in different directions from the city. None of these journey's revealed anything of interest. No borders or anything else for that matter have ever been found in the nothingness. Anything else which exists within the vast ocean of darkness remains a mystery.
It is a well known fact that much of the cities infrastructure and systems are hidden deep beneath its streets. Access to the underbelly of the city is only possible through Lord's Manor. Access is denied to all but Malek and the highest ranking Tribunal members.
The exact features of this underbelly is most part kept secret. What is known is that it contains most of the cities mass, possibly as much as 90%. Anyone which has ever ventured outside the cities walls has seen the enormous outer shell of the underbelly. It can be assumed that there is a strong power source most likely magical. It is widely accepted that this power source maintains the shield over the city, repairs the buildings, lights the streets, operates the portal systems etc..
It is also widely accepted that the "World Destroyer" is located beneath the city somewhere. Only a handful of people know if this super weapon is still functional. Some say Malek had it dismantled after the destruction of his homeworld. Others believe he left it intact and locked on the city itself as a contingency should anyone ever get close to taking control of Nessus. It is believed that the World Destroyer is the only destruction method powerful enough to override the cities regenerative capabilites.
The Districts
South West District:
Other Names: Mercenary District, Arrival District
Places of Interest: Virgil's Tavern, The Courtyard,
South East District:
Other Names: Shop District,
Places of Interest:
North East District:
Other Names: Tribunal District,
Places of Interest: Lord's Manor, Tribunal Hall, Main Barracks,
North West District:
Other Names: Citizen District,
Places of Interest: