Kanrath - The Crimson City
Kanrath. Bloodpool. Darkness of Tolia. Cave of Vampires. Haven of Evil. Seat of Vampiric Power. Hell of the Founder. Nest of Vampires. Home of the Crimson King. Known by many names, this Crimson City has been a shelter against the dangers in the wilds of Tolia since it was first constructed. Mortal or vampire, rich or poor, strong or weak; one can find a great variety of people in this city. The city is filled with more mouths than it could possibly feed, and welcomes more and more with each passing day. However, if you’re to be fed and protected by the city, you must feed it in return. And Kanrath has no shortage of vampires to please in this regard.
Kanrath is a dark, metropolitan city with many districts and over 800 000 residents. Socially, it is a rough city where residents, especially mortals, must follow a certain set of rules to survive. Most live in poverty and have no access to basic services. They are sick and tired of regular blood donations, malnutrition, and extreme working conditions. Technologically, the city has had serious innovations thanks to angst crystals and blood engines. While traveling in the dark streets of Kanrath, you can see different types of bloodwork machinery against the backdrop of the gothic architecture of the city. Gargoyle statues and bloodwork automatons guard the vampires’ estates together.
Cyherested - City of Deceit
Cyherested. Land of Magic. Defiant Bastion. Seat of Prime Sorcerers. Land of Deceit. The horizon is dotted by skyscrapers, and the tallest four are those of the Prime Sorcerers. In one corner of the busy streets of the Land of Magic, a citizen drinks their magically-infused beverage while listening to jazz on the magically-constructed radio system in a bar on floor 50 of some skyscraper, officers and bloodwork soldiers raid an apartment known to house rogue wizards in another, and unfortunates die in blood therapy in some underground facility as they try to unleash the sorcery hidden in their blood to have a chance to rise in society. Suffice it to say, Cyherested is multifaceted as can be.
The use of magic is a part of everyday life that makes everything easier for the citizens of Cyherested, the city of supreme sorcery. That’s why the population of Cyherested is almost as high as that of Kanrath even though the Crimson City was established way before. This comfort provided by magic is exactly how Cyherested manages to trap newcomers in the glue trap that is the Land of Deceit.
There being so many people in search of a comfortable life makes for an incredibly competitive environment. Residents of the city are in a constant rat race, trying to rise in status or to keep their current one to keep reaping the benefits of this magical haven. The moment you stop giving back to the city, you see its darker side. You can be a wealthy officer one day, and be a pauper the next. Though the city appears much more comfortable and luxurious than Kanrath, this is a mere illusion. Trickery, competition, and duality constitute the nature of this city; a gaping maw that consumes a small part of its residents every single day.
The beautiful aesthetic of the city based on the art deco style of architecture is yet another mirage. The gorgeous silhouette of the city can turn into a landscape of hell if one ever has to deal with bureaucracy in the tall buildings they see in the horizon. The word “chaotic” cannot even begin to describe the reality.