City23 – The Goblin City – Days 9-17

I’ve been continuing to add bits to my goblin city each day as part of the City23 project I started for the new year. My daily entries can be found under #city23 on my Mastodon account.

I’ve been continuing to add bits to my goblin city each day as part of the City23 project I started for the new year. My daily entries can be found under #city23 on my Mastodon account.

I’ve been finding new resources for dundeon23 and city23 as the project has continued, and an all-in-one spot to get good resources is #Dungeon23 Resources.

Following are the new things I added to the city during days 9 through 17



Commons Station

On the westernmost reach of The Commons is a train station with 9 lines connecting from it. It is the terminus of each of those lines. A raised platform allows access to board the trains. Food establishments at the ground level provide packaged meals for travelers. A small bus station allows for connections to nearby neighborhoods. A large city model allows for orienting and understanding routes.

Table of Commons Station Food Establishments

  1. Dondan’s Dumpling Domain – Dumplings of dozens of kinds can be found at this stand, whether fried, boiled or steamed.
  2. Dragon Spice Bowls – This restaurant serves up heaping bowls that are famous for being spicy and delicious. The connoisseurs of heat in the kitchen here have gathered uncommon peppers and pride themselves on unique pairings.
  3. Goblins Eat Greens – This stand leans into leafy greens, as its name suggests, and makes delicious salads as a speciality.
  4. Polymorph Pies – Savoury pies or sweet pies, hand pies or piping hot lattice pies, countless varieties of pies can be found here, with the selection changing daily.
  5. Radiant Ramen – Broths, sauces, noodles, oils, and other ingredients here are of only the highest quality and a wide range of tastes are catered to with these soups. A calamansi ramen is a favourite among students who frequent this stand.
  6. Dissonant Delights – Hearty, rich, and indulgent foods can be found at this atmospheric restaurant, always with an unusual twist. Takeout is always bustling, and there is a clamour about as orders are taken.
  7. Summoned Pizza – Pizzas are constantly being pulled from the ovens here, and slices are generous.
  8. Smite Hunger! – Hungry travellers can’t go wrong with the loaded plates here. The gravy prepared by the chef is known citywide.
  9. The Owl & Bear – Pub fare here is loved by locals and the all day breakfast is raved about.
  10. Clockwork Box – Constructs run this restaurant and provide perfectly square paper boxes holding meals. Patrons can select ingredients and the crowd of construct chefs will stir fry to their specifications.
  11. Fey Drinks – Smoothies, fresh juices and surprisingly nourishing beverages are served here. Magic is generously infused in many drinks here.
  12. Elven Bread – Famous for being nutritionally dense and fit for keeping a traveller full for uncanny periods of time, the loaves served here are favoured for long train journeys.

Midway

To the east of The Commons is a garish Midway, with the sounds and lights of rides and the bustle of games of chance, skill, strength and magic. This area stretches along the outer wall of the city and magical paint has been used to create a glowing backdrop from murals along the wall.

Table of Midway Rides

  1. Golden Dragoncoaster – A magical blending of a dragon and rollercoaster looms over the Midway and offers thrills to riders. The roar of the dragon and the screams of riders alternate as the loudest sounds around.
  2. Giant Snail Paths – Children and anyone looking for a languid experience will find a perfect match riding giant snails through a wooded area lit by glowing magic motes.
  3. Behold! An Aberrant Thing – Riders climb into an appendage and are flung wildly but safely around by this mechanical wonder.
  4. Tossed Rocks – Large boulder-shaped vessels use magic and gyroscopic motion to keep riders safe as giants toss them through juggling patterns.
  5. The Fairy Wheel – The gondolas of this towering Ferris Wheel are each enchanted with unique magics that create astounding, altered sights across the city.
  6. Carousel of Wonders – Enchantments give riders an uncannily realistic experience of being atop rare and wonderous creatures.
  7. Lantern Swirl – Riders step inside huge ornate lanterns and are shuffled through a circle as the lanterns turn slowly. The ghostly lights are mirrored by spirits that materialize and shock.
  8. Mushroom Bounding – Giant mushrooms with extraordinary bounce allow for fun leaps and acrobatics. Large inflatable orbs are available to be entered for increased accessibility and safety.
  9. Tunnels of Delights – A series of tunnels can be explored and wonders encountered, with many bioluminescent and magically glowing creatures lighting the way.
  10. Living Tree Swings – Swings hung from awakened trees are moved gently around by their hosts and riders are offered a serene experience.
  11. Lightning Wheel – A lightning elemental powers this fast-spinning and bright-glowing ride where participants experience thrilling top-like motion.
  12. Crystal Maze – Oversized magically grown crystals, warped mirrors, glass lenses, optical illusions and enchantments make this maze disorienting, challenging and perfect for quick photos.

Table of Midway Games

  1. Stage Magic – Participants step onto a stage and use a set of three wands to play a game of predicting the choice of an opponent, with showy magical effects for each combination. A host for the house collects bets.
  2. Smoke Ring Toss – Magical smoke rings are produced by a pipe and players try to aim at posts. Winners can collect prizes of lightly enchanted goods.
  3. Sword and Stone – A game of problem solving, players work to release a sword from a stone by manipulation of a series of mechanisms which have a unique configuration each play. A music box plays increasingly frantic music as time progresses to the end of play.
  4. Strong Bell – This classic test of strength features a bell that creates a thunder-like sound.
  5. The Fairy Course – Players attempt to cross an obstacle course while playfully hindered by a group of fairies.
  6. Shatterable Glass – Participants try to produce a tone with instruments or their voices to shatter a magical pane of glass.
  7. Dragon Rolling Contest – Participants climb upon the back of a young dragon and attempt to stay on by leaping as it turns. Prizes are available based on increasingly impressive times.
  8. Doppelgangers Hall – A group of changelings immitate players, who are challenged to convince an audience they are the original contestant.
  9. Celestial Riddles – A trio of angelic creatures constrained under truthtelling magic challenge players with riddles.
  10. Wyrm Whack – A game of hitting wyrm automatons is played for prizes.
  11. Dangerous Dice – Dice games are played with enchanted dice that have unexpected effects that complicate typical odds, sometimes in players’ favour.
  12. Polymorphed Races – Participants are magically transformed into strange creatures and race through a track.

The Central Library

North of The Commons and stretching in a wide arc across its northern edge is the pride of the goblin city, The Central Library. The neo-Futurist architecture of this building resembles two gigantic snail shells and is covered in an astounding number of windows. Eight arched entrances open out of a large courtyard that blends into The Commons with a stunning garden.

Politics, culture and nearly every aspect of life in the goblin city have the core idea of libraries at their heart: that everyone should have access to what they need and desire without obstacles and with the assistance of people trained to facilitate that access. Because of this foundational belief, The Central Library was built to be both a symbol and an engine of the practice of expanding what a library can offer.

Inside the library are halls and rooms built to facilitate specific activities and general access to knowledge.

The Library Garden

The Library Garden has large flower beds, topiaries of mythical beasts, a succulent area, and fruit-bearing trees in a small orchard. In the centre of the garden is a gigantic oak tree circled by benches shaped out of living trees. A dryad cares for trees in the garden and is assisted by gardeners.

A greenhouse is obscured by a rhododendron hedge and a seed, bulb and cutting library is accessible through a tunnel that connects the main complex. Fairies live in elevated structures high in the oak and can often be seen participating in work around the garden.

Azolla

Azolla is the dryad of the Library Garden. She has been a protector of the oak since before the founding of the city and has been involved in shaping city policies. Her tree was a rallying point for issues tied to social ecology.

Azolla has humanoid features and is covered in oak leaves that change colour with the seasons or for special occasions, such as the Founders’ Festival, when she has both red and green leaves simultaneously to match the city’s official colours.

Table of Central Library Features

  1. Magic Hall – Magic books, spell components and a magic maker space are housed in a dedicated hall, where magic users are available to guide patrons.
  2. Computer Lab – Desktop computers, printers, scanners and other computing tools are available in the spacious computer lab.
  3. Recording Studios and Instrument Library – Six recording studios are available to library patrons and production experts are on hand to assist. A wide selection of instruments are available to be used on site and a subset can be borrowed.
  4. Books – A large portion of the library is dedicated to physical books, with 5 floors each offering a portion of the collection. Each floor is accessible by elevators and stairs.
  5. Makerspace and Tinkerer’s Room – 3d printers can be found alongside cogs and gears in this space that caters to a diverse range of making needs.
  6. Auditorium – A large performance space is available for performances and rehearsals.
  7. Lecture Hall – A modest lecture hall is available for instruction of groups and smaller performances.
  8. Pods – 50 multipurpose isolated pods are available for study, meditation, reading and other quiet activities.
  9. Cafes – Eight cafes are located within the library and offer drinks and meals for library visitors. Each has specialties and particular views of either the library interior or the city from an elevated vantage.
  10. Growing Library – An agricultural hall hosts growing plants, with multiple growing methods, and an area where cuttings, seedlings, seeds and other material for producing plants can be obtained. Horticultural scientists and fairies can be seen travelling by tunnel to and from the garden outside.
  11. Living Knowledge Rooms – A collection of rooms host people who have volunteered to share knowledge in direct sessions. Topics for discussion vary, as do communication methods. A special room to facilitate telepathy is often waitlisted.
  12. Children’s Exploration Space – A large area is dedicated to activities for children. Books, toys, maker spaces, instruments, play areas and other activities are offered along with seating spots for parents.

Now I have a permanent page at The Goblin City to keep all these digests in one spot.

Photo by Alp Duran on Unsplash

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