East City

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East City is the urban jewel of Cardinal's Great Desert. Nestled in the fertile delta of a river flowing out of the northern mountains, and surrounded by hundreds to thousands of miles of arid landscape, East is a city largely ignored by the world at large, despite its populace of 6.5 million people.

Vital Statistics

Official Name
The City of East.
Universal Location
On the planet Earth, on the continent of Cardinal.
National Allegiance
Cardinal
Population
6.5 million sentients
Population Breakdown
Under construction.

Geography

East City lies on the eastern Cardinalian shore of the Ocean of Leagues, which separates that country-continent from Alaris. It spans most of the delta of the Panthris River, and outlying farming communities span the rest. Outside of the delta in all directions but east is the expansive Great Cardinalian Desert, though the closest desert break lies a mere 150 miles to the north, where the sand melts into everglades and tundra on the Witchtoe Peninsula. The Compass Wastes lie to the northwest, and the Dalius Mountains lie some 500 miles south, along the coastline. In relation to the rest of the continent, East City lies in the general northeast area.

Topography

The major eastern metropolis of Cardinal is called the "Urban Jewel" for a reason. Viewed from high in the air, the city literally glimmers in both sun and moonlight. This is attributed to a well-developed system of city-wide canals, that run off the branches of the Panthris delta, as well as a series of enormous greenhouses that are scattered throughout the city. East is a very planet-friendly city; its pollution ordinances are stricter than anywhere else in the country.

Skyscrapers are not allowed to exceed twenty stories, and are not allowed to be built closer than a certain distance of one another. Instead, many buildings are actually built downward into the soft soil, with a few of the richest business tycoons championing "underriver views" where their office windows actually hold a deep, underwater view of one of the rivulets. Since such establishments arguably interfere with the biosphere of the river, there are only a few such installations. Homes are also built both above and below ground, but not nearly to the depth that the commercial buildings go.

The city design typically follows a multi-radial layout, with greenhouses and skyscrapers forming the centers of the radials, and canals running between radials, from one delta branch to another. The canals are used as both irrigation tools and travel avenues. East City is the only known major city in the world where amphibious vehicles are popular. Not coincidentally, East City also houses the center of operations for the largest manufacturer of amphibious vehicles in the world, who also, not coincidentally, is an extremely world-conscious business entity. All amphibious vehicles are extremely fuel efficient and produce nearly zero emissions, and can even travel over and under oceans, to a reasonable depth. However, they are also quite expensive and not well supported outside of East City, and thus, fall second in Cardinal to the rising popularity of the electricity-guzzling hovercars. Most East City denizens are not rich, but instead largely ride ferries and hybrid-buses, or otherwise simply walk to work and back. East City's city council has gone through great expense to ensure that public transportation is prompt, safe, and enjoyable, to keep its citizens from falling back on the more heavily polluting or energy-sapping vehicles.

Culture

Landmarks

History

Resident Characters