PmWiki | LeftBeyond / Cities

Extant Cities

A list of the fifteen cities that exist in the Millennial Kingdom as of +900.

Jerusalem: The only true metropolis, seat of the god-made-flesh, on a plateau miles above the rest of the world. The newly developing city of Jerusalem has seen its boundaries expanded to accommodate the new temple eighteen miles north of the city, near Shiloh. A paved causeway leads all the way from Jerusalem to the new temple, of which the courtyard alone is larger than the Old City had been, more than a mile square. The holy neighborhood for the priests and Levites encompasses an area forty by fifty miles, more than six times the size of pre-Rapture greater London and ten times the circumference of the original ancient, walled city.
Cairo: One of the first cities reconstructed after the Appearing; generally seen as relatively tolerant to younger people, even after the renaming of Osaze in +93.
Istanbul: Not Constantinople. Another city reconstructed early on after the Appearing. The Hagia Sofia cathedral has been rebuilt and re-consecrated, but the extensive damage from the global earthquake means that the actual building is mostly new. A small memorial to Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, has been built inside.
Manila: A centre for missionary activity, and for rebuilding in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Sometimes called 'Little Jerusalem' by TOL-types, because it's full of TML-types.
Paris: Neither Nazis nor earthquakes nor the Son of God himself could truly destroy Paris. It's still the centre of what culture and fashion there is left, and if you want a club scene, there's no better place in the world. Paris is one of the endpoints on the Underground Monorail.
London: Another extremely resilient city, London's become a hub for people traveling from the Eastern Hemisphere to the Western one. Because of this, it's often sarcastically called "Airstrip One".
New York: Home of one of the two biggest grey/black markets in the world. If something exists, you can find it in New York.
Tokyo: A relatively small settlement, surrounded by vast ruins. It's one of the urbex capitals of the world for this reason; salvagers and other grey-market types often claim their goods are from the ruins of Old Tokyo, even if they're obviously not. Due to the sheer number of quietly repurposed empty buildings, Tokyo is one of the endpoints on the Underground Monorail.
Guangzhou: The closest thing to a "food scene" the new world has is in Guangzhou. It's even rumoured that chefs in Guangzhou can make dishes that taste exactly like meat, though most people are sceptical.
Rust City: Slang for three settlements along what used to be the Great Lakes in the Northeastern USA. Comprised of what used to be Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland, all three settlements are counted as one administrative unit, because the settlements are relatively small. Urban exploration is a big deal here, and- due to the number of quietly repurposed empty buildings- Rust City is one of the endpoints on the Underground Monorail.
Mexico City: Still as big, bright, and full of life as ever.
Los Angeles:
Zimbabwe:
Moscow:
Brasilia:

Extinct Cities

Rome: The Eternal City has endured only in a severely reduced capacity; its association with the Catholic Church and later with Carpathianism made most resettlement attempts suspicious. Eventually, the place turned into an open-air museum of sorts; Even with the Seven Hills flattened, some intact examples of classical architecture survived. The Christian catacombs have been restored and the artifacts that haven't been ferried to New Jerusalem may be viewed in their intended resting place. The few people living amongst the ruins, both ancient and modern, work around what tourist trade exists and maintain the exhibits; there are also amateur archeologists. Saint Peter's Basilica was damaged in the earthquake, and is maintained in its damaged state as a symbol of the end of the false church. The actual permanent population oscillates between the low and high hundreds, which isn't considered sufficient for city status.
Venice: The global earthquake and subsequent change in soil composition has turned the Venetian Lagoon into a swamp. Nobody lives here anymore, but the city may be visited with written permission and there are organized tours available when the winds take the swamp smell away. The hydrological change has had the beneficial effect of stabilizing the city's foundations. Gone as a place of culture, the empty city remains as a place of beauty.
Tiranë: Like many settlements, the former capital city of Albania is now little more than an agrarian village with a few dozen inhabitants. However, it is notable for one of the most open-minded Christian cultural centers in existence, "For The Undecided" run by Gustaf Zuckermandel; this makes Tiranë pretty much the only place where religious debates that do not follow the Tsion-Bruggencate style of "shouting down the unbeliever" take place. Live broadcasts are generally not available, but summaries and bests-of can be found on channel 60 and transcripts are available online.