Albrook
Albrook is the largest city in the Web, and the location of Grand Army Headquarters. The city has been described as “an Esperian city in a very Tasnican way.” Although most of the buildings and housing are in an Esperian style, the city's monorails and civic institutions reflect the city's history as a Tasnican state from 4 to 37 WR. The largest influence in the city, however, remains the Grand Army. The massive GAHQ building dominates the skyline; Albrook is one of the only of the Web's major cities to have large, visible fortifications; and everywhere the city is choked with white-and-gold uniforms. The monorail system is built as a massive grid, reflecting the orderly sensibility of a military designer.
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The Web’s City
Albrook is located near the "Albrook Portal Set", which puts it 'near' many dimensions. The discovery of interdimensional travel in the Esper Dimension in 3 WR led to an explosion of commerce and population growth. Strategically, the city is a kind of interdimensional chokepoint, sitting astride the paths between many dimensions.
This, in turn, made it a logical place to headquarter the Grand Army, which built its communications network outward from the city. "All roads lead to Albrook", it was said, and during the Great War, it was true. Albrook was also the meeting place for most House of Lords meetings prior to the construction of Nova Pax.
All of these factors have contributed to making Albrook a highly international city; virtually every nationality from the Web can be found in number in Albrook. Perhaps only the City of Moogles, Kupopolis, itself has a more diverse population. Having such a widely varied population in such a small area has led to some friction. The city continues to struggle to absorb the refugees from Tzen and other Esper Union cities as a result of the Leviathan War. All of these factors make Albrook highly attractive to corporations, spies, criminal syndicates, young people, diplomats, smugglers, businessmen, adventurers, and anyone else who wants to feel like they have the whole Web within easy reach.
A Free City
Officially, Albrook is a free and independent city state (officially: City of Albrook.). Although part of the Tasnica Republic for several decades, the presence of GAHQ gave the city considerable autonomy. In 37 WR Rhodes Palmerston made a show of “gifting the city to the Web,” though some claim this was a way for Tasnica to avoid dealing with the city’s refugee crisis resulting from the Leviathan War. In 38 WR local leaders working with the Alliance Congress and the Generalissimo drafted the Treaty on Albrook Independence. The treaty, subsequently signed by most GACA nations, guarantees the self-government and independence of Albrook, the city’s neutrality in Web political affairs, and pledges that, in principle, the city should remain an open port to all GACA members.
Politically, the City of Albrook is a democracy, with an elected city council, though the mayor has the more grandiose title of Lord Mayor to indicate his status as a full head of state. The current Lord Mayor is Kutania, a moogle, native Albrooker, and GA veteran.
Of course, the local government is effectively straitjacketed by the presence of the Grand Army, who reserves the power to veto any local measure on the grounds of “Web security.” (The GA also makes lots of unreasonable demands, as no other sane city in the Web would consent to having a giant pile of Ultima missiles next door.)
Laws in the Albrook reflect the libertarian Tasnican past, with a strong code of individual rights. However, recently Pyra, Dust, and other illicit substances have been banned after a lengthy debate about the substances were destroying the city’s youth, particularly in the downtrodden Altrega Beach slums.
The local government has the unenviable task of providing municipal services to the largest city in the Web. They must also deal with the fact that the city’s largest landowner and employer, the Grand Army, does not pay taxes, largely ignores local ordinances, and essentially considers itself above the law. Organized crime is firmly in the grip of the Zozoan Mafia, who have deep roots in the city such that they are almost part of the fabric of society. Nowhere is this more true than in the slums of Altrega Beach, where the dispossessed refugees turn to the mafia for help and protection when no one else will help them. The Garlandini family is the most important of the city’s mafia families. Recently, the Fabulian Triads have tried to make inroads, notably the Golden Axe Triad. The local Albrook Police Department is hopelessly overworked; the city is just too damned big to police effectively.
Sightseeing!
GAHQ dominates the city skyline – at over four hundred stories tall and an impressive width, no other building in the city even comes close. At sunrise, the building blocks the sun for half the city, resembling the famous sword-and-sun of the GA insignia.
GAHQ is at the end of Victory Avenue, one of the broadest, grandest streets in the Web, filled with monuments, memorials and columns commemorating virtually every major engagement fought by the Grand Army. Every year, on Charter Day, Grand Army units parade down the avenue, which runs the full length of the city. Many heads of state attend the celebrations marking the original signing of the charter.
Very near GAHQ is a small, dusty tavern that has passed into Web legend. The Drunken Soldier Tavern is where Celiose and Chrystalis got drunk together. Despite being a major historical site, the tavern is still very much a functioning bar. It is, however, a total dive with long lines and overpriced drinks. The Promontory of Celes overlooks Albrook Harbor. According to legend, this is the place where famed hero Celes Chere came ashore to begin the work of assembling the Fourteen Against Kefka. A magnificent alabaster statues of Celes, depicting here wielding the sword Illumina, stands on this spot. This is also a highly strategic point that overlooks the Albrook Portal Set; it is said that from the Promontory of Celes, one can see the entire Core on a clear day.
Of course, no tourist can go see the Deep 13 Magitek Research Facility (where Ultima weapons were born) or the Kefka’s Domain missile base (and you’ll probably be killed before you get close.) Both are located deep underground, and far outside the populated areas.
Local Dishes
As a crossroads for the Web, it is possible to get all kinds of different food in Albrook, but the city is justly famous for its “Albrooker-style” food, which must be tasted to be believed. Usually “Albrooker-style” food involves slathering ridiculous amounts of hot sauce, spices, and other things to make your mouth burn. It is said that of all the spicy wings in the Web, the wings of Albrook have the greatest spicination. The urban legend has it that GA soldiers poured hotsauce all over their combat rations to make them more palatable, a trend which they logically extended to almost everything. Albrooker Cola is a famous local beverage. This artisanal sugary soft drink is handcrafted in small batches, and is reputed to be the favored drink of Celiose Cole himself. It proudly claims to be “Drink that Won the Great War”.
Neighborhoods
Despite the city’s massive size, it is actually relatively easy to get around; the city’s transportation network was built to military specifications. The elevated monorail (the “A-Train”) is considered one of the best mass transit systems in the Web, on par with Guardian cities.
Ethnic Neighborhoods
Albrook has many ethnic neighborhoods for specific nationalities, such as Little Thebes, the largest concentration outside of Terra Nostra. The classical Theban architecture has made the neighborhood a tourist must-see, though few can stomach the native specialty of garum sauce, made from rotting fish. The Thebans are rumored to be running a gladiatorial combat circuit, but of course such a thing would be illegal.
Toaster District
An “ethnic” neighborhood of a different type is the Toaster District. Originally known as the best place to find the highest quality toasters of all shapes, sizes, and varieties, the Toaster District has started to attract robots and other sentient AIs. “Toaster” is starting to become a slur among Albrookers for any sapient robot. Located in the Toaster District is Goto, owned by Lobo the Todo. Goto appears at first glance to be a fancy nightclub, but it is also a hub of activity for a fringe element of Web society: cyborgs. Although the use of cybernetic enhancements for medical reasons is well understood in Gate (and growing in popularity in Tasnica), in most parts of the Web anyone who would willingly replace their gods-given flesh with machine parts is regarded with suspicion. Goto is the place where these aspiring transhumans can buy parts, get upgrades, and find the necessary surgeries. Cybernetic upgrades are not illegal – but they’re not always safe, especially for those who blur the line between man and machine.
Corporate Enclave
The Corporate Enclave is a special tax zone set aside for the various international businesses doing business in Albrook. Given the city’s importance to Web trade, and the proximity to the Grand Army, this means virtually every large interdimensional corporation has a branch office here. Perhaps not surprisingly, this is one of the most expensive places to live in the city.
Altrega Beach
Integrating the flood of Leviathan War refugees has been problematic for Albrook; they originally settled in a refugee camp on the east side of the city known bitterly as “Altrega Beach” after the Regent who “sold them out”. The camp became a tent town, and eventually a slum. The residents of the area have been there for eight years with few job prospects and little hope of returning home, and gangs, drugs, and crime are on the rise. Unsurprisingly, the Zozoan Mafia has consolidated their grip on Altrega Beach as locals consider them the only people who can “get things done.”
Albrook Harbor and Zeppelinbourg
Albrook’s south is dominated by Albrook Harbor (“the AH”), as Albrook’s location makes it a key point of transhipment for the entire core. Most of the AH is dominated by great ships, huge cranes, and giant containers. Sadly, Albrook’s fisheries have been depleted for decades, but the place still stinks. Adjoining the AH is Zeppelinbourg, an elevated skyport to tether Esperian (and Crystalese) airships. Airships are a luxurious mode of travel, mostly owned by wealthy flight aficionados (regular people take planes). The airship cruise lines, however, continue to do brisk business in pleasure cruises around the dimension.
Cristophe Springs and Vedaslos Circle
The University of Albrook’s campus stretches out over the northwestern neighborhood of Cristophe Springs. U of A is a well-rounded school, but mostly appeals to students who want the experience of living in Albrook. Adjoining Cristophe Springs is Vedaslos Circle. With such a thorough reputation as a straitlaced military town, it is perhaps inevitable that Albrook gave birth to a thriving, vibrant counterculture. Vedaslos Circle proudly declared itself “The Gayest Place in the City,” at a time when homosexuality was still something no one in Albrook discussed in polite company. Vedaslos Circle remains a magnet for those who do not fit the mold, or wish for an “alternative” lifestyle. The Circle’s most famous fixture is Palladium, Albrook’s first all-gothic nightclub, modeled after a Jidooran manor. Although at first respectable burghers were shocked – SHOCKED!! – by the goings-on in the Vedalos Circle, nowadays Albrookers think of it as part of what makes the city special.
Mystic Ward
The “Mystic Ward” is a have n for magic users from hundreds of magical traditions from over a dozen worlds (and plenty of fakers and wannabees.) The Mystic Ward actually started from after the Omnisent Conflict, as magic users across the Web came to Albrook after the massacre of hundreds of Tanes by an ultima missile; some come to study the effects on the local mana stream, some simply came to honor their fellow magic users. Over time, the Mystic Ward became a sort of commune for magic users of all traditions to come together and exchange knowledge. Visitors should beware, however, that although there are plenty of opportunities to pick up rare enchantments and curios, there’s thousands of scam artists looking to fleece those who don’t know better. Since authenticity is at a premium here, one of the Ward’s more notable fixtures is Ammit, an appraiser (and Esper) capable of sensing the entire history of magical items.
Underbook
Before the Leviathan War, there were plans to build a tunnel to house a hypersonic mag-lev to Tzen (similar to the Quadline in Tasnica.) Scandian occupation put a stop to the plan, but the tunnels remained. The tunnels have filled with squatters and have since become known as Underbrook, the dark shadow cast by the shining lights of Albrook. Underbrook is effectively lawless; the Scandian Occupied Zone authorities regard this as Albrook’s problem, and Albrook regards it as Scande’s (and the GA regards it as beneath their notice).
Battles Of
Because of its strategic importance, any would-be Web conqueror almost inevitably tries to take the city. The most famous of these battles are:
-The Battle Albrooker Plain, 14 WR. Tasnica’s REF troops defeat the Nikeah and Mobliz Army Corps to hold the city (though the fires of Esperian unity still burn.)
-The Battle of Albrook, 25 WR. Celiose Cole defends against a massive Dark Wrath offensive. Along with the Siege of Trianable, this battle is considered a turning point of the war.
-The Omnisent Conflict, 31 WR. In the climactic battle of the conflict, Celiose notoriously set off an Ultima weapon beneath an invading army of tanes.
