New London
New London is the most powerful city on earth. The seat of the British Empire resides in the middle of the city, and the British Empires largest banking institutions are within walking distance of each other. It is only fitting that one post be devoted to the city that, in many ways, holds the fate of Earth in her hands. It isn’t to say that cities such as New York, Paris, Rome, or Berlin aren’t important, but instead that with the amount of global power that the crown holds the well being of London is in many ways the well being of the world. I’d like post a disclaimer that many of you will come to be familiar with in the upcoming months. I’m not a historian. The history you will read here is decidedly geared to the world that I’m creating and as such some creative leeway has been taken. If what you read here doesn’t jibe with what you know, all I can say is that it’s a game. As with my previous posts, this will also contain some statistical information, so hopefully I won’t be too boring.
The current population of New London amounts to approximately 22 million people, included within the metro area and the outlying areas. The population breakdown is 89% Human, 6% Halfling, 2% Dwarven, 1% Erl, and 1% Goblin, and 1% Other. Its primary industry is banking, commodities, government, refined technologies, and military. Since the London disaster of 1817, much of the city has been redesigned and rebuild, creating a modern, gleaming metropolis that is the envy of the world over. Before I get to the city today, IÂd like to take some time to address the history of the city.
London was originally a small group of forts for Roman soldiers during the Roman occupation of the island from about 50 BCE to about the 4th century CE. In 348 the fort was destroyed by an alliance between Celts and the Ancient Wyrm Clogbwytawyt. Later the Celts occupied the mouth of what is now the Thames, near the old forts ruins. In the 7th Century, Viking invaders pushed back the Celts and occupied their towns until they were in turned pushed back to the sea in 851 CE by the U’thr. It was during his unification of Britian and subsequent ascension as its first king that old London was built upon. The old forts became the skeleton of the new city, and it grew rather large as the city became central to the island's trade and political arena.
In 1066 William of Normandy invaded the island to assert his claim to the throne of Britain. At that time Harold Godwinson was the acting ruler of the nation, and after a stunning victory against Viking invaders at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, he rallied a force equal to Williams as he marched back to Hastings to meet the invader. During the battle, Harold was shot in the eye with an arrow and killed, causing his troops to route. William was crowned king of Britain on Christmas Day in 1066. The Normans and their feudal society continued to perpetuate the monarchy through the current time period. The Monarchy quickly sought to assert British authority throughout the island, and eventually spread to Ireland and France. Additionally, British military campaigns against the remaining Celtic tribes pressed into the northern highlands.
Some time should be to address the Celtic peoples and their continued presence on the island. Little is known of the Celtic peoples original homeland, although some Sparks have claimed that they hail from Russia, Sweden, and perhaps Portugal. What is known is that the Celts are highly trained sorcerers and druids. Unlike real world history, the Romans, and later the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons found the Celts a inordinately hard people to conquer. Their sorcerers and druids evened the odds against Roman tactics, against Viking brutality, and against Anglo-Saxon Calvary. The have existed as the thorn in the side of virtually every British monarch since William the Conqueror, but only in the past 75 years, with substantial reliance upon Spark technology and tenacity, has the British government managed to keep the Celtic tribes under control.
The result of this continued conflict caused many raids by the Celts from the time of Williams ascension.. This resulted in gradual concentration of peoples in and around large urban areas, including London. The city, at the 1600 census, had a population of 5 million, staggeringly high for the time. The result was overcrowding and constant disease as a result of poor sanitation. By about 1650 the city was plague ridden, resulting in the death of nearly 2/3 of its population. In 1666 Celtic raiders made their way into the city after nearly a month of raiding northern cities, and set the palace and the nearby buildings on fire. While the raiders were killed in the subsequent fighting, it severely damaged and burned down much of the interior portion of London. Despite this, the British government rebuilt the city and restructured its defenses for the future.
From the early 17th to the mid 18th century saw the city grow into a large European trading center which increased its population. Many advances, including a prototype steam rail, were installed to aid the population in traversing the urban sprawl that London had become. The Colonial expansion increased the wealth of the British Crown beyond belief, and even in the 1770's, the French and American revolution saw a massive increase in British industry in the city as military support was sent to British interest in both America and France.
By the dawning of the 19th century, London was the most powerful city in the most powerful nation on earth, and on 1813, became the most powerful city in the inner solar system, as the HMS London landed on the Moon. The next 3 years saw even more economic prosperity as mineral deposits discovered on the moon were sent back to earth for British exploitation. Sadly, this would result in a dark spot in the history of colonial expansion. On August 13th, 1817, a canister filled with iron ore was mis-launched from the Tycho City Commodities Delivery System and landed near downtown London. The impact of the canister leveled every building within a 500 square kilometer area, and killed approximately 4 million people. The impact of the canister also caused substantial seismic activity to roll through the island, and a large earthquake hit the mouth of the Thames river. The result caused a massive tidal shift in the tectonic plate, dropping the plate by about 12 feet. The result flooded most of old London, dropped most of the Isle south of the river into the channel and sent a 16 foot tsunami rolling about 45 miles inland into France and the Southern Swedish provinces.
This day was one of the darkest in mankind’s history, as the banking institutions and British government nearly collapsed under the strain of the disaster. Quick thinking by surviving members of the House of Lords (While the House of Commons did exist, their governing powers was substantially limited. Veto power was held over the House of Commons by the House of Lords) set up a functional government to aid survivors. The death of King George and his two sons thrust young Victoria, then merely 2 years old, into the position as Queen. She took the throne officially on May 24th, 1835 on her 18th birthday, although until that time she was actively involved through her regent, Sir William Melbourne.
During the rebuilding of London, Sir Melbourne was instrumental in laying out the new city plans and using the crowns considerable resources to rebuild. The city south of the Thames was underwater, and north of the Thames was mostly in rubble. Sir Melbourne's guidance put thousands of laborers to work building the cities core again, as well as digging tunnels for an underground steam and electrical powered rail system. In addition to the London Underground, he rebuild the New Buckingham Palace and the Administrative Square, where Parliament meets now.
London Now
Layout
London is divided into four major districts with a number of sub-districts (and some of these sub districts have their own sub-districts as well). Most of these districts and sub-districts are not clearly delineated, but those who live in New London have some general idea of what area they are in when they walk around.
1. The City of London (or just The City). This is the location of the old Roman fort of Londonium and was the hardest hit by the mis-drop disaster, requiring the most rebuilding. The City contains the governmental function of the city as well as the major banking and financial centers of the city. The City has a number of sub-districts as well. These sub-districts include Westminster, which houses the New Buckingham Palace and Administrative Square; Leicester Square which is an arts and entertainment district; Orctown, which is home to most of the cities orchish and goblin population; Southbank, an trendy area filled with boutiques and other businesses; and Bloomsbury, home of London's numerous universities, polytechnic schools and the cities only arcane academy.
2. East London. This is a largely impoverished area of New London, with an increasing number of heavy industry. It is a crime ridden area that has seen been plagued by a number of issues in recent years. Many of the workers that helped rebuild the city reside in East London, causing a substantial increase in the population. When the work was completed, many of these workers were unable to find new jobs, causing a substantial upsurge in crime. Some of the sub-districts include Bricklane, a large Hindi section; Docklands the large industrial dock district that has grown up in light of the city now being a port; Mile end, a large hafling community; and Whitchapel home of the infamous Stratford experiments and perhaps the poorest sub-district in the city.
3. North London. Like East London, North London is a large industrial area. Unlike the eastern portion of the city, the industry in the Northern portion is largely highly mechanized, and many of the areas are rather well off financially. It is the home of the cities new capitalists. Some of the sub-districts include Kings Cross, the launch point for London Underground, and home of a large number of apartment buildings; and Crouch End, a middle class neighborhood as well as a large industrial complex.
4. West London. West London is primarily the living and shopping section of the city. Its outskirts also have a number of smaller textile factories and New London air center, an embarking point for skyships and airships going to Rome, New York, Berlin, and Moscow. West London is densely packed in most areas, with either multi room apartments or small houses wedged very close together. West London is at times free of the bustle of The City or Eastern London. Some of the Sub-Districts include Acton, a mixing pot of nationalities and popular with people just moving to London; Chelsea, an affluent neighborhood of old aristocratic hold outs; Ealing a predominantly Japanese and Chinese neighborhood; Kensington, a shopping and arts district; and Notting Hill a cramped residential area.
This should suffice for a general description of London. Normally I'd also delve into some specific landmarks in the city, but I feel that at this point it might be too specific. Rather, I wanted to give the city some attention, and hope to revisit it in the near future.
The current population of New London amounts to approximately 22 million people, included within the metro area and the outlying areas. The population breakdown is 89% Human, 6% Halfling, 2% Dwarven, 1% Erl, and 1% Goblin, and 1% Other. Its primary industry is banking, commodities, government, refined technologies, and military. Since the London disaster of 1817, much of the city has been redesigned and rebuild, creating a modern, gleaming metropolis that is the envy of the world over. Before I get to the city today, IÂd like to take some time to address the history of the city.
London was originally a small group of forts for Roman soldiers during the Roman occupation of the island from about 50 BCE to about the 4th century CE. In 348 the fort was destroyed by an alliance between Celts and the Ancient Wyrm Clogbwytawyt. Later the Celts occupied the mouth of what is now the Thames, near the old forts ruins. In the 7th Century, Viking invaders pushed back the Celts and occupied their towns until they were in turned pushed back to the sea in 851 CE by the U’thr. It was during his unification of Britian and subsequent ascension as its first king that old London was built upon. The old forts became the skeleton of the new city, and it grew rather large as the city became central to the island's trade and political arena.
In 1066 William of Normandy invaded the island to assert his claim to the throne of Britain. At that time Harold Godwinson was the acting ruler of the nation, and after a stunning victory against Viking invaders at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, he rallied a force equal to Williams as he marched back to Hastings to meet the invader. During the battle, Harold was shot in the eye with an arrow and killed, causing his troops to route. William was crowned king of Britain on Christmas Day in 1066. The Normans and their feudal society continued to perpetuate the monarchy through the current time period. The Monarchy quickly sought to assert British authority throughout the island, and eventually spread to Ireland and France. Additionally, British military campaigns against the remaining Celtic tribes pressed into the northern highlands.
Some time should be to address the Celtic peoples and their continued presence on the island. Little is known of the Celtic peoples original homeland, although some Sparks have claimed that they hail from Russia, Sweden, and perhaps Portugal. What is known is that the Celts are highly trained sorcerers and druids. Unlike real world history, the Romans, and later the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons found the Celts a inordinately hard people to conquer. Their sorcerers and druids evened the odds against Roman tactics, against Viking brutality, and against Anglo-Saxon Calvary. The have existed as the thorn in the side of virtually every British monarch since William the Conqueror, but only in the past 75 years, with substantial reliance upon Spark technology and tenacity, has the British government managed to keep the Celtic tribes under control.
The result of this continued conflict caused many raids by the Celts from the time of Williams ascension.. This resulted in gradual concentration of peoples in and around large urban areas, including London. The city, at the 1600 census, had a population of 5 million, staggeringly high for the time. The result was overcrowding and constant disease as a result of poor sanitation. By about 1650 the city was plague ridden, resulting in the death of nearly 2/3 of its population. In 1666 Celtic raiders made their way into the city after nearly a month of raiding northern cities, and set the palace and the nearby buildings on fire. While the raiders were killed in the subsequent fighting, it severely damaged and burned down much of the interior portion of London. Despite this, the British government rebuilt the city and restructured its defenses for the future.
From the early 17th to the mid 18th century saw the city grow into a large European trading center which increased its population. Many advances, including a prototype steam rail, were installed to aid the population in traversing the urban sprawl that London had become. The Colonial expansion increased the wealth of the British Crown beyond belief, and even in the 1770's, the French and American revolution saw a massive increase in British industry in the city as military support was sent to British interest in both America and France.
By the dawning of the 19th century, London was the most powerful city in the most powerful nation on earth, and on 1813, became the most powerful city in the inner solar system, as the HMS London landed on the Moon. The next 3 years saw even more economic prosperity as mineral deposits discovered on the moon were sent back to earth for British exploitation. Sadly, this would result in a dark spot in the history of colonial expansion. On August 13th, 1817, a canister filled with iron ore was mis-launched from the Tycho City Commodities Delivery System and landed near downtown London. The impact of the canister leveled every building within a 500 square kilometer area, and killed approximately 4 million people. The impact of the canister also caused substantial seismic activity to roll through the island, and a large earthquake hit the mouth of the Thames river. The result caused a massive tidal shift in the tectonic plate, dropping the plate by about 12 feet. The result flooded most of old London, dropped most of the Isle south of the river into the channel and sent a 16 foot tsunami rolling about 45 miles inland into France and the Southern Swedish provinces.
This day was one of the darkest in mankind’s history, as the banking institutions and British government nearly collapsed under the strain of the disaster. Quick thinking by surviving members of the House of Lords (While the House of Commons did exist, their governing powers was substantially limited. Veto power was held over the House of Commons by the House of Lords) set up a functional government to aid survivors. The death of King George and his two sons thrust young Victoria, then merely 2 years old, into the position as Queen. She took the throne officially on May 24th, 1835 on her 18th birthday, although until that time she was actively involved through her regent, Sir William Melbourne.
During the rebuilding of London, Sir Melbourne was instrumental in laying out the new city plans and using the crowns considerable resources to rebuild. The city south of the Thames was underwater, and north of the Thames was mostly in rubble. Sir Melbourne's guidance put thousands of laborers to work building the cities core again, as well as digging tunnels for an underground steam and electrical powered rail system. In addition to the London Underground, he rebuild the New Buckingham Palace and the Administrative Square, where Parliament meets now.
London Now
Layout
London is divided into four major districts with a number of sub-districts (and some of these sub districts have their own sub-districts as well). Most of these districts and sub-districts are not clearly delineated, but those who live in New London have some general idea of what area they are in when they walk around.
1. The City of London (or just The City). This is the location of the old Roman fort of Londonium and was the hardest hit by the mis-drop disaster, requiring the most rebuilding. The City contains the governmental function of the city as well as the major banking and financial centers of the city. The City has a number of sub-districts as well. These sub-districts include Westminster, which houses the New Buckingham Palace and Administrative Square; Leicester Square which is an arts and entertainment district; Orctown, which is home to most of the cities orchish and goblin population; Southbank, an trendy area filled with boutiques and other businesses; and Bloomsbury, home of London's numerous universities, polytechnic schools and the cities only arcane academy.
2. East London. This is a largely impoverished area of New London, with an increasing number of heavy industry. It is a crime ridden area that has seen been plagued by a number of issues in recent years. Many of the workers that helped rebuild the city reside in East London, causing a substantial increase in the population. When the work was completed, many of these workers were unable to find new jobs, causing a substantial upsurge in crime. Some of the sub-districts include Bricklane, a large Hindi section; Docklands the large industrial dock district that has grown up in light of the city now being a port; Mile end, a large hafling community; and Whitchapel home of the infamous Stratford experiments and perhaps the poorest sub-district in the city.
3. North London. Like East London, North London is a large industrial area. Unlike the eastern portion of the city, the industry in the Northern portion is largely highly mechanized, and many of the areas are rather well off financially. It is the home of the cities new capitalists. Some of the sub-districts include Kings Cross, the launch point for London Underground, and home of a large number of apartment buildings; and Crouch End, a middle class neighborhood as well as a large industrial complex.
4. West London. West London is primarily the living and shopping section of the city. Its outskirts also have a number of smaller textile factories and New London air center, an embarking point for skyships and airships going to Rome, New York, Berlin, and Moscow. West London is densely packed in most areas, with either multi room apartments or small houses wedged very close together. West London is at times free of the bustle of The City or Eastern London. Some of the Sub-Districts include Acton, a mixing pot of nationalities and popular with people just moving to London; Chelsea, an affluent neighborhood of old aristocratic hold outs; Ealing a predominantly Japanese and Chinese neighborhood; Kensington, a shopping and arts district; and Notting Hill a cramped residential area.
This should suffice for a general description of London. Normally I'd also delve into some specific landmarks in the city, but I feel that at this point it might be too specific. Rather, I wanted to give the city some attention, and hope to revisit it in the near future.
posted by Aleris at 11:48 AM
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