Beyond Easthaven
Like anyone writing a character moving through a world, sometimes we want to add our own mark on things! Three on a Match has the door open for people to create unique groups, organisations, or other elements that are appropriate to add. However, as we do have quite a lot of lore already established, both locally in Easthaven and worldwide, it means the lore must also be internally consistent between each person writing.
To get the ball rolling for your bit of unique lore, go to the Lore Addition Request thread and fill out the requested information in the template. Feel free to discuss things in #❔questions in the Discord server if you're uncertain about how to implement something or if it will fit within the pre-established frame.
The World Beyond Easthaven
While Easthaven is the immediate relevant location for characters on the forum, there is a broader world out there. As stated, the whole world is magical, and Easthaven isn't unique when set against other cities. In the east, magic is met with less scepticism, allowing the supernatural communities to exist in plain sight more than they might in the west.
In the west, the process of true globalisation of supernatural communities from the near and far east and the new world, started in the English city of Erasmus Cross, formerly Easthaven. As the British Empire began to spread their influence, those travelling beyond their local borders often ended up in Erasmus Cross. In this sense, it is Erasmus Cross that is the strangest city of the west.
Erasmus Cross
"A city with a dark past. Secrets abound on its labyrinthine streets, horrors and delights alike. Erasmus Cross is an English city full of magic and invention, romance and intrigue, horror and mystery. An eddy of the trade winds, it is a dark burgeoning sprawl of a metropolis with influences from all over the world, where the only limit is your grit and determination."
Easthaven's namesake. Erasmus Cross is a sprawling port city on the Isle of Sheppey, far to the east of London. Close to the sea, it is the crown of a large natural harbor which enjoys a steady stream of mercantile trade and tourism.
To the country at large, "the Cross" is simply known as a port city, with the usual menagerie of people, foreigners and locals, honest workers and criminals. The truth is a closely guarded secret. While visitors who don't run afoul of the stranger things within the city limits will say it seems special or different, they could not guess at the city's true nature. The Exchange works to keep outsiders from venturing too deeply into the city's secrets, for their own safety.
Like London, the Cross is a bustling metropolis, although contained in a smaller space, with shadowy buildings hunched together, shoulder to shoulder. Fortunately, long gone are the filthy standards of Victorian Era: the city is old, but it long ago joined the modern age and is as clean as any large city can be. On the Isle, it is often raining or about to rain. Various quarters and boroughs divide the city between upper and lower class, residential and industrial and a robust subway provides public transport between these areas. Roman influences can be seen in older architecture, as Erasmus Cross was once an entirely different city all together.
In some places, the influences of the Chinese and Indian cultures can be plainly seen, displaying the diverse population. For those in the know, there exist secret marketplaces, with businesses tailored to the interests of those seeking the supernatural.
A few places in the city open up to greenery, from small local parks and gardens to the green gem of the Promenade. Vast Roman ruins can be found in the older districts. The beaches on the waterside boast clean sand and clear water, though most would not wish to go for a dip in the frigid waves. Misty hills and dark forests surround the city on the inland side, broken by country estates, hamlets, and farmlands.
While a non-human population is not unique to Erasmus Cross, there are few other places in the country where creatures such as fey, woodland and water spirits, and other non-human entities choose to live openly. The rest of the population is comprised of humans and once-humans.
Historically, Erasmus Cross was the epicentre of the developing relationships between humans and supernaturals in the Western world. In the beginning any known Cursed or Possessed humans or Undying were segregated, those open about their status or those who could not hide their nature were shunted into the Ghost Quarter of the city and ostracised from the greater community.
Half-Bloods were not contained to one neighbourhood in such a way, but they were especially looked down on. Anyone with status revealed to be a half-blood were ostracised, their titles doing little to help them. Commoners had it marginally better, but still dealt with extreme distrust amongst humans. Shifters were feared for their rumoured ferocity and strength and treated like dangerous animals, but they formed groups and stuck to their own.
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