Talent Town

## General Overview

Talent Town is an odd town in Canada. The city is built atop a hill with a pair of large mountains on one side of it that come together in a narrow ravine. On the other side of the city is a wide river cutting through the pine tree forest. Surrounding Talent Town is a large stone wall that outsiders must pass through to gain access to the city. But even from outside the wall Talent Town's open displays of magic can be seen by visitors. The inside of Talent Town is beautiful with wonderful stonework and architecture with pathways curving through its tall buildings. Due to its public use of magic, the Angels keep an eye on the city (Ch 156).

One of the most notable aspects of Talent Town is the various small blimps known as dirigibles that fly around the city, lighting up the area with multicoloured magical light. These dirigibles are decorated with streamers and baskets (Ch 156). These dirigibles range in a variety of sizes depending on the job they perform. Some are large enough to act as public transportation, flying toons from place to place, while some smaller ones are rooted in place at street level as vendor stalls. For instance, Felix sees one holding a box containing newspapers that people can buy by inserting a coin into a slot. The magic inside the dirigibles acts as a heating and cooling system. The magic heats up the inside of the balloon like a fire would, allowing the blimps to fly, but the temperature can be changed as needed by manipulating the magic. According to a local, the dirigible has made travel/deliveries much more efficient and helped bring a booming economy to the city (Ch 157).

### Star Ranking System

Talent Town uses a unique, hierarchical system in their city centred around talents. The city is dedicated to the mission that everyone uses their unique talent as effectively as possible for the betterment of all others. To fulfill this goal, all citizens and visitors have their talents evaluated and graded on how useful it is to the community. Stars are then given to showcase that usefulness, five stars being the most useful and one star being the least. The higher number of stars an individual has the more access they have to resources, jobs and access to certain areas within the city. High-star individuals even have to pay less for things than low-star people. In return, the high-star individuals are expected to utilize their talent for the betterment of Talent Town as a whole (Ch 156). However, if an individual is not utilizing their talent to help the rest of their community they can eventually lose their stars (Ch 159). The number of stars an individual has is shown on a badge they are expected to wear at all times. If someone is not wearing the badge, they are assumed to be a one-star resident and are treated accordingly (Ch 156).

This hierarchical star system leads to prejudice in the town against those with lower stars, especially one-star individuals. Those with one star are seen as individuals who do nothing to contribute to the community or even as criminals. They are not treated well by locals and often have a harder time accessing any resources. Meanwhile, locals will usually befriend others of the same star level as them and can often be seen grouped together (Ch 157).

## The Evaluation Offices

The evaluation offices are located inside the wall surrounding Talent Town and all guests pass through them before they are allowed entry into the city. The offices themselves are fairly ordinary looking with worn carpets and off-white walls. in the middle of the room is a desk covered in paperwork with a chair behind it for the evaluator to sit in while a chair sits opposite it for the evaluee. On one side of the room is a door leading into the office from the wall while the opposite side has a door leading out into Talent Town (Ch 156).

## The Rising Moon Café

The Rising Moon Café is a rundown café in the slums of Talent Town. However, though the decor is old the place is still kept clean. It is essentially one long room, with a counter dividing the employee section from the customer seating. The tables for customers form an L shape along the wall, which is covered with pictures and plagues showing off local history and various smiling wolf toons. On the other side of the counter door, there is a kitchen area with a variety of prep counters and ovens. There is also a pantry are located through yet another door at the very back of the kitchen (Ch 159).

### Bigby's Den

Hidden behind a shelf in the pantry of the Rising Moon Café is a trapdoor that reveals a staircase which leads down to the secret basement level that acts as the Pack's headquarters in Talent Town. At the bottom of the staircase is a hallway that leads to a heavy, soundproof door that requires a specific knock to open up. Inside is a spacious area filled with tables, chairs and bubbles filled with misty colours that fill the room with sweet, fruity scents. In the center of the room is a bar while a band plays on a small stage elsewhere in the room. Inside the room toons can be found drinking, gambling, talking and enjoying the atmosphere. On the far side of the room is a smaller, curtained-off room with two guards stationed outside of it. Inside this room is a much calmer atmosphere than outside, filled with tight-knit groups of wolf toons having quiet conversations. Bigby can usually be found sitting at one of the tables inside this second room (Ch 159).

## Royal Hotel

The Royal Hotel is a high-class hotel located higher up on the hill in a nice area of Talent Town. It is a grand building with stone lions and fountains around the entrance area. The first-floor lobby is large with tall ceilings and huge windows. Molding and pillars decorate the area while a gift shop off to the side sells various souvenirs and other small items. There is also a restaurant and bar in the hotel separated from the lobby by a pair of glass doors (Ch 156). Inside the restaurant is a public dining area as well as at least six private rooms, each hidden behind a door with a diamond pattern molded into it's wood finish (Ch 162) The lobby also has large fireplaces with plenty of chairs, couches, lounges and low coffee tables surrounding them. There is also of course a desk where guests can check in. Outside of the windows, one can see the hotel gardens that are home to a hedge maze. The hotel also has a pool, though it is currently unknown where it is located (Ch 156).

Elevators connect the lobby to all the other floors of the hotel. The other floors are just as richly decorated as the lobby with dark carpet and rich woodwork. Paintings line the hallways, all seeming to depict Greek or Italian landscapes (Ch 156).

## Talent Town Public Library

The public library is a large, three-story building filled with books. Tables are scattered around the various shelves for people to sit and read at. The books themselves are separated not only by subject matter but by star level. Certain books, such as those explaining magical processes, are restricted so only those with a high star level can read them. Guards are stationed at the entrance to these sections to ensure only those of the required star level or above enter the area and if librarians see an individual with a low star level reading a high star book they will take it away from the patron (Ch 157).