New York Canals

## Description:

The New York Canals, previously known as New York City or the Big Apple before the apocalypse, is the ruined remains of NYC that survived the nuclear attack, Senilis Verminosa virus, the Spasmus Aquaticum virus, and the other cataclysms which befell the world. The Canals are characterized primarily by the high sea level and intense flooding which has sunk most of the area into the Bay; this flooding has left only the upper floors of the tallest skyscrapers above the water's surface, dramatically reducing the amount of living space for the ~5% of the original population which survived the apocalypse.

### Geography & Climate:

The New York Canals are, as the name would suggest, a series of grid-patterned canals which were previously the roads of New York City. These canals are the primary means of transportation for the residents of the area, who rely on rafts, canoes, kayaks, dinghies, and similar ramshackle boats to traverse the ruined urban landscape; motorized boats are relatively common but expensive and considerably faster than unpowered ships, which makes motorized vessels ideal for military purposes. The canals are usually only large enough for 2 or 3 rafts to pass by each other easily, which leads to lots of close encounters and leaves unprotected boats vulnerable to boarding, raids, and ranged attacks from passersby. The high waterline and flooding prevents residents from living on the old streets of New York, forcing them to instead inhabit the rooftops and upper floors of the tallest skyscrapers which poke out above the waves; many of these rooftops and upper floors are connected to one another by bridges or ziplines, with some of the region's largest bridges supporting entire settlements of their own. These bridges are known to collapse under extreme stress, and many are built with flexibility and waterproofing in mind.

The Canals are notorious for their unstable and extreme climate. The tidal shifts during the day/night are exaggerated within the Canals, a side effect of the area's unstable foundations and nearby crater; these tidal shifts will reduce the waterline of the Canals by up to 30+ feet in some areas, revealing floors and spaces which are normally under a dozen or more feet of seawater. Local weather patterns include a wide variety of powerful hurricanes, cyclones, storms, and tidal waves; these tidal waves ravage the Canals nearest the Bay and damage buildings, vehicles, and individuals caught in their wake. Likewise, the region's seasonal changes are similarly extreme; during the summer months, the Canals experience intense winds, heavy rain which adds to the flooding, and temperatures into the 100's of degrees Fahrenheit while the winter provides chilling winds, heavy snowfall and blizzards, and the freezing of entire sections of water that force most residents indoors for the season.

The Canals are known for their extreme weather and unique living situation, but are less known for their Anomalies. Given the aquatic nature of the Canals post-apocalyptic situation, it is unsurprising that the Canals feature lots of Whirlpools and similar water-based Anomalies that drown unwitting or inexperienced swimmers/sailors. Less frequent are the War's Footsteps, which are more common the closer one travels towards Crater Bay and which are incredibly dangerous; Snapshots are also relatively common around the Bay and provide sources of novelty and entertainment for newcomers and travelers, while clusters of slow-moving Thick Airs wade along the surface of the Canals and through buildings at random. Generally, the Canals are safe from most Anomalies.

### Organization:

The New York Canals are densely-packed with people despite the low population, and all of the factions fight for control of the various neighborhoods and the scant few rooftops which can be lived on. Like most areas of the world after the end of the world, the Canals operate under a "might makes right" principle, where the strongest and largest groups bully the rest and demand tribute from the civilians just trying to survive. For most people, life is a game of hide-and-seek as they attempt to remain unnoticed by the gangs, slavers, bandits, and merchant guilds that make the Canals their home. The Canals are a difficult place to live, even for the standards of the post-apocalypse, and the other human inhabitants do not make things any easier.

The World Trade Center's size and economic power grant it some sway over local politics, incentivizing peace and cooperation over violence, but the trade guild's power is only as strong as the group's weakest member, and many people outside the Center work to destabilize the guild for their own purposes; there are many players within the Canals that would appreciate if the Center's empire were to divide. The Center tries its best to mediate conflict between factions and police the areas near their territory, but no system is perfect and the Center can only do so much. Other groups simply keep to themselves or their neighborhoods, avoiding others as much as possible, but groups like the Islanders and Ferrymen make peaceful living all but impossible in the long-term.

Like most of the world during the post-apocalypse, the Canals have no official police structure or other judicial establishment. Everyone is expected to fend for themselves and stay vigilant against hostile humans, unless the person is within the territory of a particular faction. Most of the factions throughout the Canals have their own system of crime and punishments and their own means of enforcing their rules. The World Trade Center acts as the closest thing to a court system, where external conflicts, arguments, conflicts, and debates can be settled and mediated according to a wide range of potential systems; the Center is known to offer conventional mediation services as well as less conventional means, like trial by combat, gambling, races or competitions of physical ability, etc. to help determine the outcome of a "civil" case.

#### Contained Factions:

1. World Trade Center: Massive trading guild that took the buildings' names to heart; the strongest faction in NYC, the WTC controls the entire World Trade Plaza and the surrounding area, and maintains a massive collection of merchant groups, traders, gangs, and cartels under its umbrella which keeps it operating. The WTC runs a huge bazaar, with items from around the world on display for sale; the group also offers a number of recreational sites, from sports arenas to gladiatorial rings to drug dens and brothels, loan centers and "inns" to dockyards and workshops. The WTC is also the largest concentration of the local population in the Canals.
	1. Teamsters: The remnants of a labor union that previously worked in the city has since structured itself as a construction and engineering guild, charging high prices to build, repair, or maintain ships, vehicles, and buildings; they are known for their corruption and criminal activity.
2. Parkfarmers: A large agricultural and naval faction that controls Central Park Plaza and the "Central Park Lake" which sits near the middle of the Canals; this popular interchange and busy section of the Canals serves as the Parkfarmers' main dockyard and floating farm, where members build and maintain the group's considerable armada of ships and grow a large percentage of the Canals' crops via aquaculture.