Onyx City

## Overview

Onyx City, also known as (...), is the largest metropolis in the Outer Realms; covering more space than Toyko, New York and Seoul combines. It lies in the Heart of the Incbi Realm and houses millions of Souls and Neverborn. More than any other place in the Outer Realms it is a cosmopolitan place that attracts visitors from every Realm and origin; even a large number of Angels; altough it is still majorily inhabited my Incubi and their flock.

## Description

Onyx City, more than anything else, embodies the Incubi lifestyle. It is a chaotic metropolis with serpentine streets that meander across the city; turning its districts in urban labyrinths with no clear plan or structure. The cities buildings consist of large and hollow basalt, onyx or scoria stones rising high into the sky; bearing resemblence to modern skyscrapers. The architecture, if it can be called that, is mostly brutalist in nature; with wide surfaces of abrasive stone and towering structures that express functionality in a strange and simplistic fashion. Occasionally these rough shapes of stone are broken up by archways, pillars, balconies and statues being cut into the stone with masterful precision and artistry.

Almost every building is connected with slim bridges made of silver or obsidian, creating a netting of paths high above the narrow streets below. While the streets themselves are always crowded with streams of Souls, the fastest way to traverse the city is through the (...) river that breaks open into countless branches and sidearms, streaming through every part of Onyx City. The river has never been straightened or edged, flowing wild through large channels cut into the vulcanic stone the city is build upon. It is filled with smaller boats and gondolas, swimming with the rivers fast moving stream and allowing its riders to reach any part of the city fast. Curiously enough the (...) does not only flow in one direction through the city but spins in its insides; sometimes changing direction when opening into a new branch.

Generally the stone towers grow higher the closer they are to the cities core, reaching almost a kilometer into the sky at their highest point; but growing much shorter and wider at the cities edges. In many of Onyx Cities outer parts the buildings look like wide boulders cut to size, appearing much more like conventional houses.

### Areas and Landmarks

Onyx city is unbelievably diverse, colorful and rich and every block and quarter looks different within the common framework; however there are certain types of areas and landmarks that appear in similar shapes across the entire city.

#### Gardens

Once in a while the dense urban jungle breaks up into open areas and parks known as The Gardens. They come in all shapes and sizes; some only covering a few acres while others have the size of small cities themselves. These gardens are not trimmed, containted to tended to but instead allowed to grow freely. Where it not for the large amount of visitors and bypassers there would be barely any paths through them.

In general these gardens contain the natural flora and fauna of (...), with large... At certain locations there also grow plants from other realms or even earth; carefully nutured and cherished to fit the specific preferences of the surrounding residents.

#### Hedonite Halls

Like miniature versions of the Tower of Bliss the *Hedonite Halls* are places in which Souls and Neverborn alike trade their free will and autonomy for physical or spiritual pleasure. Each of these Halls fosters a powerful Charm that pushes visitors into their deepest desires; forgetting themselves in the delights each Hall has to offer. While these charms are not as inescapable as those in the Tower of Bliss, they are still potent enough to trap all but the strongest willed individuals in its walls for years. For that reason they are not just temples for pleasure or escapism but also highly effective prisons.

The larger Halls cover a wide range of delights capable of inspiring bliss, but most of them are devoted to just a single aspect. The most common of these offer *orgies of lust, enchanting beauty, endless banquets, psychedelics* or *unending dreamless slumber.*

#### Services

Despite the large residential areas, gathering halls, armories or temples the city houses shops and services at every corner. The most common of these are brothels, drug dens, shops, banquets, exotic goods traders, antiquariats or hostelry. Payment does not happen through money however, and is usually indivudally negotiated with the establishments owners.

### Transport

* Boats and Gondolas
* Skygliders and Skybarges
* Portals
* Carridges

## Culture

### Favours and Boons

The concept of commodities or money is strange to most inhabitants of Onyx City and they are practically never used. While barter is not uncommon when it comes to the exchanging of material goods the only form of payment accepted anywhere in the city are favours. Every resident of the city is expected to contribute to its beauty and growth in some way; and most gain what they desire through exchanging services. Those with a stronger drive develop complex networks of favours that are sometimes called in years later or tied to custom conditions.

Onyx cities inhabitans have no material needs besides the space to rest and stay; which is less of a problem in an ever-growing city. Most simply exist to fufill their wishes and enjoy each others company. Those that wish to fufill more demanding or luxorious desires or thrist for political influence often have to go through greater efforts however, entering a wicked game of trading and tracking favours.

## Climate

Onyx city is large enough to have developed its own micro-climate that cycles through the city.