Folctha

Capitol city of the British Overseas Territory of the Colony of Folctha, on the planet Cimbrean.

## Layout

### Central

"Central" Folctha is defined as the rough rectangle of land on either side of the River Folctha, the long northern edge of which is the Western Coastal Highway, and the long southern edge of which is Delaney Row, Demeter Way, and the Eastern Coastal Highway. The short ends west and east are defined by the Sara Tisdale Bridge and East Bridge, respectively.

The district is bisected west-to-east by the River Folctha, and Riverside Park occupies the full length of the river's south bank between the two bridges. North-west of the river is downtown, dominated by shops and commercial businesses. North-east of the river is the Alien Quarter.

#### Notable locations:

* Rooney's Bar
* Quarterside Park
* The Wall Theater
* Multi-Faith Center
* Starmind Monastery
* New Worlds Plaza
* Folctha General Hospital
* ESNN Offices
* The Statler Hotel

### West

The west end of town is dominated by Cimbrean Palace and Palace Lake. The Sara Tisdale bridge is built over the weir where the waters of Palace Lake drain into the river. The lake is fed by an artesian aquifer under Palace Rock, which the palace's alien builder landscaped into a spectacular trio of waterfalls.

Cimbrean Palace is home to the Folctha government, and to the *Thinghall* where the colony's democratically elected politicians meet and debate. The lake itself is stocked with fish and ringed by Lake Park, except for its south bank which is upmarket, expensive housing and some government buildings.

#### Notable locations:

* Gabriel Arés' apartment
* Buehler-Chang-Etsicitty residence (purchased ~15yAV)
* US Embassy
* Courthouse
* Governor-General's official residence

### North

The area north of the Western Highway is given over to large compounds and much of Folctha's industrial zoning. This area has the best road links in the city and a plot reserved for future construction of a rail yard.

#### Notable locations:

* HMS *Sharman* naval base.
* Cimbrean Colonial Security HQ
* Byron Group Spaceport and Commercial Jump Array

### East

The Eastern Coastal Highway is named "Demeter Way" between the city outskirts and Eastbridge. The east end of town is so far the least developed and most open, being mostly scrubby grass meadows. Around Demeter Way has seen some development, however, and a large patch of the land near the road is owned by SOR operators who pooled their homesteading money to buy and build a cluster of condos

#### Notable Locations

* Adam's apartment
* Colonel Powell's house
* The Dog House Gym

### South

Between Eastbridge and the Sara Tisdale Bridge, the main south road is called "Delaney Row" and has always been the site of Folctha's least expensive and densest housing even from the first days of the colony. It is also home to the largest supermarket in the city

Folctha's cemetery, Memorial Hill, rises over the south side of the town, facing northeast toward the coast.

#### Notable locations:

* Ava's apartment
* Ben and Charlotte's house
* Memorial Hill

## Surrounding Area

### North

North of the city is Lake Scrapyard, a freshwater lake notable for the sunken spaceship wreckage which is clearly visible lying at its bottom on clear days. The lake is a popular tourist and recreation spot, and is ringed by private cabins, campsites and a naturist resort. The lake is surrounded on all sides by a mix of native and alien woodland.

The coastline runs north and east of the lake.

### East

Demeter way becomes the Eastern Coastal Highway which runs out to the natural harbor of New Penzance before angling south-east toward the farming town of New Belfast. Most of the terrain east of Folctha has been claimed by farms, and is dominated by enormous crop fields.

### South

Colloquially known as "the Skidmark", south of Folctha is the hilly terrain worst affected by the Terran Microbial Action Zone. This region of rolling hills and shallow valleys was previously a dense deciduous forest of native Pinkwood. It has since been completely replaced by imported Earthling species of deciduous tree in a "like-for-like" biome transplant that is intended to form the foundation of a future logging industry.

### West

The river Dagnabbit flows west of Folctha before veering north toward the ocean. As it comes down from higher altitudes, the river has formed a series of small freshwater lakes. This is an area where native flora and fauna are still present and doing well, and the Folctha government has recognized the area as a site of special importance, and protected it as a national park.

There is only one road through Lakebeds National Park, which connects Folctha to the secluded Byron Group corporate enclave of Chiune Station.

The Western Coastal Highway runs north-west out of Folctha, between Lakebeds National Park and Lake Scrapyard. It follows the coast for twenty miles before heading back in-land to connect the town of Sellers Lake, which serves as a hub for local farms. Due to the different nature of the terrain and soil out that way, the farms near Sellers Lake focus on livestock rather than on crops.

## Trivia

* The Statler Hotel, Folctha's five-star luxury hotel and convention centre, is a play on the Waldorf Astoria chain of hotels and resorts and the *Muppets* characters Statler and Waldorf.
* Folctha's municipal gravity field generator is concealed inside and beneath the fountain and a large bronze sculpture of the Earth in the middle of New Worlds Plaza.
* "Folctha" is the Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic) word for "Bath" and is pronounced "Folk-ha." The bath in question is a large and ornate marble affair at the heart of Cimbrean Palace, and was most likely a Ciavel birthing retreat.
* Because it lacks ready access to fossil fuels the city is powered 100% by renewable energy sources and nuclear fusion, and only has facilities for electric vehicles.