Merit

Merit is a fictional city vaguely near Pittsburgh . It is the main setting for the events of Toska.

## Districts

### Uptown

Home to prominent businesses, wealthy socialites, and well-known boutiques among Government Facilities and the US Coast Guard

* **Grant:** Wealthy housing district with waterfront views and several parks; Home to the famous Bethune College
* **North Point:** Financial District; home to many company Headquarters
* **South Point:** Home to various concentrated ethnic communities such as Chinatown, Germantown, Little Tokyo and so on. Very fine cuisine and open air markets.
* **Randall:** Townhall and other various government buildings as well as home to the US Coast Guard port
* **South Port (PT):** A continuation of shopping and food districts with hotel and theater district, making this area popular for tourists.
* **Bay Side:** Industrial park with lots of laboratories and factories; as well as the Museum of Industry and Sciences and the &For Museum.
* **West Village:** Recently gentrified into sightly affordable but still outrageously priced townhouses and apartments alongside air bnb’s and start-up companies
* **South Channel Island:** Own and operated by &For; closed to the public save for private tours to potential investors or organized school trips a few times a year

### Midtown

Home to Merit University, bookstores and cafes, and the night-life districts

* **Columbia Port (PT):** Cheap housing for students and lower income households. Considered run-down and on the verge of gentrification due to more students moving there instead of the more expensive college dorms. Has a lot of liquor stores and laundromats.
* **West Side:** Red light district alongside the West End shipyard, filled with dealers, adult stores, strip joints, and warehouses on the outskirts,
* **Red Hook:** Parks, cafes, and bookstores geared towards students
* **Fort Clinton**: Merit University as well as campus housing and bookstores take up most of this district alongside a few pizza joints and college bars
* **Colgate Heights:** The old town or Jazz Quarter with many old speakeasys and poetry clubs alongside a strong African American heritage with restaurants and markets as well as the Museum of African American Arts and Histories and a War Memorial for Vietnam
* **Narrows**: Docking station and former immigrant processing station back in the day. Now primarily used as a master port for the island and surrounding locales. Largely known to be owned and controlled by the Fifth Block and used by numerous criminal organizations.

### Downtown

Considered the more artistic side of town with galleries, the largest hospital and medical businesses. Crime ridden dock areas

* **West Chelsea Hill:** Chelsea Galleries brought the art world to life. Most people dream of having a show in West Chelsea. Also has lots of private studios and small theaters.
* **Upper West Hill:** More apartments and housing, generally considered the suburbs outside Chelsea many artists move to when they have children. Filled with town houses and has the city’s only Whole Foods.
* **Central Heights:** Merit Hospital and many medical businesses as well as research laboratories for Merit University medical students.
* **China Basin:** Outskirts of Merit Hospital and home to the remnants of the public housing projects. Houses many poverty-line families and is notorious for crime.
* **East Park Side:** Home to Merit Zoo and Merit University Biology Department Labs.
* **Cobble Hill:** Medical students frequently find housing in the more affordable and less dangerous Cobble Hill to commute to both the school and the largest hospital in Merit. The burrough runs on doctor’s times and therefore is home to most of the 24-hour shops
* **Sandy Hook:** Home to the Observatory

## Notable Locations

* Merit City Zoo: East Park Side; Downtown
* Merit City University: Fort Clinton; Midtown
* &~~For~~ ~~Tower: North Point; Uptown~~ Destroyed by Jaylon Cox
* ~~South Channel Island Labs: (Owned by &For) South Channel Island; Uptown~~ Destroyed by EON (with blame being attributed to Ira & His "Terrorists")
* Jazz Quarter: Colgate Heights; Midtown
* Colors Strip Club: West Side; Midtown
* Merit General Hospital: Central Heights, Downtown
* Merit Museum of History: West Chelsea Hill; Downtown
* Nomad Tavern: Fort Clinton; Midtown
* City Diner: Fort Clinton; Midtown
* Town Hall: Randall; Uptown
* US Coast Guard: Lower Randall Ports; Uptown

* The Grand: Grant; Uptown

## Terrorist Attacks

### The Merit City Zoo Bombing

At the start of Toska, Jaylon Cox operating as an agent of ALF blew up the &For labs located within the private grounds of the Merit City Zoo, killing dozens and shutting the Zoo down for two months.

### The &For Tower Attack

Jaylon Cox also destroyed the massive landmark, &For Tower, in the name of ALF. Only three people were killed, but the damage to Uptown and the local air quality was extensive. A mass occupation of Merit by the National Guard began following the explosion, and most of Uptown was still operational. Repairs took two years.

### The Sinking of South Channel Island

The EON facility secretly located on South Channel Island was ultimately destroyed by the fleeing EON themselves by activating a small-scale nuclear device strapped to Bill Williams in the lowest level of the facility. The National Guard remained on site for an additional three years following this attack and the city was placed under lock down. Looting and riots flooded the streets in the weeks following the islands destruction as the military fought to return the city to normal. In reality the Gangs of Merit were able to seize control and the city has been extremely corrupt ever since.

In addition to a political shift of power to more organized crime, Merit still bears the scars of the attack. The Island was never rebuilt and lots of memorials are in place along the roadways and bridges that once led to the largely industrial and off-limits island. Attributing the act to more ALF antics as well as the work of Ira and his band of terrorists, the sunken island has become a symbol of solidarity against terrorism all across the city and country.