SotD Concepts - Part 4: Eidolon

The Basics

This time I'm going to talk about the setting of Speak of the Devil! The city of Eidolon, sometimes referred to as Spirit City. I based a lot of it's layout on Chicago, but the actual city itself is a bit different. In the more dense parts of the city, it's common to see advertising plastered on every surface. Kind of like you might see in Times Square in New York, or in Tokyo. Also I used to be obsessed with Alcatraz, so of course I had to put an island prison in there. An old wall surrounds the city, but it's not sealed off in any way, just an artifact of older times.

The city itself is run by committee with seven heads of state. When a business becomes one of the seven most successful (with a strict set of rules saying what "successful" means) the CEO gains a seat on the council. The most successful CEO gets the title of "Prime Director" five in the middle get the title "Resting Director" and the lowest is referred to as the "Contested Director" as it is always changing as companies compete for that position.

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The following is subject to change, but it's what I have written down for now, for all the districts.

Central Eidolon: Business Center

• Brighton: North of the river, this is the community district of the city, home to museums, convention centers, aquariums, and Breakaway Field.
• East Village: Historic area of Eidolon, featuring many old buildings and the St. Alayna Cathedral.
• Central Square: The commercial center of Eidolon, filled with shops, restaurants, theaters, and hotels.
• Garnett: Shopping and transportation hub for Eidolon. Has many warehouses and dockyards along the coast.
• Ellery: Shopping and restaurant district centered around the attracting attention of those going to Harbor Point.
• Harbor Point: A peninsula filled with entertainment, theaters, clubs, an amusement park that stretches out to the water, as well as an island resort.
• Ecco: High end Community area, multiple private schools.
• Belbrook: BelBrook (Below Brooke Bridge) is a densely populated, but low end community area.
• Downtown: The most business focused part of the city, filled with skyscrapers and ritzy shopping centers and restaurants. Some Docks also line the coast.

West Side: University

• University Village: Home of Eidolon University
• University District: Student apartment complexes, shopping, and restaurants.
• Gateway Valley: The far west district, centered around Gateway Park, the largest park in the city.
• Humble Park: Community area and home to many small parks and the Fort Augustine military base.

North Side: Rich Neighborhoods

• Avian Park: the northmost area of Eidolon, home to many medium income families, but it’s also in the process of gentrification. Contains the second two largest parks after Gateway, Avian Trail and Meadowlands Park. (Lakes: Lake Bryn)
• Lakeview: Many woodland parks, and middle income residential homes. (Lakes: Lake Carter)
• Wrightwood: Suburbs and housing developments for single income families.
• Mt. Hayden: Community area and home to many woodland parks, destination for hikers.
• New Vale: An Island full of high end housing, private communities.
• Westridge: Community area and home of Dixon High School.
• Colton Square: Community and shopping area.
• Near East Side: Community area.
• Irving: Community area and home of Dickens Stadium.
• Uptown: Community area, homes for many city and government workers. Location of Attwood High School.
• Fairpoint: Along the water you’ll find Merchant Row where goods of all kinds are sold. As well, Fairpoint is the home of many warehouses and docks.
• Westhill: A mix of commercial, residential, and industrial areas.

Lower Eidolon: Lower Income Neighborhoods

• Allendale: Community area, location of Edwards High School.
• Riverside: Residential and shopping districts, a lot of commercial businesses along the water.
• Loestwa: Community area.
• Portage: Residential areas and home of the Burcham Mental Institution.
• Bridgeport: High end residential, home of most affluent families of Eidolon, especially on the islands off the coast which are entirely occupied by rich communities. Home to Hayes Park. (Lakes: Lake Lavigne)
• Hathaway: Community area
• Norton: Community area, location of Erickson High School.
• Rogers Island: Mostly Hotel and entertainment for tourists, as well as private beaches.

South Side: Slums

• Moxley: Community areas, hotels, and Richford Arena.
• Low town: low end residential area.
• Steel Toe Alley: Low end residential, some parks, riddled with crime and considered to be the most dangerous part of the city to live in.

MacRae Prison: “The Mack” is the largest high security prison of the area sits on a secluded island. Escaped prisoners will find nowhere to run, as Eidolon’s South Bay is known to pull out to sea. Some jokingly refer to the South Bay as The Mack’s most violent inmate.

Major Waterways: Callahan River, Eclipsed Sea, North Bay, South Bay, Lake Carter (Lakeview), Lake Bryn (Avian Park), Lake Lavigne (Bridgeport), Box River (Starts in Riverside, ends in Bridgeport)

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Some might think this is a bit excessive as far as world building goes, but I wanted to make sure this city was fleshed out. Speak of the Devil is pretty much going to stay in Eidolon, there won't be lots of traveling about like in Supernormal Step. I figured the more info I had written down about the city, the more options I'd have when thinking about the stories, and the less I would have to make up on the spot.

And if you're curious, Sunday Blackburne herself lives in Moxley.

In all, I'm not sure if this is interesting to read? It's mostly just like a wiki entry on a city that doesn't exist, but I figured I'd post it up anyway. Hope you enjoyed seeing this part of my world building process at least!