MATERIA

The shining gem of Materian society, this city is the center of culture, knowledge, and law. It is the wealthiest, the cleanest, the best educated and most ornate city in the entire known world. But as the largest and most powerful city in Materia, it is bound to have it’s own secrets. The world is told this is a city of peace and integrity, but perhaps crime and corruption are simply hidden in the shadows?

A coal-and-wood powered Direct Current electrical generation station is constructed among the government buildings to provide lighting to those and some other buildings in the immediate area if needed.The majority of the city is not powered.

The city offers a port along the sea coastline and a river inlet with several additional docks and small marinas. Wide streets paved meticulously with strong cobblestone allow any resident of the nation easy passage even during busy periods. Large wagons are not permitted within city limits, and warehouses are located at the outskirts to offload goods to then be transported to destinations inside of the city by smaller carts.

The road from Husen to Reston is approximately 415km long.

Capitol Building

Materian Office of Standards and Taxation

Materia Courier Service Headquarters

Central Court of Materia

Knicks Memorial Shipwrights Museum

Materia Security Militia Offices

Department of Roads and Waterways

Art & Entertainment District

City Hall and City Court

University Campus of Husen

Grand Temple of Ruuk

Riverwalk

Museum of Materian History

Gregory Park

Materia Park

Husen City Park

City Gates

Trade Street

Beachfront

Tribute Bridge

Pelaon Bridge

Bacam Bridge

Inlet Marina

The city is the center of government for all of Materia. Many large structures along the riverfront and shoreline serve government functions including a large capitol building where the senate and governors meet. Other large structures serve as the primary temples and religious structures and recordkeeping and taxation facilities. Smaller city government offices can be found not far from central government offices.

Husen hosts the nation’s primary archive and library as well, which in turn operates a museum of history.

Beyond administration, there are many shops and docks line the riverfront for freight and passenger transportation. The outer perimeter of the city consists of large warehouses and storehouses where government surplus materials are stored and all goods coming into the city are kept to be transported in smaller quantities in order to keep the city streets clean and clear.

Much of the “downtown” area is constructed of polished fine cut stone and marble reminiscent of ancient Rome. Some brick and rougher stone can also be found in the downtown retail district. Across the river, large stone and wood homes of Georgian and Victorian design exist and are owned by the wealthy or the powerful.

Most government buildings are built to accommodate even the largest paleons, ornate and built of marble or other stone. The common design for these structures incorporates three floors, with an open concourse in the center, most rooms opening to horseshoe-shaped balconies overlooking the concourse. The two lowest levels often feature ceilings of at least 4 meters to accommodate more species while the concourse allows the taller long-neck species access to any level.

The farther from the center of the city, the more utilitarian brick, rough stone, and wood structures are found with many streets lined with small row houses. A large, plastered brick wall surrounds the city proper with an ornate gate along the main roads. Wooden or metal based structures become more prominent near the outskirts beyond this wall, although some stone buildings exist in this area as well.

Husen is a coastal city protected from high waves by a series of islands of various sizes. Most of the city is situated on the southern side of a significant river. Several bridges have been constructed across this river to connect with a newer area offering more luxurious housing.

There is a small beach of little significance along most of the shoreline, which becomes narrow and rocky the closer one goes to the mouth of the river. The beach is accessible from an ocean-facing port dock near a small inlet along the south edge of the city. The beach slopes up significantly to an earthen vertical face approximately twice the height of a human. Portions of this ledge are reinforced, and some areas are topped with stone walkways and parks overlooking the water. Atop this ledge, there is a nearly indistinguishable upward slope inland for approximately one mile before more notable elevation changes in the form of short hill-ridges which increase the altitude to an average of approximately 400 feet above sea level over the course of 10 miles.