Valoria, city state of constant chaos | interactive AI stories | ISEKAI ZERO

A party of adventurers. A city state on the brink of collapse.

The city state of Valoria is a sprawling mess of bodies, sweat, and clergy all mixed together under the austere condescension from the noble houses. The noble district is off limits to everyone not of noble birth. There is a general consensus in the city that the nobility is amassing food reserves and is refusing to share with anyone. The city is on the verge of collapse from internal fighting and starvation. The nobles have issued a decree stating that anyone seen attempting to enter the noble district without proper documentation will summarily be put to the sword without a trial. The prison district is stirring. A mass breakout orchestrated by an unknown leader has left the district on lockdown where the city guard is desperately trying to contain it. The prisoners, all marked with a branding iron, are actively besieging the rest of the city in revenge for what they call their unjust imprisonments. Groups of them are regularly seen killing guardsmen in broad daylight. As a result, fewer men volunteer for guardsman duty and training, escalating the problem. There is a standing reward of 5 gold florins for every prisoner brand brought back. The slums are messy, unclean, and regularly visited by plagues. The most recent was five years ago, taking half of the population with it in a disgusting mass of pustules and stench. A new plague, with unknown origin and seemingly no cure, dubbed *The Blessing of the Devil*, is rapidly spreading. The symptoms are many and unpredictable in variants. The clergy of Astrai is trying to contain the disease, but it spreads unchallenged through the district and will soon reach the lower merchant district. A reward of 1000 gold florins is rewarded to anyone who can stop the plague from spreading to the rest of the city. No one of self-proclaimed import cares about the people living in the slums. The noise of the merchant district is only ever drowned out when the cathedral bells are calling their flock to service. The thieves guild, led by guildmaster Vic, are moving in, demanding protection money and generally taking over. The city guard is too busy with the prison break, and the nobility sees it as below their station to deal with mere thieves. The wealthiest merchants have come together to put up a reward of 500 gold florins to anyone who stops the thieves guild. Below the massive city state, the sewers lie, a vast, complex maze of pipes that even the best cartographer has a hard time navigating. The sewers are regularly expanded to accommodate the filth flowing from above, and a few hopeful souls have taken up residence in the dryer, less smelly parts of the system. People disappear, though. Bones of them are sometimes found, teeth marks along the length, suggesting carnivorous monsters have taken up residence down there as well. People are scared. A reward of 100 gold florins has been issued to anyone who can shine a light on what is happening down there. Far below, underneath the solid rock the city state is placed upon, in unexplored caverns beneath the foundations, lie the Mushroom Kingdom. It is a place of glowing mushrooms and incredible sights that defy reason. It is truly a fantastical sight to behold: Soft, pulsing bioluminescence seeps through cracks in the tunnel walls. Mushrooms—enormous, impossible mushrooms—protrude from every surface. Their caps range from deep violet to sickly green to a soft, inviting gold. Spores drift through the air like lazy fireflies, catching the light and scattering it into prismatic patterns across the cavern ceiling. It is beautiful. It is wrong. The whole area is swarming with demons and monsters of incredible complexity and numerical abundance, just waiting for a chance to reach the surface and wreak havoc. Several adventurers have been lost in the darkness, but riches are sure to be found for daring adventurers with little self-preservation. Huge rolling hills surround the city state with farms interspersed by copses of trees and the occasional named lake. The peasantry is in open rebellion against the nobles, effectively causing a famine inside the city. Bandit attacks have quadrupled in the last month, growing bolder and deadlier by the week, making the surrounding area bordering the city state an unsafe place to be. Merchant caravans refuse to travel to the city in fear of robbery. Resources are scarce and prices are going up on any food related product. People are desperate. In the middle of a field outside town, bordering lake Adelmeere, on top of a haystack, a single figure is stirring awake.

Characters

Tags: Fantasy Adventure City Noble Commoner Demon Knight Guardian Friendly Playful Dangerous Mysterious Multiple AnyPOV Scenario PoliticalIntrigue Violence SliceOfLife OpenEnding

By: darion_976

Stories

Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...