im ready with the next quarter
Heimdalür
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The next quarter is called Casino, or, colloquially, "the betting quarter". Casino is built into the side of the hill and took 15 years to excavate. It was funded by Byron Fangio, an ex con and this is his story. Byron was an astute business man and was doing alright for himself when he went into business with a close friend, Aleksander Dimas. Aleksander was trying to make money quickly and defrauded several important companies, misappropriating their funds and costing them a lot of money. For fear of being found out, he set up Byron to look like the culprit and Byron was found guilty and sent to prison for 10 years. When Byron was released, he had nothing but the money to buy a meal..but instead of buying a meal, he bought a pack of cards.The rest, as they say, is history. By playing Poker and Black Jack extremely well, he made money with relative ease, upping the stakes in ever more convoluted games and soon he was wealthy..which is when he created Casino, becoming its first mayor . Subsequent mayors are chosen by..you guessed it..a raffle but the raffle tickets are very expensive and you have to "qualify" to buy one..one of the qualifications is that you can prove business acumen and have no convictions for fraud.
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Casino looks like a cave from the front with the name Casino in bold gold letters above the entrance..a poorly paid migrant polishes these letters twice a day. Entry is by pass only. A pass, which is very expensive but sought after, enables you to use the Casino as often as you like and is valid for 5 yrs. It is a black card with thumb print recognition technology so is non transferable. Holders of this card enjoy a masonic like brotherhood and are referred to as "friends of Byron".
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The centre of Casino is a small amphitheatre structure with a gold cage in its centre..this is the venue for cage fighting, boxing, free style fist fighting and strong man competitions all of which can be gambled on. It is forbidden for animals to be used but there are any number of human competitions including "the man who can lift the biggest rock" and so on.
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There are roulette wheels, gaming tables and rooms for card games, dice games, drinking games, anything you can gamble on will be there. Alcohol is free flowing and free of charge, but disruptive behaviour carries an instant ban penalty. Free alcohol keeps the gamblers gambling, but many just come to watch and enjoy the free booze. One room is dedicated to slot machines..the room is the size of a football pitch and each slot machine is capable of dispensing massive cash prizes but a certain amount of skill is involved.
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For the convenience of Casino customers, food is provided 24/7 and Casino never shuts
was that ok?
awesome, I like the friends of Byron especially.
The skies above Haimdalur are particularly clear due to very little light pollution. Because of this it is a natural astronomy venue and has been designated a Clear Sky Zone. The third quarter was set up by Cilan Elgyem and this is his story. Cilan had always claimed (and claimed at length after a few beers), that as a child he was abducted by aliens. He was playing in the fields near his house when he saw some very bright lights in the sky which approached rapidly..after which he had no memory except of indistinct voices and being surrounded by blob like beings with enormous noses. The experience led him to study astronomy, in particular the possibility of alien life and thus the Celestial Quarter was conceived and built. If anyone mentions that the bright lights may have been an aircraft, and the blob like beings surgeons, they are politely asked to leave. If they don't, they get a shove. -
The current overseer of the quarter, chosen for her outstanding work in creating a spoken binary language with which it would be possible to communicate with aliens, is Luna Olik. So many people have commented on the unlikely coincidence of her first name that she is thinking of changing it to Maud.
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The Celestial Quarter has, at its centre, an amazing hologram of the universe..so intricate and clever is its design that it is an instant draw to the quarter, even for people who aren't remotely interested in planets. The astrologists have set up stalls and book shops in this quarter partly because they argued that astrology is inextricably linked to the planets and partly because the necromancers wouldn't have them, calling them "a bunch of woollies with shit for brains".
The buildings in the Celestial Quarter are domed and ornately sculptured with stars, planets, moons and nebulae. One such building houses the largest planetarium in the world. Another building offers a virtual reality ride through the universe. Another has a mock up of the ISS and finally there is a large open terrace containing Gemini, Chandra and Galileo, the three most powerful telescopes in the world which are directed at all times into different parts of the night sky. Here you can also read all the documented accounts of alien encounters and UFO sightings, which are also mapped on a map of the galaxy.
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This Sector has the dubious honour of being the only one that doesn't sell alcohol but you can get a cracking cup of coffee.
is this ok?
that is great
are you a fan of Douglas Adams by chance?
outside of the quarters (in the market itself) there should be a lot of international intrigue. Since anyone with no passport or visa can visit, a lot of people try to disappear there.
also, France still desperately want the islands back. the french government should be constantly trying to destabilize the place. funding trouble makers, inserting government operatives etc. etc.
only the toughest, meanest, ner-do-wells from france ever appear in the market, because when Ölgard captures french operatives, they mail their severed heads to french media outlets with sissy little moustaches drawn on them.
yes i am a Douglas Adams fan..what gave it away?
Have an idea for fourth quarter.
this did;
"The astrologists have set up stalls and book shops in this quarter partly because they argued that astrology is inextricably linked to the planets and partly because the necromancers wouldn't have them, calling them "a bunch of woollies with shit for brains".
Beltrachii
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Beltrachii came from an academic background with parents who were phenominally clever but, as is often the case, had not one shred of common sense. Beltrachii himself was a bright boy but was constantly being signed up for things he didnt want to do or had no interest in whatsoever, and this was the basis for his future career. Beltrachii learned to forge notes from his parents to his school getting him out of school trips, out of gym classes, out of paying dinner money , several notes relieving him from detentions because of urgent doctor appointments and, in one case, getting him off school for a week for a holiday he wasn't actually going on. So good were his forgeries that soon he was charging his school mates good money to do forgeries for them. His career was made when he found he could, with the right tools, forge virtually anything..except money.
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Eventually he moved to Heimdalur and became the go-to person for ID cards, gun licenses, driving licenses, passports, birth or death certificates and any number of forged documents for which he was paid handsomely. No one ever knew what he looked like, how old he was nor whether Beltrachii was even his real name and so he was never
caught. He devised a scheme whereby all transactions took place without any contact at all.
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In the market square in Heimdalur there is a small fountain, at its edge is a marble statue of a winged Mercury. Under Mercury's wing there is a slot..in this slot you must post your request and the money to pay for it. As soon as anything is posted, the slot slams shut until the transaction is completed and you are requested to enter your own code therein. A week later, you can return, key in your code and your documents will be inside the small chamber. Once they are removed, the slot re opens ready for the next request.
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This system is so fail safed that it has been going on for 5 yrs without a hitch. People travel from all over the world to avail themselves of the service while pretending they really came to get their astrological chart mapped out.
If someone in Heimdalur asks you if you "are visiting Mercury", it means have you come here to get something forged?
The Salt Lamp District
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Every town and city has a red light district and this one knocks them all into a cocked hat (no pun intended). When Casino was built, the excavated rocks were found to contain salt and this salt was made into lamps of amber, gold, red and orange which light this, the fourth quarter. Many moons ago, a prostitute called, ironically, Camilla, tried to always go that extra mile for her clients, so impressing them that many rich men visited her. One particular rich man left her the tenancy of the fourth quarter in his will and she set up The Salt Lamp District or Garden of Earthly Delights. Every sexual proclivity is catered for but also saunas, massages, slathering with exotic oils, expert pummelings , Jacuzzis with exotic settings and attachments and every kind of way to basically make you feel that if was definitely worth the journey.
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The Salt Lamp District was voted 65 years running as The Best Place To Go On A Stag Night and also the most popular 18th birthday present ever.
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The Salt Lamp District has no mayor as such but, instead 4 overseers. Currently the overseers are quadruplets called Leon, Elon, Olen and Noel. In future the overseers are chosen by selective interview. Their job is to ensure no one gets unruly or acts like a complete tool.Basically, they are bouncers but overseers sounds better and they can get paid more.
finished! how was it?
gimme a minute, I'm on the other line with a travel agent...
gimme another project
OK, but let's stick with Heimdalür for a bit.
Round out the island, and the city.
The island has Ölgard's only international sea-port and air-port. Everything and everyone must clear customs before being allowed on to a train-ferry that goes to Ölgard proper. The city of Heimdalür is the only part of the island that has any infrastructure at all, water, electricity, roads, etc. But with no visa requirements, surely there are people living rough out there...
who?
why?
the island needs some legends, superstitions and folk tales. The city needs some landmarks of history. There were about 6000 french nationals living on the island when Ölgard annexed it in '42. What happened to them? Maybe a great fire, or outbreak, etc. Heimdalür would be a perfect place for a new STD to appear and spread around the world.
fan-fuckin-tastic