Malifar

Planet Yamatai's city of fishmongers and clanlords, Malifar is a place filled with a vibrant culture of people that intermingles its white beaches, colorful sealife, and sprawling desert society with the rougher edges of its nation's culture. About 220,000 people call this desert jewel home.

Current Municipal Boundaries

Malifar is known for:

• Exotic fish and game markets and its fishmongers who trawl off the white coasts.
• Being far from the Imperial Seat, and a majority of its military presence.
• A rough and tumble populace, with strong accents depending on origin.

The municipal area of Malifar covers a wide swath of land on the Jhuniata Peninsula, stretching at the north from the Sofitel Bay and tracing all the way south over the tip of the peninsula to the Temeridi Coast. The inward border is an undulating demarcation based on the most stable areas inward to the desert. Most of the area is suitable for construction due to a natural, rocky shelf which raises the city's area from the desert and the water.

Two separate islands are situated off the coast of the city, both are dry, rocky masses which behold very little vegetation.

A typical day in Malifar is warm and sunny, with the air becoming very humid during the warm seasons, and dry and mild during the cooler seasons. Very little rain makes its way through the area, and what rains do come typically come in harsh deluges. Sandstorms are more common the further ones goes in from the coast, and can be a hazard for inland Malifarians. Night and day cycles typically see temperature differences of approximately 9°C(16°F).

The exact date of Malifar's foundation is lost to time, but the city can trace its history to approximately 414 BYE, when enterprising Jhuniata trade lords set up shop on the solid rock which defined the city's boundaries. After the initial settlement, they opened the first fishery and fishmarket, which followed with shipping lanes that began to serve as a hub for trade and export for the next several hundred years. Their relative remoteness gave rise to the distinctive Malifarian, whose physical traits, tendency of aggression, and sometimes strange accent made them easy to pick out of a crowd. These people operated apart from the majority of Gehsrintall's society for the most of their history, save for matters of trade. Instead, they preferred to combat one another for dominance on the small peninsula, spurring several clan wars.

The city itself was largely independent and one of the last city-centers to fully incorporate itself within the newly formed Yamataian Empire. The reasoning for this was not just the geographical separation, but the influence of the shipping clans which continued to control most of Malifar. This influence was significantly stalled as well with a great many of the city's population during Great Plague of YE 08. The resulting pacification of the city's gangs and empowerment of the Malifar Police Department blunted the harsh nature of the desert city. Since then, the worst the city produces are merely delinquents and raucous soldiers, the best being some of the greatest police officers in the country.

In YE 33, the city was all but destroyed in Battle of Yamatai. The historic fisheries and neighborhoods burned to the ground, and much of the populace died, leaving many to seek refuge in Ternifac and Jskita. Those that remained were largely fishermen with little where else to go than back into the blackened waters of the Melami. Many Malifarian soldiers that came home after the battle would find little remained for them, their families and homes were all gone.

The following five years was a long road to recovery, and the city regained a new glamour in its rebirth. Many of the scars of war had been 'painted over' in a sense, with civil engineering filling in the ugly crash sites of space ships with grand lakes and greenery. Fresh neighborhoods were built to house the remaining people and an oddly large surge of Nekovalkyrja finding a new home after the Second Mishhuvurthyar War. The old fisheries were rebuilt, and shipping continued in earnest once supply could begin to meet demand once more. Now, unlike in its past, the 'New Malifar' is a much more welcome place for tourists, and boasts a grand beauty rising above the ashes of its past.

Small reminders of what was lost is memorialized in statues along the beaches and within the city, along with the Pond of Prayers.

Malifar divided in different areas influenced by its geography:

1. Sofitel is the city's northside district based around the Sofitel Bay.
2. Temeridi defines the south side, running along the Temeridi Coast.
3. Laketown fills the core of the city with most of the rebuilt civil projects.
4. The Outskirts serves as Malifar's zig-zagging border with the Jhuniata desert.
5. Falitar Island is a large landmass which serves as a sea and starport for shipping and transit.
6. The Ozaki Strip is a smaller island serving home to a small military garrison.

The northern bay used to be covered in slums, fenced in by high-priced hotels and residences, now it is a bustling crescent of neighborhoods and hotels centering around a colorful marina. People who live out here are known as 'Bayfolk', and tend not to get along with 'Coasters' from the south side.

• The Sofitel Hotel: A tall building just off the water, offering panoramic views of the Sea of Melami at its best and worst. Rates are a bit steep due to the fact that it's one of the few historic buildings left in Malifar.
• Hagiwara's Lounge: Named for one of the Trade Clan families, Hagiwara's is an upscale establishment for fine drinks.
• Luna Marina: A vibrant, crescent-shaped Marina that runs the length of the Sofitel's boardwalk, serving a place for privately owned boats and ships. In YE 42, some Viking-style longboats were donated to the marina (by Claire Morris, Julia Meadows, and Wambui Adaeze Babatunde) and are used for tourism purposes.
• Malifar Police Department Headquarters: The central building of some of Yamatai's toughest cops.
• Fishy Fish: A small bakery located on the boardwalk that specializes mixing bread and seafood.
• The Sofitel Boardwalk: A lengthy stretch of Jhuniata Drywood which runs in broken stretches around the Sofitel Bay.
• Bay Fisheries: A bustling fishery which also operates as a fish market, situated right on the tip of the Jhuniata Peninsula between Sofitel and Temeridi.

Malifar's south side, with a wide stretch of seaside neighborhoods and businesses for the locals, tourism mostly exists through long, clean beaches which can appear to run on forever. People on this end of town are known as 'Coasters' and tend not to get along with the 'Bayfolk' on the north side.

• Squid's Stop: A local dive-bar rumored to be tended by a Mishhuvurthyar, but is actually tended by a man with an interesting beard.
• Beach Bums: An underwear store for women which sells interesting ocean-inspired designs.
• The Reflection: One of the city's few night-clubs, supporting its small night-life.
• Jiro's Fish Market: A small-scale fishery which distributes fresh fish to local buyers.
• Temeridi Beach: An immense length of white beach that is typically covered in tan men and women, and these days, Nekos.

Formerly the downtown area of the city, Laketown is a revitalized center of tall buildings surrounded by snaking parks and lakes. Yamatai's imperial culture shows itself in the architecture and civil design, and bridges leap everywhere over the lakes and exposed aquifers.

• Hooks: A fishing school that teaches and certifies fishmongers, also boasts an excellent bar.
• NMX War Museum: A museum dedicated to the history of the Second Mishhuvurthyar War, with an exhibit that details the rebuilding of Yamatai's destroyed cities.
• The Winding Oasis: This serves as the collective name for the park that webs throughout Laketown, there are many differing sections that play host to native and alien plants meant to survive in the arid climate of the Jhuniata.
• The Pond of Prayers: A monument to those lost, located at the center of the city.

Should one arrive by shuttle, Falitar Island will be their first stop. Originally just an arid strip of rock off the coast of Malifar, this island now serves as the industrial shipping power for the city. The lights from the signal towers and ships make it a brilliant scene from Sofitel Bay.

• Akechi Spaceport: A gleaming and ever expanding space and shuttle port. It serves both the purpose commercial and industrial transit. It is named for the generous donation of the Akechi shipping clan.
• Seaport Kozuka: Supports the seafaring businesses of Malifar, and is an in out for a vast majority of fishermen. Founded by the Kozuka shipping clan.
• The Fisher's Hammock: A tall hotel built adjacent to the starport to serve as a layover hotel, or cheap alternative, to any travelers going through the city.

South of Falitar is the Ozaki Strip, a Star Army garrison which serves as rapid response and recruiting station. It is typically considered a cozy assignment, but few forget what happened to the city in YE 33.

• Star Army Career Center: One of the few places on the Ozaki strip that's accessible to civilians. The Career Center serves as Malifar's recruiting station.
• Quick Cuts: A small barbershop that is constantly packed with Star Army soldiers.
• Covers and Caps: Another flavor of the Star Army uniform store that sometimes runs short on boots.
• Stitches: An alteration and embroidery store manned by Neko retirees that get a bit handsy during measurements.

At the edge of the gleam and the paved streets of civilization lies the outlying areas of the municipal zone. These areas are better known as the Outskirts, and serves as home to some of the isolationist folk. Sandstorms are more common, and there are few roads that stretch to all the populated areas, so many people get around on dune-buggies. Should one go out into the sandier or craggier areas, they should go armed, as the fauna is not entirely friendly.

• The Hunter's Guild: There are many differing opinions on the Hunter's Guild. In one aspect, they provide an important service as regulatory game wardens in the area, in another, they also charge some people to ensure that the local fauna stays off their property. Their office and hunter's lounge is located right on the edge of Laketown.
• Buggy Trails: While the sands do shift regularly in the Jhuniata, there are some places that hold their shape commonly enough to support regular racing.
• The Hive: A scuzzy bar where no good, proper Neko should be seen. Illicit activity is difficult to perform on Yamatai, but dealings are more difficult to pin down and many of them happen here.

With ages of history under its belt, there are many memorials and signs of history, especially after Battle of Yamatai.

Located at the center of the city, the Pond of Prayers is a shallow pool with a single, towering obelisk in the center. The structure is draped in Shimenawa adorned with prayers baited on fish hooks. A hollow hole is carved at the center, housing a singular flame. This memorial serves as a reminder that the fire of the Malifarians' hearts will never go out, nor will the memories of those lost. Those who lost family in the Battle of Yamatai will typically pay respect to their loved ones by entering the pool bare-foot and praying at the obelisk.

Throughout the city, there can be found many statues of people in frozen posture. Some walk down sidewalks, some are feeding desert pigeons, there are even a few locked in neverending brawls of honor. These people are the more well-known or remembered of Malifar, their statues mostly funded by mourning friends and family. They are located in places where they are easy to see, but not too far in the way to disrupt the day to day. Each one is marked with a plaque indicating who they were, and why they were remembered.

Yamatai's own creation and reclamation of what was lost, the Coral Ships are remnants of crashed vessels that fought over Yamatai. Restoration and conservation crews removed a great deal of the sheering wreckage of star vessels, but found that the local ecosystem overtook what they had yet to clear away. There are five Coral Ships, whose empty and safe husks or hulls act as home to the local sealife.

• YSS Kinugasa
• YSS Ashigara
• YSS Suzuya
• YSS Chikuya
• YSS Abukuma

The Clan Lords and Nobles of Malifar adorned themselves in the names of buildings and towering structures to secure their legacy in the city, but there was one who earned himself a memory in the minds of Malifarian's everywhere. Ozaki Kyo was the father of the Star Army Officer Ozaki Kyosuke, and was known by many for his ability to carve out his own destiny from his own poor roots. A great deal of what is known officially of Kyo is hearsay, such as murdering a Jskitan merchant lord to save the woman he loved from a forced marriage. What is known was that Ozaki Kyo was a man of the people, who despised the scum-wriddled bullies that defined early Malifar, and feared neither the thugs of the low society, nor the lords of high society.

Though, very few were immune to the Plague of YE 08, even someone as tough as Kyo.

In memory of his impeccable spirit, a statue was erected of him in the northern Sofitel district, reminding many people of the protection he afforded them for no cost. A lot of the younger generation look up to him as a mythic figure, and often try to replicate his memory in their own lives. This is sometimes seen as a worrisome prospect, as while Kyo was a great man, he was not necessarily a good one.

Getting around Malifar is not too difficult, even after the rebuilding, there is an extensive network of Taxi Cabs that ferry people to and from where they need to go. Many of them run people to and from the space port, and will be seen more around populated areas. If one doesn't have a personal vehicle, there are shuttle services that bus people around to all the major districts. There are few services that will take you beyond the outskirts, and often one will need a vehicle suited for driving off-road to successfully travel anywhere there and beyond.

Going to the city from another, on the other hand, can be done by air or rail. The East Line provides quick access to the rest of the Eastern Continents, where as Akechi Starport allows for intercontinental shuttle travel.

Ebullient, truculent, and vehement are the three words that could describe a majority of the children of Malifar. A history of being defined by clan wars and cut-throat competition, on top of a rich tradition of carving out one's own life among the natural landscape, bleeds into the hearts of many Malifarians. In the eyes of the people from the Western Continents, and even some of the East, they can be seen as thuggish and aggressive, and in more insulting circumstances, simple and dumb. This couldn't be farther from the truth, as there are many examples in the past of people paying dearly for judging the book by its cover.

Unfortunately for many Malifarians, there are some people that tend to enforce the stereotype.

NPCs and PCs from Malifar are varied, but they share at least one or all of these traits:

• They tend to have a passionate and aggressive pursuit in their lives, and are rarely afraid to pursue it.
• A lot of them tend to be boisterous, and a bit larger-than-life than their fellow Yamataians.
• Most are tan in skin-color, which even shows in the Neko who move out there.
• Depending on where they're from, they can have a heavy accent that comes from their dialect of Yamataigo.

• Ketsurui Rolf
• Ozaki Kyosuke
• Numa Atsui
• Kurokawa Yasuko
• Shika Akechi
• Brax, Zanven

The biodiversity around Malifar is rich and various due to a mix of arid climate and the adjacent sea. The waters of the Melami are always teeming with a wide array of water creatures, and the beaches are littered sometimes with people, sometimes with animals. The desert to the west is home to a less populous grouping of land creatures, and it is often ill-advised to go out into the Outskirts or into the desert without some sort of self-defense. That said, most all natural life around the city of Malifar displays a semblance of aggression and what could be considered an almost thuggish personality.

The following are some examples from IC writing:

Bilgecrank created this article on 2017/10/26 09:36. This article was approved by Wes in this thread on 27 Oct 2017.