Mordax et al

There is in fact, only one city, spread out on the surface of Derse, sprawling and magnificent. It covers nearly a solid half of all the land on Derse, the rest being covered in inhospitable mountain ranges. The city is densely packed and has a population of under 1 million. ‘Derse’ can in fact refer to the moon itself, or to the city.

The city is divided into a number of neighborhoods, referred to as districts, mostly grouped by utility. The first, roughly at the center of the city, is the Palace district. I should think it would be obvious the main attraction here. The great palace of Derse rising into the sky. Surrounding it are mainly the homes of wealthy and politcal Dersites- large mansions which still do not manage to rival the palace in grandeur. 

Nearby there is the luxury district, which has a great number of night clubs, dance halls, expensive restaurants, tailors and other shops, as well as the only hotels on Derse and the famous Stone Rollers casino. The Stone Rollers is an extremely expensive destination, and its facade is a single monolithic stone nearly the height of the palace.

There is the factory district which is an industrial centerpiece, where the bulk of Dersites work in manufacturing. Generally what is made here is weapons, vehicles, etc. The area is a lot of long low warehouse like buildings. If Derse were to have docks, I am certain that this would be where they were.

Near the factory district is the housing district which is not the only residential area on Derse, but is however the largest. The buildings here are quite tall, and most Dersites have apartments of varying sizes, instead of stand alone homes. After all, because there is no greenery, pets or children, there is little use for an individual to have a yard. Many however, do have balconies for fresh air.

The farming district is a thin knife edge of territory along the mountains, predominated by of course, mushroom farms. The farms are collective-run, and workers live there as well, in groups of generally around 10 to 25. 

The low district is a less expensive, and of course less classy version of the luxury district. It is full of small restaurants, smokey gambling dens and betting parlors, cigarette shops, adult entertainment and more, as well as a lot of lower class housing. 

The architecture of Derse is generally in the style that one would call ‘gothic’, and in large parts often resembles something very ‘churchy’ or renaissance to my eyes. The buildings are almost all of stone quarried from the mountains, in dark grey and black, which makes it all look quite purple in the evening light.

Very little construction goes on that isn’t merely repair to existing structures- Derse isn’t busy making new roads or buildings. Almost every building on Derse has been there since the beginning of the medium. Roads are, for the most part, laid out in a grid system and streets are named either for local landmarks or in the style of ‘Factory A’ or ‘Palace F’.

Streets are lined mainly with lamp posts and decorative arches and statues. Again, there is almost no plant life so they use different methods to keep the avenues from looking too bleak. When it isn’t raining colored cloths are often hung decoratively from windows that face the street, like flags. Only about a quarter to a third of all Dersites have cars, so the roads have ample pedestrian space- sidewalks are stone lined rather than cement. Street vendors are also common, with colored carts or tents.

The city is fully lined for power and water, both of which are covered by Dersite taxes. Power comes from the Great Mill, which is in fact a dam at the largest (and nearly singular) waterfall on Derse.