New Atlantis is a densely-populated city on the island of Nantucket. Founded as a refugee colony during the last quarter of the 20th century, it serves as the primary residence for the Atlantean population. Permission to occupy the territory was granted by the United States, following peace talks at the close of the Atlantean World War. The city is home to the Arcana and it is where their ruling body, the Arcanum, meets.
History
Nantucket is a small island approximately 50 square miles in size. Originally the home of the Wampanoag people, Nantucket was eventually claimed by the United States. At an unknown point it came to the attention of the Atlanteans, likely when the Wampanoag still populated the island, given that centuries ago the Wampanoag and Atlanteans began intermingling.[1] Lord Sun chose Nantucket as the site of an estate in the 1920s, when he translocated the Beacon Towers mansion; Atlanteans began buying property in earnest there during the 1940s.
After the Atlantean World War, the surviving population of old Atlantis took shelter in a variety of international territories while the city was constructed. The Arcana created the urban fabric by translocating individual human buildings and even entire neighborhoods. The magical outlay from the mass translocations was so extreme that the western half of Nantucket spontaneously transformed into the site of a massive and dangerous concentration of wild magic. For this reason, New Atlantis is located on the eastern half of the island, with its growth constrained by the boundary with the Westlands. Today comparable in size to Manhattan, the city is tightly-packed with skyscrapers.
Character & Arrangement
New Atlantis, a crowded and busy metropolis, combines the every-day with the marvelous. Its streets are congested with traffic and smog fills its sky, but quieter neighborhoods and cul-de-sacs can be found just a few streets away. A number of parks and squares dot the city, featuring fountains and gardens tended by portunes (agricultural fairies). Sometimes these spaces can be inhabited by more dangerous residents, such as Jenny Greenteeth, known to periodically move from fountain to fountain. In addition to the coffee shops, markets, and business offices to be expected in a modern city, a number of public sanctums meet the needs of the magical population. As a city whose urban fabric comprises translocated human structures, New Atlantis' architectural character is motley and varied, its buildings representing numerous regional styles and historical eras.
Districts and Neighborhoods
At the northern edge of the island lay the city's harbors, including the Greendocks. New Atlantis is bounded on the west by a protective wall that runs north-south and separates the populated area from the dangerous Westlands.
One of the city's major intersections is that of Nazaca and Hyperion. Nazaca Road was built along the most significant ley line of the island; as such, many Arcana compounds can be found along it.[2] Other Arcana estates are located along the eastern and southern shore.
The Financial District, the downtown heart of the city, includes the South Street Bridge, which functions as a set of underground tunnels beneath the streets. These busy tunnels are now filled with restaurants, coffee carts, and walkways.[3] The Pacific Bell, the Tower's headquarters, can be found in this district.
Edgemere, about half a mile from New Saints Hospital , is a wealthy area near the financial and market districts. It's squares are filled with commonwealth gardens and fountains, and wealthy scions own expensive condos in the neighborhood. Addam Saint Nicholas lives in one such condo. The busy portal station and it's thriving market are also located in Edgemere.
LeperCon, a small neighborhood made up of three main streets, is a somewhat rundown, cheap area to live in New Atlantis. The streets of this blue-collar area are dotted with ethnic grocers and the occasional drug dealer. Located on a former bog, the neighborhood was translocated wholesale from Boston; there it had been known as the CombatZone, and the name LeperCon references its original Irish population.[4]
The Northwest Neighborhood is a mostly human fishing port, established when the Atlanteans began to spread across Nantucket; it therefore possesses very little magic. As one moves west from downtown and its skyscrapers, the buildings shrink down to two-stories structures. Behind a fish-and-chips shop and a hand-knit sweater store, a gate in the Boundary provides access to the Westlands.
The Greendocks
The Warrens
Public Works and Infrastructure
New Atlantis streets are crowded with pedestrians and vehicular traffic, which can come to a standstill during rush hour. The city also includes a subway, the main hub of which is entered through Canfranc Station. Sigils power the subway's trains. This particular transportation system is a joint venture between the Magician and the Chariot.
Another vital transportation center in the city is the portal station, a large stone structure that allows quick international travel. The building houses portals leading to every time zone, through which travelers and trade items continually move. Fresh items from distant territories, such as caviar, are brought through to be sold in the portal market. The Hex Throne operates the portals and the portal station.[5]
Government
Population
Magic
Thanks to the prolific traffic, the air pollution is periodically removed with a Cleansing spell.