Esper Grove
Sion Teald 01 (“The One and Only”), the infamous TFX attempt at creating an android poet, once called settlements “shelters”. It was one of his very few good metaphors — they are, indeed, refuges for former citizens, runaway androids, discharged members of PSFs and outlawed espers. Established by the Talis soon after the end of War, Esper Grove was one of the first of these hamlets. The Talis wanted to draw a line between caution and racism: they had banned espers from the city, but helped them relocate to an Axis-rich area nearby. Thanks to the continued support from the sept, today the Grove is one of the most prosperous locations existing outside the safety of domes.
Resources: Esper Grove is situated on the southern edge of Tali Woods, which are an ecosystem that had been engineered by the Talis with the settlement in mind.
Architecture: due to the assistance from the dome and the fact that one of the Esper Grove’s guardian espers was an architect student before becoming a test subject in the NRC, the settlement looks better than most others.
Sungate
Settlements have no Axis fields to shield them from Demons, and of course they’re less equipped against other threats than DCs; however, that doesn’t mean they can’t stand for themselves. Sungate is the best example of this: located a couple hundred kiloleagues from Ares, it is protected by a natural barrier of lakes and mountains, and is further fortified by turrets, machines and even train cars that the settlers, most of whom come from PSFs (licensed or rogue) or domes corps, managed to procure as “parting gifts” or raid trophies. The settlement got its name from a large gap in Mode Mountains facing west; the locals have a custom of welcoming new blood with a rite of passage which requires the applicants to enter Sungate through the opening without losing a thumb to a Prime on the other side.
_02: they have their uses.
Hornet: newcomers would do well to remember that Sungate is a small army, well-structured and maintained. Whoever brought this Hornet had surely gotten a commendation.
Train cars were probably brought in by a Usurper from Garuda; there was a train line to Flavia before War.
In Minotaur: the settlement has a special significance in the game… By the way, should you happen to discuss it with Thea, try checking her reaction afterward!
Heaven’s Fall
The worst quarters in Heaven’s Fall are the ones that have a clear view of Nova, and almost all do. It’s a constant reminder of a paradise lost: The Fall (as the settlement became known for short) is so close to DC central that a one-way trip by Ghost only takes 10 minutes. And since many settlers had originally tried to find refuge in liberal Nova before having been kicked out, the route is well-used, albeit mostly in one direction (some say it’s the only remaining Outside highway on Kyos, though that’s a bit of a stretch). The Fall is not as militarized as Sungate, but has a strict social hierarchy and its own set of imposed rules, some of which can be quite… eccentric. More often than not, it’s not a place to live by choice even as far as settlements go.
RETRIBUTOR: the big cannon was put together to attack Nova by one of Heaven’s Fall leaders, who was, yes, not quite right in his head; luckily for the settlers, its shots didn’t even reach halfway, and it has been used for defense since.
Going green: in 303 AW, the settlers stole a crate of seeds from Nova’s convoy to a nearby demonspawn camp. Proper care was required to grow them, which is not something easily found in Heaven’s Fall, so the settlement got its unique current look as a result.
Eshaness
You really think you can find somewhere else like Esh? Bah, I say. Truth be told, I only have Pion to compare, but I don’t need to see other places to know that Eshaness is special. We once harbored a search party from Mira — their ships often come to Halcyon, but these guys, they were unlucky. They met Xeen. Only a handful of Aspects made it to Esh. They were looking for a hopper who arrived several days earlier, and guess what? He came out to greet them! They had him now, but decided to stay and rest… for a while. No problems, we say. Gather your strength, recharge your fluxes and then head north to the comm tower to contact your bosses. And what do you know, they’re still recharging. It’s the island, it changes people.
I mean, like… Have you ever seen a parrot in your entire life? — Nora Bloom, a student of the Megaversity of Pion, 523 AW
What went down: many airships and aircraft which participated in the Syan Water Station reclamation campaign crashed on Halcyon during their attempts to reach Eshaness.
Salvaging: the settlement is located in an Axis area which is much larger than Eshaness itself, and its inhabitants use this to their advantage.