New Harbor

"There's something... refreshing about New Harbor. A lot of us come from very hateful realities. Places where people would be singled out or discriminated against for all kinds of stupid reasons.
"Here it's like, yeah, my neighbors are a fire-breathing golden lizard lady and a guy who used to be an engineer on some kinda space ship, who gives a shit? I went over to their place the other day for tea. It was lovely."

-Silas Callatos, Local Woodcutter

Building a peaceful community out of people from different backgrounds can be difficult. Different worlds? Even more so. But different realities entirely? It must be nigh unto impossible, right? As it turns out, most sapient beings fairly swiftly reach a point where adding yet another new weird thing to the pile doesn't really phase them anymore. Some theorize that this phenomenon is the result of a sort of desensitization and a feeling of 'Sure, this might as well be a thing,' or perhaps the universal language of True Speech allows people to see that despite initial appearances most sapient beings have more things in common than they have that separate them, or maybe still the lack of other options compels people to build communities with whoever is readily available for survival's sake alone.
Whatever the reason, the common desire for an inclusive community on Nowhere eventually lead to the establishment of the town of New Harbor, which in the years since its founding has grown into the largest settlement on the island. Now home to over half of Nowhere's total population, it has become the closest thing the island has to a capital, even if in most realities it would be considered little more than a small town.
The tenants of New Harbor are simple: equity for all, safety for all, and empathy for all.

Demographics

Any long time resident of New Harbor could tell you that attempting to divide the town's population into species based demographics is a fools errand. Generally speaking, most sapient organic beings on Nowhere share fairly similar biological processes, and relatively minor differences such as skin color, size, proportions, and/or other more unusual features hardly matter when compared to the much more numerous similarities. Sapient beings that fall outside of the standard definition of humanoid are still welcome in New Harbor, and are treated the same as any other citizens.
Professionally, most citizens of New Harbor proper either work as artisans and craftsmen, service workers, or manual laborers. Those who fall outside of those categories usually work for more specialized organizations like The Protectors, The Pathfinders, or The Merry Folk, and a select few serve as members of The Harbormasters' Council. Despite professional differences however, New Harbor's citizens enjoy relatively similar qualities of life given the settlement's socialist nature, and very few if any at all are left wanting for necessities. Those on the outskirts of town generally make their livings as farmers, hunters, and foragers, but are all more than welcome to take advantage of the town's amenities when they visit and avail themselves of any supplies they need.

Government

See: The Harbormasters' Council

Infrastructure

By modern standards, the infrastructure of New Harbor is relatively primitive. Most of the haphazardly placed roads are made from dirt or cobblestone, there is no sewer system to speak of, and no one has successfully managed to implement any kind of publicly available electrical grid. While some of these deficiencies are compensated for with the use of magic, individuals from technologically advanced realities often have a bit of trouble adjusting to life in New Harbor.

The Wellspring

The town is built around a large fountain called The Wellspring, the oldest and most vererated structure in New Harbor. Though it was relatively unremarkable when it was first constructed, The Wellspring has been expanded over the years to accommodate the increasing need for fresh water among the island's citizens and has grown from a simple bucket fed well into a large, relatively elaborate fountain. In the modern day, it is surrounded by an open plaza lined with highly varied plants and comfortable public seating called Founders' Plaza, which is a common place for citizens of all ages to congregate during the day. Bordering Founders' Plaza are two of the town's most important buildings, The Council Chambers and The Central Storehouse, the latter of which is an almost daily destination for the town's citizenry. This area contains most of the town's largest and most elaborate buildings, and is about as hustling and bustling as a civic space gets on Nowhere.
Due to its frequent and increasing use however, some people have begun to notice changes in The Wellspring. Increasing salt and unknown particulate levels have forced The Harbormaster's Council to place limits on public access to water. To compensate for this, a few indivduals have begun offering magically purified seawater to the populace, which has quickly become an important industry. Some proprietors have even begun adding infusions of fruits, vegetables, and minerals to draw in foot traffic.

The Breadbasket

In New Harbor's early days, the majority of its food came from foraging and fishing as the patchwork nature of the island's terrain made any kind of large scale agriculture challenging to say the least. As the town expanded and need for reliable food sources increased, enterprising ranchers set off into the wilds of the island to try and find some kind of livestock. While this project was by no means an easy one, they eventually returned with a herd of animals they dubbed Beep, due to their resemblance to a hybrid of a bear and a sheep. The Beep herds could provide wool, meat, and dairy products, and for many years were able to sustain the majority of the town.
But the dream of agriculture never left the eyes of some of New Harbor's more ambitious, or perhaps just more rural citizenry. Over time, as more and more farmers arrived on the island, techniques were developed to determine the makeup of the island's varied soil type and the plants that could grow there. Small experimental homesteads constructed by eager citizens eventually grew into large scale farms, and aid from The Council in the form of raw materials and labor helped to fully establish a verdant swath of farmland which was dubbed The Breadbasket. Today, most of the food eaten by New Harbor's citizens is produced in these farms.
To supliment this, New Harbor's fleet of fishing vessels sets out on an almost daily basis to bring back literal boatloads of fish, and those with a carnivorous diet operate or rely on hunting lodges a few miles outside of The Breadbasket. If anything, New Harbor's culinary scene is almost too varied, and most people put great care into determining what foods produced on the island are safe to eat.

The Lighthouses

As New Harbor expanded and need for long distance communication rose, a previously established system of signal fires was replaced with tall towers that could broadcast multicolored light across the island. Now constructed in several key locations, these Lighthouses enable rudementary communication across the island through a system of colors and patterns of flashes. The Lighthouse in New Harbor, The Guiding Eye, is located two blocks from Founders' Plaza, and is a large stone and stucco tower painted in brilliant golds and reds.
Most Lighthouses are used to inform other settlements about incoming shipments, newly discovered threats (Tears, hostile new arrivals, etc), or requests for necessities like food and water. These signals are often sent right after dark or early in the morning to ensure they are visible, though special techniques have been developed to urgent messages must be sent during the day.
The other key Lighthouses on Nowhere are a few miles from the The Tower Sanctum, outside the village of Amodella, in the center of Beepland, and along the Western shore near The Far Orchards.

Power

While there is still no publicly available electrical grid, some enterprising engineers and enchanters have recently managed to piece together small scale energy sources such as wind turbines, solar panels, and a few arcane generators, which in turn have enabled access to a few modern amenities such as refrigeration, automated vehicles, and limited telecommunications. These power sources have also enabled professionals to take up advanced blacksmithing, concrete production, and large scale woodworking, which has done wonders for the stability of the town's architecture and infrastructure.

Guilds and Factions

As New Harbor has grown, several smaller factions have taken root in its citizenry. These groups serve various purposes, but generally exist to benefit the settlement in some way shape or form. The major factions within New Harbor are as follows:

The Pathfinders

Initially founded by individuals dedicated to finding a way to return to their homes, The Pathfinders have grown into a sizable sort of adventurers' guild that has taken on the task of defending Nowhere from the threat posed by the Tears and their Echoes. They are also responsible for mapping out the island as new terrain appears, and mantain several outposts around the island so they can leap into action whenever they are needed. They operate out of Pathfinders' Rest and are lead by Laika Boryovitch.

The Protectors

The Protectors are New Harbor's guards and construction workers. They also serve as the town's law enforcement agents, though they are rarely called in to deal with non-violent disputes between citizens as these are most often solved by the involved parties. As construction workers, they are tasked with maintaining the infrastructure and architecture of New Harbor, and spend most of their work time repairing or constructing new buildings, maintaining roads, or creating blueprints for structures at the behest of New Harbor's citizenry. When the town is under siege by Echoes however, the Protectors will mobilize to defend its outskirts so The Pathfinders can focus on eliminating the source of the attackers. They operate out of Protectors' Hall and are lead by Oscar Anshana.

The Merry Folk

The Merry Folk are a group of well meaning citizens of New Harbor that seek out stabilized Tears and plunder the realities they connect to for any luxuries they can get their hands on. These items are then brought back to New Harbor and distributed to the town's populace, though the most interesting items are often reserved for members of the group. They have a contentious relationship with The Keepers of the Tower, but the morale boost they bring to the citizenry has encouraged The Protectors and the Harbormasters' Council to allow them to continue their operations unabated. They operate out of The Merry Market and are lead by Robyn Alcroft.

Other

While The Keepers of the Tower hold some amount of sway in New Harbor, their concerns are generally not heeded by the Harbormasters' Council unless the cause of said concerns could pose a threat to the town or the island as a whole. Additionally, Phillip Saenz, the leader of the Keepers, has a longstanding friendship with Laika Boryovitch, and more often than not the two are able to deescalate any tensions that arise between the Keepers and the various factions that call New Harbor home.

History

WIP - I need to work out a lot more of the island, its various factions, and the time scale before I nail down any history, so this section will remain empty for the time being but should be filled in later. As many great signs once said, watch this space.

Points of interest

The Central Storehouse - The Central Storehouse is the largest building in New Harbor and looks, or perhaps looms, over Founders' Plaza in the middle of town. With several floors and a well sealed basement, it is able to safely house most of the raw materials gathered by the farmers, hunters, woodcutters, miners, and other manual laborers outside of the town. For the citizens, it is an almost daily destination when they find themselves in need of the necessities of life, which are rationed out by storehouse workers under the supervision of the Councils of Distribution in order to ensure equity among citizens.
The Council Chambers - Located across the plaza from the Central Storehouse, the Council Chambers are the meeting place of The Harbormasters' Council. The building itself is a moderately sized, well built stone structure that allows the public access to any and all council meetings so they can voice their concerns.
Founders' Plaza - Founders' Plaza is an communal open space between the Central Storehouse and the Council Chambers. It is dominated by a large fountain called The Wellspring that offers a limited supply of fresh water from the town's aquifer to the citizenry, and features several large canopies strung up between trees that can offer a refreshing reprieve from the midday sun.
The Merry Market - The Merry Market is a sprawling complex on the east side of town that serves as a home base for the Merry Folk. Despite being called a market, most items within are offered for free or can be acquired through exchanges, though there are reserves for members kept safely locked in a number of storerooms. They also have several lounge spaces inside that offer refuge shade and entertainment, and it is a popular place for younger citizens to congregate.
The Nowhere Archives - A small building located near the center of town, The Nowhere Archives are home to the most complete record of the island's history that exists, which in this case takes the form of two individuals, Aleksanderos the Deathless and Unit 17.
Pathfinders' Rest - Located on the Northern border to The Breadbasket, Pathfinders' Rest is, as one might imagine, the base of operations for The Pathfinders. The sprawling structure features a wing of dormatories for members, fenced off training grounds and archery ranges, laboratories, a large briefing room, a few reliquaries, a bath house, storage, and a dining room that is open to all of New Harbor's citizens.
Protectors' Hall - Protectors' Hall is located on the north-east side of town and is one of the more solidly built and well lit structures in New Harbor. Reserved for members of the organization, the Hall serves as a base of operations for the Protectors who specialize in architecture design. It also features a large storehouse where materials reserved for civic maintenance are stored. 
The Seaside Stage - Located along the docks on the south side of town, Seaside Stage is a popular venue for plays and concerts. It is open for public use unless a group has reserved it, and aspiring playwrights or enthusiastic hobbyists can often be found there working on original pieces or attempting to adapt pieces from their homes into stage plays for the citizens of New Harbor.

Architecture

When New Harbor was first constructed the town's architecture favored utility over aesthetics. Buildings were primarily made with simple stone foundations and wood walls, and were seldom adorned with any kind of unnecessary features as a way to conserve materials. They did often incorporate partially or completely outdoor spaces such as workshops, patios, piers, and porches to take advantage of the island's tropical climate, but like the buildings themselves these spaces were fairly utilitarian.
As the settlement expanded and raw materials like concrete, glass, and clay became more readily available, citizens began to incorporate ornamental elements from their former homes into the designs of their new homes and businesses. While these efforts were mostly successful, some had to settle for reasonable simulacra of their preferred styles given the lack of specialized materials, i.e. creating elements that would normally be constructed from uncommon metals out of wood or stone. This has lead to structures in New Harbor having incredibly varied architectural styles from building to building, and has even spawned a few unique designs not seen anywhere else in the multiverse.
Despite architectural differences however, there are some commonalities in the ways that buildings, and in particular businesses, are decorated. In order to ensure the safety of citizens at night, string lights are commonly hung between neighboring buildings, and many businesses will use enchanted or mundane lights on their exteriors to draw in traffic. These empty spaces are further filled with clothes lines, canopies, and trellises, though these are less frequently seen at the edges of town where the buildings are constructed a bit farther apart. Additionally, a quirk of True Speech has forced business owners to embrace imagery rather than written word, and the exterior walls of many public structures are painted with intricate and colorful murals depicting what is offered inside. While representative murals are less common on residential structures, many citizens still choose to decorate their homes with colorful designs in artistic styles from their original realities. This practice has lead to the establishment of the annual Painters' Festival, an event where citizens work together to decorate new buildings or refurbish existing murals.

Geography

New Harbor is located in a swath of coastal land on the southern side of Nowhere. Formerly a chunk of relatively empty grassy plains, the location served as a perfect foundation for the settlement as it was already free of hardy foliage and extruding boulders but had fairly easy access to large deposits of raw materials. As the town expanded, it started to encroach on the edges of nearby forests and rocky outcroppings, as well as extending out into the ocean itself. On the outskirts of town are several patches of varying forests, as well as a large stone chunk that seems to have broken off of a mountain. Despite the construction of a large boardwalk and harbor the town enjoys breathtaking views of the sea, and small stretches of rough sand beach at each end of the harbor offer the citizens places to celebrate or relax.

Climate

See: Nowhere.

Type

Town

Population

Approximately 2,300

Inhabitant Demonym

New Harborites

Location under

Nowhere

Owning Organization

The Harbormasters' Council

Related Tradition (Primary)

• Painters' Festival