Zafforza City

A large part of the population belongs to the sea. This includes whales, dolphins, seals, sharks, sponges, anemones, corals, jellyfish, crustaceans, starfish, seahorses, sea urchins, sea turtles, and octopuses, among others, who have, in many cases, a level of intelligence equal to or greater than humans, whether recognized by humans or not. For some, this has been the case even before Molluscan influence. For others, that influence was key to their development.

Moreover, creatures many believed to be "fantasy" before November 2020 also call Zafforza City home. Among them are Mermaids, sirens, krakens, leviathan, aquatic centaurs, hydras, kelpies, selkies, and (yet to be confirmed) makara (an elephantine sea beast from Hindu mythology). Many are werebeasts, such as Anassa JaySeaBoom.

With many areas in the city filled with air, it is also home to a number of humans, human-hybrids, and other air-breathers, as well as visiting members of other Literomantic Houses.

When the first Cosmic One came to Earth, sometime during the Neolithic era, they decided to make their home in the Pacific Ocean, because there they could hide from the view of humans, and it was large enough to contain them in their nascent capacity. So they found a trench, already of considerable size, and expanded and reformed it to become their home. Eventually, this would become known as the Zafforza Trench.

However, they were lonely and bored, and actually liked humans, despite their tendency to be afraid of the Cosmic One. So they decided to try and bring some humans to live with them. Despite their Cosmic efforts, the first few humans did not fare well beneath the waves. So the Cosmic One paused their work. They rested, and reached out with their thoughts, mental tentacles feeling their way around the planet, over its land masses, and through its oceans and seas. Many years later, they found something.

Out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, they found an underwater city. No human or demi-human life remained there at the time. But it was big, beautiful, and perfect. The Cosmic One decided to move the abandoned city to the Zafforza Trench, and rebuild it so that humans could keep them company. Inscriptions that still exist in the city today, name it Atlantis.

The inscriptions inform us that, after moving the great island city to the Zafforza Trench, the first Cosmic One once again attempted to populate their new home with humans. This time, it mostly worked. They learned that humans needed air, and that occasional sunlight and vegetation helped them to thrive. So The Cosmic One sealed much of the city against the ocean water, and filled it with air. Other sections of the city were designed to occasionally be raised to the surface and could be farmed or otherwise inhabited above water for a time. Even others were left open to the watery depths of the ocean, and a few had special access points where water and air met. Thus, the creatures of the ocean also made their home in Zafforza City. Over the millennia, many different types of humans found their way to Zafforza City. Though it seems those with some literomantic ability flourished best in this unique environment.

The philosopher Plato wrote about Atlantis around 360 BC. He said that its founders had been demigods who established an utopian civilization with a great capital at the center of a series of concentric islands. The islands were separated by moats, and the whole had a subterranean canal across it, that linked them all to the center. The air-filled halls and caverns beneath the sea that are at the center of Zafforza City today are one small section of what once was the capital palace of Atlantis. Due to a variety of events, much of the original city of Atlantis-turned-Zafforza was hidden for some time. But in recent years, those hidden sections have begun to be rediscovered and repopulated. There remain many ruins beneath the modern-day Zafforza City, and they extend beyond its current borders. Excavations are ongoing.

There are many points of interest open to the public. And others which are either private, or even hidden.

• The Nexus is a multi-story building near the center of the city. In it, one can find the following:
• The Zafforza Command Center
• The Kraken's Cove (Royal quarters)
• Mr. Boom's Kitchen (The Royal kitchens)
• The Zafforza Generator Warehouse, powers the city and has several access points:
• Northern Access Tunnel: A long tunnel that leads from the Warehouse to the Heartvault. There's an elevator in this tunnel that goes up to Mumei Island.
• Western Access Tunnel: A long tunnel that leads from the Warehouse to a water entry/exit
• Southern Access Tunnel: A long tunnel that leads from the Warehouse to a beach
• Eastern Access Tunnel: A long tunnel that leads from the Warehouse to a water entry/exit
• The Hall of Unbroken Record (Asteri temple)
• The Zafforza Information Center (the Molluscan library)
• The Zafforza Spa and Hydrothermal Vents
• The Eight Towers of Zafforza: Eight surface-scrapers located around the city, that define the city's profile
• The Bridge of Sighs
• Embassies of the Great Houses
• Loch Bienne's Forge
• Lady Wynter's Retreat: A cavern room that has direct access to the water. She has a fully stocked cellarette here that appears to be part of the cavern wall

Like their totem, House Mollusca is historically insular. They remained hidden for millennia, and only became known to the other Houses since The First Word War in 2020. In recent years, under the leadership of Regent, and now Anassa, JaySeaBoom, they have begun to share more about themselves, and be more supportive of tourism. Hotels and other short-term lodging has become much more widely available. Despite these changes, many land-dwellers continue to be under the misconception that visiting Zafforza City requires the ability to breathe underwater. It does not. There is something for everyone in Zafforza City.