Help filing the serial numbers off Nexus: The Infinite City

[Canology]

In my dimension hopping campaign I want there to be a city that is sort of a hub that is connected to most cities from all times and worlds. Orininally I was going to go with Nexus: The Infinite City from Daedalus Games, but there are parts of that setting I don't really care for, and moreso, it isn't mine. I'd rather try and cobble my own version together.

Here are my notes so far (rough notes, at that):

The core city center has elements of all the cities that connect to it. Almost all great cities connect in some way to Ur/Vennopolis, but most connections are obscure. Some require going through a particular doorway while walking backwards, or hop-scotching on particular tiles in a building. Many cities also have parts of themselves merge with Ur/Vennopolis occasionally. Again, this is usually a small, usually not densely populated region of the city, and the connection is usually very brief.
Sometimes people have marked the path to take to travel between the planes, sometimes it is hidden. Usually the way home from Vennopolis is marked by natives of whatever home city the portal connects to.
In addition, most of the areas that shift between worlds are "difficult" to see by natives. They just don't really notice them and avoid them subconsciously.

This is all to explain why everyone doesn't know about Vennopolis.

Vennopolis is primarily built of stone, much of it appearing very ancient. The very center of the city resembles a Mesopotamian ruin and each succeeding layer/neighborhood seems a bit more modern, until the outer reaches where the buildings are futuristic metal and plastic. Most neighborhoods have a flavor of the cities that link to them.

Buying, selling and trading of all sorts occurs in the city and it resembles an enormous market district in many ways. Some people do live permanently in Ur/Vennopolis (rather than visiting to score goodies for their homeworld).

So, here is why I'm posting. First, which sounds better, Ur or Vennopolis? or something else?

Second, I was thinking of using Esperanto as the sort of lingua franca of the place, but maybe that is too European to have really universal appeal. Any suggestions?

Third, any fun/interesting locales, interfaces or whatnot you feel like sharing would be cool. The place is supposed to be sort of a universal city, it should all feel like my own invention.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Canology

Second, I was thinking of using Esperanto as the sort of lingua franca of the place, but maybe that is too European to have really universal appeal. Any suggestions?

.

The city is far older than Esperanto and so must have been using something before Esperanto was invented.

If it's old enough it could predate the Curse of Babel and works by an older set of rules. Mutual comprehensibility could be the norm there.

I had a thought about the name too. After the language thig gets explained have a native tell them "When you go back to places that have multiple languiages you may find that The City has multiple names but all translate to The City for it dates to a period when there was only one city and this was it.".

[Canology]

Having all languages be mutually understood is an interesting idea. It certainly gives it an otherworldly sort of feel.

Also, calling it just The City, has a simplicity to it. It also "feels" appropriate.

Thanks for your ideas!

[Phil Masters]

“Vennopolis” sounds too latinate, and hence culture-specific, to me. I’d go more for “Ur”; technically it’s culture-specific, but it’s specific to a very old culture. “The City” also appeals; some people might refer to it as “To The City”, if your players would get that reference.