District Tours Information Post

[gamemakers]

Need to know information:

-Each district has its own thread below. Feel free to ask any clarifying questions there that apply to each District. For general questions, see the mod thread linked at the bottom of this post. This post is for information; later this week we will have a plotting post up.

-The plot will start on January 7th. At that point all the characters in your District will be put on a train. In game time, they will be on the train for a day (or two, for the far districts), depending on how far it is. There will be two days for open play in the setting, a banquet party post, and then another day before they head home.

In real time, the plot will last between a week or two, depending on how long is needed.

-For reference, here is our map of Panem.

- There will be an HMD Friday, and then a game wide Player Plot Post for plotting before the event starts, as well. You can feel free to contact Districtmates for plotting if you'd like over plurk/IM/PM if you want to get started before the PPP.

-If you are connected with a District (Stylist, Escort, etc) you are welcome. If you want involved but aren't, let us know and we'll see what we can do.

-We are not NPCing interactions with locals. You can handwave them or NPC them yourselves. If you would like to handwave anything not already laid out as being within the guidelines below, ask us and we can work out the plot together.

-Anything not addressed? Drop it here.

Comments

DISTRICT 1

[gamemakers]

District: 1
Export: Luxury
Government: Mayor Unus, a man who clearly was once a very physically intimidating man, now pushing his late 70s.

Mood: One is welcoming on a surface level, but it is clear one is not pleased with the fact that they now do not have their own tributes. Talking with common people in one will bring this out more, whereas the officials keep their unhappiness better capped. Tributes can expect to be somewhat snubbed, and citizens talk about ‘better days’. Citizen children may throw snowballs or pinecones at Tributes while they aren’t looking, and when the Tributes get off the train they will be met with rather rote greetings.

Environment: The train here went through a variety of environments - mountains, rolling lush plains, vast deserts. It arrives in the mountain town, covered in a solid layer of snow, and with the temperature to match. Pine trees tower up in spires along the cliffside. The stylist have made sure to dress their Tributes warm, as snow flurries aren’t uncommon. Tributes are advised to avoid walking under the overhangs of roofs, as icicle falls can be deadly.

The main city is fairly large and prosperous looking. It is on the shores of a beautiful lake, nestled in the mountains, not unlike the Capitol. The architecture is very roman inspired, the buildings grand, but after living in the Capitol, it is clearly a pale imitation. It’s also clear that this town is use to Capitol visitors, this place is clearly set up for travelers, with a hotel, restaurants, gift shops, and advertisements for activities for Capitol tourist. Although surreal, this place would remind those from modern time of our own ski resort towns.

The security here is light, though omnipresent. The Peacekeepers here seemed laid back and cursory. The citizens mostly go about their business unfettered, and they all seem fairly educated, if not in higher education then as craftspeople. Signs in shop windows declare family businesses of jewelering and brewing.

Locations:

The tributes are kept in a grand lodge hotel, with plush rooms and a large dining hall with a huge fireplace. The hotel has been cleared out for this occasion, but it is clear its guests are not the actual citizens of this District, but those from the Capitol. The hotel is right on the edge of the lake, and a dock extends out onto the deep blue surface. Three meals a day are served of (almost too) rich foods: cream chowders, tiramisu, pulled pork, fondue.

Connected to the hotel, a bar and restaurant which can be accessed easily, and to which the Tributes can easily go to. Drinks are overpriced, but well-made, and the bar overlooks the lake from a window that takes up an entire wall. Catching the sunset over the distant mountains is considered an attraction here, and alcohol prices double in the hour between sun-up and twilight.

The tributes are free to wander along the boardwalk. Most of the shops are kept open (although clearly they are not getting near the business they’re use to) and touristy type things can be purchased, such as fudge and plush fur coats.

There is a natural hot spring about half an hour south of the city, which Tributes can visit in small groups if they clear it with their Escort. The attraction also serves as a spa, with staff members offering facials, massages, homemade soaps and other relaxing activities. The hot spring itself, however, is the main feature; the hot bubbling water, combined with chemicals to rid the air of the sulfur smell, is supposedly full of vitamins that can only be absorbed through the skin. Career Tributes supposedly bathed in the spring for luck before they went to their Arenas.

DISTRICT 2

[gamemakers]

District: 2
Export: Masonry
Government: Mayor Duo, a strict looking, harsh woman who hasn’t seemed to laugh in years. Her dark hair is pulled tight to the back of her head, accentuating her sharp cheekbones.

Mood: Although this district is favored by the Capitol, there is a strict tension in the air. It’s like everyone is working too hard to prove how loyal they are. Everything said comes off as a sort of phony propaganda-ladened script.

Those in Two are none too warm to the Tributes. Mostly it is just a cold welcome, but if someone was to push, it would not be hard to start a fight. And although there are a lot of Peacekeepers here to break things up, none of them seem particularly interested in protecting te Tributes. Some citizens will just snub the Tributes or mock those who didn’t perform well in the last Arena.

Environment: The main city is not a long train ride from the Capitol. The landscape is beautiful, even if the city is not. To the west, mountains cut sharply into the sky, their peaks covered with a thick blanket of snow. To the east are the plains, and if you find a high enough vantage point, they will stretch as far as you can see.

The weather is cold, and snow clings to the ground, but for the Tributes visit it is generally sunny. The city is worn down, obviously a working city. Most of the population uses the trains to commute to mines in the mountains, particularly “The Nut”, a hollowed out mountain that sits just west of the city. They work long hours and are not seen returning home before dark.

The area that would count as “downtown” has a patched-together old west sort-of feel, with small brick buildings lined up along the main street, and more recent, shoddily-made buildings spread out from there. When darkness falls, all power is diverted to the heating systems, and outside of the street lamps and city hall, everyone uses lanterns and candles. Curfew has been imposed, but Peacekeepers are extremely lax in enforcing it, and citizens consider it something of a popular joke.

Locations:

The city hall is a brick building, clearly newer than the other, but built to match their style. The banquet is held in its main foyer.

The Tributes are staying in a small, old hotel. It is musty and creaky and not too terribly warm, though they are given plenty of blankets. Some of the walls in the rooms have been worn away, revealing the brick foundation beneath, and the heaters are old and temperamental. Like the rest of the District, the hotel ceases to use electric lights after dark, insisting instead on candles. The hotel overlooks City Hall and is within a stone’s throw of the train station, although the hotel staff insists that the sound of the train isn’t so disruptive that the Tributes shouldn’t be able to sleep.

Tributes can also explore along main street. There are stores, though not very exciting ones; work clothes, imports from the other Districts, butchers, candy shops, bakeries. A restaurant and pub is at the end of main street, a dark and rowdy place, and from there it is into the neighborhoods, a sad affair of rough working people in cheap housing. Technically Tributes are not allowed past mainstreet, but Peacekeepers might let them get a few blocks in before pulling them out.

Misc: Cats and domesticated weasels are popular pets in District 2, as they are both self-sufficient and useful for warding off rodents, a endemic problem for the working neighborhoods. The weasel especially is seen as something of a mascot of the District, and its emblem is visible not only on the pub sign, but in the nickname ‘The Weez’ for the train that goes into The Nut.

Re: DISTRICT 2

[fire_punk]

I don't suppose there would be a way Kevin could come home with a weasel without getting in trouble with a peacekeeper?

[gluteus]

I really should be signed in as Sherlock for this, but:

How much surveillance is apparent through the district? Similar to capitol levels where you can expect most things to be bugged / have cameras, or is surveillance mostly done through the peace keepers?

Is there any sort of tech (see: computers that can access the network) or is that limited only to city hall, like the lights?

For those of quick deduction just how prevalent is rebellious thought under the propaganda surface? (And should I be asking rebellion-themed questions in private?)

DISTRICT 3

[gamemakers]

District: 3
Export: Electronics
Government: Mayor Tres, a small older man, friendly but very distracted. He has protruding eyes and a patchy beard that seems to be better trimmed on one side than the other.

Mood: There seems to be a lot of apathy in this district. No one seems to feel too strongly on either side, and everyone seems caught up in their own issues. People always seem like they’re just waiting to get on to the next thing. The Neverending Quell has increased rates of production in District 3, especially as a lot of Capitol technological projects are getting outsourced here. Some citizens actually have aspirations of going to work in the Capitol, and others find the idea of rebellion silly as conditions have improved recently.

There is also a more noticeable wealth divide here between the actual citizens. Though none are near Capitol levels, there is clearly and upper and lower class with a solid difference between the two. Most of the district citizens are factory workers, with an upper class of those who have the intellect and education to create things, and those who have the business skills to profit off them.

Environment:

Three is a solid day’s train ride away, through mountains, deserts, and fertile farm lands.

The main city of Three is on the western shores, although islands can be seen far off in the distances, as well as a long line of factories and shipping bays. Boat traffic can be seen through the bay, moving various production pieces from factory to factory, both near the city, and from farther away.

All of the city is built to be functional, not attractive. The building are mainly large, solid building, many in a slight pyramid shape. The streets are a grid, clearly built with a heavy hand for a functioning, industrial city. Standing at any intersection, a Tribute should be able to see for a solid five miles without interruption from buildings, due to the geometric layout of the city. Many of the citizens are housed in large apartment buildings near their areas of work.

The weather is cool, but not cold, although heavy fog at night can get a chill into your bones. The fog sometimes sits in the valley until mid-morning and leaves the ground wet.

Locations:

The city center is built on a hill over the city, with a good view of the ocean, showing the far off land masses, and the green edging along the city, with many train track leaving in different directions. There are piers that go out to the ocean, but Tributes are not allowed there.

The city center is the only place Tribute are allowed. It has a banquet hall, spartan rooms for the Tributes to stay in, a cafeteria open to the public, and a small commissary shop where necessities can be bought. In the middle of the city center is a huge rose garden, the only elegant and beautiful place to be seen. The garden is obviously a popular place, with many citizens visiting, especially when shifts end. The roses, while not as extravagant as the ones in Capitol, are genetically modified to bloom in an array of colors and patterns; this season’s popular breed is a light purple rose with fluorescent orange stripes across each petal.

Re: DISTRICT 3

[splendid_roman]

When you say "There are piers that go out to the ocean, but Tributes are not allowed there." does that mean they're not allowed near the ocean or are allowed near the ocean but not on the piers? And does not allowed mean that there will be peacekeepers making sure they don't go there? Could they go with an escort/mentor/stylist?

Re: DISTRICT 3

[splendid_roman]

Above you say it's a solid day's train ride, but the latest post in the_capitol says it takes nearly 48 hours. So I'm confused - one of those means they'll have to sleep on the train, the other means they can get away without it and I'm not sure which to go with.

DISTRICT 4

[gamemakers]

District: 4
Import: Fish
Government: Mayor Quattuor, a portly older man, who still has a clear physical strength and has seen many days in the sun.
Mood: Four seems relatively content. There is plenty of food, and comfort to go around. However, scratch a little and you will find dissatisfaction, especially over the Capitol’s response to the extreme weather disasters the area is often hit with. The older population especially will gripe about how the Capitol never sends help when the District is devastated with extreme weather it is often victim to; hurricanes, droughts, tornadoes.

Citizens in Four work long hours, starting early in the morning to dredge the waters for fish and finishing in the afternoon, wholesaling to Capitol dealers. To some extent, the Capitol businessmen allow Four citizens a bit of leniency in determining price, relying on the fishermens’ knowledge of fish quality and rarity to set the value. There is a level of respect between District citizens and Capitol businesspeople that isn’t evident in other Districts. Most District 4 citizens are trained in a variety of different jobs, ranging from fishing to mechanical engineering to repair boats.

District 4 also seems grateful to the Tributes for taking the place of their kids. Perhaps it was once being a career district, but whereas One and Two object, Four seems to appreciate the break.

Environment:
The train ride takes the Tributes through farm land, and then into desert, finally ending along the ocean. The weather is nice, cool but not cold, with occasional rain storms over the week.

The city is fairly new, much like Three, built in a very logical and no nonsense way. However, unlike Three it has developed some character. Some places have been destroyed and rebuilt; some places have been decorated or added on to. Near the shore is a pier that is clearly made for Capitol tourists. With hotels, curios shops, and restaurants, as well as a few rides and advertisements for boating adventures, closed for the winter. The beach is also clearly kept up for people to enjoy, although even with the cooler weather, those who live in the District clearly spend much of their leisure time there. Boats go out in the morning and come back at night, but various waterway traffic can almost always be seen out on the water and coming and going from the fisheries on the edge of town.

Locations:

The Tributes are houses in the hotel by the pier, and given the run of the town, although if they leave the pier area, they are constantly shadowed by peacekeepers. It is clear there is surveillance throughout town, and nobody is too worried about losing Tributes.

The business on the pier are open, though with an obvious skeleton crew, and the Tribute are free to explore and patronize them. They can also go into the ocean if they want to risk the cold, but there are many signs that let them know going out past the far out sandbars isn’t safe. And the signs aren’t lying.

[swill]

fish

About going into the ocean in a different way than just waddling into the waves- any possibility of snagging a ride on one of the working fishing boats for a day?

DISTRICT 5

[gamemakers]

District: 5
Export: Power
Government: Mayor Quinque, a middle aged woman, tall and fierce, who doesn’t look like she’d take any shit.
Mood: Five is full of a lot of rural, small towns. And there are a lot of strong opinions that run the gauntlet of Panem politics. Some people are openly opposed to the Capitol, but other are sincerely supportive. This area, mainly desert, would not be able to function without support from the Capitol, they say, and hence feel they owe it to the Capitol.

The Tributes seem to be a catalyst to a lot of in bickering between the actual citizens of five, all without having to add anything but their presences. But if they do, fights are quick to fight and usually quick to end, either by Peacekeeper intervention or from other citizens. This is clearly something the Peacekeepers in five are use to.

Environment:

The train leaves the mountains and travels almost entirely through desert. Some of it beautiful, some of it boring. Small towns can be seen, passing almost too quick to catch.

The train stops in a small town against a huge dam, nestled at the base of a giant, beautiful lake. It is absolutely gorgeous land, with beautiful sunny skies, if a little chilly. The night are colder, but full of stars, and plenty of warm housing to stay in.

All of the building are small, rock ones, clearly made to be the most eco-friendly to the harsher weather. Solar panels stretch across the top, with many build directly into the rock wall, or even underground. The city clearly centers around the dam and near by electric plant. However there is also a small tourist streak, camping and boating available for the wealthy.


Locations:
The city center is, like Three, all in one place. Unlike Three it is a bit more expansive, with a large trading store, a plaza, several restaurants, the government building, and a small hotel. There is also a store aimed towards Capitol citizen who come here to camp, with outdoor gear, much of it posh replicas of what the Tributes are familiar with in the arenas.

Tributes can wander to the edge of town, however, there isn’t much interesting within town borders. The dam and power plant are outside of town and off limits.

Re: DISTRICT 5

[orestes]

How likely would it be for a Tribute (or a Victor) to catch one of these heated debates about the Capitol? Are they typically an old-men-in-bars kind of thing, or is it something that could happen just like... Shopping around town?

Similarly, does that mean sentiment regarding the Tributes' presence is going to be evenly split? Or are most people on board with it being foreigners and not their kids in the Games?

Re: DISTRICT 5

[revvinguptheharley]

Will there be anything particular regarding that district 5 is the most recent victorious district? Attitudes? Events?

Re: DISTRICT 5

[stilest]

Would it be possible to organize a day trip to the lake for a stylist and some of her tributes?

DISTRICT 6

[gamemakers]

District: 6
Import: Transportation
Government: The unfortunately-named Mayor Sexus, a lanky older gentleman missing a hand from an industrial accident. He has a prosthetic made of plastic and wood.

Mood: District 6 is relatively mellow, but people are very hesitant to share their political opinions. There’s definite stratification of wealth here, as factory owners are able to afford nice-ish houses and automobiles, but the workers in the factories tend to be impoverished and get place to place by carpooling in big vans driven by upstanding members of the community. A little digging would reveal that the District is recovering from something of a depression, and that the need for increased hovercraft capabilities for both the Neverending Quell and increased unrest in the Districts has revitalized the economy.

Tributes are treated as sorts of visiting celebrities here that the citizens seek to impress, or as benevolent philanthropists they must prostrate themselves for. When Tributes get off the train, they’ll be greeted by groups of eleven year-olds, who will sing a choral number in thanks for saving them from the Reaping.

Environment: Most of the buildings here are very practical and low to the ground, maybe two stories at the most. The city is incredibly spread out, arranged around a center area of factories and governance. It’s pretty much impossible to get anywhere on foot, but if Tributes want a ride any of the wealthier citizens are happy to chauffeur them.

The climate here is dry and warm. There aren’t many trees on the ride in, although there are cacti and impressive rock features that climb for the sky. The earth here is reddish and the sky seems wider than the ground due to all the open space. There are dust storms and occasional cracks of lightning in the distance, but no rain - according to the citizens, rain comes so infrequently that they declare holidays when it does.

On the train ride in, the Tributes will pass the relics of Albuquerque, which has become a ghost city. From the train window one can barely make out evidence of horrible damage caused by human hands as well as the elements - collapses clearly caused by bombs and fires to the once-towering buildings. It’s now overrun by coyotes and javelinas.

Buildings here are often covered in chalk art from the children, who aren’t schooled but also aren’t allowed to work until they’re old enough to safely use the equipment in the vehicle plants. Several children try to give homemade gifts to the Tributes, mostly made of beads, flowers, feathers and scraps of leather. Most citizens go barefoot, despite the risk of rattlesnakes and scorpions. A visible minority of workers are missing fingers from work in the factories, or bear disfiguring scars.

Locations:

The hotel is clean and proper, with rooms for each Tribute, a deep-blue swimming pool in the back, hot tubs, a plush dining room, and citizens in clean white outfits doing all sorts of room service. It’s not populated solely by Tributes, either; several businessmen from the Capitol are here for meetings with the forepersons of the factories. Even though it’s not as lush as the Tribute living quarters, it’s clearly a very well-run hotel.

Citizens will drive Tributes up to the ghost town of Alburquerque if they’re interested, and give a small bit of local lore about how the Capitol destroyed the city during the revolution, as a sort of ‘Manhadden Project 2.0’. Citizens will point out how people used to grieve the dead there until the Peacekeepers forbid it, citing dangerous wild animals in the area.

A river cuts through the town, and children play there to escape the summer heat, despite the occasionally dangerous currents. Some of the older children can be seen fishing or catching birds and lizards, and they’re eager to talk to Tributes and enjoy their company.

Re: DISTRICT 6

[acroodawakening]

I read somewhere that there are hints in the books that morphling addiction issues might be a district wide thing. Will they see any signs of that or are you handling it as more just an individual thing?

DISTRICT 7

[gamemakers]

District: 7
Export: Lumber
Government: Mayor Septum, a short, sturdy man with a mustache to rival Wyatt Earp’s. He has a strangely high-pitched voice for his burly appearance and perpetually seems depressed and helpless at the state of his District.

Mood: The mood of the city is slightly rebellious but mostly just overflowing with gratitude for the Tributes. Tributes are treated less like celebrities and more like some sort of saviors. Families here are large, and when the Tributes get off the train they are greeted by tearful mothers and fathers whose children are of reaping age. Citizens, though clearly impoverished, give gifts and trinkets to the Tributes, mostly handcarved charms. Peacekeepers here are more heavily armed than they are at many other Districts, due to the popular rumor that they’re scared because District 7 citizens are stronger and burlier from cutting down trees.

Environment: The city consists of approximately a hundred thousand people, and exists on the outskirts of what was clearly once a thriving city of at least a million. The old skyscrapers and buildings that built up old Calgary have been either left to the elements or converted into mills and warehouses for the lumber industry here. The citizens live mostly in wooden buildings or, in some cases, in overturned old traincars and trucks that have been outfitted with heating. A lake lies next to the city, the only one not frozen over, and boats travel from a port there down the river to the more southerly Districts for Capitol-approved trade.

The train cuts through snowy forest land, occasionally passing groves of felled trees that look like bald patches on the earth. The snow is heavy on the ground, and the lakes the train passes are largely frozen over. Wildlife is easy to find: moose, deer, loons, foxes and birds of prey are all visible from the train window.

Tributes are bundled up in heavy parkas and gloves before being ushered into the hotel from the train station. Cars and carts are uncommon, traded instead for snow vehicles that haul logs, syrup and barrels of oil behind them throughout the day. All citizens work seven days a week, including children as young as ten, who are used to climb up trees and gather pine nuts or climb into beaver dams. Some of the frozen lakes are used for ice skating, although citizens warn about the dangers of thin ice.

Locations:

The hotel here is a massive log cabin with rooms for each of the Tributes. There’s a common dining room with an endlessly-refilled buffet and a hanging canoe on the ceiling; the hotel manager’s two young daughters tend to play in the canoe and peek at Tributes as they pass underneath. Each room is decorated with a brand new plaque that still smells of sawdust bearing the Tributes’ names. Tributes will find little gift bags on their beds of District 7 luxuries: a small bottle of maple syrup, a carving of the Tribute in question, beaver fur mittens and a necklace made of a leaf frozen in resin. There is no elevator, but the hotel manager and her husband are happy to relinquish their personal suite on the ground floor to any visitors with mobility issues.

There is an ice sculpture garden in the middle of the major city, and although it’s a pale comparison to anything the Capitol could manage, the District has obviously spared no expense in trying to impress the Tributes. Sculptures of the Tributes from District 7 in poses of repose are lined up, and at night its atmosphere shifts from one of beauty to one of solemn appreciation, framed by a brilliant aurora borealis. Citizens leave gifts, candles and flowers at the feet of the sculptures and write messages in the snow, creating a texture of “thank you for saving our children” and “we will never forget you”.

[disciplewhomsignlessloves]

Do the tributes have free run of the city, ie, go where they please or do they have to be escorted? Or is it more a certain area?

With mention of citizens warning about thin ice, could the tributes go ice skating?

DISTRICT 8

[gamemakers]

District: 8
Export: Textiles
Government: Mayor Octo, a plump elderly woman, tired-looking, but someone even now quick to warmth. She greets the Tributes with a hug.

Mood: This is not a happy place. There have been open rebellions, and then tension is thick. The place is filled with Peacekeepers, and there are many restrictions on the citizens including where and when they can go and how many can go at once. Most of the Tributes interactions are only with certain citizens, as large groups are not allowed to gather, even to greet visitors.

Environment:

The trains leaves the mountains, crossing many miles of snowy plains, before plunging into thick, green lands, broken by farms and eventually large expanses of factories.

The city is a sprawling, gray, miserable thing. It is a mix of old and new buildings, most of them huge, smoke belching factories. A thick smog hangs over the city on the few days when there isn’t a low cloud cover. A low, cold cloud cover. It is lightly snowing most of the day, heavy a few of them, with that lovely humid cold that cuts right through all warm fabric.

Everything in the city is dirty and polluted. The near by river is slow with the pollution dumped into it, and walking the roads is an awful potpourri of terrible smells. Most of the citizens shy away from the Tributes, keeping their heads down and heading to work. Peacekeepers are everywhere, and their rule is draconian. Any small step out of line is met with harsh resistance. Fortunately, Peacekeepers seem to be keeping to their own rules, and aren’t going out of their way to use their authority to receive favors or take bribes.

The Tributes are only allowed to interact with the the higher members of Eight society, such as government employees and factory owners. Some of them seem to appreciate the stricter rule, but many of them look haunted themselves. A few complain that since Eight has come under harsher controls, they’ve been unable to receive support from the Capitol in other ways, such as technological support or access to imports from other Districts.

Locations:

The Tributes are marched down the main road to the Civic Building. All stores have been closed, and it is made clear no one will be going anywhere without supervision. And there really isn’t anywhere to go.

The civic center is an older, solid building. It is the nicest one around, but that isn’t saying much. Several rooms have obviously been hastily and temporarily remodeled into living quarters. They are nice enough, in a generic hotel sort of way. Food is brought to the Tributes at specific times, and compared to the Capitol, it is not very exciting food, flavorless but filling. When the Peacekeepers aren’t around, the employees here are very chatty, although they seem to know better than to say anything about the Capitol, and instead prefer to ask questions about the Tributes’ lives.

[doc_holi]

Will the tributes be able to see the average citizens at all, such as seeing people as they're being taken to the civic center and etc without any interaction? Or will things be super strict and it'll seem like a ghost town filled with peacekeepers and the more wealthy folk of the district without ever seeing the faces of the poorer workers?

This actually is an important question for how Holiday's going to handle this trip, as nit-picky as it may seem. Sorry about that.

DISTRICT 9

[gamemakers]

District: 9
Export: Mayor Nova
Government: Mayor Nova is a stern, reedy woman of Asian descent, with large glasses that make her appear gecko-like and a paunch from bearing her eight children. Her speaking voice is high-pitched but very authoritative. She’s held in high regard by the citizens here.

Mood: The atmosphere here is tense; a discerning eye may be able to pick out new paint where graffiti has been covered up, shinier panes of glass from where bricks were lobbed through windows. The citizens here, mostly workers either in the fields or in shops that put together machines to cut the wheat, are happy to meet the Tributes and thank them for taking the place of their children. Peacekeepers seem frazzled, and citizens may remark how much easier it is to sneak into the fields and sleep in the warmth, or to receive extra firewood rations, now that the Peacekeepers are spread so thin. Citizens are mostly uneducated unless they’ve planned to work with machinery, in which case they would finish enough school to pass into an apprenticeship.

Environment: The main city, population approximately fifty thousand, is clearly industrially-influenced, with large warehouses filled with machinery that refine wheat, brew alcohol and manufacture pesticides. It is not meant as a tourist location, as there is very little for Tributes to do in the winter besides attend local bars. A bus runs around the outskirts of the city, although it seems practical in nature, taking citizens wrapped in several layers of clothes out to the sunny fields for work.

Eternally ripe corn and wheat yawn out on either side of train for as far as the eye can see. The sky is a brighter blue here than anywhere in the Capitol, magnified by the contrast of the golden fields. Most buildings are single-story. As the train approaches the city, it passes orchards, as well. High electric fences delineate between different field territories; the more expensive fences are protected by force fields, to defend the wheat from being ‘contaminated’ by genetically impure crop. Despite the winter weather, from the safety of the train the terrain laying outside the main city could be mistaken for mid-summer, thanks to ‘EverHarvest Technology’ from District 3.

The land that isn’t being used for crop is covered in snow, however, and subject to extreme wind chills. Citizens and Tributes alike are bundled up heavily, with polar fleece to try and protect from icy gusts. Most buildings are not heated, as all the power is being used on EverHarvest Technology, and Peacekeepers try to keep reports of citizens freezing to death at night to a minimum. Citizens worry about a power failure causing the technology to fail and the crops to die in a cold snap, which supposedly would lead to dire punishment from the Capitol and possibly the end of the District in its entirety.

Misc: Unlike the other Districts, District 9 still has a notable religious influence. Town meetings take place in an old Catholic church rather than at a courthouse, and District members are often seen crossing themselves. There does not, however, appear to be any organized religion, and if questioned about it many citizens will refer to religion as a family affair. Neither the word ‘Catholic’ nor ‘Christian’ hold any real meaning here.

Locations:

The Ceres Hotel can hardly be called a hotel so much as a bed and breakfast. There are no Avoxes here, and according to the employees here, a hotel attendant is one of the best jobs in the District because during winter, the staff can sleep in the empty rooms overnight and use the fancy machines for their own laundry. Two meals a day are served at a communal dining room, all hot, hearty affairs meant to fill you up for a long day. Tributes are assigned two to a room, while Escorts, Stylists and Mentors receive their own. The facilities feel homey, decorated by needlepoint art, watercolor paintings of sunsets, and ceramic figurines of famous Capitol figures.

[thatwasme]

What, if any, sorts of things do the people who live here do for entertainment in groups, etc?

DISTRICT 10

[gamemakers]

District: 10
Export: Livestock
Government: Mayor Decem, a big, strong younger man. Despite being young, he is clearly very good at his job, managing to be both firm and friendly. He has brownish-blonde hair lighter than his skin and a smile missing two teeth, supposedly due to being kicked by a horse.

Mood: Much like 5, people in 10 don’t mind talking about their feelings, but few seem interested in acting on them. Unlike 5, most people here seem to feel far more negatively about the government, and not just the Games. They seem to be able to complain about just about everything the Capitol is or isn’t doing. There’s a lot of venting about the Capitol, but even the Capitol doesn’t seem to take it seriously, and the peacekeepers still on good-ish terms.

If you get anyone alone, they’ll fill your ear with their feelings, but they don’t seem to be much more than hot air. The people here are tired, and worked hard, and aren’t exactly pulling together any time soon. They also seem to, in general, be grateful to the break the new Tributes have provided to their families. It is clearly a very family-centered district.

Environment:

The train leaves the mountains, and travels over miles and mile of open plains, covered in snow. The sky is huge, and beautiful, eventually the land becomes dotted with huge farms. Most are stocked with cattle, but a few are populated by horses, sheep, alpaca and even ostriches, though the latter are housed in barns right now and are only evident by attention to signs at the entrance of each ranch, detailing the stock. The train, unfortunately, can’t entirely ward of the strong musk of cowpies when it zips through the occasional stock yard.

When they arrive in the main city, it is bitterly cold, with a storm brewing on the horizon that people seem to be bunkering down for. The main city is a mixture of older and newer buildings, all sturdily-built. The architecture matches with the people of the district, strong burly people who obviously get a fair amount of food, but also a more than fair amount of heavy labor. Due to the sprawling nature of the district and the incoming storm, the crowd is mainly full of family representatives while most people stay home, with disproportionate numbers of mothers and eldest children. Some have ridden horses many miles to the main city, and have tied their steeds and mares up in an adjacent barn to the lodge. Tributes may visit the horses.

The storm strikes the first night, and keeps coming down, and so those who are there are stuck there. The tributes can leave, but no one really wants to go too far. The lodge is full, and everyone is very welcoming and very talkative with them. Many families have brought their own gifts to the tributes, very small things but tokens to show they are appreciated, like small amounts of a family recipe of beef jerky or cans of raspberry jam.

Locations:

The main celebration and the housing for the tribute is a large lodge, also full of many of the visiting District citizens. The Tributes have the best rooms in the house, but the place houses many in small, dorm-like rooms; obviously this place is built for these kind of gatherings. The lodge has a large dining room with several wooden tables set up and upholstered leather couches. The curtains and many of the decorations are made from cowhide.

Within a block or two are a commissary with many canned and dried goods and farm-like supplies for sale, a restaurant with a heavy, meat-centric meals every night, a small candy shop that alternately sells salt licks for the horses and rock candy for children, and a bar, mainly stocked with homemade moonshine. The bar seems occupied day in and day out, as people here work all sorts of shifts to make sure the cattle are protected from predators 24/7. Rumor has it that wild mutts have been making off with calves this year.

Most of the rest of the city is blanketed under so much snow it’s too tiring to explore much farther, and if you try the peacekeepers will call you back. A wily Tribute may be able to avoid the Peacekeepers and cameras for a quick unsupervised moment, under the cover of the snow, but they won’t last long in the conditions.

DISTRICT 11

[gamemakers]

District: 11
Export: Agriculture
Government: Mayor Elf, a box-shaped, dark-skinned man with a booming voice. He is well-respected by the community here.

Mood: There is a mutinous air and nearly as many Peacekeepers as citizens, it seems. Areas are taped off and many buildngs show sign of recent damage and repair. A curfew has been imposed that penalizes anyone - adult or child - with death if they are caught out after sundown. Propaganda posters listing the rules against the citizens are plastered on most of the buildings, although some have been vandalized. Citizens seem almost apathetic to the visiting Tributes, as if they have larger concerns on their mind.

Environment: The main city is spread out, and a system of trains goes over what were, a hundred years ago, highways. The trains head out to the fields, where the majority of citizens live. Probably two hundred thousand people live in District 11’s main city, which makes it one of the most populous Districts. The buildings have a Southern Gothic feel to them, and are clearly very old, having been repaired many times throughout the decades.

The train cuts through low fields filled with fruits and vegetables on the ground, some of which at the northern part of the District are crusted with frost. Occasionally, patches of forest are visible, as well as rivers and lakes. Smaller, slower trains criss-cross the land and stop at small towns, notable by water towers, silos and sheds.

The air is humid, and while the District is one of the warmer areas, it’s still only slightly above freezing here in the winter. Like District 9, District 11 possesses the EverHarvest technology, although supposedly it’s only really used during February rather than throughout the entire winter. Due to the season, the crops being harvested now are squash, pumpkin, lettuce and sugar peas. Artificial environments have been established specially to keep the fruit trees productive, but cotton, rice and sugar are being left for other times of year.

It rains several times throughout the week. Citizens continue to work through the conditions, despite dangerous winds and poor visibility, to harvest. Many citizens only own one outfit or so, and work many days in a row in the same damp clothing as before. Hollow-faced children as young as eight go to work in the fields from before sunrise until right before the curfew.

Misc: Tributes as well as citizens will be under extra watch this trip. Furthermore, Tributes are reminded not to mention Katniss to the citizens, as they’ll find it ‘upsetting’ and ‘disruptive’.

Families here tend to be large, with many children, as infants are prone to early death and the labor-intensive work of harvesting is difficult for parents to do as they age.

Locations:

The hotel is a converted cylindrical grain silo, which leads to strange curved dimensions to each of the Tributes’ metal rooms. Many of the steel wall panels have been replaced by panes of glass to provide windows. The bed frames are not uniform, having been cobbled together from various sources (the District has never hosted a tour so big), and all of the linens are handsewn with beautiful patterns of suns rising over orchards. There is no elevator, but instead a metal spiral staircase that leads to the top of the silo; Tributes can rest on the roof looking over the District’s bounty. When it rains, there are some leaks in the rooms.

[casaerotica13]

I'm not sure if this should be in the general questions are not, especially since things are different in every district, BUT will there be any penalties or really any sort of reaction at all if Gabriel decides to take home a blanket or sheet from his bed linens? Or would they not let him?

I'm sure this won't be my only question in the long run, btw.

DISTRICT 12

[gamemakers]

District: 12
Export: Coal
Government: Mayor Undersee
Mood: This district is worn down. No one is misbehaving, no one is fussing. There is a large amount of security, but no one seems interested in challenging it. The harsher Peacekeeper rule has obviously beaten the city down.

Everyone keeps their heads down and goes to work. Or so it appears. Small bits of rebellion can be seen here or there, when no one is looking: bits of graffiti, a quickly-flashed three fingered salute. But always quick and gone quicker.

Environment:
12 is one of the smallest Districts, and one of the farthest out. The train ride is almost two full days, through plains, green farm lands, and lastly into rolling hills and then soft, gentle green mountains. The weather is cold, but nothing a heavy jacket can’t handle. The storm doesn’t reach 12 until the last day, when the Tributes are leaving.

The Tributes are brought through the town, small, but functioning. There is a tailor, apothecary, candy shop, commissary, butcher, and, of course, the Mellark Bakery, as well as other business a small town would need to function. Outside of town, the district is in shambles, obviously one of the poorer Districts. Which is saying something, really. Coal dust is everywhere, and most of the citizens don’t seem to have much interest in the Tributes.

As 12 has little need for hotels, two of the Victor village houses have been set up as temporary housing for the Tributes. Luckily since the houses are furnished, there isn’t a lot to prepare them.

Locations:

The Tributes are told they have the run of the District, however, if they try to go anywhere that isn’t town, they find themselves blocked by Peacekeepers. However, as long as they stay within the confines of town, they are allowed to walk into the shops, and have free reign of the government building, outside of government workers offices.

Re: DISTRICT 12

[setfires]

I just wanted to reiterate, that the outfits when coming off the train and during any speeches are going to have the bird theme, guys! Just like we talked about on plurk! If you have any questions let me know!

GENERAL QUESTIONS

[gamemakers]

Re: GENERAL QUESTIONS

[carnagecarnival]

Just to be sure, the place where D5 are staying. Would there be access to that lake at all, even just the shoreline of it, or is just distantly in view?