Overview
Evergreen City is the capital of the state of Floras, and is connected to its once-annexed smaller sister Silver City by the large multi-lane state highway 406 and Sunset Gate bridge that passes through both. Evergreen City is best known for its world-renowned educational institutions and deep affinity for the arts. Among its most noteworthy learning centers are Evergreen University, Delgado College and some of the highest rated public school systems in the country. It is home to the eponymous Evergreen Opera House, the Andrade Arts Center, The Green Roof Theatre and seemingly countless small galleries, independent theatre companies and culture centers. The city is also known for its distinctive neighborhoods, many like smaller cities within the larger city, a result of Evergreen being built across both sides of the Tamarind Bay and several small islands in between. While Silver City is known for its tightly compacted spires of glittering glass and steel, Evergreen City's skyscrapers don't extend beyond the downtown area. The rest of the city is made up of medium sized and smaller buildings, sprawling out in all directions and dotted by numerous public parks and gardens surrounded by miles of forests, wetlands and the bay.
Founding and History:
(Rare, colorized photo shows two former beach-side hotels, built just a few years before the tourism boom hit the city.)
Founded before the Floras territory was even a member of the Unified States, Evergreen City originated as a humble ship building village. It was named after the Floras Evergreen Tree, a short, twisting pine that thrived in sandy soil and that produced a strong resin which shipbuilders used to seal the planks of the great wooden vessels. The tree was over-harvested nearly to the point of extinction; if not for the rise of metal hulled and engine powered ships, it likely would have been.
By the time the shipbuilding trade had run it's course Evergreen City had grown into a large trading center, and turned its industrial experience to work in several large factories and forges. The ready access to heavy manufacturing and sea shipping lanes made Evergreen City a valuable strategic position for the army and navy, and it is home to the Thomas Hill Airbase and P.H. Harris Naval Port. Although superheroes keep their chosen cities safe from most villains, a strong government still relies on its own military forces for managing aid in large scale natural disasters, geopolitical tensions, and stepping in when the line between business ambitions and supervillainy cross paths and put peace in jeopardy.
By the 1950's, Evergreen City was burgeoning beyond it's borders. A strong modern economy built on innovation flooded the city with money and the increasing interest in domestic tourism saw new hotels and cafes popping up along the shoreline like beach umbrellas. The city was growing so fast, in fact, that it ended up annexing three of its neighboring towns- Coral Rock, Orange Orchard and the small town of Sunset across the Sunset Bay. The coastal Highway was expanded and a grand bridge connecting Sunset to the city downtown across the Sunset Bay that split them was done to facilitate quicker commutes for the growing workforce.
The Closing of the Base, Hurricane Lola and The Split:
(A picture of a storm ravaged downtown street, taken in the aftermath of Hurricane Lola)
In 1970 the Thomas Hill Air Force Base was closed down, a major blow to the local economy which had flourished under the manufacturing demand and inflow of money the base provided. Although local businesses mostly clung to the prestige and highly educated workforce the city provided, it was a time when some longstanding companies pulled out and other enterprising ones moved in, bringing change and turbulence to an already weary populace.
In 1974, the category 5 Hurricane "Lola" rocked the Eastern Coast with a fury seen only once a century. Evergreen City was used to rain and tropical storms, but the large Tamarind Bay and the barrier islands usually kept the worst of the weather from reaching the city. Hurricane Lola flew up the coast, leapt across the bay and hit Evergreen City like a watery bomb. The hastily built hotels of the previous generation crumbled into dust as trees and telephone poles were uprooted, streets flooded and the downtown sprawl collapsed like a house of cards. Homes and businesses were lost and the city was left with millions of dollars in damages, and the bridge that had connected the annexed Sunset to the rest of the city was utterly destroyed. With basic infrastructure and homes in need of immediate repair rebuilding the bridge at a time like that was financially inconceivable. So was cutting a new winding road through the outlying forests or across the wetlands, which were environmentally protected public lands.
While Evergreen City slowly dusted itself off and picked up the pieces of its recent hardships, the Sunset neighborhood sat largely abandoned and ignored. The once happy commuters who had taken jobs in the flourishing city could now only reach Evergreen by cramming onto the slow, unreliable ferry boats that existed more for tourists than residents, or by driving over an hour out of the way through the smaller highway Route 404, which takes a winding path through the forest and wetland nature between them. It wasn't until the end of the decade that the Evergreen City Council began discussing rebuilding the grand 406 highway bridge, and by then it was too late to go back to how things were before. Sunset, never satisfied with being annexed in the first place, had become extremely critical of Evergreen City during their hurricane-induced isolation. They courted big businesses that were already considering leaving Evergreen and in 1986 Sunset was finally able to realize it's dreams of regaining independence, being declared its own city once more and adopting the name of Silver City.
The Reunification:
(The Sunset Gate Bridge, as seen from the Sunset Bay.)
Although Evergreen City and Silver City remained divided by both opinions and lack of a proper connecting superhighway for over a decade, the differing directions they took as they grew actually caused them to come closer together, rather than apart. Well to do corporate families in crowded Silver City kept cozy getaway mansions in the sprawling and private forests of the Orange Orchard neighborhood, and sent their children to Evergreen's world-renowned schools and universities, while the hardworking families and students of Evergreen gleefully spent their weekends fleeing to Silver City for its wide array of entertainment venues such as Palmtree Park, Club Sandbar, and assorted media venues.
In the year 2000 an agreement was finally reached to begin construction of a new bridge, and together the two cities erected a six-lane masterpiece of suspension engineering which was dubbed the Sunset Gate, named for the bay which connects the two and a symbol of unification over old rivalries.
The Present:
(Aerial view of the iconic Green Roof Theatre, overlooking the Pine Hills neighborhood.)
With the highway restored and business once again prospering, Evergreen City is a happy place with happy people once more. Sure, there are complaints of the alien Zla immigrant community that has settled firmly in the Coral Rock neighborhood, and people never tire of whining about traffic conditions and tourists hogging the beaches and driving up prices, but overall things are peaceful and prosperous once more. Or they were, until a sunny, bustling Saturday morning that Evergreen City will never forget...
The Supernova Incident:
(Picture taken moments after the explosion which ignited the Supernova Incident, showing the distinctive plume of green gas which would soon blanket the Orange Orchard Outdoor Mall and several surrounding streets.)
Once known almost exclusively for its outdoor mall and proliferation of citrus trees, the neighborhood of Orange Grove was unexpectedly rocked by the most devastating incident since Hurricane Lola; the Supernova Incident. An armored truck carrying canisters of an experimental chemical compound was struck by another vehicle in what police later described as an attempted robbery. Those responsible were unaware of the armored vehicle's true cargo, mistaking it for a money truck. The repercussions of their ignorance were both instantaneous and irreversible, as one damaged canister erupted and consequently blew up all the others, causing a major explosion and blanketing an entire city block in strange, green gasses.
The blast destroyed or damaged several nearby buildings, but the architectural toll was little compared to the lasting ecological damage. Aside from ordinary chemicals which took hazmat teams weeks to remove and wreaked havoc on several acres of citrus fields where the smog clouds drifted on the wind, killing trees, many people were sickened and needed hospitalization. Most recovered without lasting effects, but some, especially those nearest the epicenter, developed a sudden onset of mutant superpowers... or simply terrible genetic mutations and cancers even the accomplished doctors of Evergreen University had their hands full dealing with.
To this day, authorities and journalists are still trying to untangle the knotted web of shell corporations and holding companies responsible for the creation of the mysterious chemicals. Conspiracy theorists point their fingers at the government, saying it was a new era of the supposed "Super Soldier" program of the East Desert War in the mid 90's, or an experiment crafted by the local Zla alien population. A few even blame local CEOs or celebrity personalities, such as Vex Lanthros, or Luanne Lumino. All the hospitals, Horizon Labs and Evergreen University cared about was trying to figure out what the gas was, how it worked, and how to treat those who had been negatively affected by it.
The EverGuard:
(The sun rises over downtown Evergreen City, bringing new challenges to the ever evolving city.)
While some saw only disaster in the Supernova Incident, others saw opportunity. Within a month of the explosion, Evergreen City began to see an influx of masked heroes and villains, those who had developed powers and decided to put them to use- one way or another. While local residents were not happy at all to suddenly have superpowered criminals throwing the cops around like rag dolls, Luanne Lumino saw a silver lining in the chaos. The billionaire CEO and philanthropist commonly known to the public as Dr. LuLu had lived in Evergreen City almost all her life. She'd seen heroes and villains come and go in the past, but it always bothered her that Evergreen City remained one of the only major coastal cities without its own superhero team, or even a singular, dedicated hero. No hero stuck around for long and whenever any supervillains came to cause havoc they had to call in superhero help from far away.
(Dr. Lulu relaxes in an undated publicity photo taken for the Saturn Systems' launch of the Saturn Slim, the latest iteration of the iconic Saturn Cell Phones.)
Even before the Supernova Incident, Dr. LuLu had been working on a plan to recruit heroes to the city by removing the obstacles that so often made heroism difficult; anonymity, resources and simple money. Many heroes in the world struggle because it's hard for the average citizen who gets superpowers to supply themselves with a decent costume, let alone real protective space-age material gear, or maintain a secret identity. Some heroes even struggle to hold down a job and make rent when they're always flying off to save the day instead of getting to work on time. Dr. Lulu's solution was simple; use her vast wealth and resources to build the Saturn Spire. Officially another R&D center for her company, Saturn Systems, Dr. LuLu also designed the building to offer free housing to her employees...and serve as the headquarters of the superhero team she aspired to build, the EverGuard. To her, the Supernova Incident was a good thing, because it meant she could now recruit local talent, people who were actually from Evergreen City, knew its streets, understood its citizens and politics, and had real connections to it- personal reasons to fight for the safety of their home city.
Dr. LuLu was eventually able to realize her dream, recruiting a team of local people who'd gained superpowers from the Supernova Incident, but had very little idea of what to do with them. The first year was shaky, as they struggled to come to grips with their new abilities and hero identities, but they learned quickly, bouncing from one confrontation to the next. With Dr. LuLu's resources the new heroes were able to develop their skills safely and learn to fight crime, while being outfitted with custom made heroic gear straight out of Saturn Systems' laboratories.
(A parade goer sits huddled in the rain after being forced into a bout of paralyzing depression by Stratos-Fear's attack during the EverGuard Parade in downtown Evergreen City.)
Just over a year after the Supernova Incident, Evergreen City held a parade to honor its new heroes and their contributions to the city, but the event was interrupted by a new enemy- Stratos-Fear. Strato-Fear used his powers of weather control and emotional manipulation to rain despair down on the parade, which he considered a mockery of the suffering endured by the less fortunate victims of the Supernova Incident. The EverGuard were able to divert the listing parade floats away from the crowd, who'd lost the will to flee, but only barely as they struggled to overcome the emotional toxins themselves. The EverGuard later defeated Stratos-Fear, but the event taught them a powerful lesson in vigilance- one they keep with them as they continue to defend Evergreen City from whatever threats the future holds.
(The EverGuard Teddy Bear, despite having no real connection to the superhero team or their sponsor, Saturn Systems, has nonetheless become one of the most popular toys in the city, both with local fans and tourists alike.)
Notable Locations:
Saturn Spire:
(The tallest building in Evergreen City, the Saturn Spire stands proudly over the downtown area as a beacon of scientific and technological pursuit, heroism...and, perhaps, the outsized influence of corporate super powers.)
The newest addition to downtown's glittering skyline, Saturn Spire is part research center, part corporate housing and part superhero headquarters. Everyone knows that the EverGuard meets there, and local authorities have a direct line to call the heroes there whenever there's a crises, but no one among the general public knows who these sponsored heroes actually are, or that they really live there and draw a salary from made up positions, allowing them to actually work as superheroes, with full medical insurance and a comfortable pension plan.
Local Rumor: Not everyone is comfortable with the close ties between Saturn Systems and the EverGuard, and there are those who wonder if the labs hidden away in the Saturn Spire weren't actually responsible for the chemical compound which caused the Supernova Incident in the first place...
Evergreen University:
(Evergreen University's Main Hall, commonly known among students and faculty as the White Building, is one of the only three surviving original structures on campus, along with the Music Hall and the Library.)
The pinnacle of higher learning in the state, Evergreen University is the crown jewel of the city. Many of its graduates go on to make headlines as scientists pushing the boundaries of understanding at Horizon Labs or performing for audiences who come from distant lands to see performances at the prestigious Green Roof Theatre. Former alumni, including Dr. LuLu, donate heavily to the school's scholarship funds, as well as sponsor raffle giveaways for tickets to the university's performing arts and sporting events which always sell out quickly. It's especially well known for its track and field stars, swim team, and basketball team, the Evergreen Swamp Monsters, who have more championship wins than any other team in their division.
Local Rumors: Almost everyone agrees that the old computer server room in the library basement is haunted. Lights flicker, doors open and close seemingly on their own, and supposedly you can hear ghostly whispers and giggles from the headphones when the computers are turned off. Even the Paranormal Activity Club has a rule that no one is allowed to go there alone at night after a student mysteriously disappeared there back when it was just a storage room 26 years ago...
Horizon Labs:
(The Lantern Rock Observatory and Children's Museum, as seen from the garden walkway, where visitors are free to wander and observe indigenous plant breeds, or simply enjoy the fresh, ocean air.)
Perhaps the most unifying force between Evergreen City and Silver City, Horizon Labs was first established by the construction of a large telescope on Lantern Rock Island, where a historic lighthouse from the shipping era of the city's founding used to stand. Since then, Horizon Labs has grown exponentially, with laboratories and university ties in Evergreen City and the artificially constructed island of Launch Site Alpha, known as "Rocket Island", offshore from Silver City where rocket launches to the lunar colonies and space beyond are a near weekly event. The original Lantern Rock Telescope was replaced by bigger and better equipment decades ago but the old Lantern Rock Observatory still stands, now a part of the Lantern Rock Children's Museum. The museum is an interactive science and technology wonderland that serves as a popular educational school trip and tourist destination.
Local Rumor: Some people claim that one of the original scientists that founded Horizon Labs had his own secret laboratory built into the rock under the old observatory, although no one's ever found the entrance or proof it actually exists.
Lantern Rock Weather Center:
(The Lantern Rock Weather Center may sit on a gorgeous patch of Lantern Rock Island, but its workers have their heads in the clouds, diligently working to track weather changes and accurately report dangerous conditions the city and world beyond.)
Located on a hill overlooking the Tamarind Bay just up the way from the Lantern Rock Observatory and Children's Museum, the Lantern Rock Weather Center studies atmospheric conditions and provides accurate weather reports to Evergreen International Airport and the county at large, but it's also proven quite adept at pinpointing unnatural weather phenomenon including nefarious activity from the likes of Stratos-Fear and Cyclone and reporting it to the local heroes and authorities as soon as possible.
Local Rumors: Some people think that the weather reports coming out of the weather station are a little too accurate and accuse the people working there of manipulating the weather themselves with super powers or advanced science.
Evergreen International Airport and Free Skies Airfield:
(The solaset, as seen beneath the wing of a new Free Skies 787 Jet, outsider Terminal One, at the Evergreen International Airport.)
When the Thomas Hill Air Base was closed down the military sold half the land back to the city, and half the land to Free Skies, an airplane manufacturing company. Evergreen City eventually used its share of the land to finally replace the old Winston-Drew airport damaged during Hurricane Lola with a modernized facility with several lanes and hangars. Evergreen International Airport was completed in 1980, and quickly became one of the busiest air traffic hubs in the state.
Next door lies the fenced-off Free Skies Airfield, where new planes are designed, built and tested. Free Skies contributes significantly to the local economy and partners with Evergreen University to provide mechanical internships and pilot training programs to aspiring students.
Local Rumors: People say that the military didn't entirely leave the area with the closing of the base, and that Free Skies has deeper ties to the air force than they publicly admit. Somewhere in a hidden hangar of the airfield rumors claim top government researchers are studying the remains of a crashed non-Zla UFO of unknown origins...
Route 404:
(A stretch of Route 404, roughly ten miles west of Silver City. Foggy conditions are common on the road, especially in the early morning or during the rainy season.)
After Hurricane Lola destroyed the original super highway bridge, this long, winding stretch of old two-lane state highway which loops around and between the hundreds of acres of protected wood and wetlands between Silver City and Evergreen City was the only way to travel between the two. Nowadays, most people use the Sunset Gate Bridge or the modernized and expanded ferry line, but old route 404 is still an option for those who have plenty of time on their hands. Along the highway are also several small roadside attractions and a few campsites, both with comfortable cabins and more rugged tent pitching grounds. During the summer a few camps for kids open up and many Evergreen City professors and Silver City CEOs recount fond memories of escaping city life among the quiet wilderness, dotted lakes and streams, and nature hikes.
Local Rumors: There have been several accidents on route 404's lonely stretch over the years, and some often attribute these events to strange creatures glimpsed in the early morning and late night fog crossing the road or watching from the edge of the trees. While authorities are quick to blame anything of that nature on poor light, the weather, or even on criminals praying on lone motorists, some locals insist it's the work of the Long Tooth Swamp Monster, a cryptid of Floras folklore which the scientific community denies whole heartedly but nevertheless continues to be spotted just out of range of a reliable camera or camcorder by travelers each year.
Orange Orchard Outdoor Mall:
(The newly reconstructed heart of the Orange Orchard Outdoor Mall, with the Supernova Memorial Fountain standing in the center, near the original blast site.)
The Orange Orchard Outdoor Mall is the best place to shop in the city. It offers everything from tech outlets, bookstores and craft stores, to beauty parlors, arcades and restaurants, but is best known for its wide array of fashion retailers, providing the city with bespoke men's suits, trendy teen-focused shops and organic, unbleached cotton T-shirts all in one place. The pedestrian friendly mall has wide sidewalks, a looping multi-use path and two pedestrian bridges, to keep shopping a safe experience even during rush hour traffic.
Local Rumors: Despite official reports insisting that all the gas from the Supernova Incident dissipated within hours of the explosion, and hazmat teams worked diligently to remove any trace chemicals, there are still people who think they might get infected by going there and either avoid it, or purposely loiter around the blast site memorial fountain wishing on lucky pennies to be blessed with super powers of their own.
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This is a location set in the Supehero world of Prismaris. As a GM @FreijaFoxy is mainly running our group's Silver City location games, while I'm running the Evergreen City games. This city was initially inspired by the setting in the Mutants and Masterminds campaign module Emerald City Knights, which I largely reskinned and redesigned to make it more appropriate for our player group's tastes and play style. In case anyone reading it ever plans to play the Emerald City Knights module, I've excluded anything that might be a potential spoiler.