Blackberry Falls Lore Information

[Neptune]

Blackberry Falls Extra Information

It is the modern day, and the place this roleplay finds itself in is Blackberry Falls, a city situated on a large island that is perhaps a little larger than the United Kingdom. This fair, bountiful land is split between two separate countries; Ashaea, and the United Federation of Families which has settled in on the island in recent years. The Capital cities, Blackberry Falls and Xantall’ar, sit on opposite ends of the island, separated by other, smaller cities and a wide expanse of forest that dominates the island. The cities have settled on the southern end of the island, and just to their north is a large cliff that runs from one side of the country to the other. Beyond the cliffs is the rest of the island, dotted here and there with towns and villages. The river that spills down the cliffside splits into two large rivers, with one headed towards Blackberry Falls and the other heading into UFF country, so that both reap the benefits of the strange water.

For the moment, the relationship between the two countries is an uneasy peace. They mostly stay out of each other’s business, although there is limited trade between the two. Between the borders of the two countries is a de-militarised zone, that prevents either side from being able to send any kind of military into the other country. This has helped maintain the delicate truce that the two countries share.

Blackberry Falls is a large, modern city, filled with large skyscrapers, which displays the wealth and development of this human metropolis. One of the things that Blackberry Falls is famous for is its BlackBerries, due to their high quality and abundant Blackberry harvests. There is something in the water of the island that causes the BlackBerry bushes to grow far larger than normal, and the berries to be the most delicious in the world. It also helps the inhabitants of the island stay healthy and helps them live longer.

The time of Blackberry Falls is the early 21st century, and despite the violent economic climate, Blackberry has fared extremely well. This is largely in part thanks to the trade that Ashaea has had with the UFF and their major corporation, Keza Corp. Ashaea has their own corporation, EDANCorp, that has filled Blackberry Falls with technology that suppasses any that other human countries, although it is a few steps behind what Keza Corp has been able to produce, because the UFF tends to keep their own technology to themselves. With the combination of the trade with the UFF, their own self-sustaining ways and EDANCorp, Ashaea has remained prosperous while other economies have faltered. 

For humans, Blackberry Falls has turned into a technology empire, and there are thousands of jobs available for the citizens to apply for. They are also in the lead for the latest medical technology for humans, and it is home to one of the most state of the art human hospital, Blackberry General Hospital. The UFF is home for the most advanced technology in the world, and they actually have the most advanced hospital in the world, Keza Corp Hospital, however due to their restricted borders and lack of interest in sharing what Keza Corp produce, their technology (medical or otherwise) is not available to those in Blackberry Falls. Even if it was available, the UFF is made up of species that have a different biology to humans, Neko’s and other species, so the technology would not even be of any use.

As with any city with a large population, crime does still exist and there is even a Black Market there. However, Blackberry Falls keep their prison population low by only putting the most violent offenders in the state-run prison. This keeps the most violent people off of the street, while leaving in peace those who do something as benign as smoking weed in their own home. 

Blackberry Falls is a place where people come and seek their fortunes. Everything about the city is something that most people can only dream of. However, like every city in the world, it has its poor, run-down areas where people live in poverty and where the crime rates are the highest on the entire island. For those who are unable to make the fortunes they dreamed of, this is where they usually end up. The city does all it can to improve the areas, however with the current rising house prices due to the demand, there is little they are able to do apart from support numerous charities that help out in the impoverished areas. 

One thing that the UFF and Ashaea do share in common is that both of them are quite strict when it comes to immigration and customs. The UFF is a lot more strict than Ashaea, with the chances of getting in if you’re a non-UFF species being only slightly higher than the chance of getting to the moon as an untrained Astronaut. Ashaea is less strict than the UFF, however they have similar restraints as Australia and New Zealand, especially when it comes to the importation of food which has the potential to destroy their agriculture and bring the economy to its knees. The currency that is used in Blackberry Falls, is the Blackberrian Dollar. It’s one of the most valuable human currencies on the planet, which speaks of their strong economy. 

Relevant links:

• Main roleplay thread
• Character ID
• OOC

Here is a rough map to see what Blackberry island looks like:

[New map coming soon]

Notable Laws:

• Ashaen Rights Charter
  • Freedom of Speech, expression, press and religion
  • Citizens have the right to carry firearms (As long as they are not a convicted felon. A concealed weapon requires a permit)
  • Citizens have the right to defend themselves
  • Right to privacy
  • The Right for a Fair Trial by Peers
    • Innocent until proven guilty by a Court of Law.
  • Property Rights, as well as Search and Seizure Rights
• Drug laws:
  • Possession with Intent (To sell) for most Narcotics, is illegal.
  • Simple Possession of a Personal Amount is decriminalised, so someone in possession of a small amount of Meth will not be charged for it. 
    • It is illegal for someone under the influence of any narcotic drug (With exception to Nicotine) to be operating a vehicle, or heavy machinery.
    • A crime committed while under the influence of narcotic drugs (With exception to Nicotine) will have additional charges such as "Committing a Misdemeanor/Felony while Under the Influence".
      • Just because it's legal to consume drugs does not negate any responsibilities from the individual.
  • Cannabis is Legal to possess in any quantity and it is also legal to grow at home for personal use. 
    • The selling of Cannabis, along with Alcohol and Tobacco requires a license.
    • The age in which it is legal to purchase Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis is 18. 
      • It is illegal to supply either of the three to minors.
• Prostitution is legal, under the following guidelines:
  • You do not solicit minors under the age of consent (16)
  • Within a fully legal and licensed brothel.
    • Brothels have a duty of care for their prostitute staff such as medical screenings, contraceptives and security.
  • It is legal to prostitute in your own home.
  • If a prostitute is out on the streets, they can only solicit between the hours of 10PM and 6AM.
• Citizens are responsible for their actions, even under the influence of drugs
• Age of consent is 16 years of age.
• Obviously, things such as murder, rape, fraud, etc, are illegal. So characters will be sought after by the Police if these crimes are committed, and the Police alerted to. Otherwise, the Police are very active in the communities and other places and have a very good relationship with the other civilians.

List of things in city:

• Thorndown University.
• Mercury High School.
• Saint Arc High School.
• Shopping Centre [ Several ] Main: Blackberry Falls Shopping centre.
• The Blackberry Farm.
• The waterfalls named Blackberry Falls due to its close proximity to the Blackberry Farm, just on the city edge.
• Lots of cinema's for entertainment among other daytime entertainment.
• Housing [ Large, rented, privately owned ]
• Blackberry Park [ A large park with kids area as well as a large empty glass field. In the middle of the park is a large woodland area where people can walk through. ]
• Job Centre.
• Supermarket, Walmart (ASDA)/Tesco, as well as smaller convenience shops.
• Blackberry General Hospital.
• Blackberry Falls Police Station.
• Blackberry Falls Fire department.
• Mental Health Clinic
• Blackberry Primary School.
• Blackberry Secondary School.
• Blackberry Sixth Form College.
• Petrol Stations.
• Bus/Coach Station.
• Nearby Blackberry Falls Airport.
• Nearby Blackberry Falls port.
• Dock for cargo etc.
• Military presence: Small Navy port, small airstrip with one fighter jet, a Helipad with a fighter helicopter and a small barracks for ground troops.
• Office Blocks.
• Doctor surgeries.
• Various Religious Buildings.
• Pubs.
• Entertainment buildings e.g. Clubs/bars/arcades/laser quest etc.
• Warehouses for storage.
• Yards for Road Works etc.
• Golf Course.
• Farms (Other)
• Banks.
• Shops [Of all kinds] In and out of the Shopping centre. Especially in the City Centre of Blackberry Falls
• Restaurants.
• Fitness centres [ Gym and Swimming Pool etc etc ]
• City Hall.
• Power Plants [Nuclear and Wind Farms. Their reliance on fossil fuels is quite low.]
• Courthouses.
• Jail.
• Rehabilitation Centre.
• Museums.
• Business Buildings [ For All Types ]
• Lorry depot.
• Post Office/Sorting centre.
• Car Parks.
• Car Wash.
• Animal Shelter.
• Blackberry Falls City zoo, which have a wide range of animals.
• UFF - United Families Federation (Extra Info done by Wolfie)
• Keza Corp HQ
• Keza Corp Hospital
• Keza'maraki Nightclubs (In Blackberry Falls)

This is only a brief list of what can be found. For most of these places, what they are is quite obvious, although when I do eventually create a map for it, I might label some of the places on it. Some of the places will get a bit of a description here; however, some of the much larger places will have their own Extra Information, which will be linked below as it would be far too much information to contain to this single extra information. Despite being in their own extra information they are linked to Blackberry Falls, but may have their own limits in place. As the extra information is approved before it is added to this list, then the limits must be observed to be able to roleplay in Blackberry Falls. 

List of related Extra Information: 

• United Federation of Families
• Keza Corp
• Keza Corp: Housing Estate Agents (Blackberry Falls and UFF)
• Keza Corp: Champagne Studio’s and The Crimson Moon
• Keza Corp Metal Nightclub (KCMN) (???)
• Promiscuous Palace
• The Eldyrannth
• The Neko Resistance
• Thorndown University Brief Prospectus
• High School Information Pamphlet
• The Pegasus News Corporation
• Naughty Cow Dairy

[Neptune]

Major places of note

Blackberry Falls Shopping Centre and the City Centre

For shopping, the place to go in Blackberry Falls is the City Centre. In the very centre of the city are several long streets that are dedicated to commercial buildings, and host shops from all over the world. It is the centre of shopping in Ashea, as you can find just about any product in the world here, from small trinkets to the latest in electrical technology. In the midst of all of this is the Blackberry Falls Shopping Centre, an extremely large building that sees hundreds of thousands of customers per day. It has over a thousand shops, and has become as much of a tourist attraction as any other location in Blackberry Falls. Along with the thousands of shops, it has numerous areas where people can rest and relax, do activities, or simply observe large waterfalls and other attractions. Security can be seen as tight, but with such a concentration of expensive shops, it does attract certain criminal attention, so they try and keep on top of it while making sure not to impose on anyone just there to shop for the day. 

The Blackberry Farm

The Blackberry Farm is one of the island's largest tourist attractions. A large farm filled with huge Blackberry bushes, it sits beside the river that runs near the demilitarised zone. Workers at the farm harvest the plentiful berries before they are sent on to supermarkets and other companies, so that they can be made into other products, such as the pies and jams that the island is so famous for. Visitors to the Farm are usually given a tour of the facility and the fields so that they can observe the blackberries for themselves, and see just how large they are compared to usual blackberries. They are also welcome to taste the berries before being offered to purchase some of the berries straight from the source. They would also take advance orders that would allow them to set aside part of the next harvest for those who want the berries just hours after they have been picked. Growing alongside the blackberries, are several types of grapes that give rise to three types of wine; a Red, White and a Champagne. All three of them are quite expensive, as they do not produce much of it, and each type has a small part of the blackberry fruit juice added to them to give them an extra taste. This has been done for dozens of years, and is a jealously guarded secret of the family that own the farm. The fields are several square miles in size, and sit close to the Blackberry waterfall. The waterfall is often depicted in images in regards to the farm due to how large and prominent it is, which has made it iconic in the fame of Blackberry Falls.

Blackberry Park

This part is located near the Blackberry Falls City Centre, which situates it in a heavy traffic area. For those who are tired of shopping, the park is open for them to enter and enjoy the scenery. The park itself is 4km2. In the centre of the park is a lake where visitors are able to view the water fowl there, and ride upon boats in the water. The park also has several areas, with most of the areas being heavily forested, as well as one large open field. In one of the forested areas is a children’s playground that is themed as a small forest city, with tree houses and numerous climbing equipment. 

The army of maintenance workers have strived to keep the park as natural as possible, thus there aren’t too many buildings or activities apart from bridges, the children’s park, entrance buildings, benches and bins. Even with these human additions, they have strived to keep the natural theme. They pick up any litter that they come across, and a person can face a heavy fine for littering in the park. Some visitors have noted that sometimes, when deep inside of the park, they forget that they are in the middle of a city, and when they see the huge skyscrapers rising from behind the trees, they become momentarily confused. This is the perfect place for a lover of nature to come and escape the bustle of the city.

Blackberry General Hospital

For most species in the world, the Blackberry General Hospital has some of the most advanced medical technology that money can buy, although they fall quite short of the Keza Corp Hospital standards. It is a large compound located deep within the city, that consists of several buildings. The Hospital has a very high standard of cleanliness, and will ensure that everything is clean so that patients don’t suffer from the effects of a dirty hospital. They have a standard level of care that is free for citizens to take advantage of however the medical care is not the same standard as those who have insurance. Those who pay from their own pocket or through an insurance company can get the top quality of care, that ensures that they always have a room to themselves and nurses on call. For those receiving the free treatment, they will usually be in shared wards unless theirs is a specific circumstance. The treatment, while free for citizens to use, is not strictly free. It is paid for by grants from the government, as well as advertising from corporations, so there will be things like sponsored vending machines in some areas of the hospital, or advertisement panels. 

Blackberry Falls Airport, and Port

The Blackberry Airport is located by the coast, several miles away from the Capital City. The Port is close by, and is in fact owned and ran by the same company as the airport. The airport has two landing strips, with two terminals where passengers load and unload from the planes. The staff there try and keep waiting times to a minimum, as the more passengers they can process, the faster they can load them on the planes, and the more planes they can have coming in and out. As such, while they have their usual checks, they do not have any invasive checks such as stripping people down or touching them up while searching for weapons. If they do come across anyone that is extremely suspicious, then they are taken away for extra questioning or escorted away by the Police. 

From the airport, it is possible to view the sea port that is nearby. Not only is it used for civilian passengers, but the port also acts as a means for exports and imports are traded. As such, the port is extensive, with much of the room taken up by storage of cargo containers which are either loaded onto ships to leave the country, or loaded onto lorries to be taken elsewhere in the country. On the passenger side of things, the port sees a number of pleasure ships from small sailboats to huge cruise liners, as they stop off on their path. 

Blackberry Falls City Zoo

The Blackberry Falls City Zoo is the largest zoo in the country of Ashea, and is situated close to the outer-rim of the city centre. It has extensive grounds, and has a wide range of exotic animals from all over the world. They are heavily invested in various breeding programs so they have very rare animals such as Rhinos, Elephants, various sub-species of Tigers, and Leopards among others. The zoo puts a lot of funding into providing an educational experience for their guests, teaching them about the animals and informing them of the current condition of the species. They do not do it in a preachy, emotional way. Instead they rely on giving actual facts to give a more realistic impression of the situation which, more often than not, is worse than what it is perceived. The zoo is a very popular attraction, especially for schools and tourists. This zoo is well known globally for the wide range of animals that they have, as well as their dedication towards preserving numerous species, including ones that aren’t as cute and fluffy as pandas. 

[Neptune]

Notable NPCs of Blackberry Falls

In and around Blackberry Falls, there are some notable NPCs that characters may reference, or even end up interacting with. This list may expand, over time, so it is a good idea to keep an eye on it. These particular NPCs are mainly roleplayed by the Game Master, @Neptune or the local RP Admin, @Temaelrin. These NPCs can also be referenced by other characters, without permission unless you reference them out of character (As in, doing something they normally wouldn't do)

Ashaean President

Position: President of Ashaea
Name: Franklin Churchill
Date of Birth: 6th June 1947
Age: 70
Species: Human (UFF Designation: Tau'ri)
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 96.5kg
Nationality: Ashaean
Information: Franklin is a direct descendant of Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill. His father, Michael (Born 28th May 1911), was one of the founders of the Country of Ashaea after the Second World War. Michael had been the leader of the Military group that escorted the UFF citizens to this unclaimed land, and set up a Military Base for the British during the War against Nazi Germany, along with soldiers stationed there from America, Canada and France. After the War, the Military Base slowly began changing as more and more people were born and/or immigrated to the country, and the civilian population far outnumbered the military population. The independant spirit of the American, and British civilians were quite strong, and eventually in 1950 they succeeded in declaring Ashaea an independent country under a democratic rule of a President, in a similar manner to the United States of America. Franklin is the current President, elected in 2016, for a term that lasts for six years. He plans a re-run in 2022 to get back into Office. Franklin is quite a determined gentlemen, and takes his job extremely seriously. He always puts his people first, and does not easily bow to outside pressures if it means harm to the people he was voted to represent. He is almost a blend of American-freedom loving, and the British stiff-upper lip, having quite a strong independant spirit and a rather sharp wit. He's actually quite friendly, and quite approachable, and treats everyone equally no matter their race, gender or orientation. He is a firm believer in meritocracy, and is a hardcore constitutionalist. Like his father, Franklin served in the military, joining when he was 18 and serving up until he was a General at the age of 40. He retired, along with several medals for his service, and has since been in the career of politics as he wants to continue serving his country as he is quite patriotic.

Blackberry Falls Mayor

Position: Blackberry Falls Mayor
Name: Claire Connor
Date of Birth: 23rd March 1988
Age: 29
Species: Human (UFF Designation: Tau'ri)
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 51.8kg
Nationality: Ashaean
Information: Claire is a career politician, and has been all of her life. Ever since she was a little girl, she had wanted to become the President of Ashaea and is hoping to become renown enough to take that title for herself one day. She started small time, going for small positions. Due to the fact that her policy is rather similar to Franklin, putting the People first, she has quickly become quite popular and it has helped further her career. In the 2016 election, she ran against another politician by the name of Will Finkleton who was quite corrupt, and was trying to use underhanded tactics in order to bring Claire down. However she remained resilient, and fiercely fought against him in the election, winning the hearts and minds of the people of Blackberry Falls and was voted into office. She aims to try and do her best, for the city of Blackberry Falls.

Chief of Police

Position: Chief of Police for Blackberry Falls Police Department (BFPD)
Name: William Coldstone
Date of Birth: 30th July 1978
Age: 39
Species: Human (UFF Designation: Tau'ri)
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 82.9kg
Nationality: Ashaean
Information: William was born in 1978, in the city of Blackberry Falls itself. He grew up on its streets, and was educated within its schools. At the age of 18, he entered the military and served there until the age of 25. He then left the military and took up a career in Law Enforcement, starting out as a lowly patrolman. He worked his way up the ranks and now serves as the Chief of Police for the BFPD. He's quite a calm, collected person that can keep his cool in stressful situations. He's quite analytical, and quite observant, noticing even the smallest of things. He's quite friendly and approachable, and despite the fact that he's at the very top of the pecking order, he likes to go out himself and spend time patrolling the streets and doing the work of those that work beneath him. He's a good listener, and will listen to the concerns of the people and those that work for him. He does not, however, take bribes or allow himself to engage in corruptive behaviour. 

Edited September 2, 2022 by Neptune
Fixed NPC images