neighpon [Lore] Polohama

[Bellosh]

Polohama - A Spectacle of Progress

 

Neighpon is a country known far and wide as a pioneer in magic-powered technology, and nowhere else is this fact more evident than in its most populated city, Polohama. Located just east of the capital city of Kyoma, Polohama has a louder and flashier atmosphere compared to its formal, old-fashioned counterpart. Instead of old-style architecture, glossy high-rises dominate the skyline. Polohama is not a monument to a glorious past, but rather a showcase of the prosperous future to come.

 

In one form or another, the city of Polohama has existed for more than a thousand years. Not only did it have a central position on the big island of Horshu, but it was the obvious port of choice for trade with Long Guo on the mainland... and later on, Wingapore and Hesperia. As time passed, Polohama’s closer connections to the other great realms of the East lured Neighpon’s first captains of industry and scientific research to do business out of the cosmopolitan metropolis. During the last century, antiquated constructions of wood and bamboo were by and large torn down as towers of modern design took their place. Polohama hasn’t looked back since.

 

Magitech permeates virtually every corner of Polohama. Crystal-harnessing power plants light all magitech devices in the city; most importantly the sleek, extremely speedy MAGLEV trains (short for magical levitation) connecting Polohama to other populated municipalities on Horshu. More mundane uses for crystal energy include lighting the vertical neon signs that seem to be attached to every other building within the city limits. Then there are the ensorcelled billboards; conjuring colorful, kawaii animations that beckon to passers-by. For these reasons, many agree that Polohama is home to the best nighttime spectacle of any world city.

 

Like most of the greatest cities, Polohama features several iconic districts. The most economically vital of Polohama’s wards would be the Central District in the city center. Not only is City Hall found here, but most of Neighpon’s corporations and financial institutions (largely family-owned) are based out of Central’s skyscrapers. A lack of gaudy advertisements and a nigh-endless procession of salaryponies in their black business attire give this district a deary formality not present elsewhere in Polohama. After the creative arts and the sciences, a salarypony position is more of the most coveted occupations by Neighponese.

 

A salarypony is expected to play hard after a long day of hard work; after business hours, he or she will saunter off with their work colleagues into the adjacent Watertrough District to the east. Home to most of Polohama’s entertainment amenities, office workers can sing their tone-deaf hearts out in one of the many local karaoke joints. Or perhaps somepony would rather try their luck winning prizes from the pachinko parlors. For the rich and powerful, luxury restaurants with private rooms are the choice place to talk confidential business matters; the food is always exquisite, and the staff intimately know the value of pampering... and discretion.

 

Further east of the Watertrough District is East Harbor, the port ward of Polohama. The biggest attraction in East Harbor is the sprawling Sea Market where fresh seaweed, caviar, and fish are auctioned off every morning to be made into sushi later in the day. East Harbor is also the perch of Neighpon’s tallest structure, the Polohama Tower. A lattice tower made from energy-infused crystal, the Polohama Tower can deploy a magic shield around the city in the same manner as the Palace Castle in Kyoma. The Polohama Tower also includes observation decks for tourists, providing them scenic views of the skyline.

 

Shoppers looking for the latest in trendy silk fashions needn’t look further than Shiruku Road, due west of Central District. Outfits inspired by Neighponese kimono and Long Guo hanfu are Shiruku Road’s bread-and-butter, sewed and fitted in high end stores adorned with old world decor. Inevitably, the highest price tags are attached to glittering garments made of shimmersilk, the enchanted fibre imported all the way from distant Spring Blossom Town deep in the Long Guo heartland. Aspiring fashionistas from all corners of the East go to Shiruku Road in the hopes of making it big.

 

Bordering the Central District to the south is Tech Town, the great exhibition floor of Neighponese pop culture. The district got its name from the first stores that popped up in the area, which sold magitech appliances and pet Goremu (golems). Such emporiums attracted a clientele of obsessive, high-spending aficionados; noting the general Neighponese inclination to lavish attention on the arts, other merchants swarmed into Tech Town to capitalize on the same lucrative customer base. Alongside the magitech shops nowadays are department stores filled to the brim with manga, pop albums, and all sorts of merchandise promoting every home-grown celebrity and media franchise that has ever existed in Neighpon. The ultimate manifestation for Neighpon’s high devotion to pop art is the Tech Town Theater; the idol groups that perform there must display the utmost skill in singing, dancing, and wearing eye-popping costumes to earn fanatical fanbases.

 

If there is one thing that unites most citizens of Polohama, from the lofty salarypony to the lowly dock worker, it is a love for the spectacle of Goremu battles at the Polohama Dome, on an artificial island right next to the Watertrough District shoreline. Unlike the small, adorable pets sold in Tech Town, the Goremu that battle in the Dome are tall, bulky monstrosities. Virtually any element and substance can be utilized in the creation of a Goremu, making each automaton highly unique from one another. It takes an entire backup team to support just one Goremu: to imbue it with life, train it, issue battle commands, and tend to damage after the fight’s end. Nothing else in Neighpon comes close to the visceral thrill of watching two titans attempting to force the other over the sidelines. 

~Neighpon in Bloom

Dr. Tong Zei