Dossoles
Dossoles is the de jure capital of Bolívar known for its tourist patronage and apoliticism.
Background
Literally meaning "The City of Two Suns", Dossoles is famous in Terra as a popular tourist attraction due to its tropical environment and enormous artificial sea, built in 1086. The artificial sea takes its water from a real inland sea to the north of Bolívar, the Sea of Norlett, and it could replicates many of its nature thanks to efforts by scientists, including rising tides.[1] It has quickly become one of the nation's economic centers through its production of luxury goods like coffee and sugar, its trade with Leithanien and Columbia, and its booming entertainment and tourism industries, with various businesses and stores generating a large tax revenue for the municipal government.[2] Its mayor, Candela Sanchez, constructed a gigantic cruise ship in the middle of the artificial sea, scavenging the vessel from a piece of lost Iberian technology. The ship is the crown jewel of the city, a glorious symbol of its opulence and decadence.[3]
Dossoles was first built in Terran year 1007 under the name "Solé." Back then, Solé was an ordinary nomadic city with little to offer, and the Singas' rulers intended to renovate the city in the 1040s to emphasize on tourism and entertainment as their main industry. However, this plan was put on hold due to Columbia's influence and support of the Coalition Government, leaving Solé as an abandoned, unfinished plot. It would not be until two decades later when Candela Sanchez' father bought the city in order to continue its renovation plans. In 1083, Candela became the new mayor of Solé, allowing the city to enter a period of rapid economic growth, and the city was renamed as "Dossoles" three years later.[1]
As the de jure capital of Bolívar, a nation torn by three warring factions, Dossoles is also known by another title: "the Black Heart of Bolívar." The city was built without opposition from the Singas, the Coalition Government, or the True Bolívarians, but has become the most corrupt of them all through economic collaborations with the three warring factions.[4] While Dossoles appears to be nothing more than a luxurious city on the outside, beneath the glitz and glamor lies a large criminal underground that is largely ignored by tourists and the mayor herself. In other words, the city tolerates crime and encourages gambling and debauchery from its guest for the sake of profit.[2] Furthermore, because working in Dossoles is still safer than fighting for the Coalition or Singas, many poorer Bolívarians choose to work in the factories outside the city center, which nets them higher pay at the cost of being embroiled in Dossoles' criminal underground.[2] On the Infected matter, Dossoles is one of the few Cities in Bolívar that doesn't persecute or discriminate them. However, the Infected, while allowed to enter the city downtown, can only enter to certain authorized casinos, bars, and other entertainment venues.
At one point, Dossoles issued an alloy coin currency for its citizens, but due to a human error in the minting process, every single of the said coin was recalled. Nevertheless, the coin remains popular among collectors.[5]
Dossoles Warrior Championship
The water of the artificial sea is replaced twice a year, especially during the summer when tourism is at its peak. Because refilling the sea takes days, Candela founded the city's annual Dossoles Warrior Championship, a live competition broadcast to the entire city, to entertain guests during the wait. The winner is given the privilege of pressing the button to start the water changing process, and two days of luxury on Dossoles' giant cruise ship.[3] The Championship has grown to become one of Dossoles' defining highlights.
The competition begins with a ten-day preliminary trial, in which different sections of the city will hold at least three types of matches. The preliminaries contain various competitions, ranging from eating contests and cycling to e-sports and close combat. Out of all of these, scrimmage is considered the most dangerous of all, as players are allowed to use force against other players; however, winner gets a golden statue as a reward.[2] Only forty participants will qualify to take part in the official match.
The official match of the Championship is divided into three rounds with a gap of two resting days:[2]
- The Search Game: Participants are required to search for twenty hidden bars of pure gold within an evacuated residential area and hand them over to the staff. They are allowed to use any means, including using weaponry, damaging property, and stealing from other players (the city council covers any damages done by contestants during the Dossoles Water Championship).
- The Triathlon: As the name suggests, the match begins with a marathon from the beach. Then, participants have to cycle around the city. Upon returning back to the beach, they have to swim across the sea to reach the mayor's cruise ship. The winner will then be given the privilege to stay on board and enjoy the ship's services during the two-day gap. Taking short-cuts is allowed, but the mayor has set up obstacles and hired henchmen to slow down anyone looking to cut corners.
- The Battle Royale: The final match is held in the cruise ship, where participants have to fight against each other to the last team or man remaining. The one who survives the brawl is the ultimate winner of the Championship.
The Championship allows both independent participants or a team of maximum seven people. Participants are also allowed to use all sorts of weapons, including Originium Arts, as long as it is not lethal. The only thing totally forbidden during the competition is communication tools, so teams must plan carefully before the start of each match. Once a teammate successfully clears the match, the whole team will be qualified for the next round.
To counteract the contest's laissez-faire policy as well as biological advantages (e.g. a Kuranta's natural stamina would give them an advantage in the triathlon), the audience votes for its favorite participants. Those who receive the least number of votes will immediately be disqualified, even if they won the match. On the other hand, those who are less physically fit could be able to win the competition through audience popularity.
Preliminaries map
Search Game map
Triathlon map
Battle Royale map
Commercial franchises
True to its reputation, Dossoles is home to many commercial franchises. Among them include:
- Bandidos:[note 1] A wandering fast food stall founded by an ex-highwayman,[6] Bandidos is among many Columbian tourist's magazines' most recommended sites.[7]
- Cerveza:[note 2] A beer commissioned by the Dossoles government, which is a common sight around the city due to its widespread availability.[8] A limited commemorative edition of the Cerveza is issued during the Championship.[9]
- Coffee Plain: A Dossolesian coffee franchise known for its wide variety of coffee-related products, from espresso to breve.[10]
- Feedos: A commercial beer franchise that comes in two varieties, the standard "Craft"[11] and the refined "Draft."[12]
- Sombrero Dude: A burrito and taco franchise founded by a discharged member of the True Bolívarians, which can be found all around Dossoles' urban districts.[13] Its investors include the Columbian NGO Maylander Association, giving rise to rumors that Sombrero Dude is actually a front for a Columbian intelligence operation.[14]
- Uncle Marco: A cactus snack franchise local to Dossoles, founded by the eponymous Marco and famous among Dossoles' factory workers despite its bland taste.[15] The franchise has recently experienced a slump after the plan to introduce seasoned snacks to counteract the popularity of Tio Marco backfired.[16]
- Tio Marco: Considered to be a knock-off of Uncle Marco, Tio Marco became more popular due to the addition of seasonings to its cactus snack products.[17] The franchise has recently experienced a slump after their attempt to overtake Uncle Marco by releasing a new product without proper market research backfired.[18]
Notable citizens
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- Arraz: the owner of a casino bar who owns the largest bar in a certain district, making him invulnerable to others. However, he was easily defeated by Lin Yühsia during a gambling match.[19] Since then, he has considered Lin his boss, and the bar her territory.
Enemies
| Normal |           |
|---|---|
| Elite |     |
Places
- Unnamed water gate
- Galería Krysztauowa
- "The Community": A run-down ghetto located in a certain corner of Dossoles, mostly populated by street artists and Infected individuals. Although its development rights are owned by Kazimierzian art dealer Reynell Kowalski, the Coalition Government is secretly attempting to take over the district in order to set foot in Dossoles.
Gallery
Places
The view of Dossoles' artificial beach with Candela's cruise ship in the background
Ditto, but with the cruise ship's wreckage in the background
The scene of Dossoles' beach at twilight
The streets of Dossoles in daylight
The streets of Downtown Dossoles at night
The racing track for the Dossoles Warrior Championship
The deck of Candela's cruise ship in daylight
Ditto, during nightime in front of its golden statue on the bow.
The interior of Candela's cruise ship
People
A Dossolesian Perro thug in blue-green attire
Ditto, but in orange attire
A Dossolesian Perro security guard in white uniform
A male tourist visiting Dossoles
A female tourist visiting Dossoles
A Dossoles Warrior Championship Perro contestant in red sports attire
Ditto, but in black sports attire
A Dossoles Warrior Championship Perro staff
Etymology
Dossoles comes from dos soles, Spanish for "two suns."
Originally, Candela wished to name the city "Tressoles" (from tres soles, Spanish for "three suns"), referring to the one in the sky, the other "sun" reflected in the water's surface, and the golden statue on her cruise ship.[2]
Trivia
- Dossoles is obviously based on Rio de Janeiro, and the dog statue on the artificial mountain is likely an analogue to the Cristo Redentor.
- The Dossoles Warrior Championship is likely loosely based on the Ironman Triathlon.
Notes
References
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