Planet Meline, Port Myers | Sericulture RPG

Meline is a planet not entirely unlike Earth... well, save for the fact that it's rather green, in a state of perpetual autumn, and generally a lot less developed than one might like. It's also a water-world, a water-world with extremely acidic water in-fact. It seems to be acidic to human biology only though, strange. It is a "rimworld"; a planet on the rim of inhabited space. A majority of the planet's population is packed into Meline Central, the largest city on the planet, while the rest are spread out thinly across other cities and settlements such as Smogtown, Tchotchke, and of course, Myers. There is a reasonably robust level of infrastructure on the planet, including naval shipping routes, aircabs, and internet communications.

Unfortunately, the natural beauty of Myers has been soiled by over 80 years of human colonization and progress. The oceans are heavily polluted, much of the planet's ecosystems have been bulldozed to make room for factories, and the whole place is amok with corporate pigs and raging anarchists alike.

A great majority of the planet is de facto controlled by Monroe Corporation, in part thanks to them having installed loads of executives into the planetary government's cabinet. Naturally, most of the foodstuffs and household products you can buy on Meline are produced by Monroe, primarily distributed through the ubiquitous vending machine network.

Of course, other parties want a piece of the pie, too. Santiago & Shareholders is the most notable example of this, being a rival corporation vying for control over parts of the planet.

Like many other planets run by megacorporations, Meline has an ever-growing dissidence problem. Frankly, it's a mystery how the planet hasn't just exploded at this point. If you plan on leaving, though, just be aware that the ticket price for a seat on a civilian starliner is quite steep, and there's no guarantee that where you're going is any better, right?

The primary economic driver of Myers is in the form of freshly caught fish, desalinated water, and more recently, the growing textiles industry (the game's namesake!). How the economy works is simple: employees produce tradeable resources, the delegate manages the sale of these resources, and some of the proceeds of those sales fund everyone's UBI paychecks. A square deal!

If you ever hear the delegate whining about unfulfilled quotas over the PA system, just... work harder, or something. Or annoy them, and don't.

The most obvious fauna in Myers would be the sheer amount of fish swimming around in the surrounding seas. The high population of fish makes Myers an excellent location to catch them on an industrial scale, and thus, fish exports represent a major economic driver for the town.

A less pleasant species native to the region are barnacles. Barnacles can be found hanging around spots close to the water. DO NOT TOUCH THE BARNACLES! You can click them [LMB] to attempt to remove them, but this may result in them latching onto your face, which is an extremely itchy and unpleasant experience. A lazarus can probably fix you right up with a nice and pricey shot of ostepranine, if that happens.

Barnacles have a tendency to reproduce and spread if left unchecked, so if they're blocking the way, just find an alternate path. Or, you can be a hero and try to rip them all off the ground; Monroe pays generously for cleaning up barnacle infestations.

Myers Port Myers Port is the humble dockyard serving the city of Myers. There's some piled up luggage, a wooden jetty, and a welcoming "WELCOME TO MYERS!" sign. Passenger boats periodically stop by here. There is also a gate that may be opened and closed by the delegate, in case they for some reason want to restrict access to the boat.

ForeverMailTM The ForeverMailTM lockers are fancy lockers, ostensibly using teleportation (or a really fancy vacuum chute network) to deliver packages straight to Myers! This station is only a budget model; packages can only be received here, not sent. To retrieve a package, a valid 4-digit code must be typed into the terminal. A cache will then open so the package may be retrieved. People living in Myers may periodically receive a mail code on their wristpad, which can be used at any time.

FISH 4 U Myers' premier fish restaurant! It's the most popular option for takeout in Myers... err, perhaps because it is the only option in Myers, but nevertheless, this seafood joint has plenty of delicious options on the menu.

The FISH 4 U is directly connected to the harbor by pipe for fish supplies. The interior is a simple affair, with a service counter and small kitchen area. Inside of it is a state-of-the-art cooker! Anglers can work here, selling fish to the good people of Myers.

Next to the left exterior wall of the FISH 4 U is a water bottle vending machine.

Harbor This little wooden shack has an industrial fishing machine that the anglers can operate. It's a tad bit dilapidated, and the far end of the interior just so happens to be out of security camera view.

Lazaret Essentially a clinic, the Lazaret employs lazarii. They are trained medical professionals who can fix you up if you're hurt or sick! The main lobby features a medical scanner and basic medical vendor. The back room (pleasantly labelled the "Social Room") has two advanced medical vendors, which stock supplies such as body bags, injectable medicines, and coffee. Really bad coffee, mind you, but what would you expect from a vending machine?

Hatchery Shh... the worms need peace and quiet, too. One of the latest industries to be introduced to Myers is sericulture, which is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. With Meline's eternally autumn-like conditions making cotton farming non-viable, and synthetic fabric imports being quite expensive, sericulture was the next best option for the production of fabrics and textiles.

The hatchery, located right by Myers Port and the FISH 4 U, contains two silkworm planters, sunlamps, two silk spinners, and a state of the art sewing machine, capable of producing all kinds of fashionable garments. There is also a vendor inside that sells silkworm eggs and silkworm food. Neat!

Myers & Monroe Merger Water Desalination Plant What a mouthful. The desalination plant is staffed by plantworkers, who work tirelessly to collect, purify, and send out water to the good people of Myers. The plant features a lobby with a food vendor, as well as a restricted access room that holds the desalination consoles. Drinking water produced here is sent to the water vendor, which is located next to the FISH 4 U. There is also a basement, accessible via an exterior door, which contains the valves and pumps of the facility.

Myers Communal Living Space (wall inscription) We, the residents of Myers - hereby graciously thank Monroe Corporation for providing us with these comfortable, affordable living spaces, and workplaces. May this building stand the test of time and serve as a proof of cooperation between corporation and man.

The Myers Communal Living Space is a Monroe-constructed condominium apartment (conapt) building, situated near the old Church of Neptune. Conapts are essentially rental units; they are pre-furnished with modest amenities, and cost 5$ per door-close. Once the door is shut, it can be locked from the inside. Be wary that the local security can still open locked doors!

The lobby features a food vendor, two separate entryways, and a communal sleeping area that is free of charge. How generous! The stairs also provide rooftop access.

Church of Neptune The Church was one of the few buildings to survive Monroe Corporation's rebuilding efforts, in part thanks to the locals' fierce protests over the mere idea of the Church being knocked down. As such, it remains standing, with a large statue of the god Neptune himself situated in front of it. Rows of pews line the interior, as well as a lectern, and various tapestries speaking of Neptune's teachings adorn the walls.

The reverend tends to the Church, keeping it well-maintained and occasionally hosting sermons. When the church bell is rung by the reverend, any LOCALs who come by will lose some sorrow.

Reverend's House The reverend's house was also one of the few buildings to avoid being scrapped, and is situated near the rear of the Church. It features an older style 4-digit PIN lock; unless someone has a doorbuster on their hands, nobody is getting in here without the combination! The inside is nicely furnished, with a cozy bed, sofa, fireplace, and Fishblaster 3000 (a fancy fish cooker). Outside is a well, which has some surprisingly drinkable water.

VendmasterTM Restocking Center The VendmasterTM Restocking Center is the central hub of logistics for Myers. Technicians working here can order vending machine resupply boxes, as well as various other items that people may need or want. The back room features a Restockatron – a state-of-the-art supply procurement terminal. Oh, and a trash can. We can't forget the trash can.

Outside of the VendmasterTM building is a gate which provides access to the northern outskirts of Myers. Any employee of Monroe Corporation can use the button to open and close the gate (no jukies allowed!).

Myers & Monroe Merger Administration The Myers & Monroe Merger Administration building, commonly just referred to as "the office", "the admin building", or "headquarters", is the local Monroe Corporation branch office in Myers. This is the base of operations for the delegate, auditors, and their secretary. From their suite, the delegate may control exports, set taxes and laws, deal with investments, and make announcements. Similarly, auditors can gear up and use advanced security equipment to sniff out criminals and dissidents alike, such as via the BBPOISON security system and Mindcrawler unit. Finally, the secretary works here, processing and archiving important documents printed out from the PRINT-KING telefax machine.

The ground floor of the building is perhaps the most commonly visited place in Myers, and for good reason – the one and only UBI withdrawal machine is here! There is also an information booth with a shutter, so the people of Myers may safely speak with the delegate or whoever else is manning the booth.

Food Mule In the old part of Myers is the Food Mule, an abandoned grocery store. Established in 3984 and abandoned sometime before 4011, this place is now decrepit, unguarded, and almost entirely ransacked of anything useful. Jukies and other bums like to hang out here sometimes.

Merino Apartments Long before the arrival of Monroe Corporation, the people of Myers lived in the Merino Apartments, cozy, with an internet cafe and the Food Mule nearby, it was the place to hang out and live at. Now, they're half-defunct, with a small portion of them being turned into Monroe Corporation conapts, the rest are left to rot, abandoned - except for the Merino Money Manor. No one would abandon that place.

The Merino Apartments are a half-defunct block of apartment units. Much of the population was moved out hastily at some point before 4011. What remains is left to rot; many of the apartments are entirely unlivable, and the conapt conversions are simply furnished with whatever was left behind in them. The internet cafe was similarly abandoned.

Not everything here was totally abandoned, though! The Merino Money Manor is essentially a miniature casino, featuring three games: Guess-The-Number, Two-up, and a classic three-wheel slot machine. Feeling lucky?

There are also some older vending machines here selling Witches Brew for cheaper prices than the normal food vendors. Yummy... ish.

Kickball Field There isn't too much to say about this one. Right next to the Merino Apartments is an old kickball field. It's crumbled a bit over the years, but it's still a perfectly fine place to play some kickball! Or to hold an impromptu fighting ring, if that's what you're into.

Ranger's House This house the old ranger lives in is not quite unlike the reverend's house. It features a 4-digit PIN door lock, and is relatively secluded from the rest of Myers. The difference here, however, is that the ranger's house has comparatively spartan furnishings, and shuttered windows. Right in front of the house is a now-destroyed foot bridge, which once crossed the river.

Tunnel Myers used to be connected by a bridge, from the ranger's house, down to where now we can find the desalination plant. Upon Monroe Corporation's arrival, this bridge was torn down - and a tunnel was dug instead. Boats had to have a place to travel through Myers, for business was of utmost importance. This left the residents distraught, as they saw themselves divided away from friends that might've lived on the other side of the island. That's why Monroe Corporation generously provides access to the tunnel to employees, and a community room where everyone can socialize.

With two entry points located roughly around the Food Mule and the Church of Neptune, the tunnel serves as an alternate access route between the two islands that make up Myers. The tunnel has two interior doors near each side that may only be opened by registered employees of Monroe Corporation (or anyone with a doorbuster). The community room is in the middle of the tunnel. Be careful, there aren't many cameras in the tunnel itself!

Community Room The community room is a little social hub for the good people of Myers to relax and talk in... as long as they're employed. There is a food vendor here, as well as an older Witches Brew vendor, and some seating arrangements. There is also a small Fairweather room that the auditors may access, containing a BBPOISON terminal and a Fairweather vendor.

Departures The old departures building isn't visited much anymore... but when it is, it's usually the second-to-last stop someone ever makes in Myers. In here is a humble ticket vendor, selling boat tickets at a fluctuating price. It automatically restocks itself periodically, and the ticket fare tends to climb and fall quite dramatically in the ballpark of 125$-275$ or so. Taxes don't affect the price, at least...

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Monroe Corporation is nothing short of an indisputable giant. By corporate standards, the company is ancient, sustaining itself through millions of million dollar ventures being realized on every planet man has ever touched. Monroe primarily specializes in agricultural products and domestic goods. The universal basic income system that they offer their employees is mostly there because, to be frank, they just have way too much money. It turns out that employee mortality rates go WAY down when there's some kind of social safety net in place.

As one can expect from any megacorporation, they're not unwilling to use unsavory methods to achieve their goals. They've been known to participate in inhumane experiments before, and are more than willing to employ the help of companies like Fairweather LLC when needed.

What do they make, though, specifically? Oh, all kinds of stuff. Nutrition bars, beverages, clothes, beauty products, certain medications... you name it. They also have a nice stockpile of weapons of mass destruction saved up for a rainy day. Any rumors about their products being unsafe or contaminated are total, 100% fabrications made up by the minds of complete lunatics, and Monroe has recently taken strides to reduce the lead content in many of their ersatz edibles.

The Monroe Corporation's logo is a capital Times New Roman italicized M.