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The Emerald City is an independent LARP based in Sydney. This page lists information about the organisation structure, as well as details of administration, financing, complaints, and accountability.

Organisers

Director: Angelus M

email: [email protected]

The Director is responsible for overseeing the flow, plot, and machinations of the Chronicle. 

Assistant Directors (story): Keith DF, Raymond B, Symon G

The Assistant Directors of story have permission to step in and oversee various scenes. They will facilitate narration, and Actor interaction. 

Assistant Directors (scribe): Xander L

The Assistant Directors of story have oversight over all external documents that support the game. This includes character sheets, and entities on the Kanka platform.

Producer: Keiran S

email: [email protected]

The Producer is responsible for all material aspects that go into supporting the venue and putting the events into place. 

Assistant Producers (finance): Francine D

The Assistant Producers of finance are responsible for all cash handling and accounting of moneys given to The Emerald City Chronicle. 

Assistant Producers (media): ?

The Assistant Producers of media are responsible for overseeing all aspects of photography, printing, and other forms of recording and documenting the Chronicle.

Rulings

The Director embodies the Wyrd: they are the final word on story and fairness.

The Systems in place are designed to allow Actors a lot of latitude in negotiating and resolving scenes among themselves. However, should you require the oversight of a Director, their word is law. 

On occasion The Director may come to you as an Actor and offer you direction. You can refuse direction, or you can accept direction. 

Complaints

If you have cause to complain about the conduct of a current member of the Chronicle, you should address it to the production chain. Specifically both Keiran S and Francine D should be contracted in case of complaints. 

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The Cauliflower Hotel – (upstairs) The Forgotten Cask

Address: 123 Botany Rd, Waterloo NSW 2017, Entrance via Wellington St. Street parking available.

Public Transport: 11m walk from Redfern Station, 309 Bus Stop pictured on map

Cost: Gold Coin donation (Games from September+ will be $10 to cover photography and props, with consideration for hardship)

Accessibility Notes:

The main venue exists at the top of a flight of stairs;

Upon the game level, there are unisex toilets, limited to our use during events;

The sound system for downstairs is distinct from the one used upstairs, allowing separation of audio

When:

Second Saturday of the Month, 1:00pm Start

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There is something here in Sydney that was worth escaping for; something that gives you hope and strong enough to defying your Keeper. The Emerald City provides safe harbour for those Lost who have returned here. 

The Changelings of the Emerald City exist trapped between the mortal and the faerie world, and the vast melting pot that is Sydney also means that many have roots in various nationalities. The Lost of Sydney seek to establish their identity in a city prone to rebellion and incursions.

Changeling Reign

The Emerald City establishes the conceit that changelings hold a position as the dominant supernatural creature in Sydney. In an unusual twist of fate, changelings outnumber any other supernatural creature and have grown roots into mortal politics over the decades and even centuries.

The genre has been built primarily to put changelings front and centre into the chronicle, and other supernatural entities will be used sparingly and lightly. They may feature as rivals and antagonists but not playable characters.

  • Changelings and vampires exist in a state of low-grade cold war.
  • Changelings and werewolves enjoy an uneasy truce with each other, enforced by oath.
  • Changelings and mages are caught in a magical security dilemma with each other.
  • Changelings are aware of the existence of others denizens, but do not formally recognise their standing.

Coronets but Never Crowns

There are no kingdoms in Australia. Since the Mabo decision was handed down, every Australian changeling who claimed a monarchical title disappeared in short order. All evidence suggests they were taken by the Gentry. Something about the recognition of Native Title has made kings and queens vulnerable to Huntsmen.

Settler changelings now inhabit well defined and independent city-states: freeholds not kingdoms; marshals, duxes, ministers, doyens, and princes, but never kings nor queens. Such terms as these has great semantic weight.

Most such city-states at the centre of their authority some symbol of the former royal affect. The changeling communities still organise within a court system (sometimes called Kangaroo Courts by their American and European Counterparts).

A City of Four Seasons

One of the quirks of the Emerald City is the contrast between the European temperate seasons over a landscape not of that climate. These tensions reflect historical and modern conflicts between European settlers and local Indigenous cultures. 

Elements around settlement and cultural provide important historical context for this setting. However, the focus lies on the city-state that is the Emerald City Freehold. This is a story told primarily from the perspective of changelings of settler descent.

These ideas represent grand unfathomable mysteries that structure the setting, rather than central components of the game’s narrative. They may be touched upon and explored, but they will unlikely be resolved in the context of the game.

Due to the high population of changelings, other court dynamics may be found within the city, but they do not represent the central story. 

History

Over 600 distinct Indigenous cultures (before European settlement) shared a common ideology of the Dreaming, which has spanned 50,000 years. The Dreaming represents a heritage of memory, culture, and law.

Indigenous changelings exist but their ways are unlike the settler changelings of Oz. They do not organise according to any recognisable court systems and few settler changelings have been admitted into their Mobs. Those few Indigenous changelings encountered are mostly solitary or live independently, happily integrated into their local communities; something they seem to do with ease.

The settler changelings of Australia have learned over a long period that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander changelings have a profound connection with the Dreaming and the Songlines. There is a power there that these changelings use to remain hidden from the Others. Many a changeling has tried to discover the secrets of their magic, but the Indigenous changelings are slow to trust colonisers.

Sovereignty

There are no kingdoms in Australia. Since the Mabo decision was handed down, every European changeling who claimed the title of monarch disappeared in short order. All evidence suggests they were taken by the Others. Something about the recognition of Native Title has made kings and queens vulnerable.

Changelings now structure themselves as independent city-states: they are freeholds not kingdoms and these terms seem to have more than semantic weight. Most have at the centre of their authority some symbol of the former royal affect. The changeling communities still organise within a court system (sometimes called Kangaroo Courts by their American and European Counterparts). Its leaders are marcher lords and ladies, or sometimes even dukes and duchess, but never kings and queens.

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The Emerald City LARP uses a streamlined version of the Chronicles of Darkness Storytelling System. The CoD system as written works in a tabletop format, but would frequently break the game flow if used in a LARP setting.

Sanctioned Materials

All content within these books are approved for general use in the LARP.

  • Changeling: the Lost 2E (some content is reserved for NPCs)
    • Group Beats: this optional mechanism (p 95) will be in force, as it allows Directors and Actors in any given scene to pool beats and distribute it among them.
    • Player vs Player Resolution: this optional mechanism (p 194) will be in force, allowing Actors to accept the offer given (for a beat), or offer an alternative.
    • Beaten Down & Surrender: this optional mechanism (p 183) will be in force, allowing players to achieve a victory in a fight without needed elongated fight scenes.

Limited Sanction

Limited content within these books are approved for general use in the freeform,

  • Chronicles of Darkness Core Book (Merits from this book will be allowed upon consideration with the Director)
    • Fighting Style Merits: the Fighting Style Merits in the CoD core book are not sanctioned for this Chronicle
  • Changeling: the Lost 1E (use these books largely for flavour, no mechanical elements from these books are being used unless specifically stated.
    • Autumn Nightmares; Winter Masques; Rites of Spring; Lords of Summer; Goblin Markets; Dancers in the Dusk; Swords at Dawn
  • Vampire, Werewolf, and Mage 2E: These books are limited to Director use to govern the behaviour and actions of the other supernatural creatures in the game. They are not sanctioned for Actor use.

Actor Wellbeing

Changeling features a lot of characters who endure trauma from their abduction. These topics carry a lot of baggage for players who put themselves into the mindset of these characters. It is important that all actors support the things outlined below to ensure the venue can dive into these topics relatively safely.

Topic Restrictions

There are some topics and elements that will be restricted in this chronicle. These are not rigid and may be adjusted according to player feedback/requests. What is listed here represents a foundation, but players may specifically communicate with the Director and Producer if there is a topic they would specifically like flagged, addressed, or banned.

Lines represent topics that will not be touched upon at all, representing topics and story ideas that are out of bounds for this chronicle.

Lines: sexual violence or assault; explicit depictions of torture; mutiliation; bestiality; paedophilia; necrophilia; child abuse. 

Veils represent things that can occur but are not played out (fade to black). 

Veils: body horror; dysmorphia; consensual sexual activity; human experimentation; emotional abuse; physical abuse.

Bleed Management

Bleed is used to describe the way that inhabiting these characters can spill out into our real world lives. Bleed management helps actors set specific boundaries and take control of personal circumstances where topics start bleeding.

Cross X: At any time an actor can call for an immediate halt to a scene and disengage by forming or tapping an X. Players can form this X with their arms, their fingers, or even have an X on a sheet on hand they can tap. 

Orange Light: Means “go slow”. This may be used in the event that a player is advising that there may be something uncomfortable for them, but they are okay for the scene to proceed slowly.

Experiences

Experiences reflect the way many little pieces of your life come together and resolve into moment of purpose and wisdom. A single experience reflects those many different lessons. Mostly, you will earn experience through beats, picked up during play. Occasionally, the Director may award a whole experience for something exceptional (entirely their discretion).

The maximum amount of experiences any single player may have is 10 + 2 per session.

Beats

Beats represent the resolution of dramatic moments in game. While beats may be claimed during game, experiences can only be claimed at the end of a session.

At the start of each session, each player will be handed an experience card. This card features six categories for beats. In a single session, each category may be ticked off once, allowing for a maximum of 8 beats in a single session.

Memory: If you provided a significant memory for the last game, you start with a beat.

Participation: You gain a beat for showing up on time and engaging with the game.

Intrigue: You gain a beat for proactively instigating plot and complications with other Actors.

Losing: You gain a beat for being defeated or losing during a dramatic scene.

Setbacks: You gain a beat for failing to overcome a significant difficulty or boundary.

Pledges: You gain a beat for participating in Oath matters in a significant manner.

Aspirations: You gain a beat for fulfilling or meaningfully contributing to one of your Aspirations.

Fate: On occasion, the Director will approach you with an offer that has a high price. If you accept, you earn a beat.


This is not yet approved for use. This is written up here as a way to organise and publicise my thoughts.

This modified system has three goals:

  • Adaptation not Reinvention: the system should largely resemble the CoD system, and should use the same rules for building a character.
  • Reduce complexity: many of the rules require calculations on the fly, which is not conducive to a LARP setting. Where specific rules require calculations they will be streamlined to reduce mental load.
  • Diceless Drama: dice-based resolutions shall be secondary, giving players means to resolve conflict without having to suspend the flow of the moment. Directors should never be rolling dice.

Theatrical vs Procedural

During game, Actors will default to theatrical scenes, but as a group Actors may agree to run them as procedural scenes. In general, Actors and Directors should default to the assumption that Actors get what they want, unless their is reason to doubt they can.

  • Theatrical scenes emphasise immersion and diceless negotiated conflict. This is the default method. 
  • Procedural scenes sees Actors place stakes on the table and resolve with a few dice rolls. 

Theatrical Scenes

Theatrical scenes are the default for this game and the interests of story serve first. If an Actor could reasonably achieve what they want to achieve, and it is dramatically interesting, it happens. It is more interesting for Actors to deal with significant things than to be bogged down in trivial consequences.

Occasionally, a theatrical scene warrants risk. Risk can be introduced either by a Director (if they are overseeing a scene) or even by another Actor acting as a narrator (this Actor cannot be involved in the scene). Only introduce Risk if doing so would serve some dramatic purpose.

Set Scene: Detail the scene and relevant aspects of the scene, giving a general idea of the Risk.

Define Approach: The Actor approaching the Risk should outline their general approach, which should determine the pool.

Count Flares: Take your pool total and divide the total by three (rounded down) to get a number of Flares. If you have a remainder after dividing, you can also take a Spark.

Give Chances: The narrator should outline any setbacks or openings. All Risks have at least one setback, but not necessarily an opening. Some Risks have multiple setbacks or openings. 

Setbacks frequently impose conditions or injuries on Actors. Openings show possible Tilts that players can exploit.

Use Flares: A player may spend Flares towards the following - goal (you get what you want), overcome (you neutralise a setback), exploit (you activate a Tilt). 

If you only have a spark, you can still try to achieve your action. Roshambo with the narrator. If you win, you get what you want but still suffer the setback. If you fail, you incur a twist of fate. This could mean you fail in a dramatic way, or you simply don't get what you want because of some new intervention from outside forces.

Contested scenes

When the conflict of a theatrical scene falls around the competing interests of one or more Actors, the scene is contested. Establish which Actor is making the advance, and who is resisting.

The Actor advancing the conflict will establish a pool of flares as usual. However, the defending player will instead establish setbacks and openings. They form a pool of flares as though they were an advancing player. However for each flare they may use them to alternate between creating setbacks and openings (starting with a setback). As long as their pool is not 0, they may create one setback, regardless of its size.

Supporting Actors

When conflict has multiple Actors involved, group them together by side. In each group, one Actor will lead (being the person who forms a pool of flares). For every supporting actor who could make at least one flare, will give one bonus flare to the lead Actor they are supporting.

Cinematic scenes

Theatrical scenes can be action oriented, and we might call them cinematic. Action takes place, but the emphasis is upon outcomes and consequences. Conflict or combat should not be resolved through a roll and react, turn-by-turn method.

At no time should significant time dilation take place: where a scene that plays out in a minute of game time, but takes over half an hour to resolve.

Procedural Scenes

Should Actors wish to subject their scenes to the will of fate, they make elect to run their Risk as a procedural scene. If you run a procedural scene, all relevant players should step to the side (off camera as it were). 

Set Stakes: All involved players may set up to three stakes, into the pool. Things they're willing to Risk to get what they want. A stake can involve Health, Clarity, material goods, public favour, intelligence, etc. Anything relevant to the conflict, but no more than three.

Each Actor should write these stakes in secret on piece of paper and reveal at the same time. They are put into the centre for the kitty.

Declare approach: All Actors declare their approach, and form dice pools accordingly. Whomever has the higher dice pool has the Edge (the upper hand). For each roll a player wishes to make, they need to indicate which of their stakes is on the line (they may not use the same stake twice). 

Roll and determine success: All Actors roll their respective pools simultaneously. Whoever has the higher number of successes takes the Edge. Their margin is the difference of successes, which accumulates from roll to roll.

If ever the margin is greater than three successes, the scene comes to a resolution.

If either player runs out of stakes the scene comes to a resolution.

If either player yields, the scene comes to a resolution.

Outcome: For each point of margin, the Actor with the Edge may damage one of the stakes in play or impose a relevant Condition on the other.

If the defeated Actor had accumulated at least three successes, they may damage one of the stakes in play or impose a relevant Condition on the other.

If the defeated Actor yielded, they may impose a relevant Condition on the Other.

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The Emerald City LARP is geared towards drama and intrigue, focusing conflict on interactions among Actors. Here, we use the term Drama to underline that not all conflict is antagonistic.

Sources of Dramatic conflict:

  • Motley vs Motley: two houses, both alike in dignity. Motley’s are one part circle of friends, one part noble house. A slight to a member of your Motley, it a slight to all of you.
  • Court vs Court: uneasy bedfellows. In the setting courts of opposing seasons (Autumn & Spring - Summer & Winter) finds their counterpoint to chafe, and their politics even incredulous. (Spring & Summer; Autumn & Winter are nominally aligned).
  • Crown vs Ministry: In the Emerald City, there are two centres of power: the Crown and the Ministry. This is military vs civic power; old way vs new way of power.

Intrigue

Changeling is one of intrigue. Trust is a careful commodity where you don’t know the real identity of your enemies. In a Freehold the size of the Emerald City, there is almost certainly some hidden loyalists (changelings actually working for the Fae).

There are some known loyalists and privateers in the city, who operate outside the Freehold structure, but there are some infiltrating. Some are even sleeper agents (yes, think Battlestar Galactica.) In the Emerald City, some of the Actors are actually Loyalists, and some will be playing a long game.

Pledges

Changelings secure trust through pledges as the Wyrd guarantees a promise. Pledges are normal for Changelings, and being foresworn on your word is a big deal.

Pledges also bind you to the mundane world. By forming bargains with humans, you are more strongly connected to the mundane world, helping you blend in.

Changelings with no pledges are vulnerable and prime targets for the Gentry and Huntsmen. Arcadia wants you back, and will use any means to lure you back home.

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As a changeling, you are forever changed and irreparably part fae; body, mind, and soul. Your true inhuman nature is hidden from mortal eyes by faerie magic. You stand among humankind but forever apart. Worse, something was left behind, and lived your own life in your place. Very few Changelings reclaim their old lives, instead making new ones to distance themselves from faerie.

As an actor, you are expected to make a character that has a reason to participate in the politics of the Emerald City.

Seeming

The world of faerie is strongly governed by the logic of story and dreams. Your time there and your means of escape forever changed you, in body and in mind.

Beast

Beasts were used or treated as animals during their captivity. Theirs were tales of abandon and wildness. They take animalistic features, being more print to bestial sensation and instinct.

Darkling

Darklings embody the darkness and intrigue of Faerie, veiled shadow and stealth, fear and deception. Theirs is a tale of mystery, finding themselves as much at home in the gloom of night as the thick of conspiracy.

Elemental

Elementals were forged into inanimate objects or forces of nature during their captivity. Theirs are stories of transformation and metamorphosis, being at once contained with their new form but also freed by it.

Fairest

The Fairest are driven by their tales of perfection and in this, they embody the ideas of grace and beauty. Often kept as treasured delights by their faerie masters they have come to radiate that grandeur. 

Ogre

Ogres endured tales of brutality in their time in faerie. Their taskmasters forged and shaped them with cruel and unusual punishments and torture, but in this they imparted upon them terrible strength and prowess.

Wizened

The Wizened are masters of craftsmanship, having worked themselves thin. Theirs were tales of cunning, learning all manner of cunning works and artistry. They are withered, adroit, and spry even in their harrowed nature. 

Kith

A Seeming defines a broad experience that changed you, a Kith is refinement of that change. Your Kith represents a specific function or role you had in Arcadia.

Twelve Kiths are defined in the core book, but other Kiths will be added as they are published.

You can find a list of Kith abilities here:

http://wodcodex.com/wiki/Kiths

Court

Changeling society moves and flows with the march of the seasons. Long ago, changelings sought out and entered into bargains with the seasons themselves. Each season offers a unique arrangement that in one form or another protects changelings from the faerie. Changelings who offer allegiance to no season are regarded as untrustworthy.

The Emerald City conforms to the Seasonal Courts, which reflects the psyche of the vast residents of Sydney. The freehold shares leadership, with each season holding court temporarily before ceding power. 

Spring Court

The Spring Court exults in life and harnesses desire to make life worth living. They hide from the Fae by living amongst the mortals. Their twin refrains are Desire and Denial.

Summer Court

The Summer Court gathers strength and power to turn their wrath upon their enemies. They seek to strike out against the Fae directly. They thrive on Wrath and Pride.

Autumn Court

The Autumn Court utilises a healthy fear to help them prepare for attack. They explore the powers of faerie magic and the enigmas of the unknown to use against the Others. They alternate between Fear and Bargaining.

Winter Court

The Winter Court uses the pain of their sorrow to strengthen themselves against further losses. These masters of deception and keepers of mysteries choose to go to ground. They live on Sorrow but slip into Depression.

Anchors

Your Anchors form major keys to fleshing out a character’s identity. Changelings have a Needle, a Thread, and Touchstones. All three are means by which you can regain willpower.

Your Needle represents your true inner self. A point of inner steel you honed against the ever-changing strangeness of Arcadia.

Your Thread represents the ties that bind you to Earth, and helped drive you to escape from Arcadia and resist the Gentry.

Your Touchstones are people, places, things that matter to you. They are things you trust, and help ground you.

For a list of available Needles and Threads: Unknown

Merits

Merits represent backgrounds and talents. You can find a list here:

http://wodcodex.com/wiki/Merits,_Changeling_(2nd_Edition)

Wyrd

A changeling’s Wyrd is the strength of their faerie power. The greater their Wyrd the more closely attuned to the eldritch nature of faerie and the farther from humanity they drift.

Contracts

Contracts are powers changelings can invoke, drawing upon ancient agreements forged with the very component of reality itself. By calling upon contracts, changelings can bend reality in unnatural ways.

Arcadian contracts represent those agreements forged by the faerie themselves. They fall under six broad Regalia, each with common contracts (those taught to their servants) and royal contracts (those they kept for themselves). Each Seeming has a favoured Regalia.

A list of contracts can be found here:

http://wodcodex.com/wiki/Contracts

Crown: Contracts of command, control, and direction (favoured by Fairest)

Jewels: Contracts of perfection, lies, and artifice (favoured by Wizened)

Mirror: Contracts of perception, and transformations (favoured by Darklings)

Shield: Contracts of protection, durability, and healing (favoured by Ogres)

Steed: Contracts of movements and the animal world (favoured by Beasts)

Sword: Contracts of violence, directness, and prowess (favoured by Elementals)

Court contracts represent powers gained through ties to the seasonal courts.

Spring: Contracts of desire, growth, and rejuvenation.

Summer: Contracts of wrath, and powers to produce heat and vigour.

Autumn: Contracts of fear, and the life and death of growing things.

Winter: Contracts of sorrow, and the power to control snow and ice.

Finally, Goblin Contracts learned from the Hobgoblins. They are all unique and incredibly specialised. But they come with a cost. 

Names

In Changeling, most tend to use a name other than their once human name, and they tend to select names with a low-mythic quantity, or ones vaguely folklorish. Things like:

  • Jack-of-the-Sun
  • Red Sally
  • Randall the Great
  • Granny Apple
  • Widow Vespers
  • Zephyr
  • Aida Vice
  • Black Sparrow
  • Grim Malkin
  • Job the Lucky
  • Bandersnatch
  • Brother Tuck
  • Puss-in-Boots
  • Dandy Lion
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In the Emerald City, changelings represent the dominant supernatural faction, having an unusually high population. Their nearest competitors for dominance consist of the vampires, who for one reason or another seem to have an unusually low population for a city of its size. 

The Emerald City regards itself as a commonwealth, rather than a kingdom or principality. Since the downfall of the crown in 1992, the sovereign power of the freehold cannot derive from a monarchy. The denizens of the freehold regard themselves as freefolk rather than subjects. 

As freefolk, the emphasis of the commonwealth is to emphasise the common good of the freehold. While the oaths of the freehold do not offer the same foolproof protection against loyalists or those with conflicting loyalties, it does bring its members together under the same purpose.

To join the freehold, changelings must swear the commonwealth pledge:

"I, being an inhabitant and freefolk in this commonwealth, do freely acknowledge myself to be subject to the sovereignty thereof.

Therefore, I hereby swear by my True Name, that I will be true and faithful to the same, and will accordingly offer assistance and support to the freehold. I will endeavour to preserve and maintain the liberties and privileges of the same, submitting myself to the laws and orders established by the same."

The Torc

The Emerald City is ruled by The Torc, which is the embodiment of the crown. While there is neither king nor queen, there is a Viceroy. 

The reigning Autumn Viceroy is The Bone Man (Xander)

The previous Summer Viceroy was Nadine (Francine)

The previous Spring Viceroy was Azelynne (Keith)

The previous Winter Viceroy was Lucas Hond (Cameron)

The Knights

The four knights represent the military arm of the freehold. They swear direct fealty to the office of the Viceroy (upon the Torc), and provide a line of defence against the enemies of the Commonwealth. 

The Verdant Knight is Ethan Blackjoy (Sparky)

The Crimson Knight is Feather (Lachlan)

The Ashen Knight is unfilled

The Onyx Knight is unfilled

The Courts

Membership of each of the Seasonal Courts can be found on their respective pages. 

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The Sydney metropolis contains three different cities: Sydney, Parramatta, and Penrith. These three cities have origins rooted it Eora culture, who conceived of the Sydney region as divided into three regions: the salt-water region of the harbour, the mud-water region of Parramatta, and the clear-water region of Penrith.

Census: Several years ago, a changeling of the Emerald City conducted business with a creature of a magical nature, and through that managed to acquire some crude intelligence on the supernatural population in Sydney. Through this census the changeling freehold learned that the city is host to a sizable number of vampires, werewolves, mages, as well as changelings; with approximate populations of 90, 60, 50, and 155 respectively. 

The city of Sydney is divided into three regions:

The Eastern Harbour

The Central River

The Western Parklands

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