Northcliff is the second most populated human city. It is called the golden city of Valond, and it used to be safe and beautiful during King Adrian's rule. However, since he passed away the city has fallen a bit. Its also the first town you travel to with Aida, Sky, Tillie, and Zander. This is where you meet many important characters like Diego, Kael and Jace.
There are three major gangs in Northcliff: The Eagles, The Black City Kids, and The Sages.
In Northcliff there is a potions shop, a tailor, a black smith, a bar, an inn, a kitchen, and a library.
The potions shop is called "Paulina's Potion Shop" and has the tagline, "Potions for everything." The shop is full of ingredients and books, most of which are neatly arranged on the wall of shelves. The alchemist who runs the shop is Paulina's great great granddaughter, who says that alchemy is a tradition in the family. Although she initially claims to have no knowledge of the Eagles, it later becomes clear that she is involved in their dealings although her exact place in their ranks is never learned. The alchemist also reports that her family is the best in Northcliff, and easily the best in all Valond.
The tailor's shop is called "Anissa's Dresses" and has the tagline, "Pretty and practical." When Aida comes to visit, the shop has four outfits for sale. With her discount, Aida is able to buy any of these outfits for thirty gold.
The blacksmith has two beautiful daggers on display, which he gifts to Aida for helping smooth over relations with his daughter Anissa, the tailor.
The bar is called "The Wandering Tree" and is run by a barkeep named Delvin, a middle-aged man with a grey, receding hairline and a large beer gut. In this bar, Aida meets Jace and Airdan, who grants her the cape she needs to hide her silver hair. Two other characters also appear in the bar: a Lith girl with cat features and an "angry dwarf." The Lith girl states that she was born to Ileth parents, and actually has never seen the Lithian homeland of Ildis. Later, we learn that this girl is actually Captain Nina's daughter. The girl is soundly beating the dwarf at an "old dwarven game" called "Twisted monkey," despite his insistence to the contrary.
The inn is called "The Fragile Falcons Inn," and is the meeting place for Aida's group during their stay in Northcliff because the gang running it is not the Eagles. Sky reports that she likes the inn because it is "calm." Sky also says she likes the ale there, but Jace complains that it "tastes like piss." The inn also seems to have a rat problem, and Jace instructs Aida to "just trust [him]" and not eat the stew there.
The kitchen is headed by a cook and her assistant Sam. The cook is a hot-tempered woman, and scares Sam half to death after he accidentally ruins the broth she needs to cook one day.
The library is where Rin (a cameo by the game's creator) can tell you a variety of information about the Ascension universe.
Trivia[]
- In the Northcliff Library, Rin's in-game character can be found alluding to the Ascension game itself. When Aida asks her if she is writing a story, Rin says, "Well, I've started to write a story . . . But it's still at the very beginning. I can't say I'm doing a very good job . . . My spelling and grammar is terrible!" This most likely relates to the fact that the creator Rin's first language is not English, which has caused a few grammar mistakes in Chapter One.
- When Aida asks Rin what the book is called, she tells her "Ascension."
- Rin mentions that Northcliff is actually famous for its chicken soup.
- Kole, a character who is only introduced in Chapter 3, first notices Aida when she enters Northcliff in Chapter 1.
- In Chapter 3, Aida meets the cook's assistant again in the castle dungeon, and has the opportunity to free him.