BOARATE

The City of The Sea

A war city, a place still itching to pull the trigger and fight anew, with a population so jaded death is simply another inconvenience of life.

Creator Notes

CREATOR NOTES: Brutalism Aesthetic. Dieselpunk vibe. Brutalism reflects Boarate's uncaring demeanour well. It's a war city, a place still itching to pull the trigger and fight anew. Housing is cheap and throwaway- it's not built to be pretty, it's purely to provide shelter. Faceless unrendered concrete blocks stretch on as far as the eye can see, studded only with tiny thick windows glaring out at the smog-filled streets. Brutalism is a style designed to be practical and cheap above all else, and it shows through in the city's dull simmer. The clothing style is waterproof and usually simple cuts, with little decor and a focus on practicality- think of Techwear, with its loose cut clothes and simple yet practical fabrics. The colour schemes are primarily cool, with drab greys, greens and blues bulking out the population. Higher classes wear more saturated colours- navy, indigo, jade -but keep to the cooler tones. Practicality, cold harsh edges and empty faces- that's what's valued here, and that's what you'll see in the people of Boarate.

History

Boarate originated as a dockyard, launching and docking aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, submarines and amphibious assault ships. All were deployed during the Wars, and the dockyards are still in active service. But Boarate itself is now a huge sprawling mess of a city, built of concrete and bricks and bones and blood, surrounded by great steel walls where it breaches land and huge curving concrete domes covering the submerged suburbs beneath the sea.

It has a population of just under 35 million- many of which live in the slums surrounding the richer centre.

Details

Technologically, it is somewhat behind the other two Cities, but remains resolute with reliable and powerful equipment. Much of its population now speak English- though it is a multicultural melting pot Boarate's leaders worked to establish a common tongue.

Diesel and coal technology still linger in its society, though there is a gradual shift to Draul, nuclear, and water as energy sources. It is situated on fairly flat lands, dried seabeds prone to severe flooding and corrosion, and has a river running through its Easternmost point. Parts of the City are submerged- a writhing underbelly of poverty flourishes in the sunken streets below the main City. The folk living in the subterranean sunken city are pale, poor and usually participants in heavy crime.

The Elder Dragon Mikha'el's very body serves as the foundation the City is built upon, providing their soul [known as Draul] as the powersource behind its core technology and protecting the City from what remnants of Gods, Spirits and Demons survive.

Mikha'el provides the unique advantage of water manipulation, giving the City: fresh, purified water, immunity from floods, tsunamis, and corrosion of the coastline, and also giving it a strong defence- since the Elder Dragon can quite literally submerge Boarate to shelter it.

Boarate's leading company is Lawrik (creators of the steel soldiers), who largely focus on weapons and machines.

Their police force is fairly well rounded, being mostly human men who once served as commanders for the Steel Soldier squads. The elite still use Steel Soldiers, the newest ones run by Draul and animal bodies. However, the police are unlikely to respond to crimes in the poorer regions and may allow lesser crimes to go unchecked such as theft or drugs.

The external army is equally well rounded, although Boarate's main focus is in the Navy. Their Naval force is incredible, and they are constantly being sent out into the Black Seas to reconnaissance and clear areas for expansion. Several deep-sea outposts exist, as well as a few surface stations.

VIPERALM

The City of The Earth

This is the city of glamour and fame, where the media rules the classes and the social status seperates the men from the meek.

Creator Notes

CREATOR NOTES: Neoclassical Aesthetic. Romanticism vibe. Neoclassical. This is the city of glamour and fame, where the media rules the classes. Neoclassical reflects the values of the city- architecture made purely to look pleasing, something pretty and eye catching that's ultimately useless. It's overwrought and overdramatic, buildings all declaring self importance at every corner and drowning each other out. Almost overwhelming, the city's overdone style can blind a man to the concrete and steel beneath. The architecture reflects the facade over the darker side of Viperalm. The clothes are poor reconstructions of past wonders- think halloween costume quality, fancy ' edwardian' dresses that no real Edwardian would ever wear or ' renaissance' gowns made of tawdry cheap fabric. It's a mix of poorly represented styles across a wide variety of eras. The richest folk wear proper reconstructions, near-fantasy clothes that really have no place in the modern city.

History

Viperalm was once built to be the largest fallout shelter on Earth. It is almost entirely underground, with only the poverty-laced lower classes living in the exposed upper reaches of the City. It has a population of 23 million, and a significantly reduced social caste in comparison to Gullaxian and Boarate. There is a heavily-pushed focus on image and presentation to the masses- everyone must be 'perfect' and uphold the beautiful, peaceful and calm image of the City.

Viperalm is obsessed with aesthetics and appearances and near-everything in the City is quantifiable and displayed for all to see.

Details

Technologically it is squarely between the other two, specialising instead in bioengineering. Out of all the Cities, Viperalm is the most welcoming to non-humans, and most folk there have at least some mild engineered traits. Their police force consists entirely of Angels left behind after the war- rather than dumping their old soldiers like Boarate or killing them like Gullxian, Viperalm still employs most of its previous creations. Quite the contrast to the other Cities' fast-paced disposable attitudes. Viperalm is also the City with the biggest influence and presence in the Wastelands and Undergrowth, with many mines, farms and towns having Viperalm protection in exchange for men or merchandise.

Due to the natural increased exposure of being on the open ground, Viperalm's external army is still regularly reinforced and checked upon. The City has several outposts in and close to various key settlements in the Wastelands, and sends soldiers back and forth often. Viperalm is always seeking to improve and expand, and uses knowledge and materials from the Wastelands to do so. Viperalm Anghenfil that escaped during the Drunkard's rage also roam freely across the lands outside and above the City, acting like feral guard dogs. Unable to be tamed but too reliant on the City to stay alive, they are useful creatures and keep away most other Monsters, and don't attack Viperalm men due to their genetic modifications.

The Elder Dragon Azra'il is this City's captive, their broken body providing the very foundations of the City itself. Their veins are pathways, lungs are apartments, and heart the offices of the Government. Their buried mass builds and shapes the development of the City. The Dragon provides the power of Earth, allowing the entire City to move across the surface if needed.

Viperalm's leading corporation is Ascent, the corporation focussing on bioengineering and artificial creation of new species.

The City's police force is perhaps the most brutal out of all the Cities'. Army Angels and tamed Anghenfil stalk the streets, viciously clamping down on any crime no matter how minor to maintain the City's perfect image.

The external armies are equally violent, consisting entirely of artificially made soldiers designed specifically down to their very genes to serve and fight. Monsters and mutated men stock the swelling ranks, and all are experienced in combat and stress due to active deployments in the Wastelands.

GULLAXIAN

The City of The Sky

The city of the future still trapped in the past, where even common concrete is laced so heavily with computer chips a single crash would cause collapse.

Creator Notes

CREATOR NOTES: Structural Impressionist Aesthetic. Cyberpunk vibe. Structural Impressionism is architecture that aims to be the future. It's high tech, common concrete blended with computer chips powerful enough to wipe out states. Every building is laced so thick with technology that a power crash would collapse the city- a reflection on Viperalm's citizens' total dependency on their technology. The bare bones of buildings appear as a design choice- in reality, it's saving money for when the building's tech inevitably grows old and outdated and must be ripped out and replaced. Much like the citizens who live there, the architecture is constantly seeking the new and upgraded and doesn't falter in discarding the older and weaker. The clothing style is very sharp and tight, with a lot of latex and rubber, polymer used. Everything seems to cling to people but it’s cheap and often just thrown when damaged rather than repaired. Lots of bright artificial colours- hot pinks, bright blues, neon yellows. The higher class wear almost fetish gear, with overblown latex and unnecessary straps everywhere, in the most aggressively contrasting colours they can get.

History

Gullxian was- and still is- the home of the largest nuclear laboratory in the world, the primary source of most nuclear weapons' research, design, and production. It is buried deep within the mountains that Gullxian encapsulates, and officially no longer produces weapons- but is still actively designing and researching weaponry, especially with the newly-discovered energy provisions of Draul and spirit.

Gullxian is a skyward city, floating in the air via copious usage of Contractual convictions and machinery. Its sprawl blocks out much of the sky, so the land below it is always in darkness no matter the time. It ties itself onto a great mountain range formed by the bound dragon Gibrail. It has a population of 24 million.

Details

Gullxian spills down the side of the largest mountain it's chained itself into, the Western walls brushing the slopes. Despite its lesser population it has more of a class divide than Boarate. The poorest slums live on that dark slope, with less defences and more exposed than the floating city above. If Gibrail ever untethered the City and set it truly airborne there is a very high risk of those slums being left behind, carelessly ripped away from the protection of the Dragon in an instant.

Technologically it is the most superior of the three Cities, running almost entirely off Draul and spirit power, and overall is a very cyber-based City. The Elder Dragon Gibrail's body forms the mountains that shape and tether the City, providing it with Draul and protecting it from the Gods' remnants, Demons and Spirits.

Gibrail provides a unique advantage of air manipulation, able to summon storms and twist air currents. This gives the City: a free and powerful engine to stay aloft, protection from earthquakes and ground forces, and a strong defence of a city not bound to earth. Gibrail can also cut the City free of its bindings, removing any way for non-aerial attackers to reach it. Gullxian's leading company is Eris, who focus on cybernetics, machinery and digital technology.

The City's police force is lacking, machines sent in place of men because the crime rate is so high. Most of the time calls are ignored.

Gullaxian's external army is also rather weak- the protection and privacy of the skies means the elite grow soft and complacent, believing they are safe up there. Cyber-Blue is the only major army division they have, and that is shared with Boarate. They do have an air force, although it is almost entirely automated. Gullxian is reliant on the safety of the sky and the trust in their allies.

...

???

The City of Fire

There's something hiding deep within the seas. Beyond even the reach of Boarate. What are you?