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Winterhaven

"The city of mercenaries and poets."

Climate & Infrastructure

A city born from a foreign star crashing into the region centuries ago covered by snowstorms. The star has a mind of its own, preventing the city from building new infrastructure. Through a statue, it controls buildings and restricts its inhabitants.

Infrastructure often resembles Victorian architecture as the weather prevents construction. The star implements its own technology layering cybernetics to ward off those at its surrounding borders. Some large water sources in the area have frozen over and never melted. Sometimes, they are useful for crossing over to the borders of Celestia.

Statue of Authority

Statue of the Forgiven

Economic State

Winterhaven has no stable currency in circulation but rather an energy source. They are known as “Star Tears.” In fact, the star emits particles that merge with snow to form small crystals. A source of heat, they are often needed by Celestia as a source of energy for railways.

But both cities have poor relations with each other. And yet, the city heavily relies on exports for necessities. Most of its inhabitants are below the poverty line; only a small percentage make enough to live comfortably.

One can classify Winterhaven as a cyber-Victorian city. Because these two time periods clash, it is you often will find both a telephone booth and yet people using holographic screens to communicate. Mercenaries and writers are the only two groups who can use more advanced technology while others are blocked.

There are two reasons: the star controlling the city needs writers who are adept and literate to keep the star’s command in place and for mercenaries to execute anyone who denies the system rules.

Technological Efficiency

Political Affairs

The people in Winterhaven are mostly illiterate and uneducated and closed off from other parts of the world. It seems to be a dictatorship without a physical leader's presence.

That is, until enough star tears are gathered in an area. The star wishes to have a physical form by manipulating its population to gather all its star tears to one place.

People of the region are comprised of poor people who live in streets and slums who speak semi-formally. But there is a chosen population of those who are favoured to work for its administration. These people are selected by the system at birth.

Their roles cannot change. Those who aren’t favoured by the star live in struggle and hardship.The old saying goes “Those who stand still in snow will find themselves frozen in the eternity of time.”

Population Demographics

Religious Beliefs

The city doesn’t have a religion unless you deem the star a religious being. People sometimes express their gratitude at the statue of the merciless in hopes of being chosen as a writer or mercenary. Those who deny the existence of the star are often executed. Ever since the star landed, it has caused a rift to shift the perception of life and death.

It convinced people to believe in the afterlife and thus a physical form of the afterlife was created. It convinces people to accept death so that the administration can kill off those who do not align with their beliefs. Because the afterlife was artificially created by the star, souls of the dead are not laid to rest properly and run rampant which requires mercenaries to take care of.

Inhabitants

Statue of Authority

Statue of the Merciless

Terminus

Climate & Infrastructure

"The city of technology and no return."

A developing city is enforcing strict regulations by the administration. It remains always at night as one of the most modern cities out of the three. The city has district numbers, with district 100 indicating the best quality of life and 0 being the worst.

As its only border touches Winterhaven, the city wants to take over its source of star tears and expand its administrative power.

Economic State

Contrary to star tears, each inhabitant's access to the city is tied to their numerical value called "Moral Factor."

The higher the number, the more they are allowed to access city services as they are deemed righteous. Once the number reaches zero, they are teleported or turned into city guards to serve the city.

Although not common, the city can control individual bodies by taking over the host. The city's statue guard is heavily equipped with advanced technology and weapons. The only way to fight guards is to use unregistered technology in the system's database.

Technological Efficiency

Political Affairs

The city's desire to expand its land has been taking over parts of Winterhaven's border for control. Terminus doesn't stop its inhabitants from leaving.

Only mercenaries from Winterhaven are allowed to pass the borders, as others are prohibited. Similar to Winterhaven, the city is highly monitoring its inhabitants who break rules. Inhabitants crossing over will automatically be assigned their "Moral Factor."

All citizens are born in the centre core of the city. People of the region speak informally in many kinds of origin. The city likes to assign roles in the scientific field and mercenaries with high "Moral Factors."

Those with a low "Moral Factor" can still have comfortable lives by raising their numerical values by following city rules. But there are known loopholes to falsely raise or lower them as well.

Population Demographics

Religious Beliefs

The "Moral Factor" is often worshipped as opposed to physical statues of the other cities. Because of this, there are also factions formed that gather inhabitants based on their numerical range.

Inhabitants

Celestia

"The city of magicians and knowledge."

Climate & Infrastructure

It often stays warm year-round with ideal temperatures for planting crops and running construction all year long. Most of its infrastructure is comprised of spires, pillars and study facilities.

Although it is nowhere near large water sources, it relies heavily on railway systems for imports from Winterhaven. Most of its borders touch Winterhaven, creating a localized steampunk zone across the two regions.

Statue of Authority

Statue of the Resilient

Economic State

Celestia also relies on star tears to trade with neighbouring cities. Most of the population has a stable income of star tears. In the city, the star tears react with the heat to form a more crystallized shape. But blueprints to magical spells are more valuable than Star Tears.

Powered primarily by magic, the city is also filled with classism. It is a place where many scholars study. The more knowledge a magician possesses, the older and larger they appear. There are many spells magicians can use, but the current ruler has banned dangerous spells that are believed to be unethical, but those who control the rules are no better.

Technological Efficiency

Political Affairs

Most political affairs take place within Celestia's city hall, where every action is determined by a scale. Those punished for learning banned spells or caught working with non-magicians are banished to reside within the underground area of the city.

People of the region who speak formally are mostly educated. Although where most magicians live, the border is free to cross into, but its inhabitants are not friendly to outsiders, particularly those in Terminus and individuals with scientific roles, who are viewed as a threat.

Population Demographics

Religious Beliefs

The star of this region has a physical body unknown to most inhabitants. Although it is worshipped, it has mysteriously disappeared in folklore, and its whereabouts remain unknown. Some speculate that it never existed, yet some believe its physical form is within one of the magicians.

Inhabitants