General World Information
What is this World?
The world of Iota is a lot bigger than what we have scaled down to focus on. This allows for other users to take the information we have provided and expand upon the world in their own ways! As well allows for us to expand the world in the future as we see fit! Iota within itself is a furry based universe that dips its toes into the possibilities of 'What would modern day be like with magic'.It takes that whimsical idea and shapes it into something that would be pluasable within the world, such as magic being something thats more mundane than it is something thats unique and exciting. The world is more or less on par with our modern day when it comes to technology and its advances, with some unique aspects to it as well. All in All, Iota is an exploration into a lot of little ideas that stem from that initial idea of 'what if magic'
Geography at a Glance
The world of Iota is a wild and temptuous place. It flows with magic which both lifts civilization and topples it. 40% of the world is considered uncivilized, called The Wilds, as the land bursts with too much magic to truly settle, but within these Wilds are magical biomes filled with fantastical flora and fauna rarely found elsewhere in the world.
What is marked by civilization is sadly not as imaginative. Our stories focus on the bredth between two continents and the sister countries that reside there. In the northern hemisphere, two continents drift with almost connecting edges, if they weren't thousands of miles apart. This is because at one point the continents were whole. The eastern half is about 3/4ths the size of Australia, with temperate mountains and plains. It has a couple of countries on it, and is not nearly as magical as its sister continent. The western half is perhaps the size of mainland Europe and then some, if it didn't seem smaller due to the potmarked lakes and rivers that nearly break up the continent into a collection of islands. Part of this continent is uninhabitable as Wilds of a jungle-like humidity in a fungal infested forest stretch across about 1/6th of it's southern body.
Magical Hotspots
Hotspots are naturally occurring pockets of intense magic, which can interfere with technology, especially any that rely on radars and satellites such as cell phones. Hotspots are almost like magical geuysers! They are pockets of intangeable and uncontrolled magic that builds up pressure and releases intensely. The magic ebbs and flows, and in regular intervals they errupt with waves of interrupting force, often sending out regular technology blackouts in cities. As it does, the hotspot slowly mends itself with each erruption. With time they do fade away, but it can take a hundred years or more for a single hotspot to do so, and often times there are multiple hotspots in one location.
In Vin Cerina there are a number of hotspots, including one located directly on Espera Academy. There is also a couple in the scenic little town of Cape Richter up to the northeast of Vin Cerina, and many, many hotspots densely packed in a village called The Valley. More scatter along the coastline of Valdoir, but they vastly outnumber how many are found in Unnamed. Hotspots are being discovered regularly, but only a fraction of what has been reported in Valdoir have been found.
Nations at a Glance
The country of our focus on the western continent is called Valdoir. It takes heavy inspiration from European countries, creating a melting pot of cultures depending on how old the cities are. Cities from the founding of the country, such as Vin Cerina, take aesthetics from Gothic France, while smaller towns usually appear similarly to villages within the Alps and the countrysides of the English Isles. That is, at least, the best way to describe them! Valdoir is the original country of two, once being a massive empire stretched out accross a massive continent. However, a magical catastrophe fractured the land and the country along with it - the original event that separated the two continents from each other - only 400 some odd years ago. In the grand scheme of things, not entirely that long ago, especially when Valdoir has been around for thousands. Since the event, the coast of Valdoir has been overflowing with magical hotspots unprecidented for that area.
The country on the eastern continent was once a part of Valdoir, but in the seperation event many of its oldest cities were collapsed into rubble from earthquakes and tsunamis. The citizens however still thrived, thanks to magic and their own resiliancy. Separated far away from Valdoir, they formed their own identity, Ampher, as they began to pick up the pieces of disaster and rebuild their cities. An industrial revolution shortly after helped give Unnamed the ability to throw itself into the global sphere. A number of cities popped up fashioned in ways only really described as akin to American cities across the spectrum. Coastal cities most resemble American coastal cities from the northeast and southern California.
Valdoir: Government and Law
Capital: Vin Cerina
Valdoir has a representative democracy with two-branches: the Parliamentary Branch and the Judicial Branch. The Parliamentary branch creates legislation and regulation on a federal scale, as well as handling all of the finances for the country. There is a President of Parliament, which is the closest the country would get to a world leader, but they aren't much more than a figure head that can break ties within the Parliament and negotiate foreign policy on Valdoir's behalf. The Judicial branch is a mix of executing and understanding the law, the Judge, Jury, and the Exectioner. They hold immense power within the country all together, but as it is structured, the Judicial branch is very fractured and cannot stand on its own. There are many subsectors of the Judicial branch, including bureaucracies, the courts, the police, and the military. Each sector has a head, which must answer to parliament. The head of these establishments cannot choose to override Parliament, but they can do something called Ne Pas Agir meaning "Take No Action." The Judicial branch has the power to interpret legislation, and if it is interpreted as unconstitutional, they do not have to act, or at least they pretend that they cannot act as legislation is assumed too poorly written to execute, meaning they have the power to negotiate with Parliament to adjust legislation to something they can act on. The Judicial branch cannot act on its own though, and two much refusal to act can mean Parliament can take discretionary action against a sector head or its funding.
Ampher: Government and Law
Capital: Dolus Ante
Aphmer is a sister country of Valdoir's, born from segmented colonies cast aloft at sea. It takes a lot of inspiration from how Valdoir functions, with a revolutionary twist. They have a three branch situation: the Congressional Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Oversight Branch. Aphmer is lead strongly by city states as well, as in the chaos of upheavel, cities ended up having to form independent governments; the central government still existed in a way as a colony of Valdoir, but it was fractured, unfunded, and weak, thus, the city states formed to give structure to the people before forming a national government once all was stable. There has been many periods of unrest in certain city states though, as they refused to give into the formal alliance, and even some very fringe city states still do not consider them a part of Aphmer. Each city state has its Governor and a senate, or mini parliament, and its own bureacratic agencies such as police. The nation as a whole has the Congressional branch, which mostly serves to create a stable economy and unfiorm regulations and limits for city states to adhere to. The Executive branch works the same way as the Judicial branch in Valdoir: to interpret and execute the law. Aphmer does not have a national police, but they do have a military. Aphmer's Judicial branch mostly serves to interpret and enforce federal law, such as food regulations and magical regulations, such like that, as well as offering the city states of cross-jurisdiction court and appeals courts. Finally, the Oversight branch is what ties those together as a checks and balances. It only serves to check other branches behavior and remind them what they can and cannot do, much like a Supreme Court. It is also where there is the Prime Minister of Aphmer, who is the country leader. The Oversight branch especially works closely with the city states to serve their interests but also not to let any one gain too much power or break away from the republic. Its members are elected by city state Governors, and it is a small but powerful group made to make sure the city states have control, but not so much control they cannot be regulated.
Technology at a Glance
As it has been mentioned beforehand, the technology within iota is almost a one to one mirror to the ones we have in real life! However due to magic hotspots and general magic existing within the world, this does change how technology and electricity within itself works! For example, people can generate electricity, this is a magic ability and those proficient in it can actually be get well paying jobs to supply power plants with energy. They rely more on magic then they do batteries in different parts of the world.
It all depends on where hotspots exist and what would serve the area better! However for areas in severe debt, they often can not afford the swap to magic powered tech so they rely on the battery powered that can cause blackouts But in general, the world is also a lot greener than ours, cars run off natural resources to run, public transportation exists in most places! Walking or taking a bike is highly promoted within the smaller towns and cities of the world. In terms of communication, there's touchscreen phones, there's tablets, there's laptops and desktops. It's more or less a one to one as stated previously!
Magic in itself can cause a lot of issues with technology within the world. As most places have not swapped over to magic-powered batteries and electronics quite yet, majority of the world is running off general electricity and battery power. If a magic hotspot or a targeted attack on an electrical system occurs, the magic will not only jam any signals causing a piercing static noise through phone lines, but it will essentially overheat the generators until they pop like a balloon. Magic overexcited electricity and this can be explosive. This is why there are so many recorded blackouts throughout the world of Iota.
Economics at a Glance
The economy is rather straightforward, or well, as convoluted as economics can be. Both Valdoir and Aphmer are capitalistic free markets, and very rich countries. Both also benefit from a social welfare perspective of healthcare, meaning healthcare is generally free or affordable at any stage due to its easy accessibility. However, as much money as they both have, they both have a considerable amount of debt. Valdoir is currently the far more indebted one, having to borrow funds in order to keep its country together after multiple catastrophes and magical hotspot surges that interfere with their technological ability to produce for themselves. Both countries use a system of 10, with 100 coins making 1 dollar. In terms of conversion, 1 Aphmer dollar is equal to 1.17 Valdoir dollars. On the other hand, the city states of Aphmer are not regulated to provide social welfare minimums, just that they must provide those programs. Meaning in Aphmer, the wealth disparity is much larger and social mobility from poverty is very difficult. This situation varies based on city states and their welfare policies. Valdoir has a very comfortable social welfare policy, and does not have nearly as much poverty or class disparities, but it is in comparison a more expensive country overall.
Religions at a Glance
Oh the joys, Religion is a topic that comes up within pretty much every world created. And it does indeed exist here within Iota as well. Some of these religions are spins off our real world religions that play with the idea of magic, but the main religion of this world is a call back to when this world was initially apart of a multiverse. Generally magic plays some sort of a part in all of these religions, I will not be going in too much detail with a lot of information as I am not someone super versed within religion as a topic!
Other religions exist within the world of Iota. This ranges from Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and so on & so forth. Not much really changes about these religions beyond the fact that you now have to account for the fact that there is magic. So you can assume that some religions will beleive that their magic is a gift from god and will use it in the ways that would benifit their spiritual side. Other religions will find magic as a sin or even as something that is a temptation that should be removed from oneself. This is why the removal of the manabladder is done in infants who are born into these religions. It all really depends on your own personal take for the brand of religion and how magic would play into their belief systems.
The Primary Religion
The religion that persists throughout a majority of Iota is known as Atherism, Atherists are those who believe in this religion. This is a religion that beleives that Magic is something deeply tied to a persons soul and their capabilities. The main holy figure within this religion, simply known as 'The Holy One' is a pure white being, often depicted with a halo and short or long hair. Many beleive The Holy One is a woman, others argue that they are a masculine figure. But everyone agrees that the main symbol of this religion is a birght four pointed star. This is due to the fact that this is the same figure seen withing the dreams that kickstart magic puberty, this is the same figure that leaves the white star marking on the right side of the chest cavity.
They often have church programs on sundays or wednesdays, there is a strict magic nullification while within these 'holy' buildings. The churches function simmilarly to those of catholic and christian churches in our real world today. At least within structure and how the proceedings go for scripture and such. They teach of two otherworldy planes known as the 'Aether' and The 'Dim', a Heaven and hell if you will. The Aether is descriped as an eternal paradise for souls that have gone through all their cycles and have become pure being of light, Etherials, those who are without lessons to learn and are the best they can be. While the Dim is often taught to be an endless and pitch black maze that will consume you whole if you fail to learn and grow. Its beleived that if you dream of darkness, you are on the wrong path with your current cycle and must consult the Holy Ones Alter to clear ones mind as to start to get yourself back on the correct path.
Cycles is more or less self explanitory, this religon has its roots in a belif of reincarnation. Every 'cycle; your soul goes through, the more and newer challenges are to be presented, to make your soul grow more and to become a stronger and more epathetic person. Everyone has a soul that is immature when they first begin their cycles, thats why rude, uncouthe and horrible people exist. As They continue their cycles, they are much wiser, kinder and willing to help. Every lifetime has a lesson to learn, a hardship to overcome and once you have passed this trial, you move onto the next within the next lifetime you are to have. It is beleived that 'The Holy One' is there to oversee the souls, giving them access to the magic they have had before once more to aid them in their journey. That they are the being that can help correct a souls path if they make the wrong choices. There is no forever damning actions as some Atherism churches may have you beleive. Many beleive that praying and leaving offerings to the alter of 'The Holy One' will aid them in getting back to the right path, most wont do more than this, beleiving that is enough to reach the gates of the white fields.
All in all, this religion focuses on bettering yourself to help more in communities, to lend a hand and be the best version of yourself you can be. You get looked down upon for judging or discluding others for their other belifs, you get looked down upon if you get roped into bad shit. However the churches are usually gentle with bringing you back to the right path.
Animals & Pets at a Glance
Considering the world of Iota is indeed a world in which anthropormorphic animals, insects and the like all exist, it brings the question of what animals do they have within their world. To put it pretty simply, there are feral versions of most species that exist within iota, though some species such as the great Dragons are long extinxct. But when it comes to Dairy cows and such, there are feral versions! Its an evolutionary divide. There was a part of the world in which half of the population ended up developing and evolving much like the human species while the rest evolved into what is our normal animals today! If that makes sense.
There is meat and such that is sourced from cows, fish, chickens, pigs and such but they are the feral versions that are not evolved and sentient. So there's no weird black market for anthro prey meat, its literally just everyone eating the same thing that is super genetically different from what they are! It would be cannablism if an anthro chicken ate an anthro cheetah more than it would be if they ate a feral chicken. Due to the genetic and DNA makeup of these creatures. This is always a weird topic with anthro animal worlds, hopefully this clears up some of the confusion.
Normal & Magical Animals and Pets
Normal pets and animals do exist! You can find cats and dogs as pets, same with ferrets, snakes, lizards, fish, crabs and so on so forth! If we keep it as a pet in real life, they most likely keep it as a pet in Iota as well! The same goes for raising livestock and general wildlife. Theres no second thoughts about the species looking close to what the anthro species is, its just not thought about. Though there should be a note that normal pets are not as popular as they are in our real world. Theres another type of creature that has been domesticated over the years that is a lot more popular and does a fantastic job with being service animals! That would be that of the Dragons.
To cover on the magical fauna that exist within Iota. There is not a lot of actual documentation on what lives within the wilds. Its been left open by the creators as to make it fun for those who wish to theorize to do just that! The only creature that has been fully thought out besides the dragon is a giant whale-like fish called an Elderbeast. These massive fish are carnivores and will sink ships to feast, they exist only in the deep waters of the wilds and they can cause storms and dangerous waters by splashing or throwing themselves around!
Dragons & Their Relation to Service Animals
Dragons are funny little creatures.
They are roughly ferret to cat sized [Yes you can have a maine coon sized dragon] and do not fly! They can have wings [these wings can help them glide or soften falls] and take on appearances of eastern or western dragons! These little creatures can be highly intelligent and can telepathically communicate with their owners, this is the main reason they make such good service animals! Often times these little guys have huge personalities and have hoarding tendencies for one or two items! They also have a small magic flame, it's mostly used as a defense showing as is puffing their necks out, it doesn't cause any harm and often the color of it syncs up to their owners magic color!
Dragons can be obtained one of two ways, you have Mill Dragons that are sold within pet stores and by some breeders or you have the ethically bred & the institutions that have been given a seal of approval by the government. The latter of the dragons are a lot more expensive but they do a LOT better with tasks as a service animal than those bought from the stores. The differences between these two are quite important in the grand scheme of things. Ethically bred probably go for a couple hundred while petshop are maybe 100 at most.
The ethically bred are not separated from their mothers for the first year, their intelligence is ripened & they are taught how to speak better by mimicking their mothers, they learn more tasks by using those little toys toddlers use. They know how to hoard, clean themselves & to use the litter box, their development is slower than that of cats and dogs, so its worse to separate them before their first year
That's probably why your average dragon is not very good at speaking, not the brightest light bulb and may have issues with learning tricks, hoarding items, getting through service training amongst other things. Take them too early and they may not be properly weaned or may not even know how to clean themselves. It's easy to tell how old they are in months the first year, because they go from a wet looking moss ball to a little fluffy thing that slowly starts extending in length to eventually a proper looking year old dragon with scales and their final fluff growth
The main reason health care providers have a list of ethically sourced breeders for these dragons with service dragons, is for the fact they have a much higher intelligence & are more capable of learning speech and tasks. This does wonders for people who can not speak for one reason or another, the dragon can hear them and speak towards the party, etc. They help a lot of different ailments & are great emotional support animals as well. They can get as smart as your average 3 or 4 year old, but don't have the comprehension or critical thinking of a full grown person if that makes sense. At most they can say up to 4 words telepathically to their owner or those within a distance to make eye-contact.
Domestic Mothballs, Their Benefits & Their Wilds Counterpart
Dragons are funny little creatures.
They are roughly ferret to cat sized [Yes you can have a maine coon sized dragon] and do not fly! They can have wings [these wings can help them glide or soften falls] and take on appearances of eastern or western dragons! These little creatures can be highly intelligent and can telepathically communicate with their owners, this is the main reason they make such good service animals! Often times these little guys have huge personalities and have hoarding tendencies for one or two items! They also have a small magic flame, it's mostly used as a defense showing as is puffing their necks out, it doesn't cause any harm and often the color of it syncs up to their owners magic color!
Dragons can be obtained one of two ways, you have Mill Dragons that are sold within pet stores and by some breeders or you have the ethically bred & the institutions that have been given a seal of approval by the government. The latter of the dragons are a lot more expensive but they do a LOT better with tasks as a service animal than those bought from the stores. The differences between these two are quite important in the grand scheme of things. Ethically bred probably go for a couple hundred while petshop are maybe 100 at most.
The ethically bred are not separated from their mothers for the first year, their intelligence is ripened & they are taught how to speak better by mimicking their mothers, they learn more tasks by using those little toys toddlers use. They know how to hoard, clean themselves & to use the litter box, their development is slower than that of cats and dogs, so its worse to separate them before their first year
That's probably why your average dragon is not very good at speaking, not the brightest light bulb and may have issues with learning tricks, hoarding items, getting through service training amongst other things. Take them too early and they may not be properly weaned or may not even know how to clean themselves. It's easy to tell how old they are in months the first year, because they go from a wet looking moss ball to a little fluffy thing that slowly starts extending in length to eventually a proper looking year old dragon with scales and their final fluff growth
The main reason health care providers have a list of ethically sourced breeders for these dragons with service dragons, is for the fact they have a much higher intelligence & are more capable of learning speech and tasks. This does wonders for people who can not speak for one reason or another, the dragon can hear them and speak towards the party, etc. They help a lot of different ailments & are great emotional support animals as well. They can get as smart as your average 3 or 4 year old, but don't have the comprehension or critical thinking of a full grown person if that makes sense. At most they can say up to 4 words telepathically to their owner or those within a distance to make eye-contact.
More Information
This section serves as a space to further expand upon ideas that are breifly touched upon in the city sections! Or even ideas that have not been covered anywhere else within the worlds information! So this section can and will be updated from time to tie based on new information being added to the world or a specifc area. Please bare in mind that the following topics can be dark and contain sensitive content. Please read cautiously and be aware.
Blueblood Corp.
The Blueblood Corporation is ran by none other than Vexxen J. Blueblood, the Main antagonist of the Dulos Ante Story and the current heir to the Blueblood family name. Dolus Ante within itself is named roughly 'Deceiving Risks'. This ties directly into what this city is and what The Corp does. Vexxen is a scary smart businessman and knows how to play the system. He uses legal loopholes so the government cannot pin crimes against him or his company. They work within the confines of the law, have legal contracts and generally use seperate accounts & information to avoid suspicion for any nefarious activities. Often times being one step ahead due to the various moles planted in governmental & police bodies. The corp is a criminal empire that has roots in Dolus Ante and has spread into the likes of Vin Cerina, Colton and Sinclair City. It continues to spread and consume its victims whole.
It started as just a Banking business run by the Blueblood family for many, many long generations. Being one of the oldest rooted banks of Dolus Ante. With this, they are known as one of the most willing to give loans and generally a really good bank. They would expand to that of Casinos that would play the cards under the table and go dirty to drag people in. It would put on a show with actors where they would win big, this would encourage folks to blow their money on the casinos, where the chances were skewed in favor of the house. This business wasn't shady at first but would begin to get more more corrupt as time went on & the allure of money began to get increasingly more enticing. The casino business would continue on strong and eventually the weak and prone to addictions would be enticed into the glittery floors of these establishments, getting themselves into a further and further rut. This would be a driving force for most to take out loans from the Blueblood Bank, effectively ruining peoples lives slowly with suffocating debt.
In recent years, the business would expand again to now include two lavish Cruise Ships that have Casino floors, furthering their ties with Casinos in modern day. The funds would go into refurbishing these ships, then came the question of staffing the ships with a crew of folks they could underpay and take advantage of. Sure they could have hired hands, however the new CEO had a brilliant idea to offer debt relief to those who were trapped in the banks silky spider webs.
So contracts were drafted and eventually approved by a legal team. These contracts would essentially have these people signing their lives away for upwards of 2 to 40 years to repay their loans and debts, working for about 5% of their salary, the rest of the salary would go to that of the Corp to pay off said debts. So, the Corp. got next to free labor. It does not end here however,
The crew would get free board, room, and food as well, so for many in debt, this would actually be a better living situation then they were in beforehand. They would have some access to some of the things that initially drove them into the debt, as a way to drag them down further & extend the contracts. But many, now knowing the schemes of the corp, actively try to quit and distract themselves on the cruises, as gods know they'll be there for years to come.
Then there was the idea to prey on the wealthy, scummy folk who could afford a trip on the Casino ship by offering escort services from the working crew. As the Corp could use this to help them keep a very tight control & influence over Dolus Ante and other cities. The Crew would be in charge of essentially getting blackmail information to be said aloud or performed & the crew would be offered that their contract would be cut in half, HOWEVER the contract had it within that the client can do whatever they want to the crew with a special mark, so long as they were not harmed, killed or generally left with damage that can't be undone. Vexxen is a cruel man but he cares for his merchandise. Many would be enticed into the escort services, as it could cut down a 10 year contract into a 5 year one, so on and so forth. They know theyll be taken care of better than the other staff as well due to the policies of peak health conditions. They may experience some extremely rough shit, but they will also be medically taken care of, fed better & have better rooms. So the pros for many outweigh the cons.
The Ships themselves needed a very unique way to identify staff as well as let them into highly secured areas. Thus the magical ID system for the ships was born. These tattoos would disappear upon the day their contract is up & they are to leave the ship. Often times the contracts are planned around the ships schedule to account for their eventual leave. These Tattoos held the persons general information and employee number & credentials so they wouldn't need to carry around Identification badges that could be stolen. If the arm is severed in any way; the enchanted marking would disappear.
A card suit is tattooed on the back of the hand of the crew. The order went:
✦ Spade for the Casino Floor, non-escort services
✦ Heart for the Casino Floor, escort services
✦ Diamond for the Public areas of the Boat
✦ & Club for the unseen portions of the ship, maintenance, food n craP
This is how the ships are run nowadays. Moving on from this we get into the other businesses that the corp has expanded into. They now own a hospital along with a jewelry store & have contacts in other cities. This corp frequently trades in harvested organs, the making and tampering of magic suppressants and enhancers, they created a highly addictive drug that give intense high and crash known as 'Voided'. They are guilty of planting drugs within the local homeless shelter to try and encourage more and more people to turn to taking loans from loan sharks that work for the bank or to get them in a desperate state to get out. Vexxens companies web spreads far and is incredibly messy.
'The Maiden'
The Maiden is the first ship the company purchased, it was a run down public cruise ship that had seen some many rough years.. They refurbished her with beautiful colors and made it once more a luxurious cruise! Though at a very pricey and hefty price tag in order to meet the standards of the Corp. It goes from the ports of Dolus Ante and goes to Vin Cerina. Much like its sister ship.
This is the ship that is more open to the public, if you can afford a few hundred bucks for a couple tickets [Or get lucky with free raffles and such], you could get on this two week cruise! It allows for third-class, second-class, and first-class passengers!
The ship doesn't depart for upwards of 3 days after reaching its destination. So this allows for the travellers to take the time to explore the beautiful City of Vin Cerina, blow their cash on that of the Crest Family & then blow the rest on the trip back home.
There is a lot to do within this ship! The first layer holds many little bars, it has two major pools & some hot tubs. One end for the first class patrons, the other for second and third class patrons! Then you have the second floor down which contains a lot of shops & places to dine! The floor underneath this one is a small arcade floor for the kids and adults on one end, and a more VIP area that is a fancy high-end bar and casino. The floors beneath these are simple cabins for the staff and the patrons of the ship! Its a delightful time for all who come for the cruise!
'The Shining Pearl'
The Shining Pearl is the second ship obtained by the company. She was luckily a pristine ship upon purchase so they didn't have to do many repairs. They refurbished her with beautiful colors and made it once more a luxurious cruise ship with an additional two floors to make it a casino cruise for the upper crusts of Iota! It goes from the ports of Dolus Ante and goes to Vin Cerina. Much like its sister ship. This is the ship that is closed to the public as the tickets alone is upwards of a few thousand dollars, aimed to lure in the rich and influential, much like the prime minister and those who are apart of the government. Vexxen very much uses this ship as a trap to get blackmail material on these important people, as mentioned in the passage above.
There is a lot to do within this ship! The first layer holds many little bars, it has a giant pool & hot tub area, with a floating bar and fine dining at the front of the ship. The next floor has very high end retailers & fine dining [with the occasional very risky fast food place that's a guilty pleasure] Below this floor is the residential suites. The floor below this is the casino floor that has no escorts, its has an expensive bar and delightful eyecandy staff, its the floor below that is detailed to be for escort services and only those with the VIP passes have access to this floor. If it ever comes to it, this is the perfect floor to "take care" of any potential threats to the business.
The Crests & The Mortissons
A blood feud that spanned for generations. In the city of Vin Cerina, two families have vied for control over not just the city, but of Valdoir as a country, and after many many generations, one of them won. The Crest family is a family of the brash and the vain, those who crave power and moneymore than anything else. The Mortisson family is a family of the cold and the viperous, and are those who seek power in control. It was finally the Crests who came out on top. About 22 years ago, the head of the Mortisson family, Mordecai Mortisson, had an affair with a Crest woman, Evening Crest, the sister of her family's head. However, the Mortisson man was married at the time, and this affair cost him everything, including his wife and three sons. The Mortisson family imploded during a rather brutal divorce, leaving much of its holdings up for grabs and the Crests keenly took advantage. Now, Mordecai has passed away and his son Eigengrau has called upon his brothers to divide the rest of the family's estate, and perhaps they might get even on the Crests for destroying their family and for taking from their companies when they were at their weakest.
Adler Crest, a bright and young politician and a member of Parliament, is the current head of the Crest family, after her father passed some years ago. The Kingsley Crest foundation is both a non-profit charity and a company of sorts. See, there exists both simultaneously, and the company of that name is like a holding company for all that is owned by the Crest family.
Damascus Mortisson, a jaded and intense businessman, is the current head of the Mortisson family as the eldest son. However, he and is brothers share equal thirds of the family's Vivere Company, and its associated companies underneath. He has a bone to pick with the Crests, but his brothers don't seem to share the same interest in vengeance as he does.
The Valley's Cult
The cult within the valley is very interesting when you start getting into the details of it. From the outside looking in, this just seems like a culture that has some slightly offputting acts that they do, but its all deeply ingraned in their beliefs of the Ather and the Dim. They beleive heavily that the 'Holy One' will split the world open and bring forth the end of ages. So they are preparing themselves and others for the end times. The mayor is seen as a messanger of the Holy one and is the one who controls the finances and rules of The Valley. This is reenforced because no matter how much time passes, the Mayor of the Valley never seems to age past the age of 35.
Those within this cult have their manabladder removed from a very young age if not from birth, this is due to their belief that the magic they have been given is tainted and will corrupt them if used. The magic they need is already provided by the land they live within, this is why the magic hotspots are so sacred to them. A more medical reason for this exists as well, due to many children who were allowed their manabladders often died due to wild surges that would cause the bladder to explode at a rapid rate. Of course the Mayor of the valley blamed the children for using their magic for 'evil'. The children will be taught of the hotspot of the Wishing Well. Every year on ones day of birth- they will get to go to the wishing well and give their hearts desire to that of the Holy One to fufill. This yearly tradition is a whole community event, celebrating the life of the young community members.The Children will receive a prestine crystal coin from the mayor on that special day.
The cult within itself has a very structured way of life. There is to be a morning reading of the scripture with your family during breakfast. The children are to go to school while the parents go to work within the town or will make the holy trip to vin Cerina to work. At Lunch they have another reading of the scripture and an hour long rest before they are to return to work & school. Within the evenings, the children are to play or to help as the mothers and fathers cook and clean. The night ends with a community sermon at the church before everyone is to return to homes to rest for the next day. Children are expected to respect and help their mothers and Fathers. Mothers and Fathers are expected to be loving & Encourage their childrens good behaviours but are also expected to punish their children harshly for going against the base rules of the valley or their home rules.
Its a common belief that those past the age of 70 are past the right age for the reaping of the Holy One. They beleive that because the reaping has not happened at this year that it is time to help their elderly into acension. So they are dressed in white and gold robes on the day of their acension and will give their final wish to the Valley before going up to the peak. The pastor will say their peace and blessing for the next cycle and those who are to acend will fall back into the riptides below. The community does not mourn the death of the elderly they lost, but rather celebrate in the gardens with a feast. This same ritual is completed for those who can not be healed by the medic. Be it infants, the terminally ill, those who can not help provide for the valley, so on and so forth.
If one is found trying to leave the valley, they have commited a carnal sin or have commited a crime worthy of a punishment, they will be casted away into the old barn where they will starve for 3 days and 3 nights. Before being put to judgment before the whole town, if they are found guilty, they are lead to the pig pen and forced to kneel over a obsidian stone with their scripture enscribed. The stone is long stained crimson, the persons neck will be slit and they will be left to bleed out and be consumed by the swine. generally this is a rare occurance, but it does still occur when the valley is deaf to the repents of an innocent victim. Children who show that they go against the scripture are whiped and beaten, sent to the barn for a night to think about their sins and are often welcome back once they repent and grovel.
If one is to die in their sleep or for reasons not done of the cult, they are given a ritualistic body burning as death unprompted is seen as a sign as an omen of bad luck, rotten crops or even worse; that the reaping will be pushed back another hundred years. Its never that bad for the latter unless theres been 10+ too early of deaths within the past year. To try and prevent this, they weed out the weak, sick and those that are too fragile at birth and perform the acension ceromony for them as to cleanse the valley of the inpure.