Fortress Level Outer

Fortress Level is the largest of the three. It is surrounded by tall, thick walls, at the sides of which and atop which a lot of people have made their homes. Not just that, but the city itself is positively huge, with four Outer-Districts, that form the Low District and Three Inner-Districts, which form the High District. The Wall District in and of itself, has a few noteworthy elements.


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Wall District.

History.

It was one of the earliest known areas in the city, naturally, however population was scarce until a long time in, and when the guards at the walls were no longer truly needed, as nothing seemed to be COMING into Fortress. The settlers were often some of the last migrants, that could not find a place deeper in and were thus rejected. After the years and through eventual relations with the guard contingent at the wall, formed a number of families, and a culture of their own. Nowadays the wall is in a good place, unaffected by much of the Fortress' authorities, and capable of generating sufficient internal income.

Population.

The people of the Wall District are separated into two main groups. The Merchants and the Wall Knights. Typically a lot of what secures the wall district it's wealth is the trade that can reach ANY of the four outer districts. Hence, instead of going through the hurdles of transporting goods between districts and dealing with authority, most of the inter-district trade happens at the walls, and this, being a large organisation is handled by the heads of several greater Merchant families. However, anyone that takes it upon them to trade in the Wall, is given the title Merchant.

Wall Knights are former guards, that were stationed at the walls. Over the years, receiving little orders and support, they were disbanded suddenly. They then decided to remain warriors, not in the service of the Fortress authorities but of the Merchants, and the people living in the walls. They are unconventional and pick up many things from the districts they land into. Used to greater heights and dealing with thieves. Usually families of warriors got together with other warriors, forging the Wall Knight caste. The other case is when a Merchant and Knight family formed a mutually beneficial union, warriors protecting those specific merchants, and those merchants paying those specific warriors, and offering them a more stable work.

Politics, beliefs, power.

There is no particular set of beliefs and the like in the Wall District. Politics are not really that difficult to get through, most of the time the big Merchant Families have a lot of military backing which if unleashed would damage the trade, and they all want to get the money flowing. However, there are times when conflict arises, over perceived thefts, which occasionally turn out to have been very real thefts. A shadow conflict for dominance is always in play, and even though there is a lot of movement of Wall dwellers between each part of the wall, there is still a bit of a culture clash, and racism exists, even WITHIN the district. Most Wall Knights do not have any Spirit power, and instead rely on  multiple, yet weak artifacts. Typically, that is.

People in the wall district live in houses built on the inner and outer side of the wall, and depending on where you live, this can determine your social status. Those that live in the walls of the South District, for example, are considered of a better standing if they live on the side of the wall looking  OUTSIDE. Opposite goes for the Western and Eastern districts. Houses rarely reach over five floors and are not too fancy. Bigger houses belong to Merchant heads, and are built in the middle of the road, and to allow caravans and the like to go through, the middle section is oft opened. It also allows them to enforce tax payments.


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South District

History

the first founded district, even if the walls were there before, South district connects directly to the gate of Fortress, and thus splits into two parts. Inner and Outer. Inner-south is also known as the Gate-District, as it is the area surrounding the gate. Anything that is too far from it, is known as the Ring-District, because it kind of forms a 'ring' around the Gate. Due to there having been strict regulations regarding entry into Fortress proper, the two half-districts of South have walls built between them, and this has not helped relations. Gate-District citizens see themselves as privileged because, with the gate being largely unguarded, except for a small order of warriors, the self appointed Gate-Guardians who are supposed to only work when the city is threatened by outside forces, people from it can and have gone out, and brought in tales from the outside world. The Ring District however, see their fellows as isolated and ignorant, and relish their right to easily connect with other districts.

Population

Highly civilian, for most part, there is a strong gaming and gambling culture around the Ring district, whereas the Gate-district is most known for it's numerous delicacies, often coming as a result of people dwelling outside, picking up seeds and various other ingredients and bringing them in the city, to produce exotic dishes. Not just that, but also a lot of experimental 'medicine' both traditional, and produced by *ahem* legitimate clinics, are sold here, but they are of varying levels of effectiveness. Aside from the food, a lot of parks and zoos exist here, housing, again, exotic specimen from the outside. The places CLOSEST to the gate itself, also seem to have a lot of caravans, guarded by warriors from various corners of Fortress, and numerous merchants, researchers or adventurers seeking to go out, on lengthy expeditions.

The Ring District is more subdued in this regard, they try to take what they can from Wall trade and the Gate-district, and as a result, end up needing to maximize profit. It is where the narcotics and gambling industry are at their peak. It is mostly human populated, although the Automata from the Eastern district often end up here as well, about their shady and unspecified business. A powerful faction, known simply as the 'House of Wine and Water' has it's hold on this area, through having subjugated most smaller criminal groups and gangs.

Beliefs, power, organizations.

Not much in the set of beliefs here, however those that come from outside the Gate report odd findings of strange paintings, symbols, statues and more found in the outside, and these findings have surprising consistency. Some seem to have taken to trying to decipher their meaning, or at least what, whoever put them there, needed them for. That aside, this district is not that powerful or highly regarded among the people of Fortress for a number of reasons, mainly due to it's lack of authority present, although the Umbrella Knights, the equivalent of law enforcement in the city, DO take an interest to the district quite often, they barely manage to keep it in an orderly state.

The few factions of importance are the House of Wine and Water, the Gate Guardians and the local detachment of Umbrella Knights. It is said, that there exists a hidden society of tricksters, thieves and assassins who try to keep the criminal and lawful factions in a balance, and try to profit the general populace as much as possible, but these are for most part, mere rumors.


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Eastern District - Automata

History

The district was once the industrial center of Fortress. It still is, as a lot of the factories reside here, and since they rely on Flow energy to work, the atmosphere around the place was heavily polluted. So much that they tried collapsing part of the district into the underground. It largely failed, but the district IS at a lower elevation than most others. Not just that, but they promptly walled it off, and restricted Wall access too, through putting metal nets atop the place, and sometimes covering whole portions in what seemed to be covers made of a glass-like material, that absorbed Flow. The event of trying to sink the district did...not go too well... Most  people were left injured, and the only way they could be saved, was for them to be imbued with cybernetics and the like.

Most of them, required such extensive alteration, that they no longer retained human form. Most of the Automata are in fact, cyborgs of a kind. They breathe Flow, and thus are at no risk of infection.  However, most human children born (as a result of Automata proliferation), eventually suffer bodily defects which require a steady process of Automatification, their bodies being slowly, cybernetically altered to cover for the damage. It is an equivalent of puberty, to the people living in the Eastern District. More on Automata on their paste.

Population.

Automata. Simply put, anyone born here is doomed to become one, unless they have magic proper, and thus can absorb Flow, or have an artifact that constantly does that for them, or at least somehow protects them from damage coming from said Flow. Visitors and newcomers are often allowed only in special areas, and even then for limited periods so as not to risk infection. This is not the case with Dragons, who literally breathe flow, or some of the more mysterious dwellers of the lower levels, or of course, the immortals from up-high. There is a strong presence of Fortress authorities, the Automata-Division of the Umbrella Knights is stationed here, as is the special unit of non-automata members, Rain Storm. The later seem to be tasked with overseeing the more dangerous aspects of work here, the industrial research and the more...delicate devices.

Otherwise, the place's mostly an industrial district, with factories, networks and fabrics in which most of the automated production of goods and materials for Fortress happens. Also, some degree of research,  mostly of industrial nature, although it is not a primarily research-based district, for obvious reasons.

Power, beliefs, factions.

Little in terms of factions here, but there is a clear distinction between security (Umbrella Knights), workers (common folk), management and research (while management is somewhat respected they are more common, researchers are rare, but not treated all that well, however truly excellent researchers are absolutely scarce, and receive proper treatment for their effort) and owners (of the factories/fabrics, owners are either native automata, or humans who do not even live in the area, and simply dictate the flow of work there).

Almost all early automata, speak of a 'Primordial Machine' from which they gained rebirth as Automata. However, the veracity of this has been cast into doubt. Even then it must be said that Prime Automata (once called ancient-Automata, it is not really a matter of age as it is a matter of the technique used) are very rare and not too vocal about their origins, whereas Semi - Automata (the ones mostly talked about here) are far more common and widespread in the district, and this isn't something most talk about.

There are no real factions here as it is primarily a civilian district, however syndicates and the like do exist. Mostly they stay silent, as, due to the fact workers ARE automata, tiredness, starvation and what humans would consider bad health conditions are not really an issue. That aside, overworking and violation of rights IS a widespread issue which the numerous Worker Unions (there is one for each area of the District, numbering up to 5) have tried to fight against.

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West District

History

The Dragon-kin district. Dragons were once a mighty race, that had the strength, speed and endurance of gigantic winged, firebreathing lizards with unbreakable scales, and the power of virtually immortal wizards. The only thing they could possibly fear, were other dragons, which of course, turned out to be a relevant little detail. One'd think that being so wise, and considering themselves so superior to other races, they'd have avoided internal conflict. The circumstances behind their actual demise are as of yet, unknown, of course, but most of the last remaining dragons DID try to propagate their species by turning to human form, and mating with humans.

Dragons never made it back, but a half-dragon species, of scaled humanoids, possessed of various subspecies DID come to exist, and inhabit one of the districts of Fortress. They share space with the humans, of course, but for most part each keep to their own business. There is no clear distinction between the two, socially, and conflicts between the races have been minimal throughout the ages, although, the ones that HAVE existed, were quite brutal and are best not spoken of in a polite environment.

Population.

Partially Dragonkin, partially human, with some Exalts existing here and there. Dragonkin speak of the frightening Observers, from the underground, or the Glassmen, who are it's more 'normal' inhabitants, and the District IS known for having the only well known access point to Underfell. Not that most people would want to make use of said entrance point. That aside, the dragonkin seem to be greater in percentage, and rumor has it that there are a few, still surviving real dragons among them, disguising as dragon-kin, although there is none to dispel OR confirm these rumors. The humans on the other hand live more subdued lives here than in other Districts, likely due to the dragonkin's own philosophy of solving disputes internally, and their fearsome strength... It has made lawlessness less of an issue, and is something the Umbrella Knights are thankful for.

But that aside, large dragon families train their own scions to be warriors, and the battle-tradition of Dragons is fundamentally different from that of humans, as is their power-set for most part. Dragons possess access to a strange type of Spirit-power, called Dragon-Spirit, which allows them to call upon the magical effects of said power through vocal invocations, rather than gestures of will. While potent, this magical alternative DOES have it's drawbacks.

Power, beliefs, groups.

The dragons have a set hierarchy of order and reverence for their ancestors. The greatest among them being the Star-Dragon, Yaradaol, said to have formed the first star that illuminated all the universe, metaphorically, after having himself become light. Other figures, like the Vast Dragon, Maldrogos, Valgorne, Silcronas, Alerna, Mazarc and so on, so forth, hold different value, to different families. Of note is the fact that these individuals DID in fact, exist in a time long gone, and due to how Dragon - Spirit works, may still well exist to this day. Maybe.

Dragon families are the highest authority here, barring the occasional involvement of an Umbrella Knight Commander, in  times of unrest, although as a fact, this is true for most other Districts. Humans do not hold much political power, but there is word of a secret cabal of them, that is involved in Underfell affairs, utilizing the swift connection this District has to the dark subterranean realm. That aside, there is not much that's politically exciting to this place. Or at least, there MIGHT be, just...subtle, and very well hidden. The dragons have always been a secretive bunch.

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North District

History.

The district of the Exalts, Automata and Dragon-kin are more than welcome here, but strangely enough NOT humans. Long ago, before the Eastern district was polluted and sunk, it's inhabitants were primarily humans, and the South district was in fact, not quite populated. It so happened, that before the Dragon-kin came in, the western district was predominately Exalt as well. The North district was one built from both sides. Problems begun when the human builders met the Exalt builders at the center, and war broke out. The exact nature and whose fault it was for it, is still left in the air, and nobody has taken responsibility, but it has made Human-Exalt relations strained.

Oddly enough, they extended a hand to the Automata, seemingly being empathetic to their plight, and allowing a lot of them to migrate into North. A lot of Prime Autoamta live here as well, not to mention the Dragon population has in fact been quite welcome. Humans however are a scarce sight, and even Umbrella Knights are less than welcome here. In the event of their appearance, they send elites, and mostly Dragon-Kin or Automaton ones. Exalt Elites are seen as traitors, in one of the few cases of agreement between the major division between the Exalts.

Population.

Diverse, but highly weighted in the non-human size, it contains no less than three species, in a percentage that is impossible to ignore (Roughly, 55% Exalts, 20% Dragon-kin and 25% Automata, from what the government says). It is also the most populated District of all others, located right behind Dogma Hill, and is seen as quite the good place to live in, if you are a member of those races, again. However there is some division among the Exalts, which causes heated conflicts to spark on occasion. Aside from that, the other species live in peace... except, again for the occasional coercion into conflicts between the Exalt groups.

It is largely a civilian district, and possesses access to the higher level  districts as well. This is not as good as it seems, due to the Umbrella Knights being predominantly human in their numbers, at least in the recent years, and thus having a hard time to get to most places through the main transit point the higher districts have, to the lower level ones. That aside, the older members of the district are known to resign from public entrances in the societal life of the place, and try to improve their influence in subtler ways.

Factions, belief and politics.

Oh dear, how to go about this. The Exalts are torn exactly because of their political foundations, that have far deeper roots in their culture. They are open about the fact that they come from another world altogether, but the exact details are anybody's guess. Even the term 'Exalt' is discussed as being incorrect. There exists a split between the species, and two prominent factions exist. The Monarchist faction, which supports the existence of a Queen of their race, that is their prophesied leader, and of her lesser, yet still noble kin. The Loyalist factions supports the idea of an even more ancient and far more mystical ruler, and a number of followers who were granted potent boons. However, when the Exalt - Human conflict occurred, there was a discrepancy in the numbers between both sides.

Monarchists have always been superior, numerically, and their standing towards humans has been improving throughout the years, which has given the government all the more reason to support their legitimacy. It is for this reason after all, that the term used for Exalts is...well, Exalts, and not that other, dreaded word the Loyalists prefer. In a surprising, recent move however, the Loyalist leader decided that he would accept humans in special areas of Loyalist-territories... Which has put them ahead in standing with the government. Relaxing restrictions for the Umbrella Knights too, has helped, and this has made the situation far less stable, surprisingly enough.

It appears that the government may begin favoring the Loyalists this time around, and with the supporters on both sides being fairly even, and with the distrust of at least the Automaton population of the district against humans, one may be looking at a full blown civil conflict.

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