Synopsis
In the future a disaster hit the earth. No one really remembers what happened, but the sun was veiled by the thick debris in the air, and the earth, and all that lived upon it, began to die. The temperatures cooled, and a new ice age reared its head. The histories record that the scientists saw it coming and the world tried to prepare.
There was no way for the human race to escape the earth. Space travel was still a complicated endeavor, a matter of exploration, and off planet colonies were nothing but a dream of the future. The technology, however, still in its infancy, that had been developed for those colonies might help to save them now. The nations of the world worked together to build the sky cities, massive floating bio-fortresses, using relatively new anti-grav technology, as a way to preserve some remnant of humanity.
There were a total of ten, claimed by certain countries or groups of countries, USA, UK (including Ireland,Australia,Canada, and South Africa), Russia, China, India, Japan, South America, Africa, Middle East, and one shared by smaller countries of the world. They would shelter the best and brightest of humanity, preserve cultures, and when the skies cleared and the earth flowered once more, civilization could be rebuilt. It would only be for a single generation, or so it was told to the men of power deciding the fate of the world in secret bunkers. That was 500 years ago.
The cities have evolved into City-States, circling the globe in the upper stratosphere. Below the cities can be seen nothing but dense cloud cover, sickly yellow-black and deadly, which killed the earth below, or so the stories say. Above the cities, through the polarized dome, the lack of atmosphere leaves a dazzling view of darkness strewn with crisp white stars. Giant turbines hang from the bottom of the cities, capturing the heavy air streams and producing electricity. Collectors, miners of the air, scoop water from the toxic clouds and process it for the cities. Strato-skimmers, small maneuverable powered gliders, can travel the distance between cities, usually piloted by couriers and merchants.
This RP will start in the Great and Glorious City-State of Us (once known as the USA, but this has been lost to history).
Please consider the technology level to be near-future, as in just a little better than our own. No laser guns, no food replicaters, etc.
The City-ships:
The big 10 cities are fortresses as large as the city of Chicago, appprox. 30 miles in diameter. They are powered, mainly, by several nuclear reactors located in the bowels of the cities. This is augmented by energy generated by the solar panelled dome and the wind turbines.
The smaller colony cities, spun off the main City-States in the last centuries, may or may not have all three power sources or only one or two, depending on size and needs. Fossil Fuels are not used at all.
Every city is like a combo of a biodome and a fortress. The topmost sections of the city, those that are exposed to the most sunlight through the dome, are “natural” spaces full of a variety of flora and fauna, there are farms for growing produce to feed the populace. Who gets how much depends on the population of a given city. The Undercity denizens tend to have a not so good diet, not very much fresh food. A City-ship may be comprised of one large dome or many domes connected by skyways.
The city section is navigated as much vertically as horizontally, and is probably about 200 stories or so. The higher the level you live at, (the more light that filters down to you), the more affluent you are. There are no private vehicles in the dome, except for a few craft that are operated by the government. Space is at quite a premium, so the original designers didn’t want to waste any room on roads as such. It’s all public transportation like Maglevs, elevators, and foot power using stairs and wide walkways (this may also include something very much like a rickshaw, pulled by someone, but no powered vehicles). Personal skimmers (for outside dome use) are most likely kept in a rented space somewhere in one of the cities terminals (think like a marina).
The Undercity is the entire bottom section of the city ship, about 50 levels between the platform that supports the ship and the surface. It is a warren of narrow tunnels and access hatches. Mostly industrial looking. Living quarters are tight, and there is no straight shot from any one place to any other. The best example I can give you is that of the bowels of a naval ship. The terminology is the same, fore, aft, port, starboard.
Information on City-States:
Great and Glorious City-State of Us - In-as-much as any of these cities can be considered “open”, the GGCU is. All cities are very aware of the fact that space and resources are at a premium, but the GGCU is still the easiest place to “immigrate” to. That being said, there are still strict rules in place. The city is ruled by a titular President, but in reality the government is controlled by an Oligarchy and the Presidency is passed through the hands of several families. The people vote for representatives to the GGCU congress, but they have only nominal power of change.
Japan - The japanese city-state is extremely isolationist. They trade only for necessities and do not welcome outsiders. The city is controlled by the Tokugawa clan, descended from a powerful Yakuza family. You do not want to get on their bad side.
Freeport (Formerly the UK) - About 50 years go the UK city-state suffered a coup, brought about by the infamous pirate Sam Silvertongue, who played on the people’s dissatisfaction with their government. It has become rather a dangerous place to visit, unless you have experience dealing with the criminal type. Silvertongue may control the the city, but it’s been subdivided into various factions in a constant state of war with each other, each section “governor” eager to expand his territory and power. It’s a delicate situation.
The former government and ruling family of the UK city managed to escape mostly intact, along with loyal citizenry and a large chunk of the military. The current reigning monarch, Queen Anne the Third, travels aboard her royal yacht, along with a fleet of smaller ships, as exiles. They rely on the dubious generosity of other cities for support and trade, while plotting to retake their home.
The Cultural Alliance (Tenth City) - It is dedicated to preserving culture, art, and true civilization for future generations. If any Sky City can be said to be a haven for art and culture, it is The Cultural Alliance. It is not quite as isolationist as the majority, but it is difficult to achieve citizenship. Unless you were born into this city, you must prove your dedication to cultural pursuits to become a citizen. This is most often achieved by becoming renowned in your field of study, such as Philosophy, Culinary, Socio-economics, Art, etc….
The city is made up of a number of different countries, mostly European. Each country has it’s own enclave on the ship, usually named after a city in their former country, like Paris, Koln (Cologne), or Milan. It is run by a council that is made up of a representative from every nation inhabiting the city. Political decisions have a tendency to take a lot of time due to lack of agreement. Class differences are not as pronounced in the Cultural Alliance as in other cities. That being said, few surfacers ever venture into the undercity.
New Hope - New Hope was the first satellite settlement to spin off from one of the larger Sky Cities. It’s inhabitants valued freedom over security, but it’s still one of the safer colonies.
Free City of Tibet - The FCT is the only Sky City that doesn’t travel. This satellite city is tethered to the top of Mount Everest.
The Earth:
Conventional wisdom is that the Earth is dead, and so is anyone who goes into the toxic clouds. This is not an opinion. Everyone knows this to be the absolute truth. The only people who go to the surface are the miners. They take a heavily armored ship (jokingly referred to as the coffin, one of many slang terms) to the surface and disembark directly into the underground mine shafts. When the ship returns to the city, it is beat all to hell with acid burns and pock marks, and must be completely refitted before it can be sent back down again.
More info available depending on interest.
Any natures I have created are only suggestions. I encourage you to make your own natures/strengths/weaknesses/goals.
This will be a slow moving game, but I’m looking for dedicated writers who are willing to get down at least 1-2 paragraphs at a time.
Hosted and narrated by:
Taerra Firma (TaerraFirma)
Started 03/12/15.
Scenes played: 6
License: Community License
