Fantasy Shady Dealings- Lore

[Doomyfish23]

Sanguine- The City of Darkness that Mankind inherited after Zantha Claimed the world. It spans an impressive 473 square miles, Its tallest structures are at the center and go shorter the closer you get to the edge of the city, finally it is layared with building built atop other building looking like a chaotic mind-bending maze. This city has stood for 700 years and has barely maintained itself. Technologically speaking they have advanced painfully slow, having only just recently attaining Electricity Through the burning of coal. Its a rather dreary place, always overcast or stormy, and Sickness plagues the city. As if all that were not good enough a corrupt government turns a blind eye to crime unless the victims pay a protection racket.

People make a meager living in the bottom half of the city known as the Barrens. There they toil to get by, some are farmers, tending to small herds of cattle contained within the base levels of the city. Others are miners, delving deep into the mines below the cities foundation. Multiple bodyguard agencies dot the lower reaches of the city earning a living by fighting off the criminal gangs that roam the same levels. The poorest and least capable of resisting are forced to the edges of the city where protection is at its lowest, these poor souls are often dragged into the blighted wastes by the Shadow Hounds that roam the outskirts.

Above the barrens are the middlegrounds. Vastly more safe than the barrens this part of the city starts 7 stories off of the ground, and continues to the 33rd story. Here the banks and major businesses operate and have the luxury of armed and trained soldiers guarding them. While this doesn’t always prevent crime, those who live in the middle-grounds might actually make it to adulthood without being robbed or Beaten. The further up you go the higher your likelihood of never encountering criminal activity is. Even still the Middlegrounders work themselves to the bone, 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week. Those who don’t or cant do the work are cast out into the Barrens. Often times corruption can result in the banishment of even those who do their part.

Finally from the 34th floor up to the 47th are the Gilded Halls. Here the richest and most powerful men dwell. They keep the greatest of technological innovation for themselves, have elite warriors guarding them, and even aircraft. All crime here is punishable by death and what constitutes a crime usually depends on who is in charge currently. Those who think the top of the city is a paradise will be sorely disappointed. While crime and disease is nonexistent along with poverty and hunger. Violence and corruption are arguably at their highest here. Political factions constantly war for power and their elite soldiers destroy one another and anything that gets between them. Currently Ramsey Culden is the “King” as he had inherited his fathers Electric company two decades prior and Wrenched control from the previous king Eland Verris who had invented the Airship. Most people see their only hope of ever making it to these heights, as inventing something the “upper crust” would find useful.​

 

[Doomyfish23]

The Gods​

Zantha God of Shadows and Corruption- A god Born 750 years ago. For his first fifty years of existence he surveyed all that was and took catalogue of the gods, demigods, creatures, and landscapes of the world itself. 49 years after his “birth” he waged war against other gods, slaying and consuming them. Upon slaying the other gods he would Turn his attention to their creations, humanity however found the only shred of mercy within this being, viewing mankind as his Parents he preserved a portion of them within a city he built upon the Ruined foundation of the Old gods Domain. With his prize secured and his victory complete Zantha has spent the past five hundred years weaving horrors out of the shadows and nightmares of mankind. His presence does not enter Sanguine, nor do his creations as he has decreed the city a sanctuary for mankind. Those who leave the city do not return and are believed to have been taken into Zantha’s shadowy domain. His Symbol is a Scythe piercing a skull, with tendrils of shadows rippling outwards from it.



Abrhea Goddess of Hopes and Dreams- A young goddess born of mankinds Hopes for a better future, her power is minuscule in comparison to her foe Zantha, however she has remained hidden from his eye due to her existing strictly in the dreams of the People within sanguine. While her power is limited, she has opted to share it with mankind, and like a seed planted in fertile soil, these gifts will grow and become more than what she gave. Through this “Seeding” she hopes to grow a forest of heroes that can pierce the dark canopy Zantha placed upon the planet. Her Symbol is a Shooting Star.​

 

[Doomyfish23]

Shades

After taking the Planet from the gods, Zantha would go on to make twisted mockery of many of their creations. While little exploration attempts have been made, the few that have managed to make it back return with tails of horror, and the furthest anyone has ever been out is about two miles past the city limits.



Sanguinian Mastiff- Called such as these creatures roam in packs along the outskirts of the city, while they dont have anywhere near the power of other shades, they make up for this with their Intangible smoke like bodies rendering them immune to all forms of Physical damage to date. They are only solid when they bite a target. Countless unfortunate souls have been dragged screaming into the blighted lands by these creatures.


Gluttonous Shade- shapes the size of houses lurk just beyond the treeline outside of the city. Their smell can reveal them before their bulk does. The few who have encountered such creatures speak of unstoppable charges that reduce stone walls to rubble, and hide thick enough to catch a spear. 44 years ago a large well armed caravan left from the warrens with over a hundred men. Two would return only to die shortly afterwards from their wounds. Their last words were horrified ramblings about a insatiable beast eating alive all who were there.


Night trap Strider- One of the few creatures that can occasionally be found in sanguine. They lurk in pocket dimensions woven out of shadows and will quickly snatch prey into them. Zantha is rumored to allow them in the city because people have figured out how to deal with them. Avoid particularly dark shadows, and if one of these is found, tossing a burning object into the shadowy opening to its pocket dimension will ignite the highly flammable material that coats the shadows it weaves with.


The Dominion- Occasionally humaniod figures are seen in the shadows. People have learned long ago not to pay them mind. The Dominion are an insectoid sentient species that prey exclusively on humans, but only if that human acknowledges them. The only safe place from these creatures is within the city limits, however even then, Several have been spotted in the mines and battles between the armed miners and the dominion are fairly evenly matched. On average they seem to possess less intelligence than a human but more speed and power.

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Great Shadows

Some of the Things that you see on the horizon are forces of nature created by Zantha. These great shadows are rare, only one having been seen by human eyes and the others have been revealed in the dreams of mankind. They are Absurdly powerful with some even positing that they may be comparable to the old gods. Makes sense considering They were built of the bodies of the fallen gods.


Rith- The Largest of the Great shadows, Rith’s wings can blot out the sky, a single beat of them is like a hurricane. Its toxic breath can fill entire valleys and render massive swaths of landscape unlivable. Its form is hard for the mortal mind to comprehend, and thus it often appears to humans as a jumbled mess of limbs, wings without end, and a body whose true shape is constantly changing. The only part of this creature that is solid is its head.


Zebule- A intelligent shadow being that reigns over the Domain and several other sentient shades. Little is known about this creature but the Domain mention it as their lord, and translations to some of their battle hymns seems to indicate that even Rith bows to this creature. It has visited the dreams of a few humans and claims to Zantha’s heir.


Tyrcana- The only Great shadow that has come to sanguine. 77 years ago a fleet of Zeppelins was constructed to take select wealthy families out of the city and to find somewhere in the world they could go. As the Zeppelins were being loaded with supplies this Massive building sized bird descended from the clouds and tore the zeppelins apart, toppled several towers, and absolutely decimated the defense forces. Many thought the end had come as nothing seemed able to penetrate its feathers. However a loud high pitched whistle rung through the air and the bird ascended above the clouds again. Since that day an altitude limit was put on the city, any who go above the tallest towers spire will have their wreckage found in the Barrens.


Magnol- The forests to the east of Sanguine are not the only route one can tale out of the city. However the bridges and paths across the canyon to the west were not built by human hands. Beyond the canyon lies a series of hills and valleys the first of which has been the place where only the most powerful of caravans have reached, and they go no further. The crest of the first hill there dwells a colossus of pure darkness. None are sure of its capabilities as none have survived. The only knowledge of what could be there comes from a paper lantern unleashed by the last survivor of such a caravan. This lantern drifted into the city and held a journal which told of their trip. After this several curious people would turn a telescope towards that direction and from the tallest tower they would see a pair of massive eyes Glowing with rage beyond understanding, and looking right back at them.
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[Doomyfish23]

Questions about the World

Technology- As far as the advancement of man goes, Barring firearms, sanguine sits in a position comparable to the late 1800s. They have steam engines, coal power, trains, zeppelins, and Wired electricity. Firearms are roughly a century or two behind with the weaponry being comparable to the 1600s-1700s. Cannons, muskets, flintlocks, & Blunderbuss’s and the like. Metallurgy is actually rather advanced with powerful alloys some of which can rival even out own. Thus your more likely to encounter a sword, spear, or dagger, even a crossbow, than you are to encounter a firearm.

Food & Water- Fortunately for mankind Beneath the city of sanguine there is a vast reservoir of ground water that is untouched by Zantha’s blight. This massive store is fed from the seas and filtered by the land beneath the city. The mine has been a huge source of water for the city and powerful filtration systems keep that water constantly recycling as much as possible. It is so critical to survival that even the criminals of the barrens will not raid water treatment facilities for fear of the Gilded Halls bringing down a furious hammer upon them. Food on the other hand comes from a mixture of small herd farms, mushrooms, Rodents, The rare fruit bearing tree, and of course Bread, made of flour that is gleaned from the gardens of the Gilded Halls.

Crime- Criminals within Sanguine are actually a pretty industrious bunch. They are constantly having to work around the private security companies within the Barrens, however they seem to have contracts with the Leaders of the gilded halls, so long as they don’t disrupt their luxuries the Leaders don’t send elite warriors to purge them. Because of this many criminal organizations have amassed enough power to reign over entire blocks or chunks of the barrens.

~~~More info pending~~~​