To truly describe the Capitol in all of its baffling complexity, one must first set the scene. The Capitol is The Capitol is essentially a gargantuan city protected by a Biosphere. Yet it is a much more complex entity than that. Within the structure, there are hundreds of districts that are often jumbled together and jostling for attention. Buildings of all different sizes and shapes sprawl out for as far as the eye can see. Huge skyscraper-like blocks of apartments that link together via huge walkway have long been considered the only rational way for residencies to be built here. This maximizes space efficiency seeing as there is a sore lack of it within the Biosphere. Of course this isn't practical for factories or other practices where large open space is essential, but these buildings are old and often looked down upon by citizens of the Capitol; simply because it's taking space that could be used to house families.*
Like any self contained society, there are invisible yet almost palpable class divisions. The poorer districts are generally closer to the edge of the Captiol, pushed to the brink of the desert by the rich and influential towards the middle. This also means that the commoner districts take up a fair amount of the city, a ring the entire way around this 1000 mile behemoth. Of course, there is a quota of land within the Capitol that has been set aside for nature reserves and other features. Interlocking nature with the sleek beauty of the architecture, parks, monuments and lakes dot the Capitol, wildlife encouraged to embellish the authenticity. But the center of the Capitol is where most of the action is. Located on an island surrounded by man-made rivers; skyscrapers and public buildings fill the horizon, each vying to be the highest and most prestigious. This epicenter is where the majority of the banks, bureaucratic agencies, Corporate headquarters, the infamous Skytower and of course the CSEC nerve center. The Capitol building is where the various ministers meet to discuss matters of importance. Moving outwards somewhat; the entire middle ring of the Capitol is made up of residences, dockyards, bars, clubs, casinos and barracks. Anything you could imagine. And the outer ring consists primarily of factories, workshops and poorer residences. Of course there is no clear boundary, but this is the general idea. With over a billion inhabitants, this 1000 mile wide city is always thrumming with people. Hover cars fill the roads, stall vendors holler their wares, Clubs and bars pound music into the ears of anybody passing by. From up high The Capitol may seem like a skyline of high buildings, but down on the ground is where the majority of the action goes on. Huge ground-level broadways are thrumming with the poorer variety of Capitol Citizens going about their business. Sectioned up into thousands of districts, these areas contain anything you'd imagine and more. But it doesn't stop there, for all around the Capitol there are stairwells down into the under level.
Moving through the legendary Biosphere that hangs above the Capitol, the heat hits you like a wall and the sun suddenly seems a lot brighter. You are confronted with a barren desert as far as the eye can see. Dunes of rippled sand, with streams of fine dust blowing gently atop it, creating a mirage of elegance, like a painting against the bleak barren landscape. The tall, brown peaks oft inhabited by the last remaining Rahtu tribes can be seen far from the Capitol, stretching up to grasp at the clouds. far above the searing sand and casting a stretched, dark shadow across the wasteland. The mountains and desert are, for the most part, completely barren. There is little to support life outside of the Capitol, aside from the odd oasis; which are few and many miles between. Such oasis's are often small, surrounded by patches of grass with a few trees and bushes. However, in a dry, arid landscape such as the desert, even the smallest patch of grass and shallowest watering hole is akin to a gift sent from the stars.
Surrounding the Capitol all the way around are a dozen or so
towers which power the magnificent Biosphere. Discovered long ago when the Humans had first arrived, these ominous spires send a continuous wave of energy into the Biosphere and keep it functional. If one of these towers were to be destroyed, life in the Capitol would be changed irreversibly. Surrounding each of these regularly visited Towers are large, crude shanty towns, with many buildings wrought of rusty corrugated iron. Luxury is rarely found amongst these towns; rife with misery, draught and pirates who oft hide from CSEC patrols in such settlements. Some have even fallen victim to pirate gangs desiring a permanent base of opperations; although the number of these pirate towns is low, considering the amount of resistance from angry villagers and the general manpower required for such assaults.
The townsfolk maintain an almost wild west way of life, caring very little for anything outside of their domain. Strangers are unwelcome, unless they bring food, water, weapons or money to be traded in the souks and markets. They care little for the next Tower towns and only think of themselves. The ugly, harsh world outside of the Biosphere warrants care and, at times, seclusion after all. Many of these towns are governed by informally elected leaders, akin to how ancient barbarians would elect their chieftain. If the town is low on supplies, the wisest trader is elected. If besieged by pirates, the strongest warrior is elected, and so on.
Each of the dozen or more Tower-towns are linked by a circular railroad track that passes by each of the Towers to transport resources and supplies, as well as weapons and prisoners; by CSEC military and officials. Such trains are often heavily guarded by dozens of professional CSEC soldiers and are often protected by mounted weapons and light/heavy armored vehicles being transported around the Biosphere. Targets such as these are frequent targets for Pirates. Outlaws and bandits, the Pirates travel on large Sand Ships. Crude vehicles, often pieced together from scrap metal, Pirates move quickly to seize supplies of all kinds travelling to and from the Capitol then disappear into the Desert again. However much CSEC deny the threat posed by Pirates, thousands are captured or killed at their hands every week, even inside the Biosphere. Nobody knows yet whether the Pirates have a base or a leader, as the CSEC fleet is less than inclined to send ships to investigate.
Beyond the Capitol and the Towers that surround it like faithful hounds, the desert lies taunting, mysterious and vast. CSEC has huge oil fields and mineral refineries out on the wastelands, but that leaves gargantuan tracts of land still uncovered. Mercenaries say that they've traveled around the world and seen all manner of fairy tale, but these are obviously stories...right?
Timeskip if needed.
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Welcome to the second incarnation of the Skytower Rebellion as The Fall of Babylon. Before we begin i feel the need to clarify a few things. This roleplay is a veteran, it's been around since February and we have 15 pages of posting already. You can find it here. The truth is that we went on a hiatus for a few months to explore new ideas and develop this Roleplay on a deeper level. We're back now, we're beginning from where we left off an we really want other people who like the idea to come and join us! A full synopsis of events leading up to where we're kicking off from is available and i'm allowing freedom in where and who you want to roleplay in this universe. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have; roleplay information is in the hider below.
Originally Posted by Grif of Hearts
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