Antika

Antika, as of the year 1921, is a high density metropolitan city, spanning about 200 square miles and growing. It houses 2.1 million people with 75% of the population having mechanical alterations. It is located on the coast of the country of Thera, and serves as its capital and main source of technological and industrial might. It sits on the edge of Lake Slag, a heavily polluted body of water 60 square miles wide, which opens up into the Trocitan Ocean. The city is built upon Mt. Drossel, the tallest mountain in the Heimmeyer mountain range, with a peak reaching well over 6000 meters. The mountain range is littered with mineshafts, to reach the large ore deposits of iron, copper, and other precious metals that lie within their caverns. Antika itself is split up into four boroughs: Vermund, the least developed; Anvilla, where most hard labor is done; Media, where most innovation is done; and Blue Haven, the most developed.   Antika was a city that catered to the people who wished for a place to convene. As people converged to Antika, the city flourished in both density and diversity. This caused strife to occur throughout the population, as many struggled to accept others. However, such grievances were set aside as the Innovative War began in 1879. The people of Antika were scarred due to the warfare, but the emergence of foreign mechanisms allowed for creativity to bloom within the chaos. These scraps leftover from the war allowed for experimentation with technologies unheard of before. Many who lived there were interested in the application of the remnants of war. This curiosity led to the rise of modification of the human body. In the years after the Innovative War ended, people started to see mechanical prosthetics as another form of human evolution, inspiring a conflicted opinion among various people who made up Antika’s population.   In 1879, the political war now called the Innovative War between Dustlin and Thera over the colonization of a core resource land of a variety of materials for their machines. First strike came from Thera, with most of the warfare happening on Dustlin’s land. Until 1882 when Dustlin bombed the closest coast of Thera, taking the entire town, then called Athena, and leaving nothing but a wide 5-mile radius ditch. The residents of Dustlin were the most advanced in their flight mechanics, and their recent invention was called Teyros, small flying automatons with lethal bombs that were dropped off by a plane that dropped a hundred down into Athena and were seen as simple toys. After the bombing, the technology was repurposed, and the city was rebuilt and dubbed Antika. Many lost their limbs and vital body functions and replaced them with the excess of scrap metal from the demolished city found in the lake that formed in its place. Antika developed as a central hub for the current influx in prosthetics and prosthetic engineering.   Antika’s rapid development has led to extreme social divides based on economic class. The land was marred in the war, and the wealthiest have used their economic power to escape into towering skyscrapers and zeppelins that they may avoid having to ever touch the ground. Now, people born into lower floors of buildings or those born on the ground are often forbidden from entering the highest floors of these skyscrapers, as they are often seen as contaminated. Prosthetics are another marker of class, as the majority who need them are extremely impoverished victims of the war who can only afford the experimental hardware. As a result, a sense of pride has developed around being “all-natural.” Those of the upper classes who require prosthetic limbs will have them made out of fanciful materials like gold and porcelain to display their status. While most of Antika’s metal is mined out of the mountain the city is built on, the ore is of mediocre quality. The best metal is found in the clockwork at the bottom of the lake near the city, and several young folk make their living scavenging what they can and selling it to picky inventors as scrap parts.       GEOGRAPHY: Antika, as of the year 1921 PF, is a moderately dense metropolitan city, spanning an area of 196 square miles. The city is currently undergoing a period of economic growth and prosperity, and as such is continually expanding outwards and upwards. It is located on the mountainous coastline of the country of Thera, and serves as its capital and main source of innovation and industrial might. The city sits alongside Slag Harbor, a body of water 60 square miles wide and 100 feet deep, which opens up into the Trocitan Ocean. The harbor is extremely polluted, as it is filled with large amounts of heavy metals. It serves as a hazardous scrapyard, as the pieces of metal found under its depths is considered to be quality material that rivals those found in the city’s mines.   Much of the city is built upon Mt. Drossel. Mt. Drossel is the tallest mountain in the Heimmeyer mountain range. Its base forms at sea level, close to the shoreline of Slag Harbor, before extending upward in a steep incline reaching a peak well over 6000 meters in the sky. The mountain, as well as the rest of the mountain range, holds large ore deposits of iron, copper, and other precious metals. A large interconnected web of mineshafts pierces into the heart of the mountain to reach these ore deposits. The city scales up the steep cliff-faces of the entire mountain, and is split up into several boroughs along the way.   Only about 20% of the city sits at sea level, in the borough of Vermund, which has had the least amount of development. Vermund is considered to be the slums of Antika, where the poorest families and the unemployed make their home. It is divided into two sections, the diving quadrant and the mining quadrant. The diving sector is based primarily on the coast of Slag Harbor. This is where Antika's fishing industry is located. It is also where all salvaging of scrap from the harbor is done. Most of the docks are rickety and decrepit, but further down the coast there is a nicer, more established dock area for trade ships from other countries to anchor and unload precious cargo. This area of the dock is connected to a well maintained road that leads further up the mountain and eventually out of Vermund. The mining sector is located squarely on the base of the mountain, and is where a majority of the mining for the city is done. All of Vermund is composed of very densely packed, worn out buildings, with the worst living conditions being that of shoddy wooden shacks. Very little infrastructure is put into the development of this borough.   From 200 to 2000 feet of elevation, there is the borough of Anvilla, where the majority of the city's hard labor and factory work is done. A large portion of Antika’s working class populates this area. The borough is littered with large factories, steel mills, and forges where most people make their living. It also has a large number of apartment complexes that many working families call home. It is less densely packed than Vermund, and the state of the buildings in this area are much more maintained. There are quite a few individual houses for families who are doing better for themselves, and some of the taller buildings on the upper side of Anvilla reach into the next borough, and are considerably nicer.   In between these two boroughs, out of the way of the main intersection, is a large cavernous hole that has served many purposes over the years, from hosting large bazaars to low key black market events. It also serves as an archeological site, where many fossils have been unearthed.   From 2000 to 4000 feet, there is Media, where a large amount of experimenting and innovating is done. This borough also serves as the headquarters for the city’s government, as well as the base of operations for the city’s law enforcement and social services. This area of the city is home to most of the hands-on innovators and designers in Antika, and it is much nicer than previous boroughs. The administrative buildings are made of marble.There are beautifully constructed schools, hospitals, and laboratories scattered throughout the borough. The buildings stretch higher into the sky, built from brass, copper and steel. These buildings host a variety of businesses, from law firms to prosthetic limb development. The upper levels of buildings that stand on the upper side of Media go on to form the lower side of the next and last borough.   From 4000 to 6000 and beyond, there is Blue Haven, the most developed area in the city. It is where most businesses and large corporations have settled, and is also where most entertainment can be found in the city. This is where the most extravagant buildings are built, stretching well past the peak of Mt. Drossel. There is no way to safely touch ground from this borough. Most buildings are interconnected with airtight bridges, and the only way out is through one of the buildings that extend into Media, or by airship. The buildings in this borough are filled with sleek office spaces, lavish theaters, bright gambling dens, and large open banquet halls. This borough is where only the most well-off individuals live.   GOVERNMENT PRESENCE: Though Antika resides in the larger country of Thera, centralized government on a national scale is very limited. The Thenean government only becomes involved in matters of a smaller scale if conflict arises between two cities. Outside of these rare circumstances, they mainly oversee the maintenance of cross country transportation as well as any war effort.   The lower and upper mayors of Antika maintain the majority of governmental power within the city. Headed by the lower mayor, there is also a small committee of diplomatic representatives for each borough allowing further representation as well as a means of handling issues between boroughs. Elections used to be held biannually with mayoral and committee elections swapping every election season. Thus, any one term of an elected official lasts four years. However, during the War of Innovation, a state of panic arose that demanded a halt in elections.   While the war has long since passed, the current upper mayor, Harrison Nöm, demands that the city remains too unstable to partake in an election. As he is highly supported by the upper boroughs, no one in opposition to this idea has had the ability to enact any change.   The lower mayor, however, has changed since the last election. During the war, the lower mayor as well as multiple committee members lost their lives in one of the many bombings. Due to the state of emergency, the upper mayor appointed new officials, bypassing the electoral process. The chosen lower mayor, Theo Porter, has filled his position to present.   Though the vast majority of the population reside in the lower two boroughs, because official elections have not been held in thirty years, these people are incredibly underrepresented. Further, the only method of forced abdication of either mayoral position, a three person majority is required from the committee. It is well known that in such votes, the lower two representatives vote in favor of abdication while the upper two representatives vote in opposition, leading to a standstill.   RULE OF LAW: In Antika, general protections are granted to each citizen under the regulations enforced by the city, though some individuals are more heavily favored than others. Priority is given to people of the upper boroughs, and the rights of each person degrades the further one goes down the mountain. Murder is a serious crime that will always require an investigation, but investigation into crimes such as arson and theft varies depending on where and on who the crime was committed. Oddly enough, fraud and the acquisition of illegal and dangerous technologies are taken much more seriously, regardless of where such crimes were committed.   There is one department of law enforcement in the city, the Antika Police Department (APD). They are separated into two sects, the stationary watchmen who guard the entrances into and out of each borough, and the common patrol units who roam the streets of each borough. The watchmen are tasked with monitoring the people and materials that cross between the predetermined borders of each borough. They are also sometimes requested to guard the entrances into and out of administrative or corporate buildings. The patrol units are tasked with keeping the general peace within boroughs, and are often accompanied by an automaton. The higher up the mountain one goes, the stricter these enforcers become. There is also a wide web of law firms across the city, reaching as far down as Anvilla. Each citizen is entitled to a lawyer, though the quality is determined by where they come from.   SOCIAL SERVICES: In Antika, citizens of all classes are given medical care, though access is often shaped and stratified by class. The prevalence of clockwork tech alongside an injured, wartorn population has led to a massive industry of prosthetic development in which there’s a few makes and models of every mechanical body part. The prevalence of this industry means that surgery is often one of the first recommendations doctors make for otherwise minor injuries, as selling mechanical implants is one of the surest ways for doctors to make money.   Most implants, especially those used by the wealthy, are discreet or even invisible. They can be anything from metal hip joints to fully mechanical lungs. The healthcare system is expansive and comprehensive, but it only exists because many of these options were first experimentally offered to the poor. The same injured civilians who sparked the prosthetics industry were unable to afford its products, and they could only gain access to medical care by volunteering for experimental trials. While some came out of these trials with functioning medical devices, many more suffered debilitating side effects or even passed away from complications with their prosthetics. Some poor people have begun making their own prosthetics to push back against this industry and make care more widely available, but these are still liable to have issues.   On the other side of things, education is regarded as a high priority service to be offered to the citizens of Antika. Thanks to the highly technological nature of the city, demand for people who understand the inner workings of complex machinery and clockwork is incredibly high. Corporations have recognized that putting untrained individuals in jobs with a large amount of hazards can leave them liable, so funding for free education across the city has been easy to come by. The most prestigious educational institutions can be found in Media, where it is mandatory for children of the upper classes to enroll. In Anvilla and Vermund, many trade schools can be found, taught by masters of different crafts. However, only around 70% of children in the lower boroughs make it into these programs, and even less go on to receive a higher education. This is because several families in low income areas believe it is better for their children to work and provide for their families.   Across the city, small, convenient services are provided by automatons. These service automatons range in size and shape, though they never look organic in form, and are clockwork machines in design. They do all manner of tasks, including mail delivery, vermin extermination, street cleaning, and can even act as therapeutic companions. They perform their tasks efficiently, but do have their limitations. Another type of automaton are those made for the patrol units of the APD. Unlike the other bots, these automatons were with the intention of capturing and subduing criminals, as well as providing transport. Their designs were influenced by the fossils discovered in the Zoic Hole. Their sizes vary drastically, ranging from small, mobile mounts with sharp teeth and claws to large, tanklike behemoths with imposing jaws.   In order to function, a wind up key, unique to every automaton, must be inserted into a keyhole found somewhere on their forms, and turned a specific number of times. Depending on the model and task of the automaton, the time between each turning of the keys differs, which can go from a couple of hours to several years. The intricate, complex clockwork machinery that makes up their insides are a mystery to most, and are only truly known by one organization. They are regarded as the Key Turners, and are responsible for winding up each automaton when necessary. They are also responsible for the construction and maintenance of each robot. Their numbers are large, and they have bases all across the city. Because their jobs are considered to be critically important, they have access to every area and building in Antika.   ECONOMIC STRENGTH: With shiny towering buildings high in the sky, down below remained the mines deep within Mt. Droussel. The higher you live in Antika, the wealthier you are and the money would barely leave those levels and not be distributed to the lower class. The middle class were comfortable without the money because it went into their more lavish lifestyle which was provided by the upper class. From homing to the attributes on each floor, the middle class weren’t paid well, but had 3 meals a day and clean water daily which made them want to work for the rich. On the ground, the lower class worked nonstop for survival, collecting scraps and working in the mines for the chance to hit big with valuable minerals. Some risked their lives in Lake Slag for the lost gears of the Innovative War down at the bottom of the polluted water.   The best of inventors resided in the sky and only worked to create the most advanced prosthetics. Below, the lower class would volunteer their bodies to unsafe experiments for sums of money, but sometimes would die in the process or be scammed out of precious body parts. Their prosthetics consisted of cheap metals, rusty wires, and bolts.   WEALTH DISTRIBUTION: The distribution of wealth in Antika is very heavily skewed. The War of Innovation resulted in the poor becoming poorer and the rich becoming wealthier. Though thirty years have passed since the end of the war, this disparity in resources has hardly shifted.   The poorest of the population reside in the borough of Vermund with wealth increasing through Anvilla and Media until reaching the highest concentration of wealth in Blue Haven.   Higher paying jobs often only hire workers from higher boroughs, leaving the poor to remain living a life of squalor with no method of improving their lifestyle. Meanwhile, the upper class maintains a tight knit circulation of ownership and patents that allows for no outsider benefit.   The only group that stands out from these patterns is the new money rich, mainly consisting of inventors and engineers whose fortune was built off of the prosthetic industry. At the forefront of this group lies Nick Alset, a scientist renowned for his vast intelligence and ingenuity in the realm of mechanical body parts. He is often used as a poster boy for the rich as a means of convincing the lower class that wealth is possible for anyone who works hard enough.   AGRICULTURE AND TRADE: Antika’s wealth of inventors brought about a slew of inventions and technology that other people within the country of Thera wanted to utilize. One such invention was the RoLight, a portable light that helps people see during the night. This technology was extremely useful within the mineshafts, where the light doesn’t shine as much as the other places. It was also very convenient within homes, and it was portable enough to hang onto doors or place onto counters without taking up too much space or polluting the air with a pungent smell. It also was favored among the people as it used a combination of steam and gears to operate as opposed to the standard oil and wicker set-up. There is also a grand trading system regarding the metals mined from the various mine shafts within Antika’s mountain city. Although these metals aren’t as valuable as the ones found in Slag Harbor, they are still viable for other aspects of creation around and within Thera. Within Antika, there is also an influx of trade of metals for mechanism between the people. There are varying markets and vendors that cater to the various types of trade that occur within the city. Such vendors are knowledgeable about the wares they sell, and can’t pass off metal from within the mines as easily as they can when dealing outside of the city. Vendors who possess and sell materials from the bottom of Slag Harbor usually are the powerhouses within the internal technological trade.   Beyond the mechanisms, food is another item that is constantly in trade. Antika is located in a geographically harsh landscape, with cloud-piercing mountains and a central harbor that is unable to be purified due to the debris settling within its waters from the Innovative War. Most food that is available to the general public is imported from other cities and neighboring towns within Thera. There are also occasional “visiting merchants” that set up shop within Antika, selling various items that are not easy to cultivate with the resources available in the city. These visiting merchants vary with every visit, some allowing most to afford the goods they bring as others value profit rather than satisfaction, as they only cater to the higher classes within Antika. However, though food isn’t easy to cultivate in Antika, it isn’t impossible. Within the towering building where most of the middle class work and live, there are various greenhouses and artificial farms that provide basic baseline foods. As Antika is harbored and anchored within the natural mountains, there are various wildlife foods that can be cultivated, such as mountain berries and other herbs that can be used in a variety of ways, such as medicine. Beyond foraging, there are also animals that appear within the mountains of Antika such as the Gytre Goat, which is a source of both meat and milk. However, as an act of preservation, many in Antika agree that harvesting a Gytre Goat is only when other resources have been bled dry. Inside the buildings, there are also Bee Cultivation farms alongside artificially grown crops, like wheat, corn, tomatoes and other produce. Fishing is another way the people of Antika can provide for themselves. However, the closest usable and fish-populated area is a hard trek. When fishing caravans leave Antika to gather food, it takes nearly two to three days before they come back. This is a method of providing for a balanced diet, but most prefer to have “readily available” foods, such as the ones sold at vendors or visiting merchants. All these cater to products that can embellish the diets of the people of Antika. However, since none of these foods are viable for the long term, it was deemed necessary to establish trading routes with other cities around Thera to have a varying diet.   RACIAL EQUALITY: Antika hosts a varying number of people from differing backgrounds and ethnicities within their city walls. As more mechanical upgrades become normalized, the society that existed before the Innovation War truly begins to change. Although there are still elements that have roots in the time before the Innovation War, most have adapted to the newer facets of life. Antika is still a place of hatred for people of varying appearances. Although, with the introduction of the mechanical prosthetics, the slow but steadfast gear for change has begun to turn. There have been various protests and revolts among the people who feel strongly about the way they are being treated and talked to on a daily basis, and these efforts have sparked a flame within most of Antika’s residents. Antika, being the host to a great deal of inventors, catered to many outspoken and determined individuals who believe change can and will occur if they pursue it earnestly.   These levels of activism vary between and among social classes. The lower class of Antika is where the most overt and loud spoken pushes for change are heard. The people within this class advocate for racial equality among the people of Antika, and bring in aspects that are more up to speed in terms of modernity. Within the middle class, the explicitness is slightly dulled down, but still prevalent. As most of the middle class tend to the internal sources of food and other necessities within the sky-piercing buildings of Antika, they have a better chance at bringing the words of the lower class to the people of the higher classes, as residents of Media and Blue Haven rarely venture to the lower boroughs. The higher classes’ overtness is extremely low, and is instead showcased in a more covert manner. Despite everyone belonging to the higher class earning their right to be there, racial inequality is still at play. Antika’s society is one that fluctuates as new and grander inventors and inventions are brought to the spotlight. As more people advocate for their rights, more people are starting to listen and give them a chance to say their parts. With more advances in human technologies, both externally and internally, racial equality within Antika is making some slivers of headway to a future where inequality will no longer be an issue among the people.   CLASS EQUALITY: Segregation of social classes directly links to borough residence, income, and association to prosthetics.   For example, the lower one may be within the skyscrapers of Antika, the lower their class. Vermund is seen as the scum of the city, mainly inhabited by mine workers with cheap prosthetics and the unemployed. Anvilla is considered the working class population, containing low level workers of large companies run by the elite. Media holds the position of a mediator between the working class and the elite. This borough is home to managers and day to day decision makers. The CEO’s and business owners, however, belong to Blue Haven, the highest and most coveted borough.   Wealth is distributed between the boroughs in a similar fashion to social standing. While there is some intermingling and shifting of individuals between boroughs, this is not seen as normal. The majority of the population has resigned themselves to their fate of stagnation within their current borough.   Prosthetics mimic the nature of an individual's profession and, therefore, their social standing. Those working in the mines within the mountain often receive prosthetics at a low quality and high quantity. Mine accidents resulting in mechanical additions to the body are commonplace in Vermund.   Anvilla sees a drastic decrease in prosthetics compared to its lower neighbor. Members of the working class may have small alterations, such as a specialized eye for mechanics and engineers, but many prosthetics are chosen rather than required. That being said, it is well known that someone with modifications specific to their field of interest will find a job with much less difficulty. Further, prosthetics within Anvilla tend to be of finer materials than seen amongst miners.   Prosthetics within Blue Haven are few and far between. The residences of this elite borough rarely encounter hardships requiring a new appendage nor do they have any need for mechanical aspects to enhance their proficiency at a trade. Upon the rare circumstance that an entire lost body part must be replaced, residents of Blue Haven typically opt for rare or delicate materials like porcelain or crystal. This is meant to signify the lack of mental labor required by their social class. The most common alterations within this lavish lifestyle consist of useless additions such as golden implants in the skin or sapphire irises. That being said, the influx of New Wave Naturalism has increased the amount of elite citizens desiring entirely genuine visages.   The outliers of these social classes can be seen through the successful inventors who have made a name for themselves through the prosthetic industry. These individuals are considered to be “new money” by the remaining upper class and viewed as secondary in social standing. The disparity between the newer residents of Blue Haven versus veteran elites has led to very seldom mingling of the two groups outside of a business setting.   GENDER EQUALITY: Among the people of Antika, the equality between gender is at a neutral standing point. Within the city, there are various genders that people can identify with and that are accepted. However, this does not mean that everyone in Antika is supportive. There are still varying amounts of discrimination that occurs within Antika’s society that affects many facets of the daily lives of the population. One such discrimination is within the business of mechanical prosthetics. Many specialists of varying genders and physical presentations are avoided by clients due to this prejudice. Those with proper certification may be denied credibility simply because of the specialist's preferred gender. There are also situations that arise within the trading industry of Antika, such as the ability to become a merchant. Becoming a merchant is a rather lucrative way to stay afloat within Antika, so many desire to become one, especially one that deals with materials from Slag Harbor.   Despite the overall acceptance of different genders and presentations of appearance, there are still hardships that can be encountered within the process. These encounters allude to the targeting of start-ups, and sometimes even sabotaging can occur. However, these encounters are not likely to last for long, as many people within Antika have stood up to the defense of those being targeted and helped aid them in restoring their shops and stalls. Beyond business, there are also instances where the people of Antika are targeted for the way they portray themselves, in both lifestyle and the choice of clothing they wear. This mindset isn’t held by everyone in Antika, but is something that still circulates despite the various changes that have occurred within Antika’s societal landscape. The term “Cvta” is a derogative title that is slung around some social circles of Antika about the people who dress or act in a way that is beyond “normal”. No matter the social class, this is a standard in Antika’s society, and no outward movement for change has risen in regard to it.   SEXUAL EQUALITY: Thanks to the current economic boom and ongoing sense of peace and prosperity in Antika, many societal expectations and taboos of the past have been relaxed. This most prominently involves the portrayal of sexuality. In an attempt to become more forward-thinking, many of the younger generations have accepted most sexual orientations. Experimenting with sexuality is seen as a way to become less restricted, and is thought to help people be more creative and productive, as it frees them from the confinement of traditional roles of sexuality.   These views, while held by most of the younger generations, are not shared by all. In fact, they are only prominent in the boroughs of Media and Blue Haven. The older generations, who hold more positions of power in the city, have not subscribed to this line of thinking, and have actively taken steps to suppress those who wish to flaunt their untraditional sexualities openly. To those who live in the boroughs of Vermund, and many who live in Anvilla, the idea of expressing one’s sexuality freely is a luxury. Their less fortunate living circumstances make this form of expression very risky to their livelihoods.   RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE: While organized religion has no major place in Antika, a new influx of those claiming to be “Naturalists” has led to protests against prosthetics and mechanical bodily additions. Those making up the Naturalist movement mainly belong to older generations and range in their beliefs of the mechanical effects on society.   Some merely resist the new borderline requirement of prosthetics in order to find work. Others believe the government to be implanting genetic modifiers within bodily alterations that will eventually turn the entire working class into an army of puppets. Most who consider themselves Naturalists find their beliefs somewhere between these two ends of the spectrum.   New Wave Naturalism has similarly swept through the upper classes, specifically the highest borough of Blue Haven. This trending world view highlights the natural aspects of the body, fighting against any unnatural additions of the body as insecurities and impurities.   However, this acceptance among the upper class has led to more strife in the lower ones due to the Naturalism extremist belief that the upper class is now in on the puppeteering conspiracy. Further, it is nearly impossible for a middle borough individual with any major alterations to attain any social standing within the upper class due to these prejudiced behaviors.   MILITARY INFLUENCE: Though Antika is currently in peacetime, the scars of the war have irreparably shaped the city's culture. The laissez-faire, party-hard attitude of the rich and powerful is heavily inspired by the collective trauma of the Dustlin bombing. The citizens of Antika saw exactly how fragile their way of life was as their city burned to the ground, and those with means responded by partying like their world could end again at any moment.   The fact that the Dustlin bombs brought the technology that made the city possible has resulted in a very unique cultural fervor around them. To the people of Antika, they represent rebirth, that destruction and burning of something, be that a body or an entire city, can lead to it being reborn anew, stronger and better than before. For many people who needed prosthetics after the bombings, this has become a powerful guiding philosophy; though prosthetics are often seen as negative by wider society because most who have them are poor, these ideas of growth and rebirth have made them a point of pride for many.   TECHNOLOGICAL INFLUENCE: Once it was discovered how valuable the Teyros parts were from what resides on the edge of Lake Slag, the advancement of prosthetics began. Many lost their limbs in the war and eagerly participated in tests for a chance at a body part they lost. Antika was the central city for these inventions and research, with direct access to materials.   The lives of Antika residents revolve around technology with ongoing construction on the towering city buildings. Engineers and idealists pitched and presented their productions on the streets daily. Having mechanical parts and attachments becoming the norm, it became a privilege to have the most refined of gears apart from your prosthetics.   To the lower and working class, there’s opportunities for a better future like inventing the next hit thing or becoming experiments for access to prosthetic bodies. In the high sky cities, the upper class lives are easy thanks to creations that help do their daily task.   ART AND CULTURAL INFLUENCE: While technology and mechanical industry are the primary cultural touchstones of Antika, art still plays an important role in culture. A lot of popular art reflects the rigid, clockwork structure of the machines that dominate society, developing as repeated patterns of geometric shapes. Everything from paintings to sculptures reflects these patterns, as even pieces that do not feature them directly do so as a deliberate, countercultural choice. A lot of counterculture art is made by the poor with focuses on organic shapes, bright colors, and less rigid patterns. This often manifests as highly abstract graffiti, but appears just as often as softer portraits and idyllic landscapes.   Art is increasingly becoming the primary cultural battleground of the class divide. The rigid, patterned art of the upper classes seeks to smother the more organic stylings of the lower classes, to the point where there are often unwritten rules about the kind of art that can be publicly displayed. Upper class art is used as a tool to promote structure, rigidity, and the status quo, so the very existence of more free-flowing art is often seen as a threat to the way things are.   For upper class art, there are widely-circulated “style guides” that inform how the images are to be composed and rendered, and any deviation will often result in the aspiring artisan to lose favor and their career, potentially being either arrested or expelled from the upper levels of the city’s buildings. Lower-class artists are often informally trained by more experienced artists in their communities while being encouraged to explore and develop their own styles.   These geometric shapes have seeped into the fashion community. Frills and bell shaped skirts have been replaced by boxy dresses and beaded tassels. Long flowing hair has been chopped short in favor of stark bobs. The prosthetic industry explores gemstone inlays and metallic inserts in favor of this modern and futuristic approach. The highest end of fashion pushes for escape from the once confining curvature of society. Even the upper class needs a cause worth fighting. And so, amongst their dazzling crystal skin and gaudy jewelry, they’ve created a movement to support within lives void of any conflicting strife.   HISTORY: The era of inventors began in Thera shortly after the Innovative War that devastated their old home of Athena, the residents worked to rebuild and made the most of what survived and winning the war. Many lost their limbs overseas in Dustlin, and several more from the Teyros’ bombings. Hope and faith in a brighter future fluctuated amongst the residents, until the election period came around again with Harrison Nom running. He won over many hearts with his own personal loss during the war, and had a set plan to use the gears and parts from the enemy’s weapons as the foundation of the city’s new chapter. After the war, the residents moved up mountain away from the remains of the blast and built onto of Mt. Drossel. The name Antika was agreed upon, which means “being at the end” in respect to including a connection to Athena’s end.   Harrison led the people of Antika high into the sky and now remains at the top leaving those same people who supported and believed in him behind. Now in 1921, operations and experiments are a daily thing in Antika as the city that’s pushing the world into the future. Thera stands as the richest and most powerful country in the world.