Sora
Utopia of Steel
The place where these processes take place is in the citadel/city of Sora, a vibrant mechanical utopia founded by a Clan Saki. The citadel is filled with automechanicals (The Forged) as the process of transferring the soul into an automata has become almost the norm in this city for those who are deemed loyal to Hiro Saki, the Shogun of Taiyoshima/Sora (Shogunate of the Dawn).
The city itself is made up of steel and glistens like a shiny ivory. The architecture resembles that of a series of tall pagodas fused together, all the same ivory color. The city's metal infrastructure is magically infused to never rust and always glisten. The citadel at the heart of the city is built into the jagged, [matterhorn-like], snow topped mountains that are the southern most peaks of the Sora Mountain Range. To the right of the city runs a majestic waterfall that runs from a small overhang into the creek below. Atop the waterfall is a magically hidden lookout point and waterwheel that gives energy to the bridge for its soul-transferring magic as well as the minecart system that runs under the city and mountains.
Styrkr and Dwarven Secrets
The Sora Mine was once a vast dwarven city and mine Styrkr, but as the dwarves were given an ultimatum by the Holy Stellan Empire, they abandoned their home, language, and magics. Only ruins remain: the dwarven architecture and mining tunnels left to the elements for hundreds of years. The dwarves fully mined their tunnels--that expand for dozens of miles--of gold, but there was plenty of iron and copper. Clan Saki eventually learned to mine with dwarven techniques and crafted automata, katanas, and buildings that melded dwarven craftsmanship with Taiyoshiman culture.
Rumors
There is talk of a peaceful city with medical marvels and the ability to transfer souls into living automata, circumventing the need for reincarnation, but also avoiding nirvana. The ethicality of this practice is a great matter of debate throughout Zarlion.
The Mechanism that does this task, Eden's threshold, is said to be guarded by a giant mechanical dragon and an army of mechanical soldiers.
Government
Clan Saki runs the prefecture and the islands of Taiyoshima as a Shogunate, but many other clans hold positions of power throughout Sora and Taiyoshima. In Sora, Clans Oe and Takahashi, have say in matters of governance, but ultimately, only Clan Saki determines who becomes Forged and Hiro holds all the power.
Defences
The outermost walls, surrounded by moat are solid steel 5-10 feet thick, 30 feet high. Magical alarms wire the polished walls as steel golems, armed with chest cannons that emit a stream of (essentially napalm) and naginatas, are ever vigilant atop the wall's turrets. In the pagodas and underground are thousands of machine soldiers, some humanoid with the souls (but not memories) of those that died in the great fire of 1590 and some soul-less constructions to defend the citadel and wage war when needed, as well as a mechanical dragon.
Industry & Trade
They trade their iron for anything that they may need. The economy is almost completely based in iron, though pig, ox, and rice are also traded frequently.
Infrastructure
The ivory pagodas are fused together in groups of five like the side of a die. The middle pagoda of every arrangement is taller than the other four. At the right angle of the 90 degrees granted but he carving of the mountain is the largest structure that stands at 12 stories at its main tower and 9 at the other four. Around this citadel is the curved bridge: Eden's Threshold. The bridge seems to go nowhere as it leads from one cliff face to the other. On the cliff faces are homes, dojos, and libraries built into the cliffs. Pouring over the right side of the bridge is a waterfall that pours from the side of the mountain into a creek of fresh water for the city. There are four more of the fused-pagoda structures surrounding this area that are all equidistant from one another. In the empty space between the pagodas are beautiful courtyards of granite, marble, steel sculptures, and gardens. Surrounding the city are 30ft walls of polished steel, five feet thick with turrets every 5 meters. On the rightmost side of the city, the creek runs from the waterfall and snakes left to the other side of the city and again goes down-valley through a grate to snake right outside of the walls to form a moat before the creek again goes down-valley and meets up with the Iteru river in many miles.
The clearly dwarven cliffsides, however are visible and stand in stark contrast to the ivory pagodas of Saki-make. What is visible from the outside of the cliffs are the massive stone faces of two great forgotten dwarf heroes that look out from each cliff. Inside, these cliff structures have rooms that are are hexagonal, almost like a honeycomb. and were once decorated in gems, now stolen, and ornate stone architecture.
Guilds and Factions
Clan Saki: Ruling Clan of Sora, ruled by the immortal Forged Hiro Saki
History
Before the Ultimatum, dwarves carved great cities into the mountains and Sora (formerly Styrkr) is one such city. The dwarves carved a pie piece out of the mountains and made a grand entrance to the underground city and mine of Styrkr. A maze of tunnels and dwarven architecture lie beneath Sora, but few are granted access into the mines now.
Clan Ambo first claimed the prefecture, but they were overtaken by Clan Saki in 1593 CR.
When Clan Ambo discovered the ruins in 1530 CR, they created wooden minka and eventually a small fortress in the shadow of the obscenely massive dwarven faces. In 1590, lightning struck their pagoda to the Five Buddhas and the village caught fire. Thousands perished in the fire: a third of the population. Hiro Saki took this as a sign that this life is to be treasured, no matter the illusion the Samsara seems to represent. Now under the guidance of Hiro and with thousands of souls to use in the creation of an army, he and started the creation of Sora as it is now. He was able to construct his new city with an army of The Forged: humans in automata bodies and some soul-less golems he created. Construction of the city finished in 1600.
Though he did not fully understand the magic, he could take souls of those that perished in the fire and the civil war and transfer them into metal bodies, but they had no memories of their past lives and had no control over their new forms. In other words, he could direct their reincarnation, but they would just be souls trapped in metal shells. Hiro spent years developing a way to give people eternal life, but found no way to keep them 'themselves' through the process. He eventually built Eden's Threshold in 1605 to finally achieve that goal. The bridge focuses and directs the ether and consciousness and allows for the total transfer of soul and mind. Finally, Hiro could bring those who died back into the world of the living forever.
His first Forged, the Samurai Kenshin, was the only Forged made before Eden's Threshold that retained his free will--for reasons unknown to even Hiro.
Points of interest
Giant Mt. Rushmore-esque dwarven faces of two ancient dwarven heroes lost to time.
Waterfall from the cragged mountain.
Eden's Threshold
Geography
To the north the Sora Mountain Range curves to the northeast and extends west for another few miles. The city is located at the south west corner of the mountain range. To the west lies a great aspen forest. To the east, a plateau with iron-rich hills and cliffs and beautiful red rock structures. The farmland in the valley eventually turns to marsh to the southwest, following Sora creek and further still will eventually lead to the iteru river, which, if crossed is the fertile area of Anji, surrounded by great sand dunes to the south and west.
Natural Resources
Iron, copper (formerly gold and gems, but those were mined a few hundred years ago by the dwarves)
Founding Date
1530 CR, Rebuilt 1599 CR
Founders
Alternative Name(s)
Talons of Steel
Type
City
Population
8000
Inhabitant Demonym
Sorans; The Forged (automata) Derogatory: Forged = Gearheads ; Humans = Gearfuckers
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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