The Free City State of Praha
In this wall lies a world so vast no simple nor blessed spirit can comprehend the role our city takes in the past and future of our all destiny. I never left the gate, never traveled across the forsaken scarred land or visited the crimson cesspool called Roma Aeterna. Why should I? Thousand dreams impregnate my inner self every night and I dearly wish that, if I take my last breath, I will be reborn in her arms again and again. My life, my soul – every single of my desires is devoted to this forsaken city, she is my mother and daughter, my beloved city of Praha.
They call it the city of dreams and when the people of Praha talk about their home, you will hear an undertone of the sweet despair of a moonstruck addict.
Praha is the city of magic, secrets, rich art and other demonstrations of unnecessary greed and decadence. And the city has history – a history of hubris, false gods and refusing it's own demise countless of times.
Imagine a metropolis lost in time, always changing and growing but never advancing. Where once was only a disrupted and torn wasteland, inhabited by Rifter tribes chanting into the void, was the city of Praha never build by man but out of long-forgotten dreams.
The Praha of today is build out of soot-blackened marble and her twisted alleys and cracked walls are covered in the misguiding beauty of outstanding craftsmanship. When the first Rifter put their feed in the once lost Necropolis, they treated her like a goddess, constructed wonderful architectural facades on her bones to shape the whole city into their new temple. And you can feel that atmosphere everywhere, when you observe the detailed stucco-work even in the poorest districts of the city or lose your breath when watching the dozen dark marble towers arching up between the indigo shingled rooftops. The city of fine print, where aesthetic wallpapers and magnificent paintings want to tell you that world after the apocalypse is a place where the beauty of the mind can thrive, until you peel the paper and reveal the ugly truth.
With all that bitter sweetness, it is noticeable that Praha might be the only place where art is truly celebrated beyond the votive craftsmanship of the crimson empire.
Art is deeply rooted in the culture of the people of Praha and their idea, that the body is just a prison to hold a mind which tries to thrive and unfold.
Structure
Praha is controlled by the Council of Dreams, an order of warlocks which is further the largest organisations of the Carnal of Greed in the known world. More than just political ambitions, the warlocks of Praha are united in a community of faith, following a path which they think leads to ascension and with thus, to break free of the prison of their human existence.
Most Warlocks of Praha belong to one of three Gnostic Traditions. Derived from the old Rifter culture, the modern Gnostic Traditions are less a community build on faith and more a philosophical collective, allowing everyone to join their ranks who is willing to bow to the authority of the Council of Dreams. While Warlocks who are not follow the Gnostic Traditions are not pursued by law, members of the traditions are granted special rights and are the only ones holding office and occupying important roles in the city.
All three Gnostic Traditions, the Hermetics, the Traditionalists and the Anarchists, are different philosophies to gain control and therefore power over the divine challenge, the so called Eternal Principle. The Eternal Principle has its roots in the old Rifter believes, in which the sins and Carnal are a divine challenge imposed by the creator himself. Their world view is a cosmic challenge, where the immortal soul is held by chains, the so called Chthonic Cage which you have to overcome in order to free yourself and becoming a godlike being in the process.
While the Council of Dreams rules over Praha, they are not the only party influencing the Prahas politics, economy and daily life of her citizen. The Guild is a conglomerate of different Sinners who are not following the Gnostic Traditions. While the Guild consists mostly of Carnals not tainted by greed, there are a few Warlocks among there ranks; mostly outcasts of the Gnostic Traditions or Foreigners not willing to subordinate to the collective. The Guild itself is structured by different crafts, with the Artisans and the Alchemists are being the most influential.
Most Warlocks of Praha belong to one of three Gnostic Traditions. Derived from the old Rifter culture, the modern Gnostic Traditions are less a community build on faith and more a philosophical collective, allowing everyone to join their ranks who is willing to bow to the authority of the Council of Dreams. While Warlocks who are not follow the Gnostic Traditions are not pursued by law, members of the traditions are granted special rights and are the only ones holding office and occupying important roles in the city.
All three Gnostic Traditions, the Hermetics, the Traditionalists and the Anarchists, are different philosophies to gain control and therefore power over the divine challenge, the so called Eternal Principle. The Eternal Principle has its roots in the old Rifter believes, in which the sins and Carnal are a divine challenge imposed by the creator himself. Their world view is a cosmic challenge, where the immortal soul is held by chains, the so called Chthonic Cage which you have to overcome in order to free yourself and becoming a godlike being in the process.
While the Council of Dreams rules over Praha, they are not the only party influencing the Prahas politics, economy and daily life of her citizen. The Guild is a conglomerate of different Sinners who are not following the Gnostic Traditions. While the Guild consists mostly of Carnals not tainted by greed, there are a few Warlocks among there ranks; mostly outcasts of the Gnostic Traditions or Foreigners not willing to subordinate to the collective. The Guild itself is structured by different crafts, with the Artisans and the Alchemists are being the most influential.
History
You can read about the history of the city state in our Praha timeline: History of Praha
Type
Geopolitical, City-state
Currency
Mammon
Official Languages
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