The Radiant Citadel is a city of immigrants. Several of the explorers who reclaimed the Citadel were refugees who escaped hardships that plagued their lands. They chose the Citadel as their home, despite its strangeness and the surreal surroundings of the Deep Ethereal, as it presented an opportunity to start anew. Most of the city’s current inhabitants are descendants of the fifteen founding civilizations active in the Citadel, but all are welcome.
Some find living in the Deep Ethereal too disquieting to stay or chafe at the confines of the Citadel. Others depart out of fear that the Keening Gloom will destroy the Citadel. Their numbers are replenished by new arrivals who seek a different life, want to study the city’s lore, or find solace in the city’s peace and safety. The Citadel’s society is shaped by this ebb and flow. Traditions, customs, and values are a mix of old and new; while some adhere to rituals no longer followed in their homeland, others create their own novel practices.
Art and Culture
The Radiant Citadel’s diaspora communities constantly learn and borrow from one another, creating a culture unique to the city. This evolution is displayed in the art, the clothing, the music, and—perhaps mostly vividly—the food of the city. While cantinas, tea houses, and eateries serve food and drink from specific communities, the most popular cuisines are fusion dishes like couscous infused with habanero and saffron, panela-coated fried yams, and kimchi tacos.
Diplomacy
Relationships between the Radiant Citadel and the founding civilizations are often shifting. The Citadel sends diplomats abroad and houses embassies from foreign governments, but this goodwill is not always reciprocated. The Citadel’s uniqueness makes it a target of foreign actors who seek to exert subtle or overt control over it. At the same time, political activists, dissidents, and revolutionaries seek to exploit the city’s neutrality to their advantage, even staging incursions against their home governments from the relative safety of the Citadel.
Governance and Politics
The Radiant Citadel is governed by a council known as the Speakers for the Ancestors. Each Speaker is a descendant of one of the founding civilizations currently known to the Citadel. They are chosen by their community and affirmed into office by the wise and ancient Dawn Incarnates. The Speakers for the Ancestors meet openly in the amphitheater in the center of the Preserve, and Citadel residents often watch their debates. All laws and major decisions of the city are decided by majority vote of the Speakers. Debates can become heated; because each Speaker represents very different constituents, consensus and compromises might take days or even months to reach. Those citizens of mixed ancestry or unconnected to the founding civilizations can choose a Speaker for the Ancestors to represent them. They register with the Speaker’s office, and from then on, participate in future elections for that Speaker.
Governance is public, transparent, and participatory. Laws are not static but evolve to meet new challenges and needs. Subcouncils and committees manage the city under the guidance of the Speakers. Complexities persist in governing a highly diverse city with varied customs, beliefs, and social norms, but robust civic engagement helps the city overcome adversity.
Law Enforcement and Justice
Public safety and peacekeeping are administered through a variety of councils and organizations designed to address specific issues. The House of Convalescence helps those living with mental illness, while inspectors investigate nonviolent crimes and use nonlethal methods of detainment. Theft is uncommon in the city, and rehabilitation and restorative justice are preferred methods of addressing wrongs. Highly trained local guards mobilize to handle the rare incidents of violence, and citizens are expected to proactively intervene if needed. The worst offenders are sentenced to a controversial Djaynaian punishment wherein the criminal is subjected to a ritual that prevents them from repeating their crime and then is banished from the city.
Lifestyle and Society
Denizens of the Radiant Citadel strive to sustain an egalitarian society. Every citizen is entitled to a basic income that affords them the necessities of living and dignity in lifestyle. Food, water, and green spaces are equally accessible throughout the city. The House of Convalescence turns no one away; healing is priced according to one’s means, and the poorest are served without charge. All housing is public, distributed, and administered through the city’s councils.
Since the city’s resources are limited due to the Citadel’s relatively small area and its strange nature, foodstuffs and other materials are carefully conserved, and goods are reused or recycled when possible. Similarly, most food is vegetarian and is grown in green spaces throughout the city. Whether served in a home or an eatery, most animal products must be imported and so are subject to high tariffs.
Tariffs and Taxation
Taxes are progressive to help reduce the gap between the most affluent and the poorest. High tariffs on imports keep the public coffers full, but the Speakers lower or remove tariffs for civilizations in trouble. Similarly, visitors to the Radiant Citadel pay a toll to enter. Those who come with nothing except good will pay no fee. Those with big pockets and big hearts give more according to their conscience rather than risk the rebuke of the city’s guards. Rich and poor alike can instead offer something unique that might be to the liking of the Incarnates, such as a lost song, a secret tale, or a rare piece of art. Those who choose this option may present their gift to the Dawn Incarnate of their choice. If their toll is accepted, the visitor is allowed to stay in the Citadel.
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