Navis Terra

In the 15th Century, during Columbus' sail of the ocean blue, torrential rain smashed the earth for months. The world panicked as the water levels rose and land and resources became scarce. The Catholic Church in Europe, having access to a large amount of ships due to the crusades, built a large ship christened Navis Terra (or the Land Ship). They set sail with a large population of royalty and high church members to survive the floods. They believed that God sent the rain to punish the sinners of the world, and they also believed it was their job as survivors to snuff out the sin of the world, hopefully relieving the world of the flood. After about a thousand years, Navis Terra has grown to gargantuan size (roughly the size of former long island) and stalks the sea with its Armada, its message of quelling sinners now morphed into bullying the sea.   Several settlements in the highest reaches of the Earth untouched by the flood (The Himalayas, The Rockies, etc) have come about but with limited dry land and access to resources, the populations of these settlements are small and they live simple lives. The vast majority of the Earth's population lives on Navis Terra. It started out as exclusive to those of a Catholic European background, or at least those who looked the part. As time progressed, and the perils of an oceanic world grew far too dangerous, the need to come together became imperative. Attacks from mammoth sea creatures and storms of immeasurable strength decimated ships in the early days and it was near impossible to survive alone. Even the mighty Catholic Armada was suffering. Different ships from the various surviving nations (or what was left of them) joined onto Navis Terra to create a massive island sized city ship. It provided safety in numbers and the feuding nations of the time learned to live somewhat in harmony. Navis Terra became an amalgamation of ships and ship parts of all styles and ages thrown together haphazardly, with a current population nearing 50,000.   The top of Navis Terra, or The Promenade, is where the wealthy and those of high social standing live. It is home to mostly high ranking officials in the Catholic church such as the Pope and Cardinals. The Bilge, or the lowest reaches of the ship is where the poorest of the poor live. They live in squaller deep in the dark depths of the ship, which is far underwater. Leaks and floods are extremely problematic due to the deteriorating wood after hundreds of years at sea. This leads to disease and famine running ramped below deck. Those who live around sea level live a modest life and they are mostly responsible for diving for resources. The population of the sea level decks are mostly decedents of seafarers and pirates.   A large Armada follows Navis Terra, protecting it from sea monster attacks and pirate/barbarian raids. Joining onto the land ship means you are protection, but it also means you are subject to the rule of the Catholic Church.