Cultural Perspectives in the Blasted Isles

The world of the Blasted Isles is shaped by survival and pragmatism. Discrimination in this world is not born of immutable traits like race, gender, or sexuality, but rather by a complex web of socio-economic tensions, environmental pressures, and political ideologies. Every antipathy, prejudice, or alliance is forged by context: the dire needs of survival, access to resources, and the belief systems tied to life in a hostile and decaying world.

Division Born of Context

In the Blasted Isles, the nature of division is pragmatic, not personal. Cities and factions are pitted against each other not because of intrinsic hatred, but because of competition over the dwindling lifeblood of the Isles: gree, the mysterious oil harvested from the massive Greebeasts that navigate the polluted seas of the Blast. The scarcity of resources, paired with the existential threats posed by the treacherous environment, creates friction as communities develop their own philosophies, methods of survival, and visions of the future.

• Awarth: Sees itself as the industrial backbone of the Isles. Its citizens work tirelessly in the Boil’s factories and shipyards, refining gree into fuel that powers dirigibles, machines, and weapons. They view themselves as the unsung heroes of progress, but others might call them exploiters, blind to the destruction they wreak on the natural world.
• Holvyr: Perched above the Blast in their floating dirigible city-states, the Holvyri dream of “Ascension,” a philosophy of transcendence that is both physical and ideological. Their lofty ideals, supported by the very gree that Awarth extracts, leave them open to accusations of arrogance and detachment.
• Kaloch: Burrowed deep into the earth, the Kalochite are keepers of ancient traditions and secretive practices. While others see them as stubborn and regressive, the Kalochite pride themselves on preserving wisdom that predates the Blast, weathering calamity in their unyielding embrace of stone and soil.

These cities do not hate each other out of malice or xenophobia but because of conflicting values and the harsh realities of survival. Each city believes that its way is necessary, and the others’ methods either threaten their existence or squander precious opportunities.

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A Spectrum of Interaction

The relationships between citizens of the Blasted Isles exist on a continuum, defined by how much a person’s environment and ideology color their worldview. Some are embittered by the struggle for survival, seeing rivals in every other Hold, while others recognize that the Isles can only endure through cooperation. Most fall somewhere in the messy middle—a place where respect is grudging, alliances are fragile, and tolerance is transactional.

• Extremely Wary Individuals:
  These people are marked by suspicion and pragmatism. For them, survival in the Isles is a zero-sum game. They view the Holvyri as dreamers wasting resources on lofty ideals, the Kalochi as stubborn relics clinging to the past, and the Awarthans as reckless destroyers who would burn the future for immediate gain. Their wariness comes not from hatred, but from an unshakable belief that the actions of others threaten their survival.
• Extremely Welcoming Individuals:
  On the other end of the spectrum are those who see collaboration as the only viable path forward. These optimists understand that while the Isles are fractured, they are also interconnected—no city can endure without the others. Awarth’s machines keep Holvyr’s dirigibles aloft; Holvyr’s visions inspire Kaloch’s ancient resolve; Kaloch’s traditions provide wisdom for Awarth’s ceaseless innovation. Welcoming individuals champion unity, even if it requires painful compromise.
• The Middle Majority:
  Most citizens of the Blasted Isles inhabit this vast middle ground. They may grumble about the self-importance of the Holvyri, the backwardness of the Kalochite, or the environmental recklessness of the Awarthans, but they also understand the necessity of interdependence. Their criticisms are tempered by pragmatism. This is not enlightened centrism—there are clear tensions and wrongs in every system—but a recognition that no one city has all the answers, and no one can afford to sever ties entirely.

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Socio-Economic Fractures

At the heart of much of the tension in the Isles is the economic imbalance created by the gree industry. The raw gree harvested from the Greebeasts fuels the economy of the Isles, but it also creates profound disparities in wealth and power:

• Awarthans resent that their backbreaking labor in the Boil feeds Holvyr’s floating luxury.
• Holvyri elites argue that they’ve used gree to achieve technological and cultural progress that benefits the Isles as a whole.
• Kalochite see both Awarth and Holvyr as reckless profiteers, wasting gree on vanity projects instead of respecting the natural order.

Even within the cities themselves, there are class divisions and ideological clashes. The industrialists of Awarth’s higher strata exploit their own laboring class as much as they exploit the Greebeasts. In Holvyr, Ascension is a promise extended only to those with means, leaving the less privileged to languish in the dirigibles’ lower decks. Kaloch, despite its more collective traditions, is not immune to internal divisions, with certain factions guarding access to sacred knowledge and the wealth beneath the stone.

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An Interconnected World

For all their tensions, the Blasted Isles are inextricably tied together. No one city-state could survive the Blast alone. The shared need for gree binds them in an uneasy alliance, even as their ideologies clash. Awarth’s factories provide the refined gree Holvyr needs for its airships, while Holvyr’s technologies offer innovations that Awarth incorporates into its machines. Kaloch’s mining and geological expertise uncover raw materials vital to both cities, and their traditions provide an often-overlooked wisdom in navigating the dangers of the Blast.

This interconnectedness is both a source of tension and hope. It fuels competition and resentment but also creates opportunities for collaboration. There is an understanding, however reluctant, that while these city-states may bicker and jostle for dominance, they ultimately share the same hostile sea, the same polluted air, and the same tenuous future.

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Conflict Without Hatred

In the Blasted Isles, conflict is not rooted in hatred or inherent superiority—it is born from the desperation of survival and the limits of resources. People judge one another by actions and values, not by circumstances of birth.

This does not mean that the Blasted Isles is an idyllic utopia of equality—it is a brutal, unforgiving world where power disparities and exploitation are rampant. But these divides are contextual and ideological, not driven by immutable characteristics. A poor Holvyri dockworker has more in common with an Awarthan laborer in the Boil than with their own city’s aristocrats. A Kalochite trader might begrudgingly respect an Awarthan tinkerer for their ingenuity, even as they criticize their methods.