The Colonial City of Arden

Arden is a transport penal/exile colony in the shrouded and frontier lands of the continent of Ozin Piolon. Founded in 669 ADA, by Arden Vall captain of an exploration vessel called the Seas Eye. Arden is of great importance in the geopolitical landscape due to its resource wealth and main export. That of the paranatural energies which devoured the lands in times past that being the bright. Arden and its lands are contested among other world powers often bringing them into conflict over the right to rule the colony. Controlled by the five crowned, capital also known as the Imperial Unity made up of five imperial powers, which, though separately are insignificant while allied they are politically reverent. One of the largest powers in The Grand Alliance of Imperial Powers, also known as imprinter nations which is an alliance of some of the last monarchies and feudalist systems. With the pushing back of the bright during the last age, the central first world nations that of Vledath were forced to find other sources of the bright. In order to power and keep up their modern infrastructure and way of life. Places like the Sanctum City of Karvend have found other means to keep up with demand. They harvest the source directly past the Prime Weave and straight into the Everbright, the mass of energies that surround the world bathing it in its brilliant radiant polychromatic glow. Other nations found success with harvesting and transporting the bright establishing colonies in order to try and monopolize and secure the power the bright brings.

History of the Colonial Age and the founding of Arden

The three periods of colonization

The First Period occurring from 169 BDA to around 67 ADA: Although colonies existed in the classic ages and before modern Vledathain powers, specifically among the Sanctum Cities and other civilizations guided by the early divines. These early colonies were politically independent resembling city-states, protected from the bright and other threats by their deities and their divine relics up until The Age of Abandonment.
With very little traveling occurring in the first age the age of blinding radiance, though with dispersal and thinning of the pockets of the bright travel and migration slowly and rarely occurred among the bravest or desperate members of society this marked the first and slowest wave of mass exodus.
The Second Period 887 BDA to 392 ADA: The colonization race between the old, world superpowers began in earnest with the mass exploration of the world. Habitable lands were sought out like treasures and fought after as such. The starving, desperate populace was shipped out in mass from the overcrowded crumbling sanctums they huddled in to shield them from the initial surges of the Bright. These colonies being founded and setting roots in protective/shielded landscapes, places like caves, mountain ranges, canyons, and similar geological formations. Over time these first colonies were forgotten, lost, or fought for political and economic independence eventually becoming the powers that shape the landscape of the world to this day.
The third period 392 ADA to 773 ADA: Considered by most to be the colonial Age, because with the development of technologies to combat and push back the bright, modern world powers began the third and largest wave of the mass exodus and settlement of the world that continues to this day. With the innovations and adoption of bright lure technologies, the "civilized" powers of the developed old world began to colonize new lands and allow mortal kind to take back the world from the radiant polychromatic energies that transformed it. Modern colonial colonies emerged from the most advanced maritime powers of Vledath and former colonies. Many of the initial impulses behind settling new colonies were numerous, the acquisition terraforming and development of new lands to create settlements was one of the primary reasons. With resource acquisition, commerce, trade being secondly, if not just as beneficial.
Arden's settling and discovery occurred in the third exodus. With the discovery of the most eastern continent that of Ozin Piolon across the Great Ocean-Gracious Nyonn. With its western coastline being fairly shielded from the bright by large mountain ranges colonization efforts were able to start in earnest. The Bright consumed most of the continent's western half preventing habitation from progressing further. Due to a tear in the Prime Weave (the protective barrier/Spell or Weave created by the divines) in which the bright continuously flowed through into the world. Though this hindrance quickly became an exploitable resource. With industrialization and modernization ever-increasing by rationalist ideology and their progress and innovation in casting/weaving, the world was thrust into the modern age. The Bright became the fuel in which the fires of the modern world burned. The Brightbound casters that of rationalist or otherwise needed the bright to power their chroma production, the energy which powers their weaves/magics. The colonies of Ozin Piolon became the world's largest provider of the bright, with industries developing trying to monopolize the harvesting, refinement, storage, and shipping of the bright to the Brightbound around the world. With their largest market being the old world, the developed world, and cradle of society and home of the central Nations/countries the continent of Vledath. The workforce and laborers of these new industries were made up of criminals, exiles, free folk, and emergent peoples forced out of their ancestral habitable developed lands. The majority of the workforce of Arden were criminals or the poor underclass sold into indentured servitude, forced to labor away on foreign alien soil. Greeted by disease and harsh conditions that often killed a majority of newcomers. Far from their homeland and at the mercy of their often cruel and or indifferent industrial, corporate masters and contract holders.

Demographics

60% of the population is made up of exiles, prisoners, Indentured servants, and slaves all in poverty and squalor living in poor and mass housing.
26% of the population is made up of free civilians technicians, engineers, brightbound, free folk, factory laborers, clerks, and clerical workers. Living a relatively middle-class lifestyle able to rent, own property, travel relatively freely, and giving a vote and say in governmental affairs. Largely made up of the silent class orphans and children of the state. Educated and indoctrinated by the state to be the unquestioning backbone of society they are tradespersons engineers, mechanics, etc. Often shipped off to new lands to build and develop colonies and terraform the land into something able to harbor and be developed by the mortal races.
14% made up of the governing and corporate class. Brightbound guild leaders, corporate representatives, colonial leaders/authorities.

Government

The Colonial administrative government: Led by admiral Marsden Wainwright a loyal veteran mariner and aeronaut the acting administer or alderman for the colony. Giving rule over the colonial Militia and naval forces. The largest part of the colonial administrative government is that of clerks and clerical workers who keep the city running. All members of the colonial administrative government, such as Naval forces and the marines are directly controlled by Marsden Wainwright. Marsden Wainwright's military prowess afforded him an honorary place amongst the Blackwell family. Being part of a royal heraldry house grants Wainwright privileges not afforded to his lessers. His coat of arms emits a unique identification signal granting him control of his subordinates and other aspects of the colony because of his position in the hierarchy of the Golden Decree. The Blackwell heraldry also affords the admiral the privilege to own, buy, and trade Bestowed (individuals with a superhuman ability) and commission the creation of factotums rationalizer fabricated bestowed. Both acting as Wainwright's colonial guard and private security.
The Charter House: Made up of companies and mercantile representatives who financed the settlement of Arden and invested heavily in the crown's endeavors. Each representative is given one vote, though those with larger investments in the crown are granted more political power and more votes. John Raleighly a corporate representative for essence harvesting guilds has more political influence than the rest of the members in the charterhouse. Due to the substantial investments in the crown's endeavors by John Raleighly's employers, he is granted three votes. Compared to the one or even two votes granted to the other thirteen members of the Charterhouse.
The Republic House: This is where all eligible citizens can vote on bills and laws passed by the Charterhouse. Though unlike members of the charterhouse who have substantial political power. Citizens' votes only count as a percentage of charterhouse members' votes. If the vote tally is larger than that of charterhouse members then the bill/law is passed or failed.

Defences

Bright defensive Infrastructure: The city is defended from bright fall storms and the deep bright by the emissions wall. A 490 feet high wall the top half resembling metal scaffolding with mechanical/electrical components. The purpose of the defensive wall is two-fold to keep out the dangerous aberrant wildlife and to deflect/thin and redirect the bright and its energies. The windows and entranceways of the buildings are protected by metal reinforcements and seals able to be closed and locked to protect the occupants from bright fall storms and moving parts of the bright. Those of wealth and means can afford encoded/enchanted windows and wards allowing them to enjoy the view of the outside world.
Defense/Armed Forces: The colony is defended by the colonial militia, royal navy and marines, and private corporate defense forces and mercenaries. Brightbound guilds defend their interests using sabotage and subterfuge. To secure against foreign and domestic threats admiral Marsden Wainwright was given conditional authority over The Royal Directorate of Propaganda and Domestic Security the GAIP's intelligence/counterintelligence spying network.
Domestic defensive infrastructure: To stop revolutions and sedition most of the buildings have a pacifying pattern built/encoded into them. Largely powered by the underground chromanufactoms and the chroma of the imprinters rationalist casters. These patterns/wards and other such patterns are the only things maintained regularly throughout the city. Restricted areas are protected by patterns that cause confusion among those that are not authorized to be there. The Golden Decree secures those within the hierarchy of noble/royal lineages and heraldry houses. The Golden Decree is a multi-nationwide pattern infrastructure within the GAIP and other imprinted nations. It protects the ruling and upper-class members and their subordinates from infighting and internal threats. Backstabbing and double-crossing are commonplace in the imprinter nations the use of underhanded tactics, scheming and a deceitful nature is how power is acquired. The use of criminal organizations and groups has become standard assassins, blackhanders, extortioners, and more have become the secret entourage of powerful people in imprinter nations. Though the infrastructure to incorporate all the populace of imprinter nations into The Golden Decree would be too costly and resource-intensive the upkeep alone would account for a large portion of the combined GDP of the GAIP and allies.

Industry & Trade

The main industry is that of bright collection and shipping. With the second largest industry being essences harvesting the hunting and processing of powerful beasts and creatures, for the purpose of energy production. Lesser industries being that of mining, processing, and manufacturing of goods.

Infrastructure

The colony boasts a vast undercity, where networks of pipes including sewage pipes, tunnels, and corporate railways all reside. All the indispensable and vulnerable parts of the city infrastructure are housed within the undercity. Analytical engines (Marionette units),chromanufactoms,pawn production and control centers, and chimeric Flesh Forges and more are all housed beneath the city. All vulnerable to the influence and corruption of the bright and forces within it. Much of the cities masses also call the undercity home.
Above ground is home to a network of large metal pipes, and pipelines, a spiderweb of cables and wiring, and large concrete and brick buildings. Those that travel above ground in protective suits can look forward to rust-covered and stained roads and railways, and decaying industrial and corporate buildings. The city has a modern aeronautical docking tower through which much of the cities imports and exports travel through. The cities deepwater ports and shipyards allow the production of massive maritime vessels largely being C and D classification vessels, though with modification to existing shipyards E class vessels could be produced. Much of these vessels are employed by corporations engaged in the bright collection and shipping industry. Much of the colony's infrastructure is involved in the bright collection trade. Out past the edge of the colony beyond the emissions wall past the Osotois freshwater inland sea, which the city borders are huge stacks or chimneys called the spires. Their plain and industrial appearance would be unremarkable if not for the swirling colorful chromatic energies of the bright they siphon. They are some of the largest industrial bright lures in the world. Their only purpose is to collect and transfer the energies, through the large pipeline that cuts straight through the Osotois sea. Polluting the waters causing more weirding and mutation of the wildlife of the local flora and fauna.

Guilds and Factions

Brightbound Guilds and Factions: All Brightbound be them rationalist or not are completely reliant on the bright for chroma production. Rationalists and their ideology is the arbiter of the modern world. This modern industrial golden age is solely dependent on Brightbound and the rationalist manufacturing and innovation in the development and mass production of Weaves/Patterns. Along with the creation of new materials/matter by thaumafikators in rationalist universities in the field of meta-material development allowing for easier encoding/enchanting. Bightbound guilds have turned to infighting to secure their claims on the export of the bright. Though open conflict is rare subterfuge and sabotage are the weapons of the guilds. Though a schism between brightbound has been there since the start of the golden age and the modern era. Conflict midst the rationalist and their philosophies and traditionalist, mages, wizards, medicine man, seers, prophets have been there since the start with the latter being seen as the defunct world view and philosophy. The age of superstition and tradition is dead replaced by rationality and modernization. The Neoferrium Securuim being the ruling body in the Sanctum City of karvend, is the largest and most powerful of these Brightbound guilds their role in the city is to administrate and control the city chromanufactoms.
Hunter guilds: The beast scourge ravages the colonies and frontier towns. The countryside and rural communities of the central nations and beyond have long felt the terrorful plague of the animalistic, primitive inhuman hunger, the ecstasy and bloodthirsty desire of the hunt. The Shade Blood malady has twisted the minds and bodies of the mortal races turning them into beasts into monsters. There forms their bodies becoming twisted aberrant and mutated beyond that what they once were. Arden like many other colonies is a breeding and hunting ground for beasts those made weird and mutated by the bright or those infected by the shade blood malady. Hunters act as the first line of defense against the hordes of beasts and monsters. The hunter's role is the study and extermination of all dangerous beasts. They come from all walks of life through most come from desperate, poor communities, searching for a chance to change their position in life. The official guilds are often well equipped and trained often being subsidized and funded by joint organizations. Though the best hunters are those willing to become beasts themselves. Blood hunters imbibe the shade blood, the infected blood from their prey using a special alchemical tonic that grants them some control over the mutations and changes. Granting them unique and special abilities often at the cost of their humanity. Most take on beastly and monstrous qualities which unnerve the populace. Their first "sacrament" makes them infertile so as not to pass down undesired inhuman traits. Only the most devoted and radical hunters become blood hunters and they take to the hunt with zealotry.
The Silver Tongue Conglomerate Oath/Trust Binders: They are a marked Brightbound house/organization that acts as "charm" sniffers, they make sure that all industrial or corporate dealings and contracts occur in a neutral and stable environment without outside influences. Ensuring commercial negotiations proceed and close without the use or influence of mind manipulation altering charms/weaves. Contracts signed and sealed by the conglomerate are in theory near unbreakable. Each party in the deals agrees to stipulations in the contracts one such being that the parties involved are subjected to a mental pattern/curse. Members of the parties that break their contracts are subjected to the agreed-upon effects of the curses. The Conglomerate being the ones to create and curate as well as administers the curse. The Conglomerate originates from The Sanctum City of Karvend where they made a name for there selfs amongst the corporate class. The conglomerate is sought after being trusted to be the intermediary in business and corporate dealings. This trust is well placed being that all members of the conglomerate are a marked Brightbound, meaning they all have undergone mental conditioning and discipline on top of mental programming. The mark on their foreheads is an implanted encoded object which acts as an anchor for a mental pattern. Created by Karvends thaumafikators created to booster the abilities of its bear, also acting as security for those that employ the marked caster. The mark has several layers of security to prevent the stealing and or alteration of memories and the manipulation of the conglomerate's members. One of the security measures is the wiping of the member's memories, in severe cases, the termination of members may occur. The Silver Tongue Conglomerate motto is.

Bound by trust, bind by absolutes.

The Royal Cabal: Largely made up of Brightbound rationalist imprinters their role in the colony is to maintain and innovate on the cities mental patterns. Imprinters use mind-manipulation weaves and techniques to control and subjugate the minds of the populace. Imprinters use memory-emotional manipulation patterns/weaves, illusions, glamour, and geas to impose servitude on the masses. Imprinters philosophy dictates a segregated society into two classes that of the upper ruling class and that of lower laborers, vassal or surf class. Some factions in the imprinter philosophy believe the lower class is nothing but parasites only useful as an organic labor asset. All imprinters believe that the only role of the lower classes is to serve and be ruled over.

A symptom of heavy and constant use of mental patterns and manipulation is the development of imprinter sickness. Some of the conditions of imprinter sickness are the development of psychosis, brain fog, trouble thinking, uncontrolled shaking, altered mood, and personality, overreacting to events as well as hallucinations. On rare occasions, individuals may become immunized to the effects of mind-altering weaves. It is possible for those with shattered or abnormal minds such as some bestowed to have a resistance to mind-altering weaves and patterns. Sometimes those with minds unclouded are the only ones to truly see.

Turnskins though only making up a small percentage of the cabal, they largely serve in offensive roles. Used in conflict with other colonial powers and to hunt down and eliminate revolutionary elements of the underclass. Seers though considered by other rationalizers to be the remnants of an antiquated and defuncted doctrine. One which is enveloped in superstition, tradition, and supernatural beliefs which once captured the study and application of magic. Though some Seers have found success reportedly being able to foresee some events and accurately predict troop movements, and the position and direction of enemy aeronautic crafts and sea fairing vessels.
The Unshackled: An organized resistance movement made up largely of radical and revolutionary elements in the underclass. Made up of slaves indentured servants and other powerless overlooked groups. Its members call the undercity home, it is there where they plan and conspire. They have been associated with acts of corporate and industrial espionage. Those members that have managed to be captured have opted to end their own lives instead of giving up their conspirators. Officials in the colonial militia and of naval forces believe members of the Iron syndicate and that of anti-imprinter groups have been equipping, training, and supplying the underground to cripple the GAIP.

Architecture

Brutalist, Industrial, and corporate architecture style. Decaying rust-stained, large reinforced shielded concrete and brick, and mortar habitats, often mass housing works where the criminals and indentured servants are forced into cramped living and working conditions stacked on top of one another. Disease crime and mutation are rampant with gangs of criminals upholding anything resembling order. Private corporate security often turning a blind eye to the injustices that occur in the buildings they are supposed to protect. The interior's dark, humid, and smells of death, body odor, and decay with the building's climate system being overwhelmed with the number of bodies long ago. With any light coming from whatever lights are maintained by civil-minded occupants.
To fit as many bodies as possible into the residential buildings, stacks/layers of coffin or stretch beds were fitted into the rooms they were given the name sardine rooms. Due to the fact, all space was utilized three or so layers of sleeping platforms were fitted in every room, requiring those on the upper layers to climb up and over one another to find a "bed". Little more than wooden boxes resembling a coffin often infested with bugs and filth. The rooms were loud and noisy and smelled even worse. Those on the bottom got the worst of it, the most feeble and weak the desperate of the desperate often crawlers called the under "bunks" home. With filth, garbage, and excrement finding its way down to them. Largely because occupants were often so cramped together that they were often unable or even unwilling to use the lavatories. With little comforts afforded to the underclass rooms were barren of all but the basics required by colonial law.

Geography

The colony was settled in mountainy and hilly terrain. Developed in the flattest plains between the Great Ocean-Gracious Nyonn and the freshwater inland Osotois sea. The land around the colony is aberrant and weirded by the bright and forces within it. The Radiant polychromatic energies of the bright baths the land in an ever-present glow. The light from the energies is only shadowed by the region's great powerful storms.

Natural Resources

The largest main export is the paranatural energies that cover the land the Bright. Which is collected, piped, and placed in containers and storage for shipping throughout the world. Which is used by the brightbound for the purpose of chroma production. The second-largest resource is powerful beasts and creatures hunted and harvested for the purpose of energy production in the Essence harvesting industry. Metals and minerals are in abundance due to the rocky and mountainous terrain. Crops and agricultural resources are rare due to the mortal race's inability to process and use the aberrant and alien life and nature twisted, shaped, and created by the forces of the bright. All food sources and utilizable natural resources are either imported from already terraformed and developed lands or come from the agricultural vertical aeroponic towers. Which produce much of the food staples of the colony. Developed to be a sustainable method of crop production. Horticulture is the key to the production of food crops and medicinal ingredients that the colony relies on. Any terraformed and or developed land is carefully controlled, soil management, plant conservation, and landscape restoration is key for a successful colony in the shrouded lands and in the frontiers.

Founding Date

669 ADA

Type

City

Population

Between 700,800 and 980,000