Noah's World

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World

Society lives on giant mechanical towers with several levels commonly arranged like a spiral staircase above what they call the fogsea, a limitless expanse of fog that covers the planet. The higher up a person lives, the better the quality of life so the rich and privileged live higher on the tower and get the most light, while those below don’t get as much and they live much poorer lives.

The highest level is called the “Gods Landing” where beings known as the Architects reside. The Architects are believed to be divine beings that created the towers and are the ones who are in charge of maintaining it. They serve as the mouth pieces of the gods and claim that it is through the gods powers that towers come to be.

There are multiple towers spread throughout the world, the biggest and most powerful ones are Elysium, Avalon, Kunlun, Asgard, Takama-ga-hara, Mu, and the sacred tower The XVI(Sixteenth) – the home tower of the Architects. These major towers are made up of more than one tower, ranging from two to four additional towers and one central tower that is much larger than the other. It is this union that makes them so powerful. There is an eighth major tower called Hy-Brasil, but people think it is just a myth since no one has ever seen it, not even the Architects. Hy-Brasil is, in fact, real but is hidden from view using magic.

The people of the towers gather resources from within the tower itself by searching and harvesting a resource called a cloud crystal. This crystal is broken down and converted into essential items, water, dirt, iron, and genetic material to construct animals. Collecting these precious crystals is no easy task as they are often found near or inside tar monsters, abominations born from a malevolent black liquid that crawls up the tower pipes from below the fogsea.

History

It is believed that mortals used to live below the fogsea ruled over by cruel masters, the progenitors of the tar - grotesque monsters that are often described as chimeras of large intimidating stature. These progenitors frequently had competitions between them to decide who was more superior when it came to either strength of body, magic, intelligence, or creativity but regardless of the nature of the competition it was the humans who suffered for it. Humans used as nothing more than object to determine who would win, either by slaying the most humans or coming up with the most creative way to kill or torture a human. Mankind was simply their possession, a toy to be broken and replaced.

These times did not last as one day, when hope seemed lost, arrows of burning light shot across the sky and struck down the progenitors then brilliant light enveloped the land as the first Architects descended from the stars. Sadly, the land had bathed in the influence of the progenitors for too long making it inhospitable for man, thus the Architects created the towers that reached to the skies and summoned the fogsea to seal away the tar, saving mankind from torture and extinction.

This is a fabricated history.

The truth is, the world they live in is Earth thousands of years into the future. A meteor storm brought a strange coal like mineral to the Earth which gave certain individuals powers that were akin to magic. They named the mineral Galdrium, or Spell Stones, and they quickly became the greatest and most sought after mineral on the planet. The resource held tremendous potential but somewhat finite, it would be ten years later before mankind discovers a way to cultivate and recreate the mineral themselves, so there was a race between world powers to claim the source.

At first, the race for possession of the Galdrium deposit was fought on the political and economic front but, with tensions rising between countries and incidents involving super powered individuals causing chaos sprouting everywhere it was only a matter of time before one thing lead to another. Eventually, due to a series of unfortunate events stemming from a combinations of accidents and mishandled situations, World War 3 had started and it brought the entire world to near destruction.

Five years into the war a terrible incident occurred at the Galdrium mine when an unknown missile strike hit the facility causing a chain reaction that resulted in an explosion so devastating that it dwarfed the Tsar Bomba in scale and output, but that wasn't the worst of it. The explosion and the Galdrium in the air formed a deadly fog that melted everything around it into tar, tar that would then spit out terrifying sludge like monsters that resembled animals merged with machine or mineral. This fog would also start to grow and spread itself around the globe at an alarming pace. They called it the Malignant Fog.

Earth had become scorched with most of the normal human population quickly dying out due to the lack of protection given by the Galdrium, and with the advent Malignant Fog mankind was pushed to the brink. WW3 was over but the new threat that rose in its wake forced the remaining countries across the globe to pool their resources to find a way to survive the Fog. This alliance resulted in two things, the first being the cultivation and manufacturing of man-made Galdrium and the second was the creation of Project Babel, the towers that would save humanity.

Twenty one towers were made using the now abundant Galdrium to save what remained of mankind, but this would only serve to delay the inevitable rather than provide a permanent and lasting solution. In a mere two hundred years, ten of the twenty one towers would fall either due to technical failure, over-population, or infestation of the Fog monsters, and this painted a clear picture that Project Babel was failing and that an extinction event was coming.

Mankind would not surrender to this fate however and it was in this darkest of times that the ultimate sacrifice would have to be made. Among the remaining towers only one, tower sixteen, that remained mostly intact and it would be this tower that the Project Noah would be built. The project entailed gathering all the people with special powers, along with those who had the potential, to tower sixteen which was being refitted and re-enforced to become a giant ship that they would board to leave the Earth and wait for Fog to dissipate, then recolonize the planet when its safe.

Those without powers were abandoned to their fate. Sacrifices for the greater good.

After three hundred years Noah's Ark was completed and with the necessary resources and technology, they special powered humans left the planet, entering cryosleep while automatons waited and observed the Earth for the ideal moment to awake their masters. Their departure seemingly marking the end of mankind on Earth and the beginning of those who would later become the Architects.

With their departure the humans that remained on the planet were forced to survive for the next thousands of years on the dilapidating towers by salvaging whatever they can using whatever methods they could come up with. They had to fight against the Fog, the monsters born of it, nature, and each other. The world was against them, the times were against them, and their odds for survival were zero.

Fast forward three thousand years later, the Fog had settled on the surface of the planet and had become less toxic to the point that prolonged exposure will have no effect on the body. It had also reached the point where treatment of the Fog is possible. The atmosphere was also saturated with tiny particles of Galdrium that caused no harm to their bodies but allowed them to use their powers at any given moment without needing a stone in their possession, which meant the colonization may begin. Upon reaching the Earth, the colonists immediately noted that a few towers remained standing albeit inactive. Even more surprising was the primitive society that survived in its ruins, descendants of the humans that were left behind.

The survivors society resembled that of those who lived in the Medieval period and none knew of the colonist existence. Upon their arrival, they were treated as gods by the survivors because of their powers and their descent from the heavens. Furthermore, when they were attacked by Fog Monsters, the colonist dispatched them with little to no effort - noting that the monsters strength were a far cry from what they were - which only further solidified their "godhood".

They also observed that the survivors had particularly hardy physiology. They were stronger, tougher, immune to most diseases, had longer life spans, particularly those they dubbed "beastkin" - humans who had developed certain animal features like cat eyes to see in the dark or prehensile tails for climbing - had superior physical abilities to humans. The situation was unexpected but it gave the colonists a grand opportunity. Rebuild their world by using the new found faith the survivors had for them and had them do the heavy lifting until they developed a foothold for them to establish their dominance, and ultimately, keep their numbers safe and pure.

The Architects were born and they have since ruled over the new world, using their superior technology and command over Galdrium to re-build the world.

Government

Each tower is ruled by the Architects at the top however, they rarely involve themselves with matters of man. Architects deal mostly with matters concerning the towers integrity, any major changes, arrangement of the tiers, and construction or destruction of levels. 'Mortal affairs should be settled by mortals' is the philosophy of those on the Gods Landing, so they appoint a mortal - or a group - to be their mouthpiece and manage their own people. This formed the government of the towers, who is always found on the second level, and it varies from tower to tower. Takama-ga-hara, for example, has an empress whilst Elysium has a grand council.

From the second to the fifth levels, the monarch or council have direct control over them while every level below has a governor. This governor manages a certain number of level which depends on how many make up their tower country. Under the governors are mayors who manage a single level. The duties of the governors and mayors are similar, budget for the level, healthcare, security, entertainment, etc., with only the scale of work to be done being the difference.

The currency used is similar to the old Earth with some slight difference. Avalon uses the Avalonian Stirling, Elysium uses the metallio, Asgard uses the airgead, Kunlun's jinzi, Takamaga-hara with the kiin, and Mu with the Munian dollar.

The Deep and the Divers

While they are the literal foundation of societies, the Towers are a mystery, even the Architects are unsure as to how they lasted so long. More importantly however, is the strange and dangerous world that's manifested inside it. People call this world The Deep, a never ending world of steel shrouded in darkness where Fog Monsters roam and the rules of the world no longer apply.

Inside the Deep lies mountains of treasure, relics from the old world, bones of ancient creatures, technology of great and unknown power, and vaults of knowledge of an age and culture long past. These treasures are what tempt men to brave the Deep, hoping to find these items and secure their fortune and future in luxury. The Architects however, want to explore the Deep to find and secure any information that threatens their godhood - the ancient libraries and research facilities buried inside are places they wish to find.

No one knows how or when the Deep was formed, the current running theory is that Fog monsters crawled up from the surface roughly about a hundred years after the colonists left the Earth to try and feed on the remaining populace - which also may have helped evoke the evolution of those who remained - but this theory is difficult to prove as the answers may lie within the Deep itself. The difficulty of this tasks is made even more difficult by the nature of the Deep, where every new moon the layout changes.

Exploration of the Deep started even before the return of the Architects but was incredibly slow due to the lack of power in the people. As time went on and the people became stronger, exploration started to progress a little bit more though it wasn't until the return of the Architects that exploration really started to move apace. They developed new weapons and technology to assist in the exploration, the most useful being Torchlights, portable bright markers that stabilize a small area of the Deep so that it is not affected by the change during the new moon. These items are indispensable in the modern day.

Explorers from all walks of life started to appear but, these groups or individuals eventually started to clash and kill over treasure that was found or over information of a new route. Too many started to die for nothing, and the returns from these feuds were often less than what they were worth.

This upset the Architects prompting them to start organization known as the Divers Guild was formed where men and women can register to become Deep Divers, official explorers of the Deep that are regulated and organized. One's background is of little importance, all that's needed is an able body, a sharp mind, and the will to survive.

The guild served to track the movement of all Divers, ranking them to determine how long they can stay in the tower and up to what level they can explore. It also served as a hub to appraise the value of the relics they find or how many Fog Monsters they slay, or how much of the Deep they chart, turning their efforts into money. The relics brought back are used to create various things to improve everyday life. Animal bones and the life are particularly valuable as they can be used to bring the specie back to life, this is how they're able to still have beef, pork, chicken, and fish.

The simplicity of the work and the qualifications needed prompted many of those on the lower levels to become Divers, since even the most mediocre of Divers can earn a fairly decent living, but of course the more dangerous the task the greater the reward. The most rewarding of these tasks is finding igniting a Lighthouse, large Galdrium crystals that stabilize a large section the Deep. They also keep the Fog Monsters away, allowing camps to be set up at these places. Finding one of these Lighthouses can already net a Diver a great amount of money, and being able to ignite it at the same time can set one up for life.

Travel and Geography

Earth and Hamlets
The new Earth is a large but small place at the same time due to the main "land masses" being quite small compared to a continent. As such travelling can be quite long, dreary, and disorientating without the proper equipment. about 90% of the world is made up of the fogsea and the rest are made of masses of stone and dirt that's being held up by traces of Galdrium. These can support life since some contain water aspected Galdrium and plants, so some people have moved and settled to some of these masses and created hamlets away from the hustle and bustle of the Towers. These hamlets are not too far from the Towers and still heavily depend on them for protection and resources.

Hamlets survive by providing naturally grown wood and vegetables to the Towers, which is mostly for the elite who can afford these luxuries, in exchange for the necessities they need to survive. Some hamlets have grown large that they can accommodate a few small airships and have become a kind of trading point for merchants. Hamlets generally govern themselves but are still subject to the laws of the Tower whose territory they reside in.

Airships
Airships serve as the mode of travel between the Towers and commercial vessels are always equipped with different facilities to keep people entertained or allow them to work even while in transit. Sizes can range from small private yachts to gargantuan luxury cruise ships that can hold thousands of people.

Diver Guild airships aren't nearly as big but they are used for giant Fog Monster subjugation which means they are sturdier, faster, and armed to the teeth. Carriers and battleships are able to carry the heaviest loads compared to any other kind of airship. They also possess a special airship that floats right on the surface of the fogsea that purifies the area around the tower to minimize the number of Fog Monsters from coming in and keeping the larger ones away.

Air Vehicles
These vehicles are the primary method of transport within the towers. Air vehicles range from air cars, bikes, and busses and run on processed Galdrium cartridges. These vehicles are versatile in their use and in the hands of the proper mechanic can even be used to travel from tower to tower, though it is not recommended since customizing a air vehicle to that level is incredibly expensive and just not practical for most. Only small transporters make use of air vehicles of that journey and even then, they have to plan their course by stopping at different hamlets. The trip also generally takes much longer than travelling via airships which can fly over open skies.

Lifts, Railway, and Cable Cars
Aside from air vehicles there are various ways to get around the Towers. On each level there's some form of underground railway which goes in a circle around the city and a few lines that cut across the center going to the cardinal directions. There are also trams on the surface along with taxis and buses.

There's also the public lifts and cable cars to go between levels. The lifts are more like trains that travel vertically along the tower to quickly get to other levels that are much higher up, such as going from level fifteen to ten. Cable cars work the same way but only going from one level to the next, but it does eventually reach the highest allowable point which is always level two. The main differences between the two is the speed by which they get to the destination and the price, with the lift being much more expensive while cable cars are much cheaper.

Technology

The current level of technology is all thanks to the arrival of Galdrium that can be used fabricate and enhance the properties of metals, fabrics, and liquids. Its magic like property allows it to be capable of almost anything so long as it is applied properly. Of course, this knowledge is known only to the Architects which is how they are able to maintain their God-like status.

To the lay man, technology still resembles that of the old age, with only a few aspects being very advanced by those same standards. An example being the application of flight being enabled to cars and the like, eliminating the need for airplanes, or the very methods that create and maintain the towers. One of the most astounding advancements is taken for granted by the populace, the fabricator - a machine that can extract DNA samples from fogmonster cores and reconstruct the creature should their be enough of its genetic material. This is how certain species of animals have been brought back, like cows, chickens, pigs, and certain breeds of cats, dogs, and brids. It can also create artificial meat and vegetables, though these taste watered down compared to their originals but is widely available to the masses.

Religion

The most prominent religion across the world is the Creators Law, the word of the Architects, which is mainly used as a tool to control the ignorant masses. When the Architects first descended they brought with them knowledge and law for the people to follow. These laws also serve as the core philosophies of this religion with the first being obedience to the Architects above all, then to always champion peace, and the last is to reject war.

There were other minor laws that was added later on, but these were given as "teachings" to cover up any hypocrisies that came up due to conflicting ideas or another Architects interference.

These three laws served the agenda of the Architects well in the early decades where their subjects did as they were told with no question. Soon a church and religious order was established, idolizing certain Architects and creating demons and devils, and the people themselves perpetuated the lie of the Architects without them needing to step in all the time. Their words were also broken down and interpreted in different ways, creating different sects and traditions between them, though their "gods" were more or less the same.

The Architects let these sects develop and grow all for the sake of their plan to have everlasting control over the populace, though as the years went on and the people grew smarter, these sects lost some influence - some being absorbed into another - but the Architects themselves never lost influence. They achieved this by appearing before the people on occasion, expressing either disappointment or joy towards their faith, and usually bringing some form of gift to them to keep their belief strong. They kept a watchful eye on these sects and would use selective appearance, claiming this person has been chosen by their god, to have members do unsavory tasks when necessary.

As twisted as it is, this was how they managed to keep world peace for so long. Manipulating the people's blind faith by using rewards or false miracles via the use of superior technology, and using that faith to have them do certain tasks that would benefit them and prevent war.

There are other religions and faiths spread out but they are small even if numerous, and none are nearly as powerful or influential as the Creators Law, though some have members that range in the thousands.