Layered Realms
Layered Realms
This is a Dieselpunk, Dark Adult Fantasy Sci-fi series based in a completely new alternative universe.
Think about an onion cut in half, each layer is a world - on the outside and another on the inside of the layer.
Stridheim, an Inner Realm world is governed by Humans and The Fey. They are in open war with the Outer Realm World of Vixheim.
Vixheim is a world full of supernatural and curse creatures. The Vampire Lords fight themselves, the Lycanthropes and everything else.
While the Realm is in chaos and full of internal fighting, the humans on the other side stand a chance - for now.
Dieselpunk is the follow-on tech from Steampunk (which is mainly based around the Edwardian Era). The tech in Stridheim is slightly more advanced than the industrial era. Diesel-Jax are huge mechanoids controlled by a remote gadget and work the docks, lumber yards - or are retrofitted for the armed forces.
Rookhaven is an independent port city that has been in relative peace and relies on trade rather than the war effort.
Magic is not common place, but its about.
The Fae and Mages are heavily policed as the Inquisition have their innate training ground within the city walls. Life goes on, people worry about the normal things like bills and where they are going to have a drink on Friday night.
They typically do not think further than their own doorsteps.
Let alone think that the Gods walk amongst them playing out their little games.
But they do, and Fallon is unwittingly about to tumble into that rabbit hole.
Stridheim
The world in which they live.
Technology has made some great advancement from the Steam based power and engines of the peoples Great-Grandfathers and founders. Diesel and the Internal Combustion Engines have allowed the Industrial Age to grow.
The world itself is on the surface of the globe, and for a long time they thought they were alone. Until the advancement of technology and magic allowed the Stridheim engineers to design and take a craft through the barrier of the sky, travel through the blackness of the space that is the Void, and instead of reaching for the stars as they had hoped. Discovered another sky barrier, and upon breaking through it: Vixheim.
The countries of Europe, Asia and the Americas created the United Nations. A ruling body that governs global needs and situations. While each country looks after their own, the UN looks after the Realm of Stridheim and the resulting War with Vixheim. The war was also the catalyst which revealed the Fae, who have integrated into human society publicly, rather than hiding in plain sight as they had done for eons.
Rookhaven City
Free trade city, Isle of Guernsey: Inquisitor training base, Underdark Prison
The city is a port and trade city on the Isle. The Royal Charter of 1548 had already declared the Isle independent, and after the I-R War started the UN took it as their central base of operations for Europe. Over the years they built an enormous underground compound with multiple levels.
The city itself still maintains a strong Inquisitor presence, with a training base stationed there. Its location in the English Channel, near the Western coast of the Normandy, France is convenient for trade, having close links to the England and those that now brave the seas on the armoured diesel and steam battleships, they are a have against the creatures that now roam the depths thanks to the war efforts of the Vixheim. Zeppelin’s rule the sky trade, with short range rota-engineered planes aiding with protection and support. Trade routes cross the lands like veins providing the military and civilians alike access to the rest of the country and world.
As the war essentially levelled out regarding activity on both sides, the Inquisition moved their headquarters to New York, and other various influential cities. The underground complex was fully converted before moving and used to house prisoners of war, military, and political criminals, the Vixheim, and eventually your normal everyday bad guy. The deepest level is designated for the highest level of security. The rehabilitation system has it that a prisoner can redeem themselves, work their way back to the surface and gain their freedom. There are two known entry points to the Prison, The Hall of Justice and within the Stirling Estate. As the latter is the Inquisition stronghold, and the Black Cloaks the primary cause for most of the residents, the nickname ‘The Underdark City’ has stuck.
There are two main classes of people in Rookhaven, Licensed and the not. The Licensed have more rights and freedoms than those without the correct paperwork. These are mainly voting, access to health care, government support and the like. Immigrants, ex-convict, and the Vix do not have said paperwork, and while in extenuating circumstances will allow a person born outside the city to gain these rights, convicts and the Ex-Vix will more than likely be declined this - although they do not publicly advertise this and are more to line the coffers with charges and fees from those wishing to pursue what is essentially a pointless venture.
The Houses
The trades have been organised into Houses, each House monitors and controls its own members. Each House has a designated colour that is represented on their coat of arms, badges, and uniforms.
Due to the I-R War, the Nations of Stridheim
agreed terms, and created the United Nations (UN). A ruling body that oversee’s the war effort against Vixheim, and the Nations themselves. The trades were then organised into Houses, each House monitors and controls its own members. Each House has a designated colour that is represented on their coat of arms, badges and uniforms. Thus creating order amongst the chaos of the realm war.
- Engineers in White
- Historians in Purple (and usually dust from the books they coveted) - with the sub-house of Medical in Lilac
- Navigators wear Green
- Aviatrix in Blue
- The Armed forces in Brown
- Recycling have Orange
- Traders and Merchants in Yellow
- Mages from the House of Magnus in Red
- Prisoners wear Pink overalls with bands of black on the cuffs, each representing the level they were sentenced too. The more bands, the deeper they were and the higher the risk they represented to the way of life for the licensed citizens.
- The Police wear a shade of Grey, the darker the higher rank
- The Inquisition wear Black as they have always done
It was simple really, each House trained its personal, then Governments, Corporations and private citizens hired them, paying the House, and the representative. Corporations fought amongst themselves for wealth, power, and influence, as they had always done, and will continue too. But the ultimate conflict was against the Vixheim Realm.
Each Nation have their own laws and differences that the Houses adhere to while in said country. However, overseeing them all are the Inquisition.
The trades have been organised into Houses, each House monitors and controls its own members. Each House has a designated colour that is represented on their coat of arms, badges, and uniforms.
Due to the I-R War, the Nations of Stridheim
agreed terms, and created the United Nations (UN). A ruling body that oversee’s the war effort against Vixheim, and the Nations themselves. The trades were then organised into Houses, each House monitors and controls its own members. Each House has a designated colour that is represented on their coat of arms, badges and uniforms. Thus creating order amongst the chaos of the realm war.
- Engineers in White
- Historians in Purple (and usually dust from the books they coveted) - with the sub-house of Medical in Lilac
- Navigators wear Green
- Aviatrix in Blue
- The Armed forces in Brown
- Recycling have Orange
- Traders and Merchants in Yellow
- Mages from the House of Magnus in Red
- Prisoners wear Pink overalls with bands of black on the cuffs, each representing the level they were sentenced too. The more bands, the deeper they were and the higher the risk they represented to the way of life for the licensed citizens.
- The Police wear a shade of Grey, the darker the higher rank
- The Inquisition wear Black as they have always done
It was simple really, each House trained its personal, then Governments, Corporations and private citizens hired them, paying the House, and the representative. Corporations fought amongst themselves for wealth, power, and influence, as they had always done, and will continue too. But the ultimate conflict was against the Vixheim Realm.
Each Nation have their own laws and differences that the Houses adhere to while in said country. However, overseeing them all are the Inquisition.
The Inquisition
They are the judge, jury, and executioners, with an absolute power overall.
The Inquisition is feared, and rightly so. The black cloaks and hooded members are empowered with magical enchantments, they are usually Mages in their own right, but they have lawful powers that over-rule anything that any government or country in Stridheim has in place.
They seek out the unlicensed magic users, the Vixheim spies, traitors and general mass threats to the life that is on Stridheim. They have their Initiate training ground in Rookhaven city, a walled compound of Stirling Estate. Making Rookhaven one of the safest independent cities - apparently.
The Underdark City
A underground complex that is now a layered prison and worker quarters.
Before moving their Head Quarters, the Inquisition structure was converted into a prison for war criminals, the Vixheim troops caught, and eventually your normal everyday bad guy. The lowest level is designated for the highest level of security. The rehabilitation system has it that a prisoner can redeem themselves and work their way back to the surface - and freedom. There are two known entry points to the Prison, The Hall of Justice and within the Stirling Estate. As the latter is the Inquisition stronghold, and the Black Cloaks the primary cause for most of the residents, the nickname ‘Underdark City’ has stuck.
Layers of a mixture of prison and workers. There is a common misconception that everyone is a criminal, this is untrue, as traders, guards, and representatives of all the Houses live and work there. Likened to a hive city, there are free citizens that have been born, lived, and worked in amongst the warren that have never seen the sun.
Prisoners wear pink overalls with black armbands that depict the level they are sent to, and thus the threat. Each time a convict re-offends, they are sent deeper. As they work, behave, submit to the rules and laws of the city they can earn access to the upper levels, and eventually the surface and freedom. The never-ending cycle keeps the law makers and policing bodies busy.
