Stratos

An immensely industrialized, magical realm.

City

The common tongue is uncannily similar to English, with many unique dialectal differences.

Colosseum is the only popular legal sport in Stratos that isn't present on Earth. Racing, basketball, football, baseball--they all exist here. Colosseum, however, is unique. The game itself is predictable--it's a battle of dominance, one that often results in injury. Although games officially endorsed by the Coalition almost never result in death, they do hold special games for high-profile political prisoners.

It's to prove a point. A very grisly, no-nonsense one.

The sport itself has a popular underground scene, where the traditional, "safer" rules hold less gravity. Players fight to grave injury or death against each other, sometimes in teams, sometimes one on one. Spectators bet on the results before each game, and the winning team or player will recieve a cut of the profit.

Not all players in the underground version of the sport are willing, although the majority are. Human trafficking is booming due to this unfortunate game.

Drag racing is also common, and results in many of the cities deaths.

Laws are enforced with some tenacity in the East districts, Othella and Arabella, by the Coalition itself. Vigilantes are strongly discouraged.

Most crimes are given leniency. The only true "law" is to obey the Coalition under all costs.

Military units are installed based on population densities, solely to keep some semblance of the Coalition's all-seeing eye, as well as to quench any uprisings before they become a problem.

For the most part, local gangs, mobs, and vigilantes keep the peace in the West districts. For a hefty cut of profits made, the Coalition allows this to keep going on, despite public outcry.

Drugs are illegal to sell, but not illegal to consume or buy.

Prostitution is illegal.

Murder, rape, and abuse are all illegal.

Speaking out against the Coalition is illegal, and perhaps the only thing that one must be truly careful of. They're always watching, you see.

The legal system is murky. If you're unfortunate enough to be incarcerated by the Coalition themselves, which is usually reserved for political prisoners, it's rare that you'll ever be seen again.

Roughly 35,000,000.

Columna Excelsa

Tempraeum system, installed by the Coalition. The currency itself is usually referred to as "tempra" by citizens.

Tempraeum is a purely digital system, all managed by the same bank.

This is intended to put a damper on any illegal practices, with moderate success.

The majority of old currency has been seized and dissolved into Tempraeum. However, it still remains the king of the black market--the lith, a glittering, golden square coin the size of a knuckle.

Although incapable of being laundered into Tempraeum, lith has a solid foothold. This foothold is so pronounced that it's common to see it be freely exchanged in Victoria and Alexandra. As such, a majority amount of transactions in Stratos's west districts are not taxed...thanks to the cut of profits the Coalition gets from larger organizations, the black market is largely ignored, however.

New technology that allows the laundering of lith to tempraeum and vice versa is a serious problem.

Public Sector:
15%
Private Sector:
30%
Black market:
55%

Any geographical diversity in the city has been mostly squashed by heavy industrialization.

The Coalition has installed various parks, although they're kind of...what's the word...depressing.

Summers are humid and balmy, while winters are cold and unforgiving. Rain and snow are common.

Who fucking knows

Almost any food you'd find on Earth can be found somewhere in Stratos. Somehow.

Meat, grain, and dairy are the staples of most diets, while fresh fruit and vegetables are treated as somewhat of a luxury.

1840

1971-1984

Stratos was not created by natural means, nor is it in a tangible part of space.

One outspoken English scientist, Gideon Thorne, is responsible for Stratos. Created in 1840 by a hideous amalgamation of magic, demonic knowledge, and science, he did what no man could do before--create his very own world. Of course, no great feat comes without sacrifice. In order to fuel the raw energy required to create the final puzzle piece, an entire city was wiped clean off of the map in the process, Gideon and his lab included.

With the isle city of Dewmire left the knowledge that it had ever existed in the first place, along with all of the inhabitants.

Gideon had planned for this, of course. Stratos, the abomination that it was, made no natural sense. It was an exact replica of of Dewmire's isle, ports, city, and all. The ocean appears vast and impenetrable, but simply circles back around to the city.

The land was lush, however, and brimming with possibilities. Gideon had grand plans ready, as well, using the dumbfounded people ripped from their past lives as workers for his vision. Although Gideon himself could never return to his beloved England, thanks to the demonic characters that had lent their help, he had plenty of influence to keep his little utopia as close development-wise as possible.

By the mid 1950s, it was already surpassing Earth in technological advancements, with the vision passed down by each of Gideon's kin. Multiple districts flourished, and it was soon a metropolis.

When the last of Gideon's kin died with absolutely no one to guide future changes, chaos erupted. War broke out between districts, pestilence and famine from over-industrialization was rampant, and the very demonic influences that allowed Stratos to be in the first place tore fabrics in reality, leaving horrifically fantastical situations to become commonplace.

Amongst it all, a shady organization called the Coalition suddenly took hold in 1984. Their military power was...unbelievable, to say the least.

They had one goal--dissolve all of the warring districts into one city again, so that war simply could not exist. At first, there was resistance. That resistance was crushed, utterly and profoundly.

Although some damages could not be undone, the Coalition put method to the chaos, installing new leaders in each district, improving infrastructures, and finding ways to feed the starving populace. Soon, they were revered as gods. Not that anyone really knew who they were, who was running the Coalition, or where their grimly silent soldiers came from...

The world is in a state of stasis now. The fate of the Stratos hangs snugly in balance.

Arabella and Othella are the two districts that fared the most positively after the war, due to the quick resignation to the Coalitions forces. These districts are smaller, and almost suburban in nature. The Coalition's military is vigilant here, and crime is almost unheard of.

Alexandra and Victoria, on the other hand, were the most torn from the conflict, both corroding from luxurious urban district to crime-ridden metropolis. Due to the heavy presence of mobs, gangs, and vigilantes, the Coalition's presence is hardly found here--in the public's eye, at least.

Mere humans native to Stratos are incapable of ever travelling outside of it, thanks to the bounds of Gideon's technologies.

However, ancient things lie beneath the soil here, and they have touched many. There are rumours amongst these lucky few that the Coalition is not even from Earth. Not even from anything known, for that matter.

Stratos is home to many Earthen demons, as well as non-Earthen, eldritch creatures that are quite unexplainable. All of them have one common thread--their power and knowledge was used by Gideon to create Stratos, and thus their presence in the world is innate.