Fiefs of the Realm

The Low Halls are the central region of the Realm, but also one of the less influential. The seven Lords and Ladies of the Low Halls are not united under a single overlord, and as such lack political unity and military force. They engage in a great deal of trade with the other fiefs on an individual basis, though, and the revenues from this trade go a long ways towards the agendas of the Great Houses. The Low Halls share a border with another fief on every side except the south - to the south lies only the yawning, black expanse of the Abyss.

Hab Spire Rise is just north of the Low Halls. These towering structures are miles across, and each one extends for miles into the City's twilit sky. Originally, the Hab Spires contained millions or even billions of citizens. Now most of that space is uninhabited, and House Kendar uses the empty apartments to house hydroponic gardens.

The Wastes lie to the east of the Low Halls. Some disaster - be it an impact, explosion, or otherwise - leveled most of the skyscrapers in this region, leaving only a desolate wasteland of crumbled concrete and jagged metal. With the ventilation and heating systems destroyed, the air is dry, thin, and freezing cold. Some hardy unfortunates still live in the exposed ventilation shafts that extend down into the Depths.

Fibre Tower is technically only a structure within the Wastes, but it is so vast it is counted a region unto itself. The cable-like Tower extends countless miles into the sky - there are those who say nobody has ever reached the top or measured the structure's height. Due to its many surviving electronics, the Tower is a beacon for sorcerers, and years ago House Arkentek succeeded in confederating the wandering techno-mages together with Fibre Tower as their base of operations.

Mold Marsh sits to the west of the Low Halls and Hab Spire Rise. Untold eons ago, some mysterious medical growth got out of hand, expanding and mutating wildly with no expert to control or contain it. The countless descendant strains of this toxic fungus have covered miles of the Realm, creating a potently toxic and narcotic swamp. Inhabitants must wear skintight suits at all ties to protect themselves from their environment - except for those who have developed protective mutations.

Dorith's End lies south of Mold Marsh, putting it southwest of the Low Halls. Once an ordinary city block, now this street juts many precarious miles out over the mouth of the Abyss. Deprived of running water, electricity, and most food, the inhabitants of Dorith's End have become humorless and ascetic. Their stonework has raised castles and settlements from the collapsed towers of their homeland, and their asceticism has raised the grim Church of Ascension as the Realm's chief religion.

The Depths underlie the whole of the City, and contain the life support systems, recycling vats, and hydraulic webs that make life in the City possible. Realms like Dorith's End and the Wastes that have had their connections to the Depths severed or impaired are colder and drier, and have thinner air. The region of the Depths beneath the Realm are ruled over by the enigmatic House Norn, which devotes itself to the ritual maintenance of the pipes.