Shatterath

The continent of Shatterath is the magical and political capital of Kaiator. It fills almost the entire surface area of its island and towers up into the sky held strong by huge magical forces. The vanarch and his council keep control of the city under a strict caste system. The higher in the city you live, the more money and influence you have, while the poor working class lives closer to the bottom. The populace relies on the powerful magic provided by the artificers of the water caste. Due to this reliance there is very little use of traditional technology on the island.

## Geography

Almost the entire landmass of Shatterath is taken up by the city of the same name. It consists of a central island with multiple smaller island both around and above it. The interior of the main island is largely hollowed out into giant caverns with large boreholes drilled out of the bottom. Because of the sprawling city there is almost no natural foliage except on the small outer islands. Shatterath is the second smallest of the continents, with the main island being about 20km x 15km. There several very close island attached via bridges makes it appear slightly larger. Altitude wise it is the second lowest of the islands between Vivillion and Batallius.

## Population

The population of Shatterath is the highest of all of the continents, standing at around one million. The largest race populations are humans at 40% and warforged at 30%. The remaining 30% is a mix of all other races. The density gets less and less towards the top of the city. The outer islands often have huge villas owned by only the wealthiest individuals. It is not uncommon for only a few people, or sometimes even one person, to live on one of these islands. The higher levels are primarily large apartments in gated sections. These may be huge apartments but most still live under someone. The middle areas are what you would think of as a standard apartment. The middle class live here and get the benefit of lumispheres to simulate sunlight. The lower levels have the poorest among the population. These are slumlike and have a huge density of people within very small areas. Although rarely acknowledged, there are rumored to be people who live in small shanty towns in forgotten corners of the factory levels.

## Architecture

The architecture of Shatterath is unthinkably complex. The highest points in the main city stand over 700m above ground level with various small islands that float above these points. The city is is a marvel of construction performed by the earth caste, weaving together stone, steel, and glass to create these massive towers. Of course buildings of this size could normally never stand under their own strength, but the incorporation of the purple colored force ars-crystals render this possible. The highest points of the main city as well as the outlying islands are primarily inhabited by the richest and most influential people, mostly aristocrats and high ranking military. Going lower into the city blots out most of the sunlight so lumispheres line the roads, providing artificial sunlight to the middle class. In the lowest reaches of the city lies the poorest areas. These streets are not provided lumispheres and rely on traditional torches for light, also leaving many of the working class rarely seeing sunlight. Under the earth lies the factory levels. These huge caverns are carved directly into the stone and are where most of the low and middle class laborers work. The waste from these production caverns is dumped directly out of the bottom of the island via giant drilled boreholes. Every 50m from ground levels there is a suspended road network connecting the city, allowing easy movement within and between areas without having to go too far up or down. Even at night the city appears as a very bright shining tower from a very long distance.

## Transportation

Most people in Shatterath commute via walking as everything is connecting by a tight network of raised paths. Because of the population density most needed amenities can likely be found in walking distance. Horizontal travel can also be found by the light rails that mostly branch out from the center of the city to the outer reaches. Vertical movement can be achieved via the light lifts, these are almost identical to the light rails but go back and forth along one vertical track instead of in a constant loop. These are throughout the city and can be found every 5 towers or so. There are a few large airship ports to travel between continents which is the primary way to enter or leave. There are also smaller airship ports for travel around the city but these are expensive and slow compared to the rail system.

## Castes

Shatterath is run under a strict caste system. Being born into a caste, or assigned to a caste, stays with you for life. Your caste does not necessarily determine your wealth but more of your line of work. The earth caste is stereotypically the poorest caste but does have some very wealthy architect families. The castes are named after the 5 elements of the world. Each caste has a leader on the Vanarch's council with the force caste leader being the Vanarch himself.

* **Force** - The force caste is the politicians and religious leaders of the city. They are the most respected and influential of the castes and command most of the power. The Vanarch is always of the force caste. Getting on the bad side of even a small force caste family can mean trouble. The representing color of the force caste is purple.
* **Water** - The water cast is the magicians and artificers of Shatterath. They work on manipulation of the magic crystals and are the main ones behind the city being able to exist as it does. Any water caste family that is moderately talented in magic will have a certain degree of wealth. The water caste is the most spread out amongst the city, working in almost all sectors from infusing crystal magic into structures, to operating magical machinery in the factory levels. The representing color of the water caste is blue.
* **Air** - The air caste is the pilots and "air force" of the city. They hold the exclusive knowledge on how to pilot the great airships, used for military might and transport, or even leisure for the rich. The highest ranking of the air caste pilot the great transport ships between islands and military battleships, while the lower class usually pilot smaller cargo vessels or private yachts. The representing color of the air caste is green.
* **Fire** - The fire caste is the warriors of the city. They acting as both the standing army and the police of Shatterath. The rank of the fire caste can range from poor foot soldiers to wealthy generals. Most families of this caste living on the middle levels or higher. The representing color of the fire caste is red.
* **Earth** - The earth caste is the working class of the city. These are the builders and factory workers and are stereotypically the poorest caste. Despite this it was primarily the earth caste who built the city. They both control and man the factory levels deep beneath the main city, with the majority of them also living in the lower levels. The representing color of the earth caste is brown.

## Military

The Shatterath military is divided up into 3 main sectors. The vanguard is the standing army of the city, it is mainly populated by the fire caste and are well armed and armored. Other than main soldiers it does contain other special units such as water caste ars-cannoneers. The vanguard is meant entirely for operation outside of Shatterath and are trained on some of the surrounding islands. The retainers is the second sector of the military, they are not as heavily armed or armored and are meant for operating within the city. These police are less trained in lethal combat and more in disabling and capturing techniques. It is not uncommon for Retainer squads to be accompanied by a water caste created construct as backup. The third sector of the military is the Skyrenders. This is the airforce of the military that operate the grand airships. This sector is made up mostly of air and fire caste members.

## Culture

The religion in Shatterath is focused on worhip of the Vanarch. Most view him as a diety of a kind and he uses this to keep the people in line. After so many centuries it is hard to tell whether the Vanarchy is lying or actually believes this themselves. The population is regularly exposed to propaganda speeches by both the Vanarch and his council via projection crystals lining the streets of the city. These speeches can range in frequency from daily to a couple times a week. The retainers are feared by the general public, they have little enforcement upon themselves but fiercely enforce the law of the Vanarchy. Quality of life in the city varies greatly depending on position and caste but most levels but the very bottom could still be considering quite a good life.