Albion

**The Thaumatarchy of Albion**, known more informally as **Albion**, is the most unusual realm in not only within Western Europe, but in the entire world. Albion is a city state that is encased within a large spherical shell made of stone and metal that is floating in the sky. The magical city state was first spotted hovering on the Thames Bay on 2009 and soon reports of the strange city would spread as it moved from location to location, violating the air spaces of numerous realms in it’s journey. The city state was constructed as new sanctuary for most of the Anglos to flee the wasteland they were trapped in with a sizable population of Celtic people who rather take their chances in the city. The city state is often known by many as “The City Without Borders” due to its ability to be anywhere in the world (only being held back by legal codes).

### Type

Unitary Semi-Constitutional Magocracy under an Assembly-Independent Directorial Republic

### Inhabitants

Albionites

The city is also seen as good spot for those who either find themselves with no place that they belong to or were forced out of their homes. While others venture into Albion because many find the environment of the city far more fitting for them to pursue whatever goals they have or they see new opportunities they can’t find elsewhere.

The Thaumatarchy of Albion does not follow usual conventions established by other realms as the unique circumstances on what lead to its existence and the general nation of what Albion is has resulted in decisions being made that further makes the realm more alien when compared to others. The city’s heavily involvement with magic also serves to make it harder to find comparison to any nation that has existed in the past as Albion feels more like a mythical city made real.

Albion is the hotspot for avant garde art, radical ideologies, and cutting edge research into both science and magic. Among these new ideas is the transhumanist inspired ideology known as Illuminism that finds Albion as it’s home. The city is home base to many artists, poets, bohemians, adventurers, anarchists, fugitives and stateless refugees, political and ethnic exiles, mercenaries, mad geniuses, occultists, naturists, drug addicts and drug traffickers, eccentrics, dilettante, crank reformers of every stripe (including Buddhists, Theosophists and Vedantists), radicals of every political, philosophical, and theological ideas, and the odd entities ranging from mutants to monsters.

## **Government**

The government of the Thaumatarchy of Albion is a mixed system; combining elements of a monarchical rule with an oligarchy operating under a meritocratic technocracy with limited democratic processes by various sector groups, all being ruled by a one party state dominated by the policies derived by Illuminism and political pragmatism.

The city encourages citizens to work for the government in anyway that best suits their skills and talents in any sector. The government of the Thaumatarchy is widely accepting of all races, creeds, and kinds, this attitude is born from both practical and ideological reasons as well as for genuine altruism by some.

The city is divided into districts or burroughs known as formally as **Civil Control Areas**. Eight of these Control Areas officially exist with extra ones being made to fill both the Over and Undercity. Each Control Area acts as smaller replicas of the central government as all Manii elected or appointed to their duties must report all of their progress to central command. The Civil Control Areas allows for the state to have the flexibility and speedy reaction time needed to provide swift and effective policies to govern everyone in the city.

The executive branch of the Thaumtarchy is the Magister Council, a coalition of ten of the most skilled magi known to existence, each of whom act as the heads of the various departments of the state. Acting as the head of the state and the Magister Council is the Thaumarch, a first among equals who has special powers that were created to allow the Council to act quicker and more decisively in times of emergency. The position of Thaumarch is currently a hereditary position as those a part of House Ashwood can be granted the honour to become the Thaumarch after the reigning ruler either dies, steps down, or is removed. However in the event that multiple heirs show potential to rule or the Ashwood dynasty is no more the position can be elected one as a new Thaumarch is chosen.

In Albion the sequences are a collection of departments and ministries that all work in different fields related to the specific sequence they all fall under. Of the Sequences present in Albion these are the ones active:

**Sovereign:** The cerebellum of the city. The Sovereign Sequence is reserved for the Thaumarch and a personal council of advisors and their assistants assigned to aid in the duties of being Head of State. The Thaumarch is the first and final voice in all important decisions within the city and acts as the face of the Thaumatarchy in most international affairs. In this sequence personal body guards assigned to protect the Thaumarch and the ruling family are also present as well as the mysterious members of the Shadow Council. Main colors are white

**Formal:** The eyes of the city. The Formal Sequence is responsible for all technological and occult research in the city. This sequence is in charge of the many state owned laboratories and facilities, regulates dangerous technologies and research, evulates on whether new technologies or rituals are ready for public use, can decide if a particular invention is too dangerous for public use, and promotes the technological and thaumaturgical development of the city.  Main color is gray with blue as a light blue as a secondary color.

**Oversight:** The immune system of the city. The Oversight Sequence's main duty is to combat inefficiency and corruption that can appear within the government. It performs its duties by being in charge of the audits down to the city’s finances to find any signs of financial mismanagement or theft. Oversight also supports public advocate groups to help root out corruption while also possessing its own corruption investigation task forces and performing internal reviews on all aspects of the state. Both Oversight and Contact have access to Arbiters; powerful agents made to deal with external and internal threats to the city.   Main color is black with red as a secondary.

**Gestial:** The brain and soul of the city. The Gestial Sequences is a secret eleven body that only members of the Magister Council and a select few outside of it are aware of. This sequence is made up of only one entity, the artificial intelligence that is the city itself, Albion. Because the city can think that means it holds equal authority as the Thaumarch even though it holds more actual power as it can change anything it wants within the city, but chooses not to. Instead most of its duties are performed by synthetic intelligences and entities created by the city and by individuals called Index who can hear the city’s desires and follow the city’s request to aid in it’s growth and survival.  Main color is light blue.

**Parity:** The heart of the city. Parity is responsible for many communal and societal goods within the city. From running the public schools and educational systems, managing the social welfare and health care system, managing human resources and labour policies, aiding in city development, to even being responsible for all media sources and cultural policies. This sequence also aids in charity groups who wish to aid the people of the city.  Main color is cobalt with purple as a secondary.

**Arbitration:** The bone and marrow of the city. The Arbitration Sequence is the primary security and judicial body of the city. Arbitration is responsible for interpreting the laws of the city and acting as the adjudicator in most court cases. It is also responsible for dispensing disciplinary measures to members of other Sequences if they are found to be violating the law and perform judicial administration on all of it’s courts. On the security level they are responsible for the city’s constabulary to dispense law enforcement as well as secret police forces. It is also responsible for emergency services, gathering domestic intelligences, and defending the city from a diverse array of threats ranging from espionage, terrorism, to even cyberattacks and occult warfare. Main color is red with orange as a secondary color.

**Material:** The hands of the city. The Material Sequences is responsible for all of the physical needs of the city. From the production of food to feed the population and the maintenance of it’s quality, to managing all available resources for use and even storing some in the City Resource Reserves, to managing the environment within the city, to handling the city’s treasury and economic policies. Most banks in the city are either owned or have deep ties to this Sequence. Main color is yellow with pink as a secondary color.

**Contact:** The mouth and teeth of the city. The Contact Sequence main duties for the city are mostly external. This sequences is responsible for the defense force that acts as the military arm of the city, sends out diplomats and ambassadors for foreign affair missions, conducts intelligence based operations on foreign states and actors, and finally conducts internal affairs such as civil registration and immigration as well as affairs related to the communities within the city not covered by other Sequences or at times having their duties overlap with other Sequences. Arbiters work for both them and Oversight. Their main color is green with orange as a secondary.

**Secretarial:** The spine of the city. The Secretarial Sequence is the civil service commision. Many workers from this Sequence can be found in many others as they assist with making sure all operations run smoothly to the best of their ability. This sequence is also responsible for examinations all future civil servants undergo before acceptance, promotion and demotion of civil servants, and ensuring the working environment is safe for all workers. Artificial intelligence aids this Sequence and most other Sequences with their duties. The main colors are orange with purple as a secondary.

**Utilitarian:** The feet of the city. The Utilitarian Sequence is a conglomeration of all of the industrial and service jobs within the city. All employers and employees have a share of ownership of their jobs as well as the state and while the state is the legal employer a degree of autonomy and internal competition is accepted and welcomed to produce innovation. Most industrial work is conducted in the undercity while service jobs are conducted in the city proper and overcity. Private artisans and family owned industries are also covered by this Sequence. The main color is purple with cobalt as a secondary.

**Directorial:** The lower brain of the city. The Directorial Sequence of the city is the public administration of the state. They are the ones who devise and test out policies before implementation and organize the management of most facilities as well as making plans on how best to use the city’s finances and resources. Much like Secretarial this Sequence often works closely with many other Sequences to ensure it’s policies are met with minimal hindrance. Main color is brown with yellow as the secondary.

The legislative branch, consisting of a civilian **Corporative Chamber**, has been criticized as being largely ceremonial when compared to the Parliament of the Old Kingdom. The Corporative Chamber is made up of representatives coming from the different sectors of society which can range from medical professionals, military officials, and members of academia, all of whom have their own councils to help regulate matters within their sectors. These chosen representatives in theory have power to assist in creating and modifying laws but in truth most instead act as an advisory board to suggest laws and policies that can aid specific sectors as well as gauge the effectiveness and popularity of certain laws. The most important feature is giving the people a convincing avenue to have their voices heard to ensure loyalty to the state.

The main judicial branch is the Court of Final Appeal which acts similar to a supreme court found in most other nations from the old world and some houses in the current. They are the ones who can determine if a policy follows or breaks the laws of the city.

## **Society**

The Culture of the Thaumatarchy can at times seem eclectic to outside observers and visitors, with numerous languages, religious and philosophical belief systems, and racial phenotypes seeming to exist within its borders and carrying the overall title of "Albionite", even though some call themselves that with some measure of reluctance.

Of a particular note for the Thaumatarchy is the use of a Civil Reward System. The Civil Reward Points are used as an auxiliary currency unit that only functions in Albion. Civil Reward Points are earned by people contributing to the city. These contributions range from performing their work on time and in decent performance, to performing community service, to even reporting in criminal activities. It’s these behaviors that has caused many to call the Civil Reward Points “Good Boy Points.”

How Civil Reward Points are tied to subscription-like services that can make one enjoy higher benefits in the city such as high quality transportation, medical care, and act as means to buy expensive items by mixing the points with real cash. The option to opt in and out of these plans is available to everyone and some can even choose to leave the Civil Reward System entirely. Of particular note is the fact that if a user of the Civil Reward System dies then their points would not be transferred to anyone else regardless of their will, nor would it stay on their person after death. Instead the points will return back to the state and be distributed back to the public.

A particular note is that home ownership and vehicle ownership is different in Albion. Instead of buying and owning such objects one agrees to a plan where the recipient agrees to living in their chosen home and if the recipient is luckily enough to own a private vehicle then it too is loaned by the state. In Albion most people prefer to either walk or take public transportation, a system the state supports. Most houses are city blocks containing grocery stores, schools, hospitals, large parks and gardens, and etc: self-contained living spaces that are close by to public dormitories, apartments, and rental houses, and sometimes high rises. Most never feel the need to travel beyond their block. Most people spend their leisure time outside in the streets - their homes are host to parties and meetups and very few people occupy themselves with purely domestic activities like gaming and stuff,. Artistic hobbies like writing, painting, and others that you'd usually do at home instead have specialised venues and studios available free of charge. Shops are open all the time - people can choose between highly processed and rustic selections of goods.

Of a particular note is the return of the old tradition of personal craftsmen and artisans have made a comeback in Albion during reconstruction many often have to rely on tools made by craftsmen and the tradition never went away once the city was made.  Albionite craftsmanship is well regarded for being durable and sometimes beautiful in design.

Service jobs occur all over the place in bars and the like; entertainment districts too

Street vendors sell food in some of the poorer sections of town while the richer ones have organised market squares. However when it comes to manual labour most find those jobs in the Undercity while more academic pursuits take place in the Overcity, as many universities and laboratories can be found there.

Despite the city being entirely man made great care was made to make sure nature, even if manufactured, was still present to prevent the city from being a metallic dystopian nightmare. Infact, nature runs along throughout the city. buildings are interspersed with rivers and clefts of grassland and forest. Grass lines every street, canals can be found under the city and used as alternative routes to move around in the city, some sidewalks have fens with water running along them, and there are birds roosting on telephone poles, and many parks and gardens can be found to host a variety of recreational activities, and water fountains and ponds are found at the hearts of squares. One can be forgiven to think that the city’s inhabitants are trying to recreate the land on Earth.

Albion is noted for being a safe haven for refugees. Many who were forced out due to regimes targeting them or being outcasts and exiles from their homes tend to find sanctuary in Albion as many people in the city are in many ways outcasts and refugees as well. This seemingly egalitarian trait even goes as far as that most laws tend to treat mundanes and metahumans equally.

Instead of metahumans being assumed on being capable of all duties and mundanes being regarded as mere peasants the Thaumatarchy takes a more meritocratic approach to social mobility. Every man and woman in the state can rise and fall from his and her station by their own actions and skills, not by whatever powers they possess. However it is undeniable that those with powers can rise far quicker, and those with magic tend to greatly exceed the metahumans who lack it. The special privileges the mage type metahumans receive comes down to a pragmatic reason than a narcissistic one however. The fact is that Albion is a living, breathing, city of magic and as a result mages are better trained in handling issues that may arise with the city. More importantly Albion is a major center in both magical based industries and world power in magitech production and inventions. These factors would cause mages to be seen far more favorably than most other metahuman types save for perhaps those produced by technological mean, such as biological and cybernetic modification, as these come close to the goals of turning all mundanes to metahumans.

Beyond technological and magical innovations, Albion is the world leader in cultural works. Albion is the biggest films and high arts industry on the planet, rivalry the likes of Hollywood despite it’s rather recent existence. This is due to the state supporting such creative endeavours and the fact Albion has lax censorship laws when it comes to the arts. This allows for artists, writers, film directors, and video game developers to create works of arts that are surreal and experimental as well as works of art that deal with controversial and macabre subject matters, all without fear of mass protest and outcry from an enraged public or financial ruin for making a risky work of art.

Food culture on the city is an eclectic mix. Some traits of old british cuisine still survives but the introduction of new groups who have fled from other realms have caused food culture in the city become increasingly diverse. Matching the diversity of foods is how food is created in the city. On the Overcity massive platforms made for hydroponic, aquaponic, and aeroponic facilities can be found. On Citadel vertical farming and cloned meat is produced while those living in the rural belts have their own gardens and fields to plant crops and raise certain livestocks. On the undercity fungi are farmed and in factories genetic engineering and magical alteration is used on much of the food products that are manufactured on the facilities or was made from recycled food matter.

Indeed, in Albion it’s common for everything to be recycled instead of simply discarded. This cultural tendency of efficiency and abhorring of wastage is a left over trait from the years of the civil war and reconstruction. Indeed it is common to see from the smallest family own shops to large industries to take measures to limit the amount of waste produce and to better manage their resources, even recycling old materials to make something new. Many garages, shops, and repair facilities are also found throughout the city where people can take in broken items to either have them be repaired or to have parts of the devices and items be broken down and made into new items that can be used.

As well as creating new devices from old materials. Albion has a rich culture of allowing inventors, artists, and philosophers to experiment with new ideas and creations. Each one wishing to push beyond the limits of culture, art, and society that follows the ethos of progressing mankind to a new state of being.

## **Economy**

In line with the Illumanist Manifesto there was strong commendation against capitalism (especially the type often associated with Reagan and Thatcher) and as well as Soviet style socialism. However they have no objection to private property and markets, nor are they against some state planning and intervention in said markets. However they strongly believe that free market capitalism doesn't make people free despite its name and genuinely believe that communism is a scam.

Instead of magically trying to eliminate classes like what communists want or to keep a struggle between the rich and poor as capitalist systems tend to do, they instead wish to overcome the class struggle by creating a cooperative economic system with a federation of employers and employees syndicates. Companies are subject to strict state controls and must guarantee a decent salary to their employees. Businesses that make large profits are subject to high tax rates and cannot fire their employees. In return, the state grants large subsidies to companies to help them grow. In addition, the state finances a large part of the investment of private enterprises in the industrial sector and is present in the capital of many industrial enterprises.

Matters such as wages, working hours, working conditions, vacation days, and all other matters are decided between the employees, employers, and the state in forms of collective bargaining and implementing a form of workplace democracy. A system further improved upon as larger companies and businesses have parts of their shares redistributed to the workers, making them in part shareholders and partial owners along with managers and the state, allowing workers the opportunity to be elected to a board of directors along with managers to replace traditional shareholders as they are seen as "unproductive parasites". Believing that doing so can bridge the divide between worker and manager and allow for all members to supervise how companies are managed without appeasing a cabal of rich old men who care little for anything save for acquiring more wealth. The system also penalizes absentee shareholding, having those shares seized back but paid back at a reduction.

National wellbeing and productivity is the main goal of the Albion model but in an effort to avoid  buying much needed materials from corporations who may be unstable or predatory in nature, and to deal with the destroyed landscape that Albion hovers over and it’s lack of viable resources, state owned companies and even the state itself buy goods directly from other states. These exchanges work by having the domestic manufacturer produce the desired goods at market value in which the state buys said goods and sells to Albion who in exchange of cash will offer technologies, thaumaturgical knowledge, or cultural works and expertise. This deal prevents wealth from leaving Albion and from them making corporate contracts. Foreign ownership of a company is very much banned but foreign companies are allowed to set up shop if they are willing to play by the state's rules. The system also believes that the state at times is required to intervene in economic affairs for the benefit of the people, and plays a strong directive role as opposed to a merely regulatory or non-interventionist role.

The Albion model calls for a wide system of social protection and fights for the redistribution of wealth between high and low incomes with progressive taxation. People who are unemployed and retired receive substantial social assistance. The highest incomes are capped by the state. Other systems that are within the social protection schemes include universal healthcare, free higher education and vocational training, high quality public housing programs, mass public transit, and other welfare schemes. A sovereign wealth fund program known as the City Wealth Fund is also made to reserve money for future use and to aid with a universal basic income scheme. A City Resource Reserve to store food, clothing and other materials for use in times of emergencies and for war time rations is also used.

There are desires to install semi-projectionist and self-sufficiency policies to give greater priority to domestic companies and to insulate the economy from the forces of market forces such as depressions and inflation caused by foreign markets. However such desires are currently on hold due to the current location the city is at. But if the city was to find itself in a more favorable location than such policies may take into effect.

Many sectors of the economy are nationalized and even the land most businesses are built on are owned by the state but are leased for a set amount of time that can be renewed. The state even carries strong laws to prevent other companies from trying to abuse and dominate smaller and mid-sized businesses and offer protection policies towards them against even foreign companies. Many Albion companies have leaders being either closely tied with the state or are members of the ruling political party. As such for any foreign company to survive in Albion they must forge close ties to the ruling party, this policy and many more are in line with the party's belief in corporatism.

These complex bureaucratic processes and corporatist policies have in effect made the state and its subsidiaries the sole legal employer, with many managers being given a stipend by the state but are required to divide it to their employees. However the various companies enjoy a high degree of autonomy and are even allowed to compete against each other to boost productivity and innovation.

## **Military**

The Albionite Defence Force consists of two main bodies: Ground Defence Force and Aerial Defence Force. The Albionite Defence Force traces its legacy not from the Royal Armed Forces that was attached to the United Kingdom, nor to the rebel forces that toppled the United Kingdom. But instead the militias form after the British Civil War that protected the first settlements made during reconstruction. These Militias were composed mostly mundanes with some combat and survival adapted metahumans as well as constructs made to provide heavy weapons and additional numbers to combat the numerous threats that roam the English Wastelands. This tradition of mundanes and metahumans fighting by each other side would remain to this day and help ease linger hatred and fears caused by the civil war.

Of this time period famous divisions that would appear in the Albionite Defence Force would emerge such as the 501st Legion, an elite division even before the formation of the Defence Force as they were tasked with dealing with more sensitive missions and acted closely like a special operations unit in that era of Albionite history. The great migration from the Wastes to the flying city would be the catalyst to reform these militias into a proper standing army.

While the the need to protect the city from external and possibly internal threats was high many leaders were aware that many in the city were staunchly against war and militarism after the civil war, with many wishing for a more pacifist approach to the matters of war. However the chaotic situation that Western Europe devolved in and the strong paranoia against other metahumans left by the civil war as caused many leaders to ignore such cries and pursue a methodical approach to create a fighting force to protect the city from all possible threats. As such the initial steps into forming the Defence Force was to create a Police Force to deter criminal activities and rogue acts of magic.

These early years would cause many who join the Police Force to become incredibly unpopular. It wasn’t uncommon for men and women in uniform to be insulted publicly or to be pelleted by small objects. To combat the negative perception now responsibilities would be added to the police force such as emergency management, construction duties, fire services, and ect

Step by step various security and civic apparatus would be form to protect the city, some over the years reforming to become a body attached to the Defence Force, others instead being transferred to law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Eventually the Defence Force would be form.

The primary duty of the Albionite Defence Force to act as key component to maintain national security of the Thaumatarchy with adjutant to other bodies who serve a similar purpose. As a branch body of the Contact Sequence it represents a more militant response to a perceived cruel and cold world.

The Defence Force still participate in public work projects and emergency services as those services is what helped grow the appreciation the public had to their existence, even if it is toleration for some. The Defence Force also cooperated in managing athletic events, assisting with propagande centers to disterubist pro-state art and literature , take part in scientific expeditions, and conduct aerial surveys to report on atmospheric conditions for merchant airships and aerostats and geographic formations for construction projects on solid ground. They even assist with welfare mission and at time assist with external peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. Members within the Defence Garrisons also assist with law enforcements and other security apparatus in maintaining order and security on the city streets.

The Albionite Ground Defence Force is a mix of standing army units, home defence garrisons and local militias which provide a mobile reserve for the home defence garrisons. The standing army is rather small, however individual soldiers are given extensive training to make each soldier as competent as they can possibly be without becoming a metahuman. This small size is also off set by the small groups of metahumans who do join in and the war constructs made to supplement their numbers. Local Militias are often made from various groups made to teach willing volunteer found in many national institutions ranging from youth leagues, to self defence training courses (or martial arts dojos as known to most in the world), to wilderness survival training agencies (aka camping agencies), all of these not only to foster loyalty to the state but to make citizens more readily be able to fight for the city should the situation calls for it.

Of the Ground Forces two such important units are to be consider; Reavers and Arbiters. Reavers are formerly mundane soldiers who through biological, technological, and/or esoteric methods have become metahumans or something close to it. These super soldiers are often served in roles fitting for shock trooper tactics and special operations as many are seen as elites among other members of the Ground Forces. However even among Reavers there is an elite group that outranks them, the Arbiters.

Arbiters are infamous for the great strengths and for the fact they are given a degree of autonomy  greater than even Reavers. For an Arbiter to be made there needs to be unanimous approval by every department in Contact, and further approval by the other Sequences. This extreme measure of approval is required for Arbiters act as the plenipotentiaries to the military wing of the government.

Arbiters can do almost whatever they want, whenever they want, as long as they believe that it's in pursuit of public safety. They can strike deals with both internal and foreign actors, kill almost anyone, work against corruption. It is not uncommon to see Arbiters working for intelligence agencies or even working closely with the Oversight Sequence. Some Arbiters are known to have their own paramilitary squads. It is these factors that many factors are weighed when creating a new Arbiter such as economic cost, moral cost, security cost, public opinion, and measuring on whether the benefits outweigh the risks.

On some occasions members of the Defence Garrisons and Militias are either called in to assist Indexes from the Gestila Sequences or encounter a Index whose mission align with theirs when dealing with internal threats to the city such as clearing out infestations, elimination of threats, and even participating in forced relocations.

The Aerial Defence Force was made to fill in not only the obvious need for defence for the air but what would eventually lead to the creation of the iconic Aerostatic Vehicles the Albionite Defence Force utilize was due to the fact that the city’s airborne nature makes possessing traditional naval assets impossible. Not wishing to be reliant on harbors own by other states and seeing a need for aircraft carriers work began on creating airborne carriers. The first of their aerial warships were airships similar to what the South American Reich use but even in those early days plans were already in motion to create airborne fortresses made in response to deficiencies found with an airborne navy composed entirely of airships.

The Aerostats used by the Aerial Defence Force were inspired by flying boats used a century ago to land on large bodies of water as no runways can handle their frames. Many were also made to serve dual roles. Such as a destroyer made to attack enemy aircraft can easily have their weapons point downward to strike against enemy ground targets. Battleship Aerostats, build to be used against airships and other Aerostats, have been used in missions to destroy enemy fortification and even cities (although that still remains a theoretical use of the battleships). Carriers are main Aerostat as they not only server the role of carrier but also as a mobile base and command center.

The Aerial Defence Force, much like it’s ground counterpart, also engage in civil duties as well. These commonly are used aerial surveys, scientific expeditions, merchant duties, emergency responses, and even passenger transportations. However it is well known that even civilian model Aerostats often possess strong armor and enough weapons to provide adequate protection, this controversially extends to even Aerostats used for medical purposes as many bare the symbol of the Red Cross.

While airships saw a massive decrease after the invention of the Aerostats they still find use in reconianaces, patrol duty, transport, and sometimes used in bombing missions. Airplanes are still present and are used in any manner one would use such aircrafts. Airplanes and jet fighters see more funding in development in comparison to airships as most airships are increasingly being used for civilian affairs. The development of unmanned aerial vehicles as seen funding for new military airships further reduced to the point that no new models have been made for years. Many surviving models are often years outdated which further reinforce their auxiliary roles within the Aerial Navy.

A controversial and secretive practice is Albion contracting mercercy groups and paramilitary companies to aid in military affairs. These practices are usually covert dealings as the city would wish to keep not only distance between themselves and the hired soldiers, but also distance themselves from any political repercussions the mercenaries missions would entail if successful. Only a select few within the Contact Sequence is aware of such dealings.

When it comes to weapons used by the Defence Force the early years saw the city buying weapons and equipment from forigen markets and using holdovers from the civil war. But as the city become economically stable new domestic companies would form that would produce domestically made weapons.

## **Geography**

While Geography in the traditional sense would be impossible for Albion as it is a city encased in a floating shell that can fly in any location on the Earth, the concept of geography can still be applied loosely when used to describe the three levels of the city and the various levels or “basements” of the shell itself.

Of the city itself three main divisions exist. The first is known as the Overcity. The Overcity consists of floating platforms that hover above the city below but stays clear from the artificial sky and star. Flying gardens and some act as tourist spots. Other locations on the Overcity include universities, schools, apartment blocks, self-contained districts, security precinists, laboratories, hotel suites, factories, and even manors and villas. Hydroponic, aquaponic, and aeroponic facilities are also found in the Overcity. The Albion International Airport is also found on the Overcity. This level also has airships being used for cargo deliver, transportation, or some living in them. An amusement park is also found on the Overcity. A network of floating trams connect the various platforms and some platforms are close enough for sky bridges to be made. Many buildings on the Overcity are opulent and have a gothic feel, with different architectural styles blending with each other, such as post modern with Victorian.

Above the Overcity one would find thick clouds one would find light being cast by a sun but it isn’t as overwhelmly bright as a natural sun nor LED lights, instead it is more subdue and understated. When the haze of clouds and smoke parts slightly one can find sphere of clouded glass with shining core of charged plasma with swirling smoke and fiery sparks, intricate clockwork both attached and surrounding the sphere. What powers this artificial sun is a state secret. The light produced by this sun is blue and even though Albion can adjust the temperature and climate however they wish most people came from the British Isles and as such often have the climate match their home land, as such rain is very common in Albion.

Below the Overcity is the city proper or ground level, known to most as the Citadel. The Citadel is separated into eight Civil Control Areas, each named after a particular mythological place. A Civil Control Area is made up if many individual city blocks that act as their own self contain neighborhood or district that is interconnected with others by a network of roads, canals, and rails. Surrounding the city are forests and mountains of concrete and steel that await command from the city to be morph into new buildings. These mountains act as tourists sites and local landmarks, some people climbing up these mountains.

On these more rural parts of the Citadel one can find fields for agriculture and resorts or even isolated homes. Private car use is much higher in these parts of the city. Many people in these parts tend to make most of their current lifestyle as they know that once the population has grown construction would resume and what was once rural places would be consumed by the growing city.

The Undercity is known for being more inclosed when compared to the Citadel and is seen by some as the “poorer parts” of the city. Many alleyways and cozy knocks and cranny can be found and it isn’t uncommon to find hanging lanterns illuminating the streets in this part of the city. This level is also known for having many manual labour related jobs as well as many factories. Hovercrafts and complex rail systems carry many goods produced by the factories. Transportation networks that link to different parts of the Citadel that act like a metro system is also found in this level.  The Undercity is used to describe the various basement levels but if one wishes to travel further down the city.

Leaving behind the habitable zone of the Undercity one would find the level known simply as “The Sewers”. These catacombs have canals and pools filled with waste products from the city above. These rivers of filth all lead to reclamation sites that will purify the water to be safe and usable once more and to recycle most of the materials down in the sewers into new resources. In these levels strange creatures and communities of people can be found living in ransacked slums. Why these people live in the sewers is unknown as is the existence of the monsters but if one is lucky they may find a safe place to stay within those communities if they aren’t planning on robbing or killing them.

Below the Sewers is the Industrial Zone. This area of the city are complexes of factories and Ateliers. While this level is mostly filled with machines and magical constructs and organisms performing the manual labour humans and metahumans are still station to act as technicians, engineers, and other more delicate duties the machines either can’t do or aren’t trusted with.

Below the Industrial Zone is a vast ocean. This sea contains a variety of sea life but in truth the water stored in this level is used for drinking, for many natural scenes, and even moved to the Freezers to help cool down the city. It’s even used by the city’s climate system to produce rain and snow. Water imported into the city is sent down to this level and water recycle from the sewer or desalinated from the sea also finds its way down to this level.

Below the Sea of Albion is the Gardens. Also known as Arcadia by most, the gardens is a vast wilderness filled with a variety of biome ranging from forests and grasslands, marshy swamps, rivers, lakes, and even mountains and hills. Many flora and fauna can be found in this level. This level is used by some who wish to experience nature without the sights of the city but this level is most often used for research into animal and plant life as the gardens is used as a massive biosphere. However some areas of Arcadia is used for forestry and hunting to provide some resources for the people above.

There are many other levels but of the most important level is the Cybercore. This elusive level is not only the heart of the cybernetic systems of Albion but also the source of power for the city itself, the very brain. Only a few have every venture deep into this level and images of what the Cybercore looks do not exist or if they do they are classified.

Of a particular note is the Labyrinth. A maze of concrete and steel that servers as the “skin” of the city, often it is known as the Skin by city residents. Below the Skin are the Freezers, a collection of coolant systems that cool down not only the skin but various other parts of the city to prevent overheating. It is because of these coolants that Albion sometimes produce thick clouds of steam.

The skin has been known to produce cancerous tumors and long defunct tunnels within itself due to its living and growing nature. Often the city is capable of fighting off these tumors but occasionally it requires assistance.