The Town of Light

The Town of Light is the main settlement featured in Begotten, a settlement controlled by the Pope and his military junta of Gatekeepers. Additionally, the Holy Hierarchy reside in the Town of Light, delegating numerous tasks to the Gatekeepers and wanderers below them.

## The Walls

Constructed long ago, the Wall of Light is the exterior set of defenses that protect the interior town from hostile incursion. A long moat has been constructed, as to further sink any intruding Begotten forces, however, the water supply of said moat has dwindled over time. The wall itself is constructed from a think steel plate that extends several hundred meters in both directions, encased in a heat-resistant ceramic material.

The wall has been reinforced over time with the establishment of the Lower Order of the Gatekeepers, in which heavy cement was poured in large moulds as to encase the great wall entirely. Notably, the cement used in the pouring of the wall is interlaced with numerous mangled and dead corpses from long-deceased priests of the early eras, with the bodies becoming older and older the deeper they are encased in the wall. Some say that the mysterious Grand Gatekeepers were assassinated by the Holy Hierarchy or some other entity, in which said members of the office were pushed into the molten cement as it was being poured, only for them to suffocate over time. What a terrible way to die.

Secondary defenses include a short weave of razor wire, as to injure any human entities who intend to cross over the wall. Sand bags, watch towers, spotlights, and barricades have been established to solidify Town authority and provide robust defenses.

## Marketplace District

A small expanse of land lies adjacent to the Gatekeeper wall access area, a known area for Wanderers to congregate in the sale of goods. The Marketplace was previously a larger expanse, consisting of four rows instead of the single stretch of land that is known today; a notable Goreic bombardment many years ago has reportedly flattened a majority of the district, leaving only a small marketplace alive.

The Marketplace houses a variety of booths and vendors; each of these establishments are public access, allowing any and all Wanderers to set up temporary shops or caravans to barter valuables found in the wasteland.

## Housing District

To the right of the Marketplace District lies a swampy expanse of land known as the Housing District, in which large houses sitting on struts hang above murky sewage. These elevated houses abide as the majority of housing in the Town of Light, generally considered middle-class homes for those who are quick enough to claim such domains. Despite the houses being open for all, church authorities have eminent domain and can invade these homes without probably cause if they suspect a crime has been committed.

Over time, the structures of the Housing District have worn over time, leaving exposed cracks and holes within the concrete and sheet metal.

## Gatekeeper Posts

### Wall Access

The Gatekeeper Wall access is located right next to the Gate of Light, in which Gatekeepers can control the opening of the wall using a simple lever. Additionally, ammunition storage and supply-issuing-machines are kept in this housing, as well as a monitor with live feed, rigged to a camera pointing outwards from the gate so that Gatekeepers may observe the happenstance regarding those who request access. A ladder is situated so that Gatekeepers may access the top of the Wall in an agile manner.

### Barracks

The Gatekeeper Barracks is located to the far West of the Town of Light, sitting safely between the wasteland cliff-side and the derelict office building, almost entirely free from harm. The Barracks are filled to the brim with bunk-beds, as to accommodate as many Gatekeepers as humanely possible.

## Derelict Building

The center of the Town of Light is home to the large corpse of what was formerly an office building, with each floor leveled out by years and years of bombardments from the elements. Squatters and criminals, some of the Satanic variety, are known to lure their victims to this building in order to conduct covert murders. Some say that braving the area is worth it, for sometimes old relics of days gone by can be harvested by the rubble; others use it as protective high ground when Begotten besiege the Town.

## Church

At the far end of the Town of Light lies the Church of Light, functioning as the congregational headquarters and bunker for the Pope and the Holy Hierarchy.

The Church is indeed a beautiful and ornate site, preserved in near-pristine condition save for several openings in the ceiling created by bombardments and weather. The very environment is said to lift the spirits of even the most sacrilegious individuals, in which members of the congregation are whelmed by the antique paintings of long-deceased scholar and rebel Booby Blagoona, as well as cryptic scripture covering the adobe walls. The interior is lit by two bright torches, sitting next to the altar from which the Pope prostrates.

## Holy Hierarchy Bunker

An extremely secure building resting on top of the Gatekeeper barracks, the Holy Hierarchy bunker is a high-security room reserved for the most jovial celebrations of victory for the Light. Few have seen the Holy Hierarchy bunker in person, however, reserved guests of these holy dinners among the wanderers are not uncommon, claiming to have rare insight into the affairs of the Town of Light and surrounding county districts.

Generally, members of the Holy Hierarchy often use this bunker as an operational center when sending expeditionary forces of wanderers and Gatekeepers away on assignments. They are rumored to laugh graciously about numerous topics, drinking champagne and the finest white wine in celebration of their extravagance as those beneath them are slaughtered in the wastelands.

## Crime

Criminals in the Town of Light are dealt with quickly, often through quick and painful death. A long-standing judicial system is impossible to uphold in these times, giving members of the Church exclusive authority in who lives and who dies.

### List of Crimes

#### Satanic Ritualism/Incursion

If not killed in initial confrontation, suspects are sentenced to death through the Fuck Ton of Snakes pit.

#### Manslaughter or Murder (Holy Hierarchy)

The suspect is stripped naked and smothered in honey, before having a bucket of honeybees thrown onto their bodies. They are then kicked into the Ride of Tears, a waterslide flowing with lemon juice and rigged with numerous moving saw, exaco blades, and needles as the suspect is repeatedly punctured as they move down the slide. If the suspect is still alive by the time they reach the bottom, they are left covered in the stinging bees and mangled with deep lacerations, allowed to slowly die from their wounds.

### Notable Criminals

#### Fast Blaster

Gunned down a Gatekeeper and escaped Town of Light jurisdiction. Declared dead after being attacked by a satanist in the wastelands.

#### Joseph A. Philadelphus

[SECTION REDACTED BY THE DERELICT MANDATES OF THE HOLY SENATE.]