Divinity

While the island of Maut is filled with undead, most of the cities have a symbiotic relationship with them. People are animated as zombies and used as slave labor for low skill tasks. This frees up most to either work better paying professions, or at least live a life where hard labor isn't necessary.

For the people of Divinity, this is not the case. For reasons unknown, the dead rise every few weeks and converge on the town, attacking everyone in sight. The regular attacks have made any attempts at growing crops largely useless, making Divinity the only city on the island that is not fully self-sustaining. The majority of the city's food needs are met by the church of Ares, whose priests use their magic to create food and water daily for the people of Divinity. In return, the citizens are expected to be trained by the church as priests, soldiers or paladins who defend the city against the regular zombie attacks.

The food created by the priests is filling, but bland. Thus trade with other cities is required to make up the rest of the city's food needs. Divinity typically trades weaponry and protection in exchange for food and other resources from the other cities of Maut.

## Government

The city's government is run entirely by the military. Or perhaps more accurately, the entire population of the city is considered to be a member of the military. Children are conscripted and trained to be soldiers as young as 6 and are required to continue that training until they are 16 years of age. At that point they are allowed to choose one of five career paths. Those with talent for the divine are trained to be priests of Ares or Hades. Those with a talent for leadership are trained as paladins. Those with special skills such as wizardry or covert operations are trained to be specialists. Everyone else is trained in general combat and serves as the military's grunts. Grunts serve as the city's commoners, running the various establishments that keep a city moving. Craftsmen, business owners, servants, etc. Albeit they are each required to be constantly ready to defend the city at a moment's notice. Alternately, some work for the government itself, doing the day-to-day managerial tasks needed to keep the organization moving smoothly.

The head of state is also the top general of the military. Currently that position lies with General Melinda Gray. Born and raised in Divinity, the general has a no-nonsense approach to leadership. It is the duty of all citizens of Divinity to defend it against the scourge of the undead. Those unwilling to perform in their duties have no right to be citizens. She has made it law that any signs of cowardice in the face of defending the city will result in immediate banishment. Given the dangers outside of the city walls, this can be practically a death sentence unless one is able to make the trek to another city and start their lives over.

## Districts

### East End

Hundreds of old abandoned buildings and farms populate the east end. At one time these buildings were filled with people who worked and managed a thriving agriculture. But when the king's curse covered the land in snow, the crops died, effectively destroying the farms in the area. Some tried to grow crops resistant to the cold but before they could the undead attacks began. Those who were not slaughtered, abandoned the area for the safety of the city's walls. The buildings are now a playground for the undead. Any shipments coming in from the east require armed guards, and even then, there are few who would travel the area at night, when the undead are at their most active.

### West End

Once home to sprawling manors of merchants and other wealthy middle-class folk, the homes here have all been abandoned since the undead attacks began. Much like the East End, this area is a haven for undead, though the occasional brave scavenger might sneak through in hopes of picking up a trinket or two from one of the homes that hasn't already been looted over the years. Much like the East End, when travelers must pass through this area, they do it in numbers, with well-armed guards and never at night.

### North Town

There isn't much in the way of 'wealth' to go around in Divinity, so there are no "wealthy" folk to speak of. That said, there are folk of higher military rank who tend to live better off than those of lower military rank and those folk mostly live in North Town. The homes here are slightly larger and better maintained, and the businesses in the area are more numerous and well-stocked. That said, the area is far from lavish as the buildings' occupants clearly build from a position of defense rather than grandeur. Buildings are built strong out of stone and metal with little to no ornamentation, each more closely resembling a small fortress than a home or business.

### South Town

This is what one might call the 'poor' side of town, though it is not as bad as one typically thinks of such areas. The architecture is similar to that of North Town, with the main difference being that the fortress-like homes are shared among groups of people rather than single families, as they are in North Town. Businesses in this area only sell the most basic of goods and are often sold out of those.

### Castle Ward

The seat of power for the Divinity military and also the main training facility for the city's people. Everyone in the city spends at least 10 years of their lives training how to fight there, and most view it fondly. They see Castle Divinity as a place of safety and strength for the city's citizens.

## Other Places of note

### Church of Ares

The main church of the city and where the majority of the city both worships and gathers daily for food. The priests are highly respected by the city's people and if the city were to be overrun, this would be one of the places where the citizens would make a final stand. Partially because the church is built like a fortress with countless wards against the undead, but also because if the priesthood dies, so too does the city's main source of food.

### Church of Hades

While the church of Hades is quite powerful throughout most of the island and respected for their ability to return life to the dead, this behavior is not exactly appreciated. Here, instead of serving as shepherds of the undead, they serve as healers and servers of last rites. While their services are needed, they are viewed with mistrust by most citizens of Divinity.

### The Foundry

A large building filled with steel workers, the Foundry is responsible for the city's weapons and armor. The workers there are top notch, capable of making any piece needed by the city. That said, they rarely get the opportunity to work with exotic materials, so while they will produce high quality steel blades, they do not typically have rarer or magical gear available.