Sanctuary

Slums in a sanctuary city.

**Sanctuaries** are cities built to protect humanity from the apocalypse that occurs in The Sanctuary universe. They are distinguishable by their tall towering walls and advanced lifestyle despite most of the earth becoming barren and deserted due to the effects of war and disease from decades passed. Sanctuary cities usually follow an autocratic form of government with a single chancellor and/or group of senators holding power in the city and creating policies.

It has been maintained by the Sanctuarian Apostles that the knowledge for constructing such massive and advanced cities was given to a select handful of people by gods who wished to absolve humanity of its sins of war.

## History

### The Fallen War

In the early 1990s a massive object named Talman's Comet fell into a near-earth orbit for several months which had unanticipated and strange consequences for life on earth. The planet underwent a massive environmental transformation which caused mass famines and droughts to become prevalent across most of the world's largest continent, Harscod. Disease became widespread and the world became far more hostile as rapidly changing climates forced many to abandon their homes in search of more hospitable land. Conflict mounted as nations fought for what remaining natural resources existed within the land, and this war was called the Fallen War named after the fallen star that brought forth the competition for survival.

Only two years passed before the last nation on the continent fell and the world became inhospitable and frail. Those who survived experienced some of the worst conditions imaginable and hope was beginning to be lost for the future. The earth's population fell by 85% as the remaining fertile lands became centers for violence and chaos. Humanity was truly in its darkest hour.

The comet brought other atrocities with it as well. Strange never before seen creatures began appearing in the darkest and most toxic corners of the world. Several people have claimed to have encountered these creatures, however many of their stories appear to be fabricated due to the extremely low survival rate after run-ins with the beasts.

### A Gift from the Gods

Eight years after the war, a group of cultists who called themselves Sanctuarian Apostles claimed that by the graces of god humanity had been blessed with the knowledge to construct large cities known as Sanctuaries. They alleged that these cities would be capable of protecting its people behind massive walls that would be erected around the last standing structures on earth, and that the citizens of these safe havens would be free to live without fear of the toxic and hostile world in the wilderness.

After leading their supporters and followers to abandoned cities the people built the walls as the apostles declared and were finally able to feel safe. Word travelled fast out in the vast wilderness of these merciful asylums and people migrated from all over the continent to live in one of these cities. Within the first five years, many sanctuaries of different sizes were constructed, each in their own remote corners of the globe. The original chancellors were designated as existing Sanctuarian Apostles who would maintain Sanctuary cities based on their own interpretations of the god's dispositions. As such, each Sanctuary became unique in its own way, following its own rules and culture defined by the chancellor and senate.

### Next Generations

Unfortunately for the Sanctuarian Apostles, they were not immortal and many were becoming far too old to properly rule the Sanctuaries. Thus, each apostle appointed a successor who they deemed worthy from citizens of their respective Sanctuary. These individuals were bestowed with all the knowledge necessary to operate the city and were allowed to appoint their own personal senate to assist with their duties.

As time passed, however, the original intentions of the Sanctuarian Apostles fell from the minds of the successors, and many became power-hungry and corrupt. By the third generation of chancellor, most the original teachings of the apostles were disregarded and each Sanctuary became separated from one another. Some Sanctuaries fell under the rule of tyrannical leaders, and some even went to war over territory by using apostle technology to develop dangerous weapons. History was repeating itself as many of the Sanctuary cities began falling apart and the only few that remained ruled their territory with an iron fist.

By 2150, the few remaining Sanctuaries existed far apart from one another and often employed tactics such as subdividing into smaller Sanctuaries and controlling wilderness towns by using militia forces.

## Government

### Leadership

Sanctuary cities are typically ruled by an autocratic form of government headed by the chancellor and appointed senators, but can also be a monarchy (as seen with the Ignis Sanctuary). Upon completing their fulfilment to the role, chancellors appoint their successors from a pool of trusted citizens of the respective Sanctuary. Senators are also appointed by the chancellor, which is often abused to create cities of absolute power in favour of a single figurehead.

Chancellors are usually aided by "children of the apostles" who act as experts on the writings of the apostles and are able to provide input for new projects using apostle technology.

### Public Service

Despite the authoritarian nature of the cities, most Sanctuaries have several public services apart from basic city operation. These include migration offices and apostle libraries. Migration offices process both inbound and outbound citizens, though Sanctuaries have become far more difficult to enter than ever before, and very few people choose to leave the safety of the walls. In some Sanctuaries such as the City of Vermouth, any citizen who decides to leave the walls will never be permitted back into the capital, and must live in one of the sub-sanctuaries like the City of Pyro.

Apostle libraries act as points of knowledge for the general public on messages by the Sanctuarian Apostles as well as general information about the walls. Some cities have banned the public from entering these locations by use of force so people are less educated about the outside world and thus less likely to migrate elsewhere. These libraries usually co-exist with a branch of Sanctuarian temples which are run by high priests claiming to be descendents of the apostles themselves.

### Military

#### In an Autocracy

Large Sanctuary cities usually have three branches of military: Raiders, Guardsmen, and Sentinels. Raiders are classified as low-ranking militia who regularly travel outside the walls to conduct search operations for the city, or to exude military power over the weaker wilderness dwellers. Raiders are often second-class citizens of Sanctuaries who use the opportunity to oppress those outside the walls as a way of receiving their citizenship faster.

Guardsmen are the primary military and police force for Sanctuaries. They wear the city's official color patterns and are much more rigorously trained than regular Raiders. Guardsmen act as city police, wall patrols, and checkpoint guards. They are also the primary infantry force who respond to threats from beyond the walls.

Sentinels are either cyborg or fully robotic humanoids who are programmed to be precision killers or bodyguards on command. They usually act as immediate bodyguards to the chancellor, senators, and their families due to their low-likelihood of being persuaded or bribed to harm members of government. Sentinel units also patrol the walls and guard checkpoints, but are also deployed to the field when regular humans cannot function in specific conditions. Sentinels also work closely with Guardsmen during various operations. The most common type of Sentinel is known as the STRiKER unit.

#### In a Monarchy

Monarchial Sanctuaries have a vastly different military composure to that of the standard autocratic cities. For example, the Ignis Sanctuary possesses three main branches of military: The Royal Guard, the Ignis Armed Forces, and the Marshals.

The Royal Guard are the highest ranked and most well trained members of the military structure, acting as protectors of the crown and its land. Members of the Royal Guard protect the assets directly owned by the ruling King or Queen, though they do maintain responsibilities in all aspects of sanctuary defense as well.

The Armed Forces are the primary military force of the Sanctuary, providing fighting personnel and equipment to be deployed when the safety of the Sanctuary is at risk from foreign or domestic threats.

The Marshals are similar to police who patrol and maintain order in cities that exist within the walls. Their firepower and scope of power is limited to their own district, and the Armed Forces or Royal Guard must occasionally step in to assist with more dangerous situations.

## Sanctuary Operation

### City Walls

The most important component of a Sanctuary is its large towering walls that surround the entire city. Most walls stand far taller than the surrounding environment to prevent access into the city by unwanted outsiders. In order to protect the population from toxic sandstorms, the walls are aerated with large openings for wind to pass through for filtration purposes. As toxic air enters the wall, it passes through an electric field which causes toxic particles and sand to become positively charged. The ceilings of these wind tunnels are lined with negatively charged passages that allow the unwanted materials to travel up into the wall and to the top where it is discharged outwards by strong turbines.

The walls also have vents along the top outer lip which blast air currents straight upwards, creating a bubble of clean air inside the walls sheltered from any external particulate. These air currents are powered by super powerful turbine engines within the structures of the wall. Maintenance and operation of the walls fall under the jurisdiction of the Wall Engineering Brigade who repair the turbines and maintain the structural integrity of the walls themselves.

## Known Sanctuaries

* City of Vermouth: Located in the western desert-lands of Harscod, and the largest Sanctuary City in the region.
* City of Pyro: Located in the south-western desert-lands of Harscod. Acts as a small remote district of Vermouth in the same region.
* Ignis Sanctuary: A massive Sanctuary located in the north-western corner of Harscod, and the largest Sanctuary on the planet.