Lore - Scintilla, Capital of Calixis
- Pronouns
- He/Him
As promised, another lore post, @Maugan Ra. Well actually, I'm splitting this one up into two posts to improve readability.
Scintilla
Scintilla is the thriving heart of the Calixis Sector, dominated (or depending on your perspective, shared) by Hives Sibellus and Tarsus, the cities that hold the lion's share of the planet's 25 billion strong population. While Ambulon and Gunmetal City are significant economic nodes, they cannot meaningfully challenge the great hives.
That said, Hive Sibellus (often called "the Capital" or "the ruling hive") is the first among equals - not only the larger of the pair, but the center of Scintilla politically, administratively, and in productivity. At the same time, Hive Tarsus (nicknamed "the other place" by Sibellans) is the financial hub, controlling all off-world trade and commerce, so their interdependence is a feature of Scintillan proverbs and myths.
All four cities are controlled by councils of spire nobility - whose power has gone to their heads. Even by the standards of hive worlds, the Scintillan nobility are thoroughly corrupt, often considering themselves (not without cause) above or outside Imperial law, the splendors of their fashion only matched by their callous disdain for their lessers. The middle hivers are generally indentured to either the Scintillan nobility or the sector-wide Great Houses, toiling their lives away for the gain of their betters. The underhives are as you imagine them to be, ultra-violent hellholes of gangs, mutants, and worse (such as the zealots of the Red Redemption).
(So-Called) Law & Order
Most policing on Scintilla is handled by the Magistratum, the planetary law enforcement. While laws and procedures vary from hive to hive, as a rule, their dark green greatcoats will be omnipresent in the noble districts, limited in the middle hives, completely absent in the underhives, and of course they will always take the side of the powerful. The Arbites, while present in force, only care about sedition, tithe interference, and any other matter they deem rises to an 'Imperial' level. Most often, this covers major riots. It's worth noting the two organizations hate each other and will only work together in the most dire situations.
Trial by combat and duelling are cultural touchstones on Scintilla. While conditions vary depending on the specifics of the crime, either party in a trial can always have a champion fight in their place, and professionals are guaranteed dangerous but lucrative careers. Similarly, killing in a duel is legally, not murder. Naturally, the Magistratum hosts trials by combat in their Bloodsquares and won't interfere in duels.
In Gunmetal City, duels are fought with pistols, and the nobility habitually watch gunslingers battle in fancy arena behind bulletproof screens. There's an old joke in the rest of Scintilla that Gunmetallicans don't even know what a Magistratum uniform looks like.
Scintilla
Scintilla is the thriving heart of the Calixis Sector, dominated (or depending on your perspective, shared) by Hives Sibellus and Tarsus, the cities that hold the lion's share of the planet's 25 billion strong population. While Ambulon and Gunmetal City are significant economic nodes, they cannot meaningfully challenge the great hives.
That said, Hive Sibellus (often called "the Capital" or "the ruling hive") is the first among equals - not only the larger of the pair, but the center of Scintilla politically, administratively, and in productivity. At the same time, Hive Tarsus (nicknamed "the other place" by Sibellans) is the financial hub, controlling all off-world trade and commerce, so their interdependence is a feature of Scintillan proverbs and myths.
All four cities are controlled by councils of spire nobility - whose power has gone to their heads. Even by the standards of hive worlds, the Scintillan nobility are thoroughly corrupt, often considering themselves (not without cause) above or outside Imperial law, the splendors of their fashion only matched by their callous disdain for their lessers. The middle hivers are generally indentured to either the Scintillan nobility or the sector-wide Great Houses, toiling their lives away for the gain of their betters. The underhives are as you imagine them to be, ultra-violent hellholes of gangs, mutants, and worse (such as the zealots of the Red Redemption).
(So-Called) Law & Order
Most policing on Scintilla is handled by the Magistratum, the planetary law enforcement. While laws and procedures vary from hive to hive, as a rule, their dark green greatcoats will be omnipresent in the noble districts, limited in the middle hives, completely absent in the underhives, and of course they will always take the side of the powerful. The Arbites, while present in force, only care about sedition, tithe interference, and any other matter they deem rises to an 'Imperial' level. Most often, this covers major riots. It's worth noting the two organizations hate each other and will only work together in the most dire situations.
Trial by combat and duelling are cultural touchstones on Scintilla. While conditions vary depending on the specifics of the crime, either party in a trial can always have a champion fight in their place, and professionals are guaranteed dangerous but lucrative careers. Similarly, killing in a duel is legally, not murder. Naturally, the Magistratum hosts trials by combat in their Bloodsquares and won't interfere in duels.
In Gunmetal City, duels are fought with pistols, and the nobility habitually watch gunslingers battle in fancy arena behind bulletproof screens. There's an old joke in the rest of Scintilla that Gunmetallicans don't even know what a Magistratum uniform looks like.
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