The city of Silkspire is one of the largest in the continent, founded atop what is said to be the body of one of the former pantheon’s gods. It rests miles underneath this city. The only thing visible, and what lets anyone know of this corpse’s presence are the tall, sharp, metal-like pieces of bone that jut out of the ground in a circle- these are what gives Silkspire its name. Between these spires the city built walls that contain the city proper and separate it from the outside world. It’s believed by many that these spires act as conduits for divine energy, giving Silkspire a unique connection to the City of the Gods.
Silkspire contains many important places of pilgrimage to devotees of Callista, Aphelia, and Nastya, which are the gods held most sacred by its citizens. Religion is extremely important to this city and affects every aspect of culture. For example, most if not all healing done in the city, including surgeries, is done through religious magics, as the act of cutting into flesh is deemed sacrilegious by Verity’s worshippers of Nastya. There are specially designated surgeons and people known as “butchers” who have gone through countless religious ceremonies and have been trained to be granted divine permission to cut apart the flesh. Anyone unauthorized found cutting into the flesh of another living being is punished severely.
A small but extremely important exception to this rule is the use of blood healing. A very common practice in Silkspire is the utilization of specialized blood for healing all sorts of ailments. It’s considered very sacred and is supposedly able to work miracles on the flesh. The blood itself comes from Blood Saints; a special class of nuns and priests who serve as vessels for this healing blood. While some rare Blood Saints carry healing blood naturally, a majority of Blood Saints undergo many rounds of special ministrations to become a vessel.
Architecturally, the city is extremely vertical, and much taller than it is wide. As the entirety of Silkspire resides within the walls created from the old god’s spires, they resorted to building upwards, rather than outwards. Most of the lower levels are so covered by buildings and structures that the sky is completely obscured, and it appears almost indoors. Its verticality has been divided into different subsections/districts (listed below);
The Skin: The lowermost portion of Silkspire, where one can find many places of worship, places to trade, and temporary lodging. There’s hardly anyone who actually lives on this layer anymore, as it’s mostly known as a place of commerce. Entry to this level of Silkspire is not highly restricted and it’s open to the public. However, every night the Skin is closed and anyone seen on the streets past 11pm is swiftly detained by a specialized form of guard called Sweepers. Those without a resident’s identification card are thrown out of the city or detained, and those with a resident’s ID are escorted back to the Lungs.
The Liver: The Liver is the second highest portion of Silkspire, home mostly to the housing of less-affluent citizens of the city. This layer is where things start to be more heavily guarded and protected, and the toll is very heavily enforced. Residents of Silkspire who have paid the toll have passes that allow them free access to and from this layer, as well as the Heart. The Liver are the second largest portion of Silkspire.
The Lungs: The third highest layer in the city, and the largest out of all of them. A majority of Silkspire’s churches and cathedrals can be found on this layer, as well as low to mid-tier medical centers. Hospitals and clinics in the Lungs service any member of the city with proper identification free of charge, as their insurance is paid for as part of their yearly taxes. Additionally, the uppermost portion of The Lungs is where nobles and more affluent citizens make their homes.
The Teeth: The layer home to the most sacred cathedrals, highest ranks of priests, and the government officials of the city. Most of the highest venerated medics make their home here as well. Access to this level of Silkspire is highly, highly restricted and even the average Silkspire citizen cannot enter The Teeth without good reason or proper clearance.
The Crown: The most sacred and most protected uppermost portion of Silkspire. None but the highest ranking officials are allowed here. It’s presumed that government goings ons happen here, and that important politicians like the Radiants have their homes here.
The city’s form of government is somewhat complex. At the highest levels there are two parties (equal in power) responsible for decision-making; a council of 6 Grand Priests elected by the high priests of the main cathedrals of Silkspire, and a single Prophet. These parties handle all decision-making, but hardly ever make public appearances or communicate with the public directly. Public relations and any back-and-forth communication between the councils and the people of Silkspire occur through the two Holy Radiants, also voted on by the high priests. One is called the Morning Star, and is typically regarded as the “face” and handles a majority of the speaking, and acts as a leader of troops in times of war. The other radiant is typically much quieter and behind the scenes, being a keeper of knowledge and a tactician, known as the Evening Star.
The current Holy Radiants are Evening Star Celestiel and Morning Star Mariel.
THE MARROWS
The Marrows, often called the Silkspire Backstreets by those unacquainted with the city, is the name given to the settlement that surrounds the outer walls of Silkspire. Its population is mostly made up of people who are too poor to afford the steep price of entry into the upper floors of the city, whether it be for medical care, pilgrimage, or a lack of anywhere else to go. While this area is technically a part of Silkspire, since it resides outside the city’s walls it’s developed a unique culture of its own, primarily informed by the shared desire to make it inside the city.
Silkspire’s relationship with the Marrows has roots in the beginning of the cycle. After the destruction caused by the gods turned the mortal earth into an apocalyptic landscape, Silkspire was one of the first cities to rise to power. The high walls and number of clerics who populated the city invited people who wanted protection to attempt entry- however, they found quickly that the people inside wanted nothing to do with the people outside. Eventually, the masses of refugees seeking shelter could hardly be controlled anymore, and the people of Silkspire made an agreement; If the people in the Marrows agreed to grow food as well as fight for them if the need ever arose, Silkspire would provide housing, protection, and weapons. What the Marrows are now is a remnant of those apocalyptic times.
Silkspire’s government has long since rescinded most of these protections, but what protections still exist do so in the form of the companies. Nowadays, most of the danger of the Marrows comes from inside the city rather than outside, and the impoverished people of the Backstreets have to rely on Companies and Syndicates to provide for them and keep them safe.
The Companies are, as stated, remnants of the ways Silkspire used to protect the Marrows. A majority of these companies are approved of by the government of Silkspire and are quite legitimate in the services they offer- however, they also often require hefty payments from their patrons in exchange. Companies give their patrons food, physical protection, safe places to live, and often even promise that they can help those who follow them afford the steep price for entry into Silkspire. For those seeking lower-cost options for protection and food, there are a number of criminal organizations called Syndicates, who do just about the same thing; the tradeoff here is that the Syndicates are often quite eccentric and have shadier motives- overall, they’re just less trustworthy. Syndicates and Companies are constantly at odds with one another and fight to have control over different sections of the Marrows.
There are seven companies, and a countless number of Syndicates, but only three (for now) of them that are especially worth mentioning.
The Watchers are the first major company, which handles security in the Marrows. Their primary purpose is ensuring that the people of the Marrows don’t enter the city and also securing certain channels for traffic going in and out of Silkspire. However, as you might expect, they also provide protection to citizens of the Marrows who can fork over enough cash.
One of the largest companies in the Marrows is Saint Caelin’s Ministry of Medicine, which deals first and foremost in developing medical technologies and medicine on behalf of Silkspire proper. A majority of their workforce is made up of Marrow’s citizens who manufacture these technologies, but the upper ranks of SCMM are composed entirely of scientists who have worked, or still work in the upper levels. SCMM’s main draw is the promise to its employees and those who volunteer for medical trials entrance into Silkspire after working for a certain amount of time.
Verity Salvation Corp is another fairly large corporation which does missionary work on behalf of the Church of Silkspire. It’s primarily run by volunteer priests from the upper levels who provide support to the impoverished of the Marrows in the form of food, medicine, and other sorts of humanitarian aid. In exchange, they ask only that the citizens attend church services and on rare occasions agree to do volunteer work.
[NAME] (food and agriculture),
[NAME] (mining and metalwork),
[NAME] (energy production).
Verity Express is one of the smallest companies, and it handles all sorts of messenger/delivery services. It’s directly funded and operated by Silkspire’s government, and has offices both inside the city and across the Marrows. Despite its size, it’s very powerful as its members carry information across the city wall. Verity Express is also responsible for handling the intake of a majority of the city’s imports, as well as being an important point of contact for business people seeking to export goods to other countries.
The major operating syndicates fall under an umbrella called The Arteries. Each one controls its own territory and has enough power that even the Companies have a hard time keeping them in check. These are Intima, Media, and Adventitia.
Adventitia… ?
Media deals mostly in under-the-table life-saving or cosmetic surgeries for those who would otherwise be too poor to afford them. They offer a unique system of financing for their procedures under the guise of making them easier to afford. However, they often are acutely aware of the fact that a majority of their patients will never be able to make the hefty payments- leading to the other half of Media’s business; Organ repossession. Media has a number of highly-skilled assassin-like figures whose sole job is to recover organs from people who cannot make their payments.
Intima is the strangest of the three major syndicates, and the one that has given the companies the most trouble. It’s been difficult if not impossible for anyone to track down where this company operates out of, mostly due to the manner by which the syndicate arranges itself. Intima is made up of primarily couriers, who deliver bizarre orders, known as Doctrines, to those who rely on them for protection. If these Doctrines are not carried out, Intima messengers must ensure that the recipient of the message is thoroughly dealt with (killed). The motives of Intima are entirely unclear, and the origins of the Doctrines are unknown even to the messengers who carry them.