The Divided City

The Divided City makes up the majority of the Realm of Kastkardia. The city is made up primarily of an expansive series of interconnected skyscrapers, joined by an impressive network of bridges. At the centre of the city lies the tallest building of the whole city, The Sceptre, which is home to the Supreme Lord Chancellor and The High Council.

The city is by-and-large divided into two main areas: the Rises and the Dwelling. The Rises is the name given to the interior of the vast network of interconnected skyscrapers that make up The Divided City, and those who live inside are known as High Risers. The Dwelling is the name given to the outside and ground-level environment of The Divided City, and those that live there are referred to as Dwellers.

Government & Politics

The Divided City is ruled by the Supreme Lord Chancellor. Along with the legislative body, The High Council — whose primary purpose is to guide and advise the Supreme Lord Chancellor — they are ultimately responsible for the governance of the entire city and Realm of Kastkardia. Whilst The High Council is made up of appointed officials, each responsible for different districts and aspects of Kastkardia's economy, the rank of Supreme Lord Chancellor is passed down through lineage.

Although the Supreme Lord Chancellor and High Council are technically responsible for governing the entirety of Kastkardia, their focus leans much more heavily towards the Rises, tending to neglect the goings-on in the Dwelling. Because of this, the Dwelling is mostly self-governed and in a constant state of anarchy, yet overseen and kept in check from above. Law enforcement across both is run by the Supreme Lord Chancellor's appointed head of enforcement, and carried out by the Enforcers. Officially every district answers to an authority appointed from above; in practice Dwelling districts are governed loosely and inconsistently, and criminal organisations compete for territory in the areas those authorities neglect.

Districts

The Divided City is broken up into various districts across both the Rises and the Dwelling. Officially, districts are numbered — District 7, District 612, and so on — though many are still known by older, informal names among those who live in them.

The districts of the Rises are divided up for the most part by profession and industry — manufacturing, farming, design, genetics, biotech, commerce, and so on. High Risers are generally free to travel between them as they please, though most tend to stick relatively close to their home districts. The districts of the Dwelling are centred around the elevators that serve as transitory points between the two, and are the parts of the city the government neglects most.

Economy

Wealth in The Divided City is measured in its local currency: bits, whose circulation is controlled and monitored by the Supreme Lord Chancellor and The High Council. The Rises and the Dwelling operate on similar principles but very different systems, with High Riser wealth averaging well over 100 times that of a Dweller. By maintaining this division, the governing body ensures the prosperity of one at the expense of the other.

Technology

Technology plays a hugely important role in Kastkardian society, and the city is fairly technologically advanced. But just as there is a wealth and class divide between the Rises and the Dwelling, there is also a severe technological one. High Risers are the innovators, designing, developing and manufacturing new technology on a regular basis. As newer versions are distributed through the Rises, older ones are phased out, and the resulting waste — scrap — is dumped out in The Scraps, where Scrappers retrieve it and bring it back into circulation in the Dwelling.