about | the magistrate & the fallout

[wrens]

AT A SINGLE POINT IN TIME,
THERE EXISTS TWO WORLDS
( two futures for a single city )

For preliminary reference, please see this plurk (friends locked to lucidities). Please note, this is not in any way a formal game or even a formal verse. This is just a continuity in which people can interact with one another, play with character concepts and have some common world-built to use as support. I don't really have any intentions for this to grow too large or unwieldy so I'm doing the best that I can in maintaining direct contact with the people who toss their hats into the ring (also to make sure that, in the vagueries of information, wires don't get crossed in character creation). If you'd like to roll somebody in this universe, please let me know before you put down a reserve. This information page is a constant work in progress. THE CITY-STATES CONSTANTINOPLE | ALEXANDRIA | CARTHAGE | ANTIOCH Though the world of both the Magistrate and the Fall is populated with several city-states (each with their own governmental structures, their own rulers, class-breakdowns, etc etc), the two main city-states of this universe are Constantinople — the setting for the pre-Event half of the verse — and Alexandria — Constantinople's closest neighbor and oftentimes rival. It was Alexandria that the Magistrate looked to overtake and absorb into his sphere of influence when the War began and conflict broke out on both sides. What had been a long-standing cold war then quickly escalated into an arms race which dictated the mutually assured destruction of both sides. There's a conflict in the reports as to who was the one who engaged first and initiated the chain of events that led to the Event that ruined the both the land and the sky. Though pre-Event alliances mean very little in a post-Event world, many groups that populate the wasteland refuse service, shelter or support to those who fall on the opposite side of Constantinople/Alexandria divide. Prejudices and blame can still trigger heated debates and even physical conflict so smart travelers do their best to remain neutral and non-committal on the subject, oftentimes claiming to be from one of the smaller surrounding city-states, rather than one of the 'big four'. CONSTANTINOPLE, seat of the Magistrate | Constantinople is main city of this universe. It is the home setting for most (if not all) of the pre-Event and is the city-state in which the Magistrate holds power. More information will go here once I write it. ALEXANDRIA, bastion of capitalism | A city-state not under the control of the Magistrate at the time of the Event, but very much on the Magistrate's to-do list, Alexandria used to be a little mecca of capitalism and industry -- with all the corruption, income stratification, innovation, and fraudulent conveyances that tend to go hand in that -- due to its lax security regulation and low corporate taxes. Alexandria had very few natural resources to its name and sustained itself instead thanks to its central location and in-house expertise in trading for the things its population wanted. After the Event, Alexandria looks pretty much like every other former metropolis: a city that is half-rubble and largely deserted. As a city of technology and innovation, rather than the raw materials of survival, Alexandria doesn't have much to offer the typical scavenger and what it did have -- pharmaceuticals, various forms of UV protection, vehicles, weapons -- has largely been picked over. Still, the city itself is not totally without inhabitants. Two rivals gangs occupy the centre of the city, in the old financial district, and occasionally engage in turf warfare. On the fringes, in what might have once been surburbia, Ethan Harvick and his crew have laid claim to an old housing subdivision of cookie-cutter family homes. While certainly more hospitable and less openly violent than the centre-city gangs, they're perfectly capable of defending their territory as necessary. ANITOCH, technological Mecca | Once a city-state allied to Alexandria and arguably the technological mecca of the pre-Event world, post-Event Antioch still manages to have a foothold on that particular sector. The farthest of the city-states, Antioch has always managed more automony in its operations than any of the other small city-states. Post-Event, Antioch is controlled by Julien Murrer. CARTHAGE, Constantinople's wealth | Post-Event, Carthage is controlled by Hollis Frost. ELSEWHERE | Both before and after the Event there are other city-states that exist beyond the big four. There are also encampments and small colonies dotted throughout the Wasteland, though many pre-Event infrastructure has been picked clean and ravaged. If you'd like to talk about making a city-state specific to your character concept, give me a poke on plurk. THE CLEARANCE LEVELS PRE-EVENT CONSTANTINOPLE SOCIAL STRUCTURE Everyone in Constantinople has a clearance level; clearance levels are specific to the person and are fluid and oftentimes expected to change over the course of a person's life. All individuals within a family have their own clearance levels, though spouses may petition a clearance level upgrade for their significant others. Not all petitions are honored; all require a Trade if granted. Clearance determines an individual's personal rights which include (but are not limited to): mobility within the city-state and abroad, socioeconomic opportunity, access to things like advanced healthcare and education, access to luxury goods and culture, access to secure information, the ability to own property, the right to privacy. Constantinople is physically laid out in a way that separates the higher echelons of the Spectrum from the lower ends (much like how, in the real world, the rich live at the tops of hills — affording them the best views, etc — while the lower income houses are located at the bottoms of hills — burdened with undesirable inconveniences such as flooding). Despite this separation there are districts where all the classes (save red-level clearance) can and do interact. These districts are mostly focused around either commerce, entertainment/leisure, or public works/governmental administration. Clearance is validated through documentation as well as a microchip embedded under the skin on the inside of the left wrist. Individuals who have seen much mobility across the Spectrum can often be identified by considerable scarring in the wrist area. Though documentation can be falsified to pass for lower-level forms of exchange/validation, it is considerably more difficult to counterfeit the subcutaneous ID chip. There is, of course, a black market for such exchanges though the price and the risk involved is considerable for all parties involved. BLACK | The Magistrate. The end. Only the indigos are given direct access to the Magistrate. Though he has made public appearances on occasion, meeting him in person is impossible unless you are part of his inner circle. INDIGO | Highest level clearance available. Reserved for the Magistrate's inner circle, they are the social and political elite. Only twelve at any given time, indigo-level clearance is the most stable levels of clearance (undesirables are almost always weeded out before they get to indigo). They are expected to be constantly vigilant of one another (policing the lower clearance levels is often left to underlings). Each indigo-level agent is given a specific task and area of governance by the Magistrate himself. Financially, the creme de la creme of the upper class; social elite. VIOLET | Military clearance. In Constantinople, the military hold higher security clearance than the government in order to allow them the ability to police the government's ranks without hindrance. All secret police have violet level security. Upper upper class. BLUE | Operational and governmental security. All individuals who hold blue-level security or higher have had to institute at least one Trade — essentially the turning over of something to the Magistrate of unquestionable personal wealth or extreme political value — in order to gain their level. Periodic trades are requested from blue-level citizens in order to maintain their security level. GREEN | Middle management. Effectively the white collar middle class of Constantinople, these individuals are given a slight taste of higher luxuries without ever being allowed to properly indulge them. A drone class mostly, many work in complete ignorance of the goings-on of their higher ups. Green-levels are considered the most ambitious class, given that the Trade system to blue-level oftentimes means a glass ceiling for most individuals. YELLOW | Blue collar working class. Very minimal basic rights, almost no luxuries, subsistence or a tiny bit above wages; what education yellow-level citizens have is minimal and often times directly relates to their work. Given the educational divide that exists between green and yellow-level clearance, there is oftentimes very little upward mobility without outside intervention or a bit of luck. A lot fall out the bottom into orange-level due to engaging in crime to try and make things better for their family. ORANGE | Known as the 'criminal' class, many of the individuals in this class were higher level clearances, only to be demoted or fall from their previous levels due to questionable activity. Those born into the orange class and lower are not provided formal education; this class is unique in that it contains a broader swath of economic diversity, containing both the fairly well off and the completely destitute. Members of this class have access to luxuries but only through underground activities. They are largely self-governing, though rumor has it that amongst the criminal element there are Magistrate operates pulling the strings from the inside. RED | Social pariahs. The lowest level clearance available. This is the last rung before disappearing off the board or being punted into the wasteland. Populated by those who are meant to carry out the most menial of work (aka, the stuff nobody else is willing to do), they are essential to the daily functions of Constantinople but are wholly invisible to in inhabitants. They are stripped of many of their individual rights such as the right to property and civil support. Notably, they are not allowed to read. GREY | Special exception classification. Specifically for the elderly or the very young, grey-level individuals have no clearance whatsoever, though their access to things like luxuries, rights and amenities are defined by the guardian (usually parents). Upon turning 16, an individual is 'assessed' by the Office of the Seat of the Magistrate and is given their own individual clearance level. Parents may attempt to petition for a child who has achieved a less-than-desired clearance level. If granted, a Trade is required. THE INDIGOS THE MAGISTRATE'S INNER CIRCLE There are twelve officially recognized seats at indigo-level clearance. These individuals form the Magistrate's inner circle; they are operate above all other individuals within Constantinople and can be held accountable for their actions only by one another and the Magistrate himself. It cannot be understated the amount of Trade and sacrifice necessary in order to reach indigo-level status. Once you become an indigo you cannot be demoted; you either hold the position until your death — whether natural or unnatural (the later much more likely). Technically all of the indigos exist at the same level of power/influence; none answer to one another, save the Ambassador, who must work in direct tandem with the Diplomat. Each indigo save the Ambassador is in charge of a department in either the military or government; each indigo reports directly to the Magistrate. Due to the amount of rigorous screening required to become an indigo, they are easily the most superlative class — its ranks are filled by those who are either the most loyal to the Magistrate's cause or most loyal to their own advancement. Most of Machiavellian and amoral. All are considered the social elite, though there are some who choose to live a life of discretion, given their responsibilities. Office of the Seat of the Magistrate lead by the Chairman (Noel Strange) | governmental affairs; administrative tasks Bureau of Trades lead by the Broker (August Dahl) | Trading; level-clearance advancement and demotion Bureau of Standards lead by the Chief (Ethan Arnold) | internal affairs; vetting and standards for blue-level clearance and above Bureau of Advancement lead by Dr. Margot Baran (no official title) | science and technology Bureau of Communications and Culture lead by the Curator (Betina Bechkenbauer) | public communications, the media, censorship, pr Bureau of Finance lead by the Bursar (unfilled) | what it says on the tin; also involves trade, though that word holds a different context in this culture Bureau of Resources and Industry lead by the Merchant (Devon Reznik) | what it says on the tin, the sequel; includes agriculture, raw materials and industrial operations Bureau of Observation lead by Patrick Manford (no official title) | observation, big brother, constant scrutiny Bureau of Action lead by Zhang Fan (no official title, position held in secret) | secret police, military, star chamber justice system Bureau of Petitions lead by the Arbiter (Marie Bernard) | "the justice system"; the bureau of petitions is where formal complaints, petitions, requests for pardon, etc are filed with the government; holds very little functional value, exists solely for appearances Bureau of Borders lead by the Commissioner (unfilled) | influence over/absorbtion of surrounding colonies and wasteland settlements; immigration Bureau of Relations lead by the Diplomat (claimed by Siri) | facilitates all open interaction with other city-states for the sake of inter-state politics; spends large amount of time outside Constantinople and in foreign states The Thirteenth Indigo known as the Ambassador (claimed by Effy) | a spy whose jurisdiction only exists OUTSIDE of constantinople's walls; they exist to travel to other city-states and instigate civil unrest to weaken infrastructure to ready it for collapse from the inside . . . THE MAGISTRATE and THE FALLOUT are two possible futures for a single world. The former, a dystopian city-state run by a dictatorial government and the later, a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by attempts of conquest and nuclear war. Characters may exist in one or the other or quite possibly both. Any questions, please direct them below! But seriously READ THE ABOVE PROVIDED PLURK. It'll explain a lot of what's going on while I try to bang out a proper world write-up.