Sihi
| Government | The Starlit Court |
|---|---|
| System | Variable |
| Tech Level | TL4 |
| Population | Tens of Millions |
| Atmosphere | Thick |
| Biosphere | Miscible |
| Temperature | Variable Temperate to Warm |
| Planet Tag 1 | Beastmasters |
| Planet Tag 2 | Theocracy |
| Mechanical Tag | As an action, this world can move one hex. Any assets on this world moves with it. |
Heart of the Starlit Court, Sihi was constructed Ages ago - to send her Peoples among the stars to colonize a new world and expand their boundaries - before its purpose was usurped into becoming the lifeboat of those very People, fleeing their dying homeworld.
Many of the secrets contained within have been lost to the Starlit Court in the centuries it has trekked through the endless void on a Grand Quest. However, it has ever been a stalwart Rock to its People, a place of comfort and warmth. A place of growth.
Sihi itself consists mainly of a massive Grand Cylinder that stretches out for miles and which rotates to offset some of the energy requirements in creating an artificial gravity within. On the interior, Sihi is a lush and vibrant paradise, pastoral riverlands and valleys connecting with a myriad of lakes and vast untouched jungle, all of which connects to a sea of freshwater. Home to the bulk of the Starlit Court’s population, and from whence they grow their food, tame beasts, and raise the next generation of their People, all until they might find a new world.
Attributes
Thick Atmosphere
The Atmosphere of Sihi is based on the Elentar of the Zelvan people that the original humans tried to conquer. Our Human+ inhabitants and the Zelvan are able to breathe this atmosphere with no problems, the other species have varying degrees of issue with the atmosphere that they deal with in their own way, with some buildings across the many cities of Sihi being built with climate controls to give the other species places to rest and breathe easy. The Human+ can breath both normal Human Atmosphere and Thicker variants.
Defensive
Armor
Armored with three meter thick plates - at its thinnest point - Sihi is well equipped to handle most small scale impacts. Bolstering this is a low intensity shielding to help protect against minor space debris, dust, and small arms. Point Defense Guns Sihi is covered in a grid of advanced point defense systems, used in main to break apart larger space debris to small chunks that are then handled by its robust armor and shielding. In times of War, they may also be used to shoot down rogue missiles and hostile strike craft that breach the ten kilometer perimeter set up by the Watchtowers.
The Watchtowers
A broken ring that encircles the Grand Cylinder of Sihi roughly two-thirds of the way from the bow, the Watchtowers are split into three distinct sections. Each maintains a garrison of strike fighters and mecha equipped for zero-g maneuvers. These Watchtowers also act as a supplemental source of agricultural farming.
The Fleet
The Fleet of Ships that travels with Sihi? Battleship to Fighter sized craft form the Guardian Fleet around Sihi, these fleets are manned by the Knightly Orders and the Men at Arms, Dedicated to the defense of the Station. Some of these ships will split off when Knights have Quests to fulfill but for the most part the majority of this fleet is always next to Sihi. The Guardian Fleet is formed of a mangerie of different ship shapes from the different species that Live on Sihi, each culture has dedicated a few ships as they have joined the Court over the ages.
Travel
Sublight
Sihi is capable of sublight travel, equipped with an array of powerful propulsion devices capable of moving the massive vessal, though this movement has been generously described as 'ponderous' and 'steady', and slow and lumbering by most.
FTL
Sihi is also capable of FTL travel, using the same standard as most space ships in beacon space, though it is costly even by FTL standards.
Notable Locations
Camlann
The Great City
Before giving way to open tracts of wilderness and farmland, the great City of Camlann exists as a ring that extends throughout each of the four main Wards of Sihi, closest to Castle Sihi's Capstone. Twelve Keeps of Camlann - enormous jutting pillars that extend through the Sky and connect to an identical Keep on the opposite side, allow for rapid transport between each of the Wards, with townships and villages clustering at the base of each Keep. Great roads and railways also cut through the pastoral scenery to join each district to one another in a vast web.
Cairn y Bwbach
The Mounds
Scattered across the landscape are ancient structures dating back to time unknown on Sihi. These antiquated bunkers, depots, and access facilities are home to archaic automatons, built to help maintain our home. Dozens of strange autonomous robots, each one fulfilling a bevy of tasks required for the continued existence of life on Sihi, moving through access tunnels as old as Sihi itself below the soil, making sure our greenery remains lush, our water drinkable, and our air breathable, to name but a handful of their vital tasks. For unknown reasons, the autonomous Fey that sometimes are born out of the Unseelie Court usually reside here as well, some theorizing that they find peace among the machines.
The Spear of Light
The Spear of Light is an enormous light tube stretching from the central tower of Castle Sihi to the island in the center of the Churning Sea. The Spear illuminates acts as an artificial sun, illuminating the wards, providing for its flora, and creating a day night cycle for its inhabitants.
The Way Fortresses
The Pillars
Located within each of the Four Wards of the Grand Cylinder are three large evenly spaced facilities that mount enormous pillars that reach from one side of Sihi's interior to the other. These pillars intersect with the Spear of light at the center of the Cylinder along Sihi's central axis. These facilities, known collectively as the Wayfortresses, allow rapid transit from one ward to another via elevator cars that run up and down the pillars and access zero-g maintenance hubs that encircle the Spear of Light.
The Four Wards of the Grand Cylinder
Ward One
The Silver Road
The 'First' of the four main Wards, The Silver Road is named for and defined by the large Varenne river, which winds along the spine of the Ward before terminating in the Churning Sea. The Banks of the Varenne are host to many vineyards and breweries. Numerous creeks and streams feed into the Varenne, spidering through the Ward, and act as popular retreat destinations for both hopeless romantics as well as those who are in need of solace from the stress of the world.
Ariedor
Known for its lush greenery, Ariedor is the Agricultural center of Sihi producing the most foodstuffs for the rest of the station. It is not the largest town but is home to the largest farms, its location on the Varene’s Floodplain place Ariedor where the soil is the richest and best for planting and maintaining livestock.
Inverness
Technically the largest town outside of Camlann, Inverness is a sprawling mass of interconnected villages, orchards, vineyards and farms at the midpoint of the Silver Road. Inverness itself can be divided into the North and South districts, and several radial neighborhoods that spread out from these central hubs collectively known as ‘The Bramble’. While much of the South District’s development is agricultural, the North District is more developed, and plays home to a number of resorts, breweries, and tourist attractions, including a popular zoo, theater district, countless pubs, and a public bath.
Little Lutria
The Home city of the Lutrians, despite there being space in Nimuen the Lutrians preferred the moving water of the Silver road instead
Ward Two
The Golden Valley
The Golden Valley is directly spinward of the The Silver Road, a breathtakingly vast valley that encompasses the main portion of the Ward. Lake Viviane takes up nearly a quarter of the landmass of the Golden Valley's portion of the Great City of Camlann. All construction around Lake Viviane is limited to a low maximum height, to maintain the beauty and serenity of the Lake, which many believe to have some spiritual significance.
The Golden Valley is home to the bulk of all Sihian agriculture, and is nearly covered in its entirety in farmland, ranches, and small rural thorps that connect up to larger communities based around the Great Keeps in the Ward. The peoples of these villages tend to be among the more superstitious residents of Sihi, with many myths and legends of the Black Forest originating here directly opposite it.
Najaria
Formerly Fort Tintagel, though it was handed over to the Najan people once they joined the Starlit Court, with the bulk of the military populace moving to the newly constructed Realm’s Keep in the Ward. Where the majority of Najam live in Sihi.
Realm’s Keep
The second largest defensive building on the inside of Sihi, it serves as the back up to Camlann should it fall in a battle to defend Sihi. The Keep itself is built to be able to hold 100 million refugees to keep them safe during an assault or siege. While not in use for war a full complement of defenders is always stationed here. It was built after Fort Tintagel was given to the Najan
Mynanth
Mynanth was built in the style of the old Zelvan before we merged our cultures. It is built after their fabled capital of old on Elentar. It is the city with the highest population of Zelvan although they do make a majority population in many other cities.
Ward Three
The Nimuen Lying spinward of the Golden Valley and home to a multitude of lakes, chained together and fed from the great Churning Sea. The many lakes here are host to nearly half of the biodiversity of Sihi, as well as maintaining vast tracts of paddy fields for growing assorted semi aquatic crops and fisheries.
The Nimuen is also the source of the complex water reclamation system that feeds into underground water biomes that complete the circuit back to the Churning Sea, vital to saving as much valuable water as is possible on Sihi. A by-product of this process is an excess of heat, leading to a great many onsen in the region.
High King’s Pond
High King's pond is situated next to the largest Lake in Nimuen, and gains it's name from that very same lake. The area is known for its festivities; in particular a popularity for water based sports and games.
Lochland
Lochland is named for the numerous lakes surrounding it, and is the largest provider of seafood on Sihi outside of the Churning sea. According to local folk lore, there is a large sea monster said to swim the lakes of Lochland, but no one has ever been able to capture footage of the beast.
The Crystal Castle
The Crystal castle is an organic crystal geode hosting a commune of Magmari. The structure itself is a rough approximation of our own designs filtered through the lenses of the Magmari
Ward Four
The Black Forest Spinwards from The Nimuen is the Black Forest, a Ward that is nearly entirely covered in dense jungle from which the Ward gets its name. Unlike the other main Wards, the Black Forest has no major settlements outside of it's portion of the Great City, as the Forest is largely a reserve for wildlife and sometimes rare hunting grounds. The Black Forest is home to 80% of the native Cold Ones of Sihi, and is commonly used as a testing ground for squires prior to their knighthood.
The Copse of Rites
A secluded area within the Black Forest which has been cleared for Camps to be set up within the area. The Copse is used to test Knights or squires, as well as a sometimes vacation spot for seasoned Knights on Hunt. Some Orders or Houses require a member to survive within the Copse for a night, several nights, or even a week, without aid.
The Capstones
Ward Five
Castle Sihi
Located on the inward side of one of two great Capstones, Castle Sihi dominates the entirety of its surrounding landscape. A massive fortification - rumored to be based on the High King's Castle of Elentar - the Capital of Sihi serves as both the seat of the Starlit Court's government as well as the main military base of the Knightly Orders. Stretching far above the treetops of the King's Wood that surrounds it, it is divided into several wings and decks that are dedicated to specific roles. In times of War, it serves as Central Command for the multitude of defenses that Sihi itself can bring to bear.
The King’s Hall
The King's hall has been left largely empty since the loss of the High King. Currently, the hall only contains the office of the Castellan, and the High King's Mech, Exalibur; which lays dormant behind the throne.
The East Wing
The East Wing of Castle Sihi contains the chamber of elders; a massive room where the council of elders hold their meetings. In addition, the East wing holds the Grandmaster's Table, a grand hall where the grandmasters of the Knightly Orders Convene.
The West Wing
The West Wing contains the War room, which is primarily used by the orders to brief Knights prior to being sent away on Quests. Should the Starlit court ever become engaged in a full scale war, the Castellan convenes a court here with the Grandmasters to prosecute the war here where they are most effective rather than using the East Wing. The West Wing is a maximum security location and is kept off limits to most, and is barred to anyone outside of the starlit court.
The Grand Ballroom
The Grand Ballrooom is the premiere event space on all of Sihi. It has been used for events including the Declaration of a Champion of Sihi, and other Joyous Feast Days of the Starlit Path. It can seat several thousands, for feasting or dancing and other such events, and the first location Diplomats of other factions are brought to before going to either the King's Hall, or the East Wing.
The King’s Wood
A smaller version of the Black Forest, dense Jungle surrounds Castle Sihi for several kilometers, though a large and well-kept road carves through it. A home for hunting grounds and wildlife preservation. Within the kings wood there is an area of about 4Km x 5Km of fresh cut grass, it is maintained throughout the Sihian year known as the Tourney grounds. Events are scheduled the grounds year round, and the grounds contain automated systems to deploy needed materials automatically, including preparation tents, jousting leads, fighting rings, and observer stands. Events held here include; Jousts, Archery competitions, Cold One Rodeos, Dueling Tourneys, Mech Jousts.
Ward Six
The Anchorage
A Giant Dome serving as the capstone at one end of Sihi, the Anchorage acts as both giant drydocks for the Fleets, as well as serving as the hub for the bulk of the Starlit Court's industrial complex, containing a series of large manufacturing facilities, foundries, mining processing, as well as all ship building and repair facilities. Densely packed with floors amidst its facilities, the Anchorage resembles much more closely the standard starship or space station than the lush environs of the Grand Cylinder. Host to countless hangars and esoteric locations vital for the maintenance of Sihi itself - including the reactor for the mighty engines that drive Sihi through space.
Its layout is divided into decks, wings, and hangars. Wings are divided laterally along the Anchorage, and can comprise a number of smaller interconnected facilities. Decks are divided vertically along the Anchorage and cross through wings. Individual hangars are owned by both the government, individual Orders, or in the rare case, wealthy or affluent families.
The Armory
Contained within Anchorage's Dome, this is a vast military base for the Knightly Orders, off-limits to those not part of an Order. In main, it is divided into two parts, the Armories, and Fortress Hadrian
The Mech Armory
Largest Storage bay for Order Mechs not in service Squires, once gaining their Fey and attaining their Order, are brought here to match with their first actual Mech.
The Knight's Armory
Despite the name, the Knight's Armory contains all sorts of arms and armor, from those befitting a Knight of any particular Order, to those equipping the service men and women of the Men-at-Arms. Used as both a store of spare parts, and a sort of commissary for new members of the armed forces to gain non-Mecha based arms and armor.
Fortress Hadrian
Military base used as quartering of many active duty Knights and Men-at-Arms, as well as a training facility for all of our military forces (Squire-Candidates before being chosen as Squires and joining an Order, as well as Men-at-Arms). Knights embarking on Quest generally start out from here.
Ward Seven
The Churning Sea
Fitting the opposite capstone of Castle Sihi is the Churning Sea, the great freshwater lake that serves as Sihi's water reservoir. Home to dozens of species of fish and other aquatic life. The Churning Sea actually extends beyond the confines of Ward 7, ending in beaches in several of the other Wards, as well as feeding both the Varenne River, as well as the High King's Pond/Loch Galahad/Lady's Lake.
Island Sanctuary
There is a shrine to the Starlit Path on an island in the center of the Churning Sea. Only visitable in the twilight hours, due to the Spear of Light.
Mausoleum of the Soulless
As part of the main shrine the Mausoleum of the Soulless sits at the center of the island, commemorating the knights that made the ultimate sacrifice in the use of the Soul Blade. Due to their inability to be uploaded into Avalon their physical remains are interred here as an honor and an eternal reminder of their selfless acts.
Beaches of the Churning Sea
The beaches of the Churning Sea are a popular vacation destination, with resorts dotting the coast at various locations. The Coasts have been known to attract tourists from off-world. The resorts have varying price points, from the expensive and luxurious, to the humble but none the less lovely. The area is open year round, and is famous for having the best seafood on Sihi.
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