Cathair na Stoirme

Cathair na Stoirme
Temporary Housing under The Storm Tree
Alignment	Chaotic Neutral
Capital	Cathair na Stoirme
Ruler	Autumn Eiskae "The Storm Siren"
Government	Theocracy
Languages	Common, Sylvan
Religions	Church of the Storm Siren

Cathair na Stoirme “City of Storms”

*Reader’s Guide: Cathair na Stoirme is a culture strongly influenced by it’s fae-originating ruler. As such, most of names are in the First language. While translations have been provided for ease of reading, keep in mind that most citizens would refer to these names by their proper name, or with some bastardized attempt at them. (OOC: These names are treated like spanish roads and cities on the southern border of the USA. Most people can say them…kinda. But few know their meaning.)

(Additional OOC Author’s note: Irish has been used for any Fae words. I apologize in advance)

Description

Founded 15 years ago by the once-Dryad Autumn Eiskae, the City of Storms is a living temple and city rolled into one. Currently under construction in the newly-formed floating Isles of Storm (or Thunderhome, as the locals refer to it), residents currently live in temporary housing clustered around Crann Tintreach “The Lightning Tree.”

Autumn, now a demi-goddess, rules the city from Crann Tintreach, though said rulership is remarkably laissez faire. Given her teachings of self-sufficiency and freedom, her citizens look to her for guidance and occasional arbitration, much of which can easily be fulfilled by her advisor-priests. This leaves her generally free to wander where the wind may take her, though she is never more than a call away from her beloved city.

History & Myths

Cathair na Stoirme has a remarkably humble history. Founded some time in 54 IA, it only was codified as a town as enough people had moved there that it needed some sort of name. It was christened ‘Thunderhome’ thanks to the magic of its leader, a dryad named Autumn who hadn’t intended to lead such a town, only wished to help those that were “stuck” in life. Over the next year or so, it became a quaint little hamlet, then a village, individuals bringing their unique skills and abilities to turn the town into something beyond mud and wood huts.

It was later, after a violent storm swept over Thunderhome, that a formerly disgraced cleric who had recently entered the town announced he could see a divine aura upon Autumn. Declaring that she had a divine spark within her, he built her a small shrine and began to proclaim the information to others in the town. Some believed, some didn’t, and the matter was brushed over when she left once again on one of her many travels to learn of the world.

When one of the faithful heard her respond, albeit confused, that changed the issue.

As proof began to pile up that Autumn was, in fact, a budding goddess, the village saw rapid growth, its population expanding from hundreds to thousands in only a few months, helped along by Autumn’s habit of ‘breaking chains’ whenever she saw someone not using their full potential.

It was after the gods fell to earth and Babel was designated the meeting place for gods new and old that she finally accepted and came into her own, and the town swelled. Some where displaced from Babel. Some were new converts, wishing to live and work near the goddess they worshipped. And some were savvy businessmen. But over years of talks with the old gods, Autumn grew wiser, and the town grew larger. And so when she returned to Thunderhome to see the borders of Aetveris creeping ever closer, she took decisive action to protect her people from the laws and systems many of them had escaped from.

According to some eyewitnesses, she planted her staff in the center of town and sang a new and terrible song in a language none present could understand. From where her staff struck, a tree sprouted and grew rapidly, rising further and further over the canopy. Clouds hung in its leaves and lightning crackled through its branches. It grew as large as some trees infused by positive energy in the vale were rumored to grow, and larger still, until the ground shuddered beneath their feet. Earth and stone were torn from the ground, and the town rose into the air, followed by several smaller islands around it. Even as they rose, some say the soil reformed beneath them, and the forest they once had dwelled in regrew brighter than ever before.

The new sky islands were wrapped in a blanket of cloud and they set themselves upon the wind, a storm rumbling beneath them. As they traveled, the Siren surveyed the land she had upraised, and ensured the land would sustain itself and the citizens she had promised to protect. Portals were made to the mainland, the name of Thunderhome was granted to the isles that floated with them, and with this first Great Miracle, Cathair na Stoirme was founded.

Layout

While the current city exists in a largely temporary state, it has already been clustered into 5 districts, which represent the 5 principles of The Storm Siren’s teachings. These districts lay clustered in a distant circle around Crann Tintreach, and are as follows: Fiosracht “Curiosity”, Saoirse “Freedom”, Neamh “Independence”, Áilleacht “Beauty”, and Maor “Stewardship”.

The focus of each district lies in the center, where large towers are under construction. These towers are intended to serve as the hearts of the city, and will house the bulk of the more industrial aspects of the city as it grows. Meanwhile, like a creeping vine, agriculture and other more natural pursuits spread over the ground, feeding the growing city and being supported in turn by the technological advancements that come from within.

On particularly lucky days, citizens may see the Rainbow Serpent circling lazily in the sky, a sign of the Siren’s Favor and good things to come.

Society

It would be nice to say that the City of Storms is a city of kindness, as its goddess’s tenants would make it appear. And it is…internally. Citizens of the city enjoy a remarkably low crime rate, extended lifespans, and increased fertility both in their business ventures and their families.

But not all that live within the city walls are citizens, and those that seek to live within Cathair na Stoirme without the approval of its resident guardian do so at their own risk. While crimes against other citizens are highly illegal and punished severely, the same cannot be said for those that have not undergone the process of claiming that protection.

This extends beyond the city walls as well, as ‘Entrepreneurial Privateering’ has become a booming industry in the city. This has led to a number of officially-recognized “Presidents of Fortune”, who have made a trade of efficiently robbing airships, sea ships, and even interplanar caravans without killing a single crew member. After all, as one individual has stated, “If your foe is scared enough to surrender on sight, you need never fire a single shot.”

Beyond these official companies are several smaller ones who are named ‘pirates’ derogatorily by other citizens. These rarely last long within the city proper given the Siren’s harsh stance against slavery and murder, but many have found a home hidden in the nearby isles and often can be found skirmishing with one another.

Industry

Cathair na Stoirme has historically had great success in the export of excess food and "ethically sourced" lumber, and there has been no need to change this with the literal rise of the Thunderhome isles. Many companies have raised their prices to reflect the more exotic nature of their goods, a price many are happy to pay.

In addition, Thunderhome Industries has been in the town since it's beginning, setting up shop and helping push the city into the future in harmony with nature.

Districts

It is important to note that while districts tend to adhere most closely to one tenant or another, a variety of individuals, companies and ventures can be found in each district. Districts just tend to clump for the same reasons they might anywhere else. Competition, trade, and to keep eyes on the competition.

As far as residency goes, most individuals seek to live in the district they aspire to. It is often better to live close to where you work, after all. However, there are any number of portal services between districts already, and for those who seek to live in one district and work in another, there are a variety of options available.

Fiosracht “Curiosity”

As its name may imply, those who belong to the Curiosity district have a sense of wonder for the world around them. The most common businesses one might find in this district are explorers and merchants, as well as the city’s branch of the Adventurer’s Guild.

Saoirse “Freedom”

The least organized of the lot, the Freedom district has the most small business ventures out of any other district, as well as the lowest crime rate. With a focus on maintaining individuality at all costs, the freedom district has just as many rags to riches stories as it has riches to rags. This volatility has ironically created a strong sense of community within a district that values being able to do as they wish. Along with tradeswork, often the particularly inventive will find a place here, and a good many innovations have come from these strong-willed people.

In addition, many Privateering efforts are launched from this district, and it is these sailors of fortune that keep the crime rate low among non-citizens. A task which they approach with a near-religious fervor. It has been speculated that this is due to a high degree of superstition amongst sailors, and a belief that their efforts are only successful thanks to the Siren’s favor, which may not be entirely incorrect.

Neamh “Independence”

Often mistaken in common for the Freedom district, in the Fae tongue, these two words translate quite differently. While Saoirse translates to ‘individuality’ or ‘freedom’, Neamh translates into a concept that could be better translated as ‘Self-sufficiency’. Often considered the founding pillar of the City of Storms, many of the larger companies in the other districts started here or in Saoirse.

Neamh is often considered the founding district and tends toward agricultural and lumber industries, many of which were started back when the city was a mere village, with a focus on building a community away from the nations that had failed them before. These industrial hyper-sustainable forestry and farming efforts tend to be built up rather than out, creating a dense and unique “undergrowth” to the megastructures of the city. This tendency to build up can be traced back to the much greater tendency for Neamh district citizens over any other to be religious, treating nature as sacred ground of the Storm Siren. Given no storm has ever rained destruction on the city, perhaps their efforts are not without merit.

Áilleacht “Beauty”

Inspired by the Siren’s haunting aria, the beauty district is a place of art, beauty, and nature. While all the districts are grown and built from a living steelwood, Áilleacht has worked with it the most, turning simple living architecture into a giant piece of living art.

Each citizen has something to contribute to the piece, however small and while it serves as the newest district in the city, it’s start promises to be an epic that shall be sung for ages to come.

Maor “Stewardship”

The Stewardship district may well be the least understood by those outside. After all, the Siren is a Chaotic being at heart, and nearly every other part of the city has a strong independent streak. However, Citizens in Maor remember that the city was founded on the Siren’s refusal to ignore the cry of the enslaved and the hopeless and give them a second chance. As such citizens of this district make stewards of themselves. They are wardens of nature and the isles, confirming the safety of the city; ambassadors of the city-state, traveling to other lands and ensuring the Siren’s interests abroad; and enforcement of the law, serving as the mundane eyes and ears of all the districts, protecting citizens from harm.

It should be noted here, that while non-citizens do not fall under the official protection of the Maor Wardens, they are not unduly cruel, and many will offer aid to those being victimized in front of them. However, while individuals are kind, city resources are limited, so it is rare for their assistance to go much beyond that, leaving such concerns to more vigilante justice systems.

Citizenship

The Siren’s Call beckons all those who would make their fortune in the City of Storms, and citizenship is a simple matter. Despite being a theocracy, there is no mandate to worship the Storm Siren, nor must any pay tithes to her. The only requirement is an oath of adherence to her laws and a one-time payment of 100 gp, with a yearly maintenance cost of 10 gp. While the initial price is a hefty cost for some from the outside, there are already several traditions around this simple bureaucracy.

Many mercantile houses in the Curiosity district will cover the citizenship costs of promising business partners.

Within the Independence District, a multitude of companies will pay the cost of citizenship for incoming employees.

The Freedom district has made citizenship a sort of ‘coming of age,” wherein one is considered an adult once able to pay for one’s own citizenship, and great respect is offered to entrepreneurial children who wish to get a head-start on those costs.

Given it’s tendency toward the arts, the Beauty District will often offer to cover citizenship to promising artists, visionaries, actors, and the like.

Finally, the Stewardship district has developed a tradition of families housing immigrants and offering sanctuary until such time as their ward can pay for citizenship themselves or the family pays for them, usually after a year of indentured housework or service as a Warden (which would perhaps explain many Warden's individual kindness toward non-citizens.)

Notable Citizens

Killroy - The Founder and Owner of Thunderhome Industries. Worked closely with government forces to lift the now-island out of the continent with minimal architectural damage.

Legal System

Given its previous size, Cathair na Stoirme has not had the need for an extensive or complicated legal system in the past. As it has grown however, the Siren has seen the necessity of a series of laws protecting her citizens. These laws are enforced by the Wardens and criminals are judged by certain priests, chosen by the Siren to enact her will. While presiding over a court, they serve as her hands and enact her will, rarely even calling upon her and serving as a vessel that she might judge the case personally.

For criminal cases, the accused may have a choice of trial. They may undergo a trial by divination, in which such methods as Circles of Truth, Divination magics, and viewings of the past may be used to establish their innocence, or they may opt for a more traditional trial, in which only physical evidence may be presented and testimony provided. This was adopted in recent times, after an attempt to divine a key fact in the defense of the accused only turned up an image of a slightly overgrown potato. This called into question the effectiveness of divination in a trial, and it was considered only fair that the accused should have a choice in the matter.

Execution

Execution is performed by way of nanite dismantlement. The guilty party is rendered unconscious for the event, though some few may resist such mercy. Those that do, die screaming.

Sparkholder Crimes

For any crimes performed by a sparkholder for which the penalty would be execution, it is instead changed to a different penalty, known as Aiféala an Bhainteora or “Reaper’s Regret”. No sparkholder has been tried for such a crime at this time.

Laws

The following is a selection of laws for the city-state of Cathair na Stoirme. This list should not be considered exhaustive.

Murder of an Intelligent Being

Any individual found culpable of terminating the life of an intelligent being, as ascertained by an ASI (Assay Score of Intelligence) rating equal to or exceeding 4, except under substantiated grounds of Just Cause, shall be subject to the penalty of execution.

Murder of a Sparkholder

Any individual proven guilty of extinguishing the life of a sparkholder, unless reasonably justified under the precepts of Just Cause, shall be subject to punishment by confinement within a demiplane. This detainment shall endure until the eventual return of the sparkholder. Upon such return, the victim reserves the prerogative to determine the fate of the convicted, ranging from execution to imprisonment for a duration not surpassing 100 years.

Animal Abuse

Any individual found convicted of committing acts involving severe maltreatment, torture, or exceedingly cruel homicide of an animal shall be liable to imprisonment or execution, contingent upon the gravity of the transgression.

Abduction

The act of abducting a citizen shall be sentenced to a minimum confinement of 10 years.

Battery

Any individual verified to have perpetrated an act of battery upon a citizen shall be subjected to a minimum imprisonment of 2 years. Additionally, they shall be imposed a fine, equivalent to the expenses incurred for the recuperation of the victim.

Endangerment

The act of knowingly exposing a citizen to peril or jeopardy, without reasonable cause, shall be regarded as an offense and shall be imposed a fine determined by the state.

Enslavement

The act of subjugating another sentient being to servitude or bondage against their will, shall be subject to execution.

Robbery

The illicit seizure of a citizen’s possessions through the application of force, intimidation, or coercion shall be deemed an offense and shall be sentenced to a minimum confinement of 10 years, in addition to a fine levied equal to the price of the possessions seized.

Theft

The wrongful appropriation of a citizen’s property with the intent to permanently deprive them of it shall constitute an offense and shall be sentenced to a minimum confinement of 4 years, in addition to a fine levied equal to the price of the possessions seized.

Treason

Any citizen found guilty of engaging in treacherous acts against the realm, its sovereignty, or the safety of its inhabitants shall be tried for treason and, if proven guilty, be subject to penalties as determined by the State.

Trespassing

The unauthorized intrusion onto a citizen’s property, whether land, dwelling, or structure, without due authorization or legitimate reason, shall be considered an offense and subject to a minimum confinement of  3 months.

Sexual Assault

Any individual found guilty of committing sexual assault against a citizen shall be subject to minimum confinement of 30 years, in addition to immediate neutering. Repeat offenses shall be subject to execution.

Additional Clauses

Sanctity of Childhood Clause

Children are considered to be most precious by the state, as beings with limitless opportunity and freedom. As such, for any crime where the victim is found to be under 18 and the accused is over 18, the penalty may be immediately escalated to a maximum of execution. For any crime wherein the penalty is already execution or for crimes of sexual assault, the penalty may be escalated to Aiféala an Bhainteora, regardless of whether the accused has been found to be a sparkholder.

Mercy Clause

In the case that the accused knows themselves to be guilty but is truly remorseful for their actions, they may declare Trócaire na Stoirme. Doing so finds the accused guilty, but waives all minimum and maximum sentence requirements, and shall see the trial attended by the Person of the Storm Siren who shall determine punishment as She may see fit.