The Central Cities are gathering places for the faithless souls that have collected in Mausolea over the millennia, old ruined locations that became warrens containing the frightened, and terrified. Over time they have grown from their ruined beginnings and become something else, something much more impressive. These once broken buildings, forlorn chapels, temples, and doomed monuments have expanded and transformed into great centers of bustling commerce and culture. Pandemonium is the most famous of these cities and forms a spiritual axle around which the triad between gods, demons, and mortals spins.
It is a shinning testament to the free will of individual souls, and the shared power of determination.
The Nexus of Change
Pandemonium sits at a nexus, the meeting point between the borders of many realms in Mausolea. Yet it bears no allegiance to any one Domain, nor is it protected by one. This once grey and crumbling place where souls were sentenced to when cast out of their god’s favor, now shines brighter than many of the godly domains. Built by these outcasts, or those who were sent here without religion, Pandemonium today is a sprawling metropolis that grows in power as the might of the old god’s wanes in the mortal world.
Pandemonium has become a symbol of the change that has tipped the careful balance of power, maintained for so long. Even the realms of the gods now fall under the shadow of Pandemonium’s walls as the city continues to expand its borders.
This change has not gone unnoticed — the Devils of the Outlands have seen this imbalance and have begun to grow their armies again in secret, in preparation for renewed hostilities for the first time in thousands of years.
Power Structure & Politics
With so many cultures, mortal souls and varied public interests all found in one place there has always been a call for leadership and government, and these free souls are united by a republic of powerful figures amongst the city’s elite. These figures do change from time to time, serving their term in government so long as they are able to contribute positive change to the problems of the day.
As the city has grown in size, so too has it become a greater target of the demons and wraiths of the outlands, as it has no god or encircling power of some greater being to protect it from the schemes and outright attacks, but it is has remained safe for many years, due to endless efforts to shield its borders from such incursions.
The Council of sovereignty is the ruling body of government, and is made up of men and women of all walks of life who oversee the various day to day aspects of the city. These City Masters ensure that every facet of Pandemonium is looked after, from the smallest detail to the grandest plan for new buildings and new districts.
Districts of Pandemonium
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Pandemonium is a city of many cultures and there are dozens of districts, some held by representatives of culture, many of them home to beings who were once famous people from Earth, and designed to shape and integrate the souls of the afterlife into a structured, amazingly efficient machine made up of thousands and thousands of souls working together to build something greater. There are districts of science, industry, trade, entertainment, towers of government, and winding mazes of alleyways.
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The Underworld
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The caves and tunnels that twist and turn beneath the city were dug and hollowed out millennia ago when this was a land of fear, where terrified souls hid and cowered beneath the earth, awaiting the time when things would come forth and devour them. Over time and countless ages the network of tunnels, passages and hidden chambers grew and grew to an immense size. Now Pandemonium sits above it the tunnels of the Underworld have not been filled in, no, they are in daily use. Some use these passages to transport goods they would rather not be seen above ground, some use them to avoid the rule of law and the will of the people above them.
The Primordial
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At the center of the Trade District and as silent as it is mysterious is the Primordial known as Mahru. This being watches mutely as an overseer, regarding every trade, transaction and commercial deal that happens within the whole district. Mahru observes the actions of every tradesman, artisan and merchant from the city and those who come to Pandemonium from across Mausolea. It is a titanic figure, with a body that is copper colored. Newly arrived souls and those who do not know better often mistake the being for a colossal statue, or even a large temple. There have been years go by before the Primordial even deigns to turn its head, usually to the surprise of those who simply do not expect this being to move. According to lore Mahru is the only Primordial known to reside so close to mortal society, much less inside one of their cities.
Mahru is thought by many scholars to imbue the district with peace, prosperity, and an aura that ensures fair trade throughout the district.
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