Game Mechanics

Below is a button linking to a google doc with all the details of Endless Winter's system mechanics.

• Mechanics

Tsargrad

Also known as "King's Point"

History

When The Freeze struck the world, Tsargrad found itself fighting against the chilling cold it brought with it. Its governor did his best to keep his people safe and, most importantly, alive. It was a rough adjustment but Tsargrad stood strong and stabilized itself by expanding and allowing itself to slowly grow. The city grew bigger, expanding in population and in sheer size until the governor began to struggle. The governor sought to maintain control over the rapidly growing city and thus the countless laws began to pass. At first it was extended work shifts and pressure to increase productivity. Soon it became militaristic, focusing on creating a loyal and strong militia should any threats arise.Little had anyone predicted that these threats would rise from within the city itself as some began to question the intent behind such new laws. At first these weary people spoke of their troubles with their trusted governor but instead of listening to his people, he hushed them and said it was merely what the city needed to survive. This answer did not please the doubters and if they couldn’t trust their governor to resolve this, they would have to do something themselves. So a group began to form within Tsargrad, a small one initially but one quickly growing in numbers and increasingly antsy for change.It took one wrong move, one accident, one militia soldier slain, to spark a rebellious fight. The militia, having been properly armed, managed to fend off the rebel group but a civil war had begun. The governor rewarded the militia with official rankings. They would now be called “The Hounds” and serve the governor as well as the loyal people of Tsargrad as protectors. The rebel group was no match for the Hounds and soon enough, they had been gathered and banished from the city to certain death. Little had they known that this group would later establish themselves as priests of Saint Larksfield. With this rebellious group gone, the city was soothed and continued to expand.Generations would pass and gradually the governor's responsibility would no longer be just one person but a family of people. A long lineage of governing rulers called the Castennes. To this day, the Hounds are trained to complete various roles and tasks that the Castennes desire and enforce loyalty amongst Tsargrad’s civilians.

Atmosphere

Fear mongering and classism are two strong components for the feeling of being within Tsargrad’s borders. The Castennes are the ultimate authority and all should follow them or risk losing your life should any find out. Many will report rebellious activity or even suspicions of rebelliousness to the Hounds just for a meager reward. Betrayal is common amongst the civilians and the streets are rampant with fear while the Hounds patrol.
At age 5, when all species are old enough, children are taken from their families and placed into the Tsargrad Schooling System. A tough and demanding school that sorts its participants into categories based on their individual capabilities. Should a child excel in academics they may find themselves on course for becoming an engineer straight out of school. Or if a child excels in the school’s tough physical education they may find themselves as an excellent soldier. Those who do not easily are placed into manual labor, something every child dreads being labeled into as it is the bottom of the class caste. Children are taught obedience to the Castennes and steadfast loyalty every day until they are 14. Once they are 14 they “graduate” and are placed into their sorted career. Ranks these graduates would become are the following and in order of their importance: engineer, aviation pilot (both are highly sought after), soldiers, spies (both being on equal caste leveling), officers and finally manual laborers. All rankings, besides being a manual laborer, are considered a part of the complex Hounds system. Seniority often keeps the individual ranks going, the more senior the rank, the more power they hold over juniors below them. The following is each ranking in better detail:
Aviation Pilots
These people pilot the airships around the city for the most part. Those that excel in this rank are promoted to piloting the double winged small airplanes that are still being developed. However due to a shortage in arcane rock, there are more engineers than planes to fly.
Automaton Engineers
Automatons are very common in Tsargrad and maintenance for them is hard to come by so engineers in this field are highly praised by the Castennes. These engineers repair machinery that gather resources, help fix the few planes there are and keep terrestrial automatons moving.
Soldier
As the name suggests, these are soldiers intended for fighting and defending the city and Castenne’s. This is the most common ranking amongst The Hounds.
Officer
Lower than a soldier, officers are day to day guards that patrol the streets of Tsargrad and keep the unruly civilians under control. Typically under an extreme watchful eye of ranks higher than them as some officers have been known to take bribes. Until they’re outed and publicly executed.When a child graduates, an informal ceremony is held within the school. Each child is lined up and the ruling governor of the Castenne family, currently Lucius Castenne, places his hand within a bowl of thick paint looking red liquid and marks underneath the eyes of each child. The paint substance dries quickly and once every child is adorned with these markings, they are officially graduates of the Tsargrad schooling. Washing this marking off is strictly forbidden and seen as a sign of betrayal of the Castennes as it is a gift to be granted such a close interaction with the highest power of the city.

The Land

Tsargrad is separated into sectors for each class. Often composed of wooden and stone housing with multiple stories and occasionally connecting via bridge. The streets are more and more paved in stone the closer to the generator you are and snow is attempting to stay in mounds at street corners. The city is densely populated during the waking hours but at night only the Hounds roam the streets.The Slums - Far from the generator
Built along the edges of the warmth from the central generator providing heat, snow commonly falls from above down into the area where the poor live. Due to their proximity to the wall and to working mines, the buildings here look ramshackle and barely put together as constant rebuilding has to be done to keep homes standing. The “streets” are raised above the ground due to a collection of waste, some water and oils from machinery below the roads. This “water” is not healthy to fall into and can lead to severe disease should one fall in.The Housing District - A distance from the generator
More of a commoner’s place of work, this is where people who work for decent pay live. It’s still tough to have time to enjoy life outside work but it's not as tough as living in the slums and working physically hard jobs. Most people here work in the greenhouses, logging industry and food industry. The land here is raised enough that the toxic waters from the slums don't reach them.The Market - Close to the generator
Wealthy people frequent this spot; those that are wealthy enough to make a business approved by the government are allowed to sell wares for profit. Clothing, beautiful food, dyes and the like are sold here at a high price. The richest live closest to the center.The Plaza - Right in front of the generator
A massively open space with a rickety wooden stage in the center in front of the generator. This place is only used to make public executions.The Restricted - Opposite of the plaza, up against the generator
Heavily guarded with intense amounts of Hounds, metal gates separate the Castenne’s family home from the rest of the city. Not much is known about what lies inside but the house is the largest in the entire city.

The following are outfit inspirations you may use to get an idea of Tsargrad clothing

Saint Larksfield

History

Saint Larksfield hadn’t started as a city strong like Tsargrad but instead was a formation of rebellious folk within Tsargrad. People who had wanted the governor to take the city in a different direction that it was heading down. Gradually, as their numbers grew, the group took on more ideals following the ideals of one called the “Almighty”. It’s unclear who introduced the worship of the Almighty to the group of rebels but their teachings gave the group courage and confidence in their rebellion against Tsargrad’s government. Only, this confidence would lead to the accidental death of a Tsargrad militia member that would cause battle to erupt. They lost the fight that day but the city would feel the waves such an event caused, neighbors turning on each other about which side to take. Fighting continued, sometimes they’d win but most of the time the militia would win. Everything came to a head when the rebellious group was sentenced to banishment. A sentence bound to mean certain death for them out in the frigid wasteland.
So the band of outcasts traveled, desperately praying to the Almighty for guidance and aid. Their group decreased in numbers as time passed until a man named Archibald proclaimed knowledge granted to him by the Almighty of a place they could take shelter. The group followed the man’s direction and were led to an abandoned, and hardly functioning, generator. This new hope brought strength and the group established this new home Archibald’s name, Larksfield. Saint Larksfield. As for Archibald, the saints deemed him their prophet as he had been the only one able to contact their deity successfully. From that moment on, heirs have been chosen by the reigning prophet to be the epitome of what the Almighty desires.

Atmosphere

Within the confines of Saint Larksfield, everyone must follow the word of the Almighty and the prophet. The current reigning prophet being Prophet Aurora, a strict and harsh Ordius albino woman with light icy blue eyes. Disobedience is met with being put to manual labor at best or public execution at worst. It's common to find tension between families in Saint Larksfield as genetics play a major role in how high you socially climb. Lighter fur colors are like the purity of the snow covering the world and are highly sought after for this reason. Darker fur colors are a sign of sin, if a child is born with dark fur they are bound to cause trouble and commit sins throughout their life. In the worst cases where a child has no patch of white to be seen, they are often left on the outskirts of the city to die. Often these children are picked up by corrupt merchants and sold as children for labor. Not only does it look good for a family to be light furred but when the time comes for the prophet to choose an heir, they will always choose the purest of children born in the city. The current heir is a mostly white furred 5 year old little boy with a sole patch of black fur covering one of his blue eyes. His name is prophet Tobias and while he doesn't have much experience now, Prophet Aurora seeks to teach him the responsibilities of becoming the future prophet.Within Saint Larksfield there are rankings, not nearly as many as Tsargrad but a few important roles established by prophets before.
Below Prophet Aurora are a carefully hand selected group of Priests, they act as a council for Prophet Aurora should she need them and have a high influence in what goes on within the city.
Below the Priests are Inquisitors and Disciples. People who have vowed to the Priests to be defenders of faith.
Below them are every day civilians, a majority of the city are your average civilian, making up the work force and keeping the city going.
Disciples, Inquisitors, Oracles, Priests and Prophets all carry symbols of the Almighty. These symbols are carefully and elegantly crafted out of petrified wood that is then given to the Prophet. Each symbol is said to have many hours of prayer put into them by the Prophet and thus are amplifiers for holy magic in the hands of the faithful. Once the symbols are prayed over and blessed, the Prophet themself hands them down to the receiver. Should one break their symbol, they will not get a second one and are torn of their ranking as it is seen to be the same as breaking one's connection to the faith and the Almighty.

The Land

The Faithful Housing -
Those that prove their dedicated faith to the church are given priority housing closest to the inner ring by the generator. Typically these homes are of priests and disciples favored by Prophet Aurora thus being her closest followers.The Average Housing -
Citizens outside the inner circle of power Prophet Aurora runs live on the outside a bit further from the generator itself. Due to the city’s sheer size most housing is condensed and small but these are the sacrifices for warmth that most are fine handling.Cathedral of the Almighty -
Seated within the inner circle alongside the housing of the priests is a large and beautifully maintained smaller cathedral. Stained glass reflects brightly in the generator’s warm light and the proximity makes evening prayers incentivizing for the average citizen. This is also the home of Prophet Aurora and the heir, Tobias.

The following are outfit inspirations you may use to get an idea of St. Larksfield clothing

New Aspen

History

A relatively new city, New Aspen is just shy of 150 years old which is much younger than its two counterparts Tsargrad and St. Larkfield. The city functions well from its connectivity between each differing district that serves a purpose to keep life going while growth continues. These districts are led by representatives chosen by the workers in each to join the Delegation as delegates. This group of delegates decide on proper and fair laws based on what their civilians want and pass laws when a majority can agree to establish said law.
However it isn’t like New Aspen came out of nowhere, citizens from only a few generations ago were once outcasts from Tsargrad and St. Larkfield for one reason or another. This group of outcasts found survival was only possible together and decided they would make a city where nobody could throw power around and subject innocent citizens to irrational and unjust laws. It was a long and hard process, many both young and old passed during this search for safety but eventually they had found a broken and worn generator. Whoever had lived around it previously had named their tiny civilization Aspen, seemingly because of the oddly shaped generator resembling that of a tall thin aspen tree. So in respect for the deceased and in hopes of not arguing over a name, those that were still around decided to name their small group New Aspen.
It hadn’t taken long into the establishment of New Aspen before “rejects” of Tsargrad and St. Larkfield began to show up to their door hoping for shelter. At first these people were accepted with welcome arms but it had turned out that these new civilians still had some connection to their prior homes. Some carried broken holy symbols and some wore their tattered uniforms. Both groups seemed to cause more and more chaos against each other and for a while it seemed as though New Aspen would have its own civil fight like Tsargrad had so long ago. Though this never happened, any civilian who threw a punch at another was forced to sit in a cold cell with no law favoring Tsargrad or St. Larkfield ideology. So peace remained once again, any attempts made to try and corrupt the Delegation were shut down as soon as possible. Of course, aided by average citizens enjoying their form of government and gladly giving information to the Delegation about these rebellious people. Only the physical ones are ever jailed, limiting the ability to talk about the other cities would be ridiculous though a fine line with most.

Atmosphere

Due to its neutral nature, New Aspen is accepting of anyone so long as they can hold their own and work for the greater progress of the city. No one person is better than another, no faith or ideals are prohibited (within reason) and any violence is shut down as soon as it's found out. Of course with this comes fanatics from Tsargrad and St. Larkfield who do their best to convince neutral parties that their side isn’t so bad. While it isn’t prohibited to engage in discussing either city’s beliefs it is heavily discouraged as many won’t have any regard for you if you try to convince them.
Trade is frequent here, as a new civilization compared to its counterparts New Aspen is dependent on civilians being able to trade with merchants and taxing those who sell. It keeps the money flowing and an incentive for some to set up shop in the city permanently.
Children are just as they’re called, children. It is unlawful for any citizen to force their child into manual labor or, even worse, sell their child. Of course some get away with this through a very secretive trade but any child caught without their parent is redirected to their family no matter the circumstance.

The Land

There isn’t any particular house better than another unless the home’s owners have done renovations themselves but you won’t be finding a rich neighborhood split from the commoner’s neighborhood here. The housing is of course separated from the industrial portions of the city and there is a market square but there is no class or caste system difference.The Housing District -
An ever growing portion of the city is designated for building new homes for current, new and incoming citizens due to New Aspen’s ever growing nature. People are welcome to add to their home or make it look as good as they want.Working Zones -
As the name implies, there are zones throughout the city where various different jobs get done by the civilians for pay. These can range from coal mining to logging, steel scrap collecting and general gathering but typically they are kept away from the housing district.Market Square -
Set close to the generator is a large square of stone paved road where few booths sit and during down time merchants offer their goods. This of course means typically these stalls are open at night due to most civilians working long hour day jobs.The Delegation -
Furthest from the generator and against the crevice of the ravine New Aspen call’s home is a single building, well kept and semi heated by a smaller generator. This building is where all meetings between the Delegates occur, it’s not quite known what’s inside the building but it looks intricately detailed and almost a repurposed building from the original Aspen.

The following are outfit inspirations you may use to get an idea of New Aspen clothing

Suncaster

Additional information regarding the hideout of Suncaster and it's people is strictly reserved for those who decide they will be apart of the city for certain. Once you have learned of this information you will not be allowed to revert to a different city so know that this choice should be weighed heavily. This information is kept secret to maintain the air of secrecy within in game settings as no character knows anything aside from brief bits and pieces.

History

An unknown city lies on the horizon somewhere within the never ending snow flats and yet has been rumored to be involved around the current major cities. Nobody’s seen what its people look like, where they come from or who they are. All that’s left behind by them is occasionally an odd symbol and the dead being taken to who knows where. Some say it’s a coincidence, some say its predators taking the deceased for food in this cruel world and some think that whoever is left to survive in the cold eats the dead to keep living.
Commonly these rumored people are referred to as “Ravens”. Despite so much mystery, sightings of these Ravens say that they look smaller, completely shrouded in black but carrying a bright yellow light.
Occasionally, should a Raven become spooked and run, a coin or two can be found where they stood. One with an oddly unique shape and the word "Suncaster". Seems that wherever they originate has a currency similar to the established.

Atmosphere

A Raven's nature is just as much of a mystery as their origin but most know these people to flee at the sight of others. There are a few cases where a Raven is seen watching people from afar but at the risk of getting too close, they dash away. Some who're foolish enough to try and catch a Raven off guard often find themself bleeding in the cold. Rumored to watch the attacker until picking them up and taking them.

The Land

Damp
Dark
Warm
Maze

The Ravens