Gyllis

The Gyllis Dome is 149 fathoms below sea level and situated in the northern hemisphere of the ocean planet Aqyerius. The dome was built on an active geothermal vent in 0 PC (Post-colonization), which is where the dome draws its power. The dome itself is built from a strong glass-like material that creates a fish eye effect on the world outside the dome. Gyllis is naturally very dim and cold, but with the large specialized lights at the top of the dome’s curve, it is bright and warm. There are 8 other domes that work with the Gyllis dome to create a civilization.

The Gyllis Dome has existed for 246 years and has an estimated population of 128,000. It was the first dome created on Aqyerius, and over time as new and better domes were created, Gyllis was relegated to being a prison for the 8 other domes. The Gyllis Dome is run by various committees made up of the inmates of the dome. These committees are open to whoever wants to join them, and many groups have split off from each other and done their own thing. In the end however, all these committees answer to the Committee Committee, a body from the city of Octus, the capital of the known regions.

Criminals within the Gyllis dome are punished with the Box, in which people are separated for a given period of time for their transgressions. For worse crimes, like murder, it is the Murder Committee that will deal with them. The Murder Committee is a committee made up of reformed killers now given the task to hunt down those who act out.

The domes’ economic system works off of dabloon coins based on the gold standard. Octus enforces the use of dabloons inside of Gyllis’s government and when trading with other domes. The domes trade food, energy, and small goods such as jewelry. This keeps the economy from going into a depression by continuously introducing new dabloons and goods into the markets.

Culturally the citizens of Gyllis prefer the barter system for inside their dome. They trade and barter using goods and services rather than dabloons or physical currency. Because of this they have a much smaller dabloon economy compared to the other domes, but a bustling social network.

In Gyllis Dome, social relations and social standing are not dependent on class, gender, or sexuality. Instead, there is a large divide among the people due to age. The older citizens of the dome tend to discriminate against the younger generation because they have been sent to the dome for less serious crimes. Simultaneously, the influx of the younger generations has led to a diversity of opinions. Therefore there has been a major uptick in regards to equality within sexual orientation in the dome, where less celebrated unions have become more celebrated and accepted.

Gyllis Dome culture revolves around religion. A reported (by the Census Committee) 100% of the population believes in the deity known as Shark God. Shark God permeates all aspects of Gyllis culture. Though there is no formal organized worship of Shark God, the closest form of organized worship is during funeral ejections from the dome. Citizens of Gyllis believe that when they die Shark God will collect their mortal soul and bring them to the endless ocean where they will live out their afterlife. It is for this reason that death is celebrated in Gyllis.

Shark God is also present in the many public art pieces around Gyllis. Shark God’s presence is seen in the practice of modifying oneself biologically to appear more shark-like and become better suited to survive the extreme depths that Gyllis resides in. These extreme depths and other conditions make Gyllis the perfect habitat for a certain strain of hallucinogenic fungus that the citizens of Gyllis consume on the belief that it will bring them closer to Shark God.

The Domes of planet Aqyerius began as a research and colonization project, while the exact purpose is now unknown, many of the scholars in the eight domes speculate it was an experiment to see how well a sapient species could persist underwater. The first dome, initially called Nihilum, was constructed in the year 0 PC, and was monitored for an extended period. When it was deemed suitable, the first collection of colonists and test subjects were sent to the planet.

On the journey to the planet, the transport ship was struck by a stray asteroid and crashed into the planet. Survivors of the crash salvaged equipment and made their way to Nihilum. Despite the complications brought about by the crash, the citizens of Nihilum managed to thrive. However, this created a need for expansion, since room was becoming scarce within the dome. Thus, by the middle of the fourth century (350 PC) they expanded out into the domes Unus, Duae, Tria, Quattor, Quintus, Sextus, Septus, and Octus, which were each built with improvements on the previous dome’s design. Eventually, Nihilum was deemed obsolete and completely abandoned.

Another issue the domes faced with expansion was the matter of prisoners. As the population increased, so did the number of criminals and undesirables. While petty thefts could be handled from dome to dome, violent criminals and revolutionaries were more problematic. Fredrick M. Gyllis, the mayor of Octus c. 377 PC made the decision to utilize the abandoned Nihilum to house the undesirables along with a small governing maintained by Octus to act as wardens. From then on, Nihilum became known as Gyllis’s Asylum, but it was quickly shortened to Gyllis as the dome gained its own autonomy.

The revolutionaries sent to Gyllis were the organizers of the First Rebellion in 376 PC. The First Rebellion fought for the rights of all citizens of Octus, not just those deemed desirable. These revolutionaries waged a series of violent campaigns against the government of Octus, which came to a head in 377 PC during Last Riot when the government captured the revolutionaries and ended the rebellion. However, the ideals of the First Rebellion continued to be fought for by the group’s successors on several occasions in Octus’ history. These rebels also ended up in Gyllis.

The architecture of Gyllis has two distinct schools. The first, called the Nihilum style, comes from when the dome was first constructed. These buildings are defined by their industrial and brutalist appearance. They were built quickly and with little thought given to anything but practicality. Presently, these buildings are dwindling in number as they fall out of repair and are replaced with new ones. These new buildings were of course, built in the architecture style of the current inhabitants of Gyllis, and more specifically, the Construction committee. Called the Gyllis style, the style does not have one specific look to it, as members of the committee were allowed to design their buildings however they liked as long as the designs pass safety concerns. This has resulted in some very experimental and strange looking buildings, and unlike the Nihilum style, no two buildings follow the same design.

A notable inspiration for the Gyllis style of architecture are the coral reefs and ocean life that has formed around the dome due to the UV light put off by the dome’s lights in combination with the heat put off by the geothermal vents the dome sits on. The light and heat attracted quite a bit of life. The most surprising being what Gyllis now knows as Shark God. When the first colonists came across Shark God, they were shocked to see something so familiar to their historical records when all the other ocean life they’d observed was nothing like Earth life. Scientists from the other domes believe it to be a case of convergent evolution, but the religious in Gyllis dome decided it was simply proof of Shark God’s godhood, that Shark God followed them to an alien planet.

In present day (623 PC), with Gyllis showing itself to have more resources than Octus expected, Octus has grown more interested in controlling Gyllis. Because of this, the Committee committee, have been growing in members as well as becoming more aggressive in opposing their will on those in Gyllis. It also led to more common visits from Octus’ Inspection committee. However, the citizens of Gyllis have united to fuck up their shit.



The Dome itself resides 149 fathoms below the ocean’s surface, and it is a striking fusion of engineering and natural symbiosis. The dome resides on top of multiple Geothermal vents that are used to power the entire city, maintained by the Power Committee. The specialized lighting inside the dome emits artificial sunlight that spreads throughout the whole city. This unique lighting has caused coral growth within approximately 800 feet of the dome in various species and patches while the vents provide minerals and nutrients to the flora. The vents additionally create an element of unpredictability to the local travel, making travel to the other 8 domes tenuous, but doable. Each of the other 8 domes reside somewhat nearby, with the farthest being 88 nautical miles away from Gylis.

The government in Gyllis is made up entirely by committees. In the end however, every committee in Gyllis answers to the Committee committee, a committee made up of officials from Octus. The Committee committee has final say in the majority of what happens in Gyllis dome, with the exception of committees that get over excited and start moving ahead without checking in with the Committee. An offense which will see them in the Box for a period of time.

The Box was created as a way to discipline and correct behavior within Gyllis dome without being too harsh on those trying to reform. The longest someone might stay in the Box is a day or two, though usually it’s much shorter. The Box is not a place meant to keep people permanently, more give them the space they need to sit and reflect on what they’ve done wrong. It is expected that upon exiting the Box that they give a report of what they did wrong, and what they should’ve done instead.

For worse and repeated offenses, like murder, repeated excessive violence, rape, etc., the Murder committee is put into action. The purpose of the Murder committee is to deal with those who can’t be, or refuse to be, reformed. In which case, the Murder committee is put on the case and hunts down and kills those individuals. The Murder committee itself is made up of reformed murderers and serial killers.

In addition to law enforcement, Gyllis has a comprehensive collection of social services. The Mad Science Committee contains an array of healthcare focused committees. The members of these committees all have a passion for what they do, so citizens can receive medical care at little to no cost. This includes cosmetic genetic modification, gender affirming care, fertility procedures, medications, general and emergency medical care, and aids and assistive devices.

Gyllis also has a wide collection of educational opportunities run by the Special Interest Committee. These educational opportunities are not a standardized school system, but instead a collection of individuals that lecture on their special interests in an organized setting. This has led to Gyllis having a highly educated population in very specific and narrow fields. Within the Special Interest Committee there is a subcommittee called the Educational Interest Committee that provides a vaguely standardized general education to children and those who are interested.

Gyllis is a highly accessible society as well. There is a large population of disabled individuals in Gyllis, so the dome was made to be as accessible as possible. This does not only include physical disabilities, but mental disabilities as well.

The main eight domes run off of a gold standard based currency named dabloons. dabloons are small coins with an emblem of Fredrick M Gyllis on one side and a dome on the other. There are 5 types of dabloons ranging in worth notated by what stamped on it. The order is as follows: krill, worth 1 dabloon, squid, worth 5 dabloons, moray, worth 10, rorqual, worth 50, krillion, worth 100 dabloons. A gallon of milk may cost 4 dabloons, while a small apartment may be 1000 dabloons in rent.

Government in Gyllis is forced to use dabloons but the people use barter systems. Octus and the other domes only conduct business in dabloons, forcing Gyllis to have a small bank with which they conduct outside trading. However, inside of Gyllis the culture prefers bartering rather than the use of dabloons. Because of this Gyllis has a relatively small dabloon economy compared to other domes and are considered to be in an economic depression.

The economy within Gyllis is not solely based in a barter system. Instead it is a hybrid of both a barter system and a gift economy. Many roles fulfilled and services done within Gyllis are done not because of any promise of profit or gain in the traditional sense. There is a large percentage of the population that fulfills necessary roles because they enjoy what they do. This leads to many specialized services within the dome that would be difficult to find elsewhere, but it also results in a handful of unqualified people fulfilling different roles and jobs within Gyllis.

Despite being a dome of prisoners, Gyllis has become a unique economic powerhouse among the domes. One reason for their economic power is as Penicillium potens, which produces a powerful antibiotic similar to penicillin known as potentia. The uses of P. potens and potentia are still being studied, however both the Mad Science Committee and scientists in the other domes believe that it will lead to massive advancements in medicine. The Geothermal vents Gyllis sits on are the other reason for their significant economic power. Gyllis sits on one of the largest geothermal vents and has acted as a supportive power plant for years. However, the magma in the vents has been shifting towards Gyllis, leading to them becoming a primary power plant for the other domes. This reliance has led to many domes favoring Gyllis in some sense and has indirectly resulted in the Committee Committee having a significant role in the trade between the domes.

Regardless of their influence on trade and the burgeoning reliance on Gyllis, they are still a prison. This means that when the other domes (primarily Octus) participate in trade with the prison colony, they offer scraps. Initially they were given scraps from the lower class, which amounted to not much more than garbage and potential fertilizer, but with the discovery of P. potens slightly more resources have been allotted to Gyllis. Now the dome receives a collective portion of scraps from both the upper and lower class, introducing more varied foods into their diet and agriculture. In addition to agricultural goods, a small dividend of natural resources from mining operations is given to Gyllis. Most domes consider these resources as being the fee for the energy that comes from Gyllis, and they anticipate Gyllis to improve and maintain the geothermal plants inside the dome.

Octus and the other seven domes were built to be Utopias, they catered to a handful of people that fit a mold that the government helped craft. They have strict standards to what is and is not acceptable, control population, and even what relationships are given visibility in public. While they sport a certain type of equality, they look down upon the mentally ill and disabled, since they are believed to be unfixable according to their current genetic standards.

Gyllis sits in direct opposition to the standards of equality of the other domes, but especially Octus. The core beliefs of Gyllis emerged as a result of the first residents being in fierce opposition to the social control of Octus. Many of the older citizens recognize Gyllis as a home for everyone and a nurturing community that ensures each member is able to live their best life. Octus hid certain relationships from the public eye, but Gyllis recognizes all relationships equally and encourages the happiness of its community. They recognize a wide variety of forms of gender expression and most committees will allow anyone to join. That being said, there are a small handful of committees that restrict who may join on the basis of gender and sex.

Due to the shifting vents and unbalance in Octus they have become more strict in their rule of law and more petty criminals are being sent to Gyllis. Therefore there has been a recent influx of younger prisoners into Gyllis. These individuals continue to hold strong ties to the strict government and social structures that they were raised under in their home domes. Many find themselves confused and unsure of the relationship they have with the domes and what it means. They hesitate when they see less traditional relationships in the open and continually attempt to bring in their culture and usual structure into Gyllis. This has led to a culture clash between the older and younger generations in Gyllis.

Many of the older citizens are hesitant to welcome and include the younger generation in committees and their society because of the more conservative culture they still hold onto. There is a continual push and pull between the two groups as the younger generation is slowly assimilated into the new culture that will grant them more freedoms than before. Other reasons cited by the older citizens include a lack of respect for why the new citizens are here. Many of the older generation have been put in for various intense violent crimes, revolutionary actions, and severe mental disorders that made them be perceived as unfixable. In comparison, the younger generation has been sent to Gyllis for crimes of a much smaller magnitude and less revolutionary opinions.

Gyllis’ culture has its roots in the traditions of Octus. When the dome was first established as an asylum, the Committee Committee enforced strict rules of propriety and decency. These rules were ignored or actively broken so extensively that the culture of Gyllis evolved into an inversion of that of Octus. Octus was cold, brutalist, and logical, so Gyllis became warm, spontaneous, and fantastical. The cornerstone of this transition was the discovery of Shark God.

Shark God was discovered in 378 PC and quickly became the most widespread (and only) worshiped deity in Gyllis. No formal churches or temples have been established in Shark God’s name, but worshipers do often gather to practice their faith. Though there is no official organization of worship, Gyllis does band together to celebrate lives of departed citizens and their return to Shark God during funerals.

The core belief of the religion of Shark God is acceptance. Worshippers believe that Shark God accepts them as they are, regardless of faults and abnormalities, and that through Shark God, they may also learn to accept themselves. This manifests itself most obviously in open access to gender affirming care, various forms of self expression, and high levels of accessibility.

Shark God can also be seen in the many artistic endeavors of Gyllis. The dome is full of public art including statues, murals, architecture, and music. While not all the art in Gyllis directly depicts or mentions Shark God, it is believed that all artistic expression is encouraged by Shark God. Some of the most notable public art installations are the golden statue of Shark God made of melted dabloons and the large swath of the dome painted to look like stained glass depicting the first sighting of Shark God.

Another form of rebellion from Octus and the other domes is how Gyllis dome utilizes genetic modification technology. In other domes, genetic modification is under the strict control of the government. It is used to prevent physical ailments in its patients, but outside of medical use is not used. In Gyllis it’s become a mode of self expression. Inhabitants of Gyllis dome can visit the Mad Science committee and ask to be modified however they wish. In the majority of cases this results in changes in appearance. In the older generations and those who have lived in the dome all their lives these changes tend to take the form of shark modifications in deference to Shark God. Shark teeth, dorsal fins, shark skin, etc. are common. Younger generations have become even more free with this, and take inspiration from other sea life as well. The flowing fins of the Gintius fish, the color shifting of the Kalidemone, the tentacles of the Dalilun, are all such examples. There are some social tensions within Gyllis over this however. Older generations believe that these modifications are a way to get closer to Shark God, and find the younger generations irrelevance in what they chose to mimic disrespectful to Shark God.