Esprite
Introduction
Esprite (IPA: /ɛˈspriːt/), the capital of Favont, is a bustling metropolis that serves as the centre of the nation’s political, cultural, and economic life. Home to the Grand Assembly, where the nation’s key political decisions are made, the city also houses numerous guild headquarters, making it a hub for commerce and industry. Esprite’s districts are diverse, ranging from vibrant markets and prestigious universities to industrial zones and affluent residential areas. However, Esprite faces significant modern challenges, including heightened surveillance in response to internal threats, growing concerns about the health of the kept population, and a rising underground art movement critiquing the ruling elite.
History
Esprite’s history is shaped by periods of prosperity, conflict, and significant cultural growth. Below are the key events that have defined the city.
Rise of Esprite as CapitalYear 0-15
King Leric I grants Ravenbay to a new duke, who builds the quartz Ravenbay Tower. By Year 15, the Duke of Ravenbay, now wealthy, rebels against Leric but is defeated and killed. Leric takes residence in the tower, making Esprite the capital of Favont.
Year 163
Esprite grows as a major trade hub with the construction of Strangelanes Market, attracting merchants and cementing its economic importance.
Year 282
A third of Esprite’s population perishes due to the Black Death, bringing economic and social decline to the city.
Year 330
Theatres and playhouses flourish, marking a golden age for Esprite’s cultural scene.
Year 432-463
The Corbenite movement bans Ananans and Nightwalkers from leaving The Stiriphese, executing sympathisers. By Year 320, the Corbenites are exiled to Ithrail, where they form a magi-only school.
Year 573-587
The Chamberlain Uprising pushes for democracy but ends when Terys II kills its leaders in the Grand Assembly Hall, restoring royal authority.
Year 599-604
The Great Plague kills 100,000, followed by the Great Fire, which destroys much of medieval Esprite. The city is rebuilt with aether-powered infrastructure, heralding the Age of Enlightenment.
Year 604-620
Magi begin sharing aether technology with lower classes, leading to rapid industrial expansion and the rise of aether-driven infrastructure.
Year 732
Work begins on an underwater tunnel linking Esprite to other countries in Magnus Prime, further boosting trade.
Year 848-879
Esprite is bombed twice by Enwa during the world wars. After the second war ends, Favont, along with the rest of Magnus Prime, adopts isolationism to prevent future conflicts.
Year 894
Esprite becomes a centre for film and music, producing major cultural works.
Year 933-935
The Terva bombings and the assassination of Queen Adelaide lead to strict controls on Ananans and escalating tensions.
Year 935-940
Favont enters a naval conflict with Enwa, with Esprite playing a key role in the war effort. Old industrial areas of the city are repurposed as shipyards to support the war. However, the war comes to a halt as the financial strain leads to a global recession.
Year 941
King Terys III binds 20% of the population, leaving large parts of Esprite deserted as the bound are relocated to controlled districts.
Year 942-Present
After the war, the newly bound population is employed in urban redevelopment projects. These efforts focus on creating green spaces and constructing modern buildings to suit the evolving needs of Esprite. The city undergoes significant physical improvement, with old structures replaced to reflect its renewed status.
Geography
Esprite is located on the southeastern coast of Favont, positioned on the northern shore of Ravenbay, the body of water that gives the county its name. The city’s southernmost areas touch the coastline, while the northern and eastern sections extend inland. Two rivers, the River Ryde to the west and the River Roade to the east, define much of Esprite’s structure and layout. These rivers play a significant role in shaping the city's commercial, residential, and industrial districts.
The H23 (Highway 23) acts as a ring road that encircles the entire city, marking the boundary between the urban centre and the surrounding countryside. This rural commuter belt is dotted with small businesses, towns, and villages that serve as residential and commercial extensions of the city. With the relocation of 20% of the population during the Reconstruction, more green spaces have been introduced throughout the city, complementing the residential belt.
Culture and Society
Education and Intellectual Life
- Colleges: Notable institutions, especially in Temple, draw students pursuing careers in medicine, arts, and sciences.
- Beyond the Colleges: Public lectures, debates, and cultural discussions are common, enriching the city’s intellectual environment.
- Community Venues: Bookshops, cafes, and small galleries cater to an intellectually curious populace.
Social Life and Recreation
- Gathering Places: Residents frequent cafes, restaurants, bars, and social clubs for informal gatherings.
- Nightlife: Across the city, there is a lively scene of bars, music venues, and nightclubs.
- Markets: Busy hubs like Quiller offer shopping and socialising, with a range of goods from essentials to artisanal finds.
- Festivals and Events: Guild-sponsored events celebrate traditions, seasons, and national holidays. While these events bring together diverse groups, access to the more prestigious gatherings is often limited to wealthier citizens and magi, subtly reinforcing class divisions.
Public Spaces and Community Life
- Parks and Green Areas: Large parks in Hernehill and Denstroude provide leisure spaces for walking, sports, and local events.
- Neighbourhood Gardens: Smaller community gardens for allotments, relaxing, and local events.
- Street Markets and Performances: Regular gatherings in communal squares for public music, theatre, dance, and rituals, as well as seasonal markets and parades.
Values and Social Dynamics
- Blend of Tradition and Modernity: Espritans value both their city’s history and innovation, especially in arts and intellectual pursuits.
- Professional Identity: Guild and institutional affiliations play a significant role in personal identity and social interactions.
- Civic Pride: Despite class divisions, public gatherings and celebrations foster a shared sense of community pride, though class hierarchies subtly influence who participates in which events.
- Normalised Surveillance: Widespread surveillance is an accepted part of life, integrated into the city’s structure, and few question its presence.
Economy
Trade and Commerce
- Import and Export Hub: Esprite serves as a key trade centre within Favont, facilitating the movement of goods between cities. Imports typically include raw materials such as metals, textiles, and foodstuffs, while the city exports refined goods, including aether-powered devices, processed food products, and crafted luxury items.
- Morwych Port: Esprite’s coastal location makes the port in Morwych an essential part of the city's trade, linking it to the rest of Favont and Magnus Prime. Ships and subnautica vessels transport goods in and out of the city, keeping trade flows constant.
- Market Economy: Local markets like those in Quiller and Stright offer spaces for small traders and craftsmen, contributing to the city’s vibrant internal economy. These markets are frequented by free citizens, with a variety of goods, from daily essentials to high-end luxury items.
- Guild Control of Industry: Many of the city's core industries are dominated by guilds, who oversee and regulate production, ensuring that their sectors thrive. Guild-sponsored workshops and manufacturing centres are a staple of Esprite’s economic activity.
Labour Structure and Resource Allocation
- Class-based Labour System: Labour in Esprite is divided by class, with magi occupying positions of governance, business leadership, and aether production, free humans typically managing skilled trades, business operations, and guild-related work, and the kept filling low-skill labour roles.
- Skilled and Semi-Skilled Labour: Free humans are heavily involved in skilled trades such as construction, engineering, and clerical work, often taking supervisory roles in businesses. They also run small to mid-sized businesses, particularly in sectors like retail, services, and hospitality.
- Low-Skilled and Manual Labour: The kept are responsible for much of the city’s low-skilled and manual labour, working in factories, maintaining public infrastructure (cleaning streets, waste management), and serving in private homes as servants, assistants, and chauffeurs.
- Resource Allocation by Industry: Esprite’s resources are allocated across industries to ensure maximum productivity. Aether production, driven by magi, powers factories, transportation, and infrastructure, while raw materials such as metals and textiles are channelled into the manufacturing sector to produce goods for both domestic consumption and export.
- Guild Investment in Infrastructure: Guilds play a major role in resource allocation, investing in infrastructure, manufacturing, and public services. This investment sustains a well-functioning economy, particularly in terms of public transport, healthcare, and education, benefiting both businesses and residents.
- Economic Growth Through Bound Labour: The forced labour of the kept contributes significantly to Esprite’s overall productivity, ensuring that lower operational costs sustain wealth creation for the upper classes and keep the city competitive in national and international trade. However, the declining health of the kept population poses future challenges for productivity.
Military and Security
City Guard and Protection
- City Guard Presence: Esprite is secured by a robust city guard, composed mainly of free human workers employed through the Custodian Guild. These guards are responsible for safeguarding public buildings, transport hubs, and key commercial areas. The security force has expanded significantly since the Reconstruction, with many free humans filling roles as security guards and supervisors.
- Heightened Security Measures: Following the resurgence of the Tevra group and other national threats, security in Esprite has been increased. Checkpoints are common in certain districts, and guards are more visible in high-traffic areas such as markets, theatres, and government buildings. Their role is to maintain order and ensure compliance with local regulations.
The System
- Surveillance Network: Esprite’s surveillance network, known as The System, is integrated throughout the city. Cameras are positioned on major streets, public transport, workplaces, and even some private buildings, monitoring the daily activities of residents and visitors. The network is designed to deter crime and ensure public safety by providing constant oversight. Recent increases in surveillance, in response to Tevra-related threats, have gone unnoticed by much of the public.
- Favont Analytics Support: The Strategic Defence Agency (SDA) works closely with Favont Analytics, a think tank that helped develop and continues to enhance The System. Together, they manage data collection, analysis, and predictive security measures to assess potential threats. The SDA, staffed predominantly by Nightwalkers and those with military backgrounds, uses this data to maintain control and prevent disruptions.
- Magitech Integration: The use of aether-powered magitech is central to The System’s operation. Cameras, sensors, and other surveillance tools are powered by aether and linked to the National Aetheric Grid, ensuring uninterrupted coverage. The technology allows for facial recognition, behaviour tracking, and real-time monitoring across Esprite.
Strategic Defence Agency (SDA)
- Role in Esprite: The SDA functions as a covert security force within the city, focusing on internal threats and counter-terrorism. Their activities are largely unseen by the general public, but their presence is felt through the effectiveness of The System and the prevention of large-scale threats. The SDA is responsible for responding to security alerts, monitoring high-risk individuals, and ensuring that national security interests are upheld in Esprite.
- Nightwalker Involvement: The SDA’s workforce includes a significant number of Nightwalkers, whose unique abilities make them highly suited for covert operations and surveillance. Their expertise in strategy and combat also makes them valuable assets in responding to crises.
Present Day Challenges in Esprite
Esprite faces a number of modern challenges that reflect the complexities of its societal structure. From heightened surveillance to growing class tensions, these issues shape daily life in the city.
Heightened SurveillanceWhile The System has long been a part of everyday life in Esprite, recent subtle increases in surveillance have not gone unnoticed by the general public. These measures are a response to the rise in small-scale terrorist activity by the Terva group, aiming to preemptively identify and prevent potential threats.
The declining health of the kept population is becoming a pressing issue. Poor nutrition, substandard clothing, and inadequate living conditions are reducing productivity. Quiet discussions among magi about potential reforms to improve living standards have emerged, though some fear these reforms could destabilise the existing system.
Aether-powered artificial intelligence is increasingly replacing free humans in administrative roles, leading to rising frustration. With AI taking over many jobs, middle and lower-class free humans are finding themselves displaced. Free humans, especially in the middle class, are under pressure to maintain their status in the face of fewer employment opportunities, intensifying resentment towards the magi elite.
A growing underground art movement in Esprite is using music, film, and visual arts to critique magi rule and the institution of service. While still small, this movement represents a simmering desire for change, especially among free humans and the kept. Although it has drawn some attention from authorities, it remains largely under the radar.
A popular social media trend has emerged where influencers flaunt their bound in increasingly dehumanising ways. This trend has gained traction, further normalising the cruelty and exploitation of the kept, and desensitising the public to the harsh realities of the system.
Magan
"Esprite's just another place to work. The people are the same as anywhere else—watchful. I keep to myself, do what’s required. There’s no point in sharing more than necessary."
Aidan
"Esprite is... complicated. It’s where I study, but it’s also where I feel like I don’t fit. People see me as something I’m not, and I’m always trying to balance who I am with what they expect."
Aeryn
"Esprite is where the real power plays out, but I don’t need to handle everything personally. That’s why I have a team. I’ve seen this city rise and fall; I’ve shaped parts of it myself. It’s about strategy, not micromanaging, and I know how to play the long game."
Listelle
"Esprite is the centre of everything important. It’s where we shape the future of Favont. I love the history and the order, and it’s my responsibility to ensure that continues. There’s so much to do here, so much to protect."
Rance
"Esprite’s not bad if you know how to get by. Sure, I’m bound, but there’s plenty of ways to make life easier if you’re smart about it. You make friends, keep busy, and enjoy what you can."
Ari
"I’ve lived in Esprite my whole life, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. It’s an honour to serve, and I’m lucky to have my place with Aidan. Everything here has a purpose, and it’s important to follow the rules."
Yoa
"Esprite is fine. It’s a place to work and take care of my duties. I don’t think about much beyond that. My job is to manage the house, and that’s all I focus on."
Pearl
"Esprite is where everything happens. You either keep up, or you get left behind. I’ve worked hard to build my career here, and I’m not about to let anything slow me down."
Veris
"Esprite is fascinating, but also unsettling. People here accept things I can’t quite wrap my head around. There’s beauty, for sure, but it’s... hard to understand how they live with such rigid rules."
