The Spire
A haven for everyone
Geological formation
The Spire is, as its name suggests, a giant spike coming from the very depth of the oceans. It has the shape of a cone, though would make the base unfathomably wide. It is a lonely oddity, as it is the sole unmoving thing in the Expanse. At least, it is thought to be immobile, but it is hard to tell for sure. Anyhow, the Spire is used as a universal seamark, considered the central point of the Expanse.
It is made of a strange material, as sturdy as a Sphere's shell, but at the same time it is almost like it is not made out of a single block and its lack of signature is too disturbing, to say the least. This material, called rock, interferes with the natural resonance of the water, its multiple asperities deviating the waves and creating interference or amplification patterns. It is very easy to find the Spire since one has to track back to the origin of troubled waters. This phenomenon is often mistakenly thought to be the signature of the Spire, occulting the upsetting fact that it has none.
The Spire is mostly hollow, crossed by many galleries and tunnels. Contrary to the shell of a Sphere, it is not possible to dig efficiently rock, as it is far more resistant and comes only a small chunk at a time. Hence, the network that has nothing to envy from a shell is completely natural. It comes with a fair share of disadvantages, as it is not designed to answer needs. Many passageways are too tight to allow crossing, and others are simply dead ends where some species find themselves to be unable to turn back and die of starvation, stuck in the dark rock. Navigating without a guide in this maze has proven to be a terrible mistake for more than a fool.
Life inside would normally be impossible, as no Sphere is there to provide the precious medium required for most species to survive. The owners of the place are one of the few able to stay outside a Sphere for an extended period of time, thus they are not troubled by the lack of this medium. They care, however, for their visitors, and managed through an odd mix of different arcanes, to seal off water taken from inside a Sphere's membrane to recreate artificially the living condition of a Sphere. However, this is not perfect, and they must replenish regularly their stock.
The Great Hub
Klklakk Consortium
As far as Memories go, the Spire has always been under the control of the Klklakk, a powerful consortium. Its members are huge crabs, varying in size from an Oblogg's arm to warriors bigger than rays. Even though they make the most fearsome warriors of the Expanse, they are deeply pacifist. Their collective mind despises violence and their terrible pincers are mainly just for show or intimidation. Even amongst the consortiums, they are an odd bunch. Their welcoming manners towards other species and the higher individuality of their members on average set them apart. Klklakks are for the most part able to communicate on their own, without relaying the voice of the consortium, and the few warmongers are even allowed to leave the Spire and offer their services as mercenaries or bodyguards.
In the Spire, they regulate everything. The place is theirs, after all. Every entry is guarded by a strong specimen, it is near impossible to sneak one's way in. Not that it would be necessary, as the Klklakk does not restrict the entry to anyone, except previously banned troublemakers. What the guards do is mostly verify that no weapon enters their stronghold. They care deeply about their principle of non-violence and refuse that any tool of harm is introduced inside. Nobody opposes them anymore, as their shell can't be pierced by conventional weapons and it is never a good idea to enrage the forever neutral party.
Theories around the Spire
How deep goes the Spire? Since a factual answer is impossible to find, some hypotheses have emerged.
The Dual Spire
Some say that at some point, the base ceases its growth, and begins to thin in a symmetrical way. Then, depending on who is asked, the other half emerges on the other side of the Expanse, or rest on the Abyss floor in a precarious balance. The first idea is far more unsettling, as it would mean the bottom of the ocean is the base of the Spire, and the water revolves around it almost like a Sphere on its own.
The Spine
Believers of the Father Ocean claim that this is no spire, but a divine Spine of the body of their god. To them, up to sixteen formations could exist, and at the end the godly head.
Although these are the main theories, they suffer from a fatal flaw : both affirm the existence of multiple spires, but so far only one has been acknowledged. As a matter of fact, no other formation from the Abyss seems to exist.
Inside the berth
Although there is little space for modifications, the galleries inside the Spire are numerous and at times lead to wide-open spaces, the biggest of all being known as the Hollowed Heart. The place is a haven for everyone and the only spot where enemies can trade something else than blows. There aren't many amenities brought by the Klklakk, but merchants from every horizon pass by the Spire for guaranteed deals. Some even settled there with the authorization of the consortium, selling various goods without any regulation.
Criminals and Seekers find the place to be a true sanctuary, hiding for sometimes extended periods of time from authorities and pursuers. Some rooms are left empty on purpose, to allow visitors to use them as they see fit. Be it training wrestlers, artistic practice or thinker's symposium, every kind of activity can be found in these places, supervised by the all-seeing consortium. Even if every place is supposedly open to anyone, over time an unofficial organization in layers came to be.
The Apex
The uppermost chamber of the Spire, with barely enough room for three people to fit. More than a tight room, it is the ultimate neutral ground. Whenever a conflict between two Spheres is too tense for the envoys to settle the matters in a Sphere, they meet at the Apex, face to face. And when diplomacy fails, they set the terms for the showdown which will occur in the layer just under them.
The Arena
A slightly wider room, the Arena is the only place in the Spire where weapons and actual fighting is allowed on special occasions. It was a request made by the most influent spherias like Oblogga and Oppollln, and the consortium agreed to let the violence in, but only during champion showdowns. The somewhat small room becomes overcrowded at times like these, as it is a rare spectacle. Some board on skips in order to attempt to witness the duel through the gaps in the Arena's walls. Being inside is as pleasurable as it is dangerous, since champions don't really care about side casualties and may have wide-range attacks.
The Gradient
The main layer is very large, and is not formally structured. Following a reverse organization relative to most Spheres, the uppermost rooms harbor mostly people of great lineages and officials passing by, and the lowermost is the territory of criminals and outcasts. Between them, there is a gradient of people, as opposites don't mix well. That is only an informal organization, so anyone is free to visit any room they want, albeit they would feel unwelcomed in places they don't belong.
People come and go by this layer, and it is always bursting with activity. Unitone is largely used to be understood by other species, but the hubbub tends to drown speeches. Lesser waves like signatures are almost imperceptible, and even celebrities like the Revealer or The Anomaly could go unnoticed in the crowd.
Rikcly was starting to feel more at home in the constant turmoil of the Gradient. He had not been here for a long time, but was already used to the customs and knew to repel the shady merchants who would approach him every now and then. There was so much to do and so much to explore! He even forgot his initial fears. The only thing he had yet to get accustomed to was the constant watch of the consortium. The bigger ones were scarce in these parts of the caves, but small ones of about his size were all over the floor, the walls and the ceiling, putting their guest under strict surveillance. He was eager to visit the upper layers of the Gradient, but before that, he had an appointment below, under the docks.
Skips Docks
Not many ways to get there for most people. A huge hollow room in the Spire is used to store the frailest skips, the others are simply moored outside, either using their own hooks to fix themselves to the rock, partially impaled on spikes, or have their skipper onboard. At times of greater crowd, the whole formation is covered in skips and many are simply floating around, stationary. The more people there are, the more incoming skippers must be skilled to maneuver harmlessly in the pack. Collisions and injuries are not uncommon around the Docks, more so than in any other place.
Seekers' Den
Most declared Seekers are undesirable in their own Spheres. When they don't find a suitable Sphere to welcome them and don't want to live the rest of their lives aboard skips, they settle in the Spire, the only safe place out there for their kind. Over time, a community gathered in the depths of the rocky needle, occupying two large layers. As the sole permanent residents, they came to an agreement with the Consortium. They would ward off most of the depth adventurers, and in exchange the Klklakk allowed their stay as a buffer, living in something close to symbiosis. They thrived down there, and people often refer to The Seekers as the second masters of the Spire.
He has been there for a long time now. How long, he wondered. There wasn't any cycle here, and it was hard to keep track of time. He only knew that he was getting old. He made his name in the place, as one of the few permanent residents. He had seen many like him, fleeing lunatics or authorities, come and go. There was no one left to pursue him now, he knew that very well. Even though, he didn't want to leave. His business with The Seekers was flourishing, and for the first time he was doing something that mattered, something beyond himself.
Somehow, he became respectable enough to arbiter a showdown once. It wasn't flashy nor glorious, but it was still an honor. He never knew how long he was going to live, as his kind is rather ephemeral. How many of his siblings could boast about being the head of a whole company? The Spire was even more than a home to him, but despite all that, he couldn't refuse the proposal of an old friend to go on an adventure. It would be his last, but surely worth it. He was the first one to ever talk to him here, a long time ago. They helped each other and parted ways, both fated to great feats.
Rikcly left the company in the hands of his son, and got ready to leave. He had a full life, but there was still room for a last journey.
The Obloggian Perspective
A good place, yes? I've been there multiple times, though I never stayed long. Lively, too. And pretty loud, the walls are extremely reflective there! Tasted foreign meat, taught a young fellow the basics of our language, I have to say it's easy to get lost in the activity. Oh, and there was this soulwaver once. I didn't get the name in the turmoil, but it sure was a decent show.
But then, about the idea of a true neutral ground, I'm not as fond. I mean yes, the concept is nice, but the Klklakks are way too secretive. And I tell you, their deal with the Seekers is a cloudy omen. This may be our key to the deep ocean, and somehow only this obscure sect is allowed to come close? Now don't start to repeat that everywhere, many think like me but it is bad for the trade to openly badmouth the place.
Fascinating place! It makes sense that crabs would be the one owning it. Is there any algae or anemone naturally growing on the Spire? Or did they all died out before the crabs took control of it and put the special water in place? do the crabs have some farms or do they buy food from the Spheres? Now, if these are the only rocks anyone has ever been confronted to, that must mean the water level has increase a lot! the humans must all live on ships - though people only know about the clouds and they haven't mentioned ships... Unless the people live on the clouds? This makes me think of the film Waterworld XD And the water seems to be deoxygenated apart from the layers near the surface... I'm really curious about what happened to make it that way, since if I remember correctly there was some kind of cataclysm that transform the expanse... Unless the theories are correct and the whole planet is only made of water with that gigantic spire going from one way to the other - though people would have found another Spire on the opposite side if that was the case... Have they even explore the whole of the Expanse, or do they stay relatively close to the Spire? A whole planet of water with no landmark at all is very vast...
Thanks! On the outside, the Spire is completely bare, though some anemones grow inside. However, they are imported invasive species, not natives. If you ask the consortium about it, they would say there was nothing but rocks as far as their collective memory goes. Now those are pretty good assumptions! Except something is a bit off, but I won't spoil what :p Funnily enough, they wonder the same thing. If the only fixed landmark is the Spire, it is very difficult to say if they explored everything. Even the area most of the Spheres are found is of unknown size, relative to the planet. Explorers often set sails toward the unknown and go straight. Sometimes they come back on the opposite side of the zone, but mostly they are never to be seen again. The only thing they can conclude if they trust the explorers is that the Expanse is somewhat circular and has no other rocky formation on the explored paths. Maybe they never came close to another Spire, and the planet is way bigger than what they know, or on the contrary very small..