Editing Shattered Sun (section)

==The Shardstreams==
While few in number, the various Shardstreams of the world are the most stable areas for the emerging human civilization under the Shattered Sun. The coalesced bands of Shards provide constant Light and warmth for the Cities that spring up forth from these areas. Strobes colloquially call citizens of these lucky states ''tanners''.

===The Holy City===
[[File:The Holy City.jpg|200px|thumb|right|An artist's rendition of the Holy City.]]
The Holy City is by far the largest and most populous City under the Shardstreams. It was founded soon after the Phoenix’s Awakening under the first Shardstream that stabilized. Its sky is now dominated by the Shard of Gargonel. The Holy City is the seat for the world's best Astronomers. It is also a hotbed of politics, many factions of people vying for attention and resources in the quickly growing City.

====''The Council of Kings''====
When the Phoenix hatched, the world was plunged into disarray. But the old Kings still had power, and when news spread of a place where a fraction of the sun shown eternally, the Kings took their armies and their households and set out. The journey was long and hard, and they arrived in much diminished numbers. Gargonel arrived first, and he claimed the area. But others arrived, with their armies, and wanted a piece of the land. No King could hold against the other, so they warred very little before reaching a solution. They would form a Council of Kings, and would rule as a group. This plan was formed by Arzot, for the royal Houses had undergone much strife and death, and he was the only living King who yet had an heir, and thus he hoped that his son should rule all without resorting to conquest.

However the other Kings appointed their greatest servants as their heirs. And indeed, those people appointed their own greatest servants as their heirs, even over their own children. And so it came to pass that the Holy City is ruled by a Council of Kings, and none of the Houses save the House of Arzot have hereditary succession.

Each King issues only one vote for each issue. In the case of a tie, the issue is brought before the Citizenry for an up-or-down vote. Despite the expected infighting amongst the Houses, the system works a lot more smoothly than the occasional cynic would think.

=====''House of Gargonel''=====
[[File:Gargonel.png|200px|thumb|Gargonel Coat of Arms]]
The oldest House of the lot is also the one with the most exclusive membership. Although the House no longer rules over the entirety of the Holy City as it did briefly upon its founding, its members' devotion to the sanctity of the Phoenix as well as their gratitude for the sparing of the Citizens' lives remains today. Now, the House presides over those who give thanks to the Phoenix for their survival and eventual salvation from these dark times.

=====''House of Wass''=====
This long-standing House is a group of Astronomers who have integrated their charting skilled with political savvy, able to influence the highest levels of the Holy City’s government. They stridently defend the right of the Astronomers' voice in the government, also advocating all Citizens' right to pursue knowledge of Astronomy. Many famous Astronomers of the Holy City hail from this House, leaving a storied heritage of experts of both Astronomy and policy.

=====''House of Arzot''=====
This House has its roots in the long history of the Holy City, the only one of its kind after the Awakening. More appropriately, its roots are in the preservation of said history. Despite their little voice in the government and perennial lack of funds, great respect is given to their care of the ancient Shard Charts which many up and coming Astronomers look to learn from, as well as well-established Astronomers look to gain new insight from. It is a staunchly traditionalist house, and is the only house to use hereditary succession.

=====''House of Ulan''=====
[[File:Ulan.png|thumb|left|200px|Ulan Coat of Arms]]
This relatively new House is a group of Astronomers who aim to use their skills for the direct benefit of the people, whether it’s in the aid of Alchemists’ research or determining the best trade routes for neighboring Strobes. The House's endeavors leave them well-off financially, encroaching into the political arena with their increasing wealth. While the lofty words of a Wass win attention, an Ulan's money is starting to win loyalty in its stead.

====''Other Influences''====
[[File:Studying the Shard.jpg|150px|thumb|right|A youth studying a Shard in the Holy City.]]
Other than the official ruling Houses of the Holy City's government, there are a number of organizations and institutions which hold a significant amount of sway in the City.

=====''The Astronomers League''=====
Founded by the four Houses as their first collaborative legislation, the Astronomers League was designed to operate separately from the official government as the City's primary Astronomy apparatus. This was intended to eliminate any political bias the League's work could incur if under the supervision of the Houses. However, the importance of the League to the Citizens slowly but surely helped it build political capital of its own, regularly conflicting with Astronomical policy set forth by the Houses.

It is headed by a High Astronomer, usually selected from within upon his predecessor's retirement or death by a council of experts within the League. From there, a simple bureaucracy of Astronomers is set up for different aspects of the League: Shard Charting, Policy Advisory, Alchemist Collaboration, Public Relations, so forth and so on.

=====''The Third Egg Movement''=====
With the Phoenix's Awakening through and persuasive rumors of the Other Egg floating about, some of the City's intellectuals and theologians have come up with the idea that the world itself may also be an Egg. Furthermore, the theory suggests that the world may crack as the Sun did, causing a fatal catastrophe with no chance of survival.

While most Citizens shrug off the idea as an example of quackery and little else, the correlation behind the theory is convincing enough for a group of believers to take root in the City. The Third Egg Movement, as they call themselves, consists of Citizens from all walks of life, from lowly peasants to even a few officials in the Houses. They do not seem to have an established leader among them, only meeting clandestinely at some of the residences about the City and the surrounding Twilight

The growth and intensity of the group seems to have earned the notice of the government recently, the Houses calling for an outlawing of such irrational, panic-inducing behavior. It seems however that the Movement is more than capable of working around such limitations, their numbers only increasing.

===The City of Terec===
[[File:Terec.jpg|200px|thumb|left|An artist's rendition of Terec.]]
The City of Terec is unlike any other in the Shardstreams. Instead of the usual civic splendor and rigid structure of Cities such as the Holy City, Terec was founded completely on the innovation of highly skilled Alchemists. As such, the Alchemist Guild is easily the dominant power in Terac, and the High Master tolerates no questioning of his rule. Still, life in Terec is generally far more comfortable than in any other City known to man.

====''The Alchemist Guild''====
Unlike the theoretically shared government of the Holy City, Terec is ruled by the de facto authority of the Alchemist Guild, who largely funded Terec's construction. While the Guild generally puts forth their policies for the betterment of their Citizens, voicing dissent is greatly discouraged. As the Guild's High Master once put it, "Running Terec is like keeping an old machine running: repair parts when you can, replace them when you cannot."

=====''The High Master''=====
The leader of the Guild and, incidentally, the entirety of Terec is called the High Master. While his underlings may craft policy for the City, it is ultimately up to the High Master to decide whether or not said policies go into effect. For the most part, the High Master is seen as wise in his decisions, building up the standard of living in Terec to the level it is considered among the rest of civilization. However, the High Master is also fond of maintaining policies which limit the public opinions of the Guild's critics.

=====''The Masters''=====
Beneath the High Masters are a selected cabal only known as the Masters. They officially represent the highest-ranked specialists in all of Alchemy, charged with the duty of selecting new members to the Guild as well as promoting those beneath them. They also unofficially serve as the High Master's advisory board. While they generally support the High Master's political agenda and craft policy in line with it, there is about as much infighting among the Masters as there are in the Holy City's Houses.

=====''The Practitioners''=====
The highest level of the Guild completely dedicated to actual Alchemy are the Practitioners. They are the ones who generally come up with the Guild's countless innovations and are the front which maintains the Guild's legitimacy in the eyes of the Citizens and the rest of the Shardstreams. However, they are closely monitored by the Masters and even the High Master in some cases. During their tenure as Practitioners, they are watched for not only their advances in Alchemy, but also for their political way of thinking as well as their loyalty toward the Guild. From this pool do the Masters choose their successors to further serve the High Master.

=====''The Journeymen''=====
These are the graduates of the Guild's apprenticeship program who are sent to travel the world in search of further knowledge. While the Guild generally keeps a tight ship in Terec, Journeymen are freely allowed to determine for themselves whether to return to Terec after their travels to set up shop as Practitioners or to seek their future elsewhere with no penalty. Depending on their observed behavior during their travels however, they may end up closely monitored by other Journeymen at the discretion of their Masters.

=====''The Apprentices''=====
By the Guild's principles of promoting Alchemical knowledge, anyone with a basic understanding of reading, writing, and arithmetic is allowed to apply for the Guild by enrolling into an education program as Apprentices. They learn the basics of Alchemy under Practitioners who specialize in educating others. After the five years of the program, the Masters evaluate the Apprentices' progress and choose those who will advance into the Journeyman phase, and thus officially into the Guild itself.

====''Other Influences''====
Despite the tight-fisted rule of the Alchemist Guild over Terec, there are still others who maintain a modicum of influence over the City.

=====''Daedalus Workshops''=====
An Alchemy firm in the City of Terec widely known for the mechanical applications of the Shards’ power. While their innovations are generally in the realm of domestic appliances and limited motorized transportation, some folks say that Daedalus recently acquired of a large fallen Shard from the very boundaries of the Strobelands' reach. Some of the crazier folks in the taverns say that Daedalus may have plans for flying machines, but those are likely no more than lies told to impressionable tourists. After all, who ever heard of a machine that could fly?

===The City of Eternal Shardlight===
A legendary City that was rapidly growing in size and power, claiming an ever growing region and attaining ever greater feats of engineering and science. It had lasted intact for hundreds of years when a stray Shard, unnoticed by even the City’s finest Astronomers, crashed into its Stream, sending down a rain of Shards unto it. It burns in the resulting inferno even today.

====''A City of Shards''====
The City of Eternal Shardlight. It is a household name in most of the Cities beneath the Shardstreams. To most, it is an allegory for the lesson of moderating power. Too much power in your possession and you become blinded to what most would see as obvious.  The tale is a tragic one of a City’s rise and fall, prosperity and destruction.

For some enterprising minds however, the City is a treasure trove waiting to be pilfered through: according to the tales, a rain of Shards fell upon the metropolis upon its end. Technology even exists now which make it possible to retrieve fallen Shards and extract their Light to a degree. While this would lead many to the conclusion of a massive opportunity waiting to be taken advantage of, there is only one thing in the way.

Fire, and lots of it.

The City was engulfed in a ferocious blaze defying all reason and logic upon the Shards’ fall. While no one can accurately put a date upon the catastrophe itself, it is widely known that the fires have been burning unabated for quite a long time. Even as most of the City itself has been reduced to its bones and ash, the fires still burn forth from the fallen Shards within the ruins. This discovery has led to a variety of theories as to how to actually get in the City to claim its riches.

====''The Burning Question''====
There is always the possibility of digging beneath the City to evade the inferno above. However, early attempts at this solution led to the finding of the City being founded upon an incredibly hard layer of rock, thwarting even the most sophisticated tools around. With advances in digging technology quite some time away, the Alchemists of Terec have been trying to come up with a way to neutralize – or at least dramatically lessen – the scathing heat of the Shard-borne fires long enough for an expeditionary team to go into the City.

The best they can come up thus far with is an armored suit made with a Stardust-metallic alloy designed to ward off the worst of the fires from its wearer. The resonance of the Stardust within the suit is calibrated specifically to work counter with that of the Shards in the City. In theory, at least – the latest test subject was burned to a crisp within the suit, although the suit itself brushed the bright flames at the perimeter of the City right off of it. More research seems to be required to deal with the issue of the heat.

The suggestion of imbuing the Strobers’ Rite of Phoenix’s Blood upon a team has risen on occasion. Many see it as pursuing an unproven legend in lieu of a more scientific solution. Others who are more familiar with the Rite cite the dangers of too much Stardust within a person’s skin, which can cause extreme hallucinations for the subject, not to mention the possibility of a most violent and spontaneous combustion before even entering the City. Furthermore, it is nigh impossible to calibrate the resonance of the Stardust when it is in someone’s skin as opposed to when it is in a non-living metal.

Then there’s the possibility of entering the City from above. As the rumors of Daedalus Workshops’ flying machine percolating in the Cities, some believe that such a device can help spot exactly where the Shards lie within the City. Furthermore, supplemental machinery can be inserted from above to retrieve the Shards within, all without putting human life at significant risk. However, some scholars studying the technology of the old world beneath the Cerulean Heavens have noted the wind-generating effects of such intense fire and heat, which would make such a solution dangerous at best.

As elusive as entry into the City may be, such a facet of the City urges on further innovations and ideas from the greatest minds under the Shardstreams. Perhaps you will be the one who comes up with the idea that actually works.