World and Inganock
Eastern Continent
The continent where the city of Inganock resides.
It is a continent located in the eastern part of the Known World. It is larger than the America's.
The continent was home to countless noble territories until some hundreds of years ago, where it is now ruled by a large federation of nobles called the "Royal Union".
Royal Union
Rulers of the Eastern Continent. They are a large federation country formed by countless nobles, royalties, and kings.
Seven great aristocrats known as the "Electors" continue to firmly support this national system, which could easily fall apart, with their great military might, financial strength, and resource power. The "Union Emporer" that is chosen by them will lead the Royal Union, borrow the power of the Senate made up of viceroys of former great nations, and by receiving the direct support of the "Electors" do they become Emperor of the Northern Empire, albeit for a short period of 10 years where they gained the highest power in the world.
They have been allied with the Northern Central Empire which rules the Northern Central Continent since the end of the 2nd Great War, but some have seen this as a "bloodless war" or the start of an era on information and proxy warfare.
Seikyo
The World you live in. The planet's name is Earth.
A foreign land beyond the Lomar Sea, located northwest of the Northern Continent. To put it correctly, it is another world (another planet). But the people of the Known World think of it as an "alien continent at the end of the ocean". Several countries have, in fact, even announced it as such.
Only Britain, the closest to the Northern Sea and has a gate to the Known World, is among the various nations to have relations with the Known World including the Northern Empire.
As of 533 in the Union Calender and 1903 of the Seikyoun Calender, outstanding Engine civilizations have been developed all over the world, but have lost the "blue" sky (although some still show parts of the blue sky including parts of Northern Europe, Tibet, and South America). In terms of Steam Engine weapon technology development, they have not reached that of the Northern Empire's level.
(Fantasy City) Inganock
A large Engine City of the Royal Union, located at the southern tip of the Eastern Continent.
It is a multi-layered environmental city built based on arcology city planning, looking like a single giant castle. It is a giant structure (megastructure) with many tiers and a population of over a million people.
On December 2206 of the Northern Central Calender and Year 553 of the Union Calender, an explosion of the Infinite Fog occurred, making it impossible to contact the outside world.
Surrounded by the fearsome mist, the city turned into something strange. Just like the sky and the sea...the people of the surrounding area whispered and called the former city the Fantasy City.
It's said that the Royal Union have already designated Inganock as a "Ruin that is not a part of the Union".
Arcology City Planning
A city construction plan the Archduke had been working on until ten years ago. It was a plan to build a completely, environmentally safe city that even included fields for food production but due to the Revival, it was virtually never completed. However, since it was in a state of completion, there are production areas in both the upper and lower tiers.
There is a loose framework where the core parts are created roughly in line with that framework, while the peripheral parts were left to be developed naturally.
(Infinite Fog) of the Eastern Continent
An abnormally thick fog occurred in the southern tip of the Royal Union, that is, the Eastern Continent on December 25th, 533 of the Union Calender.
It is so concentrated that it does disappear even when exposed to strong winds or days after. The Union's observational research have also confirmed that various phenomena such as the impairment of sense of direction and magnetic compasses going out of control.
Unknown to the people of Inganock, not a single person who entered the fog to reach the center ever returned. The 2nd through 5th survey teams dispatched by the Royal Union have also vanished.
Its rumored from the surrounding areas that staying in it for too long will cause one's body to melt or mutate, though it is said to give such an eerie feeling that makes one believe it to be so.
This thick fog has left Inganock completely isolated from the outside world.
(Revival)
An abnormal phenomena that struck Inganock on December 25th, 533 of the Union Calendar.
The underground central Engine became home to a raging Dragon, the lush upper tiers of the city became infested with faeries and mythical beasts, and the poor lower tiers have been infested with strangely overgrown plants and youki. Many of the lower-tier citizens who survived were mutated into bizarre forms, and terrifying monsters have infested the city's outskirts, attacking the helpless--
Ten years have passed since, and through many sacrifices and wisdom, they have just barely managed to coexist with the mysterious creatures, escaping the 41 large creatures, secured territories to inhabit, and managed to somehow maintain a way of life based on the lost Engine technology and civilization.
City's Upper Tiers
The upper tiers where the nobles who reign Inganock reside, located at the top of the city. It is a city landscape with majestic multi-story buildings that give off an intimidating presence.
If this were true, there would be countless figures but it is a picture as not a single person has been seen with no sign of life.
It is beautifully intimidating, with remnants of the Arcology City Planning from 10 years ago that exist.
Things that were once spoken of at the end of the last century such as the Rococo (Baroque), Ancient Rome, and Art Nouveu (especially the plant motifs) are now apart of futuristic multi-story buildings.
City's Lower Tiers
The citizen section that takes up the majority of Inganock.
It is a multi-layered city landscape packed with various things that continue to resist the space.
The Arcology Plan has become nothing more than a farce, and due to the collapse caused by the fantastical creatures, the lower tiers have become a "distorted city". Even then, the people have continued to live strong and created a living space amidst the distortions.
It is anxiously intimidating. Despite the space being packed with various things, the markets, streets, large residential complexes (apartments) are filled with a sense of life like the sounds of children playing echoing and lush trees emerging with vitality. There are even abnormally overgrown fields that provide food, although it isn't enough, and even large reservoirs that produce plenty of aquatic resources.
Infinite Crowded Street
A crowded street in Inganock's lower tiers that is the center of Gii's activities.
Filled with lights in both the day and night, it has sometimes been referred to as the Nightless Castle.
City Skyscrapers
A group of high-rise buildings situated quite closely to the upper parts of Inganock's lower tiers.
They were built as cornerstones for the Arcology City Planning, but due to the Revival 10 years ago, some of the high-rise buildings were abandoned partway into construction.
They are the very heart of the city, distributing large quantities of steam energy generated by the mega engine to various parts of the lower tiers. Many high-rise buildings have huge computing engines.
On top of being an energy distribution district, they also function as an administrative district and an information processing district. Additionally, it has the aspect of being a special economic zone where the city's leading companies (businesses) have their own "castle" in the skyscrapers.
(Upper Stairs)
A huge spiral staircase that connects the city's upper and lower tiers.
The spiral staircase is made up of seven giant plates, each with a park filled with unusually lush greenery. To be exact, however, it's neither a park nor a forest. Rather, it's something of a naturally growing forest or a park that's touched by humans yet it's also a living space for intelligent insects called Shelobs.
The people from the lower tiers can only go up to the 3rd park of the Upper Staircase. Anyone who goes further up the tiers or on the level of the 4th Park of the Upper Staircase will be executed without trial by the hands of the eerie Upper Tier Soldiers in wait.
For that reason, nobody from the lower tiers don't go near the 4th park or even the 3rd park of the Upper Staircase.
On the other hand, at the first park of the Upper Staircase, the closest to the lower tiers, there are a constant number of people who come to take in the beautiful greenery. Perhaps it is in an attempt to forget life's hardships even for a moment.
2nd Water Source Section
Located further in the lower tiers than the Infinite Crowded Street. It has a vast, murky water reservoir in its center where the people who moved there prior to the Revival have made a living through fishing.
Information Archive Building
A collection of information in books that seem to symbolize a side of a city skyscraper. The building's entire interior is filled with related books, and it is a place that is not meant for people to browse there but rather one where information is stored.
The building itself was not made for people to walk inside and view information. Usually, the building itself has a function that automatically searches for the desired information using a Recording Engine or an Automaton.
It was also said that the building itself is an "Empty Shell" in which all of the information from the countless books stored inside are transferred to an information storage facility.
City Law
The Law of Death enacted by Archduke Astaire. People who suffer from illnesses or are victims of the attacks and appearances of Fantasy Creatures are to be executed without trial by the Upper Tier Soldiers.
The reason for enacting such a Law has differed slightly between the upper and lower tiers. For the lower tiers, it was announced that "Lifestyle disorders of level 2 or higher will significantly reduce the productivity of the city", while the upper tiers it went, "physical and mental deterioration will lead to the infestation of Fantasy Creatures, leading to the deaths of many" and such was announced.
Nobody has pointed out such contradictions for the reason of its enactment, as the upper and lower tiers have been are prohibited from interactions.
Steam Disease
A disease that fatally affects the respiratory system, caused by continuous inhalation of Engine smoke exhaust. This was a "normal disease" that have existed in Inganock prior to the Revival. However, it can become a fatal disease when combined with other illnesses.
Taboo Illness
An illness that began to occur in the city following the Revival. It distorts one's genes and transform their appearance into a Fantasy Race.
Another name for it is the Mutation Disease.
Tree Mutation Disease
To be exact, it's not a disease.
It refers to the "state" humans take due to having the Seeds of Death planted in them by Critter Blood Tree. Humans who have been implanted with them will have their minds overtaken and their bodies taken over by vines, in which said victim will die in a few years time.
There are reports that it's possible for one to extend their life by replacing body parts with Crack Engines or through the Cracking Effect, but none of this has been officially recorded by the City Management Department.
Under City Law, those affected by the Tree Mutation Disease are subject to removal. That is to say, they are targets for execution.
In many cases, people of the lower tiers will conceal their disease, making up for their inconvenience by wearing prosthetics made up of a number of Crack Engines while fearing for the death that will come to them one day.
Cracking Effect Experiment Rumor
There is a rumor. A rumor about the first tier, where the first plate is located the closest to the upper tiers among the lower tiers, where the wealthy upper-tier citizens reside.
There is a rumor that Archduke Astaire injured himself during the Cracking Effect Experiment, which is why His Excellency the Archduke, the city's ruler, does not appear in public.
There were several other rumors similar to the first that circulated throughout the first tier. Some say that the Archduke died during the Experiment. Others, according to another, spoke of His Excellency, currently in the upper tiers, was a Shadow Warrior.
All of the rumors about them are baseless and have little credibility. However, what they have in common is the contents of the "Experiment".
The Cracking Effect Experiment. The Archduke's Miracle, one that created a threatening technique allows him to freely rewrite the laws of physics. That which is beyond human understanding, something that many in the lower tiers have even come to call as "Magic". It is that which is truly the work of a lost fairy tale.
The Cracking Effect Experiment is what led to its creation. These are the rumors regarding its process:
"The lives of countless Scholars have been used like firewood, where they have continued to distill countless ores, countless gems, and countless brines until it finally came to fruition."
"It was implanted into the Archduke's brain, who had a large computing Engine implanted into him."
Such rumors were being whispered. It's not clear how true or false they are, and there probably aren't many who believe in them. Only one among them is a rumor many still believe in...
...A rumor that the "Experiment" is still going underway.
Faith
There is no widely held belief or religion in the city of Inganock.
Broadly speaking, the concept of "God" does not exist in the "Known World", including that of the Royal Union and Northern Empire, and only a small percentage of the religion and faith known as Christianity has immigrated from Seikyo. Yes, such a religion has a strong presence in Seikyo.
In addition, the number of Westerners from Seikyo is very minimal. The number of religious practitioners and believers are estimated to be in the hundreds at best, all of which are said to worship the "God" of Christianity.
(Kikai) Fairy Tale
In the city where all fantasies have become reality, none speak of fairy tales anymore. The sole thing that remains are the "rumors" based in reality.
However, there is one thing that exists: The Fairy Tale of the Kikai.
They are the last hope of Inganock. They are said to be humanoid figures clad in steel that stand behind someone, eventually coming to bring about "Beautiful Things" to people.
There have been no specific episodes regarding them. However, there have been a few rumors where the Street Knight, a hero of the lower tiers, once possessed a Kikai or was said to have been under Kikai Possession.
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