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Locations
DOMAIN
Kalatari Domain
CLASS
Temple
SPECIES
Kalatari
AUTHOR
Devin Deng
LAST UPDATE
September 1st, 2021
Near the edge of the Perseus Arm, within the City of Three Peoples, lies a statement of Kalatari faith: an ark-turned-temple. It holds the Wellspring, the Luminous Falls, but most importantly, it holds the Kalatar’s Body. It is their Mecca, their Jerusalem, their Vatican. It is the Silver Tower.
During the Animium Wars of the early era of starflight, the Sovereigns commissioned the building of an ark so that in the event of a planetary catastrophe, their people and holy icons would be preserved. This was proven right when a voidborne faster-than-light weapon struck the Kalatari homeworld of Kalathron, bypassing the planetary shield and destroying all life there. This marked the end of the Animium Wars, with the Kalatari, Arhima, and Thosik peoples coming together and creating the Concordat. The Silver Tower was moved to the hub of Concordat civilization, the newly constructed City of Three Peoples. Over time, the Silver Tower was added onto and modified, rendering the engines insufficient to move the structure around effectively. In the modern era, it stands unmoving within the City of Three Peoples as a space station.
The Silver Tower is composed of several independently rotating slabs and rings that each serve a different purpose. They are all built around a reinforced central column.
The Central Column is made of what used to be the original ark. However, most of what used to be the original ark is now filled with structural supports and critical systems. The central transport system is also located on the Central Column.
The Temple Hall is a bulbous section in the lower portion of what used to be the center of the original ark. It is an incredibly large hall meant to fit billions of Kalatari, all packed together, at a single time. It is where the Revelators are stationed and where Kalatar resides.
The habitation layer of the Silver Tower is composed of gargantuan slabs extending from the upper portion of the main central column using support pillars. There are four slabs in total, coinciding with each of the Kalatari castes. Each slab is an arcology carefully designed for the caste that resides in it. The Habitation Slabs are the second-widest portion of the Silver Towerand span several hundred kilometers in diameter.
This is where the Sovereigns, Royal Houses, and Revelators live.
The Royal Palaces of the Royal Houses and Sovereigns are where the Ecclesio-Aristocracy reside during their stay. However, only the Sovereigns spend much time within their Palaces. The non-Sovereign houses have their own planets on which they reside, leaving their residences at the Silver Tower empty for the majority of the time.
The Hall of Revelators is a museum dedicated to telling the story of Kalashue and has statues of various Revelators from bygone ages. This is where the Revelators reside when not servicing.
The Colleges are where members of the noble houses and ecclesiarchy train to become Revelators and Retainers.
The Sophist Slab is divided into guild cities, each pertaining to a different craft or art. Such guilds include the Guild of Librarians and the Guild of Engineering. These Sophists are charged with maintaining the Silver Tower’s various systems and aiding pilgrims.
The Apostle Slab contains areas such as the barracks and training grounds. The training grounds contain state-of-the-art facilities as well as some of the most advanced simulation environments within the Concordat. The Apostle residents police the Silver Tower as well as protect it from external threats.
The Fabricator Slab is the most densely populated out of all the slabs. Self-contained habitation blocks contain everything a fabricator needs, such as entertainment and sustenance. The Fabricator residents build new structures as well as fix existing ones.
Various sections of each slab are designated as tourist sectors. The Hall of Revelators, for example, is considered a tourist sector.
The Commercial Slabs located on the lower portion of the Silver Tower serve as shopping and entertainment districts for pilgrims.
Much of Kalatari culture hinges on hunting and martial prowess. Due to this, specialized hunting grounds have been established that are stocked with various beasts native to Kalathron.
The archaic thrusters were originally used to propel the Silver Tower through space. However, the engines are old and do not possess the strength necessary to push the modern Silver Tower effectively save for some minor orientation adjustments.
The Wellspring was the original crash site of Kalatar and thus was considered holy ground. It became the center of Kalatari civilization on the world of Kalathron. However, the creation of the ark project meant that the Wellspring itself was excavated and lifted into space. It then became the original material for the Sacrosanct Shroud.
The Luminous Falls is the place where pure origin-grade animium is harvested. White spheres of arcane technology known as “Animium Hearts” produce the animium particles, which are ejected through a permeable membrane. These animium particles emit a soft yellow glow and are dustlike in nature, hence the name “Luminous Falls”. Using specialized fields, these particles are moved towards the center of the Silver Tower, where it is distributed for consumption. The area around the luminous falls is a sterile vacuum environment to prevent contamination before use.
Kalatar itself is kept in a perfectly sealed black sphere named the Sacrosanct Shroud. This specially constructed shell prevents anything from seeing what is inside of the sphere. The only objects that protrude from the sphere are the Animium Hearts.
Millions of Kalatari are permanently stationed on the Silver Tower. However, billions of Kalatari from all over Concordat space enter and exit the Silver Tower every single day. To facilitate the movement of such masses, several series of orbital rings have been built. There are two primary rings and the older secondary ring. The two primary rings serve as docks for ships. The upper ring is dedicated for civilian ships while the lower ring is dedicated to commercial and cargo vessels. The secondary ring served as the original docking ring for the Silver Tower. Now it is used as a pathway that encompasses the Temple. The rings connect to the Central Column using spokes. These rings are the Silver Tower’s widest point, being nearly a thousand kilometers in diameter.
The Luminous Falls eventually lead to the Collection Wells and Animium Refineries. This is where raw origin-grade animium is collected and packaged for distribution across the Concordat.
The Silver Tower possesses energy shielding, a grid of defense turrets, and incredibly thick animium-titanite armor. The Silver Tower also has a dedicated defense fleet: the Silver Sentinels.