Life in Deshret, version 4

bonafidenubbin2026-10-28 08:41

Changes since version 3

… multiple comments on the Underspire Discord; many things here may change over time at staff discretion! # FACTS OF LIFE ## HOUSING Housing is typically controlled by the authorities that rule over any given floor. In Suburba, the slums, the allocation is done by a floor boss who's the… better digs.) Lower-status workers might be stashed in communal pods with shared bathrooms and kitchens, while higher-status workers might be given small individual rooms. The one exception is Floor 7, a neutral zone which houses a large number of inhabitants of Suburba without any restrictions on employment or status. There, people may choose to live either in the Dorter apartments (three-bedroom suites with their own small kitchens and bathrooms), or the Oikos apartments (single-bedroom apartments with communal kitchens and bathrooms). Sixers - members of the Six guilds - have access to better housing in the residential area known as Arcadia, a subset of Delos… dried fungi and used to make bread, frycakes, and similar products. Upper-class and noble individuals might be lucky enough to eat the more luxurious genuine produce grown by House Amari instead. On the meat side, [Mythos](mythos) produces a great quantity of cultivated meat, known colloquially as 'vatling'. Sixers might…is still not terribly scarce due to geothermal sources and excellent recycling systems. ## CLIMATE There is, in fact, a simulation of natural human weather.weather in Deshret, including even rain inside the Spire. It would seem eerie or uncanny to modern-day humans, as it is a little too synthetic and perfect.synthetic. Of course, to the vast majority of citizens of Deshret who don't venture surface-side, it's all the weather they've ever known. ## MEDICINE Life… real possibilities. Lost limbs are typically replaced by cyberware, despite [Sepulchre](sepulchre)'s disapproval; biological replacements are available but out of the price range of many. Medical technology is highly advanced, comparable to or even better than modern-day medicine in many areas. However, care can be highly limited by cost. Mythos has a stranglehold on access to advanced medical technology and alchemical products, and will often enforce that monopoly ruthlessly. Mental healthhealth, however, is poorly understood; someone delusional is likely to end up with their delusions being classified as either heresy or revelation. This isn't to say…be the guidance of Sepulchre's priesthood. ## EDUCATION Most everyone in Deshret receives at least some education, courtesy of the creches operated by Sepulchre. ThereIn these creches, children are taught the basics of faith, history, and the general knowledge needed to survive in Deshret. Literacy in Shinar, the basic language of…
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  # FACTS OF LIFE
 
  ## HOUSING
- Housing is controlled by the authorities that rule over any given floor. In Suburba, the slums, the allocation is done by a floor boss who's the most senior and eldest resident of the floor, typically based on the value of your work. (Though it isn't impossible to sneak in a deal with a faction for better digs.) Lower-status workers might be stashed in communal pods with shared bathrooms and kitchens, while higher-status workers might be given small individual rooms.
+ Housing is typically controlled by the authorities that rule over any given floor. In Suburba, the slums, the allocation is done by a floor boss who's the most senior and eldest resident of the floor, typically based on the value of your work. (Though it isn't impossible to sneak in a deal with a faction for better digs.) Lower-status workers might be stashed in communal pods with shared bathrooms and kitchens, while higher-status workers might be given small individual rooms.
+
+ The one exception is Floor 7, a neutral zone which houses a large number of inhabitants of Suburba without any restrictions on employment or status. There, people may choose to live either in the Dorter apartments (three-bedroom suites with their own small kitchens and bathrooms), or the Oikos apartments (single-bedroom apartments with communal kitchens and bathrooms).
 
  Sixers - members of the Six guilds - have access to better housing in the residential area known as Arcadia, a subset of Delos (the name for the guild-owned floors in general).
 
  And of course, members of the [Great Houses](great-houses) live in mysterious luxury on the lower floors, collectively referred to as Palatine.
 
  ## FOOD AND DRINK
- In the slums of Suburba, food is primarily produced by the vats of [Kolkhos](kolkhos), the collective farmer's association. Efficient crops like tubers, insect protein, soy, algae, and mushrooms are heavily processed into pastes shaped, dyed, and flavored like natural food. One particular tuber known as pith is often processed into pithmeal alongside dried fungi and used to make bread, frycakes, and similar products. Upper-class and noble individuals might be lucky enough to eat the more luxurious genuine produce grown by House Amari instead.
+ In the slums of Suburba, food is primarily produced by the vats of [Kolkhos](kolkhos), the collective farmer's association. Efficient crops like tubers, insect protein, soy, algae, and mushrooms are heavily processed into pastes shaped, dyed, and flavored like natural food. One particular tuber known as pith is often processed into pithmeal alongside dried fungi and used to make bread, frycakes, and similar products. Upper-class and noble individuals might be lucky enough to eat the more luxurious produce grown by House Amari instead.
 
  On the meat side, [Mythos](mythos) produces a great quantity of cultivated meat, known colloquially as 'vatling'. Sixers might have access to actual animal meat, but even these animals are still genetically engineered for efficiency.
 
  There are no specific 'bodies' of fresh water in Deshret, but water is still not terribly scarce due to geothermal sources and excellent recycling systems.
 
  ## CLIMATE
- There is, in fact, a simulation of natural human weather. It would seem eerie or uncanny to modern-day humans, as it is a little too synthetic and perfect. Of course, to the vast majority of citizens of Deshret who don't venture surface-side, it's all the weather they've ever known.
+ There is, in fact, a simulation of natural human weather in Deshret, including even rain inside the Spire. It would seem eerie or uncanny to modern-day humans, as it is a little too synthetic. Of course, to the vast majority of citizens of Deshret who don't venture surface-side, it's all the weather they've ever known.
 
  ## MEDICINE
  Life in Deshret can be brutal, with both illness and injury being very real possibilities. Lost limbs are typically replaced by cyberware, despite [Sepulchre](sepulchre)'s disapproval; biological replacements are available but out of the price range of many.
 
- Mental health is poorly understood; someone delusional is likely to end up with their delusions being classified as either heresy or revelation. This isn't to say that there's no concept of mental illness, but Mythos would typically view the matter as "is there a problem with the body or the soul?" The closest thing to therapy available would be the guidance of Sepulchre's priesthood.
+ Medical technology is highly advanced, comparable to or even better than modern-day medicine in many areas. However, care can be highly limited by cost. Mythos has a stranglehold on access to advanced medical technology and alchemical products, and will often enforce that monopoly ruthlessly.
+
+ Mental health, however, is poorly understood; someone delusional is likely to end up with their delusions being classified as either heresy or revelation. This isn't to say that there's no concept of mental illness, but Mythos would typically view the matter as "is there a problem with the body or the soul?" The closest thing to therapy available would be the guidance of Sepulchre's priesthood.
 
  ## EDUCATION
 
- Most everyone in Deshret receives at least some education, courtesy of the creches operated by Sepulchre. There children are taught the basics of faith, history, and the general knowledge needed to survive in Deshret. Literacy in Shinar, the basic language of Deshret, is widespread - learning other languages tends to be on-demand, however. (See [Language](language) for more information.)
+ Most everyone in Deshret receives at least some education, courtesy of the creches operated by Sepulchre. In these creches, children are taught the basics of faith, history, and the general knowledge needed to survive in Deshret. Literacy in Shinar, the basic language of Deshret, is widespread - learning other languages tends to be on-demand, however. (See [Language](language) for more information.)
 
  Further schooling beyond primary years is typically handled by an apprenticeship model, particularly among the guilds. For example, A would-be doctor would find themselves apprenticing for a fully-fledged member of Mythos, and in time hoping to attain that status and train their own apprentices in turn.
 
This is the current version.