πApesetting
world-setting
Last updated
world-setting
Last updated
Apelantia, once a thriving empire and a pivotal member of the Great Union, now stands as a testament to the consequences of unchecked power and deep-rooted corruption. This land, inhabited by highly evolved Apes, has a rich history marked by grandeur, innovation, and ultimately, division. Its soil, grasslands, and rocky mountains are dotted with grand structures, some of which still bear the royal sigils crafted from gravel by the hands of the six founding fathers. However, these symbols of unity now lie fractured, much like the empire itself.
In its prime, Apelantia was the heart of the Great Union, beacon of strength, wealth, and cultural dominance. The empire's rise began with the six founding fathers, each a powerful figure who carved their legacy into the very fabric of Apelantia. Under their rule, Apelantia flourished, its influence extending far beyond its borders. However, the seeds of its downfall were sown by the very hands that built it.
Corruption began to seep into the highest echelons of power. The noble houses, led by the descendants of the founding fathers, grew increasingly disconnected from the people they ruled. Greed and the lust for power became the driving forces behind their decisions, leading to widespread discontent among the populace. The Royals, once revered, became symbols of tyranny and oppression.
The corruption reached its peak in the early 1900s, when the truth about the Royals' exploitation and deceit was exposed. This revelation ignited the flames of rebellion, and the common folk, led by the Rebels, rose against their rulers. The once-unshakeable grip of the Royals began to falter, and with that Apelantia spiraled into chaos.
The uprising culminated in the division of the empire into four distinct districts, each reflecting the fragmented state of the land and the divergent paths of its people:
Royal District: The last bastion of the old order, where the noble houses cling to their fading power within the grandiose royal buildings. This district is a symbol of the opulence and decay of the empire, with the Royals maintaining a facade of parliamentary rule while secretly manipulating the laws to serve their interests.
Rebel District: The heart of resistance, where the Rebels, a decentralized group of dissidents, continue their fight against the Royal regime. Their headquarters, hidden in the shadows of Apelantia's underbelly, serve as a hub for planning and sabotage, fueled by the desire to liberate the land from Royal tyranny.
Mafia District: A stronghold of organized crime, where the Mafia, once warring families, now operates under The Commission, manipulating both the Royals and Rebels to their advantage. This district thrives on wealth and power, its influence growing as the chaos of the ongoing conflict provides fertile ground for their operations.
No Man's Land District: A mysterious and desolate region, where the remnants of the Royal regime's darkest secrets are hidden away. This district remains largely uncharted, its secrets guarded by those who still serve the Royals' shadowy agendas.
Today, Apelantia stands as a fractured empire, a land where the sins of the past continue to shape the future. The architecture of each district tells a story of its inhabitants' struggles, ambitions, and desires. From the towering spires of the Royal District to the clandestine hideouts of the Rebels, the land is a living tapestry of the conflict that tore it apart.
But even in this divided state, the legacy of the founding fathers endures. The influence of Atlas and his six sons, each a symbol of a different aspect of Apelantia's rise and fall, can still be felt in every corner of the empire. The power struggles, the quests for dominance, and the unyielding pursuit of justice and freedom continue to drive the narrative of this once-great land.
Apelantia may be divided, but its story is far from over. As the Royals, Rebels, and Mafia vie for control, the fate of the empire hangs in the balance, waiting for a new chapter to be written in its tumultuous history.
The Royalsβ district is the one on the left side of the land. It was the first part of the city that was created and all the founding families, except for two remain in this land. This district consists of two different parts, the one in the center is where the most important buildings are placed. The less important people and the Royalsβ supporters live in the houses all around the center.
This building is placed on the top left corner of the main square. This building is of great historical importance as this was the first-ever building that was built on the land. It is believed that the first six apes that traveled here, were the ones that created the six bloodlines of the landβs people.
It started as a small wooden building, but as years went by and the apes became wealthier and wealthier, the six Royal apes kept renovating the place, making it bigger every time.
Now, the Royal building consists of 6 different parts, each designed and built based on each of the apeβs tastes. Some say that the building being so different all around its premises is weird, while others believe it makes it unique.
On the inside, the first room that a person walking in would see was the main living room. It used to be filled with velvet couches, mirrors, and a big fireplace that could heat up the entire place. After the apes cultivated their individual styles, the place that was commonly used by them was neglected. Roots had grown around the couches and some of them were ruined, making the present inhabitants throw them away. The fireplace was shut by vines that had covered the entire length of the chimney.
The room was now almost empty and no one wanted to change that. Each of the remaining families only cared about their share of the house. The huge rug that was laid on the floor was now torn all around. Its color used to be beige, but now it looked mostly gray, with red wine marks all over, resembling bleeding skin. On top of the fireplace was a very big portrait of the six founder apes. But two of them had scratch marks on their figures. This room was the coldest of them all. There was dust in every inch of it. On various places on the floor, there were footprints. The only thing that was being cared for in the main living room was the huge stairs in the back wall. These stairs led to the upper floors, the houses of the Royal apes. Each step of the stairs was almost double the height of the normal ones.
The stairs were directed to the right side of the house, then there was a turn towards the left and another towards the right, where it stopped on the first floor. The railings were made of silver. However, the silver was gold-plated, making it look even more expensive. Vines had also grown all around the railings, but they were meticulously taken care of, turning them into a beautiful addition to them. Each step was laid with leaves that were processed with gelatine.
On each side of the room, there is a huge double door made of wood. The knob on each door is representative of the family that the room behind it belongs to. The one on the left has the shape of a hand and itβs made of gold. The one on the right is now gone, along with the room behind it.
The room on the left has walls made of stubble. The ape that it belonged to was the most selfless of them all. He, along with his current bloodline, aim to help when others are in need and this is why this room is open for every ape in the city that needs a place to stay. The ape had chosen for his room to be placed on the ground floor, symbolizing his will to support his siblings.
The room on the left side is made of bricks. On the inside, it has been burnt down. There is no furniture and the walls and the floor are scorched. This happened because this apeβs bloodline betrayed the Royals during the mid-1700s Rebel rise.
Once a person reaches the first floor there is a round room with only a big glass bubble-shaped structure that has a big hole on the top. Inside the glass bubble, there is a tree protruding toward the ceiling. There are three more wooden double doors.
The door that leads to the room on the right has a knob that is shaped like a tangled snake. The roomβs walls are made of blocks of soil, covered by a layer of glass. The bloodline of the ape that lived in this room is in charge of the Royal pubs and all the high-class restaurants that exist across the Royalsβ perimeter.
The room in the middle has a knob shaped like a spiderβs web. The room is made of cement, but it has a tapestry that resembles a spiderβs web on the outside. The bloodline that came from this ape, The Oathbash, is the one that is dedicated to maintaining social security and economic stability among the Royals. They are in charge of the bank.
The room on the left has, also, been burnt down on the inside, as the bloodline of this ape betrayed the other families. The walls are made of metal and they have some holes in some places.
The room at the top doesnβt have a door, as there are no stairs leading up to it. In order for someone to enter, they needed to get a ladder down from the ceiling and get through a small hatch. The knob of the trap door is smaller than the others and is shaped like lightning. This roomβs walls are made of tons of wires all wrapped tightly around.
The bloodline of the ape that lived here is responsible for the cityβs power. They own the electricity factory and they are in charge of finding other apes to work in the factory. In some cases, they have to fight them over it.
Even though each room is constructed with a different material, on the outside, the building doesnβt look like six different blocks have been put together. Each room merges nicely with the one next to it and the materials look like they gradually turn from one form to another.
In front of the Royal building, there are statues for each individual ape. Of course, two of them were destroyed years ago. The ones that are still there, are placed by the entrance to the building.
This is the place that is located on the west of the Royal Building. It appears to be a tower. Its shape is like a roll of quarters placed like a pile. Each βquarterβ is made of stone and is a restaurant of a different type.
On the outside, each βquarterβ appears to be identical to the others, with each one having a slight tile-covered roof all around it. There is a marble column in the middle of the structure that starts from the ground and goes up to the top floor.
There are four different floors in total. On the outer part of each βquarterβ, there are the stairs that apes used to go from one floor to the other. The middle part is different on every floor.
The one on the ground floor is focused on providing the apes with the best little pastries and bread. The second floor offers anything that has to do with fruits and vegetables, like banana cake, spinach pie, and stuff like that. The third floorβs restaurant is plainly for alcohol. It is a fact that apes often trip when they try to leave this place in the early hours of the morning, after consuming large amounts of whiskey or rum. The stairs up until the third floor are constantly being renovated as they have been covered in blood and vomit many times in the past.
The fourth and final floor is the place of meat. That is the most prestigious restaurant in the entire land. This floor has the most windows out of all of them and provides the apes visiting with the best view ever imaginable.
This is the building located on the south of the Royal Building, the place where all the weapons and the top government secrets are stored. The building is divided into two separate parts, the offices, and the storage units.
Itβs made of bricks and iron and itβs the only building in the entire land that doesnβt have any windows, apart from the one surrounding the main entrance. The front door is made of stone, making it hard to move. The apes chose that material for the door because they didnβt want anyone to be able to come and go easily. The building had three floors and a basement. The offices are placed on all of the floors, while the basement is just for the storage units.
The lack of windows is part of the apesβ plan for better security. The entrance is always guarded by apes, asking each one that wishes to enter who they are and what are their intentions for visiting. During the day the stone door is always open and this is why there are four apes guarding the entrance. During the night, the door is closed, so only two apes guard it.
On the back of the building, there is a structure that holds a generator inside. This generator is essential to cover the buildingβs increased needs for electricity, both for lighting purposes and for security. This generator was, also, connected with a rope that was used to power the alarms.
The Bank of Apelantia is the cityβs most busy building. It consists of a single floor but it is as tall as if it had 3 of them. On the front side, there is a huge iron door. On each side of the door, there are two tree trunks placed instead of columns. The rest of the building is made of marble, except for a triangle-shaped surface on top of the door that is made of wood. On that surface, there are the names of all the apes that ever worked in the bank and helped keep it safe.
On the right and left sides of the building, there are torches hanging on the wall. These torches are being set on fire every evening.
On the inside, the bank is full of desks where the apes working there help the other apes with their requests. Most of the desks are made of mahogany and laid with leather cloths.
On the backside of the room, there is a desk taller and wider than the others. This desk reaches the walls on each side and up towards the ceiling, leaving only a 2-meter hatch in the center, where the ape that operates that service is sitting. Behind the desk, there is a machine that looks like a smaller version of a Ferris wheel. Instead of benches, this Ferris wheel has some small safes attached to it, where all the valuable belongings and the money of other apes are stored.
Each ape possesses a unique key to their safe, so they need to provide the ape working there with the safe number. The ape will spin the Ferris wheel until the appropriate safe is found and the ape with the key will open it and take what is desired.
The floor of the bank is made of marble and it has the Royal sigil engraved on all its surface.
The energy factory is the newest building that has graced the land of the Royals. This, also, consists of a ground level and an underground level.
On the outside, the building is made of stone and it has a complex wire network on top of it. The wires come out of the buildingβs roof and they are wrapped around some wooden columns that have been placed there.
Additionally, there are other wooden columns all around the building and the wires go down towards them and are spread all around the town. The building has two rows of windows on each side, a fact that serves two different purposes. Firstly, the building does not need much electricity for lighting purposes during the day, so most of the electricity is sent away. Secondly, it exudes a feeling of transparency towards the other apes, depriving them of any thought of wrongdoings.
On the inside, the factory has barely any free space. The entire surface is occupied with machines that generate electricity. There are machines that burn wood and others that burn biomass. These machines are connected with a chimney that passes through the back wall and emits the gasses there. Other machines are used to convert the thermal energy to electricity.
The underground floor is not widely known, but itβs rumored among apes to be the punishment area. It is believed that apes are locked there, without being properly fed and left alone to pay for their crimes. Rebels are the only ones that have figured out the truth about what is truly happening down there. The only ones that care and want to do something about it at least.
The underground floor is filled with bicycles and machines that resemble a treadmill. The apes that are considered to be criminals are forced to pedal or walk onto the treadmill and be a part of the electricity-making process. These apes are forced to repeat these activities every day for many hours until they produce a certain amount of electricity or they pass out and are considered unable to keep going.
In the area between the Royal Restaurant tower and the Energy Factory, there is a hill that was dug by the apes. From a distance, it looks like a regular hill, but when an ape gets closer, they would realize that it is hollow.
To fill the gap inside the hill, the apes built an Amphitheater. They used stones to make the rows on different levels. Each row had carved marks that indicated where an ape should be situated upon visiting. The rows go shorter in descending order, until the bottom part. Right across from the amphitheaterβs seating area, there is a round surface that is not covered by rocks. Instead, it is laid with grass and flowers. On that surface, there are four trees scattered around. These trees are a bit bigger than the usual ones and they are the last remaining of their kind.
This open-air venue hosts a variety of performances, from operas to public assemblies, drawing citizens together in celebration of the arts. Supported by the patronage of House Stillroot, it is a hub of artistic and political activity, where the vibrancy of Apelantian society echoes through its historic arcs.
Ξ€he Rebel district is the one that was built more recently and is still under development. There are half-built houses in every spot of the district and since more and more people are joining the Rebel forces, there is a constant need for new houses to be constructed.
Since these people are not in possession of great power or financial stability, their houses are built with all types of materials, depending on the availability at the time of construction. Most of the houses are built with wood and they are either tied together with ropes or glued together.
This is one of the first constructions that were built upon the creation of the Rebel district. Since the apes do not have access to many materials, they havenβt renovated it since its construction, as they prioritize building other houses.
This place is like a huge tent, covered by a massive layer of cloth made by leather and all types of fabric sewn together. The cloth is held in the ground by pickets and is raised towards the top by three wooden columns placed in a triangular shape.
The ground is not covered with anything, so the apes inside can step on naked soil. The only furniture that is in that place, are some wooden beds where the patients can rest while they are being treated and some cabinets where the herbs and medicine are stored.
At the south of the healing tent lies the Rebel pub. Rebels really value entertainment and this is why they took really good care upon building this. Again, this is made of wood, and all around it, there are flowers, herbs, and skulls from little animals hung from the walls on the outside.
There are stairs on one side that leads to the pubβs roof where a small balcony has been built with three tables. That is a place for apes to relax and enjoy the sunlight.
The pub has a bar attached to the wall right across from the entrance on the inside. The bar is huge and has all types of alcoholic drinks and beverages. The rebels might be a bit cheap on constructing new houses, but they donβt spare any expenses when it comes to their drinking. Behind the bar, there is a trap door where it leads to the basement. There, the Rebel leaders meet and try to plan their next moves.
The far south part of the district is a hill where all the farms that the apes work on are located. The farms are essential to the survival of the Rebels.
In general, the district of the Mafia is the most good-looking, premium, and luxurious area of the land. These apes have replaced every element of nature with something they created. For example, where there were trees, the Mafia had placed wooden structures that look like bird boxes and can be opened only with a specific key. These birdhouses are not that innocent in reality. Each of them contains a knife, a gun, or anything that can be used against a possible attacker. Of course, this is not something that the Mafias are sharing with the world, but there are rumors that state this fact, Another example of this is that the Mafia had replaced parts of the ground that had grass, which was not that many, with small ponds that are filled with water and a layer of oil on top. This way, they are able to hide small knives or other useful gadgets underneath the layer of oil. Plus, they can lead their chaser through the pond and make their feet more slippery.
The most important apes of the Mafia do not live among the rest of their citizens. Instead, they have chosen a part of the city that has an advantage among others: the fact that there is a big stone structure that is blocking a big part of the sunlight, making that place darker than the others in the land.
The houses of the VIP Mafia apes are big cottages, all black colored with crimson roofs. They all had really big chimneys that emitted smoke all during the day, giving the outsiders the impression that the apes that lived there were actually loving and warm apes that constantly took care of their homes and families.
Each cottage had blinds in every window, preventing any curious pair of eyes from seeing what is inside. Additionally, right next to each cottage, there was a smaller warehouse that contained all of the house essentials.
What people didnβt know was that there was a secret trap door in the bottom of each warehouse that led to the cottageβs basement. It would be too predictable to place the trap door somewhere inside the cottage, so they added it there.
The basements of the cottages had a big round table that the Mafia apes would gather to plan their next moves or just gamble. Each wall was filled with guns that were hung and tied with ropes. This was installed in order for the guns to not be in direct reach from unwanted apes.
On the north side of the VIP houses, there is the Mafia cafeΜ. Most apes are afraid to visit that place, thinking that something bad might happen. This building was made of wood and most of the wallβs surface was occupied by a huge window that went all around it.
The door to the cafeΜ was always open, as the working hours were 24/7. The ceiling also had a part made of glass, but it was a type of glass that prevented apes from seeing the other side.
The bar was placed in the middle of the cafe Μ and it was raised two meters up from the ground by 4 iron little columns. Tables were placed all around the cafeΜ, including the area under the bar.
Each table had a little bell on top of it that was used to indicate when a certain group of apes was ready to order. The same bell, but in an extremely bigger size, was placed on the roof of the cafeΜ. The bell was hanging by two wooden columns that protruded from the left and right sides of the cafeΜ and met in the middle part on top of the roof.
The owners of the cafeΜ had a promotion running. In case the wind was blowing stronger than usual and the bell started to ring louder than it should, then the cafeΜ would lower their prices for the day.
However, they had an ape on the roof every other day, making them ring the bell faster and louder with their hands and claiming that the promotion would be running again when in reality their prices were the normal ones they had before they implemented this promotional strategy. The days in which the bell didnβt ring louder, the prices were increased to a degree they never were in the times that the promotion hadnβt started yet.
This building was once a private university, owned by one of the most notorious mob bosses. When the Civil War erupted, the mob saw an opportunity to quietly transform it. In collaboration with his criminal associates, the mob boss secretly repurposed the university into the headquarters of the "Commission" Their previous HQ had been compromised, and they needed a location that wouldn't raise suspicion. Taking a page from the rebels' playbook, they chose to hide in plain sight.
To maintain the faΓ§ade, they left much of the buildingβs academic structure intact. From the outside, it still looked like a typical stone university building, with four barred windows on each of the two floors. Inside, the rooms still resembled classrooms, but these were now where the group held their clandestine meetings.
They cleverly incorporated their secrets into everyday objects that remained from the buildingβs previous life. Classroom maps were repurposed, with hand-drawn routes for future attacks sketched over them. Knives and bullets were hidden inside old backpacks left behind by former students. Even the desks were modified by unscrewing the legs, they could quickly be used as improvised weapons in a momentβs notice.
For years, the building operated under this dual identity on the surface, an unassuming school, but within its walls, a hub for criminal operations. The perfect illusion, hiding in plain sight, with every detail meticulously planned to keep the truth hidden.
This building is the Mafiaβs proudest possession. Unlike the Royals, they do not try to hide the fact that they have a huge collection of weapons. It is made of different types of metals and its layers with thin tree branches. The branches have been painted in a grayish color in an attempt to make it look as if it is silver. This building has a really tall roof, shaped like a cone and itβs covered with black-colored tiles.
On the front, there are three single doors, one on the left, one in the middle, and one on the right. Each door is supposed to provide access to different types of visitors.
The door on the right is for the people that work in this building and they are given access to all the different spaces that the building has. The door in the middle gives access to the visitors that want to take a look at the Mafia gun collection. This door leads to a short corridor that ends in another entrance that is blocked by a ribbon, showing the visitors that they are prohibited from going further inside. The visitors are only allowed to watch the gun collection and not be anywhere near them. The door on the right is supposed to be used only for the VIPs of the Mafia and no one knows where that door leads to.
On the inside, this building is organized like a library. There are shelves all around the walls and rows of shelves in the center. Instead of books, each shelf carries different kinds of weapons. Additionally, guns are hung on the ceiling by thick strings. The higher the roof goes, the more deadly the weapons that are hung are.
This is a huge square area in the middle of the Mafia district. It is surrounded by a really tall wired fence and it has wooden spikes attached on the top. This is the area that is highly restricted for everyone apart from the apes that are involved with the forces.
The place has various white marks that form arrows and straight lines, indicating the route that the military should follow during their training.
Many wooden cabins have been put in the center, each being the rest house for the different military leaders. On each corner of the compound, there are wooden watchtowers that are always occupied by armored apes.
Some apes that cannot relate to any of the aforementioned districts have created a smaller community that has no name. Their district is located in the east of the Rebel district and it is considered the tribe of the free. There are no standards to be met when it comes to other apes joining them.
In order for them to be able to live there in their tents, they have made an arrangement with the Royals. This is why they run and "manage" the most important building on all the land. They have built two identical buildings that look like towers. Each of the towers serves an important but different purpose. More on that soon!
