World Development – Vestigia

A student project needed an injection of detail for their story so utilizing sanskrit names and influence, here was a draft of the backdrop story for the puzzle game, Vestigia.

Revelations

Legends tell of the end days, when in their vanity, mankind loses all restraint and angers the gods with their endless wars of petty ambition. The fury of the Heavens was unleashed upon mankind and countless civilizations ceased to exist in mere moments, leaving the earth scorched, sickly and bereft of life.

The world was silenced.

The Divine Abhayankara, in his wisdom led those deemed worthy to a hidden world far beneath the surface to begin anew. Free from the evils of the old world and a wondrous new paradise was prepared for those worthy and the blessed.

Thus began the city of Bhumigata, the World beneath the World.

Bhumigata

Bhumigata is a massive metropolis located deep within a subterranean cavern which was built as a preservation fail-safe in event of a portended world-wide catastrophic event which took place in the year 2042. As nuclear fallout and bio-warfare wiped nations off the globe, an exodus of surface-dwellers made their way down to the massive complex known to those that live there as Mahatva Bhumigata or the Great Underworld.

Over the course of hundreds of years, much of the war is forgotten and the inhabitants of Bhumigata became segregated into distinct levels of citizenry. Each level of society lives in separate districts which named after elements that represent the district. Of the many districts of Bhumigata, the most notable ones are the Emerald District, the Golden District and the Iron Districts.

Bhumigata is built around a central elevator shaft known as the Hradaya that connects all the districts throughout the levels. Power, water and produce are manufactured in the lower levels and sent up the Hradaya to the higher levels making the Hradaya an integral part of Bhumigatan life. Like the human body, the Hradaya is referred to by some as the Spine of Bhumigata.

The Emerald District is elaborate, bright and beautiful and is also where the Divine Jade Palace is located. Only the direct descendants of the Divine Abhayankara may live in the Divine Jade Palace and they form the ruling elite of Bhumigata. The rest of the Emerald District is carefully structured and contains mansions belonging to the most influential and powerful families of Bhumigatan society. The only form of law-enforcement in Bhumigata are enforced by the Royal Guards. The Royal Guards defend Bhumigata from their fortress known as Kavaca and answer only to the King of Bhumigata. While Guard Stations are built in the lower districts, all Royal Guards are considered to belong to the Emerald Caste and members of the Guard are usually from the families of the elite of the Emerald District.

The Silver District is by far the largest district in Bhumigata. It is home to the scholars, thinkers, philosophers, scientists, engineers, mathematicians, musicians, craftsmen and artisans of Bhumigata. The largest building in the Silver District would be the University of Atma where the greatest minds of Bhumigata gather and attempt to recover the lost knowledge of the days before the exodus.

Much of technology involved in the creation of Bhumigata had been lost across the ages and many of Bhumigata’s mechanical systems could not be maintained and had to be replaced with more rudimentary forms of technology. This is why Bhumigatans prize education above all else and children of the Silver District undergo mandatory education programs in the many schools and education centers across the district.

Much of Bhumigatan trade and commerce is also conducted in this district in its many marketplaces and commercial centers. Much of the produce and food sold in the markets of the Silver District come from the lower levels of Bhumigata, namely the Iron District.

Life in the Iron District is difficult and majority of those living in the Iron Districts work and toil endlessly in the numerous processing plants, eco-domes, factories and power generators in this district.

The Iron District is the industrial district, where large sprawling factories manufacture all of Bhumigata’s necessities. Mining operations supply the factories with the required raw materials which are in turn processed into mechanical components, clothes, and building materials. Huge water turbines convert underground streams into sources of electricity and Power-plants continuously burn fossil fuels in order to supply Bhumigata with its much needed power supply.

Deep Pumping stations supply the other districts of Bhumigata with its source of water by means of huge pipes that travel up along the Hradaya. The pumps never stop to ensure that the privileged living above in the upper levels never do without.

Artificially lighted Eco-Domes are used to grow various types of subterranean crops which is then processed into food for the people of Bhumigata. Meat is a luxury but certain species of livestock have been genetically engineered to be able to live underground. The primary type of food  cultivated in the Eco-Domes are a species of highly dense fungi. Certain types of evolved vegetation have also adapted to growing in artificially lighted environments.

The People & Society

The people of Bhumigata are of Pan-Asian origin and retain much of the typical features associated with the race. Years of living below ground have altered them somewhat. The people of Bhumigata (or referred to as Bhumigatan) are very pale due to the lack of sunlight and required nutrition. Those living in the lower levels have evolved slightly to adapt to their surroundings. Those living in the Iron Districts tend to be shorter and hardier than their cousins above.

Bhumigatan society follows a very strict caste system in which the Royal Family, those of direct descent of the original King Abhayankara rule over the entirety of Bhumigata. The elite families of Bhumigata come from those that have amassed sufficient wealth and have been accepted into the inner circles which form Bhumigata’s Elite caste. Bhumigata’s Royal Guards also come from this caste and is regarded higher than menial workers living in the lower levels.