Dahlsian domed cities

The original City of Dahls (Marka-na-Dahls) was built to shield its inhabitants from the meteor rains and dust-heavy atmosphere. Over millennia of habitation, the construction was expanded, furnished with life-support systems, and perfected until it became a fully autonomous, environment-proof marvel of magitech.

After the discovery of Meon Cluster, Dahlsi sorcerers designed rituals meant to build copies of Marka-na-Dahls in the newly discovered worlds. Using any materials already available in the area, the sorcerers produce a hyper-strong polymer called Dahlsian concrete. The cities can be raised within days and made to accommodate anywhere from 144 to almost 3 million people. They are hermetic, making them suitable for every environment, and completely self-sufficient.

Here is a description of one of such cities.

A dark dome protects the inside from atmospheric dangers and collects ae (magical energy) that is used to power its life support systems. The air is sucked out from the ground level, purified, and then distributed in a way that pumps in fresh air from the narrow slits beneath the ceilings and removes stale air—along with dust and other impurities—from the vents that run along the floors.

Two large halls run along the diameters of the city, designated for commercial areas. Although Dahlsian government is obliged to provide every citizen with food, shelter, clothing, and other essentials, money is still used to purchase luxury items and entertainment. The halls contain shops, libraries, world-viewing rooms, sports halls, theaters, drug dens, art workshops, eateries, tirahs (places where one can meet partners for casual sex, and pulahs (places where one can meet permanent partners). In larger cities, one end of such a hall may lead to a train depot.

Around the edges of the dome are located factories and workshops that provide employment to those who want to work. The most important trade in Dahls is the production of technomagic equipment. Dahlsi work in accordance with Dahlsian day, which lasts 60h and is divided into ten 6h-long shifts – one shift of work per two shifts of rest. Many workshops can work continuously.

Between the central halls and the workshops are the living areas. They usually take up multiple floors. Typical Dahlsian living quarters are small, made up of only one room (roughly 3x4m or 10x12 ft) and a bathroom with a shower and squatting toilet. Light and illusory patterns on the walls are controlled by the thought processes of the people who live there. Every corridor with twelve living units is called moya (street); it has an additional communal hall and children's playroom, and contains vending machines that distribute free food rations and medicine. A hundred and forty-four living units create a district and must contain at least one school, one medical center, and one Heliakia station. All common areas are constantly lit and kept at a comfortable temperature of 17ºC/62ºF. In many, ever-changing illusions decorate the walls.

Dahlsian education divides students into at least nine groups based on their proclivities (analytical, creative, or mnemonic) and learning styles (visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic). Sometimes students attend schools in different districts from the ones they live in. Standard education lasts six cycles (12 years). Dahlsi don’t use tests very often, but after every cycle, students must pass the tests proving they acquired basic knowledge in all major subjects. After finishing basic education, Dahlsi are entitled to enter the Academy—provided they pass the entrance tests.

Dahlsian medicine is largely based on magic. There are nine levels of siaehava (healing magic), each taking approximately one cycle to learn. The first level is responsible for basic scans, healing fractures, and common infections. The last level is capable of completely rewriting the human body (for example, changing someone’s sex) or prompting the regeneration of body parts. Most medical centers only have the first-level healers.

Heliakia is a law-protecting body of Dahlsian government. Any Dahlsian citizen can apply to enter Heliakia in a role similar to a police officer, and after progressing to a certain point, can enter special studies and take a role similar to a lawyer or even judge. The highest officers of Heliakia have the power over the ministers and even the Directory. In most cities, Heliakia takes on most of the official duties in support of the Directory-appointed governor.

Transport between various parts is provided by lifts and shuttles powered by the flow of ae.

Light and clean water are provided in every living quarter. The waste (from human activities as well as dust collected by the vents and food packs disposed by the vending machines) is diverted underground, where it’s broken down into the most basic organic molecules and fed to the blue algae, which is then turned into nutritional paste (the essential part of Dahlsian food rations). Every citizen is entitled to 9 portions per Dahlsian day, each approx 500kcal. Originally, food rations also included milkseed porridge (depending on the cosmopolitical situation: 1 or 3 portions/day) and ruaram jelly (1 portion per day for adults; 3 portions per day for children – sometimes replaced by the watered-down version known as vitamin water). Later, it was broadened to include protein bars, also made of dried algae. At the peak of Dahlsian expansion, other plant foods were introduced to improve nutrition among Dahlsi citizens.

After the expulsion of Tarvissian farmers and the looming famine, some Dahlsian cities introduced hydroponic farms to grow a greater variety of food crops within the city limits. These, however, provided very little food that was mostly sold as a delicacy. In some worlds, the hydroponic farms were used to grow zoophytes whose parts were used in magitech.

Because the lifestyle of Dahlsi people was so specific, most outworlders refused to live in the domed cities, instead choosing to construct their own traditional settlements. Large domes were constructed in just a handful of worlds to house Dahlsian populations: Marka-na-Sfal, Marka-na-Kooine, Marka-na-Tydus. A few were built in worlds that contained rare and valuable resources but had difficult natural conditions.