Purpose

- Five Coils is a city, a prison and a fortress. It is massive and (as far as you know) self-contained.
- It is buried underground. You have no way of knowing exactly where, or why.
- It was designed to be self-sufficient. Food and supplies are either harvested or crafted inside its walls, or they are passed down from the floors far above.

Inhabitants

- Five Coils is populated by Dragon-blooded descendants from the Realm and their mortal servants. You only know vague things about this 'Realm'. The year as you know it is RY 1085.
- Descendants of the Great Houses persist, but the Houses themselves no longer matter. Only the names remain.
- Anyone who Exalts as an Anathema within Five Coils is automatically imprisoned and shackled with Essence-limiting artifacts, forced to use their powers for nothing more than serving the Dragon-blooded.
- Coils is purportedly ruled by a Council, but you have never met them nor seen their faces.
- Five Coils names are typically last name first in the Realm style.

Structure

- There are thirty-one floors in Five Coils.
- You were imprisoned on the bottom floor, but may have been brought (guarded, with artifacts to restrain your Essence) to upper levels to serve whatever job it is you have.
- Before every level that is a multiple of five, there is a Gatekeeper. Other than the Gatekeeper, numerous mortals, elite Dragon-blooded guards and even Immaculate-trained soldiers stand in your way.
- The levels are generally divided by element. 31 is the Forbidden. 30-26 is Water. 25-21 is Earth. 20-16 is Fire. 15-11 is Wood. 10-6 is Air. 5-1 are the Transcendent levels, and none below have passed it since Five Coils has first been inhabited.
- Not every floor is a residential or city area, but there is at least one every five levels.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:20, Tue 30 June 2009.

Here's what most anyone would know of the Coils layout: it's shaped something like a gigantic cylinder, so each floor is circular shaped, and several miles in diameter. There is a central elevator that goes up the entirety of the Coils, but getting authorization to use it is next to impossible. There are also two district elevators per (element) district, that go up and down a span of 5 levels uniting the (element) floors. These are situated about midway to the center and opposite of one another.

Lastly there are two stairways per district that lead up to the top of each (element) district, these are at the edge of each floor at an opposite axis to the district elevators. There may also be other short, single flights of stairs between two adjacent floors, but location of these would vary greatly. All these positions (elevators and stairs) will definitely be guarded. Also remember there's not just wide open space on each level, there will be buildings, alleys, obstacles, etc. depending on the level.

The Forbidden level is a special case. There is only the central elevator leading up, and the stairs which are at the edge of the floor. The prison is in the center of that level and the prison halls are something of a maze.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:23, Sun 02 Nov 2008.

Water: More or less the slum of Coils. It's seen as a dirty, unscrupulous place, where all of society's rejects go, or where unsavory characters may live to make a quick, dishonest buck. The Pit is one of the 'attractions', a gladiatorial arena where slaves (often Celestial) and criminals are forced to fight failed genetic experiments (mutants).

Earth: The purview of the working class. Mostly miners, laborers and construction workers here, some architects and artisans. The Immaculate faith is strong here, as religion can also be used (sadly) as an effective form of control.

Fire: Five Coils' Peace Force and Legions train here. Also the best forges are in the area. Rigid military discipline is generally the status quo, though there may also be entertainment districts and other establishments run by skilled citizens for the soldiers.

Wood: This is where bioengineering and mind-altering is often done. Lots of organic, plant-based designs; the Gatekeeper appears to be a giant tree. Music and performance arts are prized here, often doubling as methods to control the masses (generally middle-class folk, here)

Air: The realm of the upper class, this level is closest to what Dragon-blooded society once was. Here, magitech and AIs are incorporated with beauty and aesthetic in mind, in such a way they are nearly invisible to the naked eye. The best assassins are here, and flight is important; there are actually winged folk and flying vehicles here.

Transcendent: This is actually off limits, purely ST surprises. :D Though you could certainly make allusions to what people THINK is in the Transcendent levels.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:06, Tue 24 Feb 2009.

It has been established that Five Coils, once known as Pillar of Creation, was built by the Primordial Machine God, Autochthon. It was left behind in Creation, and thereafter controlled for a time by First Age Celestial Exalts, who used the massive fortress as both a home base and a factory to develop artifice great and small.

Ultimately, though, the Celestials quarreled, and the Usurpation happened, during which the existence of Pillar of Creation was shrouded from the world. It was revived again less than 300 years ago, but only the Five Coils Council would really know how and why. Ever after, though, the Pillar was renamed Five Coils, and became the fortress-factory of the extremist Dragon-Blooded that occupy it today.

There are, however, remnants of Celestial creations in Coils. Hidden artifacts, personalized spells, manufactured races, modifications made to machinery, or all-new innovations based on Autochthonian design. The oldest AIs of Coils retain memories of the Celestials that were once their allies.

Any Celestial that Exalts in Coils may well discover more about his or her past through discovering these remnants.

The technology level of Five Coils is somewhere between First Age and Second Age. A lot of First Age magitech is available, even mass produced, in Five Coils. Magitech arms and armor as well as warstriders are in common use among the Peace Force (the Five Coils' police) and the Legions. Various industries also make use of magitech conveniences as crafting or labor aids. Only the Immaculate Order tends toward being 'purists', preferring ordinary jade artifacts over magitech ones.

Generally, one can say that magitech artifacts of 3 dots or below are relatively common, of 4 dots are uncommon, and of 5+ are rare.

As one goes up the levels of Coils, magitech becomes less obvious and sorcery more so. Sorcery sees greater and greater use in higher districts for providing additional labor, aiding artifact creation and enchantment, military and 'peacekeeping' use, mind-control purposes, assassinations and other instruments of social change. It's also more likely that summoned or created life forms will be used as servants in the upper levels (particularly Wood and above), while obviously mechanized servants would be more common in Fire and below.

This is not to say magitech is no longer relied upon further up -- far from it! -- only that it's not as easily noticeable. It's more likely to take either an organic, artistic or altogether invisible appearance further up. By the Air level it may be possible that an automaton, a bioengineered life form and a summoned creature could be all but indistinguishable, as the arts to generate all of those are the most refined there.

It is of course possible to create magitech completely without a sorcerous component, as it is possible to purely manipulate Essence without the aid of technological advancement. However, both are present and often interrelated with one another. One of the most ambitious projects of Five Coils is basically a meld of magitech and sorcery: incorporating Celestial and greater spells into portable magitech form, so that Dragon-blooded may use them. Celestial sorcerers are thus highly prized, and when such ability is discovered, are among the most strictly controlled of Celestial slaves.

The Academies (as yet unnamed!)
- The Air District is the home of the most prestigious sorcery academy of Coils.
- The Wood District academy focuses on biological applications of magitech and sorcery, including the creation and manipulation of life forms, poisons and diseases.
- The Fire District holds an academy of applied sorcery in combat and engineering, as well as the pure artifice option, which teaches a complete lack of reliance on sorcery.
- The Earth District academy teaches mundane craft and architecture and how it may apply to the creation of greater wonders (artifacts and manses).
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:00, Sun 19 Apr 2009.

The AIs of Coils are sentient beings, treated as spirits within a mechanical shell. Most of these were not created by Celestials, though some were emulated. The Gatekeepers and the Five Coils Core CPU are all Autochthonian in design. They have powers over space, possibly even time, that no other creation is capable of.

Elementals are also used in great effect by the Dragon-blooded. Lesser Elementals are used as batteries for powerful magitech, though one can only guess how they manage to enslave Elementals to such a task without calling down the wrath of Heaven.

Demons are generally less trusted, seen more as a novelty indulgence by the sorcerers of the Air District.

The spirits and lesser gods of Five Coils are purely those that profess loyalty and allegiance to the Five Elemental Dragons and the Immaculate Order. However, in keeping with Immaculate teachings, only Dragon-blooded are allowed to associate with them, and they are off-limits for worship (though it is certain some find indirect ways to provide them with prayer).

The Elemental Dragons are apparently supportive of the Dragon-Blooded of Coils, as it is one of the last bastions of Immaculate belief. It is unknown at the time what Autochthon himself thinks of what the Terrestrials have done with his creation. Prayers to the Incarna, Primordials and other major gods have been known to succeed... but there are very few who would know to worship them, and those who do tend to attract unwanted attention should they make a habit of sending prayers above.

Ghosts are now and then a problem in Coils, though protocols for burial and/or body disposal are usually strictly followed. A ghost/undead infestation is usually dealt with by the Immaculate Monks -- possibly with the aid of a sorcerer or even a Celestial.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:09, Tue 24 Feb 2009.

The Council: As mentioned, these are the leaders of Coils.
- Overseer is a rank within the Council.

The All-Seeing Prochorus: If you know about this, you either have high clearance or will soon be dead.

The Artificial Intelligence Network: Incorporates the Core CPU, the Five Gatekeepers and all subordinate AIs and processes. Currently in control of the Council (or so they believe).

The Equalizers: Elite forces directly employed by the Council.

The Peace Force: Five Coils' police force, trained to maintain peace and order within Five Coils. Mostly mortals, but the officers (known as Peace Officers or Jade Officers) are all Dragon-blooded.

The Creation Liberation Legions: Five Coils' military, trained and developed solely for the Dragon-Blooded's triumphant return to Creation.

The Immaculate Order: The religious leaders, practicing the traditional Immaculate faith. Led by the Five Paragons and the Grandmaster Transcendent, the latter of whom sits on the Council.

Free: A person, or a group, no one really knows. But it, he, whichever, is the symbol around which those that seek freedom from Coils flock.
- The Freerunners are what those who follow Free call themselves. They are known to be beastmen, scoundrels, criminals, rebels and general troublemakers.

The Resplendent Assessors: They're watching you...

More as I think of them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:17, Tue 30 June 2009.