City of the Sunken Saints
The City of the Sunken Saints is a monument to refusal. When the old world drowned, the dead who lived there refused to be forgotten. For generations after the fall, the submerged ruins of NoLa, the Bourbon Saints, were nothing more than a rough patch of water. Then, on a cold autumn Hallowed Ween night, hundreds of seaweed-entwined Full Dead emerged from the waves onto a shore where Merican families were celebrating. Panic gave way to bewilderment when the first words from the drowned citizens were: "Did you not get our RSVP?"
Two enormous pre-fall cargo ships, the Maerskeee and the Vale Iron City, have been driven into the seabed to anchor the settlement. Between them, dozens of Salt Wise tankers are lashed together to form a sprawling flotilla. The community exists both above and below the waves, with Full Dead citizens recovering their drowned past from the ruins beneath while Salt Wise manage trade and defense on the surface. The Maerskeee focuses on resource recovery and Full Dead awakening, its lower decks purposely flooded with passages cut for underwater access and pulleys lifting salvaged goods to the surface. The Vale Iron City is divided into three districts: the Vieux Carre trading deck with its grid-pattern streets and lavender-scented saltbox homes, the exclusive Treme Overlook for elites and ambassadors, and the Marigny and Bywater district where Full Dead residents make their homes on the lower decks.
Access to the city is meticulously controlled. Only traders with many years of respectable dealings receive an invitation to dock at Gerald's Dockyard. Guests are given beads of black, gold, and white as tokens of welcome; those who overindulge or abuse their hosts simply vanish. Personal invitations are sometimes extended to descendants of people the Full Dead knew in their former lives, a gesture that carries the weight of centuries of memory.
Below the waves, the two impaled ships anchor a long-term project to build iron and soil barriers protecting the submerged ruins from cross-currents. Dozens of sunken ships are dragged into line to encourage coral growth and silt banking, a construction effort that could not be achieved in a dozen lifetimes. But the Full Dead think on a longer scale than the living, and the drowned city of the Bourbon Saints will rise again on their timetable, not the world's.
Two enormous pre-fall cargo ships, the Maerskeee and the Vale Iron City, have been driven into the seabed to anchor the settlement. Between them, dozens of Salt Wise tankers are lashed together to form a sprawling flotilla. The community exists both above and below the waves, with Full Dead citizens recovering their drowned past from the ruins beneath while Salt Wise manage trade and defense on the surface. The Maerskeee focuses on resource recovery and Full Dead awakening, its lower decks purposely flooded with passages cut for underwater access and pulleys lifting salvaged goods to the surface. The Vale Iron City is divided into three districts: the Vieux Carre trading deck with its grid-pattern streets and lavender-scented saltbox homes, the exclusive Treme Overlook for elites and ambassadors, and the Marigny and Bywater district where Full Dead residents make their homes on the lower decks.
Access to the city is meticulously controlled. Only traders with many years of respectable dealings receive an invitation to dock at Gerald's Dockyard. Guests are given beads of black, gold, and white as tokens of welcome; those who overindulge or abuse their hosts simply vanish. Personal invitations are sometimes extended to descendants of people the Full Dead knew in their former lives, a gesture that carries the weight of centuries of memory.
Below the waves, the two impaled ships anchor a long-term project to build iron and soil barriers protecting the submerged ruins from cross-currents. Dozens of sunken ships are dragged into line to encourage coral growth and silt banking, a construction effort that could not be achieved in a dozen lifetimes. But the Full Dead think on a longer scale than the living, and the drowned city of the Bourbon Saints will rise again on their timetable, not the world's.
Demographics
Full Dead form the primary population of the Sunken Saints, particularly in the lower decks and underwater districts where the work of reclaiming the drowned city continues. The Maerskeee operates birthing rooms for Full Dead still undergoing their awakening, and recovered artifacts are cataloged before sale, with unique items set aside for reclamation by Full Dead residents who recognize possessions from their former lives.
Salt Wise constitute the other major population group, managing the trade operations, fishing, and boatbuilding that keep the flotilla functional. They dominate Gerald's Dockyard and the practical logistics of surface life. Mainland visitors are carefully vetted and present only by invitation, making the Sunken Saints one of the most exclusive and controlled populations on the Rum Coast. The city is dense on the ship decks, with multi-tier living spaces filling both vessels and the flotilla of tankers between them.
Salt Wise constitute the other major population group, managing the trade operations, fishing, and boatbuilding that keep the flotilla functional. They dominate Gerald's Dockyard and the practical logistics of surface life. Mainland visitors are carefully vetted and present only by invitation, making the Sunken Saints one of the most exclusive and controlled populations on the Rum Coast. The city is dense on the ship decks, with multi-tier living spaces filling both vessels and the flotilla of tankers between them.
Government
The City of the Sunken Saints operates as a cooperative between its Full Dead and Salt Wise populations. Full Dead leadership manages affairs across the three major districts, with the Maerskeee focused on resource recovery and Full Dead awakening, and the Vale Iron City divided into its trading, residential, and diplomatic zones. There is no single ruler; governance appears to function through consensus among the Full Dead leadership with Salt Wise managing practical operations on the water.
Access control is the city's most visible form of governance. Gerald's Dockyard, operated by Salt Wise fishmongers, traders, and boatbuilders, serves as the sole entry point, and the criteria for receiving a docking invitation are stringent. Years of respectable trade dealings are the minimum requirement. Guests who abuse their welcome disappear without explanation. The beads of black, gold, and white given to approved visitors are simultaneously a token of hospitality and a form of identification that determines where within the city a guest may travel.
Access control is the city's most visible form of governance. Gerald's Dockyard, operated by Salt Wise fishmongers, traders, and boatbuilders, serves as the sole entry point, and the criteria for receiving a docking invitation are stringent. Years of respectable trade dealings are the minimum requirement. Guests who abuse their welcome disappear without explanation. The beads of black, gold, and white given to approved visitors are simultaneously a token of hospitality and a form of identification that determines where within the city a guest may travel.
History
For generations after the fall, the submerged city was nothing more than a rough patch of water that sailors knew to avoid. The ruins of NoLa lay beneath the waves, undisturbed and largely forgotten by the living. That changed on a cold autumn Hallowed Ween night, when hundreds of seaweed-entwined Full Dead emerged from the ocean onto a shore where Merican families were celebrating. The initial panic subsided when Salt Wise present explained how drowned citizens had come to exist as Full Dead beneath the waves.
In the months that followed, Salt Wise tankers anchored above the drowned city, creating the flotilla that would become the Sunken Saints. The Maerskeee and Vale Iron City were driven into the seabed as permanent anchors, and the community began the dual work of building a functioning city above the waterline while protecting and reclaiming the ruins below. The underwater project operates on a timescale measured in lifetimes rather than years, a pace that only the Full Dead can maintain. The city continues to grow, its population both recovering the relics of former lives and building new ones on the decks of ships that will never sail again.
In the months that followed, Salt Wise tankers anchored above the drowned city, creating the flotilla that would become the Sunken Saints. The Maerskeee and Vale Iron City were driven into the seabed as permanent anchors, and the community began the dual work of building a functioning city above the waterline while protecting and reclaiming the ruins below. The underwater project operates on a timescale measured in lifetimes rather than years, a pace that only the Full Dead can maintain. The city continues to grow, its population both recovering the relics of former lives and building new ones on the decks of ships that will never sail again.
Geography
The City of the Sunken Saints exists as an offshore settlement visible from the Rum Coast by the burning lighthouse towers atop the Maerskeee. Two massive cargo ships are impaled into the seabed, their hulls serving as the structural foundation for the entire community. Between the ships, a flotilla of lashed-together Salt Wise tankers forms Gerald's Dockyard, the city's sole point of contact with the outside world. Retractable gangplanks connect the dockyard to each ship, capable of being sealed at short notice.
The Maerskeee Iron City is the larger vessel, its lower decks purposely flooded with passages cut for underwater access. A pulley system lifts salvaged goods from the ocean floor to the surface decks. The Vale Iron City houses three districts across its multi-tier structure: the Vieux Carre main deck with grid-pattern streets and saltbox-style homes scented with lavender, the Treme Overlook on the upper deck reserved for elite visitors, and the Marigny and Bywater district occupying the lower decks above the waterline.
Below the waves lies the drowned city of the Bourbon Saints, the pre-fall ruins of NoLa. The two impaled ships anchor an ongoing construction project to protect the submerged ruins from cross-currents through iron and soil barriers, with dozens of sunken ships dragged into position to encourage coral growth and natural silt banking.
The Maerskeee Iron City is the larger vessel, its lower decks purposely flooded with passages cut for underwater access. A pulley system lifts salvaged goods from the ocean floor to the surface decks. The Vale Iron City houses three districts across its multi-tier structure: the Vieux Carre main deck with grid-pattern streets and saltbox-style homes scented with lavender, the Treme Overlook on the upper deck reserved for elite visitors, and the Marigny and Bywater district occupying the lower decks above the waterline.
Below the waves lies the drowned city of the Bourbon Saints, the pre-fall ruins of NoLa. The two impaled ships anchor an ongoing construction project to protect the submerged ruins from cross-currents through iron and soil barriers, with dozens of sunken ships dragged into position to encourage coral growth and natural silt banking.
