The Slums of Lower Sanctuary

"Society creates rogues, and education makes one rogue cleverer than another."

The following worldview is commonly held by the residents of Lower Sanctuary, and can be gleaned by any who spend time in their city slums.

Overview Lower Sanctuary (also known as "the Sanctuary Below") was originally founded during the Chilling Plague, which struck Sanctuary sixty years ago. It was a haven for exiles, discontents, free-thinkers, cultists, criminals, and other individualists who were unhappy with their lives in Sanctuary but were unwilling or unable to simply strike out on their own.

Amongst these strong-minded founders, their individualism was often all they could agree on: the violent criminals, ascetic prophets, devoted anarchists, greedy mercenaries, sketchy adventurers, aspiring merchants, shady smugglers, isolationist loners, ostracized cultists, and idealistic youths who made their way to Lower Sanctuary had little other common ground. As the district has struggled to survive over the past sixty years, these many disparate factions have engaged in perpetual infighting, united only in their resistance to outside dominance and codified laws.

Social Characteristics

• Local Authority - Whether they are adherents of a secretive cult, partners in an influential guild, runners for a local cartel, or members of a roving street gang, the people of this district appeal to local sources of protection and authority rather than centralized institutions. These local authorities do not consider each other to have any legitimate power, and so when one attempts to harass somebody who is under the protection of another, both can be drawn into a prolonged turf war.

• Lawless - The strong-minded individualists of this district feel that codified laws and centralized institutions inherently trample upon individual freedom and privacy. Rules restrict actions, narrow vision, and enforce conformity and slavery to the status quo. Laws deny individuality; they deny liberty; they deny the ability to think and make our own choices on a case-by-case basis. They take away that which is greatest in us: our independence and intuition, and replace is by that which is most shameful: our mindless following of instructions. These people feel that no lawbook can ever capture how society ought operate, and no rules can ever account for all possible situations.

Social Norms

• Freedom - We have been liberated from the bonds of slavery, and it is proper that we spread this freedom to every aspect of our lives, lest it fall away from us. To be free is to have no restrictions on how one lives one's life: to be unburdened by codes of laws and intrusive institutions; to be able to take direct action to carry out one's goals. Free people are not compelled by an oppressive society to adhere to any one ideology, even if it claims to be righteous, or natural, or stable, or progressive, or beneficial in any other way. Free people are free to choose their own paths.

• Privacy - Ours is a harsh existence, and everybody does what they need to do to get by. It is never proper to pry into other people's affairs, as though you had a right to judge how they live their lives; after all, you would not want that same intrusive scrutiny applied to your own personal business. Only strife can come from seeking out knowledge hidden in privacy. Neither lofty titles nor high offices nor supposed duty exempt individuals from this unspoken code of silence, that allows the people of our district to carry out their business and live their lives without being harassed.

General Attitudes toward the Nearby Colonies

Old Sanctuary - These are the brutal, corrupt descendants of our age-old oppressors. Whether they are neglecting our poor or trampling upon our weak, their Watch and their Council are the origin of all tyranny and woe. Even in their absence, they are the cause of the problems which plague this district, and their treachery will not be soon forgotten.

New Dunwarren - These self-proclaimed Tyr-ants embody the worst aspects of established society. They have no privacy and personal liberties in their so-called ideal community, and instead sacrifice their freedom and individuality in order to conform with the dictates of their centralized temple government. And they dare imply that others also ought adhere to their overbearing moral compass? We can only be thankful that their patronizing faith and oppressive institutions are confined to their distant mountain camp.

Machine Zone - These sinister mages are the descendants of the Spellguard, and while they no longer serve as lapdogs of the Council, they are still dangerous in their own right. Their hunger for knowledge, power and control over existence inherently threatens any who value freedom, privacy, and the secrecy of personal affairs.

Mycopolis - Like lesser beasts, the primitive populace of Mycopolis has degenerated so far from civilization that they are unable to grasp even the simplest concepts, like currency and privacy. While they are too far gone to be considered partners, these brutes lack the ambition and organization required to be oppressive, and are wholly unaware of the material wealth that their district possesses, making them potentially useful as tools for our own ends.