Glisal II
Glisal II, in the Glisal System, is the capital of the Celestine Ascendancy.
Noteworthy Places on Glisal II
The capital of Glisal II. It's a smog-choked, sprawling megalopolis with a population of more than 120 million.
This location has been used for urban development for thousands of years now and though the city appears to be built on high bluffs above the sea, these outcroppings are actually the compacted ruins of previous versions of Litharge. There are so many compressed layers of city-strata beneath the city, in fact, that urban archaeologists use it to date historical events.
The spaceport boasts the Glisal Space Elevator, providing immediate access to the Glisal Orbital Synergy Halo far above the planet's surface.
The Singing Citadel
A district of Litharge, the Citadel is a forest of glittering skyscrapers joined by long skyways and inhabited by the wealthiest of the wealthy, the richest of the rich. Resorts, pleasure gardens, full-immersion holo-operas, observatories, and luxury homes all soar above a sea of smog and look out over the ocean. This place drips wealth and power. The four dominant Ascendancy races have embassies/headquarters here.
Raphite Towers
A neighborhood in the vicinity of the Singing Citadel, this is one of the rare middle-class areas in Litharge. This neighborhood features apartments that aren't the size of a shoebox, some substandard entertainment and shopping areas, and decent air quality. People employed by more important people live here.
The Crossings
A prominent spaceport near Litharge.
Scrapston
A large borough sprawling beneath the bluffs of Litharge proper, on the shores of the ocean. Primarily occupied by impoverished welfare recipients and minority (in the Ascendancy) races. Thanks to rising sea levels, this neighborhood was flooded some decades ago, turning its narrow alleyways into a maze of canals. Mold is pervasive thanks to the encroaching water, while overcrowding and homelessness are rampant. Skiffs and makeshift rafts are a primary method of transportation through the canals.
The Subnet
Glisal II is so built-up that there is a substantial population of 'off the grid' individuals living in tunnels, sewers, and habitations beneath the major urban centers. This is referred to, collectively, as the Subnet (so called because it catches anyone who falls through the cracks). Though most of the inhabitants are poor, the almost-total absence of the law means certain types of people have been able to acquire power and untracked wealth. This particular subnet is located in the Lithargian bluffs beneath the Singing Citadel.
Hyndoh Prison
Many cities have a 'bad part of town.' On Glisal II, Hyndoh Prison is often referred to as the bad part of the planet. More of an enclosed and fortified city than a prison, this gulag is filled with the scum of the Ascendancy. Located on an island in the middle of a highly acidic inland sea, Tamiko Lane was briefly interred here before her execution.