The Capitol Concept

Here is a finalized concept for The Capitol city! (Art by: Pedro Cardoso) This is a massive metropolis that no other settlement even comes close to in size. It is home to the most fierce advocates for the prosperity of Humanity and stands proudly as a shining example of what can be accomplished when mankind binds together in singular vision. The buildings and skyscrapers are all patched together with transmutation as the need for expansion never stops. Spires of holy fire touch they sky in raw demonstration of power.

Here we can see a small clearing where members of The Consulate publicly execute criminals. It is not possible to distribute written laws, so they find it necessary to remind the masses with a definitive show of the suffering you may endure if you fall out of line.

If you are condemned to execution you are generally given three choices which have larger implications than are immediately apparent. Through their warped perspective, they believe that prolonged torture is completely unacceptable. These punishments are harsh, but by giving citizens a choice they left things on 'fair' terms due to ancient ideals left behind from within the cosmic myths of Humanity. 

• Beheading is the most common choice. It is quick and painless, though you still may be left out on display for several days before the final event. There is a slight chance that anyone beheaded will become a Dullahan - capable of living out the rest of their lives with an animated severed head. In the event the condemned are a Dullahan, they are set free regardless of what their crimes were and given a second chance at life. This slight glimpse of hope for the condemned helps ease many into accepting their fate.

• Being burned alive is chosen by far less people, but it has a much more lucrative outcome. Just like how being beheaded may result in a Dullahan, if a condemned survives being burned alive, they will be set free. They will also immediately move up in social position and be offered wealth in compensation for their suffering. It is a sign of true piety to survive the holy fires which are believed to burn the occult more deeply and the upper echelons of society contain many of these survivors, known as Scorched or Charred, depending on how successful their return from the flames was. These traditions stretch back to tales of The Reborn King, blessed by The Emperor to walk free from the flames he was sentenced to die in. The significance of these events are raised even higher by the beliefs of Brimstone Zealot's which line the Consulate. 

The Reborn King is a cautionary tale. He walked off the pyre as a Charred One, who feared for the rest of his life that his disciples would see him burn once more. He became a sadistic tyrant who ruled his kingdom as though everyone was his enemy. His absolute lack of mercy is defended to this day by Zealots, that he was in the right to do whatever he wanted as a King, but now see the necessity in tradition to structure execution in a way that those who do not die can still forgive their executioners.

• The third option varies depending on the current  needs of civilization. These can be seen as 'special promotions' running for limited time at your execution. Most commonly these see the condemned sentenced to extreme servitude or driven mad in wild experiments. They are often seen as a 'way out' of nearly certain death, but they can be far less pleasant.