The Pillars

The Pillars are an alliance of cities located northeast of the Sanddagger Mountains, along the south-west edge of the quarantine line established during the Plague Years. As a society, they repudiate Immaculate doctrine and the rule of the Realm, and accept and revere the Solar Exalted.

The City of Dawn was the precursor to the Pillars, founded in YD 11 by the 12th Spear of the Army of the Sun.

When Bergwachter was founded in YD 29 by the 2nd Spear, it was a natural ally of Dammerung-Ort. It is from this alliance that the Pillers rose.

There are four other cities of note in the region, and a large gathering of smaller towns and villages.

The Pillars are ruled by a council with (theoretically) five representatives.

• The Seats of Dawn and Twilight represent the two primary regions of the Pillars, the areas around Dammerung-Ort and Bergwachter, respectively. Dawn is currently held by Te-oc Nom, the god of Dammerung-Ort. Twilight is currently held by Fourfold Elegant Zephyr, an immigrant from Southhaven, Solar Exalted, and a general of the army.
• The Seat of Zenith represents the Army of the Sun itself, and is currently held by General Autumn Rain Walker, a Solar Exalted and general of the army.
• The Seat of Night is meant to represent a “demon's advocate” position and an outsider viewpoint. It is currently unheld - Wren has asked a few select Sidereals to accept it, but none have.
• The Seat of Eclipse represents the monarch of the Pillars, a position that is, by design, primarily a ceremonial one, first-among-equals on a good day. It is notionally held by Glorious Wren herself, but she is usually represented by her executive officer, Tsegan Aster.

Several layers of bureaucracy exist below this, much of it transplanted from or coincident with the Army of the Sun. Most official policy in the early years emphasizes protection from the Great Contagion and maintaining the quarantine.

It is very open economically, though those who trade in artifacts frequently find themselves under scrutiny to ensure that everything is above board. Hereditary indenture or serfdom is illegal; non-hereditary forms of peonage or slavery are uncommon, but far from unheard of. The principle of “equality before the law” is not a legal matter du jour, but is frequently a de facto outcome, given the truth-seeking capabilities of the various Essence-wielders who administer the cities, and Wren's own stated desire to secure justice for all the citizens of the Pillars.

Worth emphasizing is the fact that the Pillars do not have lese majesty laws, though extortions to the Underworld or outright calls to violence are quickly and severely suppressed.

Much of Wren's pragmatic personality has seeped into the character of the Pillars. By and large, most citizens care little for theoretical matters, concentrating on practicalities and the matters at hand. The nearness of the Great Contagion in the early years of the founding led to a sort of optimistic fatalism and a determination to live in the present.

Over time, the Pillars continue to be a very military-centric society that emphasizes individual effort and accomplishment - there are several noble families that make generational service to the Army of the Sun a point of great pride.

The Immaculate Order is nearly non-existant. Wren, and much of the region, has little patience for those who would preach the doctrine of Anathema and Dragon-Blooded supremacy.

The Adamant Order of the Azure Phoenix Ascendant has made certain inroads. Wren distrusts it, and has expressed public disagreement with its theology, but it does not labor under the official displeasure to which the Immaculate Order is frequently subjected.

Insofar as the Pillars have an officially blessed religious doctrine, it is reverence toward the Unconquered Sun and respect for the spirits and gods of Creation and Yu Shan. There is also a deep hatred of the Deathlords and the undead, living so long in the shadow of the quarantine.