To Be Determined NaNo Prep 2021

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Setting

"Welcome to Rigmire. Where the shameful drown in bronze, and the shameless drink up gold."

[Insert a picture here.]

Reducio

Rigmire, a city that's takes inspiration in its design from Steampunk-Victorian Era fashion. The city itself survives on steam power from machines, and also mechanical power from humans.

Steam majorly overtakes as a energy resource of the city, making it ideal for the city to rely on heat conductive metals such as copper, steel, bronze, gold, etc. The city was geographically placed in a region with surrounding water to commit to plans of the invention of the Steam Furnace. It was settled in what would be considered modern day Florida of the United States. Rigmire undertakes Americanized structures rather than British despite the influence of the British-European era. The world takes base around US American-European history.

In order to explain Rigmire, history first must be told.

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Rigmire began when foreign settlers from faraway lands arrived in to a land with water ensnaring three of its four sides. While they were there, they weren't the first ones on the land. There, they met the Originators, whose culture and identities were considered 'primitive' to theirs. The Originators treated the newcomers in friendly manner, giving offers of their own culture to the settlers as a way of bonding, and in return, the settlers gave them knowledge of their own lands and their technological advancements.

At first, it appears noble connections were made, until more settlers came to the land and began building a new invention that would forever haunt the Originators; the Steam Furace.

The Steam Furace was able to generate a large settlement of people with only a cup of water. The power was immeasurable, but the resources needed for its completion was threatening. Resources, that Originators had plenty of. Resources, that the Originiators wouldn't be as willing to give up.

To achieve their goal, the settlers gave Originators things they knew they would eventually not live without. Eventually, it turned into taking instead.

The foreigners and with their technological advancements, took to creating the perfect remedy. One that'll make the Originators have no choice but to bow down to their new rulers...

The foreigners, called it Paradise.

They gave the Originators Paradise, telling them of all the tonics and health benefits they would have from it. And the Originators believed them, and eventually, the foreigners were in charge.

The Originators begging for Paradise and pleading for it, and even arguing among themselves to obtain Paradise once more for themselves. The Originators had no choice but to bow down to the foreigners. And the foreigners took what they could to build their beloved city of Rigmire.

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And so, Rigmire was built. It was meant to be a utopia for all of its denizens. But in due time it became a mess. It's pure gold and clean steel structures were now slowly being tinted with rust and violence. It all boiled down to politics and the resources needed yet again to keep Rigmire functioning. And the resources they stole were slowly dying down. Out of desperate measures, they allowed the descendents of the Originators permission to enter the sleazy city.

To work and without question.

Mind you, they didn't have much else with their resources mostly gone and relying on animals becoming extinct for survival. These descendents would come to work in either mines, industrial cleaners, furance fuelers, you name it. If it was a dirty, disgusting and impure job, it was left to the descendents.

With the city now larger with its newcomers, more building was constructed with the new resources now able to come in with a larger populace. The buildings were mostly shanty, and used wood materials. But the Rigmire denizens complained of the ghastly appearance of the buildings in the city, and eventually replaced them with bronze. It was durable, and it was at most, plenty around the time.

Despite the new output for resources, the city was still affected by crime. Crime that only attended to becoming worse as years passed, whether from the rage of living and working conditions of descendents along with their uncanny need for Paradise, or from the denizens on allowing descendents into the city and the political tensions themselves.

Eventually, it would break out a horrific rebellion, inwhich many lives were lost or damaged. This rebellion caused many descendents to leave the city to live back out in the Open, finding they're much more safe outside than in the city. But a portion of them were dependent on Paradise. During this time, foreigners were arriving more into the continent, and quietly building their own steam powered cities. Descendents that decided to attempt once more on city livihood will attempt to gain access to these cities and their own version of Paradise, with most failing due to news that quickly spread and haunted the new cities of the rebellion that have occurred in Rigmire.

The supply of Paradise moved on to follow the descendents, slowly being spread out across the continent. Either way, Rigmire was the heart of the Paradise supply. It is unknown of its recipe, or its supplier. Crime is a noticeable effect on Paradise users in order to achieve a fair amount for their own survival, especially among those who live out in the Open. Those who were (un)fortunate enough to not depend on Paradise were in search of work to help family or loved ones for their dependence.

Not long after the rebellion, the invention of the steam airship and automations took place. With fear of further rebellions involving the descendents, security-based inventions were in place (steam airships and automations) throughout Rigmire. Slowly, this technology would travel out to other cities that were in development to prevent any confrontations with outside descendents.

There were talks of removing descendents from Rigmire completely, but it was over-ruled due to the necessity of workers to keep the city functioning. Thus, instead of the rebellion being in attempt to better the livihoods of the descendents, it instead made conditions worse with more watchful eyes on them.

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Currently, the city takes a circular format. In the heart of the city lies the main furance unit that power the structure as a whole. It's chimney is more than noticeable, producing the most pollution and the main cause of the city's darken atmosphere from the fog produced by the pollution. Those who ended up benefitting from profits in the newly implemented trading system, had the privilege to live in golden exterior homes built in the higher-up stands of the city. They lived away from the fog, and were able to blind their eyes away from the majority of ill conditions the city suffered from. Their homes took similar design choices involving glass and gold, with glass allowing those in the stands to look down beneath them onto the city.

Those who weren't so fortunate ended up living in rust and bronze. Windows, if any, were made cheaply with faux glass materials, with most windows ended up covered up and sealed off by tenants to avoid the fog and inhaling its pollution for long periods of time.

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Main Character

Rather than a single main character, there will be three. A young girl, a young boy, and a automatron. Both children aged around 14. A key note to have in mind that the story isn't meant to end only at one book. Their ages will increase each book in. Most likely ending around ages 18-21.

The Boy

Reducio

A descendent who lives in the city of Rigmire. He has to work as a chimney sweeper to help his brother take care of their father. The family is poor, living in bronze like a majority of the city. He learned over time the trade of chimney sweeping and was eventually allowed by his master (teacher) to do the work on his own along with the girl main character.

Descendents have names that usually signify their origins. The boy was named by his mother significantly. He was given the name Talako, meaning "eagle" in the Choctaw tribal language of Indigenous Americans. His mother originated from the tribe, but he knew nothing further and his father refused to speak any further on her.

Talako has a brother named Nashoba, who acts more of a father figure towards him and teaches him how to behave. Despite his brother's teachings, Talako turns to thinking about ensuring his family's livihood first whether or not there would be dire consequences for his mindset. He ends up taking up the worse consequences yet when he meets the Machine and planned on taking it to get scraps for its parts.

Despite Talako's morally grey behavior, his actions are done for those he considered family. When he meets the Machine, he realizes the scraps he could obtain from it would be enough to pay off for his friend's ownership from their master and get his family out of the city for good. Eventually, as the Machine realize Talako's plan and leaves him, Talako feels guilt and grieves for losing a friend, despite the Machine being just that; a machine.

Talako tends to behave like most boys at his age, if not a bit more mature in mindset due to his life of being cheap labor and living in undesirable conditions. He'll show part of his personality when he first interact with wealthy young boys early into the story. Objects of leisure and entertainment were new concepts to him, and also considered entirely unnecessary.

When he first meets the Machine, he ends up undergoing a timeline of events to barely escape the corrupt nature of the city involving past and present political tension along with his friend. He, along with his friend, will eventually realize that it wasn't only Rigmire that was seeped with corruption and vanity, but the entire continent as a whole with more people coming in to take control and drink down the resources from the land, and they won't need to achieve manipulative tactics this time either.

With severe development throughout the story, Talako plans to leave Rigmire as a wanted criminal with the Machine and his friend...only for said friend's long lost family decide to take her away as an elite member of society. Despite the twist, the friend convinces the boy to leave her and promise to only return when he was ready. Throughout this time, Talako learns that protecting and saving those he cares about takes more than just scrapping a few copper wires or cleaning some nobleman's dirty chimney. Sometimes he'll have to fight the real fight.

[WC: 516]

The Girl

Reducio

Born to what she speculated was a poor family, she was at first living in the streets of Rigmire as a pickpocket until she attempted to pickpocket who would become her chimney sweeper mentor. When he took her in, he taught her, of course, the chimney sweep trade, but also quietly taught her basic education of math and writing, which of little he knew, to ensure she could continue the trade of chimney sweeping until he could marry her off or place her in a wealthy household as a handmaid.

She was gifted a name by said mentor, and given her a English name despite her obvious differing hertiage of African. Dahlia was her gifted name. It's meaning of "dweller of the valley." (Will have more context in later books.) When she first started her apprenticeship, she ends up meeting Talako, who already has a few years or so of apprenticeship. Talako would mostly overtake her training while their teacher/master was left to her basic education. At first, she was wary and distrustful of most, and still held some of this behavior in her current years in the first book. She was, of course, wary of Talako, but then ends up putting more trust towards him as they slowly bonded over time. So when she met the Machine, she was also wary of it, unsure how to handle the new character among the group, and to even consider it a sentient being.

When meeting the Machine, they altogether managed to get into troublesome antics that stems from the Machine being announced as a 'rouge machine', and not to mention Talako's first intentions with the Machine. Dahlia isn't afraid to speak out when she finds it necessary, nor when it comes time to use her fists; a trait she had hammered into her during her time as a pickpocket. So when it was time for her to speak out against Talako's poor judgement of their situation, it was painful for her.

As Talako explains to her behind the reason for doing everything he could to make profit off of the Machine; to help him and his whole family escape from the city, including her. At a slight twist, Dahlia will admit to Talako that she sees him as family, but their mentor is family to her as well. Dahlia believes their mentor will keep her in the trade and sees her as a daughter. She was grateful to have gotten a home instead of still living out on the streets.

When she is betrayed by her mentor, Dahlia becomes conflicted on her perspective on family, especially when her biological family steps in.

Throughout early in her journey, Dahlia will realize the extent of what bonds means, and who is truly deserving of the title of 'family.'

[WC: 466]

The Machine

Reducio

The Machine, also known as Robotic Ultra-Symbolic Technology [RUST]. Unlike all the automatrons that Talako and Dahlia ever seen their entire time in the city of Rigmire, Rust is...off. The others have no emotional output, but Rust does. He's also curious about things around him, picking up even the littlest of things to observe and make points on. If Talako or Dahlia question something, Rust is there to immediately explain it for them. But when it was time to go on the run? Rust is perfect for it, because he can transform into various things. One is a mode he likes to call 'the riding car' (think steam/dieselpunk motorcycle), another is some sort of climbing mode.

Rust will have a plane ability in later books, but to remain in a similar timeline as the invention of the airplane, he will just be majorly grounded.

Rust will explain he has many 'modes', but most of them are "not meant for good things." In his own words. Eventually, when Rust realize Talako's intent for him, he will become 'angry' and also realize why he had such other destructive modes. "To become a solution to an ever-looming problem." Eventually they will somehow (?) make up {further planning to be made...}, and they'll be on the run from the city's corrupted officials, and Dahlia is promised by Talako that he will return for her, and Rust promises he will help Talako. Throughout the time, Rust will become more dynamic in his programming and understand human nature and its flaws while also, in some ways, become human himself.

[WC: 263]

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Main Plot

Book One
Burning Eagle

Chapter One	Chapter Two Talako & Dahlia Introduction → Chimney Sweepers Chimney Scene: Cleaning a factory chimney Setting of the city from factory chimney Dahlia in the midst of cleaning chimney, her ropes snap Talako grabs robes in time beforehand Setting more so introduced?	Chapter Three Talako curses out Dahlia when they return to master chimney sweeper Chimney sweeper questions situation; sees broken ropes Dahlia admits to ropes breaking; sweeper gets frustrated because she nearly fell Broken rope is also hard to repair and expensive to keep maintained; Dahlia owes him Talako mentally plans to take Dahlia out of the city with him and his family when he saves enough to do so Talako returns home to biological family; brother comes home not long after Talako questions him why he even bothers with the police ["They all smell fishy."] → Imply corruption || Talako watches police during his work acting crude to bronze class denizens "I must smell fishy too then." Brother grumbles, sitting down to eat. "Is dad asleep? He'll need some paradise soon." Talako shrugs. "I just came home." Bedroom creaks (?); "Must've just gotten up. Take him to paradise." Talako sees his dad in his room, sitting up in a flimsy bed "We're home, dad." Dad is silent; Talako is fine with it, prepares 'medicine.' [rule: no description of paradise] "Dahlia nearly hurt herself badly today. Lucky I was able to grab her in time." Silence. Details of bedroom? {There lies the picture of a woman, staring down at the two in the bedroom, as if judging them. Judging them
Chapter Four Another job to do Talako meets with Dahlia, who he finds tinkering around with gears She built a small, toy automatron Talako is in disbelief at the invention; "You should make more. Miners will buy them." Dahlia shakes her head; "Papa said no. Blue stockings aren't looked in favor." Talako scoffs (?); "Maybe he should've thought about that before this chimney business he put you in." They meet back at Chimney Sweeper's home, and are given a job; "This one is a breaker. They'll pay us twice as much than any ever did before." Talako not amused; sweeper promises the job gives him his own wages. Now interested. They go to the house (gold denizens); meet the house mistress [notes] with rude mouth Talako is angry; works on chimney anyway just to get job done and get paid Meets the boys with Dahlia; bribed to steal a golden rocking horse They arrive; no toy smuggling → Meet RUST. They are caught; must escape.	Chapter Five Chase scene; minimal dialogue, more action Escape; now wanted criminals Dahlia questions what they are to do now; "My brother gonna tan my hide." "Your brother, is going to take you to jail!" "Like that'll happen. He'll take care of everything as always." "Tal, this isn't going to be a 'get out of jail' thing! This is...this is more than that! Now we have...whatever this thing is, following us!" "Hi, I am RUST. Would you like for me to make you some scones?" "No! I don't even like scones!" "Don't worry, I have a plan." "If it involves us NOT going to jail or worse, then I am not interested." "We're already stuck anyway. You know what this means?" Talako hits	Chapter Six
Chapter Seven	Chapter Eight	Chapter Nine

Not all chapters are outlined.
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Notes

Reducio

Beginning?

• "Show, don't tell."
• Invest into characters.
• Action?

Talako and Dahlia are introduced in the city of Rigmire. They take over a job involving one of the wealthy denizens attending to their steam fireplace. Talako was excited because this one promised not only payment for his master, but for the chimney sweepers doing the job as well.

"They're paying us ten shillings each, and the master fifteen. That'll be enough for a whole goose this Christmas at home!"

When he along with the girl make it to the wealthy household, they're amazed by the building and material possessions inside. They end up meeting the headmistress (older woman) of the home. When she asked for their names, she is in disbelief.

"Whoever named you, young man, they didn't think about the difficulties of others pronouncing it. You'll go by a name suitable for me to say. Cameron is a good name, yes. Goes well with that crooked nose of yours too. The girl's name is just fine however. Whoever named her were smart."

Despite his anger from the new names, he went onto working, placing his anger into his work. [Curse under breath? Not hard to say his name.] He thought about the money he would be given from the job to ease annoyance. He and Dahlia went to cleaning the steam fireplace, and while doing so, two young boys, maybe a year or two older than them, confront them.

Boys → ? → Machine?
Maybe entice them with money to come with them to check out a location? → Shady area known for dealings.
!!!; Police Captain + mysterious individual deal for the Machine.

Why do boys want them to come? Expecting something...
["A whole load of factory toys been smuggled in. And we want some. You two move fast, and my brother and I want the new golden rocking horse. We'll pay you in full gold coins, and we'll be the first kids in the stands to have one."]? With just this interaction, they will end up meeting the Machine, not knowing of the friendship they will end up having for years down the road.

How did they get to Rust? Talako sneaks into large crate (concealed, keeps listening in to deal convo despite not understanding most of it) Dahlia slowly follows, quietly getting into back of crate to Talako to open it up to find toy.

No toy. Just Rust.

Mysterious other crates along with Rust; they get caught when Rust activates and just be himself. [Next chapter cutscene?]

How do they escape? -> !!! RUST scans them. Takes them as owners.
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Subplots

Subplot 1
Talako & His Brother

Brother (Nashoba = "Wolf") investigates smuggling of toys (?) -> tedious duties bc of mistreatment in police force.
During his reports, he confronts Talako eventually.

"You've been fooling around again, haven't you?" Silence. "Answer me, Talako." Talako, during a 'snap' of his character -> "Your job doesn't even pay enough to keep us fed well! Especially our paradised dependent father-!" Smack in mouth? Nashoba snaps back, "How can you speak about him like that? You think he chose to be like this? Do you think I chose to be like this? I don't even get respect with this uniform on!

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