Citadel Council

The Citadel Council: What It Is and Why It Exists

The Citadel Council formed in the year after the Collapse. New Vance was close to falling apart. Food was scarce. Power failed often. Water fights broke out in the streets. Shamblers pushed into areas people thought were safe.

A group of former city officials, planners, and security leaders stepped in. Before the world ended, they ran offices, towers, and agencies. They were used to rules and control. When things broke down, they decided that chaos would kill the city faster than any enemy.

They split responsibility with other groups. The Solar Guardians handled power. The Hydro Hegemony handled water. The Perimeter Watch guarded the outskirts. The Citadel Council took control of rules, records, and planning. Their job was to keep the center of the city alive.

Their goal was simple. They wanted one part of New Vance where people could live without daily panic. A place where children could grow up, clinics could work, and schools could stay open. To do this, they decided freedom had to come second. They believed the old world fell because no one enforced limits.

That belief never changed. The Council still sees itself as the only group thinking far ahead. They plan years at a time. They judge success by how many people stay alive, how often power stays on, and how few infections break out. They believe every other faction is focused on one problem. Power. Water. Money. Violence. The Council believes it alone is trying to rebuild a real city.

The Glass Ring and Citadel Territory

The Council rules from the Glass Ring, a group of reinforced towers at the center of New Vance. Before the Collapse, these were corporate buildings and luxury apartments. After the Collapse, the Council sealed them off and turned them into a fortress.

The towers are armored. Windows are sealed. Walkways connect buildings above street level so people do not have to walk outside. Below them sits the Citadel proper, where the Council works and lives. This area holds offices, command centers, housing for officials, clinics, schools, and supply depots.

Everything inside has a purpose. Streets are clean and well lit. Guards and drones patrol constantly. Entry points are few and heavily watched. You do not wander inside the Citadel by accident.

Outside the Glass Ring are buffer districts. These areas still belong to the Council, but they are less protected. People live there under watch. Food routes and supply paths are tracked. Checkpoints decide who can enter and who cannot.

Farther out, the Council does not rule openly. Instead, it trades, spies, and watches. It places informants in markets and clinics. It hides sensors in streets and buildings. Even where the Council flag does not fly, its influence decides who gets help and who does not.

How the Council Governs

The Citadel Council is led by Directors. Each Director controls one area: security, food and supplies, health, education, infrastructure, records, or enforcement. Most were managers or officials before the Collapse. They still think the same way. The only difference is that failure now gets people killed.

The Directors meet on a schedule. They review reports on food, power, sickness, crime, and movement. If something looks dangerous, they vote. If the threat feels urgent, a Director can act alone.

Every registered citizen has a record. Your eyes, body, and name are scanned and logged. That record controls where you live, what you eat, what work you do, and what care you receive.

Your behavior matters. Speaking against the Council, skipping work, or trading without permission lowers your score. A high score means steady food, safer housing, and access to schools. A low score can mean hard labor, questioning, or being forced out of the Citadel.

Enforcement is constant. Cameras and drones watch most areas. Systems track movement and gatherings. When something looks wrong, human officers or augmented enforcers step in. In key areas, machines patrol with simple orders: protect Council property, protect Council people, and stop violence.

The Council says this control is temporary. They say it will loosen once the city is safe. There is no plan for when that happens. Many people believe the control will never end, because it is how the Council stays in power.

Daily Life Inside the Glass Ring

Life inside the Citadel is safer than anywhere else in New Vance. Lights stay on. Trash is removed. Shambler attacks almost never succeed. Children go to school. Clinics have real equipment and trained staff.

Food comes from machines that scan your eyes. The food is basic but reliable. Water is clean. Power rarely fails. All of this depends on deals with other factions, paid for with data, favors, and political pressure.

Public spaces are quiet and orderly. Screens show news and messages from the Council. The message is always the same: the Council kept you alive, and it will keep you alive if you follow the rules.

People speak carefully. Complaints are whispered. Neighbors watch each other. Some report problems out of fear. Others do it because they believe in the system. Trust is rare.

Still, people try to live normal lives. Families eat together. Students study and hope for safe jobs in offices or clinics. Some truly believe the Council is building something worth the cost. Others stay because leaving means hunger, infection, or death outside the walls.

Pressure and Cracks in the System

The Council is under constant strain. Supplies are limited. Refugees keep coming. Every new person needs food, power, and tracking. Every new entry adds risk.

The Council depends on other factions. The Solar Guardians control power. The Hydro Hegemony controls water. Both know the Council needs them. They demand favors in return. If those deals fail, life inside the Citadel could collapse fast.

The Shadow Syndicate is a serious threat. It moves illegal tech, medicine, and unregistered implants into Council areas. This breaks the behavior system and gives people ways to resist. In response, the Council runs stings, spies on suspects, and quietly removes people who push too hard.

The Perimeter Watch guards the outer edge of the city. The Council respects them but does not control them. Some Directors want tighter control. Others fear pushing too far would weaken the city’s defenses.

Inside the Glass Ring, flaws show. Officials bend rules for family. Some people vanish from the records and appear later under new names. Quiet groups ask whether the control will ever ease.

No one asks these questions out loud.