DaReef

Locations

The reef is divided into 3 zones Epilight, Mesolight, and bethi/Bathynight (regional variation in spelling).

Epilight

This is what you think of when you think of a reef super packed big city metropolis but colorful! Natural light makes the water that wonderful tealish blue. Epilights residency are mostly curled into the reef itself and are typically quite small. Shopping districts and housing districts are not distinctly separate and there will be large ports next to rows of homes. Basically wherever there's a nook there's a home or shop.

Epilight citizens are already colorful by nature (tropical fish are the most common herit type for obvious reasons) but popular fashion involves lots of beads and shells and bangles they love colorful and shiny things. Self expression is very important to epilight residents and thus body mods are also very popular tattoos and piercings things like that. It's normal to see an epilight resident with full sleeves of tattoos. Those with shells or carapices will instead opt for painting themselves and carving piercings into place. Epilights are very close with their animal counterparts since they live alongside them. It's culturally important for epilights to take care of their environment as a thank you for raising them and helping them reach adulthood. Turtle epilights will track migration patterns and egg survival rates while whale epilights will scrape barnacles and converse with their old pods to make sure things are going smoothly in the wider ocean.

Financially epilight is mostly reliant on being a trans continental crossroads of sorts and having a huge marine population. This allows them to make a decent amount on boat repairs and tariffs/taxes on nations who want to pass through. Many epilight herits will work guiding or maintaining boats and thus spend lots of time away from home. Additionally epilight functions as a crossing point for land to aquatic trade. They are the top portion of the reef that breaches the water which allows for easier trade. So to reach the aquatic market one must go through epilight. Epilight also relies on the lower zones to stimulate the economy since they are exporting their goods.

Mesolight

Mesolight is darker than epilight. Natural sunlight barely creeps down and the water looks like an everlasting night sky. Despite that mesolight is alive and bustling, a perpetual night market. Bioluminescence is a common trait and lights hang from precarious spots all over the coral. Mesolight is just as tightly packed as epilight at the top but thins out the deeper you go. Mesolight has lots of weaving pathways and one not familiar with them could end up completely turned around

Mesolights citizens come in all sorts of strange shapes and sizes but much like epilights they value self expression through their form is a little more alt. Think industrial streetwear mixed with oceanic flow? Right now braiding bioluminescent plants into hair is really popular with the young mesolights. Mesolights also live closely with their animal counterparts, they value the natural lifecycle and are conscious not to disturb it. They keep a close eye on the animals they hunt and the plants they eat to insure the reef stays healthy in perpetuity. Mesolight funerals are a joyous occasion since death is in esense contributing to the cycle.

Mesolights industry is electricity! Slow turbines ingrained into the wall of the reef spin with the currents generating massive amounts of electricity powering the entire reef! The surplus (of which there is a lot) is sold off to other nearby reefs or even land nations on occasion. This provides a nice padding for the mesolight economy. Working on the powerplants is a common job for mesolights because of this. In addition to electricity mesolight is responsible for the production/breeding of the bacteria in herit screens! Mesolights booming tech industry has inadvertently caused a huge modding scene in mesolight since most of them work with tech to some capacity. It's not uncommon for a mesolight to have their own screen bacteria strain which produces all sorts of wacky shrimp colors.

Bethinight

Bethinight is the darkest, smallest and most secluded zone of the reef. The water is pitch black and most native bethinights have moved past attempting to use sight. Everything has a faint sickly green tinge. Bethinights is sparsely populated in comparison to the other two zones allowing for its residents to be spread much further apart and have much larger living quarters. In addition to living on the reef itself the lowest lurkers of bethilight have large “bubbles”. The bubbles are chained to the sea floor creating a sight eerily similar to underwater bombs swaying in the current. These chains and truly these entire research facilities (which is what they are) are massively expensive as every aspect of them must be imported from the surface.

Bethinights citizens are odd folk in both appearance and culture. For the longest time their contact with the rest of the world was limited but the creation of the internet has allowed for them to openly communicate with the rest of the world. Unlike the rest of the reef bethinights prefer to dress strictly utilitarian, favoring form fitting wetsuits and other similar garments. Bethilight culture is heavily focused on curiosity. They urge their young to explore and experiment to their heart's content and every dinner table hosts a scientific debate. Bethilights hold their pet projects very close to their hearts. Showing or involving another in a pet project is a sign of deep trust and often couples/cules will have a project they work on together throughout their relationship.

Bethinight doesn’t have a specific industry and instead is mostly devoted to scientific research. Primarily focused on the ecology of the reef they compile the data collected by the upper zones and use it to learn what the reef needs at the moment. Most bethilights work for the reefs government though some work for private companies. Bethilights also help develop bacterial technology further, what better place to research bacteria then where they originate.

Portholes

Portholes are large holes pruned through the reef. This allows both sides of the reef to be connected. Each zone has four portholes each in unique and advantageous positions for their communities. The walls of the portholes are left to the flora and fauna of the area. Portholes must be tended to lest they become overgrown and clogged.

Bleached sectors

Unfortunately the reef still bares the scars of humanity and some portions of the reef were unable to recover from our impacts. Most citizens and even government bodies consider bleached sectors a relic, a reminder and a graveyard which must be respected but left at peace. However that's not to say its a herit free area, herits are notoriously stubborn little things and some have managed to survive and thrive in small nomadic communities in the bleached sectors. These bleached sector herits primarily take after the corals surrounding them and thus are completely monochromatic. These communities are tucked deep within the sectors. They are primarily scavengers looking for and recording the history of what was once there. The bleached sector has one slightly dilapidated porthole which is used only occasionally.

Locations

The reefs government is comprised of three branches for each zone. These branches each have a unique (and vague) way of governing their respective zones. Each of these branches have three heads which form a nine person council. This council is responsible for the dealings of the reef as a whole (such as nations they trade with, health of the reef, and concerns from citizens). Each member of this council is elected by the people of there given zone every 5 years and can only be elected thrice before they are no longer eligible to run. the reefs government is comprised of three branches for each zone. These branches each have a unique (and vague) way of governing their respective zones. Each of these branches have three heads which form a nine person council. This council is responsible for the dealings of the reef as a whole (such as nations they trade with, health of the reef, and concerns from citizens). Each member of this council is elected by the people of there given zone every 5 years and can only be elected thrice before they are no longer eligible to run.