Lore

Dionysus

Dionysus is a moderately sized rocky planet. It has a chilly, yet temperate climate and highly mountainous terrain.

The capital city of Dionysus is Thyrsus, where the comic is set. It is a city atop a dormant volcano, with the homes of the Illustrati built high above the ground. Society is divided sharply by socioeconomic class, with little to no chance of advancement.

The Illustrati

The Illustrati are the ruling class on Dionysus. They are composed of many powerful families, each with their own style of markings to set them apart from one another. The face tattoos of an Illustratus are what gives them their identity, and each set is unique. They are received once a child has reached the age of 3 cycles, after aptitude and personality testing. A second set on the hands is gained at 4 cycles. Afterwards, many Illustrati choose to get additional designs on other parts of their bodies, as signs of wealth/power/status.

To put it mildly, the Illustrati are not the best, or fairest of leaders. They are most likely to maintain their own interests, and advance through their society.

The Marked

The Marked are Dionysus' middle class. They have only face tattoos, and the designs are usually far simpler than those of the Illustrati. They are forbidden from getting any additional tattoos on the rest of their bodies.

The Marked fall into two categories. There are those that are sworn to one family in particular, who are basically servants. Though they have little freedom, their quality of life is far better than the Faceless. The rest of the Marked are probably the most free people on the planet. Basically freelancers, they work for whoever will hire them, and are the go-betweens that keep the rest of society working

The Faceless

 The Faceless are the forgotten underclass of Dionysus. Referring to their lack of tattooing, and therefore their lack of an identity or place in society, the term Faceless can be both an insult and a term of pride, depending on context and who is saying it.

Having no choice but to live at ground level beneath the buildings of the Illustrati, the Faceless live in abject poverty. Crime is rampant.

The Uprising

A generation ago, some of the Faceless decided they had had enough. A brutal civil war followed. Long story short, they lost. Horribly.

The Book One Protagonists, Zoff and co, are all children of leading revolutionaries from the Uprising. Except for Kritch. He was just there.