Motifs--Iron

Alyria is a world of iron. It is the feeling of oppression as you cower in the shadow of a mighty skyscraper. It is the feeling of despair as a prison door clangs shut. It is the feeling of darkness as a flower is crushed underfoot by iron-shod feet. It is the feeling of horror as a trail of blood flows down a sewer grate. It is the feeling of agony as a suffering people are herded into the ovens. Alyria is a broken world, ruled by violence and corruption. The powerful flourish and the weak are shattered. The gears clank and the factories fume and the helpless are lost in the haze and crushed beneath the heavy iron skies.

Alyria is a dark setting, and it should feel dark and oppressive. Some characters or settings should be harsh, cruel, and oppressive. The two major superpowers are each oppressive in their own ways. The Citadel crushes its people under the weight of its technological might, and the Ark strips its people of their individuality. Even the small villages of the wilderness can be cruel and unforgiving to outsiders or to those that violate the unspoken rules of the community. This can even be incorporated into the background of a scene by showing a peasant being brutalized by soldiers or simply by emphasizing the faceless crowds filing through the long corridors, each wearing an expressionless mask.