Rusta

It's the year 3051 A.D. Orbiting a white dwarf star light years from Earth, Rusta is a remote outpost where night can be day and day can be forever. It's a mystical place where the sky is contorlled by floating orbs known as "regulators" and where a giant wall splits the planet, its climate, and its people.

You see, the giant wall, built 500 years ago, is over a hundred feet in height and dozens of feet in width. On one side, day shines continuously; on the other, it is always night. The day side is ruled by Governor Twist, whilst the night side has Queen Ariel. The ocean is called the Sea of Tears and the water is a bright, blood red. For extreme cases, the people may go to the Sea and call back the souls of the gravely ill from the brink of death. It is said that, should one go too often, the Sea would grow used to the sound of the human voice and refuse to give up her dead.

Legend has it that the Two Sisters were eternally separated by the wall, never to see one another and it is this legend that has been brought from myth to form the only religion on the planet. They're completely identical in appearance except for the color of their clothing. One wears a long dress of white, the other a dress of black. One of the local sayings is "Two great ladies will catch your fall" and the reply is "for they are the ones who catch us all."

The colonists, immigrants, and visitors arrive by rocket from Earth, or one of the many other settled planets, although traders come seldom and widely celebrated. Most of the countryside is farmland, where the people dress and act a bit like the Old West. Weapons are limited to bows and arrows, crossbows, spears, and old-fashioned flintlock rifles and pistols. The Governor, however, exists in a mansion and clothing (as do all his servants) of 1700s Europe. The darkside palace is more mystical than that of some particular Earth period. On both sides, aside from the rockets that bridge the stars, the people get around by horseback or carriage.

Some of the characters you may involve in your story-telling are:

Dr Akada, the famous doctor of the Brightside Clinic, friend to the late King, and former prisoner of the Keep.
Dr Driscoll Rampart (the third), lately from Earth, who came to Rusta as an intern and decided to stay. He works for Dr Akada and is the surrogate father to the shapeshifter and patient named "Never."
Never, a teenage boy with what's called Proteus Syndrome, an ability to mimic in appearance and voice, the people and animals in other people's thoughts.
Governor Twist, ruler of the Lightside. He's a fat, balding man with a love of sweets. He's also a cronic hypochondriac.
Queen Ariel, ruler of the Darkside. She is a young woman in her twenties, with long, black hair, and a dragon tatoo in the center of her forehead.
Oshe, Warden of the ancient prison, the Keep.
Morgus, one of Oshe's trusted companions and a dogkeeper about half-way through his de-evolution.
Lady X, a Lady sentenced to 5,000 years in prison, no chance of parole, for allegedly spreading a deadly plague on Earth over 500 years ago.
Shivana, head nurse of the Brightside Clinic and surogate mother to the children and doctors there. She is married to Akada and keeps the clinic operating smoothly.
Zaza and Zuzu, two orphaned twins adopted by Akada. They live at the clinic.
Streik, a Lieutenant in the Darkside Army, the former fiance of the (then) Princess Ariel, and co-conspirator to the murder of the former King. He has just begun to serve a 600 year sentence.
Dr Golphfa, personal physician to the Darkside Royal Family and the other half of the conspiracy against the king. He was not caught.

There is no dawn, and no dusk. There is television, for security cameras, although no TV programming of the sort we know. There's electicity and refrigerators, security cameras, and radio, but most still make their own clothing and draw their water from wells. Other than the regulators, there are no robotics or other mechanical devices to make life easier on Rusta. The regulators are old, too, and beginning to break down, so the weather is often erratic.

A civil war rages between the light and dark sides, with the rulers of each on the verge of signing a peace accord. Each time they are about to come to an agreement, something happens to stall the process, such as the murder of the king several years ago.

In this campfire, we're all prisoners in the Keep, built into the mountains and wall along the border. Oshe is unique to Rusta, a being somewhat like a cross between a "Star Wars" Calamari and a dog. He's over eight feet in height and several hundred pounds. Who his people are is a mystery, but he's the Warden because he's very old, and only at the beginning of his incredibly long lifetime. He also can secrete a particular substance that nullifies the ageing process in humans. The enzyme must be administered about every 10 years or so. Consequently, many Earth-settled worlds send their convicts here. Lady X is one. Oshe is assisted by so-called "dog-keepers," with the heads of dogs and humanoid bodies. They are themselves extremely long-lived and, after reaching maturity, begin to de-evolve, becoming more and more the beasts they resemble. It is these beasts who perform the executions.

You can find more information at these web sites:
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/5429/rusta_index.html
http://www.astralresearch.org/mysticalmovieguide/mmlist.pl?exact=White%20Dwarf&y...

In this campfire, we are all prisoners, sentenced here by both light and dark sides - don't be confused, dark does not mean evil, light does not mean good. Both have their criminals and heros. Prisoners are rarely pardoned (Akada was the only one so pardoned by the former King). They must serve out their sentences; however, once released, a person is forgiven of whatever sins landed them in the prison and they are allowed to begin new lives.

In your first addition, make sure you state your name, what you look like, your sentence, and what landed you in prison. Only have the following information in your bio block:

Name:
Location (in the prison):

We're all in solitary. The cells are all of stone, with metal bars for doors. Most cells overlook the main cavern, where the executions take place, and also where new prisoners and the occasional visitor, get their first view of the inside. The Keep is roughly ovoid in shape, with over a dozen levels and rings of cells like the target on a bulls-eye.

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May the Two Ladies be with you!