The
Leeba: The Dystopian city of Tarots
The story is set in the dystopian city called Leeba, during the 17th century (when tarots were just a card game). In this fictional monarchy, the society is based on a large gap between social classes. In fact, the city is divided in two parts: the Palace and the Outland.
The Palace is a sort of walled sub-city, where the nobles live with the main authorities. Indeed, in the Outland lives the folk, who is treated mainly as the labour force. In the Outland there are many problems. In fact, the villagers are ruled by the Palace in an unsuitable way. Furthermore, they are merely used in order to get the needed-to-life resources. Specifically, they are tired to be forced to work without obtaining nothing in change. Also, they’re tired about being considered as they worth nothing.
People aren’t allowed to freely move inside and outside the Palace. The only person who can move inside and outside the Palace as she/he wishes is the Knight of the two sides. She/he is a knight in charge of reporting the situation outside the castle to the authorities and of reporting the indications of the sovereigns outside the Palace.
The religion and Leeba's Inquisition
Leeba is a catholic city. Before the adoption of the Christian religion, there was a pagan majority. During the years, this majority reduced to a small minority. At the current time, any other religious belief is not accepted. Indeed, the one who professes other religion is severely punished (generally with death). This, because in the current reign, there is the Leeba’s Inquisition, an office who preserves the Catholic religion and punishes who practice the other religious professions. It exists for two centuries before the starting of the series. However, ten years before the ascending to the throne of the father of the current queen, the sovereigns established that the punishments of the heretics would be less severe. Nevertheless, after the ascending to the throne of the current queen, the death penalty as punishment was reintegrated by the regent.
Social issues
However, the persecution of heretics is not the only problem with integration. Also, people who are not considered as normal are punished or banned. Indeed, the actual situation outside the Palace is extremely different than within the walls. In fact, there, the villagers aren’t closed-minded. Above all, this is because they don’t have much time to waste on matters of this type. Rather, they think it’s easier to help each other out, regardless of the relatively perceived differences.
The Palace
Within the Palace there are a lot of luxurious rooms reserved for the nobles. They don’t work but just live in sloth and opulence. The only way they contributed to the society is with a little amount of money paid to authorities. Some of them have also an important occupation like, for example, judges or administrators. They are entitled to extra benefits such as a higher spending budget.
The Palace is also the place where the knights live. In one of the external parts of the architecture, near to the walls, is situated the military barracks.
In the Palace, there is also a building where servants (and other similar workers as the healers) lives. Servants are treated differently. This is shown just by the fact that they live in the farthest place of the Palace. Also, they are even deprived of their last name.
Another main part of the building is occupied by the prison. Here are restrained all the criminals and enemies of the authorities. Moreover, there are also all the nobles who chose to rebel to the unfair govern and the politic of despair. Under the prison there is a macrostructure of secret passages leading up to the Outland.
In addition, another passage between the Palace and the Outland is the Bridge of the Tears. The Knight of the two sides and the caravan use it. At the extremity of the bridge, near to the Palace, there is the main door of Leeba. To clarify, this is the only known-by-all access to the walled city.
The Outer Lands
The Outer Lands, on the other hand, are a series of villages inhabited by the remaining population of Leeba, impoverished by the unjust laws imposed by the authorities of the Palace. These villages are seen merely as a source of labor, to the extent that the authorities, detached from the reality of the Outer Lands, continuously enact rules to exploit their resources. These conditions have made the inhabitants of the Outer Lands extremely tired of being treated as inferior beings and exploited for the well-being of the nobles of the Palace, fueling the winds of rebellion.
Possible locations
Este (PD) is the perfect location for the series. It’s a medieval village that is in part walled. Here, there are some beautiful gardens that can be suitable as the meeting point of the Fool and the Hanged Woman. Also, there is a Cathedral and a convent (that could be the perfect place for the military barrack).
Similarly, there are a lot of other walled city suitable as Leeba, such as Montagnana, Monselice or Ferrara. Likewise, an alternative interesting to consider location is Villa d’Este (Tivoli).