|
|
|
New Chanian Conclave
New Chania is a large island, with a cold wet climate tempered by the hot winds from the south. The warm wind bestows the island with its blessing during the whole year and keeps the island from becoming an arctic tundra. These winds keep the noble red forests spring-like much of the year, only submitting the island to a brief but ferocious three month winter period.
Most New Chanian cities are named after Mediterranean cities of Earth, and most have narrow streets and shun large vehicles in favor of foot traffic for all but the most major city centers. Cities tend to have a feeling much like ancient Greek architecture fused with more modern touches, with many beautiful frescoes, pillars and columns.
The average citizen of New Chania lives in what many call 'comfortable poverty'. Few are truly wealthy, but few are truly poor. Most occupy a reasonably comfortable middle class status, and very few are unable to afford a meal. Luxuries beyond this are hard to come by, but not often coveted due to the people's unusually laid back approach to life.
People of New Chania tend to be extremely non-judgmental of the morals or race of anyone they meet. The only things they tend to look down on are slackers and those unwilling to dirty their hands. However, they're very protective of the disabled and the infirm, and treat them with reverence. Hard work and skill in physical labor are highly prized among them as a people. Fisherman, farmers and explorers of the nearby Tulgey Wood are revered almost as much as their famous doctors. Their cultural perception of Xanadu and Avalon often leads them to view members of those nations as soft and fat, and they usually look down their noses at them. However, They are by nature too polite to do much more with their disapproval. They will respect anyone who can keep up with their extensive and eclectic appetites.
New Chanians provide an enormous amount of the world's foods, so they keep their relationships as rosy as possible. They have no clear enemies, and despite some of their slight prejudices are perhaps the most neutral of all factions.
|
|
|
|
At the very end of the 20th century, people on Earth began developing new technologies such as internet, better embedded systems, etc. During the beginning of the 21st century everything was computerized and it went so far as to the point where everything was more or less a computer. Even the toilet was voice activated and furniture in your house had small wheels and could be moved by voice control. As it is well known, such advancements in technology came at a price. People more or less stopped depending on each other. They stopped going out and meeting each other in the flesh. They became colder towards one another and cared only for themselves, which was also one of the reasons why things went so very wrong later on.
It is therefore not surprising that Trapper Town (Walk of Man) on New Horizon shuns technologies of every kind. Not wanting to repeat the mistakes of their past, the people of Trapper Town and the Walk of Man only use technology when needed, and nothing more. They are simple folk, lacking sophistication, and they are slow to accept new ideas and new concepts. Aquilon's Reach is the opposite, which causes a lot of conflicts between the two. Trapper Town hates that Aquilonians are trying to contaminate the world with new technologies and they believe that they are the proof that people can live without it and be better off at that.
Aquilon's Reach and Xanadu are well known competitors. They each have a different sort of technological path, they argue over which is best, and they clash on ideology and social values as well. Both of them develop state-of-the-art weapons, which are sold all over the world, and both want to be known as the world's prime weapons manufacturer. Aquilon favors high energy technology for its weapons, and more sophisticated technologies, like energy shielding, where as Xanadu focuses on slug based weaponry and solid state armoring. When one of them manages to develop something new and groundbreaking, the other often tries to steal it.
Xanadians are very conservative. They believe that hard work always equals success so people who aren't successful are just lazy. Aquilonians are extremely liberal individuals. They believe that many people work hard but may not be successful for a variety of reasons such as racism or classism. They believe that the government can help solve these inequalities.
Aquilonians see Xanadians as outmoded, socially repressed lunatics led by doddering old men. Xanadians see Aquilonians as lunatics without morals or scruples, pushing pie in the sky technology and eroding their social values. Xanadu also dislikes Promethean Cyborgs and Medeans. They discriminate against them in a manner not unlike racism, which more often than not becomes the main reason for conflicts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
