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The Port of Narehl
The Port of Narehl is a large faction, but with only a few settlements spread across vast tracts of some of the world's most savage and beautiful jungle wilderness. It has often been described as a filthy diamond glimmering in the muddy river delta of Narehl. Sinfully wicked and sweet, criminals mingle in the street with the Knights of Narehl, cowboys and Warhead soldiers on leave, creating a true global melting pot.
The Port of Narehl is just one city, but its style and culture extend all along the southern coast of Narehl, and well along the many river ways of the jungle. This creates an intriguing fusion of Italian and Creole culture with its many riverside cities and, indeed, many cities built on and, in some cases, below the water. Beautiful Italian-style marble treatments meet an American Gothic style to create their own unique flavor of hospitality and lifestyle. It's not too difficult to make a living in The Port of Narehl, or in any other town in Narehl for that matter, but the difference between just living and living well is substantial. A simple job as, for example, a courier, or any number of other entry-level jobs are in abundance within the city. Salesman and hawkers of food, art and entertainment dot many of the streets, and local housing isn't as expensive as one might expect, but medical care tends to be pricier.
Locals are a superstitious lot who believe that the jungle around them is crawling not only with animals but also the spirits of those who came before. Considering just how many people simply vanish makes this easier to believe than it might otherwise be. A typically peaceful and friendly lot, they're often close-lipped about local business and their own spiritual beliefs.
Locals are typically more willing to step outside the law than denizens of other regions, but usually only for monetary gain rather than out of any ingrained disrespect for the law.
All are welcome in The Port of Narehl: they can ill afford prejudice, being a shipping center for the entire world. Their business, stalls, casinos, restaurants and amusement parks are open to all who come with open purses.
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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.
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