Post by amisi on May 7, 2009 13:57:58 GMT -5
Name of Island: The Ciudadela Queendom
Size of Island: Large.
Location of Island: 20 miles south of the Zarzara Island.
Inhabitants: The subjects of Queen Olimpia are generally happy and prosperous, though the nation's poor have little chance of ever elevating their quality of life or social status. Slavery has not been outlawed on this island, although the slave trade here is insulated and completely unrelated to the Sabaody Archipelago slave trade. For the large part, the slaves are debtors who find themselves unable to resolve their debts and convicts who would otherwise be condemned to die. In the old days prisoners of war were frequent sights on the auction block, but since the Queendom hasn't gone to war in many decades, the majority of those people have either died of old age or been retired by their masters. Most slaves are household or farm workers, but an elite few are made to fight in Soaring Arena as gladiators.
The most lucrative jobs in Ciudadela are somehow linked to agriculture. Landowning botanists and gentleman farmers are the best off since they can export their crop of exotic fruits and vegetables and experiment with growing new strains on the side. Owners of shipping firms also bring in a good deal of money, though merchant sailors, even captains, are firmly middle class. The slave trade is monitored and regulated by the country's elite, which is why the World Government has so far been unsuccessful in getting the entire system dropped. Other citizens are employed in all of the usual ways, such as hospitality, clothing, etc.
Fashions tend toward revealing (yet comfortable) garments in bright colors, with a lot of beading. Elite women often wear feathers in their hair.
Town(s)/Village(s)/City or Cities:
Acattopa: The capital of the queendom, and the place from which all civilization on the island spread. The largest city in Ciudadela, this is the location of the former Queen Olimpia's palace and the famous Soaring Arena, so it's set in the exact center of the island, safe from naval attacks. The buildings are smooth white plaster with flat, clay-tiled roofs. The cobblestone streets are narrow and winding, with small garden plots set every ten feet along each street. Large public gardens overflowing with greenery and flowers can be found throughout the city.
Olimpia's enormous white marble palace is the center of a municipal complex that spans the entire northern portion of the city. Within the complex is a university (including a library), a swordsmanship training center, the main church dedicated to the worship of the queen, a large storehouse filled with grain and fruit for distribution, and over fifty individual shady gardens. Citizens of Ciudadela are free to go anywhere within the complex, except for the palace and the storehouse.
Soaring Arena is in the southern side of the city. It's a huge white marble amphitheatre, similar in architectural style to the palace but with more violent friezes, each depicting a great battle fought in the arena. Since gladiator events have begun to draw worldwide ire, more politically-minded citizens steer clear of these spectacles, though it's a rare night that the arena doesn't reach its 50,000 person capacity. Gladiators and challenges (such as lions and rhinos) are kept beneath the arena in the "staging area."
Following the coup by the Revolutionaries and rebellion of the island's slave gladiators, the land no longer employs these means for their competitions. While the arena has been repaired, all contestants are now either volunteers or well-paid professionals, and are no longer forced to fight in such brutal manner as the past.
Cuauhmaitl: The second largest settlement in Ciudadela, the city center of Cuauhmaitl is ordinary. The buildings mimic the white plaster style used in Acattopa, though the structures here are smaller and farther apart. The most notable things about this district are: first, there is no inn. Visitors to the city normally stay with one of the wealthy families on the outskirts of town, so rented rooms aren't needed. Second, the largest store, at least three times largest than any other, is the gardening/farming supply shop. There are some apartments and small houses here and there in the city center, but most activity is on the outskirts of town.
The outskirts are inhabited by twelve extremely wealthy landowning families. They grow and export the large part of the island's crops. Some of the world's greatest botanists do their research here; Cuauhmaitl is on the cutting edge of new farming techniques and unique strains of plants. Due to their riches, the twelve families tend to be very friendly, putting up visitors to Cuauhmaitl for free without a second thought.
Atzintli: A spiritually rich city on the edge of Oli Bay. A lot of the inhabitants of this city are slaves who were either freed or retired by their masters and allowed to leave Cuauhmaitl and Acattopa. The inhabitants are heavily taxed because they live so far from the capital, so most are subsistence farmers. People rarely visit Atzintli for pleasure, so the inn is relatively small, with only six rooms containing two beds each. The stores in this town are spread among the houses, which are all small one-level structures made of brick. Clothing here is more conservative and practical than elsewhere in the queendom. A lot of youngsters from this town become pirates due to the classical Ciudadelan love of the sea and the high amount of (benign) pirate traffic Atzintli gets.
Flora and Fauna: Lizards, bugs, and amphibians make up the large part of the island's fauna, especially around Oli Bay. Squirrels, wolves, voles, and prairie dogs are common nuisance animals around Cuauhmaitl, the fertile farmlands, where the inhabitants keep sheep, goats, cows, pigs, and horses. Few non-domesticated animals, mostly rats, live in Acattopa, where cats and dogs are commonly kept as pets.
Ciudadela has some of the most diverse flora in the world, mostly because the botanists love to experiment with breeding new plants from anything that will grow in their greenhouses or fields. Brightly colored flowers are extremely popular; these are grown in every color of the rainbow, and then some. Recently popular among the youth are pinstriped roses and tie-dye tulips. Strange mutations of fruit are also a big business, such as strawberries as large as apples and oranges that can be eaten like bananas.
Government and Prominent Nobles: The royal family having recently been forced out by revolution, the island is now under a kind of 'Committee Rule' under the remaining Noble families, the Revolutionary Ambassadors and the designated 'Mayors' of the townships of the island. Still waiting on a true system of government, the nation is stagnating somewhat as this various parties bicker, waiting for some new head of state to guide them in a better direction. The following is a list of the twelve principle heads of noble families on the island;
Island History:According to Ciudadelan mythology, the first queen of Ciudadela, Leti, emerged like a goddess from Oli Bay, which was until recently called Leticia Bay. At the time of her emergence the inhabitants of the island were ignorant and useless, little better than monkeys. Luckily for them, Queen Leti was there to show them the way, and under her two centuries of guidance Ciudadela flourished. At the end of the two centuries Leti returned to the sea; that night a baby girl was born, and obviously, as the incarnation of Leti, she was destined to become the second queen. The legend goes on like this throughout Ciudadelan history, claiming each queen as an incarnation of the first queen. However, the ruling family first established by that baby girl 800 years ago isn't the same family in power today. Nearly fifty dynasties have come and gone, and whereas originally the new queen was picked from the populace upon the death of the old queen, now the crown is handed down from mother to daughter. Still, the queens are deified and and viewed as incarnations (not reincarnations since Leti never died) of the great goddess of the sea. There are Ciudadelan kings, but their role in the government is generally a formality. They hold little real power.
The soil on this island is very fertile, giving rise to the great agricultural feats accomplished here. In the early years of the island, the inhabitants were content with pure farming, but in recent years they've grown more adventurous with their planting, combining species of plants (especially fruit and flowers) to create new, highly expensive breeds.
Ciudadela joined the slave trade during the period of the world's history where practically everyone was involved in human trafficking. The country's nobles in particular have taken a liking to the practice since it means free labor and entertainment in Soaring Arena. Although the World Government has been pushing Ciudadela to abolish slavery, Queen Olimpia and her nobles didn't feel any need to do what they're told; after all, their ruler was a goddess. Unlike her more kind-hearted predecessors, Queen Olimpia was vain and self-centered. The nobles loved her, but the common people, especially those of Atzintli, despised her mostly for her continued allowance of the slave trade and partially because she renamed the Holy Leticia Bay after herself.
Queen Olimpia favored pirates and often hosted prominent pirate captains in her court as honored guests. No one is exactly sure why she does this, but since it kept Ciudadela on the good side of most pirate crews, they weren’t inclined to complain. However, the mad rule of this vain woman was finally brought to an end not with a whimper, but rather a bang. The slave gladiators she kept rebelling and inciting mobs into an uprising, Revolutionary Army forces aided the long downtrodden common folk in ousting the queen in a single night, sending the woman fleeing onto the sea and headed for god knows where. The army of the Revolution now acting as peacekeeping corps, a fragile peace has been brokered between them, the common folk and the nobles that remain, however, this is still in its infancy and no form of true government has been ratified by the island’s inhabitants, leaving the land still in a state of turmoil from the events of one rebellious night. Was the action that ousted Olimpia good or bad? Only time can tell…
Size of Island: Large.
Location of Island: 20 miles south of the Zarzara Island.
Inhabitants: The subjects of Queen Olimpia are generally happy and prosperous, though the nation's poor have little chance of ever elevating their quality of life or social status. Slavery has not been outlawed on this island, although the slave trade here is insulated and completely unrelated to the Sabaody Archipelago slave trade. For the large part, the slaves are debtors who find themselves unable to resolve their debts and convicts who would otherwise be condemned to die. In the old days prisoners of war were frequent sights on the auction block, but since the Queendom hasn't gone to war in many decades, the majority of those people have either died of old age or been retired by their masters. Most slaves are household or farm workers, but an elite few are made to fight in Soaring Arena as gladiators.
The most lucrative jobs in Ciudadela are somehow linked to agriculture. Landowning botanists and gentleman farmers are the best off since they can export their crop of exotic fruits and vegetables and experiment with growing new strains on the side. Owners of shipping firms also bring in a good deal of money, though merchant sailors, even captains, are firmly middle class. The slave trade is monitored and regulated by the country's elite, which is why the World Government has so far been unsuccessful in getting the entire system dropped. Other citizens are employed in all of the usual ways, such as hospitality, clothing, etc.
Fashions tend toward revealing (yet comfortable) garments in bright colors, with a lot of beading. Elite women often wear feathers in their hair.
Town(s)/Village(s)/City or Cities:
Acattopa: The capital of the queendom, and the place from which all civilization on the island spread. The largest city in Ciudadela, this is the location of the former Queen Olimpia's palace and the famous Soaring Arena, so it's set in the exact center of the island, safe from naval attacks. The buildings are smooth white plaster with flat, clay-tiled roofs. The cobblestone streets are narrow and winding, with small garden plots set every ten feet along each street. Large public gardens overflowing with greenery and flowers can be found throughout the city.
Olimpia's enormous white marble palace is the center of a municipal complex that spans the entire northern portion of the city. Within the complex is a university (including a library), a swordsmanship training center, the main church dedicated to the worship of the queen, a large storehouse filled with grain and fruit for distribution, and over fifty individual shady gardens. Citizens of Ciudadela are free to go anywhere within the complex, except for the palace and the storehouse.
Soaring Arena is in the southern side of the city. It's a huge white marble amphitheatre, similar in architectural style to the palace but with more violent friezes, each depicting a great battle fought in the arena. Since gladiator events have begun to draw worldwide ire, more politically-minded citizens steer clear of these spectacles, though it's a rare night that the arena doesn't reach its 50,000 person capacity. Gladiators and challenges (such as lions and rhinos) are kept beneath the arena in the "staging area."
Following the coup by the Revolutionaries and rebellion of the island's slave gladiators, the land no longer employs these means for their competitions. While the arena has been repaired, all contestants are now either volunteers or well-paid professionals, and are no longer forced to fight in such brutal manner as the past.
Cuauhmaitl: The second largest settlement in Ciudadela, the city center of Cuauhmaitl is ordinary. The buildings mimic the white plaster style used in Acattopa, though the structures here are smaller and farther apart. The most notable things about this district are: first, there is no inn. Visitors to the city normally stay with one of the wealthy families on the outskirts of town, so rented rooms aren't needed. Second, the largest store, at least three times largest than any other, is the gardening/farming supply shop. There are some apartments and small houses here and there in the city center, but most activity is on the outskirts of town.
The outskirts are inhabited by twelve extremely wealthy landowning families. They grow and export the large part of the island's crops. Some of the world's greatest botanists do their research here; Cuauhmaitl is on the cutting edge of new farming techniques and unique strains of plants. Due to their riches, the twelve families tend to be very friendly, putting up visitors to Cuauhmaitl for free without a second thought.
Atzintli: A spiritually rich city on the edge of Oli Bay. A lot of the inhabitants of this city are slaves who were either freed or retired by their masters and allowed to leave Cuauhmaitl and Acattopa. The inhabitants are heavily taxed because they live so far from the capital, so most are subsistence farmers. People rarely visit Atzintli for pleasure, so the inn is relatively small, with only six rooms containing two beds each. The stores in this town are spread among the houses, which are all small one-level structures made of brick. Clothing here is more conservative and practical than elsewhere in the queendom. A lot of youngsters from this town become pirates due to the classical Ciudadelan love of the sea and the high amount of (benign) pirate traffic Atzintli gets.
Flora and Fauna: Lizards, bugs, and amphibians make up the large part of the island's fauna, especially around Oli Bay. Squirrels, wolves, voles, and prairie dogs are common nuisance animals around Cuauhmaitl, the fertile farmlands, where the inhabitants keep sheep, goats, cows, pigs, and horses. Few non-domesticated animals, mostly rats, live in Acattopa, where cats and dogs are commonly kept as pets.
Ciudadela has some of the most diverse flora in the world, mostly because the botanists love to experiment with breeding new plants from anything that will grow in their greenhouses or fields. Brightly colored flowers are extremely popular; these are grown in every color of the rainbow, and then some. Recently popular among the youth are pinstriped roses and tie-dye tulips. Strange mutations of fruit are also a big business, such as strawberries as large as apples and oranges that can be eaten like bananas.
Government and Prominent Nobles: The royal family having recently been forced out by revolution, the island is now under a kind of 'Committee Rule' under the remaining Noble families, the Revolutionary Ambassadors and the designated 'Mayors' of the townships of the island. Still waiting on a true system of government, the nation is stagnating somewhat as this various parties bicker, waiting for some new head of state to guide them in a better direction. The following is a list of the twelve principle heads of noble families on the island;
- Queen B.
- Queen L.
- Queen Celsus
- Garden
- Musica
- Queen Villavicencio
- Queen Sintra
- Queen Rocsi
- Santogold
- Queen Adorabelle
- Monteverde
- Daintree
Island History:According to Ciudadelan mythology, the first queen of Ciudadela, Leti, emerged like a goddess from Oli Bay, which was until recently called Leticia Bay. At the time of her emergence the inhabitants of the island were ignorant and useless, little better than monkeys. Luckily for them, Queen Leti was there to show them the way, and under her two centuries of guidance Ciudadela flourished. At the end of the two centuries Leti returned to the sea; that night a baby girl was born, and obviously, as the incarnation of Leti, she was destined to become the second queen. The legend goes on like this throughout Ciudadelan history, claiming each queen as an incarnation of the first queen. However, the ruling family first established by that baby girl 800 years ago isn't the same family in power today. Nearly fifty dynasties have come and gone, and whereas originally the new queen was picked from the populace upon the death of the old queen, now the crown is handed down from mother to daughter. Still, the queens are deified and and viewed as incarnations (not reincarnations since Leti never died) of the great goddess of the sea. There are Ciudadelan kings, but their role in the government is generally a formality. They hold little real power.
The soil on this island is very fertile, giving rise to the great agricultural feats accomplished here. In the early years of the island, the inhabitants were content with pure farming, but in recent years they've grown more adventurous with their planting, combining species of plants (especially fruit and flowers) to create new, highly expensive breeds.
Ciudadela joined the slave trade during the period of the world's history where practically everyone was involved in human trafficking. The country's nobles in particular have taken a liking to the practice since it means free labor and entertainment in Soaring Arena. Although the World Government has been pushing Ciudadela to abolish slavery, Queen Olimpia and her nobles didn't feel any need to do what they're told; after all, their ruler was a goddess. Unlike her more kind-hearted predecessors, Queen Olimpia was vain and self-centered. The nobles loved her, but the common people, especially those of Atzintli, despised her mostly for her continued allowance of the slave trade and partially because she renamed the Holy Leticia Bay after herself.
Queen Olimpia favored pirates and often hosted prominent pirate captains in her court as honored guests. No one is exactly sure why she does this, but since it kept Ciudadela on the good side of most pirate crews, they weren’t inclined to complain. However, the mad rule of this vain woman was finally brought to an end not with a whimper, but rather a bang. The slave gladiators she kept rebelling and inciting mobs into an uprising, Revolutionary Army forces aided the long downtrodden common folk in ousting the queen in a single night, sending the woman fleeing onto the sea and headed for god knows where. The army of the Revolution now acting as peacekeeping corps, a fragile peace has been brokered between them, the common folk and the nobles that remain, however, this is still in its infancy and no form of true government has been ratified by the island’s inhabitants, leaving the land still in a state of turmoil from the events of one rebellious night. Was the action that ousted Olimpia good or bad? Only time can tell…