The Adelian Civilization

Posted: January 18, 2012 | Author: Dennis N. Santana | Filed under: Fluff/Inspiration, Other Systems, RPG, Spirits Of Eden |Leave a comment »

While the majority of Adel is composed of villages and towns, their few great cities, their few grand military fortifications, and their larger towns, have an endearing character all of their own. The Adelians as a society came from the wood – and in their hearts, they exist there still. Civilization strives to preserve nature while still asserting themselves over it, to cooperate with and protect the villages that serve as the breadbasket and cornerstone of the Adelian continent, as well as to house and uplift the arts, knowledge and high dignity of the Adelian people – with the typical careful eye towards the religious in all of their works. We will explore Adelian civilization, and compare it to the traditional villages, and look at some examples.

Advanced But Dependent

Villages in Adel blend in with the wilderness. Often, those villages have occupied the same land since time immemorial. Each of those villages is a small but unique people with a vast history that most Adelians consider worth protecting and cherishing. Cities are not like that. Cities and towns were established as people met at crossroads, as explorers left their ancestral homes, and as cultures began to blend. Cities allow for goods to flow from various corners of the world, by offering protection, resupply and shelter to masses of traders. They were established outside nature, and they keep a firm line between themselves and nature. They cannot integrate their larger homes, paved or cobblestone streets, sewer systems and other amenities with nature, and they require their large size to serve their function as havens for commerce.

The way of life in the city is one of commerce, of wages, of exchanges between people who have different wants and needs than those of the villagers. Cities foster trade, as well as the growth of knowledge, through specialized education and training. Villagers are fairly educated and some even quite intelligent for their circumstances – but it is unheard of that a villager can live his or her entire life studying, and writing books, and focusing only on the intellectual. It is rare for a villager to be able to focus only on the arts, or the sciences. Every villager must labor for the community to thrive. On their days off, and when their seasons end and there is less of the essential labors to perform, they might pursue other interests. But it is a given that foraging, hunting, farming, hauling and crafts must be done, for the community to survive.

Cities are advanced in many ways, yet in the most key way they are still dependent on the smaller units of civilization. For a city-slicker, it is difficult to grow food. Food must be purchased, and those from whom it is purchased must acquire it from somewhere else. So the cities need villages, with which they can trade for food. Many cities have farm lands near them, but essentially these farm lands are villages – their laborers live by village ways, and expect their traditions never to be disturbed or upturned. Cities need the villages and mutual respect is needed for them to survive and thrive. Villages are the breadbasket of the world, and however great and vast a city is, it cannot survive alone.

Socially Stratified Living

In a village, everybody shares resources which, by ancestral compacts, they believe to be the property of the Guardian Spirit (whoever that Spirit happens to be at any given period of time, owns the land, the food, and so on). The Guardian Spirit then shares the bounty with the villagers equally. It is essentially a form of religious socialism, because the Guardian Spirit generally has no need for any of the things the villagers declare to be its property – all it needs is the worship, respect and security it finds living with the villagers. Many spirits are curious about worldly trinkets, and enjoy being well-dressed and aptly fed, but there isn’t a Guardian Spirit who would hoard its villager’s riches; it would only bring ruin upon itself. So essentially, everybody shares what they need or want and they go about life without much sense of material turmoil.

Cities in Adel do not operate on this, though there are some veins of socialistic thought running through them. In a city, you must engage in commerce to acquire goods. You must perform a service that others, who have what you want or need, find important enough to give you some of their goods or wealth (in coin, the purchasing potential) in return. You are not entitled to habitation or to food – albeit, Adelians have a concept of honorable charity and will often allow a stranger some shelter from rain and some food, though not usually for very long, and not usually for repeat visits. You earn your keep by contributing to the economy and development of the city, its culture and arts, its people and projects. Your part of the whole in a community is not inherently important as it is in a village. This can come as a shock for villagers who relocate.

The truly Wealthy in civilization got to be that way either through guile, through fortune, through inheritance from an ancient and storied line, or through underhandedness. Their success is replicable, but not easily so. Their ancestors or predecessors might have discovered key routes and goods to trade, or exploited old laws, or established services at key periods of time to maximize their fortunes, and hand them down along the family. In short it takes some effort, whether good or bad, and a fair bit of luck and guile to become rich. Fortunes may wane, and newly-monied folk may rise. But this is likely to be a slow process requiring much dedication – there are no easy ways to wealth, not even for the adventurous.

Since wealth cannot be achieved overnight, there are stratified economic classes – commoners either living within their means or dreaming big, petite-bourgeois who like to believe that they are on their way to glory and riches, and the truly elite who need only work to maintain or grow their already large fortunes. Individuals deal with these affairs quite differently. Some people are nasty about it, hating the upper or lower class, while others treat everyone the same, and still more wish to share the virtues of their ways with those unaware. Many Adelians believe in a concept called “Kripaa” or “neighborlyness” where people in a city or town try to treat each other well. A wealthy person may throw parties where anybody is invited, or personally invite poorer neighbors to a meal – while another might be insular and nasty toward common folk. A poor person might be courteous and inviting of a wealthier one, or may be rude and violent at the mere sign of wealth.

It is rare to find completely hungry and homeless folk in Adelian cities, despite this – except perhaps in Periterim and Emderuer, who are far less charitable than other Nations. In most of Adel, there are a variety of programs intended to help people who are completely down on their luck. The military and guards are always happy to put someone to work, and there is a form of welfare paid in scrips of paper that can be sought at the government office, credits that can give someone temporary food and shelter. The government office is always ready to give people work, usually either fairly dangerous work requested by affiliates like the Archeological Society, or hard labor in maintaining roads or building structures.

Political Power, Rule of Law

Adel is not an iron-age lawless wasteland. Might does not make right. Slaying a dragon does not entitle one to a princess to marry, nor to a political title. It will make one popular, should the deeds be brought to light. And it will certainly, if the dragon was an evil creature, bestow reputation and good character upon the slayer. But ultimately, it is not an act which redefines power. It is not a politically crowning achievement, even if it might be a socially uplifting one.

In villages, law is traditional. Disputes are settled not by courts but by the community. Village crime is fairly low, and when it occurs it is often petty theft or non-lethal brawls. Villagers grow up believing themselves a needed part of a community, and their wants and needs are generally looked after by everyone. They are like one large extended family in this sense, so there’s rarely any fatal or cruel crime among them. When there is it is often from an outside source. Regardless, the Guardian Spirit of a village tends to investigate and resolve crimes, and settle disputes there, and law is not codified.

Civilization has laws, written, amended and arbitrated by people specially trained for the task. Villages have a few guards along with their able-bodied hunters and foragers to try to protect them; towns and cities have whole outposts of the national military, ranging from a simple barracks to a whole fortification. Guards alone do not uphold the law. Since the Intolerable War, which led to the militarization of civilian police, introducing the concept of the “guard” forces, the power of Guards to enforce the law alone has been reduced. By his or her self, a Guard can only detain a civilian for a day. Their power is shared with the Arbiters, part lawyer and part investigator. An Arbiter examines a case, and once brought in, the sentence for the detainee may be increased so that Arbiter can have enough time to investigate safely. The Guard and Arbiter work together to collect evidence and present a case. As for the detainee, he or she is represented by the Arbiter Superior of a territory, and his or her staff, who guarantee certain basic rights and scrutiny to the accused, and insure the due process of justice and law.

Each Nation has its own structure of political power that should be kept in mind.

Andaliel: Andaliel is a congressional republic, a democracy, governed by the Exalted Congress. The Exalted Congress is directly voted for every five years by people from several different “districts” of Andaliel, often vaguely-defined political units meant to give the whole of the Nation proper representation. The Exalted Congress’ first duty once elected is to select a President of Congress from among the various governors, mayors, arbiters, or other political agents who are popular and trusted by the people. The President cannot be selected from the Congress itself. The President has certain powers, and the Congress and Arbiters’ Courts have certain powers, and together they rule. Each town has a mayor, and each city has a Governor. Each town and city also has Arbiters and Guards. Villages, on the other hand, have no such political agents.

Emderuer: Emderuer is an Imperial power, ruled by the Emperor Under The Sun. His word is law, and as such, law is often difficult to amend, or to update for modernity. The Emperor has various representatives in the different parts of Emderuer. While Emderuer functions much like any other nation, with Guards and Arbiters and such, the law is much stricter in Emderuer. Petitions and requests are oft ignored, and the government is sluggish to act or react. Once known as the Aptoan Empire, and one defeated by the whole of the world, Emderuer is a shell of its former self.

Periterim: Periterim is ruled by an oligarchy and is essentially a Plutocracy. The rich control the land, enact its laws, and divide the nation among themselves. It is in their best interests to work together to grow and maintain their wealth, and control their people so that things don’t get too out of hand – but if one rational actor ever believes this state of affairs is not profitable, chaos could possibly ensue. Periterim is the least socially conscious nation, with a coin’s toss chance of the government helping out anybody, and little in the way of social aid for the poor, or respect for them.

Sargasso: Sargasso is a monarchy, but a more organized government than Emderuer. There are a variety of lower level officials, known as “nobles,” who have some say in their local affairs, such as Dukes and Duchesses, Marquises and Marchionesses, and so forth, following complicated lines of succession. While their political genealogy is confused, their powers are not. These officials share some powers under the Queen’s supreme control, with the Order of the Seraphim and the Church of Sargasso also having some say, and generally, if one needs help, there are plenty of ways to get it soon. Sargasso’s government is more responsive than Emderuer’s or Periterim’s, and also kinder and more respectful to its people.

Vedaria: Vedaria is essentially a dictatorship. Though it was at first ruled by a long line of Viziers, powerful Warlords who united the Nation, the Viziership has as of 10 years ago been upturned by a coup d’etat orchestrated by Magdalena Keehl, who is now the People’s Supreme Caretaker, or dictator. Unlike the Viziers, Magdalena does not consider herself a Warlord. She is an intellectual, and has brought Vedaria to the forefront of the world stage with new ideas, new organization, and even drafted a bill of rights that limits her own powers and those of her officials. It is also immutable if she is alone – it requires the cooperation of Magisters, appointed officials in each district of the Nation. Magdalena was inspired by Andaliel in some ways, but finds it flawed in others. Her restructuring of government has made Vedaria a much better place to live, and its people happier than they have ever been. The government responds to them fairly, at a good pace, and there is social welfare.

Western Sea Powers: In the Western Sea, we have two smaller nations with some unique governments. Cressia is ruled by a Triumvirate of powers from different geographic regions. The Council of the Plains, the Throne of the Mountain and the Seat of the Sea are three distinct political and regional units, and each of their representatives (the Council as a whole, the King of the Mountain, and the Seer of the Sea) rules not only their own territory, but the whole of the land together, if all works well. If not, then you have the Cressian Civil War as happened a few years back. Oerst is ruled by a union of Dragons and people. The King of Oerst is bonded to the Queen of Dragons. While they model their monarchy on Sargasso, all nobility in Oerst must be legitimized by a coupling with a Dragon. This is a unique, long-standing tradition.

Eastern Sea Powers: The Eastern Sea is a lot more unruly, with numerous smaller island nations and no very large powers. While the Treize Archipelago once adhered to the Council of Trieze, which consisted of the largest island-nations ruling the Eastern Sea together, they have of late splintered and battled, and even made allies of the pirates and brigands who, themselves, are political units operating out of forlorn and previously uninhabited island territories. However, of late, in the North near Andaliel, the democratic nation has been at work helping to protect and mold a growing power in the Eastern sea, the snowy sea nations of the Fern Archipelago, which are a single constitutional monarchy.

Example: The City of Impel

Location: Impel is a city in the central region of Andaliel, just on the edge of the Southland. As such it is a crossroads for trade and travel to all of Andaliel, but particularly, the breadbasket of the Nation. The Southland is a vast and rich territory full of villages who grow crops that most of the northern territories, with their harsher climates, find more difficult to grow. The capital imports a lot of food, for example, on fast autowagons and airships that can deliver it on time for citizens to consume. As such, Impel is an incredibly important point for both South and North lands. Impel occupies a broad plain between the delineating forests of the south, and the rolling hills that make up a lot of the north.

Layout: Impel is a massive city divided into four coterminous quadrants, as a whole surrounded by defensive walls. There are four gates into the city, at each of the cardinal directions. Adelians believe this layout to bring fortune, and many of their cities are arranged in such a manner, though superstitions about city-building abound. There is a small barracks at each of the gates and four towers, one at each connecting corner of the ramparts. There are a few open plazas near the entrances, around which homes and businesses are arrayed. Likewise, the more profitable spaces are those near the main roads directly from each gate, where various grand storefronts call in fresh visitors funneled down the main roads.

Architecture: Impel began as a series of close, square habitations built from clay bricks. It has since expanded its size and many of the oldest homes have been reinforced with harder stone or concrete block. The city as a whole has a very earthen, sun-baked look to its buildings. Many are simple in shape, but have decorations and engravings such as calligraphy, flourishes and contoured corners and edges. Some buildings have cupolas, especially the larger ones, and some of the more lavish private homes, however small, will have a private shrine or prayer garden. Small one or two story storefronts and homes and small visitor’s shelters tend to flank the main roads, with larger and bars and inns near the plazas.

As mentioned before, there are a few open plazas, broad spaces with gardens and dome kiosks where passersby can sit out the sun or rain and admire beautiful flowers or majestic local (and some, not quite so local) plants and birds. The city pays its respects to nature by promoting it even within the walls that mean to keep it out. These soft-earthed, clear areas break up the comparatively tight and narrow main streets and roads and are a favored destination for performers. Most of the plazas are ringed by Inns, bars and shelters where visitors can sleep or seek all manner of entertainment.

City Features: As the “Crown Jewel of the Northeast” (in a continental sense – to Andalians it’s smack dab in the center) Impel has many facilities common to most developed cities and large towns in Adel. It also has many that aren’t so common. Examining a few, we can relate the larger story of Adelian planning and community.

Public Bathhouse: There are a couple of fairly roomy public bathhouses in Impel, often divided into “cold water” and “warm water” bathhouses. The bathhouses have unisex and segregated bathing options, but no really private options – you’ll be taking to the water along with a variety of folk. But Adelians as a whole are a lot less conflicted about their bodies than most cultures an observer might know – they are not too shy about sharing a bath. However, for those that are, there are some for-profit private bathhouses in business as well, which have exclusive, rented bathrooms.

Storefronts: From Zuri Makavana‘s Potion Shop, to an affiliate of the Elster-Klaus Gunsmiths, various stores in Impel exists to cater to every whim, and some, to all whims at once. The prime spots are along the main road, but hidden gems can be found through the alleys, and special stores may even open up only at night. A variety of Inns, Bars and “private venues” also exist which cater to the weary traveler, parched visitor, and lonely wanderer.

Bazaar: Like bathhouses, this is another common feature to Adelian cities and towns. The Bazaar is a large plaza devoted exclusively for traders large and small to set up their wagons, kiosks or carpets and peddle their wares, trading, buying, selling and hoping to score a profit. Most bazaar spaces are small, but Impel is a major trading city, and its grand bazaar has wares from every corner of the Adelian continent, and from each of the two Seas.

Guilds: Impel has guild houses where trades and professions of all kinds are practiced, and trainees can earn their licensing and the support of experts craftsfolk, doctors, or what have you. Not all places have all guilds. Some towns are more known for their smithing than for their medicine, and so on, but Impel houses every profession and trade one might imagine, due to its demand for these necessary services – and the demand from nearby towns.

Theater: Impel has a few competing theaters. For a Theater these days, it’s not just about plays, acting and instruments, but also about technology. Along with the usual epic plays, romance plays, orchestral concertos and hymnodies, Theaters now have a few unique shows. With the advent of phonographs and mutoscopes, and Adelian affection and wonderment at these pieces of technology, big city Theaters have had to innovate a bit to defeat their competitors.

The theaters in Impel offer “picture shows” which are given in mutoscope boxes. The box holds one or two people in a seat, and together they watch a moving picture show through a pair of binocular scopes. Picture shows are very popular and come in all sorts of popular genres, with more made every few months. Audio can be added to picture shows by synchronizing a phonograph player with the picture show mechanism. This is exceedingly complicated. A picture show, however, is fairly affordable for a civilian to watch, unlike a full stage production.

Sewers: Impel was not built where it is just as a coincidence. Impel used to be the site of a Lost World ruin, and the Adelians who founded it cleared the site, and then mostly ignored some important amenities there. Since the Intolerable War, renewed interest led to the discovery and study of an ancient, advanced sewer system beneath Impel. Houses can be connected to the system by the Artificer’s Guild, which maintains it at the behest of the governor’s office.

The Adelians have very vague ideas of how the system works, and how to effectively maintain it. But as with most Lost World things, they are canny enough to manage. The Impel Water System works using powerful geothermal water cycling and waste disposal, and a series of advanced filters that were miraculously undamaged by the cataclysm. Water and waste are drawn down by pipes that seem to go forever into a chasm, comes back up again to fuel the Adelian’s need for cleanliness. The Adelians have no idea where any of the wastes go, and the sewer system is barely explored, though a recent upswelling of curiosity has led to renewed expeditions into the sewer. Some Angel activity has been reported.

Many cities in Adel have some kind of foundation on Lost World architecture. Most people are unaware of this and just marvel at the fresh water, and the “easing houses” where they can peacefully relieve themselves. Those who do know, begrudgingly set aside their distrust of machines for the sake of this simple convenience.

Governor’s Estate: The vast estate of the governor boasts two large minnarets that can be seen almost anywhere in the city, as well as a vast and ornate cupola. A plaza surrounds the estate, which is known as the Eye of Impel, where the current governor and staff watch over the city in the Exalted Congress’ stead. Most towns have a mayor, but the larger cities have governors instead, and a large staff that can draft ordinances, and see to the requests of the citizens.

Airship Dock, Mobile Battlegroup Vehicle Yard, Riverside Port: Just outside the northern gate, the Airship Dock provides space for airships to land. It has a few raised concrete structures for airships to remain without touching ground, which they are not adequately built to do. A bit south of Impel, along the Yanya river, there is a very small port town called Shish, established essentially to funnel river trade up to Impel. Finally, just to the east of Impel, is a small village where the 5th Mobile Battlegroup “Gryphon” is established. The village is not only one of many food growers for Impel, it is also a specialty village where craftsfolk, once known for their ship building, work on building and consecrating vehicles for Gryphon. The villagers and Gryphon are both sworn to protect Impel, and the key strategic position that it occupies.

Thus, there are a lot of ways one might travel to Impel.

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