Tewupo (world)
| Tewupo/Piah (Foreven 1738) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classic Era (1116) | A748ACA-D
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| New Era (1200) | A748ACA-E
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| See also | UWP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tewupo has long been one of the Avalar Consulates most important worlds. One of the first worlds that the Zhodani allowed to be settled, the world quickly developed major clout as an industrial producer. As Avalar and its closest neighbors were reserved for the Consulates bloated bureaucratic government, Tewupo became the preeminent industrial world in the Avalar Corridor by matter of default.
This came despite the fact that Tewupo's environment made industrial development difficult. The planet's dry land is sixty percent bare rock, and its high oxygen taint discouraged agriculture and the use of easily corroded metals. But Tewupo's population made heavy use of unique ecological features known as "Green Gaps."
Ecology[edit]
Tewupo has an atmospheric composition that is 27% O2 by volume. This makes the atmosphere highly reactive towards cationic materials such as metals, silicates and unprotected organic materials. The world is very cool and moist. The local soils are rather basic, forming hard clays that discourage plant growth.
This high oxygen taint has existed for billions of years, the result of hyper-photosynthesis among the local maritime algal-forms. When life emerged from the seas onto dry lands, it took a very unusual path of evolution in order to adapt. As on ancient Earth, the first life forms to reach dry land were species known for their ability to break up the hard rock of the proto-continents, and permit the aeration and nutrient transport required for soil formation. But on Tewupo, these pioneers create the basis for all terrestrial life.
The base of the pyramid is made up of a plant/animal hybrid known as Tewupoan Miners. These are semi-mobile colonial creatures that survive the deadly atmosphere by boring into the bare rock outcrops, in order to obtain nutrients that are lacking at the surface. Outcrops, cliffs, even entire mountains contain the interweaved "casts" created by a Miner's boring. Miners look like the Hyphae of Terran Fungi, but are capable of photosynthesis as well as normal predation and decomposition. Some Miners bore down in acid-resistant soil, some collect precious nutrients and recycle them to the surface, and some provide a means of symbiosis or protection for Tewupo's higher lifeforms; most provide the base of the local food and biomass chains. In many regions, Miners are so thick they break up the ground into gaping chasms or craters, and fill the void with their interweaving strands, expelling enough CO2 to make life bearable for other species. These "Green-Gaps" contain most of the planets species, and some of them are as large as mountains or large lakes in surface area. Intricate subterranean networks of Miners interlink closely connected Gaps, creating additional channels for the movement of water, carbonated air, and the local fauna.
Each Gap is dominated by huge, towering Miners known as "Green Jollies". Jollies look like huge green pillars of whipped cream, or like thick minaret towers with massive rounded bases (less flattering descriptions exist). These huge structures are the form that fills the space as the Gap widens. Each Jolly has additional flagella that trail into the wind, forming a framework for epiphytic plant species and moss forms. The organic detritus that falls from these high forests collect around the base of the growing Jolly, and decays, giving off CO2 or Methane that permits a warm and less oxygenated environment that attracts other life. Eventually the central spire will reach maturity (and a height of around 500-1500 meters) and will either branch out through runners, or will be supplemented by other Jolly species. Ancient Gaps will have thousands of these towers, and extensive ecosystems divided by their elevation.
History[edit]
Tewupo was settled around the end of the Second Frontier War by prospectors from Avalar. The paucity of metals, and the difficulty of growing edible plants on the planet, starved out the early settlers, leaving only a hardy few that learned to adapt to the planet's harsh environment. Settlers learned to settle underground near Green-Gaps, and to follow Miners to vital sources of minerals, to provide CO2 to reduce the deadly effects of the local atmosphere, and to provide organic materials and water for hydroponic farming.
The settlements became dominated by local landlords that either owned the Gaps through landclaims, or controlled the vital transport, life support and farming industries that kept the colonists alive. These landlords later became Tewupo's ruling class, the Thanes. These feudal lords became embroiled in a series of inconclusive wars over land and commercial preeminence between 640 and 760, resulting in the formation of a unified government.
The world became the focus of most industrial development within the Avalar Corridor, as the Consulate government wanted to preserve Avalar and Milne for administrative purposes. Tewupo dominated Consulates rimward economy until the Collapse, but has seen a slide in it fortunes ever since, as the Thanes have resisted the economic influence of the new middle classcreated by Regency immigration.
Government[edit]
Tewupo is ruled by a socialistic confederacy. Aside from the military and vital connecting agencies such as the starport authority and law enforcement, the world is divided up into seperate, mostly self contained polities centered upon each Green Gap. Each polity is dominated by a monopolistic government that regulates all of its citizens economic and political activities.
The chief governing body is the Grand Council, which is composed of the planets ruling Thanes. The world is divided into several wards, either based around a single Green Gap community, or several communities joined into the same network of Miners. Each Ward is dominated by a single Thane, who is essentially its absolute dictator. Each Thane is elected by the Council by a majority vote, and serves as long as they are judged fit or competent. Most Thanes are selected from a pool either lesser Councilors, or from military officers native to Tewupo serving in either the world or Consulate forces.
Consensus on economic and poltical issues between Wards is handled by the GC, helping to stave off economic stagnation. The council is heavily factionalised between region and personalities. Because of the emphasis on economic coordination, the Coucil serves more as a forum for diplomatic brinkmanship and economic intrigue than as a unified government. Only in its dealings with offworld political bodies does it manage to project unity, and even then just barely.
Each Ward is further divided into several smaller Collectives that are divided by ecology or geography, each represented by a Councilor nominated by the Thane, approved by the other councilors on the Community Council.
The Wards are regulated solely by the CCs, with little outside interference from higher authorities. The citizenry of each Ward is under the exclusive authority of its government, and may not even move to another Ward without approval from the adjunct bureaucracy of the Grand Council, and that is rare because of the red tape that must be surmounted. Offworld movement is also regulated, though easier to accomplish. At any rate each Ward is an insular island cut off from its neighbors, and significant cultural divisions have developed over the centuries.
The supporting bureaucracy includes fully self contained policing, technical and public services that handle all day-to-day needs of the Ward and its citizens. Economic affairs are handled by public corporations whose charters permit them to interact with other Wards and offworld corporations within limits. The economic networks that result from this contact is often the impetus behind most competition and conflict within the GC.
Society/Culture[edit]
The insular nature of most Wards encourages diversity, and no two are alike in social outlook. The citizens of each Ward are identified by hairstyles unique to their community. Hairstyles include decorations and dye coloring, and range from simple styles, to intricate patterns the indicate the individuals position and profession within their community.
To further differentiate between their communities, individual citizenry are encouraged to take up holidays, hobbies and activities peculiar to them. Religion and politics are never allowed to mingle with these customs, for fear of polarization.
- Gravity
- 0.81
- Day
- 21:52:16.38,
- Year
- 1yr 284d 20:52:48
- Axial Tilt
- 47 degrees
- Seismic Stress
- 10.1
- Atmosphere
- 0.65
- Composition
- Stand N2-O2 with High Oxy Taint.
- Temp
- +3.15 (6/lat +18 to -42) (season +28.2 to -30,40 deg lat) Daily temp range +6 to -30.0 Native life present, Weather Control
- Exports
- Agricultural, Ores, Compounds, Agroproducts, Non-Metals, Parts, Durables, Consumables, Weapons, Recordings, Software, Documents
- Social
- Reactionary/Stagnant, Unaggressive/Militant, Discordant/Aloof
- ↑ "Jump Map API" and map location from Travellermap.com