Four Cities

Overview
Though really more like City-States, the Four Cities are a single national entity which works together as one to ensure Humanity's continued survival and prosperity. Each city is situated in a strategic location that allows it to provide shared resources with the other three. In the north, along the mighty Raskett River- which leads all the way to Quiesce- is Khemri. To the east, nearest the nation of Amitar, is the trade city of Hee-Mahng Dosi. Dominating the Coldcrow Mountain near the Dwarf kingdom of Spol-Modoch is the mining city of Port Prosperity. And controlling the rough patches of savanna and farmland to the west is Fort Europa. Though separated by great distances, the cities keep in constant contact through the use of radio and train networks.

The combined population of the four cities is 4.38 million as of the last census. Of these 90% are human, 6% are Trengs, 2% are Catfolk, and the remaining 2% are other races.

Four Cities is a democratic state led by a Congress of City Representatives, the Minister of Martial Affairs, and the Arbiter of Social Needs. The Congress focuses primarily on legislation, while the Minister handles executive orders and military matters, and the Arbiter handles both judicial and civil matters. These officials are all elected once every 4 years, but if civilian councils raise enough votes of No Confidence, these officials can be replaced at any time.

Life in Four Cities
The best efforts of humanity have created a very comfortable if largely non-magical environment for those who deign to dwell in their territory. Even now the First Arrival generation spends its time trying to revive and reinvent the wonders of Earth so that their descendants and allies can enjoy them; though the process has been slow-going they have managed a great many incredible feats of engineering using their advanced, but piecemeal, knowledge. These reinvention efforts have been on a steady decline as the First Arrivals die off bit by bit though; their descendants are more concerned with adapting to the world than making it adapt to them. Though this causes friction with some, most understand the necessity- the Desert Blossom War of 22 with the Halflings, and the later Sand Lion War of 38, has taught the First Arrivals many painful lessons about letting go of traditions that do not provide sufficient benefits to survival.

Being a highly refined socialist democracy, Four Cities indulges its citizens in what are arguably the best mundane educational facilities on Othos. Children- by law, human or not- attend primary and secondary schools, most can be expected to attend a university. There is a colossal demand for skilled people- people who can build and maintain the machines of Human industry, doctors to tend to the injured and ill, scientists to study the world around them- so much so that those who do not go for post-secondary school education or apprenticeships are looked down upon by their peers. Even those pursuing a career that theoretically should not require advanced training are expected to pursue something if only as a backup. But even those who are unskilled can find work somewhere, often at the lowest rungs of military service or base manual labor- unemployment doesn't even reach a full percent of the employable populace.

Though the political landscape is entirely human-dominated, with no non-human politicians, the First Arrivals felt it wise to create an environment which considered citizenship more important than accident of birth. Thus, all citizens of Four Cities- human or not- are "one of us" and, for the most part, treated accordingly. Human and non-human citizens are expected and encouraged to participate in important societal events, such as voting, sports, and rallies. Though there is a thus-far inescapable glass ceiling, a fair number of humans acknowledge that their society tends to typecast other races into niche roles- like Trengs into civil engineers and Catfolk into hunters- and there are groups which endeavor to help non-humans break through those ceilings, or set up private industries where they can be economic equals without reliance on humans. This has proven particularly difficult in the case of Trengs but those groups still work at it. Efforts are similarly made to be accomodating of foreign religions, though any religion which works to displace the dominant human religions or encourages chaotic and destructive behavior is generally forbidden. More than a few followings, as such, find little to no purchase in Four Cities.

Because there is always so much hard work to be done, it is necessary that there be plenty of play to help people unwind at the end of a long day's work. Bars, pubs, game houses, and concert halls of all sorts can be found all over Four Cities. Though most entertainments are born of Earth- darts, billiards, racing, baseball, basketball, every kind of ball-ball, radio dramas, the list goes on a long time- the humans of Four Cities have been quick to adopt other cultures' games when reasonable; Dwarven Tank-Chess and Avosis Water Soccer are highly popular activities. As humans practically demand access to a wide range of enjoyable activities, the entertainment market in Four Cities is considerably large. Various forms of animal husbandry and exotic pet ownership are also hugely popular, with certain species- such as Ash Worms, Bulettes, dinosaurs, Winter Wolf hybrids, and Blink Dogs- conferring major social status benefits upon those who can tame and befriend them.

Taxes in Four Cities are fairly high; they have to be, to pay for the various social protection networks, the military, and government services. Four Cities has bar none the most extensive and expansive social care networks of any other nation in the world. Child protective services, animal protective services, magical beast protective services, social pensions, nationalized healthcare, mental health institutions, anti-poverty programs, assistance for the physically disabled, public works, scholarships; these are all considered critical to ensuring not only survival but comfort. Providing a comfortable existence is considered a top priority in Four Cities: a significant majority of the First Arrivals came from lives that were not comfortable and thus wished to change this, and the Dead Salt Wastes have proven time and again that they will happily inflict all the cruelties of nature and then some on those who do not actively work against it. Though many grouse about the high taxes, anyone actually trying to change this has thus far been systematically removed from power and tends to end up in severe if not complete isolation from greater society from being shunned and marked as a pariah.

Because humans are the most technologically advanced but magically primitive race, Four Cities tends not to rely on magic too much. Those who can use magic are regarded with both suspicion and awe- more of the former in the case of foreigners- because they wield powers that the vast majority of the population do not. Even though magical trinkets are highly prized- especially ones that improve entertainments- magic is an alien science that is poorly understood. Those who specialize in the arcane are simultaneously feared and desired; feared because of their potential destructive powers, but desired because of how useful they can be in making life comfortable for all. Arcane casters as such tend to be fairly isolated except while on the job; they are generally paid handsomely, but do not often make many friends. Divine casters on the other hand are almost never left alone- there is always someone who needs healing, divination spells have endless military applications, and the vast scores of Abrahamist clerics, monks, and priests who cannot cast spells often turn to those who can for guidance, believing these casters to possess a connection to the Holy and Almighty that they cannot. Nature casters too are often plagued by the needs of the State and private industry; the ability to alter or influence landscapes and beasts is not only valuable but in some cases critical to the survival of Four Cities. More than a few casters as such become adventurers, if only to have an excuse to escape and not be harassed, or to try and find like-minded people they can enjoy the company of. It is not uncommon for spellcasters to hide their abilities.

Economy
Four Cities supports itself with a wide array of profitable industries. Khemri's control over the Reckett River doesn't just provide potable water to the Cities, it also lets them trade with Quiesce and provides ports out to the Nagrus Ocean, giving them excuse to have docks to build ships from. The innovation of the high-efficiency steam engine, bombards, and zeppelins with armored hydrogen balloons creates far more demands than the various shipwrights can possibly keep up with. Port Prosperity's control the snow-capped Coldcrow Mountain provides the Cities with their mineral ores like iron and zinc and gold, along with other valuables like coal and nitre, and the presence of the only mass production factory in the world doesn't hurt either. And Hee-Mahng Dosi, being so close to the amiable Bhuka state of Amitar, earns its keep by trying to be as much like Hollywood as possible- always looking for more and better entertainments to draw in investors and clients and new celebrities.

But though Humanity and their technological innovations command high prices from the civilized races all over the world, these are not their only exports. Advanced knowledge of chemistry, medical pharmaceuticals, and surgical techniques has brought in no small amount of profit, as has modernized commercialism, sociopolitical theory, and entertainment. Things that improve both life and profits are hugely popular with races whose own scientific developments were stunted by war and hardship, especially when it comes with the promise that even greater achievements could be realized without requring entire ages to pass by. Without these industries, the high taxation would be devastating to the citizenry- and their expectations regarding comfortable living would be impossible to fulfill.

Military
To protect itself, Four Cities has six military divisions. The Army, the Navy, the Air Force, Marines, Civil Reserve, and the Observation Corps. Each division has its own uniform and command structure that answers to the Minister of Martial Affairs, and never to each other except when the Minister has given orders to such effect. As a result of the Sand Lion War in 38 NB, women have been permitted to serve in all the same capacities as men do.

The Four Cities Army likes to think of itself as the best equipped ground force in the world. Armed with breech-loading rifles, high quality tools, the most advanced radio gear, bombard cannons, and various kinds of high explosives, the FCA is no easy enemy to face. But spellcasters are far and few between in the ranks, despite the bonuses offered. With little ability to counter magic on the field, the Army must rely on ingenuity and its various specialist corps- the Hell's Dragoons (cavalry mounted on magic or giant beasts), the Black Rangers (hand to hand specialists descendant of the Ghurkas), and the Foreign Legion (made up of non-human immigrants)

The Navy of Four Cities is laughably small but possesses three of the most feared ships in the world- the FCS Yorkshire (Battleship, named for the terrier dog), the FCS Bobtail (destroyer, named for the cat), and the FCS Lionhead (destroyer, named for the rabbit). It took over ten years to build these ships because of the lack of modernized factories, but they are armed to the teeth with innumerable arrays of bombard cannons on rotating turrets and constructed of steel- a devastatingly advantage against fleets who, though worlds larger, are still mostly made of wood and bits of iron, and using only ballistae or catapults. Despite the wishes of the Admiralty, these ships are likely to never leave Khemri's area of control- if naval operations are required for non-defensive patrols, then the Navy must rely on their small fleet of galleons, schooners, and war sloops.

There isn't a lot to the FCS Air Force. Without the ability to mount any sort of weapons on them, planes flown by FCS pilots are pretty much just scouts who are occasionally given grenades to drop on the enemy. A couple dozen zeppelins with armored hydrogen balloons are the only real combat aircraft they have, and though armed with bombards and with well protected balloons, they are almost as dangerously vulnerable as the airships of the Halfling Republic and Dwarven Kingdoms.

The Marine Corps of the FC do not rely on guns like their Army brothers, instead favoring close combat weapons and bows. The "expendable elite" as they are often called work with all branches to act as highly trained, specialized in providing support and smaller, more sensitive operations to spearhead larger ops for the other branches. They are often considered haughty and egotistical sorts, which is tolerated given their low life expectancy. Of all the branches, Marines survive to retirement less often than anyone else.

The Civil Reserve blurs the line between military and civilian, being composed largely of "weekend warriors" who do not serve on full active duty, retirees who desire something to do, and veterans who have been crippled and are working to finish their service terms to earn their pensions. Only in the most dire of circumstances do these people see actual combat, for the most part they are expected to supplement the police, fire department, and similar such civilian agencies in times of crisis. Many presume that they are incapable of waging war- this perception is wrong, they drill every weekend and spend two weeks a year getting survival training. Few are professional soldiers, but all can fight.

Finally, the Observation Corps acts like a sort of combination of Spetznaz, CIA, and weather forecasters. Though ostensibly their observations are mostly of nature and natural (and supernatural) phenomenon which could affect the Cities, it's something of an open secret that they're all spies and assassins on top of this. Most of their members' identities are closely guarded State secrets, the sort that people are vigorously discouraged from investigating.

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