Livingstone
Originally settled roughly 60 cycles after the first major wave of colonists claimed Terra Nova, Livingstone was once a mining colony and extracted large amounts of copper from the surrounding mountains. The settlement quickly prospered, and grew into a city as more and more copper was extracted and refined before being shipped of to other cities or offplanet. Around TN 1300, the supply of copper in the rich mountains began to run dry. Over the next century, Livingstone's economy slowly entered a downward spiral as the numerous mining companies and refineries suffered tremendously. I n TN 1455, when Earth abandoned Terra Nova and many of Terra Nova's leaders fled on the few departing gate ships, Livingstone hit rock-bottom and all mining activity ground to a halt. The chaos of Reconstruction nevertheless made Livingstone a power center. Secondary manufacturing (which had subsided off of copper mining revenues) became the center of the economy as the city-state began to build an army and fight a series of conflicts with its neighbors over territory and resources. In TN 1501, Noveren Materials was born and launched a major program of external expansion and internal renovation which made the city-state a local force to be reckoned with. Thirty cycles later however, the Noveren-backed Livingstone Guard fought a losing battle with the Irrian half of the Great Crusade. Internal support for Revisionism among the underpaid workers of the industrial city hampered military efforts and the city was ultimately conquered and integrated into the NLC.
In the early days of the league, Livingstone was a threat because only the Revisionist part of the population actively supported the conquest. Over the next few generations, however, the benefits of Norlight membership became obvious (especially with the rise of power of the United Mercantile Federation) and the Revisionist faith took hold in a large majority of the local population thanks to conversion and self-imposed exile of Livingstone nationalists. By the beginning of the sixteenth century, Livingstone was firmly established as the manufacturing center of the NLC, its second largest city-state and securely patriotic. All these qualities remain true to this day.
The gray urban sprawl of the aging industrial metropolis of Livingstone has the grim distinction of having been the only Norlight city-state occupied during the War of the Alliance. When CEF troops crossed the Westridge Range in TN 1915, the Mauler Khans regiment was slaughtered defending the city-state. The occupation was short-lived because of the Earth forces' over-extended supply lines, but the invaders were able to complete up close what their orbital bombing had begun the cycle before: the destruction of most of the Livingstone factories. The reconstruction efforts in the post-war period have created an odd dichotomy in the city-state, with gleaming new neighborhoods and industrial parks squeezing between ancient, colonial era complexes. Exactly which neighborhoods benefited from limited reconstruction funding was a hot political issue in the immediate post-war period. Much of the funding went to the construction of a large defensive wall which protects the major industrial and upscale housing areas, but not the poorest neighborhoods of the city.
Demographics
City of Steel
Livingstone's populace is comprised largely of factory workers. These blue collar workers, with their highly slurred dialect, are widely perceived to be uncultured and uneducated. The fact that a large percentage of the factory workers spend disturbing amounts of money on alcohol does little to help this poor image. Regardless of their perceived problems, the people of Livingstone are content to some degree with their lives. Some argue that they simply do not know of a better way of life, but locals understand that Livingstonians are ready to struggle to improve their lot but do not want to abandon their own identity. The workers' fight for a better future is expressed politically, in the People's Party, and socially, in the power of the Revisionist Church.
Despite the rowdy reputation of Livingstone's working class neighborhoods, many of the people have embraced the Sorrento Revisionist Church as their guide and savior. The city-state has been a center of fundamentalism since the eighteenth century and the church is the glue that keeps blue-collar society together. Always there to lend a helping hand without a word of question or judgment, the church has managed to make many new friends. Furthermore, strengthening the bonds of loyalty, the church is well known for defending the common man i n times of trouble, be it legal or otherwise. Few people in Valeria realize it, but Livingstone is one of the strongest bastions of the Revisionist faith in the North, second only to Sorrento itself.
The smaller middle class and upper class of the city are almost all tied to the large industrial companies such as Noveren Materials and Brok Enterprises. Despite efforts at beautification and patronage of the arts, the city has been unable to leave its "steel town" atmosphere behind it. Most people with disposable income travel to Skadi or Valeria during their vacation weeks to seek out culture and entertainment. Only the blue-collar neighborhoods are really culturally vibrant with street poetry, and small press literature quite popular.
Government
Method of Goverment: Representative Democracy
Power to the People
Livingstone is a democratic city-state with elected officials who care for the city, but a great deal of the actual decision making in Livingstone occurs within the People's Party. Originally a labor union representing industrial workers in Livingstone and Skadi, the movement decided to move directly into politics shortly after the creation of the NLC, feeling that the decisions of the government directly affected the workers they represented. As time went on, the union continued to challenge the governmenfs decisions, becoming more and more engrossed in the political scene until the union evolved into a political party. The party's dominance of the scene truly began in the eighteenth century, after a national People's Party burst onto the scene. Since then, roughly four out of every five Livingstonian mayors have been People's Party candidates. Because of this, policy is often decided within party meetings and then brought to city council, where they pass with a majority. This has allowed for coordination with the union and the national movement, but has been criticized as non-democratic by other parties.
Edith Lawrence, the current mayor, is one of the rare opposition mayors. A member of the small Progressive Union Party, she was chosen as a compromise candidate by a city council split by dissent within the local wing of the People's Party and a resulting strong showing of secondary parties in TN 1929. Lawrence has proven a very skilled politician, who has managed to move political discourse to the public forum, at least partially. Presently, the People's Party relationship with her is tense, though not adversarial. Edith often finds herself publicly arguing numerous, seemingly unimportant points of policy with members of the People's Party only to have them support her when it is put to a vote. She understands that they are only ensuring that the people's best interests are considered, but she finds the constant disputes tiring.
Industry & Trade
Heavy Industries
Livingstone's economy is very reliant on its heavy industries. Two of the largest companies operating out of Livingstone are Noveren Materials, which supplies numerous manufacturers with their advanced composite materials, and Brok Enterprises, which produces a wide variety of manufactured products, ranging from various machine tools to the Aller Main Battle Tank. Livingstone is also supported by a variety of related industries, including a few highly skilled and well-respected technical firms that hide among the massive factories. These businesses have prospered greatly in their dealings with the heavy industries, though there is insufficient demand to draw many training institutes into Livingstone. Consequently, most local consultants and skilled technicians are trained elsewhere, often in the city-states of Kenema or Port Aurora.
Because most of the local population of Livingstone is comprised of factory workers without a great deal of disposable income, Livingstone has a relatively small secondary economy. For a city of its size, it has a very small and drab commercial center and very few malls or other impulse shopping outlets. Livingstone's night life is quite prosperous however: it consists largely of small pubs and bars that appeal to workers coming home from their shifts. Some of these bars are seedy and violent, but most are friendly watering holes, often featuring live storytelling, a favorite Norlight pub pastime.
Livingstone's underground economy is substantial, but not overwhelming. The Kolson and Forzi cartels have moved into and taken over some of the darker corners of the blue-collar neighborhoods, but Livingstone is one of the few cities where the cartel influence has largely been fought off. The unifying banners of the church and the People's Party have cooperated to organize anti-cartel action i n the streets, usually consisting of simple but effective harassment. As the cartel war has heated up, however, the dueling gangs have brought in a greater amount of firepower and are less and less willing to put up with uppity locals. The unions have responded by organizing neighborhood watch programs that are thinly veiled vigilante efforts because they have no confidence in local law enforcement, which is largely tied to the industrial conglomerates. Several outbreaks of violence have occurred over the last season and some expect many neighborhoods to turn into war zones in the near future.
History
Maüler Remembrance Day
Every 21 Spring, Livingstone commemorates Mauler Remembrance Day, a no-work holiday where the sacrifice of the Mauler Khans is remembered. City officials and history enthusiasts organize an elaborate show where actors recreate the battle in which the soldiers of 6th Heavy Gear Regiment, the Mauler Khans, sacrificed their lives. This re-enactment and celebration is held near the Grascau open-air museum, the site where the Gears of the Khans remain as a testament to their sacrifice. In the Khans' final battle, the regiment sacrificed itself to fight off a Colonial Expeditionary Force offensive long enough for the citizens of livingstone to evacuate the city. Several trideo stations air this elaborate, detailed re-enactment of the Khans' last battle, a very popular special among duelist fans. Some have questioned celebrating an event where an entire regiment was wiped out, but others point out the selfless heroism that the Mauler Khans displayed in the defense of their people and state that it is in their memory which is commemorated: each attendee celebrating their freedom while remembering those who made it possible. Mayor Edith Lawrence has petitioned, on several occasions, that Mauler Remembrance Day be declared a national holiday in the NLC, and President Adjanni has endorsed a bill to be presented to congress in the TN 1934 session.
Polaris Pictures. a major studio from Canterbury, has recently begun filming "Khans," a multi-million mark holofilm starring Mikal Flynn (best known as the Rover), at and around Grascau Point.
Maps
-
Livingstone
Comments