Skadi
A minor Serpentine Range settlement during the time of colonization, Skadi gained importance after the Terran withdrawal when there was a rapid increase in demand for lumber products. Supply of everything from construction materials to paper from Caprice and Earth suddenly stopped and local alternatives were desperately needed. As demand skyrocketed, Skadi experienced a lumber rush with dozens of start up companies eager to stake their claims to the saguaro forests which hugged the local mountain ranges. With the rapid influx of settlers desperate to make their fortune in the uncertain atmosphere of the Reconstruction era, Skadi developed a reputation as a wild frontier town. Skadi established profitable trade links with Petropolis, Livingstone and Sorrento and considered itself a local powerhouse. Trade with the Irrian Plain ensured that Revisionism would spread as well, and the Gentle Word soon took hold among the hard-working loggers of the city-state. When the Great Crusade was launched to expand the NLC, the local Lumber barons were ready to fight for their enclave. Common Skadians wished to join the Revisionist state, however, and took up arms to depose their leaders.
Since its integration into the league, Skadi has remained a strongly Revisionist lumber town. Many of the larger citystates tend to see Skadians as simple folk. The large expanses of low-rent housing which spread in a rough semicircle in the north of city-state tend to support this view, although a more dynamic city core features more refined housing, wide boulevards and several well-known publishing houses and corporate headquarters. The facilities of most lumber mills are situated in the south of the city in large industrial parks. A well-developed commuter system of elevated trains, supported by highways and one subway line, provide easy transportation from residential areas for workers. The major hubs of the transportation network are the focus for small commercial zones which feature bars, grocery stores and small service providers which target workers returning from their shift. The largest of these is Hopton Circle, a large public square lined by cafes, bars and stores. Hopton Circle is also, unfortunately, the center of the Skadian underworld, with many of the cafes acting as fronts for criminal organizations. Hopton Circle has been the site of many murders in the last few cycles and the Kolson and Forzi cartels fight for control.
Environmental protection has been a hot topic in Skadi for several generations. The great saguaro forests that the city's mills tap can only take so much exploitation before they are stripped bare and several groups have battled long and hard to save them. Most lumber companies recognize the need to preserve their resources and practice replanting, but logging remains relatively indiscriminate. Only a few enterprises practice selective logging and have a difficult time competing with their less conscientious rivals. Eco-terrorism, although a fringe phenomenon, is not totally unknown and the Natural Revolution movement has claimed several lives over the last few cycles.
Demographics
Skadi is first and foremost a lumber town and it presents a rough and tumble image to the world. The population is known for its loud and boisterous ways and the stereotypical Skadian works hard, drinks hard, talks straight and is always ready for a fight. The tough image is reinforced by the presence of large numbers of Badlanders there to see the sights or seek their fortune and the stationing of the infamous Gun Dogs Northern Guard regiment in the city-state. Of course, there is a darker edge to this image. Skadi has the highest rate of assault in the NLC, and while it is the fourth largest city-state in the NLC, it has the largest penitentiary. Religious sentiment is also strong in Skadi, and local Revisionism leans towards a very basic and fiery brand. The city-state is presently considered one of the strongest centers of support for Reverend Thor Hutchison and his uncompromising vision of Revisionism.
Despite Skadi’s reputation, the city-state is not without its refinements. The natural beauty of its forests is well known and they are a popular camping and hiking destination. Skadians are also known for their sharp wits and fine palates. Skadi’s Culinary Academy has produced many of the North’s top gourmet cooks and visitors to Skadi are encouraged to try its specialty, roasted treeclimber lizard i n hot sauce. The Academy and its competitors and imitators attract students from right across the globe and visitors are always guaranteed of eating well while in Skadi.
Government
The Power of Lumber
Skadi's ruling body is known as the Citizens' Council, whose members elect the head of government, the First Citizen. Local politics are dominated by the three lumber conglomerates which each sponsor a separate political party. Northern Lumber narrowly missed out on getting its candidate elected to the office of First Citizen in TN 1931 and have had to put up with SKC Lumber candidate David Madsen. Political divisions are expected to remain strong all the way to the TN 1936 election. Each conglomerate continues to spend a considerable amount of money on their campaigns and each expects their work force to support their chosen candidate. The three companies do cooperate in national affairs, however, especially in their joint opposition to Northern Petrochem. Air pollution and acid rain caused by oil-drilling and refining in the Irrian Plain poses a threat to the lumber and tourism industries in the Serpentine Range, according to Skadian politicians.
These persistent complaints have led to a growing public relations war between the corporate leaders of the two communities and the two city-states themselves. Petrochem has become an unlikely and largely covert supporter of several environmental groups (such as the True Woods Alliance) that campaign for reduced forestry and the creation of nature preserves in the oldest forests in the region. A recent expos6 in Norlight News & Report revealed that a Petrochem junior vice-president had been directing funds toward the Natural Revolution, a radical group of environment terrorists who have been linked to a campaign of sabotage which has cost millions in equipment and three lives. Petrochem immediately fired the vice-president and cooperated in his prosecution by national authorities, claiming that he had been acting entirely alone and without corporate support.
Defences
Gun Dogs
Part of the 2nd Border Division, the 55th Heavy Gear Regiment, better known as the Gun Dogs, is highly unusual amongst Northern military units. It is almost entirely composed of "reformed" criminals seeking a quick end to their punishment. A one cycle enlistment is enough to secure parole for minor crimes like theft or assault, leading up to five cycles service for crimes such as manslaughter, although the most serious crimes such as murder, rape and treason are not eligible for duty.
During wartime, the Gun Dogs are assigned difficult (sometimes suicidal) missions, but during peacetime the high command tries to forget they exist, leaving them mainly to their own devices. As might be expected the Dogs are a rowdy lot, and while they do an adequate job of defending Skadi, they often cause trouble themselves. In a joint operation with the Skadi police force to shut down an underground dueling arena, the Dogs prevented the police from stopping a duel in progress and promised to let the winning Duelist go free if she could defeat the Gun Dogs' own Duelist.
Despite this, Colonel Gael Malabar-Synn, said to be stuck in this dead-end command because she is an outspoken atheist, manages to maintain fairly strict discipline, especially since she is usually backed up by the regiment's duelist, Ranger Robert Guiscard. The basis of the colonel's influence over Ranger Guiscard is rumored to be everything from sexual favors to death threats against his family.
Ranger Guiscard himself is a former prisoner like most of the Gun Dogs. His brother (and racing partner) died when the suspension of his Gear gave way during Kallahan's Loop. An official investigation ruled it a mechanical failure, but Guiscard knew that it had been sabotage engineered by his brother's chief rival. He answered death with death and was sentenced in TN 1909; he was also stripped of the TN 1907 Death Track title.
When the War of the Alliance ignited, Guiscard applied for the Gun Dogs. His crime has disqualified him for promotion and he has been a ranger for nearly fifteen cycles now, but his unit considers him to deserve far greater recognition. In TN 1925 he was made Duelist of the regiment with the approval of Colonel Malabar-Synn- Synn; he has remained in that post ever since.
Industry & Trade
- Lumber
- Tourism
Marks from the Woods
Skadi's economy is dominated by lumber. The dozens of small companies of Skadi's first boom have long since disappeared and logging is now controlled by three large conglomerates: Northern Lumber, DeMeer Forestry, and SKC Lumber. That the entire Skadi region has not been deforested over the past 500 cycles speaks well for the environmental campaign the Skadi government has enforced. Logging is carried out in a controlled, systematic manner and the logging companies are required to fertilize the logged areas to encourage regrowth of the saguaro trees. The entirety of the regional forest i s slated for exploitation, however, and environmentalists claim that although reforestation keeps the forest alive, preserves are necessary to maintain a natural ecosystem and allow animal species to survive. Skadian government and lumber corporation spokespeople argue that such preserves would seriously threaten the local economy and suggest that the Sesshite Forest be used as protected grounds for animal species.
While some of the lumber is immediately exported, the majority is processed i n Skadi, with a large number of companies producing a bewildering variety of products from furniture to toilet paper. One company even makes custom wood grips for hand-held Heavy Gear weaponry, which are very popular with Duelists. Skadi is also home to the league's top paperpress publishers, including Bayron Publishing and Jag Books. Skadi's rough and tumble reputation has, unfortunately, been welcoming to an underground economy with contraband, drugs and prostitution becoming major moneymakers for Kolson-Forzi cartel-controlled criminal organizations.
Maps
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Skadi
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