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This is an archived version of Troyian's user page on March 10, 2007.
- Descriptions of Caprica, Aerelon, Gemenon, Tauron and Virgon:
Caprica
Caprica has been the center of Colonial civilization from time immemorial. The planet is a paradise for humanity, and seems uniquely suited for human habitation. Even at its earliest stages, Caprican society was highly egalitarian, ordered and peaceful. Capricans are also avid philosophers, particularly of legal issues, morality and enlightened thought. Despite its high philosophy, however, Caprica is also the fashion capital and trendsetter of the Twelve Colonies - Fashion Week in Caprica City is a major Colonial event for the elite.
Thanks to a pleasant environment, and good governance, the Capricans soon dominated the remaining colonies with respect to economic and military power but rarely attempted to convert their dominance into outright hegemony. Caprican morality and political thought considered such "high handed" tactics as heresy (although there are incidents where Caprican military power was used as a threat, but always subtlety). Caprican resolve to push through the Articles of Colonization was the single most important factor in the unification of the Colonies.
Caprica City itself was the first Colonial settlement to be founded, and it is from here that the fledging Caprican government ran its planetary affairs. The Capricans invested much time and effort into their "Crown Jewel", and prior to its destruction by the Cylons, Caprica City stood supreme amongst all Colonial cities as the most beautiful, cultured and richest City with wide boulevards and malls. The government compound itself is a tourist attraction as much as the bureaucratic and political heart of the colonies.
Caprica is the economic powerhouse of the Twelve Colonies, and most corporations are headquartered there. It is also the leader in the Colonies when it comes to information technology. In fact it was Caprican scientists who invented the Cylons. Due to its historical influence Caprica is considered to be the seat of politics, culture, art, science, and learning. This reflects on why most professionals and bureaucrats come from Caprica.
Aerelon
Aerelon is similar to Caprica; the two worlds share a similar nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere, size, gravity field and land mass, although Aerelon experiences a longer rotational period (longer days). Aerelon continental land masses also tend to be relatively smaller that others found on the other colonies, although they are more in number (fourteen continents and two subcontinents). The Aerelon surface is also remarkably flat, although why this is so despite a tectonically active world remains a mystery that defies the explanations of geology. Irrespective of its seismology or topography, Aerelon remains the most fertile world of the Twelve Colonies. Square meter for square meter, the Aerelon soil is more than three times as fertile as the Colonial average.
The surface of Aerelon is also remarkably uniform, made up of large swathes of grasslands and plains; only one significant forest, the Evergreens, exists (located on the continent of Ileuses). The Aerelon distribution of land mass and climate patterns essentially ensures that no arid regions develop. The soil is rich and fertile, strictly maintained in this state by advanced farming methods and soil fertilization techniques. Even without science to boost the fertility of the soil, the Aerelon biosphere is already the richest in terms of fertility and diversity. As such, Aerelon agriculture and husbandry forms the main backbone of the Colonial food supply; the colony produces more than four times the food that its population can consume. Several Colonial worlds including Tauron, and to lesser extents Caprica and Aquaria, depended entirely upon Aerelon for a steady supply of food. Thus, the Aerelon economy is largely based upon agronomy for income.
Due to this reliance upon primary produce to earn revenue, the Aerelons as a population are not overly rich; the average per capita income is below the Colonial average. Nevertheless, the Aerelons are also unique in being the first colony to eradicate poverty amongst its people. Thus, while not rich, the Aerelons are also comfortable. The Aerelons also embody the ideal of many Revisionists (of which a large number can be found on Aerelon), or those Colonials who support a reversion of Colonial technology and culture towards the bare minimum needed to main a healthy and comfortable population base, eschewing many of the comforts of modern Colonial life, e.g. wireless communication, FTL travel, telescreens. The Aerelons are polite and courteous to a fault, while their hospitality is genuine if simple. Their views on things tend to be conservative; adaptation and change is not high on their agenda. They have an aversion to violence, being a "relaxed" sort of people. They are also similarly lax about time; farmers have loads of it so they do not bother keeping track very often, meaning that they tend to be chronically late. They are also un-cosmopolitan; most Aerelons have never been or seen a major Colonial city. Even the planetary capital of Megaera is rustic in comparison to Caprica City for example.
Gemenon
Gemenon is certainly not as utopian as Caprica, but still a pleasant location to live in, although the planet is subject to violent weather patterns.
While Caprica and her people chased more temporal and physical pursuits, the people of Gemenon have always been the most devout and religious of the Twelve tribes. Their belief in the spiritual and power of the Twelve Lords have undoubtedly been influenced by the location of the High Temple on that planet. The High Temple was the ecclesiastical capital of the Twelve Colonies, housing the keenest theologians in brotherhood with the Priests and Priestesses who tended to the people's wellbeing. The High Temple is also the reputed location of the Wrath of Hera; nobody other than the High Priests know exactly what the Wrath is, whether it is a physical artifact of some sort, or a metaphor/analogy.
The Gemenese also hold to their own brand of honor, dictated by the scriptures of the Sacred Scrolls and the teachings of the Twelve Lords; the word honor holds a very different meaning to them compared to others. Gemenese are also, on the whole, a kindly society, and extremely charitable, also undoubtedly due to the strong influence of the High Temple. They are also polite and helpful people (although sometimes overly helpful to the point of being nosey). On the other hand, centuries of religious indoctrination have also tended to make the people of Gemenon view "right" and "wrong" from a more traditionalist point of view, and also tended to fuel zealotry amongst the populace. In particular, Gemenese tend to have conservative opinions towards sexual morality. As a direct consequence of their sexual conservatism, Gemenese also tend to be insanely jealous and suspicious of any sort of infidelity, true or imagined.
Tauron
The planet of Tauron itself is unremarkable, being close to the Caprican standard for habitability.
Tauron's early history was marked by industrial development of the virgin planet. It appears that the migration to Tauron from the home world of Kobol was by far the largest of all of the Twelve tribes to depart from that doomed planet. As such, Tauron had a population base that supported rapid industrialization, coupled with extensive resources and mineral deposits on the surface. The industrialization of Tauron from an early stage meant that the lifestyle of its people has always been standards above most other Colonial worlds; the Tauron capital of Hephaestion in its early history rivaled Caprica City in splendor. The drawback was a certain amount of ecological degradation that was contained by concerted Tauron government action.
With the advent of tylium-based reactors, the Tauron industrial machine was increasingly overshadowed and out-competed by Virgon. Like an industrial blackhole, Virgon began sucking the production power from Tauron through advantageous trade agreements secured with the major colonies of Caprica, Picon and Libris (with its extensive R&D facilities). As a result, Tauron suffered a short-lived economic depression during the relocation of heavy industry to Virgon. The government took a pragmatic outlook on the situation, and deciding that competition with the growing Virgon juggernaught was no longer an option, embarked upon a policy of reform. While Tauron might be losing industry to her brethren, Tauron was still an important hub in the financial network of the colonies, superceeded only by Caprica. Favorable policies and legislation soon turned Tauron into the financial capital of the colonies, overtaking even the prodigious flows of money traveling through Caprica. All major economic institutions, from multi-Colonial corporations, stock exchanges, to banks have major branch offices on Tauron if not headquartered. The Colonial Reserve Bank, the single most important government institution with respect to the economy of the Twelve Colonies, is also headquartered in Hephaestion.
Tauron is now the largest provider of services amongst all twelve worlds. Its people have never known hardship on the same level as the poorer colonies (e.g. Sagittaron), giving Taurons a reputation for being pampered. They tend to be materialistic and overly luxurious; the latest gadgets and fashion are a must (Capricans look on Taurons as being classless and lacking in finesse due to their reputation for greed). Indeed, Taurons are thought to be the pettiest of all Colonials when it comes to recognition of their status, invariably determined by wealth. They can also come across as amoralistic, with cubits being their obsession in life to the detriment of higher morals and ideals, including compassion. On the upside, Taurons are also extremely people people; they are witty quick thinkers. They often dream up ingenious solutions to seemingly intractable problems, using their natural deviousness and cunning to their advantage. Their high stakes world, however, tends to leave many with undue amounts of stress; most thrive under such conditions but other Colonials think they are too high strung and "type A".
Virgon
Virgon is located close to the important Colonial worlds of Caprica and Tauron (which between them generate almost one quarter of all Colonial trade revenue). The Virgon surface is dominated by two large continental land masses, Eurynome and Thetis.
The early history of Virgon appears to have been largely agrarian, although the fertility of the planet is only marginal at best. With the advent of tylium reactors, however, industrialization began at a rapid pace, helped by government subsidies and vigorous pursuit of inter-Colonial trade agreements to bolster the fledgling Virgon industries. With time the Virgon industrial juggernaught grew to over-shadow Tauron and even Caprica; at the time of the Holocaust, Virgon stood unchallenged as the industrial capital of the Twelve Colonies.
Nothing helped to secure Virgon industrial dominance more than the development of an indigenous space construction industry; Virgon production of civilian FTL capable ships soon rivaled Aquaria (although most military construction continued in orbit of Picon and Caprica). Virgon was the first to pioneer the giant Space Arks, which served as FTL transports for STL ships, allowing Virgon to begin exporting these cheaper vessels. The Virgon shipyards have been credited as being pivotal in decreasing the cost of space flight for the average Colonial citizen, and bolstering the Colonial economy in that way.
The Virgons of today tends to be very pragmatic and accepting of things as they are - they tend not to question the status quo or the social order. As such, civil disobedience is virtually unheard of on Virgon. The only cases of unrest were recorded in periods of economic downturn; idle workers are troublemakers. Indeed, Virgons are the archetypal workaholics and terribly unhappy when they have nothing to do. They also tend to be task-oriented and obsessive about the task until it is accomplished successfully, although that is not to say that they work stubbornly as Virgons are also highly adaptable and efficient. However, their stoicism renders them a bit humorless to most other Colonials; whatever humor they have tends to be dry, and expression of emotion beyond the polite (e.g. a brief smile) is a big social faux pas. Virgons also have a reputation for being temperamental; while patient as a saint, when a raw nerve is touched, Virgons are known to combust and turn ugly very quickly.