- Intent: Expand upon the lore of the planet Talay.
- Image Credit:
Upper Image: Insider Venice - Lower Image: Azamara
[*]Canon: N/A
[*]Links: Talay
- City Name: The City of Talay
- Classification: Metropolis (Planetary Capital)
- Location: Talay
- Affiliation: Confederacy of Independent Systems
- Population: Crowded.
- Demographics: All inhabitants of Talay are immigrants. Population tends toward a human majority, with Mon Calamari, Nautolans, and Herglics forming a sizeable minority. Almost every major spacefaring race can be found in Talay, such as Twi'lek, Duros, or Sullustan.
- Wealth: High. Talay's economy is sustained by tourism, attracting affluent consumers with a high income disparity between social classes. Most employment across the city is tied to the tourism industry, ranging from low income janitorial staff to realtors moving multi-billion credit properties.
- Stability: High. Crime levels are low overall, though instances of white-collar crime such as money laundering or embezzlement are quite high. The longevity of the Confederate government has created a prosperous sphere in which Talay has flourished as one of the tourist meccas of the Southern Galactic Hemisphere.
- Freedom & Oppression: The government of the City of Talay permits the free and open practice of religion. Similarly, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are protected by the city mandate.
- Description: Built upon the peaks of an undersea mountain ridge, the City of Talay is a city that is integrated into the waters of the ocean planet. With the available land mass restricted, the city seems crowded even in off-seasons. Once a shadowport, the city grew into a trade mecca that has flourished into a resort and casino town in the modern era. As a modern metropolis, the people of the City of Talay enjoy a Confederate lifestyle without even being cognizant of the primitive villages propped up in the boglands of the same planet.
• Bellagio Hotel & Casino. One of main attractions for the city and one of major employers for residents of the city, a lavish resort facility that combines a hotel and casino.
• The Piazza. The center of town, a rotunda around which is arrayed a multitude of shops, street vendors, restaurants, and the boardwalk that leads to the beach proper.
• Zed's Spa & Bathhouse. A luxurious spa experience that includes natural hot springs, public baths, steam baths, atmosphere baths, and massage.
• The Chiss & Whistle. An Imperial style pub, popular with pilots. Menu features typical pub fare, such as bubble-and-squirt and smuggler's pie.
• Talay Spaceport. The main terminal connecting Talay to the Confederacy and worlds beyond.
• The Alibi Room. A private club offering an exclusive five-star dining experience with live entertainment drawn from across the galaxy, the Alibi Room is known for catering to the social elite. Reservations are a must, though exceptions are routinely made for viceroyalty and planetary dignitaries. Known for their crepes malreaux, crab rotoven, and lobster bisellian.
• Shrine of Kooroo. Located on a sand bar just outside the city proper, the shrine is approachable by foot except for during high tide.
Low. The Confederate Defense Forces maintains a presence on the planet, with the city's municipal police force functioning as routine law enforcement. Local crime bosses tend to be self-policing, so not to invite Confederate scrutiny to take more than a passing interest in the comings and going on the planet. Those who violate the law, particularly with regard to the casinos, are going to face more of a threat from the crime lords than from the police.
The planet Talay was discovered by the Galactic Republic sometime prior to 3681 BBY. The volcanic islands that the City of Talay now occupy began as a rebel outpost on Talay during the Great Galactic War. After the conflict, the outpost fell into use as a shadowport and became known for organized crime -- particularly protection rackets and black marketing.
During the Galactic Civil War, the Alliance to Restore the Republic operated an outpost on the planet. This saw a rise in the number of Mon Calamari immigrants to the world as a result. The Mon Calamari were mostly associated with the Rebel Tak Base on the planet, with their populace being decimated by Imperial Death Troopers in 0 ABY.
The City of Talay continued to function as a shadowport during the New Republic era, showing the beginnings of becoming a legitimate trade mecca around the time of the Swarm War. By the time of the Gulag Plague, Talay was seen as a critical trade hub along the Dufilvian Sector of the Mid-Rim. During the Four Hundred Years Darkness, the city fell into disrepair as its population suffered greatly from the plague and from the lack of trade. The planet remained in dire straights until the arrival of the modern Confederacy.
With an influx of Confederate money, the city has once again become a thriving port of call in the Mid-Rim. This gives way to a large income disparity between the social classes for those who live in the City of Talay, as well as those who visit the City of Talay from those who work in the tourist sector of the city.
As the City of Talay operates the only public, civilian starport on the planet Talay, almost any trip to the planet will involve a stop over at the casino capital of the planet.
