OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Establish some Chaos canon for the new planetary capital for Atrisia given that the canon city of Jar'Kai has been destroyed. Also, if you get the vibe that this is Space Hong Kong with a little Nagasaki Dutch Trading Village thrown in, that's dead on.
- Image Credit:
Upper Image: Concept art by Fan Ming - Lower Image: Futuristic Cityscape by Riana Moller
[*]Canon: N/A
[*]Links:
Atrisia (Chaos Canon Planet Sub)
Hana Exports (Player Made Company)
Princess Junko Ike (Character)
Prince Shoma Ike (Character)
SETTING INFORMATION
- City Name: Xam'Chi
- Classification: Urban Center
- Location: Atrisia
- Affiliation: Atrisian Parliament
- Demographics: Xam'Chi is predominantly Atrisian human. The largest minority population on the planet is baseline human, typically from worlds of the Atrisian Commonwealth (Frisal and Kiliea). While less than 1% of Atrisia's planetary population is Near- or Non-Human, the vast majority of those people reside in Xam'Chi, making it historically the most diverse city on the planet.
- Wealth: Low.
- Stability: Medium.
- Description: The historical capital of a kingdom that dates back to before 25,200 BBY, Xam'Chi is defined by its limited livable land mass. Pressed between the mountains and the sea, the city resides on much reclaimed land that extends out into historical parts of the old habor. As expansion limited the ability for the city to spread outward, it spread upward instead. Tall high rises and spires create conditions in which people live on top of one another. As a result, people native to Xam'Chi typically lack a sense of personal space due to the high population density. They do tend to be very quiet and respectful of others for the same reason as well.
- XIAOLANG PALACE: The historical seat of the Kingdom of Xiaolang. First mentioned in the 25,200 BBY historical records maintained by the Kitel Phard Dynasty, it has been re-built many times throughout history as a result of internal and external wars. It was completely destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong in 27 ABY and not restored again until one hundred years later. It was severely damaged during the war between the Galactic Alliance and the One Sith, with its current structure the result of Alliance reconstruction in 849 ABY. The palace hosts the familial residences of the House of Atrisia royal line of the Xiaolang Dynasty, as well as the offices of the Atrisian Parliament and its Congressional delegates.
- KUJIRA TO: Literally "The Island of the Herglics" in Atrisian Script. As Atrisia lies on the historic Giju Run hyperlane, early in galactic history the Herglics had established a trading post on the world. Located in the sheltered harbor of Xam'Chi's historic port, Kujira To boasts the highest concentration of Near- and Non-Human businesses and cultures anywhere on the planet Atrisia, being a historical safehaven for them during the planet's long-lived humanocentric Imperial era. Even in the many points in Atrisia's history that the planet's borders were closed to trade, Kujira To remained an important link to the greater cosmic community.
- IKE PEAK: A stunning vista atop Mount Ikeyama (commonly referred to as Ike-sama), Ike Peak is named for the progenitor of the Xiaolang Royal Family - [member="Sawa Ike"] - and offers a picturesque view overlooking the city of Xam'Chi and the historic port with its colorful sailing vessels and Herglic pods. Originally a private and forbidden garden reserved for the royal family and their guests, it was a popular tourist destination for many centuries. Today, restaurants are just starting to re-open in the hope of attracting customers once again as the planet tries to recover from the devastation wrought by three separate invasions.
- WAPOE LAO GAI TEMPLE: One of the oldest surviving shrines to the Atrisian god Wapoe, where locals and tourists alike can pray, give offerings, and beg Wapoe to bestow them with good fortune or luck. As Wapoe is a god if disguise, the temple and shrine are decorated in puzzle-art and colorful schemes designed to be cognitive tricks. Thus, nothing within the temple is what it appears to be.
- KAN LWAI FONG (aka Nanban's Road): The night is always young on Nanban's Road. Kan Lwai Fong is an Atrisian phrase that is roughly equivalent to the more universal Basic expression Red Light District. When the more civilized parts of Xam'Chi City are closing is the time when the clubs and places of ill-repute in this district are just opening up. A must for party-goers, smugglers, scoundrels, and the young looking for adventure, spice, illegal goods, and nightclubs.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The earliest surviving writings of Atrisian history date back to 25,200 BBY and are the records of the Kitel Phard Dynasty. From those records, Xam'Chi predates written Atrisian history. It was founded during the planet's Warring States Period as the Kingdom of Lao Gai during an era in Atrisian history in which the planet was dominated by Twelve Warring States. Lao Gai was conquered by the Xiaolang (literally "pirates of dark water") who renamed the city Xam'Chi in honor of their pirate-king. By the time of the Kitel Phard Dynasty, Xam'Chi was the political and economic center of a Xiaolang trade empire that spanned the planet. The first Kitel Phard Emperor was able to appease the Xiaolang by granting the pirate-lord feudal status as a vassal king.
Between 25,200 BBY and 5,000 BBY, the Kingdom of Xiaolang fought many bloody campaigns against its neighbors, primarily the economically weaker Holy See of Quan'Lo, a theocratic kingdom led by a cabal of spiritual gurus. Xiaolang contributed to the develop of Atrisian realpolitik culture through the introduction of a total war approach to strategy - wielding economic instruments, such as embargoes and blockades to great effect against their political opponents. It was often said that Xiaolang need not fire a single shot to get their enemies to submit to their will. This also contributes to very negative stereotypical views of the Xiaolang within Atrisian culture that continues to this day.
By 5,000 BBY, Atrisia had begun exploring space and established the Atrisian Commonwealth with the planets Frisal and Kiliea under the control of the Atrisian Parliament. The Herglics were the first to establish trade with the planet Atrisia, as the planet resided along the Giju Run. Sometime around 4,000 BBY, islands within the historical Port of Xam'Chi (deemed unusable by the Atrisians) were given to the Herglics for the founding of a permanent trading post on the planet. The aquatic Herglics developed the islands into a commercially successful enclave that came to be known as Kujira To. By the time of the Galactic Empire, Kujira To was the largest concentration of Near- and Non-Humans anywhere on the planet, making Xam'Chi the most culturally diverse city on Atrisia.
After the collapse of the Galactic Empire, the Atrisian Commonwealth (Atrisia, Frisal, and Kiliea) enacted a policy of galactic isolationism and closed itself off from trade with the New Republic. It was attacked by the Yuuzhan Vong during the galactic invasion, but remained out of the larger war. It was absent completely from the Swarm War, preferring to focus on its own internal politics and reconstruction from the earlier Vong invasion. As a long-time supporter of Imperial Policies, it supported the Fel Empire but had resumed a policy of planetary isolationism by 130 ABY. This policy continued through the Gulag Plague, until 836 ABY, when the planet was re-organized into the Atrisian Empire under Emperor [member="Akio Kahoshi"].
After the collapse of the Atrisian Galactic Empire in 844 ABY, Xiaolang was merged with neighboring Quan'Lo in order to reduce the number of planetary regional governments from the traditional Nine Kingdoms to a more efficient Seven Kingdom model by the One Sith. Xam'Chi served as the capital of what was then called the Xiaolang Special Administrative Region during the reign of the Sith-appointed governor who styled himself Emperor [member="Mythos"].
The Galactic Alliance invaded the One Sith in 849 ABY, fighting a major battle against the Sith at Atrisia that resulted in significant damage to the planet's atmosphere and topography. The Imperial City of Jar'Kai was destroyed, with a death toll of 6 billion planet-wide. During re-construction of the planet, an interim government was stood up by the Galactic Alliance to manage humanitarian aid to Atrisia and restore civil control of the planet. As a major urban center on the far side of the planet from Jar'Kai, Xam'Chi was left as the most intact of Atrisia's major cities and was selected as the new planetary capital.
