Coratanni Cartel
Thawne
- Intent: To expand the Coratanni Cartel's Holdings
- Image Credit: JJasso
- Canon: N/A
- Links: N/A
- City Name: Ylen
- Classification: Shadowport, Spice Mine
- Location: Unidentified Lava Planet
- Affiliation: Coratanni Cartel, Kara Thawne
- Demographics:
- Wealth: Medium
- Stability: High
Everything is tightly controlled and watched, including ships that come in and out of the city. It is very apparent that though Ylen is 'free' of government control, the Cartel seeks to retain an air of calm and order. Trouble makers are exiled, jailed, or killed. Of course, the Cartel works off a simple principal; don't interfere with their dealings, make no trouble, and besides that do what you want.
- Description:
Since then the camp has grown significantly. This growth was due to the a number of factors, but mainly took place due to the economic influx brought on by the Coratanni Cartel's spice trade. Of course as the money came, so did the people, and as the people showed up the city began to grow. This natural progression was guided by the hand of the Cartel, and thus the city was shaped by Kara Thawne herself.
The city's layout is quite simple. The mines are located within the base of the mountain, and on the side of the mountain lays Ylen. A central spire, reserved for residence and guests of the Coratanni Cartel looms over the urban sprawl, and from there everything else is carefully arrayed.
Several large apartment and hotel like structures dot the city, but most of Ylen consists of slum like housing built by the families of the various criminal elements that circle throughout the shadowport. Mining equipment and large structural catwalks line Ylen much like streets, allowing one to easily traverse throughout the urban sprawl as needed. On the south side of the mountain are dozens of hangar bays and loading platforms, half of which are reserved for the Coratanni Cartel itself.
Ylen is a city grown out of a mining operation, and although it's outward appearance reflects this, most who venture into the city itself are rather surprised by what it has to offer.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Kara's Tower: The central location in all of Ylen is Kara's tower. Though this is not it's official name, it is essentially what everyone and anyone in the city actually calls it. As one might guess, the tower is located right in the very middle of everything else and is the most luxurious of the structures within the city. Inside of the tower is where most of the rich of Ylen actually live. The Cartel members, VIP guests, and pretty much everyone else who is anybody.
Of course the very top of the tower is reserved for Kara herself, and here one can find both a lavish suite for her to live in and a throne room where she holds 'court'. From the throne room she handles most of the day to day business of Ylen itself, and oversees the actual running of the city. The tower itself is incredibly well protected, swarming with Cartel soldiers and guardsmen as well as holding dozens of security doors and auto-turrets.
Hangars: One of the more important locations, the Hangars of Ylen are what actually allow it to be a Shadowport. There are dozens of hangar bays all located on the south side of the mountain city. Half of these hangar bays are reserved for the Coratanni Cartel and directly connect to the spice mines within the mountain. The other half are free to use, and are of course regulated by a nearby control tower.
The Hangar bays range in size, though the largest can only hold a freighter of about two hundred meters. This is mostly due to space constraints, though it is entirely possible to land a larger ship in the next valley over and simply transport goods there.
Markets: The Markets of Ylen dominate most of the space near the hangar.
It is no surprise that a city that caters to criminal enterprise would have a massive black market to back it, and that is exactly what can be found here. Everything and anything can be found within the Ylen black market, including blasters, disruptors, and every kind of spice one could possibly imagine. The Markets are not really regulated though, they are watched by Coratanni Soldiers in case of brawls and disagreements.
Down Town: Perhaps a bit of a misnomer, the Ylen 'Down Town' section is really the area located around the Central Tower. Though the tower itself is the most luxurious spot in the city itself, the area around it is populated by the middle class of Ylen, and the location reflects that quite well. Within this area one can find restaurants, higher end stores, and middle class residential sections.
Most of the down town section was built by the Coratanni Cartel, and of course was more of an effort by Kara Thawne to control the growth of the city. This was a wildly successful venture, and most of Down Town is incredibly calm and stable, often patrolled by elements of the Cartel. Of course this is also where most of the non-transient community of Ylen actually live.
Mines: The very reason that Ylen was founded in the first place was it's role as a spice mine. The Coratanni Cartel initially facilitated the creation of the mines and brought every element it required to actually grow and harvest the spice. The mines run deep beneath the mountain and are extremely hazardous. Energy Spiders, lava pockets, and deadly gases are very common throughout every section of the mine.
For this reason the Mines are mostly staffed by slaves. These slaves are, by decree of Kara Thawne, mostly elements of the galaxy that she finds distasteful. A majority of them are former slavers, slave owners, and in general those who profited from slavery itself. Of course there are some beings mixed in who Kara simply did not like, and in general there is no real 'logic' to whom she sends to the mines.
Other: Ylen is not the largest city in the galaxy, but it is a city. This means it has other facilities that are not listed here. This of course includes slums, sewage systems, and various other things that can be found in most urban areas of the galaxy.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Ylen is not a city of prosperity or natural growth, it is instead a monument to the drive that money puts within the beings of the galaxy.
Initially Ylen was little more than a small encampment, constructed by the Coratanni Cartel on top of a large hollow mountain. Said mountain had long ago been carved out and ripped apart by a volcanic eruption, leaving dozens of massive lava ducts and huge cavernous expanses that were perfect for the growth and cultivation of energy spiders and the spice that they produced. In order to better facilitate this growth of spice, Ylen began to grow.
The Coratanni Cartel's presence, as well as the stable growth and economic influx of the spice trade pressed an influx of immigrants into the camp.
It was around this time that Kara Thawne took over the operation of Ylen itself, and it was through her guiding hand that the city was shaped. Through the use of SIN's construction operations as well as her connections in the Underworld, Kara managed to push and shape the city as it took on a life of it's own. She used these elements to control the growth of Ylen, never allowing it to get out of control and instead steadily forcing the will of the Cartel upon it's residence.
Of course all of this hinged upon the Spice Mines beneath the mountain, an operation that is completely and entirely run through the avenue of slaves. These slaves are taken from all over the galaxy and consist of former slaves, slave owners, and other 'undesirable' elements that Kara despises. These men and women are forced to work within the mines, and it is at their hands that Ylen is allowed to grow.
Almost everything within the city profits off of this industry, from smugglers buying spice wholesale to Pirates spending their hard earned loot on getting some spice of their own.
This allows the Coratanni Cartel to carefully control the city, even as it continues to grow.
It is that very control that allows Ylen to be a safe harbor, a shadowport for anyone and everyone. People know that the city will not throw them out and that they will be relatively safe while there. This gives it an effective place as a harbor for all sorts of criminals.
