Post by Akren Garkos on Jan 14, 2006 0:54:27 GMT -5
Terrain :[/u]
Langara is similar to Earth in many repsects, more notably in the variety of climates & terrain that dot it¡¦s surface. The land mass consists of four contients : Sistoni, Secus, Leinad & Bedal, all of which can be found on approxiamtely the same half of the planet. Water covers over 78% of the surface. Both Sistoni & Leinad are adjacent to each other, bound near the equatorial band. The axial tilt of Langara is slightly less than that of Earth, resulting in less extreme variations of temperature & climate.
Sistoni, located to the south, is marked by a series of low mountain ranges, dense forests, & multiple great lakes; it houses the current Kelowna Hierachy & the ancient Goa¡¦uuld ruins.
Leinad to the north has a warmer temperate climate, full of jungles & swampy lowlands which thin as one moves closer to the equator before finally giving way to a large set of mountain ranges. These mountain ranges are rich in mineral deposits as well as trace ammounts of naqadria - a recently discovered resource of Langara.
The contient of Bedal lies across the ocean of Dethas & is the largest land mass on all of Langara. It also serves as the sole home of the Andari Federation. The majority of Bedal lies parallel to the equatorial belt or drops below it. The winters are quite extreme in these low regions. The upper regions of Bedal flow flow into vast plains & grasslands stretching for hundreds of miles in all directions.
Seperated by the Lentac Ocean is the much smaller contient of Secus, home to the Terania Federation. Secus is entirely self-contained & the temperatures tend to be quite warm. The bulk of the land is covered in low hills, scrubs & grassland, becoming lush as one reaches the coast. Most major cities lie near the coast. For all intents is entirely secluded, very much like a giant island. Early settlers arrived yhere after being blown off course, which fostered a belief the people of Secus were in fact destined to live there. Coupled with their physical isolation, it makes them somewhat introverted.
A number of small island chains to the north of Bedal & Secus have been settled by small colonies from nearby governments, & every now & then one changes hands. The size of Bedal makes reaching Sistoni from Secus a difficult task. The oceanic exspanse that covers the other half of the world between Sistoni & Secus is so daunting that no one has attempted to cross it - there are no known islands or intervening spots of land.
Langara's sun is Telnar, a main sequence star with a spectral classification of G3. The planet's orbit takes 380 days to complete & each day is 23 hours in length. Two moons orbit Langara - Persos & Valor - only one of which, Persos, is visible during the day. The size & distance of Valor makes it only visible from the southerm hemisphere.
Brief History :[/u]
The distant recorded past of the Langaran people have been lost for millennia. The origins of their people were once unknown, but as more information has been gleaned through the Stargate it has become readily apparent that like so many other human species, they originated from planet Earth. How or why these people eneded up on Langara remains unknown, but the discovery of a Goa¡¦uuld temple & technology - including the Stargate - provides some likely answers.
Perhaps the most astonishing discovery, dating back some 10,000 years (a date in keeping with the disocvery & subsequent burying of Earth's Stargate) is the recorded writings that the Goa'uuld may not have left Langara by choice; they may have destroyed themselves. Langara contains rich deposits of an element similar to naquadah but several times more powerful : naquadria. No one knowns for certain, but the evidence suggests that Langara may have once served as a major source of naquadria for the Goa'uuld. They apparently sought to turn it into some kind of 'super weapon' which could unleash destructive power on a level scarcely imaginable. Luckily for the rest of the galaxy, the Goa'uuld failed to safegaurded their tests, destroying themselves in the process & burying the planet¡¦s Stargate. The few human slaves which survvied the resulting explosion took several centuries to recover & begin the development of their own society; a society without the Goa'uuld.
Development from that point progressed along an arc remarkablt similar to that of Earth. The parallels between the two worlds are astonishing. For all the devistation & hardship the world has endured, their level of technology is only half a century behind Earth's. Those hardships included the rise & fall of the Kelowna Union, the planet's first major government which united all the people under one body. Unfortunately the Union only survived for about four decades before crumbling. A difference in philosophy caused a great rift in the populace, splitting the Union into threee fractured governments : the Andari Federation, the Tirania Confederacy, & the Kelowna Hierachy.
The philosophical dissent which caused the split centred around the disposition of the 'genetically impure'. The fallout of the original naquadria bombs developed by the Goa'uuld polluted several pockets of the populace that, over the years, bred with one another. These resulted in subtle changes in genetic structure that manifested themselves as slight mutations. Over the next thuosand years this cross-breeding & genetic instability slowly corrected itself, resulting in a more 'genetically pure' humaniod species. But occasionally, offshoots would crop up, manifesting as unusual mutations not easily explained : mental powers, precognation & other abnormal abilities. While genetic science was still a great unknown, many of these alterations could be easily traced through the histories of individuals & their ancestors. This it became possible to predict the next occurrence of a mutation & prevent it. This led to the persecution of & violation of those belonging to 'tainted' genetic lines. The government actively forbade the union of two or more individuals based on their previously recorded ancesteral genetic history. Public outcry was immense.
Initially, the split was fairly amenable, withe various governments retreating back & establishing buffer & eventually borders. Eventually generations that followed would escalate the original differences of opinion, attempting to impose their beliefs on their rivals & reunite the people of Kelwona undera new union; a union of their own design. Conflicts broke out, typically lasting only a handful of years, then dying down for a numbero f decades. In recent years the tensions have flared back up again. The Hieraarchy began developing classifed new weapons technology that could wipe out the other governments. Their efforts pushed the Andari Federation & the Tirania Confederacy into signing a non-agression pact aimed at removing the Hierarchy & sweeping away the last remnants of the old union.
Following their contact with the people Earth, the detonation of the first modern naquadria bomb by Kelowna Hierarchy, the subsiquent invasion of their world by the System Lord Anubis & his forces, the near-destruction of Langara & occupation of the Orii; the Andari Federation, Tirania Confederacy & Kelowna Hierarchy have since signed a mutual pact of allegience & co-operation; administered by the Joint Ruling Council, headed by delegates representing the governments of all three major nations. Whilst the events of recent years seemed to have convinced the Langarians of the necessity of working together, trust between the three powers is still more than alittle shakey (old habits & beliefs die hard), & each government has varying agendas & semm determined to push their world to the brink of war, in spite of the fragile peace which unites the three nations & the people of their world.
Notable Features[/u]
The surface of Langara, save for the depression of the Goa'uuld ruins, is for the most part without note. The political cajoaling & manipulation of the three governments for control dominates most acitivity on the planet's surface - in spite of the mutual peace agreement all three have signed - & threatens to unraval all the hard work done in the intervening years since the signing of the pact & the formation of the Joint Ruling Council.
Kelowna Hierarchy[/i]
The Kelowna Hierarchy is the ruling body of the Keolwna government, comprised of the Kelowna High Minister, the Chairman of the Defense Council, the Chariman of State Affairs, & the Chairman of Public Affairs. Each Chairperson resides over larger administrative bodies & reports directly to the High Minister in an advisory role. The High Minister has the authority to make decisions & policies regarding Kelowna & it's people.
The Chairman of the Defense Council is responsible for the administration of the defense & safety of the people of Kelowna. To this end he budgets & approperates resources towards the standing armies & research into new defensive technologies. He also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of all Kelowna forces as commanded by the High Minister. The Chairman is currently one of the most influential & powerful members of the Kelowna government & his ministry receives the bulk of current funding in light of the conflicts which still rise up between Kelowna & the planets other powers, & has more than doubled since Anubis first attacked the planet; forcing the Langarians to seek Earth's aide in helping rid themselves of the partly-Ascended System Lord's forces from their planet for good.
The offices of the Chairman of State Affairs sees to all internal & political government agencies, which in turn oversee medical benefits, power & transportation, & the approperiation of government resources & money. The office of State Affairs for the most part runs the government & maintains the infrastructure which keeps the Hierarchy operating smoothly. The office of State Affairs also funds all government-sponsered research projects & negotiates treaties on behalf of the Kelowna government.
The Office of Public Affairs controls all issues relating to the public interests, such as food & housing. It had lessened in importence over the years leading up to Anubis' attack, since the increasing tensions between Kelowna & her neighbours dictated different needs; but has since gained some of this lost affluence back due to the need to rebuild after Anubis' devistating attack on their world & it's subsequent occupation by the Orii. Public Affairs, unless mandated by another office, also controls all public research & history projects related to the Kelowna people - save when security is of a concern. The intial discovery of the Kelowna Stargate intially fell under the auspices of the Public Affairs during an archeological dig until the matter was transfered to the Defense Council.
The offices of the Hierarchy are located in the captial of Kelowna, Lorunis. The government buildings are some of the oldest & larhest of the original Kelowna Union prior to the split several centuries ago.
Defense Council
The Office of the Defense Council operates under the direction of the Chairman of that same office. This broad-reaching government agency oversees all aspects of the Kelowna military & research. The campuses of the defense agency are spread across a large number of military & government installations. Internal security is tight, & the Defense Council controls all acess to sensitive information. The largest project of the past two decades has been the discovery & analysis of the Stargate. Found in ancient ruins, the operation of this mysterious device had eluded scientists for a number of years. The presence of the Stargate was, until Anubis¡' attack on Langara, the greatest kept secert on the planet - only a handful of people knew of it's existence. Now, the Langaran people are slowly comming to terms with the fact that they are not alone in the universe; & that it is indeed a much bigger - & somewhat more dangerous - place than many would of believed.
The main offices of the Defense Council are located with the remainder of the government, although most research - such as the naqaudria bomb porject - is conducted underground or in hidden labs across the countryside.
Goa'uuld Ruins
The discovery of the Goa'uuld ruins took place quite by accident. The testing of the latest conventional Kelwona bomb roughly twenty-three years ago shifted the surrounding landscape & caused a massive sinkhole. Within it lay the buried remains of what appeared to be an alien civilization. In fact this proved to be an ancient Goa'uuld temple, dedicated to a number of gods. The Heirarchy government quickly moved in to secure the site; it remains closely guarded & word of it was not leaked out to the public until Anubis¡' attack on their world forced the existence of alien life & the Stargate network into the public consciousness.
The temple contained a series of cuneiform writings unlike anyone had ever seen. In addition, buried under the rubble of a collapsed section of this temple was the Kelowna Stargate. Experiments & intitial deciphering of text revealed the Stargate's purpose as a transportation device. Unfortunately, Langaran science, the equivalent of the mid-20th century Earth, could not make the gate work. Then, some twenty years later, the gate itself activated & the people of the Kelowna Heirarchy made contact with members of the SGC.
Of all this, perhaps the most signifigant & dangerous find within the temple was that of naquadria. The Kelowna Defense Council immediately began testing the feasibility of naqaudria-enriched bombs to provide them with a significant advantage in the conflict between the three rival powers. . .unaware of the element's severe instability. Currently, several thousand pounds of naquadria have been removed from the Goa'uuld temple; with many more veins of naquadria &/or naqaudah being sought out by geologists each year - enough to cause widespread devistation, & perhaps even destroy the surface of Langara.
Andari Federation[/i]
The people of the Andari Federation were the first group of city-states to split off from the Kelowna Union some 500 years ago. In that time many of it¡¦s member states have changed, been destroyed, or risen anew; but the threat of the Andari people has not relented at all, in spite of the current - if fragile - peace treaty which exists between the three governments. They still have considerable issues with the Kelowna Hierarchy, most stemming from Kelowna¡¦s persecution of ¡¥impure¡¦ genetic off-shoots. The Andari Federation considers itself a democratic state amassed of several independent yet equal voices but in reality the Federation is controlled by a handful of radicak idealists whose ancestry & hatred for the Kelowna Union fuels their thirst for revenge; putting pressure on the already fragile nature of the peace treaty between the three nations & the Joint Ruling Council.
The Federation maintains a huge standing army - some 670,000 strong spread throughout the western hemisphere & along the borders. To date the inability to move their troops or maintain any kind of technological superiority makes their numbers moot; the army is woefully ill-equiped & suffers from poor training.
While the intial split of the Andari Federation was over the genetic practices of the Kelowna Union, time & evolution have weeded out any remaining impurities in the species; members of Kelowna, Andari or Tirania governments are genetically identical in every way. Hardliners within these governments, particularly the Andari Federation, are unwilling to acknowledge this fact. Time has built up too many grievances to acknowledge such a common link, & the Andari are content to use the conflicts of the past to justify their own agendas.
Currently the Andari Federation has a non-agression pact with the Tirania Confederacy allowing the Tirania military to make use of Andari airspace. With it, Tirania long-range aircraft can reach bombing targets in Kelowna. However, since the signing of the peace treaty & the establishment of the Joint Ruling Council in the wake of Anubis' attack on their homeworld, the non-agression pact with Tirania - although still in effect - has become somewhat of a moot-point.
Tirania Confederacy[/i]
Of the three powers, the Tirania Confederacy is the most technologically advanced. They have mastered the skies with air power unmatched by the forces of the Andari Federation or the Kelowna Hierarchy. However their contient is distant & secluded, rendering their technology less effective than it might be. Tirania's strong air defenses make them a difficult target as well, although a handful of skirmishes have occurred over the years at sea or at a number of smaller colonies located on the neighouring contients.
The nation was founded by migrants who were originally shunned by the government of the Kelowna Union. They fled that country to the relatively unsettled contient Secus, located across the Lentac Ocean. Here they eventually established the Tirania Confederacy & lived in secluded harmony. Only several centuries later, after technology caught up & transcontiental communication became available, did they first learn of the propaganda which vilified & demonized them at every turn.
Relations with the Andari deteriorated quickly, & a handful of conflicts broke out between the two powers. The Kelowna Hierarchy was unwilling to lend assistance to either side, believing that the conflict stemmed from both countries lack of proper genetic purity. A short time thereafter, tje Hierarchy was dragged into the conflict by the other two powers, forced to protect itself from ¡¥incidents¡¦ perpetrated by both sides.
Member of the Tirania Confederacy are perhaps the most level-headed of all three governments; for the most part they wish merely to be left alone. The insistence of the Andari Federation & the reports of the new destructive weapons being developed by the Hierarchy necessitated a reluctant alliance with their old adversaries. Now, the Confederacy stands more or less alongside the Andari, ready to repel any attack from the remnant of the Kelowna Union; but thankfully, with the formation of the Joint Ruling Council & associated peace treaty following Anubis' devistating attack on their planet, the Tirania may finally be able to get along with their lives without the need to be constantly ready to go to war. The ruling body of the Tirania is located in the capital city of Drivous, along the coast of the Lentac.
