Suhara Villow
The Crimson Flower
OUT-OF-CHARACTER INFORMATION
POPULATION
The exact date of Chantemer's settlement has largely been lost to history but archaeologists and fragmentary records have placed the estimation somewhere near the start of the Ductavis Era. Where the first colony ships came from is also unknown but from a genetic study, the oldest families can trace their lineage to Hutt Space. Combined with old legends and mythical stories passed down through oral history, the most common theory is that early colonists were refugees (both made up of humans and non-humans) fleeing the Pius Dea Crusades.
For the vast majority of its history, Chantemer while not isolated is largely irrelevant in Galactic Affairs. It was a member of the Old Republic, came under the occupation of Palpatine's Empire, and was liberated by New Republic forces before largely being forgotten during the hyperspace storms. For this entire time, Chantemer had been ruled by an absolute monarchy. Many dynasties came and went but the crown was always the position of supreme power. In recent centuries as the Galaxy began to recover and reconnect, more ideas came into the Chantemer. Ideas such as liberty, freedom, and even democracy. However, these influences were always heavily suppressed by the Monarchy.
At least until 800 ABY.
A series of succession crises had severely weakened the Montverre Dynasty with the death of its matriarch leading to a period of civil conflict among her princes. As the damage from the conflict began to spread across the planet, with rogue armies pillaging the countryside and Montverre declaring their fiefdoms, the people's discontent with the system of monarchy was at an all-time high and eventually erupted into a planetary uprising called the Elona Revolution.
General Olan Poutine of the CDF seized the opportunity that the chaos granted him to launch a palace coup and declare the Popular State of Chantemer. He initially promised a Republican-Democratic System to the people but said that as long as the rogue princes remained, the military and the newly formed Poutine Vanguard Party. The Vanguard Party, he claimed, would be made up of the most class-conscious and politically "advanced" sections of the common man where they would make ruling decisions on behalf of the public, therefore removing the stress of having to participate in politics from the average person.
Even after the Rogue Princes were suppressed and executed, elections were never held, and membership within the Poutine Party quickly became hereditary. They had become no better than the monarchy they had overthrown, though it became clear that it had never been Olan Poutine's intention when he declared himself Supreme Leader. Any resistance against the new dictatorship was quickly crushed both within and outside the party.
After Olan Poutine died from old age in 864, his son Olivier came to power following yet another massive purge and came to rule with an even harsher fist. Where Olan had allowed some semblance of free speech and internal opposition to the Supreme Leader (not out of goodwill but rather to more easily identify dangerous dissidents), Olivier came down with an iron fist. He outlawed public gatherings, placed a massive firewall on the planet's connection to the holonet, and began mass persecution of anyone who even looked at him wrong all while he and his corporate goons began to openly loot the planet's coffers. He sailed the stars in great yachts while famine gripped his people.
Any resistance against the Vanguard Party was brutally put down by the Party Militia who would often burn down entire villages if they were even rumored to harbor anyone who opposed Olivier. There were no large uprisings due to a veil of silence the party had placed over communication systems, hiding the true extent of their atrocities. However, the tighter the Party gripped, the more slipped out between their fingers. All it would now take would be a single match to set alight the bonfire.
And that match came in the form of Captain Suhara Villow who orchestrated a mutiny on the Frigate Soulèvement before broadcasting a speech of condemnation against the Poutine Regime and revealing the true extent of their crimes while calling for a people's revolution. Her act of defiance inspired a fresh wave of revolts and defections against the dictatorship. While many were eventually suppressed, many rebels fled to the countryside or the southern hemisphere where they now gathered strength.
Suhara Villow was forced to flee the system with a small fleet of ships that defected from the Void Fleet where she now seeks foreign support.
The Fires of Liberation have been lit.
- Intent: To create a location for the Galactic Alliance to roleplay over in what is intended to be a long-term story about liberation and compromise
- Image Credit: AB, Studio Ghibli, Food and Wine
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Inspiration from Quebec and French Culture,
- Planet Name: Chantemer
- Demonym: Chantemerian
- Region: Unknown Regions.
- System Name: Chantemer System
- System Features:
- Aridéclair: The closest planet to the system's sun, its surface is dominated by vast deserts of blasted red sand and rocky canyons carved by ancient rivers. Other than several scientific outposts situated kilometers underground it is devoid of all life. It had formerly been the system's fourth planet until gravitational anomalies forced it out of orbit and moved it closer to the sun. Chantemerian scientists estimate that in a billion years Aridéclair will finally fall into the inescapable gravity of the sun and be destroyed.
- Nivéaurore: The second planet from the sun, it paradoxically is an ice world. This is due to it being perpetually trapped in the shadow of Aridéclair. Its surface is covered in glaciers and frozen seas, with jagged mountains piercing through the ice. Plankton and other bioluminescent creatures hibernate in the ice glow, causing Montepellier to glow at night with a dizzying array of colors. Chantemerian nobles and party members will often visit the world to hunt the massive aquatic organisms that thrive under the frozen surface, pushing many to the brink of extinction. Several military bases and research outposts exist in the world as well as a mining colony named Cholon that only survives by keeping a massive heat generator located in the city fueled.
Ice asteroids circle in a ring around the planet with several space stations. During the Chantemer Revolution, the Democratic Coalition under Suhara Villow used the ice ring to hide their space forces from Loyalist detection.
- Chantemer: The third planet and the one most habited. It is the center of Chantemerian civilization and culture. The vast majority of the population resides on the planet. It has two major moons orbiting it.
- Bouclier d'Étoiles: A Fortress Moon that serves as the guardian to Chantemere. It is home to the Black Chantemer Fleet which is charged with the protection of the homeworld itself. It is heavily fortified against both orbital and ground attack. Most importantly on the side facing Chantemer a series of massive inter-orbital artillery guns look down on the surface, allowing CDF forces on the planet to call down overwhelming close artillery support. It is generally considered that to make a ground assault on Chantemer even feasible, Bouclier d'Étoiles must be seized.
- Bouclier d'Étoiles: A Fortress Moon that serves as the guardian to Chantemere. It is home to the Black Chantemer Fleet which is charged with the protection of the homeworld itself. It is heavily fortified against both orbital and ground attack. Most importantly on the side facing Chantemer a series of massive inter-orbital artillery guns look down on the surface, allowing CDF forces on the planet to call down overwhelming close artillery support. It is generally considered that to make a ground assault on Chantemer even feasible, Bouclier d'Étoiles must be seized.
- Céleste-de-Cent-Nocturnes: The outermost planet and a gas giant with a massive array of swirling clouds and vibrant atmospheric bands. Nothing can survive entering the surface but the vast majority of its habitation comes from its hundred moons, which range from icy wastelands to hydrocarbon seas to massive jungles. Massive mining operations are focused on harvesting the diverse resources of Céleste de Cent Nocturnes's moons It is considered the main gateway into the Chantemer system and as a result, the Chantemer People's Navy has based its headquarters and naval bases on the moons.
- Aridéclair: The closest planet to the system's sun, its surface is dominated by vast deserts of blasted red sand and rocky canyons carved by ancient rivers. Other than several scientific outposts situated kilometers underground it is devoid of all life. It had formerly been the system's fourth planet until gravitational anomalies forced it out of orbit and moved it closer to the sun. Chantemerian scientists estimate that in a billion years Aridéclair will finally fall into the inescapable gravity of the sun and be destroyed.
- Location:
- Major Imports:
- Electrical Machinery
- Pharmaceuticals
- Refined Tibanna Gas
- Durasteel
- Major Exports:
- Finished Durasteel
- Exotic Fruits
- Fine Wine
- Starships
- Military Goods
- Unexploited Resources: N/A
- Gravity: Standard
- Climate: Temperate with climates ranging from hot-summer climates to tundra-esque climate
- Primary Terrain: Most of the planet is made up of flat plains or gently rolling hills in the northern hemisphere and mountainous in the south.
- Atmosphere: Type I
- Capital City: Sirap
- Planetary Features:
Stretching on and on across Chantemer, despite the best attempts of the despotic ruling regime, is a verdant developed world. Major cities stretch along the coastlines and archipelagos of the planet's many interior seas which are crossed by wind-powered sailboats. In the rural countryside, the patches of pastures and light woodland are broken up by hedgerows so thick that only the farmers who have lived on the land their whole lives can navigate the maze-like structures. Wine farms and manors decorate the sides of mountains and tall hills. In the southern hemisphere of the planet where the terrain becomes mountainous and craggy entire communities live on the sides of cliffs and old unused railroads often lead to long-forgotten dusty industrial towns.
- Major Locations:
- Sirap: the political and cultural capital of Chantemer, it is the center on which the planet's civilization turns. It was the first settlement set up by the early planet colonizers that has now bustled into a massive city with a population of over 40 million. Set on the shore of the Great Miroitements Sea it boasts itself as the birthplace of Bocchage Architecture and the originator of a vast majority of Chantemer's famed culture. Cafes and hole-in-the-wall restaurants wait around every corner for any traveler feeling adventurous enough to spend a day navigating its warren and narrow streets.
Located within Sirap is the center of Chantemer's political power: the Old Imperial Court, a gathering of buildings and towers that was once the residence of the past Kings of Chantemer. Under the Poutine Regime, much of the masterful murals that once lined its walls have been covered by plaster and black banners.
The Châteaulys Gateway, a Republic Class Starport, is situated on the eastern shore of the Great Miroitement Sea, and a massive hovertrain network connects it not only to Sirap but every major city in the Nothern Hemisphere.
- The Mining Towns: Mostly dotted around the south, the Mining Towns are old holdovers from the days before the bulk of Chantemer's mining was moved to the moons of Céleste de Cent Nocturnes. It's defined by its many gorges and canyons where buildings have been built onto the sides of mountains. Much of the mining shafts and heavy industry have been left to become abandoned rusting ruins yet many residents have stayed behind.
Due to the separation from the Nothern Hemisphere, a culture has formed of hard work, independence, and anti-corporatism. This has become very troubling for the Poutine Regime but despite their many attempts to suppress the descendants of the miners and industrial workers, this culture still prevails. In some small communities, there is a de facto total independence from Sirap where hierarchy is abhorred and communal unity trumps all.
The Mining Towns became a hub for radicals and freedom fighters, Shuara Villow's Democratic Coalition finding many supporters among them.
There are rumors of floating cities in the dense clouds of the southern hemisphere, of which great treasures and lost technologies from the early days of colonization are said to litter.
- Sirap: the political and cultural capital of Chantemer, it is the center on which the planet's civilization turns. It was the first settlement set up by the early planet colonizers that has now bustled into a massive city with a population of over 40 million. Set on the shore of the Great Miroitements Sea it boasts itself as the birthplace of Bocchage Architecture and the originator of a vast majority of Chantemer's famed culture. Cafes and hole-in-the-wall restaurants wait around every corner for any traveler feeling adventurous enough to spend a day navigating its warren and narrow streets.
POPULATION
- Native Species: No notable sentient species
- Immigrated Species: Humans, Rodians, the Ezaraa, Anomids, Halaisis, and Twi'Leks.
- Population: Moderate - 8.1 Billion inhabitants
- Demographics: While the majority of the population is human due to humans being among the first and largest colonizers there is a large minority of non-human species consisting of Rodians, the Ezaraa, Anomids, Halaisis, and Twi'Leks. Despite the authoritarian nature of the Poutine Regime, discrimination against non-humans is highly illegal and a large taboo.
- Primary Languages: Basic and Chantemerian, the latter being legally enforced.
- Culture:
- Architecture: While the Poutine Regime has attempted to stamp out artistic innovation to prevent radicalization, Chantemer's famed style of Architecture called Bocchage endures. Bocchage was born in the early days of colonization when Sirap was first established by the side of the Great Adritic Sea. It was defined by the existence beside the sea and came to reflect it through sweeping arches that resembled the curve of ocean waves to rooftops adorned with vibrant mosaics that shimmered like sunlight dancing on water.
Courtyards had herbs and flowering vines that clung to the walls. They served as a place for its inhabitants to take a breather from their hectic lives under the shade of gazebos and enjoy a glass of wine while listening to the chirp of the birds. Those from the poorest to the richest, from the Human to the Gungan, from the citizen to the foreigner all enjoyed the same space. However, these spaces were dangerous ideals of progressivism were passed around so the Poutine Party has actively attempted to suppress them.
- Food and Wine: Traditional culture on Chantemer places a heavy emphasis on food. Major moments in Chantemerian history have occurred around the dinner table, from the founding of Sirap to the declaration of planetary unification. Famed techniques that have originated from Chantemer include lambing, braising, poaching, and sautéing dishes. Ingredients and styles do vary from region to region, such as hot pot being popular in the southern mining colonies to more exotic dishes in the capital.
One such exotic dish is named the Nalotro where a baby Porg has its eyes poked out so it can gorge itself to near-death on grains before it is drowned in Château de Lumière wine. Those who consume it do it bones and all while wearing shrouds. It's claimed that the shroud serves to capture the aroma but in reality, is to hide the face of the wearer from their Gods for such a decadent and disgraceful act.
Chantemer wine is famed in the sector for its high quality, owing to the vast majority of it being grown on the foothills of the dead volcano Fournaise whose fertile soil gives it a unique taste. Such pieces include Château de l'Étoile Rouge, Cuvée de la Lune Noire, Rosée de l'Étoile Filante to only name a few. It makes up a non-significant amount of the planet's exports though it faces heavy competition from the vin-yards of New Alderaan.
- Architecture: While the Poutine Regime has attempted to stamp out artistic innovation to prevent radicalization, Chantemer's famed style of Architecture called Bocchage endures. Bocchage was born in the early days of colonization when Sirap was first established by the side of the Great Adritic Sea. It was defined by the existence beside the sea and came to reflect it through sweeping arches that resembled the curve of ocean waves to rooftops adorned with vibrant mosaics that shimmered like sunlight dancing on water.
- Government: Fascist Totalitarian/Vanguard Dictatorship
- Affiliation: Currently Independent from Galactic Powers.
- Wealth: High - A combination of resource extraction, shipyards, foodstuff exports, and stable trade routes have ensured that Chantemer has become a wealthy planet about the rest of the chaotic regime. However, this wealth does not fall into the hands of the people but rather party leaders and other members of the 1%, leaving a massive gap of inequality. A lot of its wealth has also been built on cheap labor as a result of non-existent worker protection and Worker Unions have all been outlawed by the Poutine Regime.
- Stability: Low - While the Poutine Regime claims that stability, order, and prosperity are at an all-time high this can hardly be the truth as the planet is currently on the verge of a massive civil war. Pro-democracy elements led by Naval Captain Suhara Villow have initiated several acts of uprising and protest. While the vast majority has currently been suppressed and Villow forced into temporary exile, a revolutionary consciousness has been lit and the Chantemer Revolution has only just begun.
- Freedom & Oppression: The Poutine Regime rules Chantemer with an iron fist, restricting outside information and outlawing criticism of party officials. New agency is solely controlled by the state though several do operate underground. Public gatherings of large groups without express party permission have been outlawed. While foreigners are invited and given a sanitized image of Chantemer they are watched carefully by Internal Security.
- Military: The Chantemer Defence Forces (CDF) is made up of four main branches: The Ground Army, The Atmospheric Air Force, The Void Fleet, and the Party Militia.
The Ground Army is primarily made up of conscripts and possesses the bulk of the CDF heavy equipment in the form of walkers and artillery. Due to the high number of conscripts that make up its rank, it sees the highest ratio of Political Commissars to troops to ensure ideological loyalty. Life in the Ground Army is considered brutal with sky-high rates of abuse of junior conscripts by corrupt officers and Commissars having the power to summarily execute conscripts for perceived slights against the party. As a result, the Ground Army has seen the highest rates of mutiny and barracks uprisings, second only to the Void Fleet, which to this point have all been brutally put down.
In most Galactic militaries the Ground Army and Atmospheric Air Force would be under the same branch, which was indeed the case during the Imperial era, but distrust in the Poutine Regime resulted in them being split off. In the case of an armed rebellion or coup, the Poutine Regime could more readily call on the Atmospheric Air Force which historically has been more loyal to the party than other branches. They notably operate the T-36 Skyfighter which has been instrumental in suppressing poorly-equipped uprisings.
The Void Fleet is given the duty of securing Chantemer's space and trade routes against pirates, invaders, and dissidents. They are headquartered on the moon of Arche-des-Étoiles and most of their bases are located on Céleste-de-Cent-Nocturnes's moons to protect mining operations and the gateway into the Champlain's System. The Void Fleet is considered to be formidable given Chantemer's general irrelevance in galactic affairs. Most of their ship designs are hundreds of years old, dating back to the time of The Galactic Republic, but have gone through constant retro-fits and modernization that make them more than a match for pirate fleets and border skirmishes. They possess a large number of fast Corvettes, mostly composed of the CR series, and a small vanguard of Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier. The Flagship of the Fleet is the MC85 Star Cruiser Richelieu.
The Void Fleet like the Ground Army has had a history of radical thought. While many who possessed high command ranks received their positions through nepotism and party loyalty, a small cadre of officers managed to climb the rank through sheer demonstration of skill and tenacity. However, in their bid to climb the system, these officers often become disillusioned as they come to learn how deliberately flawed the system is. Crews are often drawn from the lower classes and when their passions combined with a defecting officer's revolutionary ideals, can very easily overpower a ship's assigned political commissar. In fact, it is not uncommon for a ship's Political Commissar to be the one to ignite the fires of revolution. The most clear and recent example is Suhara Villow's act of defiance on the Frigate Soulèvement which began the Chantemer Revolution.
The Party Militia serves as the regime's internal security force. It churns out Political Commissars who eagerly watch the ranks for any sign of dissidents. It serves as the party's private army used to crush any opposition from the people.
- Technology: Chantemer matches the Galactic Standards in almost every aspect and exceeds in several industries. Due to a heavy emphasis on resource extraction they are considered specialists in mining technology. While not the most advanced in the galaxy they can produce this equipment at scale and lower prices.
The exact date of Chantemer's settlement has largely been lost to history but archaeologists and fragmentary records have placed the estimation somewhere near the start of the Ductavis Era. Where the first colony ships came from is also unknown but from a genetic study, the oldest families can trace their lineage to Hutt Space. Combined with old legends and mythical stories passed down through oral history, the most common theory is that early colonists were refugees (both made up of humans and non-humans) fleeing the Pius Dea Crusades.
For the vast majority of its history, Chantemer while not isolated is largely irrelevant in Galactic Affairs. It was a member of the Old Republic, came under the occupation of Palpatine's Empire, and was liberated by New Republic forces before largely being forgotten during the hyperspace storms. For this entire time, Chantemer had been ruled by an absolute monarchy. Many dynasties came and went but the crown was always the position of supreme power. In recent centuries as the Galaxy began to recover and reconnect, more ideas came into the Chantemer. Ideas such as liberty, freedom, and even democracy. However, these influences were always heavily suppressed by the Monarchy.
At least until 800 ABY.
A series of succession crises had severely weakened the Montverre Dynasty with the death of its matriarch leading to a period of civil conflict among her princes. As the damage from the conflict began to spread across the planet, with rogue armies pillaging the countryside and Montverre declaring their fiefdoms, the people's discontent with the system of monarchy was at an all-time high and eventually erupted into a planetary uprising called the Elona Revolution.
General Olan Poutine of the CDF seized the opportunity that the chaos granted him to launch a palace coup and declare the Popular State of Chantemer. He initially promised a Republican-Democratic System to the people but said that as long as the rogue princes remained, the military and the newly formed Poutine Vanguard Party. The Vanguard Party, he claimed, would be made up of the most class-conscious and politically "advanced" sections of the common man where they would make ruling decisions on behalf of the public, therefore removing the stress of having to participate in politics from the average person.
Even after the Rogue Princes were suppressed and executed, elections were never held, and membership within the Poutine Party quickly became hereditary. They had become no better than the monarchy they had overthrown, though it became clear that it had never been Olan Poutine's intention when he declared himself Supreme Leader. Any resistance against the new dictatorship was quickly crushed both within and outside the party.
After Olan Poutine died from old age in 864, his son Olivier came to power following yet another massive purge and came to rule with an even harsher fist. Where Olan had allowed some semblance of free speech and internal opposition to the Supreme Leader (not out of goodwill but rather to more easily identify dangerous dissidents), Olivier came down with an iron fist. He outlawed public gatherings, placed a massive firewall on the planet's connection to the holonet, and began mass persecution of anyone who even looked at him wrong all while he and his corporate goons began to openly loot the planet's coffers. He sailed the stars in great yachts while famine gripped his people.
Any resistance against the Vanguard Party was brutally put down by the Party Militia who would often burn down entire villages if they were even rumored to harbor anyone who opposed Olivier. There were no large uprisings due to a veil of silence the party had placed over communication systems, hiding the true extent of their atrocities. However, the tighter the Party gripped, the more slipped out between their fingers. All it would now take would be a single match to set alight the bonfire.
And that match came in the form of Captain Suhara Villow who orchestrated a mutiny on the Frigate Soulèvement before broadcasting a speech of condemnation against the Poutine Regime and revealing the true extent of their crimes while calling for a people's revolution. Her act of defiance inspired a fresh wave of revolts and defections against the dictatorship. While many were eventually suppressed, many rebels fled to the countryside or the southern hemisphere where they now gathered strength.
Suhara Villow was forced to flee the system with a small fleet of ships that defected from the Void Fleet where she now seeks foreign support.
The Fires of Liberation have been lit.
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