Zeradias Mant
Democracy Dies in Darkness
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To offer both character and location background from a local perspective for the events following one of the largest battles on Chaos
Image Credit: Destruction by Daniel Correia
Canon: N/A
Links: Casus Belli [GA/FO Rebellion of Kaeshana], Eldorai
SETTING INFORMATION
City Name: Contaissa
Classification: Rural Town (Ruins)
Location: Kaeshana
Affiliation: First Order
Demographics:
- Pre-Rebellion
[x0228 | 07%] Human
[x0065 | 02%] Miscellaneous
Total Population: 3,262
- Post-Rebellion
[x0004 | 17%] Human
[x0001 | 04%] Miscellaneous
Total Population: 24
Wealth: Low. Though culturally rich and better off than many of their Kaeshana counterparts, Contaissa is still comparatively poor to those on more developed worlds.
Stability: Medium. Independent and free from outside influence, Contaissa is very harmonious, knowing little of what real conflict is. As showcased in the events leading up to the Battle of Kaeshana, they can be particularly vulnerable to outsiders.
Description: A fair-sized village, Contaissa lies inland, only a four hour hike Southwest of Santaissa. It houses a small but proud population, with little redeeming qualities outside of the traditional quirks of a small community. Though somewhat remote, it has garnered a reputation around Kaeshana as a nose to the grindstone community, showcasing what unity and hard work can achieve, even after cataclysmic events.
POINTS OF INTEREST
- Highpoint Clock Tower: The centerpiece of Contaissa's marketplace, the clock tower is the oldest standing structure in the village. Around it, a locally run trade market flourished. It was one of few buildings that remained standing following the First Cataclysm, and served as a symbol of both wisdom and endurance.
- Porlys Trail: Porlys was the only major trade route that ran through Contaissa. It was one of the primary reasons anyone visited the village at all, and it contributed a fair amount to the village economy. Being a landlocked village, it was critical for trade.
- The Late Elder Vying's House: A two story home, the village chief's residence lie in the village center near the marketplace. Both frail and friendly, he was a welcome sight to all. His presence had an illuminating aura, boosting spirits of all those around him. His death, albeit expected, would foreshadow darker times for both Contaissa and Kaeshana.
- Valk Memorial: Erected as a tribute to the fallen Contaissan villagers and Kaeshani souls lost in the battle, this simple stone memorial was named in honor of the First Order nurse who made it her priority to see to the treatment and welfare of Kaeshani denizens, even when her own people were so clearly against it.
The Eldorai have long been a proud people, no matter the challenge. After the asteroid struck, Kaeshana would never the same. Over time, they rebuilt. In the face of such adversity, their tireless efforts to not just recover, but to recover with such an optimistic outlook spoke volumes. The spirit of the Eldorai people would not be crushed. Despite cataclysmic geologic changes to their homeworld, the denizens of Contaissa committed to seeing their village stand, no matter what happened around them. For a great many years, they succeeded. Far enough to be remote, large enough to be relevant, the Village of Contaissa served as a model to the rest of the planet. Despite all the tragedy, no matter how grim the prospect, a community can carve out a little slice of heaven for themselves. Everything changed though when two warring superpowers showed up on their doorstep.
When both the First Order and Galactic Alliance came to offer humanitarian assistance and relief, the denizens of Kaeshana should have known better than to accept. To believe, as one Eldorai scholar put it, "would result in conflict tantamount to the First Cataclysm". Nonetheless, driven by the hope of seeing their home restored to how generations before had experienced it, they accepted. For a time, they saw progress. While their presence did little to change the geologic instability, it did bring relief to the people. Food, clothes, and basic technology to enhance their daily lives became more and more commonplace. Tangible progress had been made, and there was little reason to believe their worst fears would be realized. Situated several kilometers from the Citadel of Dawn, the village leaders had reluctantly gone against their instinct and permitted entry of both the First Order and Galactic Alliance. It was a shared optimism that they would put aside their squabbles to help a less fortunate people.
Instead, they brought fire and fury like the world had never seen.
The courtesy of an hour long ceasefire for an evacuation was agreed by the local commanders, but conflict had already began to engulf the rest of the planet. Full fledged invasionary forces had landed, trading casualty for casualty amongst each other, and the ceasefire in Contaissa lasted only mere minutes. The Village of Contaissa, once a bastion of hope for the Eldorai, now served as one of the principle battlegrounds fought between these great factions. Both sides made some effort to prevent civilian casualties, but that effort was futile, as for every combatant death, there were three civilian ones.
First Order forces delivered a swift defeat, largely eliminating the Galactic Alliance presence as they retreated to regroup with the bulk of their forces near the Citadel of Dawn. Using what buildings still stood, the First Order Army established a forward operating base and set up several medical stations. Soldiers got the priority, but Contaissa residents were eventually allowed treatment. Contrary to their display on the holonet as merciless imperialists, they seemed human. They weren't invulnerable to conflict, pain, or other troubles experienced on Kaeshana. Were they really just misportrayed, good in their intent all along?
Among the First Order medical personnel, only one treated Contaissa residents. Eldorai, Human, and Rodian alike, a single nurse by the name of LCDR Eryn Valk consistently administered aid to those who called that village home. The rest had refused to see anyone not loyal to the Supreme Leader and the banners of the First Order. Despite protest from senior stormtroopers and field commanders, she saw that the treatment of the locals was a priority.
They didn't stop coming. Limping out from what seemed to be every crevice in the village, the number of wounded kept stacking up. One by one, with a fire in her heart, Valk was determined to minimize the impact of her government's actions. If she could help those wounded by the Galactic Alliance as well, all the better. Up to her shoulders in blood, it became a seemingly impossible task to prevent the expiry of those under her care.
Little did she know, her time was limited also. With a piercing crack throughout the sky, Contaissa was engulfed in a shadow - the shadow of a star destroyer plummeting into the surface. While the ship flew over Contaissa, it was still subject to falling debris of sizable proportions. Superheated pieces of durasteel plates fell like rain, but that was only a precursor of the worst to come. An engine, likely unstable from prior conflict, had dislodged from the main body of the ship and crashed into the village center. In it's wake lie a meters deep trail and the death of thousands. The only survivors were those that had sought shelter in their basements, which weren't commonplace since the First Cataclysm, given the geologic instability it left.
Years later, Contaissa remains a shadow of what it once was. The residents that stayed did what they could to clean the village, but it was too insurmountable a task given the circumstances. The Galactic Alliance had been expelled from the system, and the First Order had gone to lick its wounds, no doubt in preparation of the conflict to follow. The galaxy would come to know of the conflict as the Battle of Kaeshana, but to the Eldorai, it had a different name: the Second Cataclysm. Contaissa was left alone to clean the mess left by the two warring factions. They weren't truly alone though.
The indomitable spirit of the Eldorai and residents of Contaissa would prevail. There would be time to mourn, just as there would be time to reflect. No matter the strife, the peril, or the loss, there was solace to be had. Out of the many devastated by the events of war, there was still one community. Not even the combined might of the First Order and Galactic Alliance would be able to bring that to their knees.
