Well-Known Member
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To further elaborate upon Dagata IV's only major settlement, its people, culture, and geography, for future roleplay events.
Links:
SETTING INFORMATION
City Name: Harastown
Classification: Metropolis
Location: A cluster of islands, found 2km off the coast of the northern shore of the southern continent on Dagata IV.
Affiliation: Dagatan Free State
Population: Heavy. Everyone who lives on Dagata IV, for the most part, lives in Harastown, concentrating 552,400 beings and droids in 93 sq. km.
Demographics: Twenty-two species are significantly represented in Harastown, with relative strife between them. In fact, inter-species courtship and offspring are commonplace, with many younger citizens being from more than one racial background. The blend of cultures here, biologically, socially, and culturally have evolved to make Dagatan civilization a truly separate and distinctive identity. (See Demographics for Dagata IV for more specific information)
Wealth: High. Since Harastown is the only significant settlement on Dagata IV, the whole of the world’s wealth is found here. Last year, the GDP of Harastown was roughly 378 billion credits. This does not however preclude obvious disparity in wealth there, as areas like the Park and the Den are virtually night and day to one another. The nationalization of Tibanna gas mining and refining has brought significant wealth to the Dagatan Free State directly.
Stability: High. Dagatans have a sense of “Dagata versus the galaxy”, and consider one another to be brothers/sisters all working, striving, and fighting for the same ideals, whether that is necessarily true or not. There is an inclusive egalitarianism here, with even droids being treated (almost) like sentients in most cases. Competition is fierce in society, but so too is patriotic fervor and nationalist fraternalism. Jenn Fay, the Prime Minister of Dagata, is popular and his government’s laissez-faire approach to governing coupled with the enduring spirituality/philosophy of its founders, gives all Dagatans a strong sense of identity. As a result, Dagata is a very stable government and social landscape, and while challenges can be found, there is very little unrest. The Den, however, is still a dangerous and turbulent area, with ships coming and going day and night, there are plenty of ways to get into trouble here. The government turns a ‘blind eye’ to what goes on in the Den, considering a sort of social pressure valve which allows for ‘controlled chaos’ in an otherwise rigid, competitive, and overall affluent society.
Freedom & Oppression: By all accounts, Harastown is generally a very free and relaxed society. Ethnic diversity is high, as is tolerance and social opportunity is freely accessed if one has the character and qualities to make good use of it. Dagatan Security Corps patrols faithfully guard the city, with the exception of the Den, where a ‘hands off’ approach is taken, making the Den a buzzing hive of criminals and ne’er-do-wells, as well as the seat of the city’s poorest population. Elsewhere however, one can stroll the streets at practically any time night or day without fear, and patrols have doubled since the tragic deaths of Baron and Mrs. T’shkali almost fifteen years ago. Their murder, in the Park District no less, shocked all of Dagata, and Harastown’s residents demanded increased security. What is not widely known is that the Dagatan Intelligence Services have many counter-intelligence agents and informants throughout the city, warning them of any strange or suspicious behaviors or plots against the government. So the nice lady at the market, your favorite bartender, or the dealer at the casino could be a spy ensuring Dagata remains strong from the inside! Only landspeeders are allowed outside of the Den, so crowded air traffic and gangs of swoop bikers aren’t seen throughout the city. Slavery is illegal, and punishable by death regardless of circumstances. So might as well, if should be said, being a Zyggerian. Dagatans kill them on sight and hate them fervently and universally. Doing so isn’t illegal. The Zyggerian slave trade is long remembered and long resented here, and if Dagata could, it would wipe their kind from the face of creation forever! Also, there is a strict law against bounty hunting in the city beyond the limits of the Den, and those who cross the line are banished forever and those who resist, even to complain about their exile, find themselves with a bounty on their own heads, courtesy of the Dagatan government! While Harastown and Dagata emphasize freedom, they are capable of being quite ruthless and with their long memories, hold grudges for a very, very long time. Take, for example, the collection of fees. Dagata does not tax its citizens, but does collect percentages from businesses and corporations and fees from ships. Failure to pay, or refusal to pay, is handled quickly and casually by the government. A ship captain who refuses to pay the customary docking fees finds that his ship and cargo are attacked, captured, and sold at auction and he and his crew won’t live long enough to see it. Same for a CEO or shopkeeper who refuses the fifteen percent annual tax of their company’s profits. They are arrested and executed, usually about an hour apart from arrest to execution, and their entire company and inventory are seized and sold off, the profits of which go directly into the treasury. There is no negotiating process. Still, if fees and percentages are paid, there is no further limitation on commerce, beyond some minor regulations to ensure safety, environmental protection, and prohibitions on slavery. This applies to brothels and boutiques, conglomerates and caf stands alike.
DESCRIPTION (General Overview):
Harastown is built across six separate islands, part of a cluster/chain of nineteen small islands located 2km off the northern coast of the planet’s southern hemisphere and 300km from the southern coast of the northern continent. Usually balmy weather, with two rainy seasons each years (Spring and late Fall). Joined by causeways, these tend to represent the various strata of Dagatan society. Much of the city’s architecture was inspired by Theed on Naboo, while other aspects were introduced from the many cultures and species which settled here. With a permanent population of a half-million or so, and some 1.3 million visiting each year, it enjoys a thriving tourism industry, most notably on District Six, home to beaches and entertainment venues a-plenty.
POINTS OF INTEREST
District One, a.k.a. “The Den”: A crowded, bustling spaceport, with ships arriving and leaving at all hours, and spacers and travelers from across the galaxy mixing about in confused, whirling crowds. The Den looks like a miniature Nar Shaddaa or a more-advanced Mos Eisley. Cantinas, low-end nightclubs, and gambling parlors exist here, alongside brothels and seedy hotels offering barely-clean beds for rent by the hour. Storefronts and shops supplying spacers’ needs, mechanics and technicians stand ready to make modifications and repairs, many of which would be illegal anywhere else. Hangars and landing pads, fuelers and repair bots, the densely-packed Den has it all. It is a dangerous place, smaller than the other Districts of the city, with narrow streets and dark alleys, homes for many of Harastown’s poorest residences. The Dagatan Shipwrights Association has its main factories here, and most of Harastown’s lower-classes pour into the Den for work each day. If you have the credits, you can get it in the Den. The ‘hands off, blind eye’ attitude of the city makes it a Freeport, with little law enforcement. Customs agents enforce and collect landing fees, and checkpoints guard access to the rest of the city. Only visitors with paid-for Traveler’s Passes and Dagatan citizens may go beyond this District. The Den is a rough place, and those who would go there do so because often they want a little trouble.
[Image Credit: DreamWorks Pictures, https://coverfiles.alphacoders.com/547/54785.png]
[Image Credit: Star Wars 1313, http://i.imgur.com/mCbQnRs.jpg]
[Image Credit: Star Wars 1313, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DaXW2sBXkAEVw-w.jpg]
[Image Credits: Star Wars 1313, https://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2977133-1313.jpg]
District Two, a.k.a. “Downtown”: The epicenter of Dagatan political and economic life in Harastown, Downtown, as residents call it, is a stark contrast to the Den of the neighboring island. Built-up and beautiful, it features museums, parks and gardens, sculptures and courtyards. Here the luxury townhouses of government officials, consulates of representatives from foreign powers, corporate headquarters buildings, executive apartments, and high-end shopping can be found. Upscale nightclubs and restaurants, sports cantinas, and expensive escort services and courtesans make for a luxurious nightlife. The University of Dagata is here, as is the Parliament building, and the massive outdoor marketplace is teeming with shoppers and vendors every day.
[Image Credit: Marvel Studios, https://cdn.citylab.com/media/img/citylab/2018/11/Picture1/facebook.png?1541176655]
[Image Credit: Marvel Studios, https://www.citymetric.com/sites/default/files/article_body_2018/02/wakanda_2.png]
District Three, a.k.a “The Park”: Across another causeway, one finds the Park, Harastown’s toniest District, named for the massive “Memorial Park” nestled at its core, featuring the Founders Memorial – paying homage to the Founders of Dagata, killed in the Rebellion against the Empire, with its huge man-made lake, canal system, cobblestone streets, gardens, outdoor courtyards and music venues. This where Harastown’s Nubian architectural inspiration is most clearly seen and felt, and it is the center of Harastown’s uppermost classes. The theatres, private member’s only clubs with waiting lists and elite rosters, five-star restaurants, luxury townhouses and mansions for the city’s wealthiest and most prominent citizens and families, top-tier fashion houses (Such as The House of Duralis, http://starwarsrp.net/topic/144671-the-house-of-duralis/?p=1943855), expensive boutiques, and art galleries serve as constant reminder that the Park is the height of Harastown, and Dagata’s, elite classes. Security is strict in the Park, and patrols are heaviest here and in Downtown. Nothing in the Park is cheap, and few citizens from outside the top-most classes venture here, unless it is to work as domestic servants, sales people, or other service industries catering to Harastown’s rich and famous. A causeway leads beyond the Park to District Six.
[Image Credit: Disney Studios Concept Art, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DWbkGX-U8AABVlF.jpg]
[Image Credit: Star Wars: Battlefront II, https://pm1.narvii.com/6942/4af652b42ac77fd9b057cbb34fdcbb760385f9f5r1-1920-1080v2_hq.jpg]
[Image Credit: Disney Studios Concept Art, https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/7/74/Frontfuneral.png/revision/latest?cb=20130206005622]
[Image Credit: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/e/eb/Lake_Retreat_2.png/revision/latest?cb=20180210181556] "Jade Pointe" the ancestral estate of House Mazah-T'shkali is in the Park.
District Four, a.k.a “The Groves”: Connecting to Districts 2, 5, and 6 by causeways, the Groves are the largest of the islands making up Harastown, and home to expansive middle class residential neighborhoods. Streets here are lined with fruit-and-flower bearing trees, forming shade canopies and lending a fragrant air to the entire island. A safe, affordable, and pleasant place to purchase an apartment home, raise a family, and enjoy much of what life in Harastown has to offer. Many small businesses, quaint shopping boutiques and stores, everyday eateries, and parks can be found here, along with some of the city’s best bookstore-cafes, frequented by many residents every afternoon. On any given day, people walk their pets, play games and picnic in the parks, stroll past fountains and through flower gardens. It is legal to pick fruit from the trees, and there’s almost always a snack nearby. Vendor carts line the walkways, peddling street foods, and even setting up outside beer gardens for patrons. Many artists perform in the parks for tips, and there’s always crowds visiting the island’s zoo. Modernist architecture blends with environmental greenery, making the Groves the ‘greenest’ of Districts in Harastown.
[Image Credit: https://www.todayonline.com/sites/default/files/styles/new_app_article_detail/public/photos/43_images/hdb_biophilic_town_framework-2a.jpg?itok=DM90bqz6]
District Five: Connected by causeway to the Den, Downtown, and the Groves, lies the small crowded island home to Harastown’s lower classes. Housing is affordable, and this is often where many college students, working class people, and those just starting out on their own first dwell.
[Image Credits: (Both) C.F. Mueller, https://tredjenatur.dk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Ryesgade.jpg]
District Six: Connecting to Districts 2,3, and 4, District Six is the chief destination for both visitors and citizens alike, seeking to avail themselves of the sunny beaches, marinas, seaside shopping, casinos, and of course, the Capital Arena, home to Harastown’s sports entertainment. Beachside cantinas, nightclubs and rental homes line the walks, and the District is great for people-watching. This is where you can glimpse the storied Dagatan hard-bodies at play, in barely-there swimsuits as they frolic in the surf, tan in the sun, or play beach games. Food here is often spicy, colorful, and cheap, sold in the cantinas or by vendors’ carts. This is where Harastown plays. The casino has a strict dress code, and offers opulent service to guests, often staying in the nearby luxury hotels or renting vacation homes along the beach. Originally home to many of the city’s Zeltron populations, District Six retains the look and feel of a luxury beachfront resort and playground to those looking for romance and pleasure.
[Image Credit: Disney Studios Concept Art, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DeNbqqTWAAAgTc8.jpg]
[Image Credit: Disney Studios Concept Art, http://media.virbcdn.com/cdn_images/resize_1024x1024/dd/d1fc31b97ba75bb2-INT_Casino_bar_ABRO05e.jpg]
[Image Credit: Disney Studios Concept Art, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_original/lnb2befo1rttrlhljvhe.png]
[Image Credit: https://www.wallpaperup.com/uploads/wallpapers/2016/04/06/923744/4250c5e78182f5337788b46774e2eb80-700.jpg]
[Image Credit: CBS Studios, https://cnet1.cbsistatic.com/img/MDhm1SEPVjqYX67KiBnemKOXm5s=/980x551/2016/02/24/70a3db83-9917-4c71-bdc6-fc0678516ab3/risa.png]
SECURITY
Protected by heavy city-wide deflector shields which can be activated if the planetary shields should fail, and with most of its Districts patrolled by the Dagatan Security Corps diligently, Harastown is quite safe, both from outside threats and internal crime or strife. A small but thriving city, Harastown is a popular destination for many vacationers, whose credits bring in considerable wealth for the city. As a result, every precaution is made to ensure the safety and comfort of guests here. Since Dagata effectively is a one-city world, with 98% of its population located here (the other 2% living on mining stations off-world), there is notable concern for safety. As a result, the Dagatan Free State has taken great precaution against natural disasters as well, with special systems to protect against damage by storms and possible hurricanes. The large southern continent shields the islands from most storm systems, and the climate and environment here is quite sheltered. Unlike colder, more rigorous areas to the north or south, Harastown is usually balmy warm, tranquil, and quite secure.
Key Security / Defensive Assets Include:
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
For a city founded eight centuries ago by privateers, war veterans, smugglers, and refugees, a lot has changed in Harastown over the centuries. Wealth and prosperity have seen the city grow, encompassing six of the nineteen island cluster located on the northern coast of Dagata’s southern continent, each inhabited island suggestive of the social stratification of Dagatan society and the strong blending of cultures and species which has made this happen.
The city’s early growth was led by the influence of Baroness Shalya Mazah, who worked to make Dagata and Harastown a destination for opportunity-seeking investors. Low taxes, few laws and regulations, and a pleasant port of call made Harastown an attractive option for many across the galaxy. With a hard-working population of diverse beings, eager to climb the social ladder and driven by a virtual cultural perfectionism, Harastown flourished quickly. The rise of the Dagatan Shipwrights Association, who expanded into many areas of research and development, manufacturing, and technology, and the income derived from the nationalized Tibanna mining on the planet below, Harastown watched as schools, museums, symphonies, theatres, and much more sprang up across the city. From the diversity of cultures, fusion cuisines, fashions, and art forms proliferated, rising to popularity off-world as well. Finding a Coruscant-based luxury restaurant serving Dagatan cuisine was not uncommon in the days before the Gulag Plague.
When the Plague forced the Dagatan Free State to close the system, sequestering itself from the rest of the galaxy to prevent being ravished by the disease, Dagata lost its vast trade and tourism income, and turned inward. It poured its resources into becoming self-sufficient, recreating many of the items and goods once imported and replacing them with those of Dagatan make and model. Dagata was a closed society for four centuries, and Harastown saw species mix even further, ideas and traditions from one culture melding into those from another, language blending to emerge as Dagatan Creole, and fierce competition take hold as the driving force behind life in Harastown. Over the four hundred years of sequestration, Harastown stabilized, and the hierarchy of classes did with it. The population slowly grew, carefully managed to limit overtaxing resources, and the six Districts filled out into their present states.
With the lifting of sequestration and return to galactic trade and commerce, Dagata has seen a slight influx of settlement, bringing new life and energies to the city, as well as new wealth and opportunities. What remains to be seen is how the city will grow and change amid a much-altered galaxy!
Intent: To further elaborate upon Dagata IV's only major settlement, its people, culture, and geography, for future roleplay events.
Links:
- Dagata IV (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/144568-dagata-iv/)
SETTING INFORMATION
City Name: Harastown
Classification: Metropolis
Location: A cluster of islands, found 2km off the coast of the northern shore of the southern continent on Dagata IV.
Affiliation: Dagatan Free State
Population: Heavy. Everyone who lives on Dagata IV, for the most part, lives in Harastown, concentrating 552,400 beings and droids in 93 sq. km.
Demographics: Twenty-two species are significantly represented in Harastown, with relative strife between them. In fact, inter-species courtship and offspring are commonplace, with many younger citizens being from more than one racial background. The blend of cultures here, biologically, socially, and culturally have evolved to make Dagatan civilization a truly separate and distinctive identity. (See Demographics for Dagata IV for more specific information)
Wealth: High. Since Harastown is the only significant settlement on Dagata IV, the whole of the world’s wealth is found here. Last year, the GDP of Harastown was roughly 378 billion credits. This does not however preclude obvious disparity in wealth there, as areas like the Park and the Den are virtually night and day to one another. The nationalization of Tibanna gas mining and refining has brought significant wealth to the Dagatan Free State directly.
Stability: High. Dagatans have a sense of “Dagata versus the galaxy”, and consider one another to be brothers/sisters all working, striving, and fighting for the same ideals, whether that is necessarily true or not. There is an inclusive egalitarianism here, with even droids being treated (almost) like sentients in most cases. Competition is fierce in society, but so too is patriotic fervor and nationalist fraternalism. Jenn Fay, the Prime Minister of Dagata, is popular and his government’s laissez-faire approach to governing coupled with the enduring spirituality/philosophy of its founders, gives all Dagatans a strong sense of identity. As a result, Dagata is a very stable government and social landscape, and while challenges can be found, there is very little unrest. The Den, however, is still a dangerous and turbulent area, with ships coming and going day and night, there are plenty of ways to get into trouble here. The government turns a ‘blind eye’ to what goes on in the Den, considering a sort of social pressure valve which allows for ‘controlled chaos’ in an otherwise rigid, competitive, and overall affluent society.
Freedom & Oppression: By all accounts, Harastown is generally a very free and relaxed society. Ethnic diversity is high, as is tolerance and social opportunity is freely accessed if one has the character and qualities to make good use of it. Dagatan Security Corps patrols faithfully guard the city, with the exception of the Den, where a ‘hands off’ approach is taken, making the Den a buzzing hive of criminals and ne’er-do-wells, as well as the seat of the city’s poorest population. Elsewhere however, one can stroll the streets at practically any time night or day without fear, and patrols have doubled since the tragic deaths of Baron and Mrs. T’shkali almost fifteen years ago. Their murder, in the Park District no less, shocked all of Dagata, and Harastown’s residents demanded increased security. What is not widely known is that the Dagatan Intelligence Services have many counter-intelligence agents and informants throughout the city, warning them of any strange or suspicious behaviors or plots against the government. So the nice lady at the market, your favorite bartender, or the dealer at the casino could be a spy ensuring Dagata remains strong from the inside! Only landspeeders are allowed outside of the Den, so crowded air traffic and gangs of swoop bikers aren’t seen throughout the city. Slavery is illegal, and punishable by death regardless of circumstances. So might as well, if should be said, being a Zyggerian. Dagatans kill them on sight and hate them fervently and universally. Doing so isn’t illegal. The Zyggerian slave trade is long remembered and long resented here, and if Dagata could, it would wipe their kind from the face of creation forever! Also, there is a strict law against bounty hunting in the city beyond the limits of the Den, and those who cross the line are banished forever and those who resist, even to complain about their exile, find themselves with a bounty on their own heads, courtesy of the Dagatan government! While Harastown and Dagata emphasize freedom, they are capable of being quite ruthless and with their long memories, hold grudges for a very, very long time. Take, for example, the collection of fees. Dagata does not tax its citizens, but does collect percentages from businesses and corporations and fees from ships. Failure to pay, or refusal to pay, is handled quickly and casually by the government. A ship captain who refuses to pay the customary docking fees finds that his ship and cargo are attacked, captured, and sold at auction and he and his crew won’t live long enough to see it. Same for a CEO or shopkeeper who refuses the fifteen percent annual tax of their company’s profits. They are arrested and executed, usually about an hour apart from arrest to execution, and their entire company and inventory are seized and sold off, the profits of which go directly into the treasury. There is no negotiating process. Still, if fees and percentages are paid, there is no further limitation on commerce, beyond some minor regulations to ensure safety, environmental protection, and prohibitions on slavery. This applies to brothels and boutiques, conglomerates and caf stands alike.
DESCRIPTION (General Overview):
Harastown is built across six separate islands, part of a cluster/chain of nineteen small islands located 2km off the northern coast of the planet’s southern hemisphere and 300km from the southern coast of the northern continent. Usually balmy weather, with two rainy seasons each years (Spring and late Fall). Joined by causeways, these tend to represent the various strata of Dagatan society. Much of the city’s architecture was inspired by Theed on Naboo, while other aspects were introduced from the many cultures and species which settled here. With a permanent population of a half-million or so, and some 1.3 million visiting each year, it enjoys a thriving tourism industry, most notably on District Six, home to beaches and entertainment venues a-plenty.
POINTS OF INTEREST
District One, a.k.a. “The Den”: A crowded, bustling spaceport, with ships arriving and leaving at all hours, and spacers and travelers from across the galaxy mixing about in confused, whirling crowds. The Den looks like a miniature Nar Shaddaa or a more-advanced Mos Eisley. Cantinas, low-end nightclubs, and gambling parlors exist here, alongside brothels and seedy hotels offering barely-clean beds for rent by the hour. Storefronts and shops supplying spacers’ needs, mechanics and technicians stand ready to make modifications and repairs, many of which would be illegal anywhere else. Hangars and landing pads, fuelers and repair bots, the densely-packed Den has it all. It is a dangerous place, smaller than the other Districts of the city, with narrow streets and dark alleys, homes for many of Harastown’s poorest residences. The Dagatan Shipwrights Association has its main factories here, and most of Harastown’s lower-classes pour into the Den for work each day. If you have the credits, you can get it in the Den. The ‘hands off, blind eye’ attitude of the city makes it a Freeport, with little law enforcement. Customs agents enforce and collect landing fees, and checkpoints guard access to the rest of the city. Only visitors with paid-for Traveler’s Passes and Dagatan citizens may go beyond this District. The Den is a rough place, and those who would go there do so because often they want a little trouble.
[Image Credit: DreamWorks Pictures, https://coverfiles.alphacoders.com/547/54785.png]
[Image Credit: Star Wars 1313, http://i.imgur.com/mCbQnRs.jpg]
[Image Credit: Star Wars 1313, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DaXW2sBXkAEVw-w.jpg]
[Image Credits: Star Wars 1313, https://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2977133-1313.jpg]
District Two, a.k.a. “Downtown”: The epicenter of Dagatan political and economic life in Harastown, Downtown, as residents call it, is a stark contrast to the Den of the neighboring island. Built-up and beautiful, it features museums, parks and gardens, sculptures and courtyards. Here the luxury townhouses of government officials, consulates of representatives from foreign powers, corporate headquarters buildings, executive apartments, and high-end shopping can be found. Upscale nightclubs and restaurants, sports cantinas, and expensive escort services and courtesans make for a luxurious nightlife. The University of Dagata is here, as is the Parliament building, and the massive outdoor marketplace is teeming with shoppers and vendors every day.
[Image Credit: Marvel Studios, https://cdn.citylab.com/media/img/citylab/2018/11/Picture1/facebook.png?1541176655]
[Image Credit: Marvel Studios, https://www.citymetric.com/sites/default/files/article_body_2018/02/wakanda_2.png]
District Three, a.k.a “The Park”: Across another causeway, one finds the Park, Harastown’s toniest District, named for the massive “Memorial Park” nestled at its core, featuring the Founders Memorial – paying homage to the Founders of Dagata, killed in the Rebellion against the Empire, with its huge man-made lake, canal system, cobblestone streets, gardens, outdoor courtyards and music venues. This where Harastown’s Nubian architectural inspiration is most clearly seen and felt, and it is the center of Harastown’s uppermost classes. The theatres, private member’s only clubs with waiting lists and elite rosters, five-star restaurants, luxury townhouses and mansions for the city’s wealthiest and most prominent citizens and families, top-tier fashion houses (Such as The House of Duralis, http://starwarsrp.net/topic/144671-the-house-of-duralis/?p=1943855), expensive boutiques, and art galleries serve as constant reminder that the Park is the height of Harastown, and Dagata’s, elite classes. Security is strict in the Park, and patrols are heaviest here and in Downtown. Nothing in the Park is cheap, and few citizens from outside the top-most classes venture here, unless it is to work as domestic servants, sales people, or other service industries catering to Harastown’s rich and famous. A causeway leads beyond the Park to District Six.
[Image Credit: Disney Studios Concept Art, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DWbkGX-U8AABVlF.jpg]
[Image Credit: Star Wars: Battlefront II, https://pm1.narvii.com/6942/4af652b42ac77fd9b057cbb34fdcbb760385f9f5r1-1920-1080v2_hq.jpg]
[Image Credit: Disney Studios Concept Art, https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/7/74/Frontfuneral.png/revision/latest?cb=20130206005622]
[Image Credit: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/e/eb/Lake_Retreat_2.png/revision/latest?cb=20180210181556] "Jade Pointe" the ancestral estate of House Mazah-T'shkali is in the Park.
District Four, a.k.a “The Groves”: Connecting to Districts 2, 5, and 6 by causeways, the Groves are the largest of the islands making up Harastown, and home to expansive middle class residential neighborhoods. Streets here are lined with fruit-and-flower bearing trees, forming shade canopies and lending a fragrant air to the entire island. A safe, affordable, and pleasant place to purchase an apartment home, raise a family, and enjoy much of what life in Harastown has to offer. Many small businesses, quaint shopping boutiques and stores, everyday eateries, and parks can be found here, along with some of the city’s best bookstore-cafes, frequented by many residents every afternoon. On any given day, people walk their pets, play games and picnic in the parks, stroll past fountains and through flower gardens. It is legal to pick fruit from the trees, and there’s almost always a snack nearby. Vendor carts line the walkways, peddling street foods, and even setting up outside beer gardens for patrons. Many artists perform in the parks for tips, and there’s always crowds visiting the island’s zoo. Modernist architecture blends with environmental greenery, making the Groves the ‘greenest’ of Districts in Harastown.
[Image Credit: https://www.todayonline.com/sites/default/files/styles/new_app_article_detail/public/photos/43_images/hdb_biophilic_town_framework-2a.jpg?itok=DM90bqz6]
District Five: Connected by causeway to the Den, Downtown, and the Groves, lies the small crowded island home to Harastown’s lower classes. Housing is affordable, and this is often where many college students, working class people, and those just starting out on their own first dwell.
[Image Credits: (Both) C.F. Mueller, https://tredjenatur.dk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Ryesgade.jpg]
District Six: Connecting to Districts 2,3, and 4, District Six is the chief destination for both visitors and citizens alike, seeking to avail themselves of the sunny beaches, marinas, seaside shopping, casinos, and of course, the Capital Arena, home to Harastown’s sports entertainment. Beachside cantinas, nightclubs and rental homes line the walks, and the District is great for people-watching. This is where you can glimpse the storied Dagatan hard-bodies at play, in barely-there swimsuits as they frolic in the surf, tan in the sun, or play beach games. Food here is often spicy, colorful, and cheap, sold in the cantinas or by vendors’ carts. This is where Harastown plays. The casino has a strict dress code, and offers opulent service to guests, often staying in the nearby luxury hotels or renting vacation homes along the beach. Originally home to many of the city’s Zeltron populations, District Six retains the look and feel of a luxury beachfront resort and playground to those looking for romance and pleasure.
[Image Credit: Disney Studios Concept Art, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DeNbqqTWAAAgTc8.jpg]
[Image Credit: Disney Studios Concept Art, http://media.virbcdn.com/cdn_images/resize_1024x1024/dd/d1fc31b97ba75bb2-INT_Casino_bar_ABRO05e.jpg]
[Image Credit: Disney Studios Concept Art, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_original/lnb2befo1rttrlhljvhe.png]
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SECURITY
Protected by heavy city-wide deflector shields which can be activated if the planetary shields should fail, and with most of its Districts patrolled by the Dagatan Security Corps diligently, Harastown is quite safe, both from outside threats and internal crime or strife. A small but thriving city, Harastown is a popular destination for many vacationers, whose credits bring in considerable wealth for the city. As a result, every precaution is made to ensure the safety and comfort of guests here. Since Dagata effectively is a one-city world, with 98% of its population located here (the other 2% living on mining stations off-world), there is notable concern for safety. As a result, the Dagatan Free State has taken great precaution against natural disasters as well, with special systems to protect against damage by storms and possible hurricanes. The large southern continent shields the islands from most storm systems, and the climate and environment here is quite sheltered. Unlike colder, more rigorous areas to the north or south, Harastown is usually balmy warm, tranquil, and quite secure.
Key Security / Defensive Assets Include:
- Planetary Shield Generators
- City Shield Generators
- Dagatan Militia Corps (12 squadrons, heavy interceptor starfighters, several battalions of ground troops; expandable with general call-to-arms)
- 5,000-man Dagatan Security Corps – A full-time police force, engaged to enforce Dagatan law and protect the city and its inhabitants. Well-trained and well-equipped, they ensure that everything outside of the Den remains clean, safe, and secure. They’re also used to collect fees from ships coming into the Den.
- Severe Weather Defense Shields
- Planetary Orbital Defense Platforms
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
For a city founded eight centuries ago by privateers, war veterans, smugglers, and refugees, a lot has changed in Harastown over the centuries. Wealth and prosperity have seen the city grow, encompassing six of the nineteen island cluster located on the northern coast of Dagata’s southern continent, each inhabited island suggestive of the social stratification of Dagatan society and the strong blending of cultures and species which has made this happen.
The city’s early growth was led by the influence of Baroness Shalya Mazah, who worked to make Dagata and Harastown a destination for opportunity-seeking investors. Low taxes, few laws and regulations, and a pleasant port of call made Harastown an attractive option for many across the galaxy. With a hard-working population of diverse beings, eager to climb the social ladder and driven by a virtual cultural perfectionism, Harastown flourished quickly. The rise of the Dagatan Shipwrights Association, who expanded into many areas of research and development, manufacturing, and technology, and the income derived from the nationalized Tibanna mining on the planet below, Harastown watched as schools, museums, symphonies, theatres, and much more sprang up across the city. From the diversity of cultures, fusion cuisines, fashions, and art forms proliferated, rising to popularity off-world as well. Finding a Coruscant-based luxury restaurant serving Dagatan cuisine was not uncommon in the days before the Gulag Plague.
When the Plague forced the Dagatan Free State to close the system, sequestering itself from the rest of the galaxy to prevent being ravished by the disease, Dagata lost its vast trade and tourism income, and turned inward. It poured its resources into becoming self-sufficient, recreating many of the items and goods once imported and replacing them with those of Dagatan make and model. Dagata was a closed society for four centuries, and Harastown saw species mix even further, ideas and traditions from one culture melding into those from another, language blending to emerge as Dagatan Creole, and fierce competition take hold as the driving force behind life in Harastown. Over the four hundred years of sequestration, Harastown stabilized, and the hierarchy of classes did with it. The population slowly grew, carefully managed to limit overtaxing resources, and the six Districts filled out into their present states.
With the lifting of sequestration and return to galactic trade and commerce, Dagata has seen a slight influx of settlement, bringing new life and energies to the city, as well as new wealth and opportunities. What remains to be seen is how the city will grow and change amid a much-altered galaxy!