Fasantauri System

Overview

Said to be the oldest of Old Terra’s colonies, and its proximity to Sol and a wealth of historical and archaeological evidence would bear this out. A rare system, it contains three habitable worlds. One of the wealthiest of all the worlds in human space, its political, economic and cultural importance is second only to Corrigan.

History

First Expanse

According to the oldest historical records, the Fasantauri System was first colonized over 1,600 standard years ago via slowboats that took the better part of a century to reach their destination. These earliest colonists chose the planet Terre Nouveau, with its balmy climate and largely compatible biochemistry.

Over the next few centuries, but particularly after the development of FTL technology, Terra Nouveau and the other two habitable planets; Goetel’s World and Glacia saw an influx of tens of millions.

The system was the scene of much friction at this time, as the Oligarchs and their client states battled for territory and resources. Records indicate that at least four wars were fought during this period. A final treaty carved the system into a number of provinces, each nominally a democracy but in fact controlled by an Oligarchic family.

First Decline

The Decline hit the Fasantauri hard, but certainly much less so than virtually any other system. Communications with Old Terra were not completely lost, and the sheer size and wealth of the system meant that its economy, while initially strained to the breaking point, was able to survive and eventually prosper.

The heavily industrialized provinces with their Oligarchic overlords, evolved into technology-rich kingdoms, frequently at war, always maneuvering for supremacy in an ever-shifting array of alliances.

By the second half of the Decline, only a half-dozen kingdoms remained, with Glacia almost solely the territory of the Perez Family and Goetel’s World in the hands of the Tawmeriks[-‘^1^’-]. Terra Nouveau, with its larger populations and greater resource base, remained divided into four kingdoms, though pre-eminent among them was Krezil. The Oligarchs initially resisted such younger clans as the Tawmeriks and Perezs, but ultimately accomodated them, though never entirely accepting their inevitable political status as equals.

In the final century of the Decline, the last great war of the Fasantauri System was fought, the so-called Fifth Patrician’s War. Though, like the others, it was fought largely to a stalemate, for Krezil it proved an economic disaster, leading to the infamous Krezil Stock Market Crash. The Tawmeriks, Perezs and the other Oligarchs (particularly the Bafiktuys), seized much of this wealthy state’s assets, enriching themselves and paving the way for political unification.

The Terran Republic and Early Imperium

With the rediscovery of hopspace techology, the Fasantauri System was thrust to the forefront. Its wealth and its formidable technology were so great that even internal divisions could not keep the Oligarchs and the lesser families and corporations from forming a hub of worlds, united in purpose if not always in actions.

The formation of the Terran Republic was, in very large part, simply an extension of political, social and economic evolution of the Fasantauri System during the latter part of the Decline. While other systems would be added, none could boast the wealth and power that the Oligarchic and younger clans of Fasantauri held.

In the end, however, the formation of the Republic and its later replacement by the Imperium must assuredly be one of the great anti-climaxes of human history. Fasantauri was supplanted as a center of human civilization, and while its political clout remained great, its early pre-eminence faded away.

The High Imperium

With the failure of the Tawmeriks, Fasantauri’s decline accelerated. The new dynasty, having no substantial attachments; traditionally or economically, sought to limit the power of the Oligarchs and the remnants of the Tawmeriks.

The Oligarchs of Fasantauri, however, were not so easily defeated, and while they were forced further into the shadows, they completed their takeover of Fasantauri’s domestic political structure. Their hold on power became absolute, and the Neo Tawmeriks and Perez Family were evicted from the system, along with numerous minor families.

The Late Imperium and the Interregnum

By the later Imperium, Fasantauri was little more than an Oligarch-run technocracy. As Imperial authority began to slip, the Oligarchs exerted more direct control over surrounding systems, forming a formidable bloc that, while potentially threatening the Imperium, may have actually staved off the decline. After the Zenbrudi War, it was Fasantauri’s banking system that was essentially funding the Imperium, at a very high rate of interest.

With the failure of the Emperors and the beginning of the Imperial Interregnum, the Oligarchs were keen supporters of the new political structure with Durin Bonish at the helm. Bonish was more keen to do business with the Oligarchs, receiving large loans and key Congressional votes in return. While Bonish and his successors were vocally great champions of honest government, they were, in fact, the greatest beneficiaries of corruption, much of it stemming from the Oligarchs of Fasantauri.

The Hundred Bloody Days

It is still too recent in time to determine the truth of Fasantauri’s involvement in the Hundred Bloody Days. The were Anthorphs in the system had always been a second-class populace, and bigoted attitudes never entirely faded away even during the more enlightened period of the High Imperium. The Oligarchs, while clearly uncomfortable with the Bloody Pretender, were quite willing to profit from his brief, vicious reign, and in this more than any other act, condemned themselves as profiteers and amoral power seekers.

The Civil War

The fall of the Bloody Pretender had swift consequences for the Fasantauri system. Its economy collapsed as the Oligarchs found themselves financially overextended from the vast loans they had given to the Imperial Congress and the Bloody Pretender. Unemployment suddenly skyrocketed to over twenty percent, the Imperium currency so devalued now that double digit inflation became the norm. Revolution and civil war were inevitable.

Old rivalries, nearly forgotten but still simmering, bubbled over. The unity of the Oligarchic clans broke down, and soon they were in open conflict. Much of the Civil War was fought on Terre Nouveau, which was ravaged. In the midst of this the Oligarchic civil war, new leaders arose, particularly young and dynamic Solomon Quain, a commoner by birth and veteran of the wars against the Bloody Pretender’s regime who had returned to find his planet in chaos.

From his home province on Glacia, Quain declared the age of the Oligarchs at an end, and raised an army of nearly ten million. The Oligarchs, already weakened by their own war, were no match for a populist like Quain, whose greatest skill was in picking talented generals. Glacia soon fell to him, and a popular uprising on Goetel’s World lead to a government that swore fealty to him.

At this moment, the ailing Imperial Congress, still realing from its own disasters, sent Quain aid in the form of three heavy cruisers. I cannot say for certain what the justification for it is, though clearly Quain has proven himself an astute military and political leader, and perhaps they are hoping that he is the man to bring order to chaos.

Fasantauri Today

The Civil War still rages on Terre Nouveau, where the Oligarchs hang on. Quain’s new regime is in its infancy, and despite having a small navy in its hands, seems unwilling to do anything that could threaten the most populated and valuable planet in the Fasantauri System.

Both Quain’s regime and the Oligarchs still dutifully declare themselves loyal subjects of the Imperium. The Oligarchs clearly do so only for the purposes of legitimacy, but Quain’s ties to the remnants of the Imperial Congress are murkier, and only time will tell precisely what he and that last organ of Imperium rule are up to.

Sites on Terre Noveau

Krezel [-(anc. Anselle)-]

One of the earliest sites of colonization on Terre Nouveau, it has been for centuries the cultural center of the Fasantauri System. Once also a political and economic superpower, today it is again the house of power for the Oligarchs as they fight the forces of Solomon Quain.

Ethus

Constructed on a vast plateau some three miles above sea level, Ethus is one of the most beautiful cities in the Imperium. Constructed entirely out of so-called Ethus marble, the city is said to shine from space.

The Caverns of Oth

Enormous series caverns that sit beneath the small northern polar cap. Formed some billion years ago during a period of severe vulcanism, these caverns boast a vast array of minerals, fossils and dozens of unique ecologies. The full extent of these caverns has never been explored, and legends of various alien races or lost populations are popular.

Sites on Glacia

Towers of Relmentia

During the great conflicts of the First Decline, the Oligarchic Nissa family constructed dozens of towers in their main city of Relmentia, mainly to demonstrate their prestige and wealth. Some stand as nearly four kilometers high, and are marvels of engineering. The tallest, the Tower of Kisangalora, is 3,922 meters, now serves as the residence of Solomon Quain.

The Sea of Ice

A vast polar sea in the southern hemisphere of Glacia. Containing nearly thirty percent of the water on the planet, it is virtually uninhabitable, and even at the height of the Imperium’s power, the natural resources beneath it are all but untapped. Said to be the realm of a Yezza, a degenerate people, possibly related to Anthorphs, none have been seen in seven hundred years.

Dagor Crater

Nearly two hundred miles across, this impact crater is the source of a good deal of Glacia’s mineral wealth. An asteroid hit here nearly ninety million years ago, and is believed to have been responsible for Glacia’s frigid climate. The deepest part of the crater, Valles India, is nearly seven miles deep and is a popular tourist destination because of its numerous mineral hotsprings.

Sites on Goetel’s World

Serebar

Third largest city in the Fasantauri System, and largest on Goetel’s World. Once the center of the pre-Imperium Tawmerik’s power, it is now one of the most important industrial centers in the Fasantauri system. It was the last holdout of the Oligarchs on Goetel’s World, and the scene of several battles that saw a quarter of the city destroyed.

Temple of Kristos

An ancient place of worship, founded during the First Expanse by an ancient Terran religion, Kristianity. Though the religion itself faded during the First Decline, this great temple (or church as the locals call it) is a great dome, one of the largest in the Imperium. Though now a museum, the few remaining Kristos worshippers in the Fasantauri System are permitted to worship their god here. It boasts numerous remarkable frescoes, some said to have come from Old Terra.

Tebis Desert

Vast equatorial desert that domintes Goetel’s World’s largest continent. A difficult environment to live in, it is populated by various nomadic tribes, and the mineral wealth here has long attracted prospectors. There are no permanent settlements in the deep desert, though there are often reports of lost cities.

[-‘^1^’ The early history of the Tawmeriks is somewhat confused, and their own histories claim that they originated in the Vadia System as the rulers of the semi-legendary Vadian Free Republic.-]