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The Soverign City of XingyiAlternately:
Xingyi, the City-State of Xingyi, the Free City of Xingyi
Back in ancient times the Lin rode birds the size of buildings called Rocs; entire families would camp atop their backs and rely on them for food and supplies, protecting the birds in exchange. The peak of Mount Xing was one of the sacred sites where the Rocs congregated to nest, allowing Lin nomads to meet, trade and practice religious rites.
Over time the city of Xingyi grew in the shadow of Mount Xing as some nomads and traders chose to settle down and live on the mountain permanently. They learned from other native peoples to practice husbandry and terrace-farming to support themselves. The discovery of metallurgy, along with the abundance of silver and copper, led the Ling of Xingyi to begin mining the mountain and discovering vast, natural caverns. Over time the old mines and caverns became living space and a large portion of the city moved underground. Xingyi's population grew and it eventually became a major mercantile empire for a short time in the middle ages. Eventually Xingyi's wealth was too tempting to ignore, and the city was conquered for the first and only time after a two-year siege.
The office of First Patrician was instated after the Asy patrician family lead a major rebellion and defeated the occupiers, liberating the city and establishing the Asy family as the "First among equals" of the patrician families. Since then the Asy family has refused to claim any additional titles, despite the occasional suggestion
Xingyi's modern history began when Shangxia Asy, mother of the current ruler, opened the city's gates to refugees from any country where a revolution occurred. The rich, easily-defensible and open-minded city of Xingyi was the perfect haven for discontent professionals, displaced refugees, and especially exiled nobles. The city's population swelled as people from across the world fled to the city to escape strife, persecution, or punishment for their actions. The newcomer's technical knowledge has helped fuel the growing city's economy by providing labor for the mines and technical expertise far beyond the local knowledge. Expatriate industrialists began constructing the first factories and railways in a process of industrialization which is still ongoing. Many noble houses have purchased manors or caverns in the city, throwing balls and patronizing artists and entertainers while they pine over their lost homelands.
Race and Ethnicity
Xingyi is dominated by the Lin ethnicity, who make up 16.5 of the city's roughly 20 million citizens. It is Lin language, customs and religion that dominate the state's institutions. Immigrants are not required to adapt to their new home, but state affairs are conducted in the Lin language, public schooling is offered in it, and certain state jobs such as serving in the military are reserved for those born in the city. The remaining 4.5 million inhabitants are mainly refugees from various parts of the globe, and many of these are poor factory workers. There is understandable animosity from some portions of the immigrant population given the pressure on them to assimilate culturally. Various enclaves has grown up around the city as immigrants have gathered together, creating communities of their own.
Religion
The Lin people worship Faijin, god of the sky, whose sacred symbol is the Roc. Mount Xing is considered a sacred site to Faijin, and the First Patriarch is also responsible for protecting it. There are many temples within Xingyi devoted to Faijin and the priests offer a host of services including education and employment. Surprisingly, the priesthood is independent of the First Patrician, and the matriarch is one of the few people who can outright oppose the First Patrician and get away with it. Fai is not an evangelical religion and makes relatively little effort to convert others. People are expected to pay respect to Faijin and accept the rites as part of the state's affairs, but little else.
Matriarchy
The Lin people, and by extension Xingyi, are matriarchal. Inheritance and family names are passed down from mother to daughter. Women are considered heads of households, and until relatively recently polyandry (one woman having multiple husbands) was an acceptable practice. As a byproduct of this tradition, women are generally more free to pursue their goals and make up a large part of Xingyi's industry and armed forces.
Race: Human (Lin ethnicity)
Lin humans have dark skin and black or brown hair, appearing similar to Earth's mongol ethnicity. They usually stand between 5' and 5'6". A minority, especially the noble houses, have light blue or green eyes, a trait that is considered sacred in their religion. They are well adapted to high elevations and cold temperatures, and can breath more easily in mountains than other ethnicities.
Form of Government: Dynastic Autocracy
Xingyi is ruled by the Asy dynasty, who have held the title of FIrst Patrician for several hundred years. The title is passed down from mother to daughter through a matriarchal line of succession in what is essentially a monarchy in all but name. The First Patrician rules the city and implements laws, assisted by an assigned council. State institutions such as the police, hospitals and courts are run through an institutional bureaucracy at the Patrician's direction. The ruler is also given the title of Kheshig as guardian of the holy mount Xing and the local priesthood.
Current Leader: First Patrician Tsetseg Asy (Current Ruler)
First Patrician Tsetseg Asy has seen Xingyi grow from a primitive city to a financial world power. Following in her mother's footsteps she has cultivated the city's industrial might. She spends a great deal of her time in uniform and is responsible for most of the military's modernization, as well as the fortification project that has turned Xingyi into a nigh-impenetrable fortress. Her habit of keeping lovers is an open secret among the city's elite; less well known are the rumors of alcoholism.
Notable FiguresPatrician Kulan Asy (Current Heir)
The young, stately heir to the Patricianship, lady Kulan Asy is well known for being extremely personable and diplomatic. She spends much time attending social functions that her mother could not attend for any number of reasons, and has managed dozens of suitors with ease. Rumors of fights with her mother and a dictatorial attitude towards her servants are clearly false.
Temur Asy (Son of Tsetseg, brother to Kulan)
Rather than constantly live in the shadow of his mother and younger sister, Temur Asy left Xingyi and returned only recently after years abroad. He picked up some distinctly non-Lin habits during his travels such as wearing a suite and tie instead of formal robes, and studying the political theories of the revolutionaries. He now serves as a diplomat for the city and spends a good deal of time associating with new immigrants and corresponding with foreign friends.
Total Population: 20 Million
Xingyi is a mountain city built into a pair of lower peaks in the Yuling mountains. The upper city stretched across two peaks and a "saddle" that stretches between them, but buildings also stretch down the slope and through the myriad tunnels that make up the inner city. A huge metropolis is built into the mountain's caves, centering around an enormous port-cavern at sea level.
The Yuling mountains are a temperate but high mountain system. Their peaks are frozen glaciers that go high into the atmosphere. Goats and other animals are herded in the tundra shrub area between the mountain's icy peaks and the warmer temperate areas. Terrace farms cover much of the lower sides of the mountains and the surrounding countryside. Many of the more treacherous mountains are still wild, and are frequented only by woodsmen and hunters.
Xingyi is best known for its mineral wealth. The city's silver mines have been active for centuries, and still continue to yield most of the world's silver, along with enormous amounts of sulfur and zinc. Large copper deposits are also mined and several quarries excavate granite and other construction stones. Unfortunately, despite the recent growth of factories Xingyi lacks the industrial capacity to make the most of its rich natural resources and the city's mines are not as efficient as they could be.
Terrace farming, high-altitude husbandry and hunting in the mountains supply the city with food and everyday goods, but Xingyi is still far from self sufficient. It imports large amounts of foodstuffs, textiles, and manufactured goods to support its enormous population, along with machinery to speed its growing industry.
The city is also a financial center, providing banking and loans backed by its huge silver yields. Strict privacy laws and lax banking rules make it the perfect tax haven for anyone who wants to keep their wealth out of the public eye.
TLDR:
Exports: Silver, Copper, sulfur, zinc, granite, financial services (loans, bonds, tax havens, financing)
Imports: Foodstuffs, textiles, household goods, industrial machinery.
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[hider=Technology Overview]
Xingyi's technology is mainly imported along with its refugees. Along with nobles have come royalist intellectuals, scientists, engineers and investors unwilling to see their work confiscated for use by revolutionaries. The city's once-mediocre university is now populated by some of the greatest minds on the continent, and the First Patrician has the rare luxury of sponsoring dozens of talented individuals to pioneer the sciences.
But while Xingyi has great potential in the sciences, it sadly lacks the infrastructure. Before the First Patrician opened the city's gates to refugees it was more medieval than modern. The first factories and signs of modernization are starting to develop, but the city still has a long way to go before it will be able to really capitalize on the technology it has access to. For now Xingyi still imports much of its machinery and is limited in what it can produce.
TLDR:
High Technological Potential
Lack of Industry to produce tech.
Military OverviewXingyi's armed forces specialize in mountain warfare and fighting against numerically and technologically superior forces. Xingyi's lack of industry means that as of yet the army has no armored vehicles at all and struggles to keep up with the advances of neighboring powers. To counteract the enemy advantages the National Army trains and pays its soldiers exceptionally well and emphasizes area control. Soldiers are trained in skirmish tactics and the army has large numbers of snipers, mortars and anti-vehicle weapons. On the defensive the armed forces use staggered defenses, setting up skirmish zones and overlapping fortifications, forcing enemies to waste men taking exposed positions. The tactics are brutal, but Xingyi's generals know that their crack troops will almost assuredly be outmatched in any conflict.
Total Standing Army: 1,000,000
Hulao-Fen type 4 RifleThe standard infantry weapon of the National Army, the Hulao-fen is a bolt-action rifle with a 5-round magazine that fires 57mm rounds. It is exceptionally reliable and powerful at long ranges, making it ideal as a standard infantry weapon. Carbine and sniper variants are also supplied for alternate roles.
[hider=Navy Overview]
The Xingyi navy consists of a handful of cruisers and a large number of submarines. A naval blockade is considered one of the major threats to the city's welfare, and emphasizing the use of submersibles is meant to prevent even a superior navy from achieve a complete blockade. The city's few cruisers have the more overt duty of projecting Xingyi's presence into distant lands - they are consistently sent out on diplomatic and military expeditions across the sea.
The Xingyi Airforce is limited in capability, with few aircraft that are nearing obsolescence. The solution has been to focus strictly on fast, short-range interception fighters. This focus means, at least for now, giving up strategic bombing capabilities, but lets the airforce devote its whole attention to protecting Xingyi and denying any enemy force air superiority.
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"I read that mess, can we start already!?"
