Martian Political Landscape
BEFORE THE coming of humans, the major Martian city-states were in rough equilibrium, although a few of them stood out above the rest:
Oenotria: The Oenotrian Empire
was a rising star in the region south
of Syrtis Major, rapidly dominating
the older principalities of Deltoton,
Astrapsk, Iapygia, and Avenel in
diplomatic and (occasionally) military
campaigns of conquest. With the
coming of the humans, and particularly
with the establishment of a British
Crown Colony in Syrtis Major,
the Oenotrians have been thwarted in
their northern expansionist plans.
The present war between the British
and the Oenotrians was almost an inevitable
result of the political and
diplomatic climate in the Syrtis plateau
resulting from the human settlement
there.
The Boreosyrtis League: The
Boreosyrtis League is not a civil entity,
but a loose mercantile confederation
with many similarities to the
Hanseatic League of the later medieval
period on Earth. The cities of
the Boreosyrtis League have a complete
monopoly on the production of
bhutan spice, the prime British export
from Mars (after lifiwood). The
league's headquarters is presently in
the city of Umbra, where the major
mercantile houses and princes of the
cities of the league send their representatives
to the League's Grand
Council.
Astusapes: The Astusapes mountains
are inhabited by High Martians,
ruled by a number of greater or lesser
kings from their "kraags," or
mountain fortress-cities. The kraags
are nearly invulnerable fastnesses,
carved from the heart of one of the
rugged mesas or cliffs that permeate
the region. The highlands are also the
source of liftwood, and liftwood and
the kraags are the twin pillars of
High Martian power. Raiding the
trade routes to the north was a minor
sideline that brought them into conflict
with the Boreosyrtis League and
the British.
The predominant high king of the
Astusapes region was the master of
Kraag Barrovaar, King Hattabranx,
until a British raid weakened his
power in February of 1888. Since
that time, the area has been in a state
of flux.
Technology
IN GENERAL, the Canal Martians
are the most civilized and the
most highly advanced technologically.
It is they who manufacture gunpowder,
cast guns (when they can get
the metal), and build the largest and
most advanced cloudships. Despite
this, however, the Canal Martians
possess a stagnant culture and have
not made a single major scientific
discovery in centuries.
Hill Martians are more primitive
than Canal Martians, both in appearance
and in technological advancement.
They are still capable of
relatively sophisticated creations in
many different kinds of wood, although
they lack the practical and artistic
metal-working skills of the
Canal Martians.
High Martians are a brutish lot,
both physically and technologically.
Although they can work metal, they
prefer to obtain manufactured goods
by trade or brigandage, or as tribute.
As masters of the high places where
liftwood grows, they have a monopoly
on the most important item of
trade on the planet.