Ephalon - Triumvirate
Chapter 1 - Desperation
Urban Era Ephalon (5th Era)
Hello, allow me to introduce myself; my name is Reina Lethose.
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I will be your guide on behalf of a former colleague and fellow scholar. I'm here to teach you about the world of Ephalon during the Fifth Era but first a little about me.
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I work as a curator at the Enterra National History Museum. I make sure the day to day proceedings run like clockwork, as well as allocate resources to discoveries where needed. From time to time I do seminars and classes at the University of Maya. The youth of this generation show a lot of promise, more so than I've ever experienced before.
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The University, no, actually the entire city, is an enormous hodgepodge of species. With exception of the Ancients, who've long since died out, just about every sentient species on the planet can be found in the city of Maya, the capital of Enterra.
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There are a slew of topics I'd like to tell you about, ones I feel you should know to get you well acquainted with the world of Ephalon. So, without further ado, let's get into it.
Globalisation
The end of the Fourth Era came about when Grandmaster Maeyl was defeated at the Battle of Erafar roughly two-hundred years ago. In the decades that followed a contingent of people from all over the world banded together to establish the groundwork for the city we now know as Maya. The largest and most diverse city on Ephalon. Many scholars believe that the founding of Maya precipitated a sense of unity among the species of the world.
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Others would argue that the progression of technology allowed this, but I can't say for sure either way as both seem logical to me. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
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With all that said, unity was not welcomed at first by all people of the six continents. Arack our western neighbours across the Kraad ocean showed resounding reluctance during the founding years; yet, over time they decided to be more tolerant of the idea of a global establishment. Our southern neighbours in Numen-Nier, however, still prove disinterested in the concept of global unity. Although in recent years they have begun engaging in joint ventures which benefit us all.
Technology / progression
The world has changed so much since the days of torches and oil lanterns. First there was the advent of steam-powered trains and boats. These massive machines were capable of large scale transport and construction, paving the way for industrialisation.
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However, that all quickly changed when Professor Gnigenma the first, discovered how to harness hydrogen energy. I'm not quite sure how it works myself, but it involves using concentrated amounts of liquid hydrogen as a fuel source. It's surprisingly eco-friendly as well, a precedent which has since set the standard for how all products are designed.
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Plastic was another one of the great discoveries to help usher in a world of convenience. The first types of plastic were non-recyclable and quickly became a problem. These days all plastics are built to allow them to be melted down and recycled, a concept that everyone has embraced.
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A more recent invention, and what I feel is the most significant, was the internet; a way in which everyone can share information through a global network of computers. For the historical society, this has meant we no longer have to rely on paper records which degrade over time, though that's not to say it wasn't met with scepticism at first.
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Technology is decidedly not my field of expertise, but I have heard whispers that we are on the brink of building the first fully functional fusion reactor. Many have said that this new form of power would change the world much as hydrogen fuel had before.
The city of Maya (5th Era)
Below is a map of the Maya, the city in which the 4th, 5th and 6th book takes places.
Click the map to zoom in for a more detailed view
The city of Maya, where do I even begin? Let's start with the basics I guess. Maya is the largest city in the world. It houses the temple of Enterra, the vastest structure ever built; the very same place where supposedly, the Dragon Goddess of Creation, Enterra, ruled from during the First Era.
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The city is connected to land via the original walk bridge come aqueduct called the Anqui Potum. It grants people access to the island as well as use boats to haul significant amounts of freight. Later the suspension bridge called Binder's Crossing was built. The main platform has an eight-lane highway, four in either direction and beneath that there's a couple of train tracks.
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The island portion of the city is comprised of nineteen districts, all of which are named after the sons and daughters of Enterra. Each area has a distinct style of architecture combining designs from all over the world as well as new-age modern ones. All districts are built on top of a massive series of concrete platforms which house a drainage system beneath that can handle hurricane levels of rainwater.
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In between the districts are the raised mega-highways, the arteries of the city. Most importantly the inner city monorail system travels beneath the highways and has been praised as the best public transport system in the world; it is also free of charge.
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Let's see what else can I say. The Anquli district is otherwise known as the University of Maya, containing multiple campuses and research locations. The city has three major park areas which are often used by people to relax after a hard day's work. Maya also has Falloir airport in the southeastern corner of the island. Next to that is the Gnigenma Campus, the place to go for the newest technological discoveries.
Redstar Pharmaceuticals
You might be wondering why I feel the need to talk about a pharmaceutical company. Well, there's a simple reason for it. Redstar owns eighty percent of the world's pharmacy trade, making it the largest and most influential company in the world. Their scope includes: medicine, medical gear ranging from simple bandages to scanning equipment, as well as training and employing doctors of all skills. They might as well own all the hospitals as well since everything inside them is procured from Redstar.
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The world leaders have banded together and made it impossible for Redstar to grow beyond their eighty percent; however, everyone knows a conglomerate of this size need only flex its arm, and a series of smaller companies disappear.
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Redstar is split into four sections: North, South, East, and West. The Redstar North tower headquarters is located in the Melderra district, right in the middle of the city of Maya. Phaela Morrison is their CEO, and she is the first exo-human. A person who used to be human but has undergone so much gene therapy she is now considered a hybrid.
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The company is also the formal lead on genetic research, charging the way to granting people access to becoming whatever species or gender they want to be. This line of research has been met with massive public resistance, and for obvious reasons, I feel. It would be complicated if a human was suddenly a different species. Their passport and public identity would change so much. Moreover, if what Redstar claims is possible, this could even be done multiple times during a person's life as there's no surgery involved.
The Ceruleus Organisation
Unlike Redstar, the Ceruleus Organisation has been of great service to the city of Maya, specifically the Melderra district. The founder Falon Ceruleus helped build that very same district from the ground up, in turn, becoming the most influential individual of that region. Falon was a dragon who walked among his fellow people in human form. I've been told he was a ruthless but a fair man.
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Falon one day met and fell in love with Daerah, a human woman, and together they had a child called Alexander. Over time people grew to adore the Ceruleus family, and elected Falon to represent the hybrid people of the district; a political task which although was performed by Falon, clearly came from Daerah's musings.
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The Ceruleus Organisation consists of three parts:
- The Packet and Parcel delivery company, which brings all of the city's needs right to your doorstep, or so the slogan goes.
- Melderra investments, which is an investment company.
- The Serpent Restaurant, a dragon-themed restaurant, led by head chef, Hwanu Nagi. I'll have to visit this place sometime; it sounds right up my alley.
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Finally, I have to end on some sad news. Almost a year ago, Falon died from a heart attack. It was a strange incident as there had never before been a recording of a dragon succumbing from such an affliction. His son Alexander has since taken up the reins as both CEO of Ceruleus and liaison to the hybrid community. I've yet to meet him in person, but I look forward to the day; I have it on good authority he's quite the looker.
