The Anth of Anthuria
Before Imperial Rule
The Anth, before Imperial rule, casually drifting on calm waters
After Imperial Conquest
Summary
Anthuria’s Geography Before Imperial Rule
Anthuria's coastal tropics
The Anth were once known for their easygoing nature, which stemmed from a deep understanding and acceptance of their environment. They were extremely fluid, adapting to the calm waves of their home and living fairly lackadaisical lives. They were master navigators and skilled artisans working primarily with their vast marine resources. The Anth lived primarily lived their lives tied to the tides of Anthuria and the bounty of its oceans.
Many of those who plied worked on the oceans specialized in fields like marine sustainability, ocean technologies, or coasted on the calming waves in one of the thousands of expansive trade routes. The latter in which the Anth spent long meandering voyages, trading essentials like food, building materials, specialized technologies and the like amongst the thousands of islands dotted across the relatively small tropical planet. Most deals were made person-to-person, and not co-opted into large business deals or corporations.
The Anth, at the time, had a decentralized societal structure, with various island communities maintaining strong cultural identities through shared maritime practices and oral traditions.
Though in modern times, just before Imperial rule, the Anth had adopted some long-range radio communications on the planet to attempt to communicate a bit more easily with each other, island to island. Though these radio systems are still rare and expensive because they necessitate costly, tall communications arrays to be built, like the one on Tidebreak Station, to overcome the immense amounts of copper and shungite that often play havoc with radio systems.
Before their subjugation, they were peaceful traders working their vast ocean trade networks, who had a deep respect for the planet's unique ecosystems. They lived a holistic, calm, and endearing lifestyle that many off-world could only aspire to.
Most of this would change when the Imperial Council of Planets decided their planet was too valuable to ignore.
The Imperial occupation began nearly two hundred years ago. It came swiftly, and the Anth were not prepared to even attempt to mount a rebellion. Seeking the planet’s stores of copper and shungite for use in various technologies, the Imperials swept in as they also do when they decide to enact another conquest. Brutally, and without much concern for the local population.
The Anth attempted to fight back, with what meagre means they had, but their simple ships, lack of any formal military, and non-combative nature, at the time, led to a quick conclusion. After only a few weeks of fighting, the Imperials held rule over the island planet and the Anth, and Anthuria were doomed to servitude.
It has been two hundred years of Imperial rule now, and Anthuria and the Anth have changed much in that time.
Inevitably, the Imperials have completely taken control of all ocean trade routes, which are now stuffed full with smoke-spewing cargo ships. They have also installed massive mining operations all over the planet, recklessly tearing out the planet’s resources with no heed for the repercussions. Stressing both the planet’s environmental balance and its people’s health as well.
Anthuria and the Anth have become sickly and weakened due to the stress and abuse levelled on them by the Imperials. Because of this, the Anth’s easygoing nature has been tested and eventually absolutely destroyed by the rigid Imperial structure and abuse.
Of course, this has harboured an intense resentment towards the Imperials, and what was once a kindhearted people, easygoing swaying on the waves with little worries, have become hardened, eager to rebel and fight back against a scourge that is destroying their planet and their people.
The Anth, for nearly the entirety of their subjugation to the Imperials, have rebelled. At first, it was minor, with some small groups or individuals subtly sabotaging ships with little things, leaks or small breaks in the mechanics. But these were minor inconveniences, mostly done out of spite and stress release. But this rebellious energy grew quickly, and soon full-organized rebellions began, with massive attempts at sinking ships, destroying mining facilities, and doing anything they could to disrupt Imperial rule enough to beat back their hold on their planet.
The hope is that eventually, this will inspire a global rebellion, and the weary Imperial rule will give up the planet as too much trouble to deal with. Sadly, this has not been the case thus far, most rebellions are squashed with enough patience and resources. And the Imperials have both in spades. While the Anth have certainly been a thorn in their sides, enough to cause serious damage and delays in their plans, it hasn’t been enough to deter them fully.
So, Imperial rule continues to this day on Anthuria. But the burgeoning rebel spirit of the Anth continues to rise as well, as more and more of them begin to stand up and fight back. In the hopes that one day, they can shed this violent way and return to the easygoing waveriders of centuries past.
Originally a peaceful, decentralized society of skilled navigators and artisans, the Anth lived in harmony with their tropical ocean planet Anthuria, engaging in extensive trade and respecting their unique ecosystems. They were known for being easygoing and peaceful.
The Imperial conquest two hundred years ago drastically altered their way of life. Driven by Anthuria's valuable copper and shungite, the Imperials brutally subjugated the Anth, exploiting their resources and devastating the environment. This oppression transformed the once-easygoing Anth into a hardened, rebellious people, determined to fight back against Imperial rule and reclaim their planet and their former peaceful existence.
Anthuria is a tropical planet that was mostly rolling seas and calm oceans, dotted with thousands of islands. Its geography is characterized by numerous archipelagos, coral reefs, and deep ocean trenches.
The landmasses were primarily small, volcanic islands, often lush with unique flora and fauna adapted to the coastal environment. The abundant marine life was central to the Anth's way of life, influencing their settlements, resource management, and cultural practices. The planet's rich deposits of copper and shungite were found within these diverse geological formations, as well as deep underground under their vast oceans, which often posed a challenge for off-world communication due to their disruptive properties.
Anthurian's once-pristine tropical environment has been scarred by Imperial rule. The once serene rolling seas and calm oceans are now a treacherous expanse, churned into dangerous, roiling waters by the constant passage of Imperial vessels and the unchecked dumping of their waste.
This rampant pollution has systematically poisoned much of the planet's diverse marine life, leading to a catastrophic decline in species and widespread ecological disruption. The vibrant coral reefs, once teeming with life, are now bleached and dying, crumbling under the weight of industrial effluent and destructive mining practices.
On land, the situation is equally dire. The rampant, unconstrained mining of copper and shungite has not only ravaged the small volcanic islands, scarring their lush landscapes, but has also pumped toxic fumes into the atmosphere, polluting the air and altering Anthuria's delicate weather patterns for the worse.
The unique flora and fauna, once perfectly adapted to their coastal habitats, are now struggling to survive amidst the pervasive pollution and habitat destruction, facing extinction as their ecosystems collapse. The very geological formations that once held Anthuria's valuable resources have been exploited to the point of devastation, leaving behind a poisoned, fractured world eager for rest and healing.
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