Domain of Ulysses

Ulysses is the second the the two Domains found by the Empire which connects to the Scarlet Sea. The Relay path to Ulysses was found after the one to Malakain around 20 years before the outbreak of the Scarlet War at the future site of Easthaven. The Ulyssean side of the Relay path was, as is fairly frequent, in an isolated chunk of the Domain this time in the North Polar Zone rather than the equatorial region as is common. When contact with the natives of Ulysses was made, the Empire rejoiced for another friend and trading partner was found.   Unlike nearly all other Domains, the people of Ulysses are concentrated in a part of the Domain rather than be fully spread out across the realm. This is due to two factors: the dangerousness of the Domain and the functions of Ulyssean government. Ulysses is governed as a republic, the only practical one thus seen by Imperials, but one that has strict rules on where voting is done. Each major settlement acts as a city-state in its own affairs but for Republic wide posts, anyone interested in voting or running for office must be present in the Republic's capital of Chaset. Chaset is offset from the center of Ulysses, much like Xamora of teh Scaled Kingdom. As a consequence, the bulk of the population live in the general vicinity of Chaset. While there are nomadic clans and minor settlements further afield, these groups have little impact on Ulyssean politics as a whole. As to the dangeorusness of Ulysses, the core and the Ulyssean territory are generally safe (as safe as say, Ascalon proper) but beyond this area the sky-beasts are regarded as dangerous as those in Eleusynia. The Ulysseans have found it easier to hunker in their homes than try to range out and claim the whole Domain. But with the locomotive and associated technologies of the Empire, there has been calls to try and purge the beasts (preferably with Imperial aid) but the outbreak of the Scarlet War dashed those hopes for now.   In regards to the Scarlet War, Ulysses is formally neutral and is entirely willing to deal and trade with both the Empire and Malakain. However, with the Empire controlling the territory around the Scarlet Sea side of the Ulyssean Relay path, Malakite traders have no practical way to access Ulyssean markets. Only Malakite envoys bearing specific flags are allowed to enter the Empire's sector of the Scarlet Sea, under Naval escort of course. This was how the Malakite government was able to lobby the Ulysseans to gain control over Easthaven. What the Malakites thought then is that Ulysses gained control over their Relay path, but in truth the Ulyssean terminus at Harold's Landing is still fundamentally under Imperial control.   Ulysseans are often called Indigo Men by Imperials after the noted indigo hue of Ulyssean skin and their home.   Harold's Landing is where the Imperial scouts came out after the successful transit. As its located just inside what is regarded as the safe zone by Ulysseans, the area did see some minor homesteading but no proper town developed but the dangers nearby kept the populace small. The Republic was entirely content with letting the Empire claim and settle the area around the Relay as it had no real claims in the area and felt that the Imperial colony could help extend the safe zone just a bit further. As was typical at this stage, the Relay was regarded as Imperial territory and the Republic didn't contest this. In fact, Harold's Landing has become something of a tourist spot for Ulysseans, like Marren's Eve was in Malakain. The novelty of Imperial aesthetics fascinated many Ulysseans, which helped foster positive relations between the Republic and Empire. After the Scarlet War broke out, the Republic formally recognized Harold's Landing as Imperial territory and renounced any possible claims to it. After all, it wasn't a Ulyssean settlement nor did it or its population take part in Ulyssean politics. Even when the Malakites forced the Empire to hand over Easthaven to the Republic, the Ulyssean government promised to return Easthaven after the war ended as once again, the town isn't seen as Ulyssean territory. This forms a distinction between the modern Malakite view on territory and the Ulyssean one. Further, there is a Ulyssean Quarter in Harold's Landing, which consists of Ulyssean tourists and Ulysseans who have accepted Imperial citizenship. This is something that is all but anathema to the Malakite leadership. Harold's Landing, like Laencaster in the Scaled Kingdom, maintains its own engine yard - the Harold & Sons Engine Yard - which produces mostly civilian engines for Imperials or wealthy Ulyssean patrons.   Chaset is the heart of the Republic, in every way. Its roughly a third of the way out of the core of Ulysses heading to the periphery and lies in the center of the safe zone, as befits the Republic's capital. Its here that the bulk of Republic level political life is found, and its here that such ideas were born and then exported to the other Ulyssean ports and cities. Since the arrival of Imperial knowledge and technology, Chaset has also seen the birth of Ulyssean locomotive production and is home to the main engine yard of Ulysses - the Skyforge. Ulyssean engine designs are a mix of replica Imperial designs and heavily altered ones. Only one Ulyssean engine is original as of the Scarlet War, the Vloka Nightstrider. While regarded by Imperials as an admirable effort, the Vloka is ultimately as inferior to most modern Imperial dreadnoughts for combat. But its maneuverability is acknowledged as superior to equivalent Imperial engines in its weight class, something that Ulysseans take pride in.   Located near the core of the Domain is Anbuson, second largest Ulyssean port and current home of a large detachment of the Republic's Navy. Originally a much smaller settlement, Anbuson found itself surging in population as the newly forged Republican Navy sought to test the capability of its engines and crews by clearing out an area that was dangerous enough for the test but just safe enough that retreat was practical. Out of the major Ulyssean ports, Anbuson near the core was selected as the first test. And it worked. While there were plenty of casualties, the sky-beasts were truly pushed back and the valuable metal deposits in and around the core were accessed for the first time in modern Ulyssean history. Further, the ancient Great Lighthouse in the center of the Domain was rendered truly safe. The Great Lighthouse has long been a point of reverence and reflection, being seen as the last great work of the Ancients before they left Ulysses for other realms. Anbuson's Navy detachment continues to keep the core safe and while a bloody job, it allows the Ulysseans to test new ideas in a relatively safe manner.   Qeset is the closest Ulyssean port to the Lower Polar Zone and has become a hub of Imperial chartists seeking to explore the virtually unknown lower Ulyssean Domain. Ulyssean records and memory relay that the closer one attempted to get to the southern pole of Ulysses, the more and more dangerous the journey became. Partly this was due to the ferocity of the sky-beasts but it also had to due to the ruins of the Ancients. Modern Ulysseans believe that an ancestral people lived in the Domain before them. These people created the Great Lighthouse and lived mostly in the Lower Polar zone. Eventually, they left Ulysses and the ruins are all that remain of their legacy. But these ruins are riddled with protections that can be just as deadly as a sky-beast, which has led the Ulysseans to leave the ruins in the south alone. For Imperial charters and explorers, these ruins remind them of the old ruins in Eleusynia and are a near irresistible draw. The Ulysseans don't prohibit the Imperials from attempt to chart the ruins, for the consequences of failure are simple: death. Qeset is the closest the Ulysseans have felt comfortable getting to the ruins, and there are some ruins accessible near and around Qeset which both Imperial and Ulyssean have taken to explore. While not entirely safe, these ruins are far safer than those further afield. For export, Qeset sells off replicas of artifacts found among the ruins and the like.   Vlodon is the closest Ulyssean port to Harold's Landing and has seen the greatest amount of interaction between Imeprial and Ulyssean within a native port. It hosts the largest Ulyssean-Imperial market outside of Chaset and has grown into a thriving commerce center as a result. Vlodon is the primary town where Ulyssean artisans and craftmen go to get inspiration regarding the blending of Imperial and Ulyssean aesthetics, a sizable shift for what had been a rather humble settlement. Vlodon has been a center of textiles and other assorted products for most of its existence. The rather mountain-esque asteroids that make up Vlodon proved good places for the Ulysseans to raise orqui, a four legged animal which is vaguely analogous to llamas or alpacas, whose fur is highly prized. Most textiles and cloth is made from the fur of orqui, which has a naturally varied color. To Imperials, orqui fur clothing is opaline in color, with wild variations in hue and patterns that are not easy to piece out. Ulysseans have developed a system for just that, but keep it as secret. Since the boom of trade with Imperials kicked off, Vlodon has seen a blending of Imperial and Ulyssean clothing styles as the weavers and clothiers experiment with the designs of the two cultural groups. Another export that has boomed for Vlodon are the recently found crystals. Imperial chartists found hints of valuable mineral deposits buried in the region around Vlodon that was hard to reach without locomotive travel. The crystals mined were either sold directly or woven into cloth to accentuate their value and appeal. The crystal mines in particular show the shift in Vlodon's fortunes and character.   Luonset is the last major port of the Ulysseans and its most recent, born merely three decades before the opening of the Transit Relay. It flourished and grew during the short two decades of peace and trade between the Empire, Ulysses and Malakain. Out of all Ulyssean ports, Luonset proved the most appealing to traveling Malakites. This mostly was due to its architecture. Most Ulyssean architecture is spherical, flowing or otherwise somewhat organic in appearance. The fast construction of the town was due to necessity. The food supply of Ulysses, particularly around Chaset, was growing tight and new arable asteroid were needed. It turned out that the asteroid of Luonset were quite rich and already hosted a fair amount of flora. So farmers found it easy to establish new farms in the region around Luonset. Since these building needed to be quick to build, they were built in a more simple, geometric style. Malakite traders found these simpler building reminiscent of their home, and so frequented Luonset. Luonset became somewhat of the Malakite equivalent to Vlodon and Harold's Landing. While Luonset never saw any real settlement of Malakites like the Imperials did, their goods, ideas and aesthetics became concentrated in Luonset. When the town's farmers finished the harvest, they would make items in the style of Malakite goods as there fellows often did with Imperial ones. Sadly, Luonset has struggled since the outbreak of the Scarlet War and the souring of relations. While the Republic maintains neutrality regarding the two powers, there is an undercurrent of displeasure towards Malakain and its people as they declared the war. With trade with Malakain cut off, Luonset lost a good portion of its trade partners and has struggled to sell goods beyond its old food products due to the disinterest in Malakite goods by Ulysseans. Ironically, there are enterprising Imperials who will happily take Malakite replicas for good prices. The Empire had a strong trade with Malakain before the war and while most Imperials follow the Ulysseans in their sentiments of Malakites, there is still an element of Imperial society which craves Malakite goods. With no trade from Malakain forthcoming, Luonset could be poised to fill that gap and restore some of its fortunes.