Difference between revisions of "Hagiv"

Revision as of 10:36, 19 June 2015

Summary

Hagiv is an island of roughly 100,000 square miles, less than 2,000 miles from the Cap. It's a closed society run by a Glorious Leader and a Revolutionary Council through the PRPH. Following the Cataclysm, Hagiv was a monarchy. It became a Thalassan protectorate in 126 DB. Between 488 and 520, it underwent two violent civil wars, which led to the current administration.

Lands

The Glorious People's Republic of Hagiv is very much a "government of the coasts." It has strong control in coastal cities and can project its will (via the army) into the interior, but most people more than ten miles from the coast live their lives and don't think about all the revolutionary business very often.

The major cities are Szasz, the capital in the west, Nagev's Glory in the east, and the Gaveks in the north. In the interior is Varos Tejhus, which is more of a large dairy town than a real city and Daybreak, which is nominally a dead city, but is really a rebel city protected by Spider Druids.

The most notable feature of the island is All People's Mountain, a giant mountain that is more than thirty miles across at the base and whose highest peak is more than 26,000 feet above sea level.

North Gavek, Szasz, and Nagev's Glory are linked by the Coastal Road.

Everyday Life

Hagivi life is dominated by the Party and by the revolutionary government. The Party publishes a daily broadsheet in each major city that is the primary source of news there and is carried inland by traveling traders. People who distribute counterrevolutionary news are often arrested and re-educated.

Most jobs require Party membership to hold and party leaders are often quick to expel members they consider counterrevolutionary. One of the few jobs that does not require Party membership is Hand of the Council, also known as a "government field agent." Most adventuring classes are government field agents even if they're members of the Party in good standing.

Other than being a Hand, it's sometimes possible for a non-member to be a day laborer, lifting and carrying or doing laundry or other piecework. In Szasz, it's considered scandalous and will lead to a loss of standing if it's publicly discovered that you hire non-Party members for any reason. In Nagev's Glory, it's actually a matter of civic pride if you "help the less fortunate" by hiring the unaffiliated. In Tavoli Halasz, nobody cares much. Most work involves foreigners in one way or another there and only government jobs require Party affiliation.

The Gaveks are a mixed bag. In North Gavek, it's acceptable to hire a foreigner for a lot of jobs and no one expects them to be Party affiliated. If you hire a Hagivi who's not in the Party, it's considered good manners to bribe the local Party leader to admit them. In Gavek proper, it's as bad as the capital. In East Gavek, it's a matter of great debate, largely involving middle and lower class workers who pay their Party dues versus "scabs."

The only jobs it's possible to get consistently without Party membership are criminal enterprises and prostitution. But most reputable prostitutes pay their Party dues.

It's also illegal to own property, run for office, or give testimony before a bailiff if you're not a member of the Party. Marriages performed without the blessing of the Party are technically legal, but most people see them as legitimate. Loss of Party affiliation is grounds for immediate divorce and asset forfeiture to the aggrieved spouse.

The Ministry of Culture oversees most cultural events in the major cities and performing outside of its aegis can often lead to charges of counterrevolutionary behavior.

The system is supported by a massive apparatus of the state that keeps it all running in spite of any perceived shortcomings.

Money

Money in Hagiv is almost universally Revolutionary Scrip - paper money issued by the Revolutionary Council of Hagiv, nominally backed by assets, but mostly backed by trust in the Hagivi government.

When it was first issued back in the 520s, one note of scrip was worth one gold piece. That's still the official exchange rate, but it now takes ten scrip notes to equal the buying power of one gold and the money changers in North Gavek require twelve notes to sell you one gold coin. Except in very specific circumstances, scrip is worthless outside Hagiv.

Specie coins aren't forbidden in Hagiv, but they're looked on as a tool of criminal enterprises.

Playing a character in Hagiv

If your character is on Hagiv, she's almost certainly from Hagiv. The island has a minuscule immigrant population, largely refugees from places that were worse than Hagiv for them. Some dwarves come here from abroad, liking the sound of a dwarf-led society. There are two small trade enclaves at North Gavek and Tavoli Halasz, but foreigners are not officially allowed to leave those towns unless given special permission by the Glorious Leader or Revolutionary Council.

So, if you're a foreigner living on Hagiv, you're a refugee, a spy, or both. Everyone spies on Hagiv. Hagiv spies on everyone. In Hagiv, everyone spies on everyone. The Hagivi are a very inquisitive people.

Also, if you're a PC on Hagiv, you're almost certainly a dwarf, human, orc, or elf. Those are the races accepted by the GPRH and the HNRP in order of acceptance. Dwarves are the backbone of the Glorious Revolution. Some humans were their staunch allies. Orcs stayed neutral on the matter. Elves were counterrevolutionary. This is a gross oversimplification, but gross oversimplification is one of Szaz's largest exports.

If you're a member of one of the adventuring classes on Hagiv, you almost certainly work for the government, work against the government, or both. The major reputation blocs are Revolutionary, Counterrevolutionary, Criminal, Rebel, and Vass Family. If you do work for the government, you should read GPRH Ministry of Careers New Hire Orientation.

Playing a character from Hagiv

If you're from Hagiv, you're a dwarf, human, orc, or elf. You've been raised in a closed society and have some very peculiar ideas about the world. Hagivi dwarves have an exaggerated sense of the role of the dwarf in society. Hagivi elves generally have a giant chip on their shoulder for their mistreatment by the Party. All Hagivi are viewed with some degree of suspicion or animosity when they go off-island. If you're not a refugee, you're definitely a spy. If you are a refugee and a Hagivi spy finds you outside of the country, she'll try to recruit you as a spy for the country you fled. Threatening any family you left behind is a favorite tactic.

History

The Unexpurgated History of Hagiv