Purdue Fantasy Club

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====== Ley'Ork ======
  * Government Type: Corporate Democracy
  * Symbol: Six-Winged Dragonfly, Griffin
  * Major Races: Cosmopolitan
  * Capital: Harena Metropolis "Metro"
  * Demonym: Ley'Orkian

{{settings:cahyali:leyork_complete.png}}

===== Overview =====
The enterprising industrialists in charge of Ley’Ork are a forward thinking bunch that sacrifice anything in the name of expansion and growth. Fostering a culture where one’s work comes to define the aspect of their being, the norm is that productivity is the only factor in one’s success in not only Ley’Ork, but in life. Forgoing a traditional governmental structure, the leaders of Ley’Ork are determined in an electoral system, though the number the votes an individual gets is proportional to the amount of property a person has. 

Due to this, the government system more closely represents an aristocracy of an elite few families. Very little new blood has entered the ultra-rich elite in decades. Many of the wealthiest families have arranged marriages for their children to foster mutually beneficial relationships amongst their family businesses and political views. This has led to a few families gaining nearly all the control in Ley’Ork economically and politically, as well as running the [[settings:cahyali:leyork:htuc|Harena Trade Union of Cahyali (HTUC)]].

Ley'Ork is aggressively expansionist, having fostered negative relations with many of the countries surrounding it. Not only are Pthoran aggressions constantly being fended off to the east, Ley'Ork is at the edge of war with Splint and Ulos, simultaneously - due to their annexation and colonization of the two territories. Many Ley'Orkians support the war effort, believing that Ley'Ork is the greatest country in the world and that expanding their influence will push Cahyali into a new modern age of technology and prosperity.

For more information on the history and culture of Ley'Ork, follow this link: [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u3DLilIvyOvkbe0Kf_O9RFSWkVc9OjszrLEzA7HjjVM/edit?usp=sharing|Ley'Ork History & Overview]]

==== Regions ====
Ley'Ork has 21 states, but many Ley'Orkian citizens split the country up into regions based on geography and culture. These are not officially recognized by the government, though. Some debate exists over which states belong in which regions.
 === Myriad Lakes Region === 
//South Stella, Torqton, Quand, Edohr Island, Insu.// This region is temperate in climate, with all four seasons and a particularly muddled spring. Centered around the eponymous Myriad Lakes, a cluster of lakes so big they may be inland seas, this region is known for its fishing, corn agriculture, and fluctuating weather patterns.
 === Northcoast === 
//Timberidge, Kurragal, Trionalis, Queensbury, Zatara.// One may realize that the Ley'Orkian populace is not the most creative when it comes to names, as Northcoast makes up - well, the north coast of the country. This place is relatively colder, thanks to the Guardian Range, and the people here take pride in being able to weather winters. Northcoasters are known for their interesting accents and generally polite behavior.
 ===Leones ===
//Keberon, Vatale, Kusil, New Ciudad, Ariaqua, Laguna.// This place is mostly a vast grassland and an arid desert, with heavy influence from Splint culture in the area. The people here are well used to the heat, and are major exporters of mined goods and technology.
 ===Southeast/The Mistplains ===
//Veleron, New Questar, Glanskoon, Jeuisin.// This place ranges from the grasslands characteristic of Leones to thick forests and swamps, especially as one gets closer to the southeastern coast. The "Mystery" phenomenon is said to be strong here, especially as one gets closer to the ocean. Overall, the Mistplains are a rather rural place, with a culture all its own.

==== Laws ====
Policing is strict in Ley'Ork, with local police departments existing in just about every settlement. Police wield similar power to the military within their communities, professing to serve and protect the people... but, in truth, just about every police department serves the rich and powerful first and foremost. Many prisons exist as labor camps, where convicts are put to work in grueling conditions. A non-exhaustive list of laws and punishments in Ley'Ork is listed below:

  * Loitering: Fine of up to 500 gc.
  * Idleness, homelessness, and unemployment: Incarceration for 30 days, given a job via the HTUC while in prison.
  * Theft: Fine equal to triple the worth of the stolen goods and possibly incarceration for up to 2 years.
  * Assault and battery: Incarceration from 3-10 years.
  * Trespassing, vandalism, other disrespect of private property: Fine of up to 2,000 gc.
  * Use of magic, any type: Fine of up to 10,000 gc and possible incarceration for up to 50 years.
  * Worship of un-approved gods & other deities: Fine of up to 5,000 gc and possible incarceration for up to 15 years.
  * Ownership of another intelligent humanoid creature: Fine of up to 50,000 gc.
  * Tax evasion: Incarceration for up to 7 years.
  * Murder and rape: Incarceration for life or execution, depending on degree
  * Treason: Execution

{{leyorkflag.png}}
== The national flag of Ley'Ork. ==

===== Cities of Ley'Ork =====

**Harena Metropolis:** Harena Metropolis (often colloquially known as **Metro**) is the capital of Ley'Ork, and is a sprawling commercial trade center located in the state of South Stella. The only Ley'Orkian portal to Jaern exists in the Takeau Trade Center, the central hub of business and commerce in the city. Surrounding this building are miles of commercial shopping centers. 

To the southwest, smokestacks and plumes of smoke and steam billow into the sky, creating a layer of haze that sits over the city like a shroud. To the northeast, three massive steel towers pierce into the sky, and docked to various points along each of the towers are dozens of steam zeppelins. Out west, the Cahyali Intelligence Agency has its headquarters, sponsored and funded for by the [[settings:cahyali:leyork:htuc|HTUC]].

**New Spire City:** This city, often colloquially called **Ley'Ork Spire,** is the true commercial center of Ley'Ork located in the state of Trionalis. It's physically situated in the north, the first stop for arrivals from across the Medius Sea. It contains the headquarters for the various aristocratic families and companies of Ley'Ork and the HTUC. 

The very center of the city used to house a massive spire shaped similar to the Space Needle, for which the city was named, but has now been replaced by a new skyscraper, Berns Tower. It pierces the sky and haze, and is mostly filled with various electrical generators and capacitors. Laid in the ground, connecting the various cities of Ley'Ork like a subterranean copper spider's web, are massive conductive cables that supply electricity to the metropolitan area. These are directly controlled and maintained by the Berns Family, in tandem with the other leading families of Ley'Ork.

**Lightage:** This smallish city sits on the thin strip of land cradled between Pthoran territory and the Guardian's Range in the state of Zatara. Most of the town consists of a massive bazaar of various boats and tents from other countries and factions selling wares. While most of the goods that come though are above board, Lightage also features numerous underhand dealings in magical items or materials. Traders here skirt a fine line with Ley'Ork laws and customs, many smugglers from the [[settings:cahyali:factions#ystervius|Ystervius]] and other factions and organizations that deal in magic will stay in international waters just beyond Ley'Ork's jurisdiction and sell goods from afar, hiring various smugglers to bring it into the city. A sprawling dock with small row boats and dinghies float on the water, as large ships drop anchor in the bay. 

The University of Ley'Ork is also found in Lightage, on the south side, built into the foot of the mountains itself. The college is known for their school of business and great number of alumni in the HTUC. The most talented and coveted entrepreneurs often hail the University of Ley’ork as their alma mater.

**Courtsland:** A trading hub located in the state of Keberon. In comparison to the smuggling of Lightage, all trade done in Courtsland is done on the books and above board. This city is heavily monitored by the HTUC and boasts one of the strongest police forces in the nation.

**Ferrendale:** A farming community in the state of Timberidge. This is a HTUC-run employment center where incarcerated individuals can be sent to work as a form of 'reformation.' Living conditions are harsh and the city is run like a prison.

**Perichelle Island:** A fishing community in the state of Insu, bordering the Myriad Lakes. This is a city with countless rivers flowing through it and is a hub for craftspeople, shipbuilders specifically.

**Port Mwera:** A small settlement in the state of Jeuisin located on the southern tip of the country. Port Mwera is not known for its industry, commerce, or anything that someone would typically think of when thinking of Ley'Ork. Instead, it is known for its unique tourist traps, using supernatural phenomenon from the area to draw in interested citizens.

**Fort Crescent:** A town that used to be a military settlement in the era of the Dahabu occupation in the state of New Questar. Located further away from the industrial centers of Ley'Ork, this is one of the few larger places in the country where religious practice is openly welcome. Due to its role in the Dahabu occupation, it is also a home to historians and architects interested in the era.

Fort Crescent is home to another, smaller branch of the University of Ley'Ork called the Breehart Institute which specializes in archaeology, geology, and history.

**Los Aliados:** A moderately sized community located in the state of Laguna. This is a community of immigrants from Splint looking for a new life in Ley'Ork. This is also a hub of adventurers due to its proximity to the Splint border dissuading heavy HTUC influence. 

Many of the businesses here aren't managed by the HTUC, making the city a place of interest for workers looking for a decent work environment as well as the HTUC looking to control the town for their own benefit.

**Grieffen City:** The sister city of New Spire City located in the state of Queensbury. This city is the home of the Ley'Orkian military and operates like a city-sized military complex. This is also the home of military research and development, though the government is incredibly tight-lipped about the testing done behind closed doors.

**Haraka:** A small city not listed on any Ley’Orkian maps for the reason that it is a floating city. Currently located on the border between Laguna and Glanskoon, Haraka used to be a part of the city of Abydos in [[settings:cahyali:dahabu|Dahabu]] and floated around the world with use of a levitation spell. However, with the magic ban in Ley’Ork, Haraka was grounded and has been locked in a political stalemate with the HTUC for 9 years to determine if Haraka should first follow the laws of the city or of Ley’Ork.

{{settings:cahyali:leyork_states.png}}

===== Culture =====

==== Mystery: An Age Old Phenomenon====
Mystery is the term that Ley’Orkian scholars have applied to the various strange occurrences that occur in the countryside of Ley’Ork. It is unknown why this phenomenon exists only here, but there are a few facts that are certain about Mystery and how it works.

Mystery is contained specifically to mainland Ley’Ork, only existing within the 21 states. Within this space, Mystery cannot escape or enter the world at large. Furthermore, scientific progress appears to be the antithesis of Mystery, and the less that people believe in these strange phenomena, the less likely they are to appear.

Believing Mystery to be a threat to modern civilization, the Ley’Orkian school system has been greatly advanced to combat the threat. All Ley’Orkian citizens are entitled to 12 years of free public education administered through the HTUC. 

However, there are some settlements, such as Port Mwera, where Mystery reigns supreme. It is in these settlements further away from the large cultural centers that Mystery is stronger, and the weird and unexplainable lurk behind every corner.

==== Machina and Magic ====
Much of Ley’Ork’s history has been shaped by developments in technology, with magic only truly becoming a focus of the average citizen after the Dahabi occupation. Throughout much of its early history, magic was exceedingly rare with most settlements only having one magician with rudimentary skills. Then, with the advent of the Harena Engine, the idea of practicing magic became an afterthought.

In the modern day, all use of magic is banned by the Ley’Orkian government after the Workers Revolt, and all citizens instead use various machines to fill in the gaps that a society without magic has left. Larger cities such as Metro or Ley’Ork Spire are almost entirely industrialized, taking on a steampunk aesthetic with more advancements being made daily by the various HTUC-funded companies.

However, there are a few settlements in Southern Ley’Ork that have turned away from the rampant industrialism of the country and instead seek to return to a harmonious existence with nature and the land. These settlements have very little, if any tech, and are often the locales of Mystery.

==== Religion ====
Ley’Ork is an agnostic and sometimes even atheist country, with very few having time or care for religion past the surface level. Worship of many gods is outlawed, as is any worship of gods outside the core 14. Gods lawfully worshiped include Anubis, Isis, T’or, Ra, Tarus, Vormaxia, and Zepherin. There are few priests that wield magic, and those who do must keep their craft under wraps or spin it all as “miracle working” as opposed to “arcane arts”. Some more detached Ley’Orkians even believe divine magic to be a hoax; that the gods exist, but do not give power to mortals

==== Notable Holidays ====
**Annual Steam Zeppelin Race** - Each year, near the beginning of Murh, a steam zeppelin race is held that tours the entire country. Winners of the race are given a hefty monetary reward, as well as given connections to significant members of the Lay'Ork elite for starting entrepreneurial businesses. It is also an excellent way for existing businesses to feature advertisements, commercials, and deals, as well as a way for drumming up Ley-Ork tourism.