Factions of New Horizon

Various factions and other organizations hold sway over the people of New Horizon. Most try to do their best, but none are perfect

Aquilon's Reach

Origin of name: Named for Aquilon, the northern wind.

Form of government: Constitutional Monarchy/Matriarchy.

National Color: Sea Blue.

National Tree: Douglas Fir.

National Bird: Great Horned Owl.

Aquilon is the Kingdom of Ice, a faction that has chosen to make its home in the frozen north of the world. They are composed of hardy individuals who can bear the extremes, and brilliant minds who push the bounds of science from their world underneath the Perpetua Glacier. They are known for sparingly harvesting the frozen north’s bounty of pure Energen Deuterium crystals, and harnessing the boundless geothermal energy of the sea vents deep beneath the Perpetua Glacier. Aquilonian citizens pride themselves on their ability to provide surplus energy, as well as sophisticated and efficient new technologies, which, while seeming a bit odd by most standards, are of startling efficiency.

While most chose to live in the friendlier places of New Horizon, as far as climate was concerned, the Aquilonians developed a civilization that manages to thrive in some of the harshest conditions that the moon has to offer. They have developed a reputation for perseverance, as well as scientific might.

Their culture is one of the most inviting on the moon, from an outsider's perspective, but their customs are often seen as strange and slightly insane. They have developed a system of governing reminiscent of the nations which once covered ancient Europe back on Earth, embracing the growing noble class more than any other faction. Politics, nobility, and military prestige are mixed hand in hand within their world, and scientists often rise to positions of power on the merits of their work. Though they support a large noble class, nepotism is highly frowned upon. Many who have the right to call themselves nobles have never risen to any sort of prominence, leaving such positions to those better suited and more willing to perform the work. In this way, power remains in the hands of those pushing for advancement instead of a comfy seat at the table.

Aquilonian surface cities tend toward strong yet simple construction methods. Most buildings are constructed with solid thick wooden walls, often log cabins, with half of their structures built below the ground. Their interiors are a postmodern fusion of charmingly rough-hewn rustic settings and sophisticated electronics and furniture.

Underwater colonies tend to be built into sturdy cliff sides, with massive trade districts behind huge thirty meter tall triple-paned walls of glass which give a view of the exterior seas and their submarine docking facilities, showing the bounty of the ocean as well as the beauty of the undersea forests in the sub glacial Sea of Asgard.

Aquilon was born alongside the first generation of humanity to never see earth. It began life as a research station situated on the Perpetua Glacier. At that time it was simply known as Glacier Run. The facility dug into the ice below for storage space, and eventually was forced to use that same space for living quarters as colonists moved north.

Aquilon's defining moment came when an outbreak of animus caused the residents of Glacier Run to seek shelter in their buried storage facilities. Trapped beneath the ice for more than a year, the colonists were forced to make due with whatever they had available. Necessity saw the invention of space and resource rationing techniques that would turn a casual scientific outpost into a culture of extreme efficiency. When the animus threat was cleared from the surface, many of those underneath the ice decided not to return. These one time storage facilities were expanded into the city of Deep Aquilon. Those who chose to return to the surface began to explore the furthest reaches of their frozen homeland while the inhabitants of Deep Aquilon set their sights on the bottom of the ocean.

The Aquilonians were earning a reputation as explorers and visionaries, with many other colonists admiring them. They lost much of their appeal when they drafted a national military spearheaded by their recently formed knightly order, the Templar Aquilonia. Turning their scientific might to the development of high energy weapons, the Aquilonians earned a reputation as warmongers among some factions as these developments were widely unpopular outside of the Kingdom of Ice. These fears proved mostly unfounded, as Aquilon focused more on internal protection than external violence.

In more recent times, Aquilon has worried the global community with its ever increasing rivalry with Xanadu. As two of the most powerful factions on the moon, an impending war between the two could be disastrous for more than simply the factions involved. The Nations of Aquilon and Xanadu have an uneasy relationship. Both are members of the Avalon Council, but they are often at opposite ends of discussion. Making things worse is the fact that both factions compete in the production of state of the art technology, and each has some of the best academic institutions in the world. The factions see each other as rivals both economically and culturally.

For now, Aquilon seems content to be seen as the slightly eccentric visionary of the world. They still push the bounds of science. Though they do not always go as far as the Quisivati, their wares are often much more useful in daily life.

What few outside of the frozen north are aware of is that Aquilon cannot claim credit for all of their advancements. As the Deep Aquilonians dug ever more into the glacier beneath them, they began to discover a network of tunnels already present. These tunnels appeared to be crafted as living arrangements for some civilization of the past, one that has left behind many artifacts buried in the ice. Some of Aquilon's biggest scientific advancements were simply the result of researching the many strange finds that they dig up in their ever expanding empire.

Avalon

Mankind will not survive in this harsh world

unless it can cooperate.

Council of Avalon

Origin of name: A mythical island paradise where heroes were taken for burial after death.

Form of government: Elected Septumvirate.

National Color: Light Blue.

National Tree: Willow.

National Bird: Dove.

Avalon is the smallest faction in size, but the most powerful in range of influence. A shining beacon of a city meant to be the brilliant torch with which factions would lead their people towards a bright future. The Council of Avalon does not consider itself to be a faction but rather an international organization whose main purpose is to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achievement of world peace. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations, such as the Missive Union, to carry out its missions.

After The Great War, world peace was established as one of the most important goals of the council. No one really wanted to see a repetition of that horrible event. Avalon is the faction responsible for arbitrating disputes with and between the other seven member factions. They act as the Law Givers of New Horizon. The Council of Avalon represents the central government, which presides over other governments, and the other governments are all part of the working process of Avalon.

The seven main factions of New Horizon are all members of The Council of Avalon. Other factions exist, but they are not members of the council. The Avalon factions are Aquilon’s Reach, The Port of Narehl, New Chanian Conclave, The Quisivati, Trapper Town (Walk of Man), Warhead Keep, and Xanadu. They are bound together by an agreement, known as The Avalon Accords, to work toward peace in the world. Each faction within the council sends a representative, called a Septumvir, to represent their people. Every four years, a Septumvir is selected to become the Supreme Arbiter, the presiding ruler of the council with limited power of veto and the ability to command the intervention of Warhead in the event of any threat to society at large.

Avalon itself is but one city, one massive city. The single most progressive city in the world, save perhaps for Deep Aquilon. Avalon is a glittering paradise composed of the finest architectural wonders and technology the world has to offer. Designed to impart a sense of wonder and recapture the visual glory of Earth’s ancient cities, Avalon is a visual feast of contrasting and complementary shapes and colors sporting many plazas, parks and open markets. Avalon exerts a powerful influence over global commerce, finance, media, culture, art, fashion, research, science, education, entertainment and politics.

The city of Avalon, the heart and soul of the emerging civilization of New Horizon, is the home of the world’s centralized government, and the Vanguard Security Force. As such, it’s considered a prime target for any possible insurrection. The Council of Avalon is located in a massive complex of buildings located outside the central area of the city.

The city is a massive circular walled settlement, with much remaining wilderness between its central governmental complexes and the surrounding industrial complex. One can go from a crowded city center to manicured wilderness in a matter of minutes. Avalon also has a large number of amusement parks and gardens. The city has many nicknames, but its most famous one is “The City of Endless Light” because of the way the city glows both during the day and the night.

Avalonian citizens are very down-to-earth people with a strong belief in coexistence and justice. Not especially adventurous, they will often give themselves over to wanderlust if they feel it supports the greater good. Local clothes tend to be a mishmash of global fashions from around the world, and particular regional styles seem to come in and out of fashion. True Avalonian citizens are quite few, numbering less than twenty five thousand. Those denizens of Avalon who are true citizens are typically government workers who have renounced factional allegiance. These citizens, as agents of the council at one level or another, have exceptional health care and education in their selected fields.

Job security and pay are also a cut above the normal, as Avalon is the soul of fidelity and does not forget those who work hard for its ideals, even those who stray. Those few who are expelled from Avalon, for one reason or another, are not simply dumped but are given generous severance packages.

Wherever there are powerful politicians, there are always going to be those willing to exploit sensitive information for their own ends. The infamous Corridor X, the politicians’ boogiemen, investigates these individuals. Their mere interest or presence is often enough to inspire fear, and they are often deployed to major ministries simply to keep everyone in line. There is also Corridor XI, better known as Domestic Tranquility, or often simply ‘tranquility’.

Tranquility officers perform all the basic police functions. Their reputation is virtually spotless. Their agents are always selectively chosen for fidelity and capability, and trained by Warhead’s MP training division.

Avalon, by nature, does business with all other Avalon Accord factions, although they do have reservations about Xanadu and The Port of Narehl due to the self-centered worldview of Xanadu and the somewhat seedy nature of The Port of Narehl’s open market. However, they’re extremely supportive of The Missive Union, who they call their backbone, and the disciplined young of Warhead, who they call their strong right arm. They also provide financial aid to all cultural reclamation zones seeking to restore lost Earth culture.

Despite its grandeur and ideals, Avalon's record is not spotless. Although generally recorded history has forgotten the truth, the Great War was the direct result of the actions of Titania Mosphin, the Arbiter of the Council at the time. Titania had been manipulated from the start into framing Selaya as a distraction for her own schemes, the revival of an ancient alien machine which identified itself as Oberon. It is unknown what Oberon's fate was after the Great War, but some within Avalon believe he survived the conflict.

Demesne of the Quisivati

Origin of name: The latin word quisivi, or 'to seek carefully, inquire after, investigate.'

Form of government: Technological Oligarchy.

National Color: White & Black.

National Tree: Olive Tree.

National Bird: Albino Raven.

The Quisivati are an organization known for their rabid technological pursuit and insatiable urge for privacy. Their main home, the Tower of Intellect, is located in the Chain of Tears on an island known as Carlsworth Flats. The tower contains virtually all their needs; self sustaining hydroponics as well as living, working and recreational facilities. Outsiders often refer to it as the Tower of Hubris.

The Quisivati are ruled by a council of six 'Cardinals of Principle,' each one representing the specific area of principle scientific inquiry in ascendance at the time of appointment. Each cardinal reports to the 'The Illuminated,' an individual sardonically referred to by outsiders as the 'Pope,' a title that they despise. The Illuminated serves an unspecified term, typically until their area of specialization is not in technological ascendance and a vote of the council brings a new Illuminated forth to take his place.

The Illuminated is best likened to a corporate financier, he decides which areas of research receive what amount of funds for venture capital or personal living expenses. His personal staff deals with outside investors to provide the funds he has at his disposal. They also determine and dispense what technology they're willing to part with in trade to the other major factions.

The Citizens of The Quisivati are force fed advanced education from a young age. Families and singles enjoy spacious private living, and top notch state paid health care. Their institutes of learning are very exclusive, but considered to be nearly on par with or superior to their rival scientific institutes. Though their general curriculum tends to be lacking due to their focuses on the sciences, their compulsory education is among the finest on the planet.

However, their scientific studies and the technology they produce differ grossly from those created by Aquilon or Xanadu. Whereas Aquilon represents a steady attempt to move forward at a reasonable rate and Xanadu represents solid reliable technology, The Quisivati spreads its technological roots in all directions, including fringe sciences which would otherwise be considered complete lunacy. Many of their technological feats are either so advanced, or simply so radically different from the technology of others, as to appear as magic to the uninitiated.

To be put in the most blunt fashion, their areas of study can be esoteric almost to the point of being arcane. With the great difficulties outsiders have in ever attaining entrance to a Quisivati academy, it is far more time and cost effective to seek education elsewhere and learn sciences which are far less inscrutable to the world at large.

The Vati, as they're called, tend to be extremely whimsical and will often take a more circuitous route than necessary to solve a problem or engage in personal interactions with others. They have developed an extreme love of keeping their substantial knowledge to themselves, unless they need to give it to others, and tend to barter secrets for secrets in an almost amazingly neurotic way.

A few of The Vati are masters of eavesdropping, and, often through means unknown, can acquire recordings or secure information as if it were child's play. As a result, corporations and government agencies around the world, regardless of faction, often find themselves sweating bullets when a Vati, who might merely be an ordinary civilian, is sighted within a country mile of their establishments.

They respect cunning and intelligence above almost anything else. Nepotism has almost no place in their society and children who don't make the cut in their scholastically driven societies will often be pushed out into the world to make their fortune as scientific advisory personnel or information brokers. Rarely they will also become adventurers. Those who opt to stay often become highly educated laborers, doing the legwork as engineers or technicians, turning their people's raw scientific data into practical technology to put bread on the table. They seldom receive even a fraction of the respect of those who are involved in pure research.

The Quisivati have no military, and in their own words, need none. They claim their natural defenses and superior technology are all the protection their secretive society could ever need. Those who have never seen it before have difficulty recognizing Vati weaponry. Personal weapons are often concealed within a staff, cane or walking stick. Even their jewelry, including an object as small as a ring can contain potent energy weapons. It’s also extremely common for them to carry energy blades with an almost ludicrously small power source.

While the Vati are an extremely skeptical group of people with regards to outsiders, medeans tend to be frowned on the most. The technology to create them is seen as a bizarre pseudo scientific cult. The irony of this is not lost on those who understand the faction as its citizens are basically a cult to the god of science. As such, medeans have to work harder than others to receive the respect they deserve from their peers.

Crime exists within the tower of Intellect itself. Bribery, illegal sale of proprietary technology/information, theft and even murder aren’t uncommon. To combat these crimes, a special squad of trained law enforcement officers known as the Aurum Miraculum exists. They are often simply called the Aurum for their distinctive gold chokers, and are commonly known by outsiders and insiders alike as the Gold Throats.

The Quisivati get along well with most of their political rivals and colleagues, however they find themselves extremely wary in their dealings with both Aquilon and Xanadu. These two extremely powerful nations represent formidable threats to their position as scientific and technological innovators. The Quisivati seem to be the most concerned with the rapid technological leaps and bounds made by their less than ethical competitors, Red Haven. They’ve been rumored to have many carefully placed spies in the inner workings of their rivals in an attempt to bring down what they see as a sickening regime of unprincipled scientific madmen.

The Garden of Zen

Form of government: Subsidiary to the Walk of Man.

National Color: Gold and Scarlet.

National Tree: Cherry Tree.

National Bird: Eagle.

Salutation: Gardeners.

When the man named Kazuki Hijiri entered the Azuremar mountain range, equipped only with his trusted rifle, a weeks worth of supplies and a completely worthless map, he never expected to discover a window to the past. But discover a magic window he did. After becoming hopelessly lost he chanced to stumble upon an enormous idyllic valley high in the mountains, calling to mind the fairy tales his parents and grandparents told him of his ancestral homeland of Japan. When he eventually returned, he brought tales and photographs of this new untapped paradise. He shared his find with the other lost orphans of pan Asian and eastern pacific rim heritage. Though much of their history had been lost, many believed the time was right to resurrect ancient traditions and, where knowledge was absent, forge new ones.

This valley became the first of many so called Cultural Revival Centers. The ancestors of these well meaning souls would most likely have an interesting mixture of pride and profound embarrassment for their descendants. While much of what they practice in their daily life is right, much of it is also… questionable.

The Garden of Zen sets a golden standard for cultural revival. The main city, ‘Summers Glory,’ is separated into many districts, each paying homage to their many diverse ancestral roots. Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese districts are the largest and most well-known, but even those heritages which, in and of themselves, do not necessitate an entire district will often have small shrine like museums dedicated to the memory of a culture now extinct.

The Gardeners, as they’re often called, are a diverse group of peoples, with many different forms of dress, and subtly different mannerisms and customs. However tranquility seems to be the order of the day, as they tend to be very accepting of outsiders in direct contradiction to many of the stereotypes attributed to their ancestors. In fact, a large number of their residents have little to no true ancestral heritage in common with the founders.

Young men and women of the Garden of Zen are as likely to take up steel or lead as any other star eyed youngsters. These individuals have acquired the name Ronin. They take to the outside world to mingle with their patrons, the citizens of the Walk of Man, as either mercenaries or traders of their very fine steel and other valuable commodities.

The so called ‘Samurai’ of the Garden of Zen are in actuality an extension of the law enforcement of the Walk of Man. Unlike their fellows from the flatter lands of the Walk, they take their duties a trifle more seriously. They often embrace what other law enforcement agencies might call minutia as important, almost ritualized, elements of their daily duties.

The local Blacksmiths are as renowned as their ancestors were for their mastery over steel. Mixing iron with carbon ash and a carefully guarded blend of additives to create a light, flexible, and hard steel sought the world over for its resilience and faint scarlet hue.

Working the ‘Sanguine Steel’ with a combination of techniques both ancient and new, durable and unique weapons are created which are the envy of all lesser weapon smiths. Not only their samurai swords, but a wide assortment of blades are born from Sanguine Steel. In fact, one weapon smith has taken the unusual step of creating hand tooled firearms of a truly superior nature for discerning clients. Though some say this flies in the face of their heritage, the Jotun locals call ‘Forge Maiden Asuka’ shrugs her shoulders and replies “There’s a time for cold steel and honor, but there is also a time for the passion of hot lead.”

A small, but increasingly vocal minority exists within their otherwise calm and collected society has begun to raise an angry voice. This group who simply call themselves ‘Gaijins Leave’ believe that the only way to truly restore their heritage is to expel those who are not of the valley, including those who don’t have the ‘proper human lineage.’ Though they don’t seem violent, reports of disappearing citizenry of European ancestry are starting to outweigh the more usual disappearances.

Every year, roughly two tons of Sanguine Steel is made by an order of Buddhist monks called the Brothers of the Crucible who have an interesting philosophy of tempering their spirits as they temper their steel. Producing it through an arduous forty eight hour ritual which produces the raw alloy as one huge mass, it is usually divided into lots and sold to those smiths who are considered among the masters of their craft.

Recently, however, the latest giant ingot produced by the brothers has disturbingly turned out to be a counterfeit, the finished unworked ingot of sanguine steel somehow replaced with ordinary steel. The Brothers of the Crucible are nearly as furious as the blacksmiths who had already paid for their share of materials. Suspicion has fallen on a young Aesir woman who has recently become the first Sister of the Crucible, but she claims her innocence. With tensions running high, many are howling for her blood.

New Chania

Origin of name: Named for the Greek city of Chania.

Form of government: Elected Council.

National Color: White & Blue.

National Tree: Olive Tree.

National Bird: Dove.

Salutation: Chanians.

Even though the island of New Chania is extremely far to the north, it is blessed with warm air and ocean currents which keep it reasonably comfortable year round, allowing for a large, healthy rotation of all manner of earth and local crops. The unfortunate side effect is a hell of a lot of rain and humidity. The island also sports many northern and southern harbors which allow for both warm and cold climate deep sea fishing.

Those that originally flocked to this land of polar opposites were ‘the salt of the earth’ as the ancient phrase goes. Men and women put down roots, growing not just fruits and vegetables but their own family trees. Within a handful of generations, family members who weren’t suited for the farming life had built a thriving coastal metropolis overlooking their main port, and pharmaceutical treasure hunters had discovered the region had a wealth of medicinally valuable native plant life.

New Chanians live in towns which have large accessible streets for their main arteries, but have countless side roads too small for automobiles which serve as entrances to a labyrinth of back street stores, restaurants and personal residences.

Emboldened by the sensory stimulating incense burned on every building corner and the soft otherworldly lighting of the cities' lower level, hawkers of every shape, size and color entice locals and visitors alike, promising the finest steel from the Garden of Zen, the freshest Xanadian apples, and fresh seafood pies cooked by their own dear mother with the secret ingredient: love.

A New Chanians home is usually rather small in the horizontal sense, but they tend to have a decent amount of vertical height. Many neighborhoods even have walkways, rooftop gardens and monorail transportation accessible from several floors up via the homes proper front door or public stairs dispersed around the lower levels. There is also a thriving business which uses gyrocopters as a local taxi system. Nearly every building large enough as a landing pad on the roof. As often as not their homes are sealed tight as drums to keep the dreaded humidity out.

New Chanians are egalitarian people, either respecting or disrespecting people on their personal merits, not some nominal societal station within or without their own culture. An Aquilonian duke receives no more or less respect than a pig farmer, unless he has proven himself by his own actions. However, locals understand each person’s life and deeds are unique, and any visiting duke is unlikely to need to find themselves knee deep in pig muck in order to be welcomed at a corner pub.

New Chania is called ‘The Island of a Million Mysteries’ for good reason. While its alien ruins and artifacts are typically of a poorer quality than other regions of the world, they number so greatly that tourists are warned to spend most of their time looking down while walking so as not to trip over them. As such, many locals are bit by the exploration bug at a young age, seeking to make their fortune by discovering the proverbial ‘mother lode.’

Few ever become wealthy from their time in the ruins, but many are the explorers who have interesting scars and a few trophies to show off at the corner pub on a Friday night to get free beers from the impressionable new generation of explorers nipping at their heels.

While their explorers are famous in a machismo sort of a way, the island is far more famous around the world for the Asclepion medical school, the premiere source of education for the world's doctors and wafan engineers. The Asclepion Students spend a substantial amount of their education performing or assisting in nearly free charity medical work which benefits the local population as well as the students. This means they graduate with enormous amounts hands on experience, and a revered status with the locals. Asclepion students seldom, if ever, have to pay for their own drinks.

New Chania plays host to the bizarre alien forest known as the Tulgey Wood. Believed to be an artifact of previous alien terraforming attempts, the wood is well known for its subtly toxic atmosphere as well as creatures more bizarre and deadly than even New Horizon's native animals. To venture into the depths of this bizarre alien forest, and the unusual canal like waterways that crisscross it, requires a well prepared party typically with respirators and plenty of medicinal compounds to counteract the caustic vapors produced by its plant life.

Even after thirty years, new medicinal compounds are still found with a modest regularity and many are those who are eager for the potentially hefty finders fee they can wring from the local pharmaceutical firms. However, with the need to delve deeper and deeper into the wood, the task is becoming ever more difficult and dangerous. These days, one in ten returns with a new discover, but two in ten simply do not return at all.

The Tulgy Wood also holds the origin of the process by which Olympian Humans are transformed into Medeans. Many make a pilgrimage to the small Medean city located within the boundaries of the wood to either undergo or learn about the transformation. The expense of transformation is often rather great, depending on what ideal new form potential individuals may have.

Those who either can’t afford the procedure, or dare not venture into the woods, are often lured in by black market procedures performed by disenfranchised Medean doctors. While these procedures are typically less expensive, some of the results are gruesome both in body and mind.

While most of the ruins discovered have either been primitive or almost completely destroyed, Janus Lucroix, the CEO of the Daro corporation, was able to purchase the location of a very promising site. Upon discovering a rather stubborn elevator complex, he spent a small fortune excavating the site. After over a month of digging, he had little more than a three hundred foot deep mud hole surrounding the colossal elevator complex.

After eventually finding a structural weakness two hundred and fifty feet down the exterior of the elevator shaft, Lucroix' men have managed to send several drones into the complex deep below. They have all returned with imagery which suggests a mostly intact technological ruin of indeterminate origin. The unknown structure registers faint traces of energy usage. For all intents and purposes, it seems to be hibernating, as if waiting for some unseen winter to come to an end.

Building the necessary infrastructure for a small settlement around the crater, Lucroixs Daro corporation has set about recruiting local explorers, as his own employees often seem to disappear without a trace.

The Port of Narehl

Origin of name: Named for its continent of origin, and the sea port gateway into the global community.

Form of government: Elected Council.

National Color: Green and Gold.

National Tree: Scarlet Mansonia.

National Bird: Albatross.

The Port of Narehl is a large faction, but with only a few large settlements spread across vast tracts of some of the world’s most savage and beautiful jungle wilderness. It is fiercely protected, not only by its zealous environmentalists and heavily enforced laws, but also by its extremely dangerous wildlife. The jungles in and around Narehl are teeming with flora and fauna both deadly and beautiful. The trees are gigantic, the tallest rising to the height of a kilometer above sea level. Many medicinal plants come from this part of the world, making their way to the other factions by ferry transport through the jungle waterways.

These jungles are home to one of the most prominent armies in the world, the Narehl Rangers. The people living in Narehl are said to be the most fearsome soldiers in the world. Although Warhead Keep has a much larger, more controlled, more law abiding, and more powerful army in terms of strength, size and open warfare, the Knights of Narehl are skilled in stealth, agility and jungle warfare. These Knights of Narehl are unrivalled in the hostile jungle environment.

Narehl began its existence as a research station. When an out of luck researcher found himself out of a job, he founded a resort in the area. A partnership with the airlines brought the resort to the world stage, and the Port of Narehl has been a major tourist destination ever since. All are welcome in The Port of Narehl: they can ill afford prejudice, being a shipping center for the entire world. Their business, stalls, casinos, restaurants and amusement parks are open to all who come with open purses. Narehl is also the home to an organization known as the Ministry of Stones, the sole producer of the world currency known as geodites.

The Port of Narehl is just one city, but its style and culture extend all along the southern coast of Narehl, and well along the many river ways of the jungle. This creates an intriguing fusion of Italian and Creole culture with its many riverside settlements. Most places are built on, and in some cases below, the water. Trees from the jungle are coaxed to grow into massive webs of walkways above the water, grown directly into the construction where beautiful Italian-style marble treatments meet an American Gothic style to create their own unique flavor of hospitality and lifestyle. It’s not too difficult to make a living in The Port of Narehl, or in any other town in Narehl for that matter, but the difference between just living and living well is substantial. Simple entry level jobs, like couriers, are in abundance within the city. Salesman and hawkers of food, art and entertainment dot many of the streets, and local housing isn’t as expensive as one might expect, but medical care tends to be pricier.

The Port of Narehl has often been described as a filthy diamond glimmering in the muddy river delta, sinfully wicked and sweet. The place maintains an odd balance between that which is lawful, and that which is not, a balance with constantly blurring lines. Criminals mingle in the street with the Knights of Narehl alongside Trapper Town cowboys and Warhead soldiers on leave, creating a true global melting pot. This is a place where everything is permitted, as long as it is discreet. For the right price, any vice or hunger can be satiated. For much of the populace, no one cares that you did something illegal, they simply care that you were stupid enough to get caught.

Organized crime in the region is exceptionally powerful, with a delicate balance of power and corruption in place in their society. Local law enforcement is willing to look the other way on minor issues in order to keep criminals from setting their sights higher, but punishes serious offenders swiftly, brutally and publicly.

Instead of police, the locals are served by the various knightly orders, most particularly the Order of the Swan and the Order of the Owl, who mingle among the public, making a show of force and support. They will punish most crimes they witness quite swiftly, but know well enough that, if they crack down too hard, the organized crime will simply dig in deeper and bite harder to get by. They carefully minimize criminal activity by weeding out the most harmful crimes and the most violent offenders.

The local business Dons elect four of their thirty-six members to council for a period of four years. Each of these Dons then selects four of his fellow Dons as council. For one year, each of the four Dons holds the position of The Crimson Don. The Crimson Don is both the arbiter of the council and commander-in-chief of the Narehlian knightly orders, and the Narehlian rangers, who share duty as the armed forces of The Port of Narehl and its many holdings. Despite the Knightly Orders being well aware that the Dons are as corrupt as any in Narehl, they are still willing to follow along in the name of cultural order and stability. Somehow, the system still works.

Locals are a superstitious lot who believe that the jungle around them is crawling not only with animals but also the spirits of those who came before. When one considers just how many people simply vanish, more than can rightly be attributed to normal jungle dangers, theories such as this become much easier to believe. The people are otherwise a peaceful and friendly lot, but they’re often close-lipped about local business and their own spiritual beliefs.

Locals are typically more willing to step outside the law than denizens of other regions, but usually only for monetary gain rather than out of any ingrained disrespect for the law. The murder rate is higher here than in any of the other Avalon factions.

Locals tend to favor light fabrics, wild colors and more exposed skin than most regions. Thin, almost transparent, cotton clothing isn’t all that out of the ordinary to keep the heat down. Vanir and jotuns tend to be showier than their counterparts from other regions.

Despite the frequent influx of visitors and business, the area around Narehl remains mostly untamed. Buried in the jungles are the ruins of several buildings and settlements not of human origin. These jungles are also the home to the secretive Sphecius assassins, who use the dangers of their surroundings as protection, and a training tool. What else may be buried in the jungles can only be imagined, as new mysteries come to light with startling frequency.

Red Haven

Origin of name: Named for the red cliff walls of the canyon it’s built in.

Form of government: Corporate Administration.

National Color: Crimson and Black.

National Tree: Fig Tree.

National Bird: Cassowary.

Red Haven can be found to the south-east from Xanadu in Neo Titania. The city was originally founded as an out of the way R&D; Haven for large corporations, and it is administered by the Red Haven Corporation. Operating outside of The Council of Avalon treaty and its protection or laws, its administrator, the enigmatic vanir businessman Angolmois, provides an environment where powerful development firms can work outside the laws they would find in their home factions. The faction is a virtual dictatorship, Angolmois is the absolute ruler of his corporation, with his Viceroy as his only direct subordinate. Beneath his Viceroy is a standard business hierarchy, with a Board of Directors at their beck and call to handle the day-to-day management tasks.

Founded in 2450, the colony was named Red Haven after the red stone cliffs surrounding this haven for companies wanting to free themselves from the typical political restraints of Avalon. Though many were wary of Red Haven’s stance outside of the Avalon accords, its rapid growth proved the brilliance behind Angolmois’ plan.

Over the next few years, Red Haven expanded at an unprecedented rate, as corporations the world over began sending their more questionable business to the city. The Red Haven Corporation itself doesn’t fall into any of the cut and dry business lines. They make most of their money as administrators of the city, and private consultants to the corporations that choose to do business there. As a result, the Red Haven Corporation has a loose connection to almost every area of business on the moon.

Red Haven is an amazing high-tech sprawl, small in size, but enormous in impact. Its stately, almost other worldly stretch of skyscrapers and glittering pavilions is one of the most striking in all of New Horizon. Its architectural beauty is marred only by the presence of security on every corner. There is no lower class in Red Haven, as even the lowest paid citizen can afford basic meals, medical care and housing well above the minimum standards found elsewhere.

The pay is simply too good for those prepared to not ask questions of their employers. The morals of the locals tend to be highly flexible, as is the nature of some of the research and business transactions carried out within. Due to this, many people sign non-disclosure agreements. As a result, the locals are notoriously tight-lipped. There are very few native-born citizens; those who are tend to be extremely courteous, and are quickly snapped up by the Red Haven Corporation. The vast majority of the population are transplants.

Red Haven is considered either an extremely progressive or degenerate society, depending on whom you ask. Their theater is top of the global charts, and many of the best troupes in the world, such as Hadley’s Players and Six Irreverent Bastards, hail from there. Their sophisticated cocktails are mimicked the world over, as are their stylish dwellings and comfortable leisurewear. The few locals tend to dress in very sensible loose-knit but tight fitting clothing made from very breathable fabrics, with colors tending towards soft and pleasing tones to contrast the more intense colors of their natural and fabricated surroundings.

Crime of the common sort, like theft or murder, is virtually nonexistent in Red Haven, and in reality its streets are probably safer to walk than any other in the world. Corporate espionage, however, is a far more common crime, with its own intriguing morality. Law Enforcement in Red Haven is both expansive and somewhat arbitrary. The Dawn Watch are an enormous security force with no less than one man for every active corner of the entire city, as well as up to thirty members per building. Violators are dealt with quickly and, typically, with finality in the case of theft or violence.

While Red Haven has no military to speak of, the only real approach to the city is by the air. Over the years they have accumulated the world’s single most powerful network of anti-aircraft batteries, enough to deter even the Xanadian air force.

Despite some of the horrors that occur within Red Haven, much of what they do is necessary, so other factions are tolerant of what is done there for the most part. Over the years, Angolmois has had a strained relationship with Avalon. Though his business practices are sometimes abhorrent to the mother faction, Avalon lacks enough support to make any large scale plays against Red Haven. This is in part because the faction does not seem to have any militaristic aims. It also has almost unanimous support from the larger corporations of the moon.

Despite their usually peaceful leanings, Avalon would like nothing more than to see the entire city flattened by nuclear fire. They are never hesitant to point out the illegality of much of what Red Haven facilitates the development and export of. For his part, Angolmois takes all this in stride. He and is friendly, if blunt, with Avalon. He believes that Red Haven will go out of business when there is no longer a market for the type of production they facilitate.

There is a rumor that Angolmois is planning to make some kind of move against Avalon. Depending on the source, the rumor is often met with dismissal, as Angolmois has never shown any public sign of aggression in anything besides business negotiation.

There are also rumors beginning to circulate that Red Haven and the Quisivati are working on a way to enhance signal strength and protection for a permanent satellite network. If this is true, it is unclear how much success they have seen so far.

Riverguard

Origin of Name: Named very straightforward, they guard rivers.

Form of Government: Military Hierarchy.

National Color: Green and Gray.

National Tree: Swamp Rose.

National Bird: Kingfisher.

Once upon a time, those who sought to ply the waters of the Path of All Souls were taking their lives into their own hands whenever they set course for a far port. However, recent years have seen the emergence of a strange new breed of lawman. The Riverguard is not a faction in terms of people and culture. It is a faction in terms of an idea. That idea being: guard the waterways that allow modern civilization to transport people and supplies so that the world keeps running. Those who claim membership in the Riverguard pay homage to the original cavalier who promoted the idea, a vanir by the name of Cervantes.

Cervantes was a typical Warhead citizen, raised and measured in the presence of soldiering. During his tenure as a soldier, he became a colonel with a substantial amount of extra capital lying around. Taking his wealth, and some hand picked help, Cervantes made his way to Narehl where he erected a pair of towering outposts along the Path of all Souls. Among those chosen to follow him was his crècheling daughter Nirala.

Both Cervantes and Nirala are polite to visitors, but are shrewd operators and will attempt to broker the best deal for themselves. They will often make offers on useful pieces of cargo that do not currently have signed buyers waiting for them, and will haggle fiercely to keep themselves supplied.

Cervantes watches the river from the northern gate, while his daughter watches from the southern gate. Stationed between, in a dozen smaller outposts, is a force of highly trained guardsmen who have perfected their trade along the waterways of Narehl. Each citadel is large enough to house twenty to fifty permanent residents. These guardsmen and their outposts are heavily armed to deal with threats to trade and transport, both animal and man in origin.

These citadels are anything but luxurious, but they often serve as hubs for any number of local settlements, or lone residents of the jungle. Each outpost also houses basic repair facilities for the many boats that travel the waterways, as well as doctors for the passengers. They also have limited amounts of supplies to barter with, and are more than happy to rent dock space to ships that need a port in a storm. Many of the citadels act as small ports, seeing to the needs of settlements further inland from the waterways by placing orders for them, as such some citadels can be destinations unto themselves.

The main source of income for the Riverguard is safe passage toll. Passage between the outposts on this one hundred and fifty kilometer long stretch of safe river costs a small toll of one thousand geodites for a cargo boat and one hundred for a passenger craft. The Riverguard also rent themselves out in squads of trained and armed guards, for those who want to take even quicker passages or are looking for extra security further up or down the river.

Additional capital is brought in by fishing and hunting the larger beasts that inhabit the different waterways that the Riverguard protects. Most citizens are trained as soldiers and hunters alike, utilizing similar skills at times in their defense of the watery passages.

Cervantes runs the Riverguard the same way he ran his men back in Warhead. They are disciplined and reliable. With the success of their initial outpost in Narehl, the Riverguard has expanded to a half dozen waterways around the world. Each new colony is run by one of Cervantes’ hand picked lieutenants, and each colony defers to their mother colony on the Path of all Souls.

Over the years, the Riverguard’s ranks have swelled with many ‘retired’ sailors from around the world, as well as younger individuals seeking a place of their own. There are even a few individuals that for one reason or another decided to leave the knightly orders for what they saw as a more fulfilling lifestyle. Any who are willing to follow Cervantes and his lieutenants are welcome.

The Riverguard consider themselves their own faction, but many others see them as simply a splinter group of Warhead. This view, and their small size, has prevented them from having a seat on the Avalon Council, though they still follow the Accords.

The Walk of Man

Origin of name: Named for a hypothetical road which represents the trials and tribulations that the one walks during the course of their life.

Form of government: Elected Council.

National Color: Gold and Steel.

National Tree: Corpsewood Tree.

National Bird: Gooney Bird.

When mankind first set eyes upon what would come to be called The Walk of Man, they were scarcely able to take in the sheer scope of it. The landscape seemed to embody the ancient human saying “Miles and miles… Of miles and miles.” What they had discovered was an almost endless stretch of land filled with open prairies, rolling hills, sparse forests, and picturesque rivers. A place where a man could walk forever without crossing another mans path.

Rich in minerals, lumber, potential farmland, and many potentially useful species of animals and medicinal plants it was inevitable that the so called Walk of Man would be colonized. Beginning as little more than its name suggests, Trapper Town quickly expanded beyond a simple trading hub and gathering place to become the leading center of commerce, housing, transport, and government for the entire region. Trapper Town falls under the control of the Voice of the West, a council of senior business magnates elected by popular vote.

The people of Trapper Town and the entire Walk of Man decided on a life of basic simplicity, using only the technology needed to keep life running smoothly and free of unnecessary distraction. While this may sound restrictive and backwards, the natives are anything but technologically backwards. They use technology as sophisticated as any other group on the planet; they merely use it in moderation.

There is a very distinct idiosyncratic rustic appearance to the local towns and cities in general, and individuals homes in particular. Their wheel shaped walled cities are usually broken into discreet quarters for private business, housing, and local markets. Small parks are crammed in where they can be, and regular housing tends to cluster near the cities' walls, huddling in their shadows. Homes tend to be small in overall plot size, but up to four stories in height to maximize interior space with a minimal footprint. Their towns are often split down the middle by a river, or built surrounding particularly prolific water motes.

The people of the Walk of Man are viewed as very old fashioned, but they are generally very accepting of other cultures and ways of life; however they strongly encourage those that have transplanted themselves into their land to adopt or at least adapt to their local customs. Anyone who is a hard worker, regardless of origin, is often actively adopted into the local social circles and taught the way of the locals through social drinking events by their new neighbors and colleagues.

The call of the great wide open is always strong, but particularly so for the young people of the Walk of Man. Work for would be adventurers comes easily in the form of supply convoy guards, freight handlers and hunters of both animals and criminals. These young men and women, often called Walkers, exemplify the can do attitude of the locals. While they cling very strongly to their traditional values, the young people of the Walk of Man recognize that some of their old fashioned methods make many of their products significantly more expensive than modern production methods. These young folks, who are already part of a generation with difficulty finding jobs in a tight market, are further ostracized and black listed by their parents’ generation for their insistence on the need for sweeping changes in general practices.

Organizing themselves into a group they called the Shining Stars, they began actively holding protests against their unjust treatment, and the lack of concern for their generations financial future. Their largest protest culminated in a massive public argument between themselves and the current speaker for the Voice of the West. Their loud heated argument was so filled with rhetoric and venom that it ultimately culminated in the drawing of guns. Who drew first and who fired first is up for debate, but it ended with two dead men.

The High Marshall, a competent Aesir man named Alabaster, arrived at the scene too late to derail the conflict, and thus was only able to judge the scene upon what he witnessed with his own two eyes. So disgusted and horrified by the event and the many armed men and women of the Shining Stars, he drew his gun and demanded an immediate dispersal of all armed citizens. He ordered his deputies to shoot any protesters who failed to comply with his demands, referring to them as the “Damned rusty stars.”

What remained of the group, now referred to by the general population and the local media as The Rusty Stars, was forced to take refuge in the surrounding country side. Wanted for questioning, but unwilling to subject themselves to the tender mercies of the voice of the west, they were led by their new leader believed they were left with no choice but to enter open rebellion. There are still many who harbor doubts, believing this brewing war is the personal vendetta of one man.

Far from the first disenfranchised men and women, the Rusty Stars are just the newest and strongest group. Dozens of small and large gangs have sprung up, committing crimes ranging from petty thuggery and shaking down travelers to full blown train robberies.

Adding to the tension is the fact that, with the recent end of Deep Winter, many of the animals emerging from hibernation are extremely anxious and rambunctious, attacking far more often and aggressively than usual. The trouble is more than the standard compliment of hunters can handle.

With this triple threat to the currently fragile region, the local government has ordered the formation of a commissioned group of freelancers to deal with both the outlaws and the animals; the Allied Regional Militia, known to their fellows as the ARM. The young men and women who answer the call are deputized with limited powers authorizing them to use any means necessary to bring in the outlaws and provide relief to the overworked local hunters and rangers.

Warhead Keep

Origin of Name: Unknown, never recorded for posterity.

Form of Government: Heinlein Democracy.

National Color: Red, White and Gold.

National Tree: Pine Tree.

National Bird: Vulture.

There are those who have no factions, the lawless ones who live on the fringes of society and often rise up to challenge the current society. The sole purpose of the faction Warhead Keep is to trample barbarians where they spring up, and take down rogue elements of other factions. The main armed forces of New Horizon belong to Warhead Keep.

Warhead is everywhere. It is less a place than a state of mind. Nonetheless, Warhead does have a central location. In the Far East, just beyond the border of the Walk of Man, and north of the border of the Azuremar Plains. The large training range they created there to begin their initial goals blended into their quickly forming liberty city, and became known at some point as Warhead Keep. In short order, an interesting new society was founded on the ancient patriotic ideals espoused by Robert A. Heinlein in his novel Starship Troopers. The General, who is, generally speaking, in office until he chooses to retire, presides over the Colonels’ Senate, which functions much the same as a typical democratic senate.

However, in order for a citizen to earn their vote, they must serve four years in the military, police or any of the local civil services to prove their worthiness as a voting citizen. Members of this faction know, until they retire, they are either a highly skilled soldier or they’re dead. Almost nothing else in between exists, because it’s not accepted.

The Colonels’ Senate deals in all the day-to-day military affairs of Warhead. The Citizens’ House is composed of Enlisted men and Voting Citizens who have been voted into office by their peers, and they handle day-to-day political affairs, overseen by the Lt. General. Beneath them are the Generals’ Staff, employed Citizens and Officers who handle the bureaucratic end of things.

Warhead begins training recruits from an extremely young age, some recruits begin as early as age seven. Soldiers are given free dorms, and even small, row houses for married soldiers. As such, they have the single most elite group of soldiers in the world.

Warhead Keep itself is a massive walled city, with many utilitarian barracks, motor pools and officers’ housing facilities surrounding a liberty city and residential housing district with a quaint pastoral feel, like a European mountain village with an almost German atmosphere. There are more than an average number of bars, but also many sit-down restaurants, open-air cafes and many theaters and sports fields for both families and troops to relieve tension and enjoy themselves.

Locals of Warhead are patriotic and adventurous. The idea that it’s their duty to help make their community a better place is drilled into their heads from a young age. They tend to be open and friendly to visitors, though their soldiers and police aren’t afraid to growl at those who stray into areas off limits to civilians and foreigners. When they come of age, many young Warhead citizens spend a year or more wandering the continent of Youzem or Neo Titania doing odd jobs or mercenary work to learn about the world around them. Also, whenever trouble seems to be brewing in areas where Warhead’s intervention is not sanctioned, or is being blocked by another faction in council, certain soldiers are often granted extended leave with pay and encouraged to spend ‘vacations’ in the troubled regions. These aren’t really missions as such, and do not receive official support or recognition in a combat record. However, unofficially, such errant soldiers are accorded great respect, and they are rarely ever called to account for their unofficial actions. Those that are, are usually simply given an honorable discharge with pension.

Local clothes tend to be utilitarian, including various forms of aesthetically pleasing jump-suits. Blue jeans and other rugged leg wear are common, along with long simple skirts, often of an asymmetrical cut, as are blouses of a medium cut and simple t-shirts, sometimes topped with vests, and, like many Walk of Man citizens, people wear untied scarves of various colors and patterns.

Local criminals are usually wary of being caught. Simple banditry and muggings are the most common crime. The local police officers are usually more than up to the task of dealing with these criminals. The law enforcement is a standardized police force produced by the local law enforcement academy. They produce a very simple, streamlined and efficient police force, bringing in a tidy profit by training the police forces of some of the other factions in an efficient boot camp, producing trained beat officers and staff officers to fill the needs of law enforcement the world over, a service exceeded only by their infantry academy. Their police are respected the world over, almost as well as the Knights of Narehl.

Warhead does business with all of the factions of The Council of Avalon. As a result, they keep their business as cordial as possible. However, outside observers note that they seem to have a natural bias against Xanadu and Aquilon.

Though there is little in the way of actual evidence, rumors persist that the all female mercenary force known as the Lead Kiss are actually a secret task force of Warhead. Many like to point out that they are armed with Warhead standard equipment. With Warhead setting the global standard for military, this evidence doesn't hold much weight. Their kit also includes unorthodox devices which appear to be of Aquilonian and Quisivati tech, seldom glimpsed elsewhere.

Xanadu

Origin of name: Named for Shàngdū, the summer capital of Kublai Khan.

Form of government: Corporate ministry.

National Color: Steel blue.

National Tree: Apple Tree.

National Bird: Eagle.

Salutation: Xanadian/Xanadians.

Xanadu (also known as The League of Xanadu) is a collection of prosperous cities in a vast swath of terraformed land, recalling the landscape, flora and fauna of Earth to as great a degree as possible. While many people of New Horizon have been content to assimilate themselves into the planet's native ecology, the people of Xanadu cling to the past. They still long for the glories of Earth, separated from the atrocities by time, distance, and rose tinted glasses. When all communication with their home world was lost, these were the kinds of people who took it harder than any one else.

Considering themselves to be the self-appointed guardians of Earth's vanished postindustrial revolution society, the people of Xanadu have crafted for themselves a society which mirrors the lifestyle and corporate style of a twentieth and twenty first century first world nation. As a result, this has allowed them to become one of the dominant military and economic super powers of the world. This faction represents the world’s leading specialists in the mass production of textiles. Most planetary staples come from Xanadu, as well as clothing, packaged foods, and almost all vehicles except submarines. Xanadu is the world’s industrial center, and while, as a faction, it does not have the largest landmass, it definitely has the largest population.

Xanadian cities have names, but since each of them is a carefully planned biosphere of Earthly life, they simply give them a name with a number, such as Sphere Seven. Each city is carefully planned out, with specially segregated districts built according to a hundred year plan for urban sprawl. These plans include underground superstructures for most major buildings which will allow for underground expansion as deep as thirty stories downward. The planning of each city is carefully designed to create an appealing, wholesome skyline as well as to integrate a park-like pastoral feel to the city as a whole. The average citizen of Xanadu lives a comfortable life, with a decent livable wage that is easily obtained with only a few years of schooling. They are a generally egalitarian society, and anyone competent can rise through the ranks of a company with proper schooling and hard work. Nepotism is very strongly frowned upon, so family members of executives rarely get a free ride.

Locals tend to have very conservative morals, and are usually wary of other life approaches, but are tentatively accepting of other ideals provided they don’t disrupt their society. Xanadians live in their perfectly planned cities, following carefully planned lives. They are seen as almost eccentrically orderly, and stubbornly against any changes to their society at large, even from time to time accused of racism. The people of Xanadu strongly believe in human purity.

While it’s true that Xanadian treatment of Prometheans is considered rather cool, they are usually able to find employment of some sort or another. However, locals seem to be genuinely afraid of some of the societal and human racial implications of the emerging Medean population. The truth of the matter is that it’s simple ignorance. Their concerns about the pollution of the human genome are baseless. They shun Medeans forcefully, refusing to accept them into Xanadian society. Any Xanadian citizen who becomes genetically augmented can often find him or herself pushed aside and out of any corporate/political career.

Whatever else the native olympians may feel towards prometheans and medeans, their legally guaranteed rights are ferociously protected by the civil service of Xanadu. Human or wafan, man or woman, there is a voice for everyone, even if some would rather not hear it.

While Xanadu favors isolationism almost to the point of xenophobia, they do boast some of the best learning facilities in the world.Their desire for societal stasis often puts them at odds with the progressive nature of their military and economic rivals in Aquilons’ Reach. As often as not, the two butt heads over their conflicting world views. Aquilon is often considered to have loose values by Xanadian standards, and the Xanadians are thus worried that their perceived carefree lifestyle will have a debilitating effect on global standards, as well as having a negative impact upon Xanadian children. Both factions are constantly on the edge of direct conflict, reined in only by their joint involvement in the Council of Avalon.

While it’s not unheard of for Xanadians to explore the world around them, the adventurers born of Xanadu are often called Madcaps, and never even leave their home borders. Most with a taste for adventure find plenty in the local area, considering the sheer number of alarming events occurring within their own cities.

Many of the few low income citizenry have become the target of malicious drug dealers who offer them relief with minor cybernetic implants to deliver the cheap drug Talcyon, which causes their nervous systems to bleed away any chronic pain and enhances their perception of pleasure. The downside is that it leaves them extremely susceptible to suggestion, allowing their enigmatic suppliers to force them to commit deplorable crimes on their behalf.

Their cities are troubled by the appearances of strange, unexplained cybernetic machines named Twonky. These Twonky disguise themselves as innocuous machinery, ranging from the size of vermin to that of a grown man. They watch, they listen and sometimes they even kill. But when captured, they simply self-terminate. So far, their technology has been inscrutable to any examination.

Even more odd are the mysterious occurrences of previously undocumented subway tunnels and maintenance passages which seem to be appearing and disappearing at random intervals, moving from place to place and sometimes taking people with them. Attempts to map them have proved fruitless thus far, those who have returned bring back stories of ghostly noises, and strange sightings of distant, headless figures observing them.