Emerald: History & Culture -------------------------- Emerald is one of five worlds of the Jewell Cluster, straddling the Regency/Zhodani border in the Jewell Sector. Fortified for centuries against the threat of Zhodani invasion, the system is still the site of considerable military activity, despite improvements in relations with the Consulate. Emerald is also an important link between the Regency advance naval base at Quar (Chronor: Spinward Marches/0807) and naval forces operating in the Jewell and Regina subsectors. Emerald was settled in 308, by the followers of disgraced Sylean nobleman Aklas Ecannis. Ecannis, the Duke of Ecan (2316/Core), was executed for cowardice in 306, following the Battle of Concorde during the Aslan Border Wars. Stripped of title and privilege, Ecannis' family was permitted to emigrate to the Spinward Marches. By calling in old favours, the newly widowed Eritrea Ecannis was able to secure a charter to settle Jewell. About two hundred family and retainers arrived in late 308, and founded the first settlement at Eritrea. Although self-sufficient, the colony grew only slowly. Periodically, labourers and craftsmen would be recruited from Jewell and Regina, but settlement remained largely confined to the area around Eritrea. Although a part of the Imperium, Emerald remained unrepresented to the Imperial Court (by decree in 306, no member of the Ecannis family was permitted to hold title). As the imperial presence in the area grew, Emerald began exporting agricultural products to the rapidly growing Jewell (already emerging as a major industrial world). Nonetheless, contact with offworlders remained confined to the small 'E' class starport at Masand Caldera, and Emerald remained isolationist. The Ecannis family allowed no further settlement, and restricted offworlders to the starport compound. This self-imposed isolation was to be stretched to breaking point as tensions between the Imperium and the Zhodani Consulate rose, and ultimately shattered by the outbreak of the First Frontier War. From 510 onwards, Imperial Navy fleet elements deployed to the Emerald system from the naval base on Jewell for maneuvers. The Navy established a small service facility in the outer system, although craft did occasionally land on the mainworld. In 540, Grand Admiral Severin Gouden appointed a legate to the small settlement, mainly to coordinate the requisition of foodstuffs, and keep an eye on the politically suspect natives (as early as 460, Imperial Naval Intelligence suspected Zhodani sympathies in the Ecannis family). Emerald's starport was also upgraded to 'D' class, over the protests of the planet's rulers. With the Zhodani invasion of Imperial space in 591, martial law was declared on Emerald. Members of the Ecannis family thought to be 'unreliable' were interned on Jewell as Imperial forces were pushed back from their original defensive positions. The Zhodani attacked and captured Jewell in 592, and were to remain in possession of the world almost until the war's end. During the Zhodani occupation, the world was used as a prison camp for partisans captured on Jewell, and the world was forced to endure the presence of large numbers of Zhodani ground troops. Following Admiral Plankwell's recapture of Jewell in 603, Zhodani forces evacuated Emerald and fled into Consulate space. Imperial troops liberated the world shortly afterwards, but a large garrison was kept in place beyond the war's end. In 606, the Ecannis family was allowed to return to Emerald. Limitations on offworlder-native contact remained, but were increasingly hard to enforce. This was illustrated by the decision of the Ecannis heir, Sar Valain Ecannis to apply for the Imperial Naval Academy in 608. His decision outraged his relatives, but they were powerless to stop him after he received the somewhat unexpected support of the Imperial legate. Sar Valain went on to distinguish himself in the Second Frontier War, and as a squadron commander for Admiral (later Empress) Arbellatra Akhalikoi during the later stages of the Civil War. Sar Valain returned to Emerald in 626, as the new Imperial legate, and was instrumental in persuading the Ecannis family to restrict the most stringent of their isolationist practises. On becoming head of the Ecannis family in 630, Empress Arbellatra rescinded the decrees against the Ecannis family issued by Empress Porphyria in 306, and Sar Valain was named Baron Emerald. The office of Imperial legate to Emerald was dissolved. Sar Valain's descendants concentrated on developing Emerald's export economy. Large tracts of land were cultivated, using increasingly sophisticated agrotechnology. By 900, Emerald was supplying large amounts of grain to Jewell, despite its small population. The starport facilities were progressively upgraded to their current capabilities as the Imperial (and later Regency) Navy increased its presence in the system. This pattern has been uninterrupted since, despite occupation by the Zhodani in the Third and Fifth Frontier Wars. Emerald's highly automated agricultural industry faced upheaval when the first reports of Virus filtered into the Regency. The enforced switch from autonomous to supervised robotics was expensive and damaging to the world's economy - damage which is still felt by many on Emerald. Production is once again approaching pre-1130 levels, but further progress is hampered by an acute labour shortage on this isolationist world. Emerald's leaders, reluctant to hire offworlders to enlarge their labour pool, took the unprecedented step of allowing Zhodani refugees to settle. The decision was the subject of long and bitter debate, but the first Zhodani were finally admitted in 1201. The arrival of nearly thirty thousand Zhodani refugees is likely to have profound effects on the social structure of Emerald. The long-term result of these effects will be, to say the least, interesting to observe. Only a small proportion of refugees arriving on Emerald are allowed to stay; the rest are sent on to the holding camps on Jewell. Those that do stay are absorbed directly into Emerald's rather stratified society. The Ecannis family still rules on Emerald, as the Five Families. Each of the Five Families is responsible for an area of activity on Emerald, and is largely independent of both the other four families and the ruling Head. The current Five Families are: Ecannis-Astrakhanna (starport facilities, energy production), Ecannis-Shtabul (food production and export), Ilike (mineral production and export), Farsi-Ecannis (construction and infrastructure) and Ecannis-Valain (communications, information and administration). Smaller branches of the Ecannis family control other activities, normally under the guidance and direction of one of the Five. Baron Emerald (also known as the Head) comes from the Ecannis-Valain branch, succession is passed through the male line. Below the level of the ruling families, rank and position is largely based on merit. Particularly powerful, skilled or successful individuals are often rewarded with marriage or adoption into a Family, giving them effectively 'noble' status. At the bottom of the ladder are the workers, although given the small population and high technology of the world, even these are skilled, rather than unskilled workers, and enjoy a good standard of living. It is among this class that the labour shortage is most acutely felt. The shortage of skilled workers has placed severe constraints on the Families' ability to export food and mineral products, but the inherent isolationism (which can cross the line into xenophobia) of the world makes solving this problem difficult. Newly arriving Zhodani refugees are 'adopted' into a family and its vassals, depending on their skills. When entering the system, travellers will normally find themselves exiting j-space near Phantome (orbit 1, large gas giant). A beacon at the regular jump exit point directs incoming ships to the Regency Quarantine Station on Mitchell, a smallish moon orbiting Phantome. Standard quarantine procedures will be followed (see the Jewell and Ruby papers for further details) by Regency Quarantine Service staff before the incoming vessel will be cleared to travel in-system to Emerald. Approaching the mainworld, it is quickly apparent that Emerald lives up to its name. Much of its land surface is covered in uncleared vegetation, and its generally shallow seas also have a greenish tinge. Emerald truly is an inviting world when viewed from orbit - only its presence near the Zhodani border prevented further settlement. Emerald Starport (Masand Caldara) is a small 'B' class facility closely tied to the Scout base. Its small repair facility is not normally available for public use, although emergency repairs are possible. Refined fuel is available at the public facility, but is expensive (Cr 6,500/ton) as are berthing fees (Cr 200/day). The starport lies some 50 km southeast of Eritrea, the oldest and largest town with a population of about 14,000. Travel by air/raft takes about 15 minutes, or about 30 minutes in extreme weather conditions. There is a road link to the starport, but its use is mainly confined to freight haulage. As the passenger approaches Eritrea, he/she will notice the walled compounds just outside the town's edge. These are private estates belonging to the Families and their servants, and are off-limits to visitors without an invitation. The larger Families maintain a number of compounds, near to their major concerns. The common folk of Emerald are polite, if somewhat reticent. Contact and conversation with offworlders is not encouraged among the general population. The Ecannis-Valain family maintains a Liaison Centre in Eritrea, where younger members of this family are on hand to interface between visitors and the locals. The Liaison Centre can be found in the Carpaty Plaza, next to the offices of the Jewell Embassy.