Excerpt from "Cimbrian Foreign Service Administrator's Handbook, Chapter 12: Labor"
The Hiring Process
Foreign service administrators know that good management can only go so far in the establishment of a service division. The personnel choices made at the beginning of a post's history can lead to the success or failure of their diplomatic mission. Good decisions result in a smoothly running outpost, while poor ones can result in a situation even so troublesome as to lead to diplomatic miscues and eventual dismissal. The key, then, is to understand the human resources that are available and how best to utilize them . . .
. . . Ideally, a post's staff would be composed entirely of Cimbrian citizens, due to their national loyalty, work ethic, and general intelligence. However, this handbook recognizes that this is possible at only the largest and most well-funded embassies, and that in most situations it will be necessary to rely on labor drawn from the local work force.
The condition and suitability of the local work force can vary greatly depending on where a post is located. Population density, hostility, level of education, presence or absence of wealth -- all of these factors must be taken into account when beginning to draw from the labor pool. Also, diplomatic administrators must consider the increased importance of some tasks as compared to others. In all cases, security (both personal and national) is of paramount importance, and the employees chosen for these sensitive positions should receive the most in-depth evaluation process. Other tasks, such as grounds-keeping, do not warrant such careful scrutiny . . .
. . . Native populations will usually break down into several groups. The following is a brief analysis of these groups and their suitability for various levels of employment by the Cimbrian Foreign Service.
Cimbrian Citizens
As mentioned earlier, the ideal employees for the foreign service. Products of the Cimbrian educational system, their intelligence and loyalty to the state are usually quite high. The average Cimbrian's moral strength and work ethic being stronger than a comparable native, make sure to fill your most vital positions with Cimbrian nationals. It can be expensive, however, as most must be enticed into the less-civilized portions of the world with lucrative wages.
Foreign service policy forbids non-citizens from holding several civil posts such as prefect, public relations director, communications director, and any other task that involves handling of sensitive data. Please see appendix 12-3 for a complete list of these regulations.
Cimbrian Convicts
The dregs of Cimbrian society, these convicted felons have chosen a term of exile over death or imprisonment in Cimbria proper. Caution is advised. Close study of their character and case history can lead to discovery of a few valuable persons amenable to rehabilitation, but the vast majority of such convicts are useless for anything but menial record keeping and facility maintenance. Under no circumstances should a person suspected of subversive tendencies be employed in any capacity!
Agathians
Agathians, while widely considered as being almsot as intelligent as Cimbrians, suffer from an unfortunate lack of proper nationalist commitment. Their people have a centuries-long tradition of disrespect for authority that can make them dangerous in certain diplomatic capacities. It is recommended to employ them only in roles that involve impartial analysis due to their tendency towards radical thought. Do not be afraid to remove an Agathian from his post if he shows any signs of suspicious or subversive behavior.
Agathian Slaves
Agathian slaves are an unpredictable labor force at best, and will only be an option to the foreign service administrator in certain locales. Either contracted or bought outright from a dealer, they come is several classes depending on their skills and health. Due to the nature of Agathian slavery, skilled slaves can often be found to fill clerical positions, intelligence analysis, and low-level administration posts as well as more common menial tasks.
If an administrator chooses to employ slaves, they should be sure to familiarize themselves with the local slave grades, as well as make sure to find a reputable dealer. The foreign service recommends contracting over an outright purchase of slaves as the infrastructure costs of feeding and maintaining slaves can become prohibitive.
Citizens of Asfar
The citizenry of Asfar is generally divided into five houses, or tribes: Josite, Ebelite, Abdun, Endite, and Artmar. It is generally impossible to distinguish between them physically (although the Endites are usually characterized as having darker skin) but most have some sort of marking on their clothing or other accessory displaying their house affiliation. Of these five, the Josite are usually considered superior in intellect and work ethic, although still generally inferior to the Cimbrian. Ebelites can be considered as well. The Artmar are often possessed by a religious zeal that renders them useless as far as diplomatic employment is concerned, while the Abdun and the Endites are so unreliable as to be useless as well.
A notable exception: when traveling in Asfar, Abdun and Endite guides are vital for passage through the desert and along the rivers, respectively. The rampant crime in Asfar makes these precautions necessary. It is advisable to make your payment to such guides in small sums over time, or else your guides may sell your location to the very bandits you hire them to avoid.
The Tel
The Tel are a primitive, tribal race from the North/Northeastern regions of Eos. Easily identifiable by their brown complexion, dark hair and eyes, Tel are generally considered an inferior work force. The foreign service cautions against casual employment of Tel in any occupation other than the manual labor to which they are well-suited.
End of Excerpt
Showing posts with label Cimbria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cimbria. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, December 7, 2009
011 -- The Collapse of Torman Civilization
Transcript of lecture by Professor Charles Anthony of the Cimbrian Central Academy, 6th November, 1203 S.E. Class: Cultural and Political Foundations of Cimbria
Professor Anthony: . . . and as you can see, we ended last week's lecture at the height of the First Torman Empire's power. We already covered their conquest of several other minor groups in the region, along with the subsequent assimilation and adaptation of cultures that came with it. Under the leadership of several highly successful kings, we saw the Tormans expand beyond their traditional borders, until finally the First Empire was declared with the defeat of the Agathians at the four day's battle. We also saw how the Tormans solidified their gains with a thriving trade network, standardized currency, and a system of public works that were highly advanced for the time. Any questions? Yes?
Student: In the text it mentions the conquest of a tribe, the Cim. Are they going to be related to the founding of Cimbria?
Professor: Yes and no. The Cim did indeed live in the area where the capital now stands. But the Cim tribe was so thoroughly decimated by the Tormans in their initial wars of conquest that it practically ceased to exist as a ethnic group. Eventually, Torman settlers arrived in the region, and in settling it they became known as the Cim. The name was applied to them only because of where they had made their home; in ethnicity they were almost wholly Torman. In the end, all that survived of the Cim tribe was their name.
Any more questions? No? Alright, let's move on.
The golden age of the Torman Empire started in approximately 1750 F.E. and spanned the next four hundred years. In that time we saw a outpouring of intellectual and cultural activity from all corners of the empire. The concept of rational empiricism, originally conceived in the Agathian river-states, totally upended the traditional tribal organization of Torman society. What had been a loose coalition united by the personal magnetism of a series of successful warlords became a rationally constructed system of imperial rule.
Leading this imperial system was the Red Cadre, a military elite composed of descendants of victorious generals of the Empire's formative stages. A small, tightly knit group, children (male and female alike) born into the Red Cadre were raised to be professional soldiers and administrators from a very early age. The eldest members of the cadre were responsible for the appointment of an emperor by way of an informal committee. With a few rare exceptions, emperors were chosen from the ranks of the cadre and served for life.
While competition for imperial favor was stiff and political intrigue rampant, there are surprisingly few examples of that intrigue resulting in death. In most cases, the disgraced minister, deemed too valuable for execution, would instead be appointed to a provincial governorship.
Instead of a typical system of houses, the division of power among the members of the Red Cadre was marked by which military unit its members came from. Children of generals were expected to serve in the units of their fathers, and ascension into the ranks of the cadre was not always assured. The most talented of soldiers could hope to secure a position in the cadre, although it was an informal process and the chances of this occurring without a union with a prominent family were slim.
The collapse of the Torman Empire was just as spectacular as its meteoric rise to power four hundred years before. Just over four hundred years from the pronouncement of the empire, the Red Cadre was removed from power in a series of devastating political revolutions and counter-revolutions. The spark that started this conflict was one of the key points of contention in Torman civilization, namely the concept of citizenship.
We will cover the concept of Torman citizenship in more depth next class period, but suffice it to say that the Torman Empire strictly upheld a complex system of citizenship with several levels, usually determined by ethnic background. These levels were mutable and not necessarily hierarchal, but it was never good to be an Agathian. When the Red Cadre enacted a particularly harsh crackdown on Agathian rebels, the backlash in public discourse, fueled by the liberal intellectual elite, led to the sudden downfall of the ruling military oligarchy. The power vacuum was never satisfactorily filled; a Torman Commonwealth was proclaimed by the merchant classes, supported by the intellectual establishment, but many provincial governors refused to recognize it, instead remaining loyal to the military units that they had served in under the Cadre. This fragmentation led to rebellion and war amongst the states of the Commonwealth.
Contrary to the previous political intrigue of the Red Cadre, this progression of upheaval after upheaval was extremely bloody. The death toll among soldiers was great, but it was the loss of trained military leaders that eventually caused the fall of Torma. An invasion of hill tribes from the North, allied with Agathian rebels, came at exactly the time when the Torman military had been devasted most by internal warfare. Without generals to lead it, the Torman army was beaten again and again until the invaders had laid siege to the Torma itself. The siege lasted seventeen years, due much in part to the brilliant young Torman general Altus Simon, but Torma eventually surrendered. The city was burned and looted, but remained settled due to its important location as a trade port -- a role that it still has today.
The collapse of Torman civilization led to a return to regionalism. The old tribes, too mixed in four hundred and fifty years of Imperial rule to be distinguishable, had died off, leaving place of birth as the only method of self-identification for the coming centuries. Torman provinces that had survived the invasion became self-governing fiefdoms, gradually modifying the inherited Imperial ordinances to their own ends. The Agathians and the hill tribes quickly fractured for want of a common enemy and began another several hundred years of bloody warfare. Some of the invaders assimilated into the old Torman provinces, while others continued to pillage until they became worn down by attrition and were defeated by the local militaries. Still others returned North, with prisoners, slaves, and sometimes wives and husbands.
By 2300 F.E., the Torman Civilization was irrevocably fragmented, and the First Era of Eos was officially at an end. 2301 F.E. is also known as year 1, Second Era. We find this date first used by Bea the Scribe in the prologue of her history of the siege of Torma and it's aftermath. She was one of the last Torman acolytes of the Agathian rational philosophy and one of the most important historians of the era. We don't have time to go into her life in much depth, but I encourage you to investigate it on your own.
I think that's it for today. Next class period we will discuss Torman culture, the Red Cadre, and Torman citizenship as it realates to issues in contemporary Cimbrian culture. Don't forget to start reading that biography on Altus Simon for next week, we'll be spending . . .
End of Excerpt
Professor Anthony: . . . and as you can see, we ended last week's lecture at the height of the First Torman Empire's power. We already covered their conquest of several other minor groups in the region, along with the subsequent assimilation and adaptation of cultures that came with it. Under the leadership of several highly successful kings, we saw the Tormans expand beyond their traditional borders, until finally the First Empire was declared with the defeat of the Agathians at the four day's battle. We also saw how the Tormans solidified their gains with a thriving trade network, standardized currency, and a system of public works that were highly advanced for the time. Any questions? Yes?
Student: In the text it mentions the conquest of a tribe, the Cim. Are they going to be related to the founding of Cimbria?
Professor: Yes and no. The Cim did indeed live in the area where the capital now stands. But the Cim tribe was so thoroughly decimated by the Tormans in their initial wars of conquest that it practically ceased to exist as a ethnic group. Eventually, Torman settlers arrived in the region, and in settling it they became known as the Cim. The name was applied to them only because of where they had made their home; in ethnicity they were almost wholly Torman. In the end, all that survived of the Cim tribe was their name.
Any more questions? No? Alright, let's move on.
The golden age of the Torman Empire started in approximately 1750 F.E. and spanned the next four hundred years. In that time we saw a outpouring of intellectual and cultural activity from all corners of the empire. The concept of rational empiricism, originally conceived in the Agathian river-states, totally upended the traditional tribal organization of Torman society. What had been a loose coalition united by the personal magnetism of a series of successful warlords became a rationally constructed system of imperial rule.
Leading this imperial system was the Red Cadre, a military elite composed of descendants of victorious generals of the Empire's formative stages. A small, tightly knit group, children (male and female alike) born into the Red Cadre were raised to be professional soldiers and administrators from a very early age. The eldest members of the cadre were responsible for the appointment of an emperor by way of an informal committee. With a few rare exceptions, emperors were chosen from the ranks of the cadre and served for life.
While competition for imperial favor was stiff and political intrigue rampant, there are surprisingly few examples of that intrigue resulting in death. In most cases, the disgraced minister, deemed too valuable for execution, would instead be appointed to a provincial governorship.
Instead of a typical system of houses, the division of power among the members of the Red Cadre was marked by which military unit its members came from. Children of generals were expected to serve in the units of their fathers, and ascension into the ranks of the cadre was not always assured. The most talented of soldiers could hope to secure a position in the cadre, although it was an informal process and the chances of this occurring without a union with a prominent family were slim.
The collapse of the Torman Empire was just as spectacular as its meteoric rise to power four hundred years before. Just over four hundred years from the pronouncement of the empire, the Red Cadre was removed from power in a series of devastating political revolutions and counter-revolutions. The spark that started this conflict was one of the key points of contention in Torman civilization, namely the concept of citizenship.
We will cover the concept of Torman citizenship in more depth next class period, but suffice it to say that the Torman Empire strictly upheld a complex system of citizenship with several levels, usually determined by ethnic background. These levels were mutable and not necessarily hierarchal, but it was never good to be an Agathian. When the Red Cadre enacted a particularly harsh crackdown on Agathian rebels, the backlash in public discourse, fueled by the liberal intellectual elite, led to the sudden downfall of the ruling military oligarchy. The power vacuum was never satisfactorily filled; a Torman Commonwealth was proclaimed by the merchant classes, supported by the intellectual establishment, but many provincial governors refused to recognize it, instead remaining loyal to the military units that they had served in under the Cadre. This fragmentation led to rebellion and war amongst the states of the Commonwealth.
Contrary to the previous political intrigue of the Red Cadre, this progression of upheaval after upheaval was extremely bloody. The death toll among soldiers was great, but it was the loss of trained military leaders that eventually caused the fall of Torma. An invasion of hill tribes from the North, allied with Agathian rebels, came at exactly the time when the Torman military had been devasted most by internal warfare. Without generals to lead it, the Torman army was beaten again and again until the invaders had laid siege to the Torma itself. The siege lasted seventeen years, due much in part to the brilliant young Torman general Altus Simon, but Torma eventually surrendered. The city was burned and looted, but remained settled due to its important location as a trade port -- a role that it still has today.
The collapse of Torman civilization led to a return to regionalism. The old tribes, too mixed in four hundred and fifty years of Imperial rule to be distinguishable, had died off, leaving place of birth as the only method of self-identification for the coming centuries. Torman provinces that had survived the invasion became self-governing fiefdoms, gradually modifying the inherited Imperial ordinances to their own ends. The Agathians and the hill tribes quickly fractured for want of a common enemy and began another several hundred years of bloody warfare. Some of the invaders assimilated into the old Torman provinces, while others continued to pillage until they became worn down by attrition and were defeated by the local militaries. Still others returned North, with prisoners, slaves, and sometimes wives and husbands.
By 2300 F.E., the Torman Civilization was irrevocably fragmented, and the First Era of Eos was officially at an end. 2301 F.E. is also known as year 1, Second Era. We find this date first used by Bea the Scribe in the prologue of her history of the siege of Torma and it's aftermath. She was one of the last Torman acolytes of the Agathian rational philosophy and one of the most important historians of the era. We don't have time to go into her life in much depth, but I encourage you to investigate it on your own.
I think that's it for today. Next class period we will discuss Torman culture, the Red Cadre, and Torman citizenship as it realates to issues in contemporary Cimbrian culture. Don't forget to start reading that biography on Altus Simon for next week, we'll be spending . . .
End of Excerpt
Saturday, August 8, 2009
006 -- Cimbrian Loyalty Oath
Memo
From: Cimbrian Central School Administrator
To: All Headmasters/Headmistresses
Re: New Pledge and Mandate
Dear Headmaster/Headmistress,
Due to recent events, the Bureau of Internal Affairs has released am updated Loyalty Pledge and Cimbrian Mandate. Please find them enclosed with this message. Both are to be displayed in all classrooms as per regulation and replace the older pledge and mandate.
As with the old pledge, please inform your teaching staff to commence each day of instruction with the traditional recitation. All students over the age of six are expected to have the pledge memorized. Younger students will not be expected to understand every word of the pledge, but all students over the age of eight should be able to recite and write the Loyalty Pledge. Should a student refuse or forget the pledge, light corporal punishment is recommended, including (but not limited to) the boxing of ears, a mild slap to the head, or in extreme cases, paddling.
Students are not expected to recite or reproduce the mandate until the age of twelve, due to it's increased complexity. All history and society faculty should make sure that their lesson plans accurately reflect the Cimbrian mandate and how it shapes our Nation's role in the world. At least one week's lessons should be spent on the mandate itself.
We all know how troubling recent events have been. These new documents are proof that Cimbria stands once again upon sure footing. They should be embraced whole-heartedly in the classroom so that our children may keep Cimbria strong.
Central School Administrator,
Edwin Straypelt
-----
The Cimbrian Loyalty Pledge
With this oath,
I give myself,
To serve my people and my state,
Her strength is vast,
Her power great,
And it keeps me from all harm,
I am her heart,
And her sword,
And the blood that fills her veins,
Cimbria.
From: Cimbrian Central School Administrator
To: All Headmasters/Headmistresses
Re: New Pledge and Mandate
Dear Headmaster/Headmistress,
Due to recent events, the Bureau of Internal Affairs has released am updated Loyalty Pledge and Cimbrian Mandate. Please find them enclosed with this message. Both are to be displayed in all classrooms as per regulation and replace the older pledge and mandate.
As with the old pledge, please inform your teaching staff to commence each day of instruction with the traditional recitation. All students over the age of six are expected to have the pledge memorized. Younger students will not be expected to understand every word of the pledge, but all students over the age of eight should be able to recite and write the Loyalty Pledge. Should a student refuse or forget the pledge, light corporal punishment is recommended, including (but not limited to) the boxing of ears, a mild slap to the head, or in extreme cases, paddling.
Students are not expected to recite or reproduce the mandate until the age of twelve, due to it's increased complexity. All history and society faculty should make sure that their lesson plans accurately reflect the Cimbrian mandate and how it shapes our Nation's role in the world. At least one week's lessons should be spent on the mandate itself.
We all know how troubling recent events have been. These new documents are proof that Cimbria stands once again upon sure footing. They should be embraced whole-heartedly in the classroom so that our children may keep Cimbria strong.
Central School Administrator,
Edwin Straypelt
-----
The Cimbrian Loyalty Pledge
With this oath,
I give myself,
To serve my people and my state,
Her strength is vast,
Her power great,
And it keeps me from all harm,
I am her heart,
And her sword,
And the blood that fills her veins,
Cimbria.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
003 -- The Geography and Geology of Eos, and a History of Cambric Ore
Excerpt from the introduction to "Geography, Geology, and You: A Modern Look at the Formation of our World" by Hammond, Colmes, and Watson, 4th edition. p. 1183 S.E.
It is impossible to understate the importance of the connection between geology and the geography of our world. Mountains, seas, rivers, lakes, plains, forests, even the very weather we experience every day have all been shaped by the complex and fascinating history of geology. Without studying the earth beneath us, we could not understand how the rest of the world functions -- a comprehensive education that acknowledges the connections between these subjects is key to a modern scientific viewpoint. Every day new advances in technology and research give us fresh insights into the world below our very feet.
As we all know, Eos is shaped much like a large ring. The Inland Sea lies at the center of the continent, linked to the greater ocean by a series of straits and passages to the South. Water that empties from the multitude of rivers into the Inland Sea eventually flows out of these passages. Several smaller bodies of water stretch off of the Inland Sea, most notably the Cimbur Channel to the Southeast through Cimbria. The far North is dominated by frozen wasteland, while the East, West, and distant South are bordered by the greater ocean.
The continent of Eos is dominated by three large mountain ranges. To the West of the Inland Sea and across the Iram Desert lie the Jehara (je Ha' rah) mountains, a vast range running North to South. To the South of the Inland sea and stretching East are the Ifraetes (eh Fray' tees). And finally, East of the sea are the Greyspike mountains, also stretching North to South and spliting into two spurs in the North.
Of the three, the Jehara are the tallest and the oldest. Volcanic activity is nearly non-existent. Despite spanning for hundreds of miles and across multiple climate zones, most peaks in the Jehara mountains are snow-capped year round. Their great height has created the Iram desert -- warm, moist winds coming from the West are forced upwards, grow colder and dump their moisture in vast rain and snowfalls that define the far Western coast of Eos. Coming back down the East side of the mountains, the winds are dry and hot, scouring the Iram desert and creating a pattern of great dunes.
The Ifraetes are unique in stretching East to West instead of North and South like the other two ranges. They are newer geologically than the Jehara mountains, and have some volcanic activity. However, they are the shortest of the three chains in terms of average peak height, with only a very few having permanent snow-caps. They form the spine of a system of islands stretching away from the main continent of Eos to the East, with most volcanic activity concentrated in that region.
The Greyspike mountains are the newest of the three main ranges, though of course are still over a hundred million years old. It is a very violent mountain range, with several active volcanos across it's length. Second in average height, the Geryspikes are famous for bitter winter conditions, espeically in the Eastern Greyspikes which stretch far into the Northern wastes. Most importantly, however, the Greyspikes contain the largest exploitable veins of cambric ore in Eos.
A brief history of cambric ore is called for, due to it's overwhelming importance to the political, economic, and technological climate of today. It was first discovered in 1065 S.E. in the hills outside the village Camber inside the nation of Cimbria. A mineral at first resembling iron, it quickly begins to behave differently when refined. It melts at a temperature slightly above 1700 degrees, but after cooling and returning to a solid state it takes on very peculiar thermodynamic properties. The quantity of heat that cambric can absorb increases tremendously after this first hardening. Depending on the purity of the refining process, cambric can absorb from several hundred to several thousand times the amount of heat energy of the equivalent amount of iron or steel.
This introduces some complications into the refining process -- namely, cambric can only be melted once. The heat cost to melt cambric after it has hardened is prohibitive, as it can take several days of constant heat in the hottest furnace to break down high grade cambric metal.
The other strange property of cambric ore is it's ability to release this stored heat almost on command. A piece of cambric that has absorbed a great quantity of heat is almost indistinguishable from one that has not, except that it will be slightly lighter in color. Their temperature remain the same. However, when this piece is dealt a sharp physical blow at any point across it's surface, it immediately increases to a temperature of between three and four hundred degrees and remains at that temperature until the energy it has absorbed has been expended. Thus, heated pieces of cambric are treated very gently lest they go off prematurely.
The reason for cambric's bizzarre chemical properties is not readily apparent. The atomists theorize that cambric is a naturally occuring alloy, and that after being heated and cooled it's internal structure takes on some sort of unique framework. Alchemists, on the other hand, maintain that a subtle chemical change is actually happening inside the metal. Fluid heat theorists maintain that cimbric has a sort of natural gravity that acts on the weightless, invisible heat fluid. Whatever the reason, it's technological and industrial value is immense.
The story of containers in human history is long and rich. Relics of clay jars from almost ten thousand years ago have been found at the mouth of the Kabir river. Cambric, then, can be thought of as the next logical development -- a storage system for heat energy. Before the discovery of cambric, energy had to be stored and utilzed by chemical means in food and muscle, or by mechanical means through expensive and limiting canals. But with the discovery of cambric ore, we became able to store, transport, and utilize great quantities of energy as heat with relative ease.
Still, cambric did not come into widespread use until the perfection of the steam heat engine almost fifty years later. In 1102 S.E., Johnathan Copper, a Cimbrian, patented his "high-pressure" double acting steam locomotor, common predecessor to the majority of steam engines in use today. In his device, heat energy from either a fire or heated cambric rods was used to boil water in a large sealed container. This water turned to steam, which was fed to a high pressure cylinder and used to move a piston back and forth. These principles are still at the heart of most engines today, from the largest ship to the smallest children's toy.
These two inventions when taken together started an industrial and social revolution of unprecedented scale. Heat could be harvested from any natural source (whether by burning coal, dousing in hot springs, or even focusing solar rays) and stored in cambric. Handled carefully, it could be transported hundreds of miles before being put into a steam engine and being utilized on the spot. 1102 has been christened the "Dawn of the Machine Age."
Cimbria, having both the largest deposits of cambric and the inventor of steam locomotion, was the first to embrace this machine revolution. Today the great hot springs in Cimbrian territory at the foot of the Greyspikes are home to the largest industrial structures in the world. Huge silos of cambric rods are continually submerged and reheated in large pools fed by the hot springs before being distributed to industrial and military complexes throughout the nation. The Ifraetes mountains were also found to contain cambric, and the conflict over who would control those resources lasted for almost a decade. However, only trace amounts of cambric have been found in the Jehara Mountains to the West, a mystery that will surely play into the political situation of the future. A history of the rise of industry, however, is beyond the scope of this text -- it is enough to know that geology and geography are intricately linked to the study of these other subjects, and that nothing can be taken in isolation.
It is impossible to understate the importance of the connection between geology and the geography of our world. Mountains, seas, rivers, lakes, plains, forests, even the very weather we experience every day have all been shaped by the complex and fascinating history of geology. Without studying the earth beneath us, we could not understand how the rest of the world functions -- a comprehensive education that acknowledges the connections between these subjects is key to a modern scientific viewpoint. Every day new advances in technology and research give us fresh insights into the world below our very feet.
As we all know, Eos is shaped much like a large ring. The Inland Sea lies at the center of the continent, linked to the greater ocean by a series of straits and passages to the South. Water that empties from the multitude of rivers into the Inland Sea eventually flows out of these passages. Several smaller bodies of water stretch off of the Inland Sea, most notably the Cimbur Channel to the Southeast through Cimbria. The far North is dominated by frozen wasteland, while the East, West, and distant South are bordered by the greater ocean.
The continent of Eos is dominated by three large mountain ranges. To the West of the Inland Sea and across the Iram Desert lie the Jehara (je Ha' rah) mountains, a vast range running North to South. To the South of the Inland sea and stretching East are the Ifraetes (eh Fray' tees). And finally, East of the sea are the Greyspike mountains, also stretching North to South and spliting into two spurs in the North.
Of the three, the Jehara are the tallest and the oldest. Volcanic activity is nearly non-existent. Despite spanning for hundreds of miles and across multiple climate zones, most peaks in the Jehara mountains are snow-capped year round. Their great height has created the Iram desert -- warm, moist winds coming from the West are forced upwards, grow colder and dump their moisture in vast rain and snowfalls that define the far Western coast of Eos. Coming back down the East side of the mountains, the winds are dry and hot, scouring the Iram desert and creating a pattern of great dunes.
The Ifraetes are unique in stretching East to West instead of North and South like the other two ranges. They are newer geologically than the Jehara mountains, and have some volcanic activity. However, they are the shortest of the three chains in terms of average peak height, with only a very few having permanent snow-caps. They form the spine of a system of islands stretching away from the main continent of Eos to the East, with most volcanic activity concentrated in that region.
The Greyspike mountains are the newest of the three main ranges, though of course are still over a hundred million years old. It is a very violent mountain range, with several active volcanos across it's length. Second in average height, the Geryspikes are famous for bitter winter conditions, espeically in the Eastern Greyspikes which stretch far into the Northern wastes. Most importantly, however, the Greyspikes contain the largest exploitable veins of cambric ore in Eos.
A brief history of cambric ore is called for, due to it's overwhelming importance to the political, economic, and technological climate of today. It was first discovered in 1065 S.E. in the hills outside the village Camber inside the nation of Cimbria. A mineral at first resembling iron, it quickly begins to behave differently when refined. It melts at a temperature slightly above 1700 degrees, but after cooling and returning to a solid state it takes on very peculiar thermodynamic properties. The quantity of heat that cambric can absorb increases tremendously after this first hardening. Depending on the purity of the refining process, cambric can absorb from several hundred to several thousand times the amount of heat energy of the equivalent amount of iron or steel.
This introduces some complications into the refining process -- namely, cambric can only be melted once. The heat cost to melt cambric after it has hardened is prohibitive, as it can take several days of constant heat in the hottest furnace to break down high grade cambric metal.
The other strange property of cambric ore is it's ability to release this stored heat almost on command. A piece of cambric that has absorbed a great quantity of heat is almost indistinguishable from one that has not, except that it will be slightly lighter in color. Their temperature remain the same. However, when this piece is dealt a sharp physical blow at any point across it's surface, it immediately increases to a temperature of between three and four hundred degrees and remains at that temperature until the energy it has absorbed has been expended. Thus, heated pieces of cambric are treated very gently lest they go off prematurely.
The reason for cambric's bizzarre chemical properties is not readily apparent. The atomists theorize that cambric is a naturally occuring alloy, and that after being heated and cooled it's internal structure takes on some sort of unique framework. Alchemists, on the other hand, maintain that a subtle chemical change is actually happening inside the metal. Fluid heat theorists maintain that cimbric has a sort of natural gravity that acts on the weightless, invisible heat fluid. Whatever the reason, it's technological and industrial value is immense.
The story of containers in human history is long and rich. Relics of clay jars from almost ten thousand years ago have been found at the mouth of the Kabir river. Cambric, then, can be thought of as the next logical development -- a storage system for heat energy. Before the discovery of cambric, energy had to be stored and utilzed by chemical means in food and muscle, or by mechanical means through expensive and limiting canals. But with the discovery of cambric ore, we became able to store, transport, and utilize great quantities of energy as heat with relative ease.
Still, cambric did not come into widespread use until the perfection of the steam heat engine almost fifty years later. In 1102 S.E., Johnathan Copper, a Cimbrian, patented his "high-pressure" double acting steam locomotor, common predecessor to the majority of steam engines in use today. In his device, heat energy from either a fire or heated cambric rods was used to boil water in a large sealed container. This water turned to steam, which was fed to a high pressure cylinder and used to move a piston back and forth. These principles are still at the heart of most engines today, from the largest ship to the smallest children's toy.
These two inventions when taken together started an industrial and social revolution of unprecedented scale. Heat could be harvested from any natural source (whether by burning coal, dousing in hot springs, or even focusing solar rays) and stored in cambric. Handled carefully, it could be transported hundreds of miles before being put into a steam engine and being utilized on the spot. 1102 has been christened the "Dawn of the Machine Age."
Cimbria, having both the largest deposits of cambric and the inventor of steam locomotion, was the first to embrace this machine revolution. Today the great hot springs in Cimbrian territory at the foot of the Greyspikes are home to the largest industrial structures in the world. Huge silos of cambric rods are continually submerged and reheated in large pools fed by the hot springs before being distributed to industrial and military complexes throughout the nation. The Ifraetes mountains were also found to contain cambric, and the conflict over who would control those resources lasted for almost a decade. However, only trace amounts of cambric have been found in the Jehara Mountains to the West, a mystery that will surely play into the political situation of the future. A history of the rise of industry, however, is beyond the scope of this text -- it is enough to know that geology and geography are intricately linked to the study of these other subjects, and that nothing can be taken in isolation.
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