Bethany
Bethany calls itself the “sweetest city in the South.” Massive sapa plantations surround the city with an ocean of green. The sap from these ferns is harvested year-round and shipped into Bethany where it is processed into sugar.
While most of this sugar is refined and exported, a small fraction is used by the local industries. Bethany is famous for its candies and sweets. The Republican city’s largest candy producer is Bethany Treats Incorporated, the makers of Cawfee Snaps sweetened wafers, Blue Bombers pepper candies, and Tar Pits toffee balls. Bethany’s sugar is also refined into alcohol, both for fuel and drink. The city produces two of the most popular Southern spirits: Chias, a sweet liquor reminiscent of syrupy rum, and Feu-de-Nuit, a strong spirit flavored with blue pepper and unrefined sugar.
Bethanites are a warm-hearted people, known for their generosity and hospitality. Much to their dismay, Bethanites are also known for their bulk. The residents of the city are often obese due to the excessive consumption of too many of their local delicacies. One Mekong chef once remarked that every Bethanite dish he ever saw was either sugar glazed or served in a sugar sauce.