Eastern Suns Emirates
The Eastern Sun Emirates (ESE) is the current “hot spot” of the southern hemisphere. Widely recognized as the most backward of the Southern vassal states, the Emirates has been home to a hereditary caste system established during Reconstruction by the crew of the HCS Eastern Sun, a merchant Gateship that refused to leave Terra Nova and crashed after a mutiny. The descendants of the command staff became the emirs of the East, while other citizens are either solicitors (middle-class) or commoners. The direct descendants of Captain Enri Masao himself became the Patriarchs of the league. This system was originally maintained by a bond of feudal responsibility between lords and lackeys, although it was always prone to certain excesses. The Republican invasion of the ESE made matters much worse.
The Republic found it easiest to make the Patriarch their puppet and placed a pliable member of the ruling Masao family on the throne. From that time forward the Patriarch (or Matriarch) has owed his power as much to Republican support as to the respect of Easterners and the support of the nobility. This has largely snapped the bonds of respect between the classes and many emirs have become utter degenerates, using blood sports and unspeakable acts to stave off boredom. Oliver Masao, the current Patriarch, is the most extreme example of this unfortunate trend.
Despite its reputation, the East is not only a land of decadence and brutality. Eastern commoners and, to a lesser extent, solicitors, maintain a strong and vibrant culture that has not forgotten the days before the AST. There are progressive emirs as well and many claim that a wave of change in the East is long overdue. TN 1931, two cycles ago, saw the beginnings of this change when the Emirate of Basal declared its independence from the ESE. Revolt has been a constant undercurrent of Eastern life, but this was the first revolution to be led by a legitimate emir, a man named Nigel Shirow. Shirow had spent much of his life in hiding because of his brother Salman’s machinations and gained an understanding and appreciation for commoners. When he finally rose to power, he broke ties with the Patriarch and called for freedom for his nation. A bloody civil war ensued, with fanatical Patriarchal troops committing atrocities on the civilian population while unlucky MILICIAmen are stationed to keep the revolt from spreading.
Mystic Outlooks
A large part of the Eastern reputation of backwardness comes from outsiders who cannot understand the importance locals place on esoteric and quasi-mystical matters. For a traditional Easterner, material matters are only half the equation of life and matters of the spirit are just as important. This has led to a wide range of millennial and mystical movements taking root in the Emirates. Revisionism found its only fertile Southern ground in the ESE and the Massadan branch of the church remains strong in the league.
Erzach Ibn-Muhammad, the only Terranovan Jerusalemite prophet, is also believed to have hailed from the East. This trend is currently evident in the activities of Adrianna Xing and Rafael Bhravo. Xing is a Revisionist mystic from Bangweuleu. She claims she has been visited by Mamoud and calls herself his Apostle. Bhravo is the exiled child emir of Okavango and is currently traveling the league at the head of a growing procession of children and holy men. Easterners also hold memories of Earth as almost mystical and the prospect of a return to the home world is still talked about in some circles.