Innsbruck
Nestled in the upper reaches of the Tershaw mountains, Innsbruck is the premier mining city of the NLC. The peaks around Innsbruck are laden with many sizable mineral lodes, including gold and silver. Innsbruck also supports a strong industrial base specializing in mining equipment and mineral refining. Innsbruck is best known, however, for another of its products: beer. During the early colonial period, Innsbruck was colonized by numerous central European expatriates. A few of these colonists were amateur brewers. Once on Terra Nova, they began experimenting with local ingredients. Centuries later, the descendants of these intrepid amateurs are now recognized as the premier brewmeisters of Terra Nova. Only the fruity beers of Aquitaine can compare with the dark ales and golden lagers of Innsbruck. Three of the most popular local brands are Cascade Beer (jingle: “Tally Ho! <gulp> Cascade!”), Innsbruck Ale, and Fenris Lager.
The city is also host to the annual Innsbruck Death Track 1000, sponsored by Arctic Bierhaüs. The lethal event — which pits the newest Gears on the market against older, more tested models — offers a first prize of 500,000 marks, a second prize of 250,000 and a third prize of 150,000. Halfway between gladiatorial games and car racing, the event takes place in the middle of Autumn, and attracts anywhere between 50,000 and 200,000 tourists. It should be noted that many Gear-design companies take advantage of this event to try out their newest models, sometimes without enough testing. There are enough crazy pilots without Gears out there who would gladly volunteer to have a shot at victory, should someone give them a chance.
Although several racing teams can be found in the city, few are as well known (or as popular) as the Sand Blazers. They established themselves in Innsbruck in TN 1924. The team was already two cycles old, composed of war veterans who could not let go of the thrills of Gear piloting. Their early days were unremarkable, but they did well overall, earning a minor but solid reputation. This all changed with the arrival of the very elegant Lady Jolane Flare, a former song producer, whose marketing skills have made the Blazers known throughout the CNCS. Although the team and its easily marketable stories are very popular with most media sources, it also has its share of opponents. According to some newspapers (the Norlight Inquirer for one), the team’s star pilots are more style than substance and their current string of victories is owed to nothing more than “plain old dumb luck.” The Blazers’ amazing performance in the track races, however, where multiple daring maneuvers follow one after another, tends to point to the contrary.