Lyonnesse
Lyonnesse is a relatively recent city-state by Terranovan standards. It was little more than a small industrial town on the shores of Lake Tristan when Earth cut off its colonies. Over the next few decades, the Administrators of Lyonnesse were instrumental in forming the United Mercantile Federation. Soon after the founding of the Federation, Lyonnesse underwent a tremendous boom period. The Federation government decided to make Lyonnesse a showpiece city to demonstrate the glory of their new league. The entire city was redone using neo-gothic architecture, a style which looks striking even in Lyonnesse’s perpetually rainy weather. The best example of this style is Building A, commonly known as The Cathedral, an imposing stone structure ten times larger than any Earth second millennium gothic edifice. This huge building houses the UMF caucus and the headquarters of United Mercantile Federation Army (UMFA).
Because it is the showcase for the league and the center of government, Lyonnesse has become the heart of Federation high society. All major corporations have at least a branch office in the city and much of their time is dedicated to lobbying and counter-lobbying the caucus or dealing directly with the other corporations. In addition, most of the league’s major industrialists own at least one residence in the “Rainy City.” Because of this concentration of lobbyists and powerful individuals, socializing is a way of life in Lyonnesse. The upper crust takes part in a seemingly endless succession of balls, dinners, theater premieres, garden parties and other events. There is a tendency for these affairs to blend into one another, for the 40th Annual Marathon Club Banquet to look identical to the Lake Tristan Awards Diner. Skillful hosts respond to this tendency by creating truly memorable events featuring media stars, special attractions and festivities. The Yang Dancers, a famed Kabuki troop from the Mekong Dominion, has made several successful tours of Lyonnesse and been the toast of many memorable occasions. Little do the hosts suspect that the dancers are also spies for Mekong Speaker Sogabe.
Much of Lyonnesse’s economy is based upon government spending and luxury goods production. Lyonnesse once featured a healthy forestry industry as well, feeding on the lush temperate saguaro forest around the city. When Lyonnesse was restructured as a showpiece, however, the lumber camps were moved out of town and the forest near the city became protected parks, all part of the “desired image.” Over the centuries, these wilderness parks have slowly been eroded and become the site of luxury housing developments. Although these new homes are usually designed to preserve a large part of the woods, they have created a disruption in the fauna. Saguaro fern trees are still plentiful, but woodspringers and other large animals have become rare in the area. Some call for environmental action to restore the forests, but few take this problem seriously.