Raleigh
Raleigh is a medium-sized city on the eastern edge of the Alliance’s territory. Many of the city’s original colonists were natives of the continent of Australia. Several of the city’s cultural traits are derived from ancestral Australian traditions. For example, the official sport of Raleigh is rugball. The most common local pest is the wallaby, a small kangaroo that was imported to Terra Nova so Raleighites could feel more at home. The most popular local religion is a form of mysticism based on Australian aboriginal dreamtime beliefs.
Raleigh’s economy is primarily agricultural; wheat, millet and barley are all grown around the city. The most important and unusual crop is grown in vats in the city’s industrial park. These vats are the home of some specialized bacterial cultures. When fed any form of organic material, such as the city’s agricultural and human waste, these bacteria transform the waste into a simple pre-polymer substance commonly known as “gorp.” Gorp produces almost no waste products when processed into any of the countless polymers used by the biocomposite firms in Raleigh.
Even though the city is not home to any major brewing or distilling companies, Raleigh is often considered to be an important alcohol production region. This is due to the city’s thousands of enthusiastic hobbyists who produce their own homemade beer and spirits. Some of these private producers will sell occasional batches to local merchants. These beverages invariably have quirky and original names such as Pickled Crow and Bruce’s Brain-Damaging Beverage, and vary greatly in price and quality.
Despite its friendly frontier atmosphere, Raleigh does have a dark side. Indeed, it is the home of the dreaded Tatant Reeducation Facility. Operated by the Humanist Department of Health and Morality, Tatant incarcerates the most incorrigible criminals of the Alliance and subjects them to extensive reeducation and brainwashing. Many emerge as productive members of society. Others do not emerge at all. Locals understand what happens inside Tatant and try to avoid the large black building at all costs. When forced to pass by it, they avert their eyes.