Democratica is built on a mesa above a crater lake with a separate, small spelljamming port at the lakeside. Strong walls protect both Democratica, and its port (called New Phaliron). Democratica's territory is bordered on two sides by the Great Lunar University's, with which it has both trade and mutual defense treaties. This does not stop Democratica from attempting to export their political system, which they refer to as "demarchy", to the GLU. The GLU has defended itself against this by convincing that its citizens, students and staff that the people of Democratica are at least mildly unhinged and more than a bit absurd (Professor Vespoidea was a great, if inadvertent, help there).
Democratica, like ancient Athens, is a direct democracy, where most important decisions are made, not by elected representatives, but directly by an assembly of all citizens. The assembly consists of any adult citizens of either sex who decide to attend that day -- often in the thousands. There is a council of 500 (selected by lot for year out of the citizenship rolls) that sees to day-to-day business, and courts, often with in excess of 200 citizens, to try criminal cases, selected from a pool of 6000 self-nominated citizens. Additionally, various magistrates are selected by lot from a pool of self-nominated citizens for a year's service -- there are a lot of these offices, nearly a 1000. Finally, there are a small number of elected positions: generals, city mages and ant masters.
Democratica's neighbors tend to describe the city-state's culture as anarchy or complete chaos, but that is not really fair. In most respects, Democratica is a well-ordered society. However, Democraticans absolutely love to argue both practical and theoretical politics, and are given to experimenting. The first tends to result in a lot of bar fights, small riots and duels. The latter trait results in a tendency for the law to change wildly from month to month. However, those laws are always carefully published and are usually scrupulously enforced (unless they are just too silly for the current magistrates to take seriously).
Since the people of Democratica have widely varying opinions about the proper nature of society, the laws that reflect these opinions can change rapidly if someone can sway the general assembly. So, one month there may be no laws against public nudity or drunkenness, while the next month everyone is expected to cover up completely and no alcoholic beverages may be sold except for medicinal purposes. Most laws are enacted for a minimum of a month in order to give time for them to be printed up and posted. The Democraticans are used to this changing legal environment, and usually adopt each new legal regime with great enthusiasm. (They do make a distinction between what they call "basic" laws, such as laws against murder, rape, treason, etc., and "cultural" laws such those mentioned above. Basic laws are almost never changed.)
Visitors are usually handed a thick pamphlet of the current laws when they first enter the city-state. They are expected to read this entire pamphlet, and ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking the law! However, as a rule, aside from the magistrates, the Democraticans tend to be very tolerant of life styles other than their own -- after all, your life style may be their laws next month. Generally, breaking a social law only results in a modest fine, unless of course the 'criminal' goes out of their way to offend both the magistrate and the large jury.
While the constant chaos of life in Democratica isn't especially good for the cultivation of the scientific or magical arts, it has been very good indeed for the production of sculpture, painting, poetry and writing, as well as more mundane products such as pottery and glass. These artworks and craft products are the city-state's primary exports.
The Democraticans take their militia service seriously, and every able-bodied adult drills at least weekly, and for a solid week twice a year. The few times that the Democraticans have taken field (once against a Hoblock raid, twice against pirates, and once against a breakaway faction that had seized the port) they have fought gallantly, if not necessarily with great cohesion. It should be noted that the flag of the city features an ant head, and some of the militia wear characteristic ant-head helms. The patron goddess of Democractica is Athena, just like Athens. And like for Athens, she is both the Goddess of Wisdom and the Goddess of War for Democratica.
Democratica was founded twenty years ago by the Demarchy Foundation, a pro-democracy organization based in Albion, but with members all over Maj and even a few from elsewhere in the Maj system. The primary purpose of the Demarcy Foundation is the spread of democratic forms of government by peaceful means. The city-state of Democratica was meant to be a demonstration of the principles of democracy in action. It was long held to be an impractical dream for the foundation, but when Professor Vespoidea of the Greater Luna University contacted them looking for backing for his scheme to use giant ants as laborers, the dream suddenly looked possible. A number of private donors were found, and the colony built.
The city-state of Democratica does tend to make Nova Roma rather nervous -- all that disorder just down the road, you know -- and make the Muscovite city-state (Novaya Moscovy) even more nervous. Now they wouldn't do anything overt because of the mutual defense treaty between GLU and Democratica, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't try something covert.
The flying goblins who occupied the site before the city-state probably do not love it. Then there are the pirates that attacked them twice.
The Ashkintini Free Fleet
The Ashkintini Free Fleet is a group of pirates and sometime mercenaries that plagues Maj Space from The Belt inward. Their ships are mostly fast and heavily crewed, and they specialize in boarding action and sudden ground raids. They are a fairly ordinary bunch of freebooters, except in one way: they seem to be blocked against any form of divination or scrying, even by divine means. This is quite an advantage!
The Ashkintini are a racially mixed crew, but the fact that the preponderance of the pirates are either scro or Argonian Highlanders seems to indicate they probably started on Isis. Where they are based now is anyone's guess, but it couldn't be on Isis given the barrier, unless perhaps it was with the approval of the scro government...
The Ashkintini have a long-standing grudge against the Republic of Democratica, as the city-state has handled them roughly both times they raided them. It is rumored that the Ashkintini's commander, a scro only known as "The Shiv" has plans to return someday with allies and teach those "ant-boys" a lesson they won't be forgetting soon.
GM Note: The Shiv's backers have lent him an ancient artifact called The Cloak of Night (made from "the skin of the Night God"), that hides one military unit from scrying as long its command wears the cloak. The artifact actually once belonged to an abandoned Thief god, from their tribal days as orcs, before they became scro, and it's use may one day wake him from his slumber, but The Shiv is willing to take the chance. Finding out about this artifact, or countering its power, will require significant effort by characters.
The Ant Masters are specialists who use a number of techniques, spells and magical items developed by Professor Vespoidae in order to control the giant ants that the city-state relies upon for labor. The labor extracted from these giant ants allows the republic to avoid the masses of slaves and resident foreigners required by the original Athenian republic (if you are using the Undead, Construct or Utilergist options for Maj Space, you could consider this section optional).
The ant masters are elected from a pool of qualified candidates by the general assembly. Under the masters are the ant managers, who do the day-to-day work with the giant ants, communicating with the queens in order to have the workers perform the labor. The labor performed by the giant ants includes, but is not limited to: growing food, tunneling and building. Additionally, soldier ants are used by the city-state for defense (they will not go far enough from their colonies to be useful for offensive work).
The city-state's giant ants even raise giant aphids for their "honeydew". While most of this sticky liquid goes to feed the giant ants, some of it is used to make healing potions that heal an extra +1 point per die (these potions are seldom sold outside of the city-state, and when available usually command a 10% premium).
So far, no one else has been able to duplicate the city-state's relationship with the giant ants. This is most likely due to the presence of Professor Vespoidae in the Republic (see below for more details about the Professor). It should be noted that the relationship is beneficial to the giant ants as well as to the city, as they are protected against disease, winged goblins and the weather, and even get food supplements when needed.
Some Interesting Democratican NPCs
Silvius Augustus Vespoidae, Full Professor of Zoology at GLU
Class: Wizard 14/Druid 4
Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful/Neutral
Str 10, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 13
Silvius Vespoidae was born in the heart of the Roma Empire, in the Sabine Hills near Roma itself, nearly 80 years ago. In his youth he was noted as being brilliant, if unstable, and made a name for himself as a scholar of both the life sciences and magic. However, by the time he reached his 30's his 'eccentricities' became so pronounced that his family was forced to have him committed to one of the few insane asylums that would accept a mage. When the asylum that would become the Great Lunar University was opened on Selene, Vespoidae was one of the first residents, as the asylum in which he was incarcerated immediately transferred all of its mages to Selene with a heartfelt sigh of relief.
Like for many deranged mages, Selene's inherent magic worked a great cure on Vespoidae, allowing him to be functional for the first time in nearly a decade. However, he remained eccentric, even for a lunar scholar. Vespoidae spent years wandering Lichen Fields and Mushroom Forests, talking to the plants and wildlife, and living on lichen and rainwater for days at a time (it was during this time he gained his levels in Druid). In the process he obtained a rapport with the native lunar life forms, and through them with the spirits of Selene themselves.
In time, he decided to concentrate his studies on Selene's giant ants.
Even among his fellow professors, Vespoidae stood out as 'odd', always wearing his ant headdress and prosthetic middle pair of limbs wherever he went, encouraging everyone he met to switch to a diet of lichen, honeydew and occasional raw meat, and keeping giant ants in his quarters. The resulting social pressure to "tone it down" was one of the major reasons why he moved to Democratica when it was founded. He is very popular there, and no one much minds if he wears his headdress and extra legs to the public baths -- even if he takes a favorite giant ant with him! However, he has maintained his professorship at GLU, and teleports back three times a week to teach his advanced crypto-zoology class and to tutor promising scholars. He also teaches some ant-related classes at the GLU Democratica adjunct campus.
When he is not teaching, he spends most of his time with his beloved ants or performing research. He occasionally makes long rambling speeches to the popular assembly full of obscure magical and biological terms. Since he is well-loved in the city-state, he is seldom booed, but many people do nap during them. Every so often he goes down to a local pub or The Sword and Ballet Box for a beaker or two of mead.
Vespoidae is remarkably spry and well preserved for his age, a fact he attributes to his diet. Some of his fellow faculty members suspect he is somehow drawing life-force from either his giant ant colonies or from Selene itself. He is a life-long bachelor.
Forrest de Cressy, Founder and (sometimes) General
Class: Fighter 7/Expert 7
Race: Human
Alignment: Neutral/Good
Str 17, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 14
Forrest de Cressy was former Chairman of the Board for the Demarchy Foundation, and one of the driving forces behind the founding of Democratica. A well-born soldier turned banker from Albion might seem like odd choice to head an organization of radical democrats, but Forrest de Cressy apparently had his fill of his fellow aristocrats in his years in the military and in business. He brought his organizational experience and vast personal fortune, first to the Foundation, and then to the city-state.
He moved to Democratica when it was just a pile of building materials, tents, and ant colonies, and has only left it since to recruit settlers and raise money for the colony. He has been elected general nine times, and has actually commanded the city-state's troops in battle thrice.
De Cressy is an affable man; well-liked and well-respected in the community, a fact that gives him as much or more authority than a seated magistrate. When he addresses the popular assembly, the people usually listen. In between his stints as a general, he serves as an officer of the Bank of Democratica. However, no matter how busy either of these jobs keeps him, whenever something important comes up, he always manages to make meetings of the popular assembly.
Most nights de Cressy can be found holding court at The Sword and Ballet Box, a tavern where some of the most radical democrats hang out. There he makes deals, gives advice, and arranges deals. It is said if you really want to know which way the wind is blowing in the city-state, there's no one better to watch than Forrest de Cressy.
De Cressy is a vigorous mid-fifties, but his health is that of a man in his thirties. He attributes this to clean-living, hard exercise, and plenty of aphid honeydew, which he gets from his good friend Professor Vespoidae. De Cressy is still married to his childhood sweetheart, and has three grown children, two of whom live in the city-state.
Forrest de Cressy's wife, Cecelia Mondregarden de Cressy, is half-owner and hostess of The Sword and Ballet Box, and can be found there most nights that her husband can. She is not as obviously politically active or as radical as her husband, but no one should mistake her dedication to Democratica and demarchy. She generally works to limit the amount of brawling at the tavern, but when she gets involved in a brawl, you know it's going to be a big one!
Gudmunder "Farmer" Bauer
Class: Expert 10/Fighter 4
Race: Half-Elf
Alignment: Neutral
Str 16, Con 13, Dex 11, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 15
Farmer Bauer is the head of the conservative faction in Democratica. The conservative faction favors increasing the power of the council of 500, decreasing the power of the popular assembly, making a fixed and hard to change set of social laws, recruiting a standing army to supplement the militia, and weakening ties with the GLU. The headquarters of the conservative faction is of course The Happy Plowman, and Bauer holds court there every night.
Despite his nickname, Bauer is not really particularly a farmer; instead, he is the executive of the largest farming coop in the city-state. Before Democratica was founded, he was prominent Frankish businessman heading up a company that manufactured farming equipment, and a member of the Demarchy Foundation's board of directors. He was one of the original farmers, and machinery from his company was responsible (along with the giant ants) for the success of the new city's farming efforts.
Bauer has been elected general seven times, and has run for it at least eighteen times in the last twenty years. He is somewhat held back in his military ambitions by the fact that while he is a highly competent administrator and no one doubts his personal courage, he is a somewhat unimaginative field commander. It particularly irks Bauer that de Cressy almost always beats him in war games and exercises.
Bauer and de Cressy politely hate each other's guts, and always have. They are both too polite to actually come to blows, but their respective supporters are not, and minor riots between the two factions are all too common.
Bauer is a widower, with four grown sons, one of whom is in the city-state, and the other three are back on Maj running the family business.
Pandrosus Sophia Akte, High Priestess of Athena
Class: Cleric 15
Race: Gnome
Alignment: Lawful/Good
Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 13
As High Priestess of Athena for Democratica, Pandrosus Akte is a woman of great influence without ever standing for office. She has the right to address the popular assembly, but is careful not to over-use it. Instead, she uses her authority to guide the city-state in a subtler manner. She generally uses her influence to moderate the worse excesses of the Republic, speaking out against unfair laws or legal actions, encouraging more extreme cultural experiments to be abandoned, and above all else, encouraging the citizens to learn from, and remember, their mistakes.
Akte was trained in the mother temple of Athena in Athens itself, and was sent to Democratica as a sign of the Goddess' approval of the new city-state when it was founded. Since the Temples of Athena also serves as a public schools and libraries, she is effectively in charge of the city-state's public education system. And because Athena is the city's Goddess of War, she is also involved in administration for the city-state's militia.
Akte is a brilliant scholar, a devoted priestess and an able administrator. She is, along with de Cressy, a rare stable element in the chaotic stew that is Democratica. She is unmarried, middle-aged and lives for her work. She lives in a small room above the Athenium's library.
Some Interesting Places in the City of Democratica
The Athenium
The Athenium is a great complex in the heart of Democratica containing the main Temple of Athena, a huge library, the militia training grounds and armory, and schools and school administration buildings. It also contains its own public baths and even restaurants. It is right next to the Great Theater and the GLU adjunct campus.
The Great Lunar University Adjunct Democratica Campus
The GLU Adjunct Democratica campus is a result of the alliance between the GLU and the Republic of Democratica and GLU's desire to keep the city-state's radical democrats at arm's length. Given that the GLU and the Republic are neighbors, it is not really necessary for Democratica to have its own campus, but it makes a nice gesture and limits the number of student rabble-rousers making their way to the GLU. It also serves as an approximate equivalent of Siberia for the GLU Faculty Senate and administration -- anyone making too much of a nuisance of themselves finds themselves assigned there. This produces a somewhat eccentric faculty and staff for the adjunct campus, even by the rather elastic GLU standards! However, there is a real effort on GLU's part to ensure all popular subjects are taught and taught reasonably well at the adjunct campus, as otherwise the Democraticans would simply come to the main campus.
The Great Theater
The Great Theater serves two purposes: it is where the popular assembly meets, and, it is where plays are performed during the bi-annual theater festivals. The festivals are based loosely on the famous Dionysia of Athens, but are less religious and more theatrical. They are also big business, as tourists from all over Selene and even from Maj come for the week-long events. Plays both old and new are performed in the Great Theater and lesser theaters throughout the town, and all of the city's taverns, inns, hostels and hotels fill up. The popular assembly usually votes very permissive social laws for the months containing the festivals, since it is good for business.
The great theater is open at the top, but has a set of magical awnings that can be put up or taken down by a handful of men or ants, and provides complete protection against any normal weather.
Taverns
Democratica is a city full of taverns and it loves them. Democraticans would rather argue politics than either eat or drink, but at a tavern they can do all three. Most taverns have a political slant, from the radical democrats of The Sword and Ballot Box to the relative conservatism of The Happy Plowman, or even the determinedly apolitical Nose in Beaker. Any political faction worth paying attention to has at least one, and possibly several taverns known as their hangouts. This requires a lot of taverns, most of them small. By tradition, and often by law, Democratican taverns also serve food as well as wine and beer, as political discussion and drinking on an empty stomach is well known to lead to an unfortunate degree of public disorder (which still happens sometimes despite the food).
Feats
Ant Friend [General]
Makes (giant) ants more friendly to you.
Prerequisite: You need to have been born and raised in the city of Democratica, or be trained by Professor Vespoidae or one of his students.
Benefit: (Giant) ants wont attack you if you are not violent to them, and which gives you the ability to communicate with them in a very limited way. If the (giant) ants are under control so as to do useful work, usually by controlling their queen, this feat enables you to give clear instructions to them, which they will obey. You will also be able to make good guesses about what is likely to be troubling (giant) ants if they are disturbed, by means of a sort of empathy.
Normal: (Giant) ants will treat you as as a potential food source.
Magic Items
Ant Helms Come in sets of three, four or five, and look like the upper parts of the heads of Giant Ants, complete with antennae.
These helms allow use of (Rary's) Telepathic Bond between the wearers, and also confer the ability to freely communicate with any Giant Ants. Giant Ants will not attack those wearing them if they are not violent to them.
These helms will act as a protective helm in combat.
Ant Friend Salve: A inexpensive salve made from material produced by the queen Giant Ant that causes those wearing the smallest dab of it to be treated as non-hostile (and non-food) by Giant Ants of that nest. This means that if you are not violent to them, they won't be violent to you.
One dab will normally last for a day, unless it is washed off with alcohol.
Spells
Divination
Level: Brd 1, Drd 1, Rgr 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute/level
This spell allows you to freely communicate with Giant Ants, but does not in any way give you any control or influence over them. If they are under control so as to do useful work, usually by controlling their queen, they will obey you.
(c) Dreamer Publications, 1980 - October 2006
Permission granted to use for non-profit making purposes