Taranosa

Taranosa is a major urban planet, and is in fact the most populated planet in the entire local region of space. As such an important world, its fall to the The Concord heralded a new age for the local region.

The political entity of the planet is formally known as the Grand Cities and Territories of Taranosa, and its planetary capital is Taran.

Description
One of the oldest urban planets in the local region, Taranosa can boast its population figures of 70 million people, making it the by far most populated planet in the local region by several tens of millions. With it central location and travel node for surrounding systems, Taranosa has always been an important planet in the region's history.

Its planetary seal, the square orouboros, represents eternal continuity, with the four corners of the square being both the "corners of the universe", as well as the four Grand cities of the planet. This latter meaning was envisioned later as Veidr ascended to the position after the creation of the seal.

History
One of the first settlements founded after Tôr opened up the local region to exploration and settlement, Taranosa has had a long time to grow and prosper.

The Crash
WIP: Crash of economy and digital currency, results in the Tanner

Cities
Taranosa is not a unitary realm, but rather a confederal union of major cities over which Taran nominally holds sway. These are known as the "Grand cities", and each control a region around their city to administer. Here you will find many rural regions and small villages, but also towns and cities - though none as large and powerful as the Grand cities which rule them.

Taran
Taran is the largest and oldest of the grand cities, and the capital settlement of Taranosa. The Chancellor of Taran has traditionally also served as the Steward of Taranosa, though this is not explicitly stated in the law, and in the past the other cities' Chancellors have served as Stewards. In the present, the Chancellor of Taran and Steward of Taranosa is Ivin Chol.

Argale
The most inland of the Grand cities, Argale is an industrial and manufacturing hub, and controls the vast majority of surface mines on the planet. (Name is WIP)

Reiz
Reiz is a coastal city located south of Taran. It was settled by neo-Celts.

Veidr
Veidr (old Tôri: "further, continuing") differs culturally from the other major cities due to its origin: here many of the Tôr refugees settled during their exodus many centuries ago. By treaty signed with the at the time three grand cities of Taranosa, the Tôr refugees were allowed to settle and control a large section of land outside the other cities, with the understanding that Veidr would eventually become one of the Grand cities - which it did around a century later. It the smallest of the four cities, but by no means weak in comparison.

The Frontier
Nothing prevents people from just getting up and leave the territories of the Grand cities. Indeed, an overwhelming majority of the planet remains unsettled - this rich access to land has, like many other planets, resulted in a small but steady stream of dissenters, naturalists, and other people that wish to avoid the life on offer in Taranosan society moving out into the Frontier, which is a collective term for the various settled territories that aren't under the control of one of the Grand cities.

The Frontier has a reputation within the Grand cities for being a lawless and dangerous place. While not entirely untrue, there are many parts of the Frontier that are functioning communities with state-like institutions and some sort of law and enforcers for said law. There have however been examples of criminal gang activity and even armed conflict between communities. It is not uncommon for Frontier communities that border the Grand cities to eventually be incorporated into their territories, with it more often than not being a deal of mutual understanding.

Interactions between the Grand cities and Frontier communities vary wildly. Mostly it is one of neutral indifference and limited trade. As the Grand cities represent the entire planet, inhabitants of the Frontier are considered "citizens" even though they do not belong to any of the cities, and thus enjoy the same rights as anyone else, though without the benefits being a city resident often brings.

While the relationship between the Frontier territories and the Grand cities vary wildly, the former is considered part of the planetary political entity and is represented on the interstellar stage by the planetary Chancellor. This is mostly considered a formality as the Frontier rarely if ever interact directly with off-world groups.

Since the Concord arrived, they have attempted to subjugate the Frontier as well, with mixed results.