Peleg: Juggernaut

Juggernaut is the largest city on Peleg. It is so huge that it covers many islands, and ferries are used regularly to commute between different parts of the city. The city was originally founded by the largest body of survivors from the Second Colonial Revolution.

In order to understand the culture of Juggernaut, it is important to understand the Second Colonial revolution. At that time, the standard Monopolis uniform for a Elf was an "entertainer's suit," a ridiculous costume meant to amuse the observer and humiliate the Elf. Part of wearing the entertainer's suit properly involved dying the Elf's hair into multiple outlandish colors, and wearing large amounts of facial make-up, to make the Elf appear even more comical.

Before the Second Colonial Revolution, the Monopolis Colony had many recreational resorts on Peleg, which were manned primarily by Elves. The entertainer's suits were more extravagant for these resort Elves than they were for the other Corporate Elves. Working conditions were also poor, and often the resort Elves did not get adequate housing or food to meet their needs.

Visitors from other Peleg cultures began to show up, in secret, to visit the the Monopolis resort workers. They would bring food, and help the Elves develop survival strategies to compensate for the neglect they were being subjected to. The resort Elves quickly realized that some of these cultures had stemmed from the First Colonial Revolution. Many of their visitors encouraged them to rebel against Monopolis.

Eventually, they did try to rebel, but time and time again, Shock Troopers would be brought in to squash the rebellion, and kill the ring leaders of the rebellion. Each time conditions worsened for the Elves. Then a strange group visited.

Juggernaut history tells of a gang that was part Skullseeker Clan and part Blackbird Clan, an unusual alliance. This group talked the Elves into a long term strategy of rebellion, instead of trying to openly rise up against Monopolis on the battlefield. For a few years, the Elves submitted to their deteriorated circumstances.

Behind the scenes at this time, a massive attack was being coordinated. Elves were learning to use weapons, being taught the art of hand to hand combat. They focused on studying how to use tools from their working environment as weapons of destruction. They learned to conceal these weapons in their suits, and they learned how to use their make-up and dyes to make themselves appear intimidating or camouflaged.

Then the day came, and they began the work of the massacre early in the morning. They not only targeted their task masters, but also any guards or Monopolis officials in the area. Then they pursued the tourists themselves, until they were all dead or lost. Those who finished first rushed to the main city of the Monopolis Colony to cut off any messengers from warning Monopolis. The rebels that were close enough went to the city and mixed in with the other Elves. A few mornings later, the massacre began again in the central city of the Monopolis Colony, and this time the rebels set fire to everything they could. In just a few days, the Monopolis tourist industry was destroyed. By the time a Shock Trooper army could be deployed, all that was left of the Monopolis Colony at that time was charred ruins and corpses. The rebels were no were to be found.

Poorly organized for an exodus, the rebels fled away the central city, sailing in what had been the ships of the Monopolis fleet, led by the gang that had planned the revolt. Among these Elf rebels were many Ogres, Gremlins and Manticores who had joined the revolution as soon as they realized it was under way. Some of these rebels went in different directions, forming their own settlements or mixing in with other cultures, some even joining the Hivers. However, most of the rebels stayed together, steadily sailing away from the Monopolis Colony. They eventually sailed into a kingdom ruled by a large clan of War Lords.

These War Lords had control over a very fertile chain of islands, were harvesting the crops using slave labor, and using the crops for trade. They were extremely well armed, and had a massive force of mercenary Druids. When they saw the refugee rebel fleet, the War Lords thought they could easily enslave them.

However, these early founders of the city Juggernaut were the ones to easily have their way with the War Lords. The smaller part of the Juggernaut fleet sailed around the kingdom, freeing and arming slaves, while the larger part of the fleet, armed with the bulk of the Manticores and Ogres, terrorized the would be slave ships of the War Lords. In just a few weeks, this War Lord kingdom had fallen into the hands of these rebels, and the local Druids began calling the rebels "the Unstoppable force" or "the Juggernaut." This kingdom is where the city Juggernaut stands today.

Two types of people exist in Juggernaut. One is the resident, who is basically a citizen of the Juggernaut kingdom. All residents are loyal to the city of Juggernaut, and are, technically speaking, employees of Juggernaut. The other type of person is the visitor, who is visiting Juggernaut to taste of it's industry: entertainment.

Juggernaut basically is a black hole in the trade system of Peleg. Goods go in, but they don't come out. Juggernaut imports whatever it wants or needs, but exports only the entertainment of those who visit. This is primarily because of the intense gambling that is encouraged at Juggernaut. (Though Juggernaut residents are forbidden to gamble.)

Juggernaut kept the fighting pits of the War Lords. (In fact, they disposed of the War Lord leaders by forcing them into pit competition themselves.) They have expanded the pits into full scale coliseums, where fighters come to compete for money in gladiatorial competition against other fighters and wild beasts. There is intense institutionalized gambling centered around these coliseums, where other forms of entertainment also take place, including standard court and government proceedings.

Food and shelter is free to Juggernaut residents, who live in the residential zones of Juggernaut. Residents are free to move between the residential zones and the industrial zones, but visitors are not allowed in the residential zones unless they are guests of specific residents.

Food and shelter is not particularly expensive in the industrial zones, having been set up to entertain the visitors, but it is impossible to escape the constant temptation of expensive entertainment in the industrial zone. In any given Juggernaut industrial zone, there is constant hounding of announcers, waiters, posters, massive idols, signs and musicians who's job it is to keep visitors spending or encourage them to leave once they have nothing left to trade.

In Juggernaut culture, everyone wears at least some face paint if they are a resident. To not have face paint is to be immodest and naked. Visitors are thus seen as savage, even when they come from "more civilized" cultures. All residents receive basic culture and literacy education, and then are expected to specialize their education in a specific trade.

There are many occupations Juggernaut residents may take up. All sorts of entertainers and game operators, craftsman of many kinds, all sorts of arena workers, all sorts of healers, various kinds of priests and monks, merchandisers, taxis, ferry operators, and many, many other numerous occupations. However, the Juggernaut military is never visible, though always present. Taking orders directly from the "City Council", a body annually elected to enforce the will of the residents of Juggernaut, the military is always in disguise, never alarming or alerting the visitors, but always able to interfere when ever it is desirable.