Peleg: Monopolis Colony

The Monopolis Colony on Peleg is an extension of the mainstream culture of Monopolis. The colonists are races found on Monopolis, and the majority are Gremlins. The colony has a troubled past. This turmoil has been the origin of some of the powerful cultures on Peleg today.

When the Monopolis Corporation first discovered Peleg, after a little exploration and a lot of extrapolation, they determined that it was a dead-end world, a dangerous place with no valuable natural resources to exploit. They established a military post there to supply Monopolis ships on the way to other worlds. This post slowly evolved into penal colony for Monopolis's most dangerous criminals. As time went on, this penal colony grew into a thriving community of it's own.

Eventually enough of the guards were convinced to join a rebellion, so that the remaining guards would not be strong enough to control the colony. Monopolis did not receive news of the event until weeks later, when a routine inspection revealed that the colony had been totally abandoned with only corpses left to tell the tale of the battle that had taken place. (This short war is now referred to as "the First Colonial Rebellion.") The Monopolis Corporation abandoned what few minor plans they had for the planet.

Many generations later, Monopolis's aristocracy had developed a taste for exotic recreation and adventure. A new Monopolis resort-colony was established on Peleg near the ruins of the original Monopolis military post. As more of Monopolis's elite visited, more and more of the common people of Monopolis also wanted to visit, and a huge tourist industry developed. This colony grew to hundreds of Monopolis Corporation resorts on Peleg.

The resort workers were mostly Elves, (along with a relatively few number of other races from Monopolis.) Elves made ideal ambassadors and entertainers. However, they came in contact with the local residents, descendants of the survivors of the First Colonial Rebellion, as well as some of the indigenous cultures. Most of these cultures rejected Monopolis ideology, and within a generation, another full scale rebellion was underway.

This "Second Colonial Rebellion" took longer, because this time the Monopolis Corporation had prepared for such a possibility. Shock Troopers (elite Monopolis Military units,) were used to suppress the rebellion several times. However, a strange combination of visitors from the Blackbird Clan and Skullseeker Clan seemed to end the rebellion.

One day a few years later, without warning or recent provocation, in the early morning hours, the Elves struck their blow. Using what ever cleaver, ax or other lethal tool they could find, they commenced to mass murder their taskmasters while they were still sleeping. Then the tourists were slaughtered or chased away. Some of the rebells reached the main Monopolis city before the news did, and were able to kill the messengers before they could deliver the news of the massacres. A few days later, most of the rebells had gathered within the city it's self, and repeated the same pattern of mass murder. Before Shock Troop reinforcements could arrive, the main city had been plundered and set on fire, with no trace left of the rebels besides the heaps of massacred corpses.

The Peleg tourist industry was thus destroyed in just a few days. Again a military post was established for suplying Monopolis ships in route to other worlds, amongst the ruins of the once great city. This time it did not develop into a penal colony or a resort.

A few generations later, scientists from Monopolis became interested in Peleg. As they explored new regions, documenting the wildlife and extremely wide variety of intelligent species, they made a startling discovery that permanently changed the Monopolis Corporation's view of this world. These scientists discovered the Xanadu Empire's hold on Peleg.

It was the first time Monopolis had encountered highly functional cannons and firearms. (They had experimental technologies along these lines, but they had not produced prototypes worthy of mass production.) Because Monopolis did not rely as heavily on animal power as Xanadu, the Monopolis explorers found these weapons much more useful than what they were considered to be by traditional Xanadu standards. Also, the silk the Xanadu imperial colonists had access to was incredibly strong.

As trade opened between the Monopolis Corporation and the Xanadu Empire, Monopolis was alerted to other natural resources on Peleg, such a potential labor, lumber, crops, and some valuable mineral deposits. However, Monopolis feared rapid expansion, because of their problematic history on Peleg. Instead they focused on developing a single stronghold.

Monopolis City on Peleg grew from the ruins and military post that still remained. This Island's natural resources are now totally drained. The island is completely covered by city from shore to shore, and a massive wall surrounds this city, covering much of the natural shores of the island. Many docks protrude from this protective wall. The top of this wall bristles with cannons, other defensive weapons, and soldiers. The city is considered to be one of the best protected fortifications on Peleg.

Monopolis trades for natural resources. However, they have another system of temporary settlements, or "Camps", where Monopolis Corporation Supervisors go into an area with Shock Troops, establish pseudo legal claims to the resources on the island, and pretend to pay local residents to harvest those resources, forcing them to cooperate. (These Supervisors are trained to utilize the Shock Troops to keep the workers going at an optimum pace, regardless of casualties.) These raw materials are then shipped back to Monopolis City. Once the area has been stripped of everything valuable by Monopolis standards, the residents are officially supposed to be abandoned, but sometimes they are sold to slave traders, or canibals, to increase the over all profit margin of the venture. This Camp system keeps revolts from threatening the integrity of Monopolis City, the central stronghold.

There are many Monopolis Corporate career opportunities on Peleg. Shock Troopers (who are most often actually Manticores,) enforce the will of the corporate sector. Soldiers guard corporate assets. Prospectors discover new opportunities to harvest raw materials. Scientists study the local biology. Craftsman build barges, maintain Monopolis City, and advise Camp Supervisors who are instructing locals on how to build important structures. Explorers discover new areas to recommend to Scientists and Prospectors. Captains and barge crews transport goods. Interpreters (usually well-trained loyal Elves,) serve as language translators for communication purposes with locals. Inventors constantly seek to improve the Corporate way of life through the development of new contraptions or improving already implemented technologies.