Username: Shinku
Content Type: Setting
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Settlements
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World
Mesa Roja
Summary
Beyond the southern region of Mesa Roja lay a stone fortress that protected its settlers from the zone’s harsh conditions. Hidden among a ring of rocky mountain ranges, the settlement thrived for centuries in solitary, intently secluding themselves from the rest of Mesa Roja. An oasis, barricaded beneath the fortress served as the settlement’s only source of water, exclusively accessed and regulated by Fragoso’s elite class. Being a limited resource, water often served as a sort of secondary currency, greatly accepted as a tool of trade or salary payment for lowly workers.
Condensed History
Before the fall of the Ahn’Qiraj empire, a tribe of elite sages stood out among the scattered tribes of Mesa Roja. Having constructed the only fortress that almost rivaled Karim’s prestigious structures and equipped with technology that was considered advanced for their time, Fragoso was the most sought upon settlement by most of the other tribes. Its citizens however, restricted entry to a selected few through an undisclosed process of admission. Rumors suggested that they only allow people, the elites can easily manipulate at will.
During the plan to overthrow the alien rulers of Karim, Fragoso was one of the tribes that declined cooperation, deeming the feat expensive and unnecessary. The excuse was greatly frowned upon by the leaders of the tribes, as Karim possessed the most resources in the whole of Mesa Roja, up to the point of accusing the Fragosoans as allies of Ahn'Qiraj.
With the successful colonization of Karim by Wakanda and Gerudo, Fragoso’s prestige significantly fell and was even hated among the rest of Mesa Roja’s tribes. Inside the settlement, the news of victory was denied to the lower class, who still believed up to date that Karim is under the rule of Ahn’Qiraj.
Layout, Culture and People
People in Fragoso live inside towering walls of stones. Inside, each section is more elevated than the others, signifying the class of whoever lived on each section. Prestigious academies, shops and recreation areas populate the upper sections while the lower sections are left with the slums and market for the lower class.
Its only source of water is an oasis hidden under the fortress, exclusively accessed and regulated by the Peninsulares. Aside from the oasis, the underground layer of the settlement mostly composed of jails, exclusive tunnels that lead to their mines, and storage of most commodities.
Fragoso’s citizens are grouped into three distinct social classes namely the Peninsulares, Illustrados and Indios. The Peninsulares hold the upper class citizens who hold absolute power inside the settlement. They are composed of people whose ancestry traced to the original settlers of the tribe. The Illustrados belong to the middle class society, mostly involving people who have gained favor from the peninsulares but aren’t blood related to any of its original settlers. They mostly include elite and private guards, merchants, and even scholars whose intellect impressed the higher sages. The Indios are composed of the lower working class, basically the miners, manual laborers, town guards and others that help maintain the lower section of the settlement.
A fourth class however, is exclusively reserved for their so-called ‘
rejects’. Namely the Excommunicados, they are mostly composed of criminals, rebels, invalids and others who are deemed dangerous or useless by the peninsulares. Merely communicating with any of these people is considered a crime and can earn anyone the mark of the excommunicado. While the invalids and other less dangerous excommunicados are given a special secluded area, the rebels and criminals are mostly killed on spot, but some are given a chance for rehabilitation in their limited jails.
Institutions/Government
The Peninsulares hold absolute authority inside the settlement including the issuance and amendment of laws and decrees and the overall administration of its people.
Although the illustrados and indios are given spots to their military and law enforcement team, the high ranking positions are still reserved to the upper class.