Borealis
Borealis is a Neutral aligned city that can be found on the western edge of the Terraformed zone of Rubi-Ka. The City has been known as the bastion of Neutrality due to its place a popular meeting spot for all factions. It is currently under martial law imposed by Omni-Tek.
History
The story of Borealis begins with the construction of the the Subspace Communications dish that lays outside of the city limits. The location was picked by Omni-Tek for its remote and defensible location that would have little interferance from outside sources. During the construction of the dish, a large vein of notum that was previously unsurveyed was discovered beneath the area, and in response a mining town was established to mine the notum after the dish was completed.
The City of Borealis was founded at the end of the first Rubi-Ka war between Omni-Tek and the Clans as many of them became disenfranchised with the realities of war. Around 22950 many of these malcontents made their way to the burned out mining town that was near the Dish to try and escape from the war and live their lives out in isolation. With the ores and Notum From the mines, as well as the surrounding lakes coupled with water generators, this dream almost became a reality as the people of the area acheived a very high degree of self sufficency. In the same year the technitions operating the Dish defected from Omni-Tek and joined the other Ex-Clans and Ex-Omni-Tek members in the city, placing subspace communications in their hands.
The first governing bodies of Borealis consisted of tough groups of bandits and smugglers who has banded together to protect their own interests from outsiders and each other. In latter years, as the city developed as a hub for trade and restful place for people to come to get away from the war, a council of merchants slowly took over power from the smugglers. To this day though, many smugglers still run their operations out of Borealis, and it is rumored that there is a special shop only for Fixer shop hidden in the hills.
In 29476 when the ICC placed an injunction on OT's ability to halt other interests from mining Notum on Rubi-Ka, and The Notum Wars started, the ICC quickly deployed Peacekeeper troops to Neutral Cities in an attempt to protect them from the war that was being waged around them. This Peacekeeping force replaced the Borealis Militia which was a group of loosly organized private citizens who had banded together to protect the city. Entrepreneurial interests also prevailed during this period and a new mining tower services shop was also added to the city for citizens of all factions who wanted to take part in the Notum Wars.
During the events that lead up to the opening of the Shadowlands by the Scientists of Jobe it was decided that Borealis would have a connection to the flying city instead of Newland because of Borealis' stance of free trade and Newland's contention by the Warr Mercenary Group, the Clans, and the Neutral Citizens. This act virtually secured Borealis' place as a neutral meeting ground for all manner of people, as well as a stop off point for travelers going to the Shadowlands.
The Invasion
About a year into the siege by the alien forces of the Kyr'ozch, the aliens made a large push to take the city of Borealis. This feat had been all but impossible before due to the city's high suppression, but the Alien forces made their way in and managed to 'break' the suppression of the city. Even though the alien forces were turned back by the Neutral Citizens of Borealis, the damage to the city was considered irreparable and in turn brought many of the Clan and Omni-Tek soldiers into the city to fight in small skirmishes in the streets.
Several weeks latter, in response to the violence the ICC felt that they had little power to maintain their mission post in Borealis so they withdrew and allowed Omni-Tek Armed Forces troops and Unicorn Company members into the city under the cover of night. The stated mission of these forces was to maintain the peace in Borealis and secure the Subspace Communication Dish on a nearby peak outside of the city. This action voided the neutral elections that were taking place in the city, as well as dissolved the Merchant's Council. There was also a standing order to shoot Clansmen on sight if they should enter the city.
These actions caused a major uproar from the neutral populace of the city, as well as from sided sympathizers who lead large, and sometimes violent, protests. The protests led to a small victory where as majority of the Unicorn troops were withdrawn from the city out to the dish, and the few OTAF forces still in the city were instructed to no longer shoot clansmen with peaceful intentions. This also resulted in Omni-Tek installing their own governor in the city to oversee the day to day operations.
Present Day
Currently, Borealis is still under the governance of Omni-Tek millitary forces. This coupled with the lowered suppression has turned Borealis into a virtual war zone as Omni-Tek Employees and Clansmen clash in the streets. It is uncertain if and when Omni-Tek will withdrawl from the city but many groups have attempted to stand up for the freedom of Borealis. All of these attempts have so far resulted in the death of the rebels involved or of their disillusionment as the tenacity of Omni-Tek to stay in the city remains strong.
Borealis is still a thriving trade city though, and it is still largely considered a neutral meeting place by many factions even if its status as a truly Neutral city is in question.
Borealis is notably home to a small arms manufacturing group called Reet-Tech that primary manufactures bows and arrows.
Shops and Services
- Borealis features full service shops that are found in many other cities. The Basic store is marked with a 'General' Sign. The Advanced and Superior good shop is marked with a 'Fair Trade' sign. The novelty and vehical shop is marked with a 'Tools n Stuff'
- There is a Tower Shop in Borealis that can be found at (732, 650)
- Grid Services are located in Borealis at (640, 730) at the North end of the City
- Whompah connections to Newland City and Stret West are available at (670, 550)
- The Whompah to the city of Jobe can be found at (740, 690)
- The Neutral Veterans Rewards booth is in Borealis by the Whompas at (685, 518)
- The Fixer Shop is located outside of Borealis
Sights to See
- The Condemned Subway
- The Neutral Arena is located near the subway at (620,450) and is not so much an arena like are found in Tir or Omni-Entertainment but rather a room with 0% suppression.
- a Portal to the Inner Sanctum can be seen at (600, 478), also near the subway, and for characters level 125 and above it can take them to the Inner Sanctum with the help of a Pass of the same name.
- The Waterfall located at (570, 540), outside the city walls, is generated by the cities water generators.
- Borealis has a Prison at (680, 720) near the grid that houses some serious criminals that have gotten lose on occasion. Like all good prisons though, not just anybody can enter it.
Personalities
- Peter Roland at (690, 480) is a beggar looking to make some spare change by telling jokes. If you are a low enough level he will also send you on a quest to get him a Vagabond Cloak from the subway, and give you a Lock Pick in return. Peter's dialogue is a little joke about the attitude of many players towards beggars.
- Aleksei Innokenti is a helpful citizen that can be found at (685, 475) and also wants low level characters to help him run an errand. If you go run this errand it will start you on a string of lowbie quests to learn some of the personalities around the Neutral Cities and get some cash.
- It should also be known that Ofoz was once in the city of Borealis but has now moved to Newland due to the recent Omni-Tek incursion.
Notes
- This article needs to be checked against the official cannon storyline
- In-Character dates need to be added
- More in depth coverage of Services and sights.
--Berael 20:20, 31 January 2007 (CET)
