A Brief Overview of Qian Ra

Statistics:

Qian Ra is roughly the size of the planet Jupiter, and possesses only 2 continents. These being Diasminion and Hezxalt (known to Diasminians as "The Otherlands"). The remainder of the planet is covered in water- which makes up 90% of its surface. Qian Ra has 13moons (most of which are not visible from the planet's surface), and 2 suns. The Prime Sun is quite similar to Earth's, yet it is located too far from the planet for its heat to reach. Therefore, the Prime Sun is only responsible for light on Qian Ra. The Dark Sun is the primary source of heat for the planet. This smaller star is similar to a neutron star, with a high magnetic field. It emits little light but a great amount of heat. It is only the balance of gravity between the two suns which prevents the planet from being sucked into the mass of the Dark Sun.

The people of Qian Ra operate on the Diasminion Calendar. There are 13 months to a year, 26 hours to a day, and 8 days to a week. Days do not have names- only numbers. In terms of offices and other workplaces that hold regular working hours, work usually starts at M9 (about 9:00am), and ends at E5 (that's right, 9 to 5). In these cases, workdays are 1st Day through 5th, with 6th, 7th, and 8th as days of rest. There are plenty of exceptions to this, of course.

Politics of the Continents:

Diasminion is the primary power on the planet, having loosely colonized the resource-rich Otherlands. While Diasminion is both continent and country, many countries make up the face of the Otherlands, along with a variety of cultures.  There are constant wars along the borders of the countries in the Otherlands, both between rival tribes and countries, and those instigated by Diasminion.

The Otherlands are rural for the most part. The cities there are ancient, and fairly underdeveloped. Powerful capitals have television, satellite surveillance, and other modern comforts, however.

Diasminion is a modern marvel, replete with technology and science. Only in farming districts and other rural areas is life lived in halcyon simplicity.  The government takes no chances with its citizens: all TV, radio, music, art, newspapers, textbooks and other media are controlled entirely by the Metro Propaganda Corps. Every single occupant of the country is accounted for in a bi-annual census. Each citizen carries an ID card which contains biological data and residential information. These IDs are used to gain access to public transportation, residences, and for entry into and exit from all cities. At any given point, the government knows the exact location of every member of society- including visitors, who are given temporary tourist IDs. 

As an aside- the government had, in the past, kept paper documentation for citizens. These documents, which were emergency back-ups for the IDs,  used to be kept in the Hall of Records, located in the capital city of Mianuus. However, after a mysterious fire broke out in the Hall, much of the information was lost and had to be re-collected. Though only a minor annoyance to the Census Bureau, this prompted a switch from a paper system to a fully computerized one. 

Despite the strict system of surveillance, a variety of crimes do still occur in Diasminion. While quite a few are ignored by the police, some have bought to light some new concerns. One of these being a rash of arsons which eventually led to all-out bombings of the Underground in Mianuus. The Underground bombings have become far more frequent in recent days. The baffling aspect of the crimes is a complete lack of evidence- not even traces of the chemicals which could've been used to create the bombs. No group has come forth to claim responsibility, and only the bodies of innocent civilians have been found on targeted subways.

In addition to the bombings, there are also rising concerns over the practices of the Pantagruel, the Eighth Order. Throughout history, the Clan has been gathering on appointed nights far outside the cities. In the past, authorities had turned a blind eye on these get-togethers, as the Pantagruel tended to be the most docile of the Clans. As of late, however, the idea that members of any Clan would sneak past the perimeters of their home city to gather someplace in the dark, holding some arcane ritual, has rubbed the government the wrong way. As a result, the HeadHunters were born. An elite force which operates someplace between the police and the military, the HeadHunters serve the sole purpose of chasing down and slaughtering members of any Clan that leave their appointed jurisdiction. 

Diasminion's History:

There are two main arguments on the topic of the "birth" of Diasminion and its Clans. Both begin with the acceptance that Diasminion was once attached to the Otherlands, part of Qian Ra's single super-continent (think Pangea). However, the first belief is an ancient one- that the gods favored Diasminion and its people, and could not bear to see the place become overrun with the unworthy. The gods caused the continent to drift away, and created each of the Clans, bestowing a gift on each. The rest is history, as they say.

On the other hand, there exists a more scientific, anthropological argument. This one claims that the rift was caused, quite simply, by shifts in the tectonic plates of Qian Ra. Clans developed out of the original tribal lines of the area. As to the "gifts", or latent abilities of the Clans, proponents of this argument claim that there is no evidence that people of the Otherlands do not possess such abilities.

Thousands of years ago, the Clans of Diasminion were small groups which mainly kept to themselves. Some trade had developed between a few, but each remained an entity unto itself. After a particularly trying time of famine, fire, flood, and plague, the Clans decided to unite into small communities, beginning an age of feudalism which lasted for a few thousand years. In those centuries, the roles of the Clans in modern society began to form, but it wasn't until the Feast of the Wolves- a rebellion led by the Clan Angemal- that the true modern structure was created.

The aim of the Clan was to overthrow a particularly powerful OverLord- one who threatened to engulf the surrounding fiefdoms until he was the sole ruler of the country. The Angemal, in their bloodlust, slaughtered thousands, leaving a trail of fire and blood everywhere they marched. It was during this time that the fabled QaHaran emerged. The famed "Clanless One"- the sole Diasminion without claim to a Clan- united the Nine Orders and became their ruler, thus establishing the blueprint for modern society. He was tragically poisoned by his heir and student. According to the Legend of Diasminion, QaHaran will one day return to unite the Clans again in their time of need. This time, it will be not only Diasminion, but the world which will collapse without his intervention. And that is where our story begins...