Vivaldi Peak
Vivaldi Peak is the capitol city of the Commonwealth of C. A bustling hub of commerce, bureaucracy, and research, Vivaldi peak is widely regarded to be the technological jewel of the Coalition of Breakaway Colonies.
Demographics
The population of Vivaldi Peak is mostly (~75%) humans Elovisian, where this ethnic makeup has had a strong influence on the cultural mores of the city. The remaining ethnicities include New Voxelian and a small diaspora of High Rostrans. While the high altitude of the peak helps emulate the cool weather of the Caudal Tesseract, most verdials find the environs too dry for their tastes.
Despite the major proponents of the religion originating from Voxelia, an enemy in the ongoing War of Reunification, many Vivaldins adhere to the tenets of the Church of the Unexpected. This partially stems from a shared cultural history, as the Incunabula of the House of the Unexpected was a syncretic work combining many preexisting Elovisian folk beliefs, and partially because the conduct of the war has engendered an overall belief in life as one giant, bitter irony for citizens of the Commonwealth in general. Seeking some sort of split from their enemy's national religion, many Vivaldins are beginning to embrace Biocosmist beliefs.
Seal of the Unexpected by BCGR_Wurth
Government
The governance of Vivaldi Peak is not fully devolved from the purview of the Commonwealth Parliament, as the Parliament member elected by Vivaldi Peak as a municipality also serves as the city's mayor. This Parliament member works with appointed members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Cabinet to oversee local affairs. As with all major governmental affairs in the Commonwealth, government dieseltech computers are put to the task of analyzing data to improve the management of local infrastructure and government programs.
Defences
Vivaldi Peak takes the opposite tack to Triple Mesa with regards to natural defenses; instead of relying on the rock walls of canyons for defense against aerial attack, Vivaldi Peak relies on it's height to stymie ground advances and forsee aerial attacks long before they happen. The surrounding mountain range is bristling with anti-air guns, as aerial assault would be the most easy method of attack on the city.
Coalition Insignia by BCGR_wurth
The hillsides all the way around the city's perimeter form concentric elipses of concrete pillboxes and undergound barracks, allowing bullets and grenades to be rained down on any advancing ground forces from fortified cover. Like most cities in The Human Arc, branches of the highways lead into vast underground bunker networks where agri-mining, emergency stockpiling, and air raid drills take place. The Commonwealth is unparalleled in its logistical expertise - owing largely to the use of dieseltech computers to manage resources - meaning that besieging Vivaldi Peak would merely lead to the beseiging forces starving first.
Industry & Trade
Vivaldi Peak was once a net exporter of lumber, furs, and meats, but many of the common game animals have been depleted to at-risk levels, requiring these industries to be reigned in for fear of entirely extirpating these species from the region.
The home offices and second largest production facility for Data Engines Limited are both located in Vivaldi Peak, providing important technical support to the Parliament and local business and educational institutions.
The dieseltech machinery produced in Vivaldi Peak is primarily meant for domestic consumption, but some of it is exported to allies in the Coalition or even the Rostran Archipelago Confederacy in exchange for other important resources (i.e. foodstuffs).
DEL Brand Logo by BCGR_Wurth
Infrastructure
In addition to diesel and geothermal power plants, Vivaldi Peak taps into a branch of the Liberty Layline to even out peaks in power consumption. Municipal water is partially drawn from underground aquifers and partially collected from the various tributaries created by snowmelt in the early spring; large cisterns beneath the city store any excess runoff, as droughts are frequent occurances in Medial C.
Because dieseltech is such an important aspect of governance in the Commonwealth in addition to its utility for power generation and operating machines of war, Vivaldi Peak features a massive subterranean biodiesel refinery which takes care of almost all the city's biological waste.
Because the city lies mostly along the crest of the edge mountain range, three major highways running in parallel with one another grant drivers quick access to almost the entire city. These highways branch often, with interchanges located at the exact center (across from the Parliament building) and around halfway to either end. The highways terminate at either end in the city's twin skyports - raised platforms where multiple airships can load and unload simultaneously. A subway system snakes through the bunker complexes beneath the city to transport people, supplies, and war materiel whereever it is needed in short order.
Guilds and Factions
In addition to the usual Navigator's Guild presence in the form of a Guild hall, Vivaldi Peak also plays host to a Burning Hearts Social Club pub and a dedicated staging area for the Sorority of Solace. Diplomatic missions from the other members of the Coalition of Breakaway Colonies have embassies in Vivaldi Peak, near the Parliament building itself.
Architecture
Structures in Vivaldi Peak tend to be either wide and squat or angluar in construction, as these provide the best insulation and protection against the mountain snowfalls that come most winters. Exteriors tend to feature dark pine wood, brown bricks, and stucco, with eartones liberally used throughout. In more modern times, official architecture has begun to take on more butalist overtones, with austere buildings of gray granite being installed to replace the failing stick construction of yesteryears.
Geography
Vivaldi Peak is located along the Medial C3/C6 edge mountain range, just barely off the line formed by the commissures located on either face. Adjacent mountain ranges are somewhat taller, as mountains are wont to do as they approach the peaks at the vertices of a given cube, meaning that nearby runoff streams flow closer to the city as they descend; a system of aqueducts have been built into these places to help the city gather more of the precious water they need.
Natural Resources
Vivaldi Peak's major natural resource is granite, which it mines out and sells to construction companies as it constantly expands its underground infrastructure projects.
Commonwealth of C Flag by BCGR_Wurth
Type
Capital
Population
Approx. 525,000
Related Ethnicities
Inhabitant Demonym
Vivaldins
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Related Tradition (Primary)
Characters in Location
Comments