outland regions Hesperia - A Land Without Law

[SteelEagle]

Hesperia - A Land Without Law

 

Lawless. That word has been used to describe Hesperia more than once and it remains an accurate description, and one that the residents of this wild and rough land look at as a badge of honor. Law is a symbol of governance, of control, and from the start such ideas have proven to be a double edged sword as the reason the land exists, and the reason it has developed the way it has. Few Hesperians would listen to anypony above their own father or mother; fewer still would regard Princesses, Emperors, Kings, Sultans and likewise to be little more than figures worthy of public ridicule. Hesperians, like Hesperia, are untamed, wild, and often dangerous... and this was the case from the very start.

 

Hesperia was first settled in recorded history (aside from several small longma and pony tribes that existed beforehoof) by the long-range colonization efforts of Aquellian griffons. Neighpon and Long Guo had scouted the land but its lack of resources marked it as low priority. Aquellia’s efforts were focused instead on finding a location for a penal colony, and Hesperia's harsh climate proved suitable for their needs, as did the harsh winds that kept griffons stuck in the area. The discovery of some basic raw materials turned the prisoners into a source of cheap labor. Outside of the main city of Airbourne, the prison authorities’ only involvement would be in establishing new mining outposts, collecting goods, and distributing bare trading essentials for the goods being mined.

 

Outside of Airbourne, authorities stationed no guards or forts, with roving elite prison security teams keeping track of any dangerous (to them) elements and eliminating them at will. This left much of the landmass to the whims of the prisoners and the authorities paid no attention; as long as quotas were met and they were unharmed, they didn't care if roving bands of bandits warred with one another or rival settlements burned each other to the ground. As the Aquellian Empire's fortunes faded, the land slipped further and further from control even as more and more prisoners arrived, Hesperia having become via international agreements a popular destination for prisoners from other nations.

 

The Empire of Aquellia finally lost control of most of its territories, after a series of events most in Hesperia remained (and remain) ignorant of. One day, the griffon authorities packed up and left, taking everything that wasn't nailed down. Airbourne itself fell to factional infighting, and a group of like-minded Hesperians ventured across the entirety of the land in an event known as the Exodus, settling across the harsh outback on the other side of Hesperia and founding the city of Waterhole. There were now two cities; between them were hundreds of miles of harsh climate, small broken-up settlements, and mines. Any further attempt to organize anything beyond a local scale ended poorly for those attempting it, and Hesperia settled into a land with no established government or representative.

 

Without any sort of recognition or support, Hesperians knew they needed to do more than fight one another to survive. Families and towns on the fringes had always committed themselves to some sort of sustenance fishing or bird hunting. Now they developed rudimentary long-range boats and poorly received, if functional, airships from scraps they had laying around. With their very survival at stake Hesperians had to become the very best pilots and sailors they could be; some traded, some immigrated, others were pirates, but many became some of the best in the world out of necessity. Old mines still produced what goods they could while other settlements did what they could, but there was no organization in control of the land. Settlements did what they could do to survive; so did families, individuals, and the like.

 

Hesperia became a hotspot for creatures fleeing their homes for a variety of reasons. Many criminals find the complete lack of immigration tracking and lack of law and order to be perfect, with many hiding out for years until they can sneak their way home. The unbridled personal freedom of Hesperia is attractive to scientists, adventurers, dreamers and others who want to start anew and not have to answer to anyone for their way of life. Law, when it exists is by common local decree. Otherwise, Hesperia is a land of grudges and frontier justice. What is considered okay to do in one settlement may get you tarred and feathered (if you're lucky) in the one over; what may get a posse on your case in one settlement will raise a posse in your defense in others. Rangers, a small group of Hesperians who take it upon themselves to uphold some manner of general sense of order, are overtaxed and not well liked by many, though they find many settlements welcome their presence. Possess, individuals, bounty hunters and mercenaries are common sights.

 

Hesperia is a melting pot — every known species has some population here — with even the griffon population being the largest segment by only the slimmest of margins. Attitudes about species and magic, gender and cultural identity, all vary between settlements. The landscape is hard and unforgiving, though not as impressively dangerous as other more localized areas. The waters are infested with creature-eating sharks, krakens, and jellyfish, and the grounds and skies crawl with poisonous snakes and spiders as well as flying Rocs and a multitude of dangerous critters. Very little grows in the Hesperian outback, where it boils in the summer and freezes in the winter. Rain is uncommon but when it does come in comes in torrential downpours, flooding smaller settlements and forcing occupants into a semi-nomadic existence.

 

Hesperia is a land devoted to the strength of the individual and the ability to endure. Despite the violent tendencies of some, the few resources, and an unforgiving landscape and fauna, Hesperians endure and thrive. They are a bit gruff and uncultured as a standard and few would trust a Hesperian entirely. They are powerfully individualistic and resourceful. Individual Hesperians may vary — whole families and small settlements may be considered kind and caring — but in this land, even the kind and caring settlements have a salt bar or three that have been the scene of a magic duel six or seven times in the past year. Local customs are often customs from several different 'old world' societies brought together into a unique mix. Hesperians can form unbreakably tough bonds once they get to know and trust someone, but they are often prickly to get to know; as both a defense mechanism and as a base characteristic. A traveler would do well to know this as well as their distaste for any sense of authority; they take pride in the description often applied to their land... Lawless.

 

~A Journal Between Lovers: My Travels and Travails

by Flowing Stars