Honors Seminar 101

Curtis

October 17, 2001

Sand stretched as far as the eye could see. The planet of Altamira was all desert – hot and dusty with winds that would suddenly rise up in strong biting gusts. Two large oceans divided the planet into two continents. The smaller continent, Dinas, had 2 countries, Dythri and Degit. The larger continent, Calbah, had three countries, Cille and Caeldon. There was little geographic difference to distinguish these countries since sand covered everything. Practically everything that is. There was one urban center on the whole planet located on Dinas that served as a kind of world capital. It did not belong to any country and was simply known as The City.

Altamira was not originally all desert – it was at one time a land lush with trees and good soil for farming. The origin of the inhabitants on Altamira is similar to the origin of humans on Earth – uncertain. The inhabitants were humans who were mainly concentrated in the area where the City was now located near one of the oceans. They were extremely curious about the sciences and the world around them, developing farming techniques and eventually became technologically advanced. However, technology did more harm than good. Those who knew its secrets delved for more knowledge to gain a sense of power. They developed a kind of genetically engineered bioorganic substance whose strength surpassed their expectations. The organism’s creators feared this powerful weapon and took it to the most remote part of the planet and buried it. Years passed and the canister containing the organism leaked, killing all living things, plant and animal, within hundreds of miles of the where it was originally buried. Without the plants, erosion occurred and the planet gradually became a desert. This catastrophe became know as "The Scourge."

Shortly after The Scourge occurred and the land became desert, arguments among the original inhabitants began over who was responsible and what course of action should be taken. Groups of disgruntled settlers left the populated area and went into the desert in protest. They eventually formed individual nomadic tribes. Those remaining formed an urban area, now known The City. Over the years, a few people in the tribes desired a more stable life and therefore settled in villages.

Several Hundred Years Later…

Time on Altamira was similar to Earth. A day was a little longer – Altamira rotated around the axis every 25 Earth hours. Its years were a little longer as well. The planet completed a full path around the Star (Earth’s equivalent to the Sun) every 390 days.

Altamira was scantly populated. Most of the inhabitants lived in The City. A census revealed that 15 million people called The City home. However, this number was striking in its size since The City was only 100 square miles. The few small villages dotted the deserts in the 5 countries and usually had between 500-1000 people each. The Village Dwellers disliked The City, but were willing to trade with it. Finally, there were several hundred nomadic tribes that grew from the few deserters of the early city who traveled the desert-lands. These tribes were normally composed of between 50 to 150 people.

There were actually two government systems on Altamira: the government of the urban dwellers and the government of the tribes. Individual villages had a provost to manage affairs exclusive to the village. Each country held elections every 6 years to elect a leader known as simply "Leader." All inhabitants were allowed to participate – but not everyone did. Those who lived in the villages were the only ones who took advantage of the right to vote. Tribal members almost never voted because that meant interacting with "Foreigners," or non-tribal members – something they avoided whenever possible. The Leader resided in the largest village. He was in charge of the affairs within the country such as regulating what little trade existed between desert villages and settling disputes. He was commonly considered weak and unnecessary. However, the Leaders of the five countries did have a greater responsibility: electing the Governor of The City. The Governor served for life and had enormous power. He handled issues that involved the countries all together such as international trade and disputes. He desired to have some control over the tribes, but their nomadic and independent nature prevented this. The Governor more importantly ran The City.

The second form of government was that of the nomad tribes. Each tribe had a Council of Elders that was composed of the oldest men of the tribe. This number varied from tribe to tribe. These Elders chose the Mawr, or chieftain of the tribe. The Mawr led the tribe across the desert and gave the final word concerning disputes between his people. The people usually looked upon him with a positive attitude. There was no established council of all the tribes, but they had been known to meet when the occasion called for it.

The economy of Altamira was based in The City. The Governor determined who would do what job based on their abilities. Since there was nothing but sand outside of the desert, produce products and raw materials had to be made by cloning remaining substances preserved from the past. The Governor commissioned a group of Scientists to do this. He also had a class of Workers to mine other planets for natural resources. A class of Tradespeople operated and repaired the machines that created the necessities such as clothing, furniture, etc. from the raw materials the Scientists produced. Everything that was created was handed over to the Governor and his Advisors who also regulated the working hours. There was no money system, and instead of paying the people monetarily, the Governor distributed goods for their services. If a person needed something, he or she would fill out a request form and send it to the Goods Agency who would then assess the need and provide for it.

The Governor had a certain amount of raw materials and goods sent to the individual desert villages. Village Dwellers bartered amongst themselves for what they wanted. They busied themselves by producing goods by hand from the materials sent by the Governor. Handmade goods from a village- such as cloth- were rarities and the Governor used them to decorate his mansion in compensation for sending goods. Tribes sent representatives to nearby villages to acquire raw materials and food when needed. Representatives only bought the materials needed to make an object, never the completed thing itself. The people within the tribe made what they required.
 
 

Lifestyles varied on Altamira. Those in The City worked under the Governor and lived in his housing complexes. They were asked only to perform their chosen tasks, and goods were given to them in return. The people therefore didn’t have to think outside of their work and became almost robotic. Their lives were mundane and repetitive, and they didn’t leave The City for fear of the desert. They grew up hearing about how a group of people disappeared into the desert hundreds of years ago and now roam around in its vastness. Village Dwellers led relatively quiet lives outside of the city and in the middle of the desert. They had some contact with The City through trade, but did not completely support it or the Governor. They had little fear toward the desert since they occasionally interacted with the tribal representatives and were descendants of tribe members themselves. However, the Village Dwellers harbored some suspicion toward the desert and its nomadic people. Tribes had nothing to do with The City or its ruler. They wandered from oasis to oasis, living in richly colored tents and producing their own necessities from the material they obtained in villages. Horse or foot was the common and simple mode of transportation in contrast to the gravity defying "floating transports" used in The City. Tribes were fiercely independent, scorning those who blindly worked for the Governor and received things in return. There was generally a sense of camaraderie between the individual tribes with occasional rivalry.

Inhabitants of The City had no religion whatsoever. The rare gathering was based solely on social purposes without any religious aspects. The villages and tribes had some remembrance of the series of gods observed by the original inhabitants. They observed the religious festivals, but the events’ meanings and purposes were uncertain. The festivals occurred mainly out of tradition and not actual worship for the deities.