Karmenia

Karmenia is a planet in the Karma System, featured in A Cook's Tale. It is a human-inhabited desert planet which was formally colonized when the United Human Alliance abandoned a group of copper miners during its collapse. It is home to cities like Ton Mogado and Ton Sotina, and is the second planet in the intended story progression.

## History

The planet is the second planet from the sun Karma, located in the Second Sector. Despite UHA influence, familiar architecture is uncommon, and more similar to fictional planets like Tatooine. Its axial tilt is two degrees, and a typical "season" system is not present; agriculture must be achieved by specialized technology.

### Human introduction

In the Pre-Colonization Era, it was inhabited mainly by quadrupedal marsupials known as Scalebacks, which feed on Whistlers, a small species of bug. Oases are rare but plentiful, and serve as small pockets of shelter for Karmenia's scarce greenery. Polar ice caps are present but barren, save for rocky or mountainous areas. The peacefulness of Karmenia's pre-UHA ecosystem lasted until small rovers touched down on its surface, scanning the terrain for potential resources. The rovers struck gold, discovering an abnormal concentration of copper beneath the planet's top layers. Following this discovery, the UHA sent a team of miners to mine the copper, believing that it could serve as their cash cow when it came to constructing new space vessels. Taking note of the great success, more miners were sent to Karmenia, resulting with a population of 10,000 at just the core settlement, with more existing past the outskirts.

### Incident Zero

However, the extensive damage caused to the ground as a result of the mining accidentally caused an extreme seismic event known internally by the UHA as Incident Zero. Following this disaster, the United Human Alliance completely pulled out of the mining operations on Karmenia, taking all the copper but leaving the people behind. In the six hundred years that followed, Karmenia evolved, changed, and eventually was considered its own society, no longer a human settlement. Scaleback hide became the equivalent to leather, and their flesh became a popular delicacy.

### Growth of civilization

Over many generations, the body types of the humans living on the planet changed due to the increased gravity, resulting in shorter stature compared to Earth humans. The ruins of the old settlements were picked apart for supplies, and new cities were constructed from sandstone and metal. These cities, the most notable being Ton Mogado and Ton Sotina, were built around preexisting oases. Agricultural development skyrocketed, and word spread around the galaxy that Karmenia had risen from the ashes of the UHA to become the next trade superpower.

## Culture

After years of isolation from Earth, Karmenian culture eventually strayed from what we know today. Inverted in comparison to Clemen-B's age hierarchy, one's importance in society lowers with age. Relative to A Cook's Tale, Emperor Sol Kato is only thirteen years old. Karmenia is not a democratic nation, and Sol Kato is the second most recent monarch, with his younger sister next in line.

### Religion

Unlike the diverse beliefs of Earth humans, all Karmenians have one religion, one that worships the sun Karma and the stars in the night sky. According to Karmenian culture, the sun is a powerful force that has knowledge of all that transpires below its light. Solar eclipses are perceived as a bad omen by the religious peoples, and for more faithful regions of Karmenian cities everything shuts down. In severe cases, the cultural divide between the deeply religious and the scientifically-inclined can create an intense conflict in some areas of the planet.

### Cuisine

Karmenian food takes inspiration from food we on Earth are familiar with, with glazed Scaleback and Whistler kebab being very popular. Flora may be scarce, but the occasional root vegetable may be roasted and eaten along with other meals. In recent years(relative to in-game events), meals, plants, and livestock we are familiar with today are becoming popular, and demand for these goods to be imported is steadily increasing.

### Etymology

The language spoken by those on Karmenia is an amalgam of the languages spoken by the original mining crew, including English, German, French, Russian, Hindi, and Japanese. The language has no official title, but it is commonly referred to as "Kang" or "the Kang", simply meaning "Language". To avoid confusion, the Kang title of the language any sentence may be referring to is used as an adjective, resulting in terms such as "Anglisz Kang(English Language)". Grammar rules are generally very inconsistent, considering the differing nature of the languages that conceived Kang. Numerous dialects exist and have been known to cause minor disputes as a result of translation errors.

## Notable locations

The *de facto* capital of Karmenia is considered by most to be Ton Mogado. Ton Sotina and Ton Salifan are other notable settings, with both being large farming and mining areas respectively. Overall, every city has its own unique purpose and quirks that set them apart from each other. For example, every location has a different Kang dialect, and the architecture varies from place to place.

### Ton Mogado

This city serves as the trading hub of the Karma System and a desirable asset to all wishing to conquer the Second Sector. Many attempts have been made to conquer this planet, all ending with failure as a result of Karmenian spirit and passionate defense of their homeland. In the Second Sector, Ton Mogado is the largest trade hub, second only to Earth's Moon. As for architecture, the city has an affectionate Kang nickname: "Pasautri Anulis", or "Birthday Cake"!

The city has four tiers: The ground layer is inhabited by the elderly, the first for artisans, the second for learning, and the topmost for royalty. Here, the carrying out of interplanetary diplomacy is overseen by adolescent Emperor Sol Kato. Of course, it's a very poor choice to have an entire portion of a city run by teenagers, so older relatives of the royals still watch over them and act as advisors, like Kar Kato, father of Sol.

### Ton Sotina and Ton Salifan

In addition to Ton Mogado, Ton Sotina is the secondary "big city" of the planet. Referred to by some as the "Second capital", Ton Sotina stands number two agriculture is a staple of this region of Karmenia. It becomes accessible after completing the Salifan Expedition mission in Act II of A Cook's Tale. Ton Sotina has more actual greenery as opposed to the green of oxidized copper in Ton Mogado, and focuses less on the hierarchy that exists in more prestigious cities on Karmenia. Appearance-wise, Ton Sotina is a segmented city, where visible aqueducts separate city blocks and small sandstone and metal bridges connect the areas together.

Ton Salifan is a smaller city overrun by Scalebacks, explored in the Salifan Expedition mission in Act II of A Cook's Tale after visiting Ton Sotina. In Kang, "Salifan" means Wall, which makes the city's name in English "Wall City". Quite literal, considering the fact that the mission's conflict involves Scalebacks somehow scaling the city walls built specifically for keeping them out.