Lunara
Lunara
月亮镇 | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Lunara's notorious 'castle houses' under construction | |
| Country |  Democratic Republic of Corumm |
| State | Nisheng |
| County | Gashun |
| Population | 6,954 |
Lunara also known as Moon Town is a small locale in County Gashun, Nisheng.
Founded in 2003 by the organization Lunsoc, the town has a population that does not exceed ten thousand people. Most of the houses have been constructed in an architectural style resembling fairy castles from Levantian children's stories. Lunara has the largest concentration of inhabitants with dwarfism in the country after Lunsoc invited dwarves as settlers. The dwarf community of roughly eight hundred members is semi autonomous and has its own sector known as Dwarf City.
History
Government
Due to internal power dynamics between the groups that live in Lunara, the city has a double system of government. One section of the city is ruled by the Lunaran Socialist Movement. The highest authority in this part of the city is the founder of Lunsoc who styles himself as the Dark Lord, he exerts dictatorial power and controls his zone through four specially appointed Coordinators who in turn handle a number of Executors whith responsibility for designated city blocks. The other part of the city is 'Dwarf City' and it is ruled by an elected dwarven monarch. Neither absolute ruler has any authority in their counterparts zone, other than the one they might be able to gain through force. It is believed there is a power struggle underway between the two power centers but it has not spilled into open violence yet.
Economy
Scam based economy, fishing, meatpacking, Frodo's bar, 'runemaking' sell bp of hmm, street begging
Dwarf City residents mainly dedicate themselves to trading, entertainment and artisan jobs. There are many small shops and eateries in the district and the largest agency for dwarf artistic talent has its head office there, booking local dwarves for commercials, movies, carnivals and other events. Wood and bone carving are also popular and there is a bazaar specializing in the sale of carved products. Telemarketing call centers have also arrived in town, mostly pushing 'As Seen on TV' products and other scams.
Districts
Carlin
Carlin is a rundown, poverty and crime infested district on the western edge of Lunara. Lunsoc has mostly lost control of Carlin to a gang known as the Brazucas, led by a local murderer known as Menino Gostoso. The Brazucas control most criminal activities in the area including pushing hard drugs, murder for hire, extortion and phishing scams. Any businesses left pay protection money to the gang as do panhandlers and street performers.
Dwarf City
Lunara's 'Dwarf City' is a unique part of the town, as it is populated exclusively by Corummese citizens born with dwarfism. Dwarfism in Corumm has historically been seen by Corummese society as the product of divine retribution leading to dwarves being shunned throughout history or categorized as devious and untrustworthy. Many dwarves then choose to seclude themselves or gather only with other dwarves. In the year 2005 Lunsoc started a flyer campaign inviting dwarves to go live in their planned settlement of Lunara, with housing being provided at a token cost. The campaign saw hundreds of applications from dwarves all over the country. An initial two hundred were selected for the program to form the core of the dwarven district. The rationale for Lunsoc's campaign has never been made public but there are numerous rumors such as that the dwarves would be enslaved and turned into a caste of diminutive servants for the Lunsoc leadership or that the dwarves would be a source of income by renting them out for events. In any case, none of these theories came to pass and more dwarves were accepted such that the number living in town rose to around five hundred by 2020.
Lunsoc authorities saw fit to give the dwarven sector a high degree of authonomy to govern their own affairs. Consequently the dwarves decided on the election of a single dwarf as their representative and district authority for life, the 'Head Dwarf'. The Head Dwarf is accorded various privileges such as the right to wear royal regalia, have an armed ceremonial guard with him at all times, be provided with a living salary and a big people chair to preside over meetings and community gatherings. In 2014 the Head Dwarf was given official sanction by the Party, handed party membership and given jurisdictional authority over all dwarves in Gashun county. Pundits are of the opinion that the increased powers and oversight of the Head Dwarf are meant to counterbalance the power of the Lunsoc nomenklatura in the town. Outwardly, the Head Dwarf appears to continue to have a cordial relationship with both Lunsoc and the regional authorities and in the very rare cases of criminality within Dwarf City has had their assistance in resolving such issues. However he has stepped up the recruitment of dwarves to the city and began pressuring Lunsoc to allow him to expand 'Dwarf City' to adjoining street blocks. For its part Lunsoc has opened an office inside Dwarf City and begun recruiting dwarves into its ranks. A possible dwarven attempt at a hostile takeover with the blessing of the PCD cannot be discounted.