Syrtis Major (
picture 1,
picture 2): The city of Syrtis Major is situated at a major junction of several grand canals and was a major city-state and mercantile center for centuries before it became the capital of Seldon's empire. The remains of the Imperial palaces are still imposing, although most of them were abandoned long ago. One of the smaller palaces is now inhabited by Amraamtaba X, Prince of Syrtis Major, deposed by the British in 1880. The British now control Syrtis Major as one of their crown colonies.
The Belgian Coprates: By 1889 the Belgians had completed the conquest of the Great Coprates Rift Valley, and an uneasy peace has settled there between Belgium and the Martians of the valley.
German Western Dioscuria: Until recently, the Germans were unable to obtain any significant colonial possessions on Mars. Their most extensive settlements to date are the trade stations in Western Dioscuria, and the military posts necessary to protect them. The Germans have two main aims on Mars: to acquire a source of liftwood to produce the most advanced aerial gunboats, and to break the British monopoly on the bhutan spice trade.
French Idaeus Fons: French presence on Mars is limited to the Idaeus Fons region, but France's influence is widespread. It is only the lack of political support on Earth that keeps the French from claiming a larger area on the red planet.
Japanese Euxinius Lacus: Japanese presence on Mars is still small and mostly limited to the experimental scientific research stations and trading posts at Euxinius Lacus. Japan is trying to prove itself as a modern, influential power, and so desires to expand its presence on Mars.
American presence on Mars: American interests on Mars were twofold. First, and most importantly, there was a great deal of money to be made on Mars, and Americans have always managed to show up whenever there was a penny to be squeezed out of something. Second of all, there was the question of national prestige. Edison was an American, after all, and had led the way. A country like the United States could not afford to be left behind scientifically or militarily. Americans concentrate in no one place on Mars. American merchants can be found almost anywhere there are human settlements, and American diplomatic legations are maintained at every major human colonial enclave. The main military presence is the contingent of U.S. Marines with the legation at Syrtis Major. American merchants will sell Martians anything, up to and including modern repeating rifles and ammunition, a fact that is a sore point with most nations, but one which the Belgians are particularly disturbed about.
Russian gulags at Hecates Lacus: Russian presence on the red planet is evidently a continuation of the Great Game, and many assume that the Szar's ministers, in their obtuse way, intend to use Russian presence as a bargaining chip for the lands they really want in Asia - perhaps as guarantees of a free hand in Persia or Sinkiang. Others, however, impugn darker motives to the Russian presence: The Ochrana (the secret police) has already transported a hundred or so political exiles to gulags at Hecates Lacus on Mars, and it would seem that more will soon follow. Russia does not seem to be in a position to exploit the resources of Mars, and it has a vast, ill-explored region of its own on Earth to occupy it for years to come. What Russia does have, however, is a very large army, an autocratic ruler, and a reputation for dealing roughly with primitive peoples.
Liftwood (
picture) is the greatest single resource that Mars produces. It is a fabulous sapwood that carries within it the ability to defy gravity. The Martians have always used liftwood. Their famous sky galleons are utterly dependent on liftwood for their flying abilities. But liftwood is scarce and expensive. The small liftwood trees take years to reach maturity, and they only grow on remote mountain plateaus. Liftwood trees grown in cultivated valleys or along the Grand Canals are outwardly identical, but they lack the vital spark, the essential combination of nutrients and minerals available in the highlands. Gathering liftwood is a dangerous proposition. First, a suitable grove must be located. Second, an expedition must be mounted to reach the grove and cut the mature trees. Immature trees quickly lose their lift and are a waste of time. Third, the expedition must safely escape back to civilization, avoiding or fighting the High Martians who invariably consider the trees to be part of their territory. Using liftwood is not a simple process. A liftwood log is a knotty, gnarled piece of wood infused with a sap that imparts its lifting properties. Using liftwood requires careful construction. Liftwood panels are mounted on pivots or in gimbals which allow them to be adjusted for proper lift. Cables connect each liftwood panel with the trimsman's levers. The trimsman is responsible for maintaining the proper balance of liftwood throughout the vessel. By twisting individual panels, ship lift can be increased or decreased, and the ship rises or falls. Liftwood deteriorates as its sap loses its vital power. A good, seasoned piece can last up to 10 years, but over time very single piece must be replaced. The magnetic field of
Venus, it was discovered, causes liftwood to decay completely within a few days, and so it cannot be used properly there.
Bhutan Spice is a flavorful and mildly narcotic product of the bhutan plants, which are presently grown only by the cities of the Boreosyrtis League. The plant itself is little studied, because of the difficulty of obtaining samples. The bhutan plantations are fenced in, heavily guarded, and worked by slaves. Access to a plantation has only been granted to a few humans, and then only for a few hours under heavy guard. The spice is in very high demand, both on Mars and on Earth, and is high-priced. The British have managed to conclude treaties of protection with the Boreosyrtis League, and now are the sole dealers in the spice, a fact that angers Martian and non-British human alike. Several nations, Germany in particular, have made several attempts to break the British monopoly on the spice trade, but they have not been successful.
Gumme is a substance similar to rubber, but which retains its pliability and elasticity at lower temperatures, down well below freezing. It is also much less likely to break down chemically under high heat, which makes it usable under a wider variety of circumstances than rubber. Like rubber, gumme is a plant sap, but unlike rubber, gumme is not easy to cultivate. Its leaves are razor-sharp, and the bark is incredibly tough. The sap itself is a skin irritant before processing (to Martians, anyway... humans do not seem to be affected as severely). Gumme occurs only in the area called the Coprates and was not a popular crop in the time before the coming of humans. The Belgians, whose seizure of the Coprates area was perpetrated largely in order to establish large gumme plantations using forced labor, control virtually the entire harvest, as other nationalities are unwilling to use the Belgian methods of agriculture.
Moabite Fire Jewels: The plains of Moab are the source of one of the most prized precious stones on Mars after the diamond: the Moabite fire jewel. These stones are found in alluvial deposits throughout the Moabite plains, washed there by titanic floods at some time in the distant past. Until heat-treated they are colorful, but not spectacular, and can easily be passed over by the inexperienced traveller. When heated in a fire, and suddenly cooled, however, the stones fracture into millions of internal crystals. Most stones shatter into useless shards. About one in 10 keep their crystals interlocked but become translucent and refract light in patterns of breathtaking beauty. Easily worked with files and gravers before fire treatment, they can be shaped into almost any pattern desired, and Martian craftsmen are capable of astoundingly beautiful works of art.
Minerals and Metals are scarce on Mars, with copper, tin, zinc, gold, and silver occurring with about equal rarity. For this reason, any metal object on Mars is prized (although gold, because of its color, is valued the most), and chieftains and kings of the High Martians can often be found with copper as well as gold and silver ornaments. Petroleum is extremely rare and has never been found in economically recoverable quantities. Coal is present in some areas, and is the fuel of choice for powering steam engines such as those on aerial flyers.
Skrill Riders: In the wastelands far to the west of Syrtis Major live a people not restricted to the gashant beasts for their mounts. These people have perfected the handling and husbandry of a beast more ferocious, more deadly, and far more terrifying - the razor-taloned skrill of the caves and crags of the Martian highlands - to rule what would be the broadest domain on the blood-red face of Mars, if they had a single ruler.
The Queln - People of the Sky: As a society of warriors mounted upon fast, sleek beasts of the air, it is only natural that the Queln riders would become raiders and plunderers, preying upon the canals, caravans, and city-states of their civilized brethren. Attacks by war-parties of skrill riders upon an unsuspecting canal city have been the Queln child's dream and the canal child's nightmare for many centuries. Queln bands base themselves in practically every one of the remote mountain regions of Mars where their mounts can breed and feed on the shrubs vital to maintenance of a functioning lift gland. Their range, however, is vast, and raiding parties can be found almost anywhere. Especially troubling are the groups that have settled into the Astusapes Highlands in the last year; their raids have begun to take a significant toll on the spice trade. Some suspect the hand of Bismarck is involved in this. Queln society is organized in clans, which consist of several dozen family groups, and each clan is governed by a rithall, or skylord, and his council of elders. As with most Martian societies, females are not allowed access to positions of power. All young males are trained in the use of the khivatt, which is a short spear or javelin, and the riding of the skrill. Females are in charge of preparing the hunted animals for nightly feasts and gathering wild roots, berries, and other plants to round out the Queln diet. Such gathering would be impossible without the assistance of the skrill. Older beasts, no longer fit for war or the hunt, are turned over to females. Trespassers to a Queln village are rare because of the remoteness of these settlements. However, all travelers on the face of Mars are subject to Queln raids, especially if they are in small groups and carrying valuable objects, such as firearms. Prisoners are universally dealt with in the same manner - brought before the skylord for judgement and execution. However, remember that a skylord is subject to the same motivations as other Martians, and if captives can convince him that they would be useful in his service, or that they have some knowledge or item that would be useful to him, they might be spared. The Queln are a variety of Hill Martians.
High Martians (
picture) are the savage rootstock from which the other two varities of Martian descended (Hill and Canal Martians), and are the terror of Canal Martians, Hill Martians, and humans alike. They are repulsive, short compared to other Martians, and have a stooped, apelike posture. Their coloring is much darker than that of the Hill Martians, and their hair is almost uniformly black, growing thickly over their backs and shoulders. They have wing membranes, which they use for propulsion and steering (as their lifting gland from liftwood provides the basic flight capability). Like other Martians, their hands have three fingers, but they are otherwise similar in form to the human hand. Their three-toed feet are grasping appendages very much like their hands. Several High Martian family groups form a clan, under a single sky leader. A number of clans will band together under a king. The monarchy is usually hereditary in the more "advanced" tribes, but the most primitive High Martians are ruled by whoever can best all comers in single combat. The advanced tribes of High Martians (such as those in the Astusapes Highlands) use lowland slaves to tend their liftwood groves (which, with brigandage, are their main source of income). High Martian language has not been an easy subject to study, but they do speak Koline, which is the trade language of the Canal Martians. High Martians live in kraags (mountain fastnesses) and mountaintops, venturing out from time to time to capture slaves or to loot passing caravans. Kraags are laboriously carved out of the solid rock by slaves. The entrances are high up the sides of a mountain and accessible only from the air. Inside, there are one or more large shafts running up and down in which the masters fly from level to level. The largest room is always the throne room of the king. High Martians are like intelligent apes when compared to the Canal Martians, but with a difference: they can fly. High Martians never lost their lifting gland or its ability to carry them through the skies of Mars. Their behavior is bestial and barbaric in the extreme. They can work in wood when they need to, but usually buy ships from the Canal Martians, paying in liftwood. Their ships are exclusively screw galleys, and their turncranks are exclusively slaves, captured from caravans or from nomadic Hill Martian clans. They wear loincloth and leather harnesses. Bracelets, anklets, rings, necklaces of crudely beaten gold set with gemstones, silk ribbons, animal bones, teeth and hair, spent brass cartridge cases, scissors, and other booty has been seen used for decoration.
Hill Martians (
picture) are the frontiersmen of Mars, living on civilization's edge. They are slightly smaller than Canal Martians, which leaves them taller than all but the largest of humans. They are stockier and somewhat closer to human proportions. Their most notable feature (aside from their coloration) is the fatty mass or hump between their shoulder blades, which is a water storage organ and an adaptation to their arid habitat. This hump does not stick out to any great degree, but it does serve to give them a more massive appearance about their shoulders. In color, they are darker than the Canal Martians, tending towards brown or red hair (occasionally black). Their skin is a deeper ocher tone than the Canal Martians, more of a golden brown than a pale yellow. Hill Martians live on the edges of civilization; they are the frontiersmen of Mars, living in regions beyond the reach of the canal princes' power. They have no single culture, because each group has adapted itself to a different locale, and each group must modify its customs and behaviors as it travels. The Queln are a variety of Hill Martians. There is also the domain of the
Wagon Masters of Meroe, which is a hill and plains society which follows the migrations of the ruumet breehr herds for their livelihood. They use the beasts for everything and move about in huge single or multifamily wagons pulled by the gigantic beasts. Each evening, they form the wagons in a giant circle. There are also the
Riders of the Nepenthes-Thoth, similar to the horse-tribes of Earth, approximating a cross between the Sioux of North America and the Tartars of Asia. Naturally, they ride gashants instead of horses and roam the vast Nepenthes-Thoth and Neith Steppes. They hunt, trap, and raid caravans and their more settled cousins. Hill Martians are organized into clans. The attitude of the individual Hill Martian varies greatly. Most have had no association with humans but harbor a mild dislike based on rumors of the Belgians. Hill Martians respect courage, determination, and skill with weapons. Demonstration of these qualities will go a long way toward impressing them. They wear some form of primitive homespun made from plant fibers of the steppes, or clothing fashioned from the skins of animals.
Canal Martians (
picture) are the most advanced of the three Martian races, but their culture, though responsible for Mars' highest cultural and scientific achievements, has begun to decay. They present a pleasing (albeit still quite alien) physical appearance. They are similar to humans, but are tall and slender with a massive chest cavity (necessitated by the atmosphere of Mars). In coloring, they are fair, having fine hair and pale ocher skin. Some humans feel their large, pointed ears give them a faint resemblance of the elves of human myth. Canal Martians represent 35,000 years of civilization. While consummate farmers, accomplished builders, and skilled artisans, they are nevertheless obviously a society in decline, to which their inability to maintain the more complicated machinery found in many canal pumping stations is ample testimony. The culture of the Canal Martians is stagnant and unchanging, their arts have become incomprehensibly baroque and degenerate, and their science is without the innovative spark which characterizes human intellectual activity. The Martian inventive genius, which built the magnificent Grand Canals, is a little-used faculty of late. The precise details of local government vary from city to city, but there are many general similarities. Almost all of the city-states are ruled by hereditary monarchs called canal princes. In many cities, there is a governing council of nobles (also hereditary) in addition to the prince. Mercantile families are a palpable power in the larger city-states, and they are often at loggerheads with the princes and the noble families. A complex bureaucracy has grown up in the larger city-states, in some places appointed by the prince, in others filled by competitive examinations similar to those of the ancient Chinese. In all cases, the higher levels of government are unalterably corrupt, and it is nearly impossible to do anything without multiple payments to a series of local officials, inspectors, and bureaucrats (travelers with experience in the Ottoman Empire should encounter few difficulties).
Languages: There are over 200 Canal Martian languages and dialects cataloged by Professor Forbes-Hamilton of the British Museum, although only about a dozen are in common use and, of these, only four are likely to be encountered in the British colony.
High Oenotrian is spoken by the cities of the Oenotrian Empire and is understood in most of the neutral city-states of Syrtis Major.
Parhooni is, with English, the official language of the British Crown Colony of Syrtis Major. It is understood by most of the neutral city-states of Syrtis Major.
Koline (trade-speech) is the trade language of Mars, spoken by almost all canal boatmen, merchants, and cloudship crewmen throughout the planet. It is a primitive language, but it is easily grasped and serves its purpose well.
Animals: The animal life of Mars is diverse and too large to be properly detailed completely. Here is a brief catalog of the more interesting or dangerous creatures.
The
Steppe Tiger is a cunning hunter and will attempt to get very close to its intended prey before making a quick charge and a kill. It can run very quickly for perhaps 10 or 15 seconds, but its speed drops off rapidly after that, and it relies on surprise and its one quick sprint to make the kill. Its primary means of defense are its claws, which can slash even the hide of a ruumet breehr badly. For the kill, however, it relies on its massive jaws to snap the victim's neck or spine. It will not generally seek out trouble unless hungry, but it is quite territorial and will tend to attack any interlopers, particularly humans.
Green Koko are large, predatory water snakes that can grow up to 20 feet long. They are not venomous, although they have impressive fangs with which they grab and hold their prey. Their main means of attack is by constriction, and their coils, once placed, are extremely difficult to remove.
A
Cissawaan is a lithe, fast water lizrad which feeds on fish but which will attack almost anything in sight, including ruumet breehrs. Cissawaans are usually found in groups of up to 50, and they have been known to tip over canoes. The best defense seems tobe to climb a tree, as they are clumsy out of water, cannot climb at all, and will soon lose interest and wander off.
The
Eelowaan is a long, snake-like, flying predator and is a particularly vicious animal, which will apparently attack for the sheer pleasure of it. It mainly feeds off of small herbivorous animals, but it will attack very large prey as well. Its means of attack (nonpoisonous fangs, constriction), size (up to 20 feet in length), and general look suggest that it at least shares a common ancestor with the green koko. But its capacity for flight, by manipulation of lifting membranes biochemically similar to liftwood trees, is clearly the product of radically divergent evolution.
Great Kommota is a gigantic flying scavenger, long thought to be extinct, which shows a disturbing tendency to attack small ships by dropping boulders on them, which has caused the crash of at least one vessel and may account for other disappearances over the years.
A
Roogie is a smallish dog-like beast which travels in packs of up to 20. They will often split up into smaller foraging parties if kills are scarce. When they find a kill or potential kill, they will give out with their peculiarly screeching bark to summon the rest of the pack.
Knoe Shoshu is a rare scavenger long thought to only be a native rumor. It consists of a central body chamber, roughly like a slightly flattened and elongated sphere, covered with fat and a rubbery, gray-brown hide. It moves by means of four large, heavy flipper feet and grasps its prey with four long tentacles. It appears to eat small creatures alive and whole when forced to hunt, but it will inject a poison through its mouth stinger into larger prey and take the carcass back to its lair for consumption at its leisure. Fortunately, this poison is now known not to be fatal to Earth humans, although it does cause unconsciousness followed by a period of disorientation and weakness.
The
Gashant (
picture 1,
picture 2) is the Martian version of the horse. They are upright quadrupeds generally found in herds of from 20 to 70 animals. They defend themselves, when cornered, with their thick, hard forelegs (which have atrophied into blunt stumps), their heavy tails, and their teeth, although none of these are particularly effective weapons. A gashant's main defense lies in flight, and although its speed is less than that of an eegaar, it has powerful legs and impressive endurance. The domesticated gashant is the principal draft animal and exclusive cavalry mount in use by Martian troops. The tough, wiry gashants of the Nilosyrtis Hills are particularly prized by troops who have to operate in difficult or arid country,a nd are the only gashants used by the Meepsoor Lancers.
The
Flying Skrill (
picture) is a flying plant eater, which appears to subsist off of the leaves of liftwood trees and bushes. It grows to be quite large and has been domesticated by the Queln.
The
Ruumet Breehr (
picture) are giant vegetarians native to the wetlands of Mars, though they have proven surprisingly hardy when used in the dry canal caravans. Now wild ruumet breehr herds are fairly common in the desert as well. The domesticated version is used in many caravans to the near-total exclusion of gashants, and ruumet breehrs can be seen from a great distance towing giant carts or majestically carrying the weight of a large howdah on their backs. Unaggressive for the most part, ruumet breehrs will attack if they perceive a threat to their young and will usually charge rather than flee if they are attacked.
The
Eegaar are basically the Martian deer, hunted by the steppe tiger. They are very fast (the swiftest of Mars' land animals) and they have a danger cry.
