Now for a look at the mysterious dwellers of the verdant isle of Chaladon…
Symbol: The Parrot
Colors: Green and White
Ship Prefix: OCA (Order of Chaladon Airship)
Territory: The island of Chaladon
Capital: Averna
The Order of Chaladon is not a governmental body, but a fraternal society with strong academic leanings, simultaneously serving the functions of trade and defensive federation, scientific academy, and social club. Adherents to the Order dedicate themselves to restoring the planet’s natural balance and achieving sustainable prosperity for future generations through applied scientific knowledge and technological development, not only in Chaladon but throughout the world at large. With widespread membership among the aristocrats and ruling classes of Chaladon’s nominally independent city-states, particularly the cultural hubs of the northern coast and Chaladon Sound, the Order enjoys considerable political influence and is a guiding force in both local and regional affairs.
In comparison to the ravaged, battle-scarred terrain of its mainland neighbors, Chaladon’s fertile green landscapes represent a veritable paradise. An island of ebon volcanic rock thrusting up out of the turbulent Sea of Devils, divided from the mainland by the Black Channel and the Teeth, Chaladon boasts lush forests and wetlands, freshwater bays, abundant wildlife, and plenty of arable land. The earliest Chaladonians survived the Years of Red Death after the War as simple farmers, fishers, and hunters. The bounty of the land readily satisfied their most basic needs and in their free time they turned to contemplate the mysteries of the earth. They studied the stars and weather patterns to increase the yields of their harvests and built elaborate contraptions of wood, brick, and stone to improve their lives and lessen their labors.
When they first encountered the more advanced technology of the ancient world, brought by airship over the treacherous, impassible Channel, Chaladonian scientists devoured it eagerly, dissecting and cataloging each new piece of tech they came across to learn what it was, how it was made, and how it might be improved upon. The celebrated shipwright Isaac Phillips was able to reverse-engineer and construct the very first Chaladonian-built airship based solely on his observations of a visiting Baronies corvette that made port in his hometown of Itonia overnight, a feat for which he was later knighted by the City of Averna.
Although contact with the mainland brought conflict to the island’s once-peaceful shores, it also opened fruitful new trade routes, with Chaladonian foodstuffs and raw materials exchanged for the processed resources and manufactured parts that spurred new advancements in engineering and allowed Chaladonian technology to develop in leaps and bounds. The Order of Chaladon coalesced as the conduit and facilitator for this new activity, simultaneously a commercial and paramilitary organization regulating traffic with the outside world, and an academic club where new discoveries could be discussed and disseminated. Curiosity about what lay beyond the island’s shores quickly turned to horror at how poorly the rest of the world had fared since the War: returning travelers reported poverty, pollution, disease, and ecological destruction on an almost unimaginable scale. The Order today outfits a fleet of scientists, traders, and explorers tasked with going forth into the world and recovering lost technologies from the earth’s receding past. The Order seeks these artifacts so that they might be preserved, studied, and exploited to reverse centuries of damage and find a new way forward for all humankind.