Central Capital

Central Capital is the capital city of the continental country of Cardinal, on the Planet Earth. It is home to approximately 19.2 million people. Attitudes in the city tend towards cosmopolitan, though a city of its size, naturally, will hold citizens with attitudes widely varied from that.

Points of Interest

The Great Grove

The Great Grove is a 16 square-mile natural preserve that doubles as the city's main park. It sits in the exact middle of the grandiose city. It houses some of the oldest living trees in the world, and has some specially tamed wildlife that citizens would not be able to see up close safely in most situations, including dinosaurs and normally extremely timid creatures. The public is free to come and enjoy the place as they wish, so long as they do not spoil its purity.

Spoiling, after all, comes at a severe price. Punishments for littering can be years in prison, and anybody who willfully kills a creature on the premises could be on trial for their own execution. A specially trained grove preservation squad combs the entire park regularly, ensuring that the sanctuary is kept as pure as it was when it was established.

Aedificium Compassare

This is the government building, which sits in the centermost tip of the Northwest Sector of town. All legislation, both for the nation and for the city, occurs here. Many crucial records are stored here as well, both in paper and electronically in well protected servers. Its front resembles Roman architecture.

Korine Cardo Aula

This is the leading Kamist church of Cardinal (the Kamists are worshippers of the Kami, the Guardian of the Earth who presides in the lookout atop Korin's Tower). It's a very old building, considered to be one of the most beautifully decorated and built in the world. Its walls are host to some of the most legendary paintings of the revered historical artist, Mico Psykotico. Many major holiday masses are held by the Grand Cardinal, and are broadcast on TV from here, where tens of thousands show to worship and give thanks.

Player-Created Landmarks

• The Cardinalian Embassy of New Vegeta

Location / Regional Description

Central Capital actually lies, in spite of its name, considerably off point from the center of the continental country it represents. Its true position is several hundred miles northwest of that point.

As for the region that the city does inhabit, it is a place of endless, rolling, grassy plains, for the most part. There is a small mountainous region to the east, though it has no phenomenally high peaks. It does produce snow in the wintertime, however, so it provides a place for winter sport enthusiasts to gather.

Beyond the mountain range lies an enormous desert known only as the Great Desert, which stretches almost completely to the eastern reaches of the country, and much of the latitudal distance as well. It effectively comprises the mental picture that is summoned when people speak of "the East".

After a considerable distance to the north, one runs into an immense mountain range that borders much of the continent's northern shores. From those shores all the way to the city itself, a most peculiar seismic crack has formed over the eons, giving the city the unique title of being the only city where a river actually appears to originate (as opposed to a snow-capped mountain range).

The overall climate tends to be both rather warm in the summers and rather cold in the winters, producing sizable amounts of snow. Because the city is so immense, it is said that the western reaches always differ about 10 or 20 degrees Fahrenheit (5 or 10 celsius) from eastern parts, the latter being the colder half.

Population Breakdown

• 11.52 million Humans
• 7.3 million Demihumans
• 480 thousand aliens and members of foreign or rare species.

51% Female, 48.5% Male, 0.5% Neuter (such as Nameks)

Local Government

The majority of national decisions for the continental country of Cardinal are made by the Directional Council, which consists of four senior directors, four junior directors sometimes known as "Diagonals", and a Grand Cardinal, who actually only rarely makes appearances in council. The directors are elected, and the Grand Cardinal follows a monarchical family line.

The Council of Directions sits in session in the Aedificium Compassare. There are four large tables formed in a broad circle, and four smaller tables inside that circle, lined up so that their centers line up with the breaks between the outer tables. The Senior Directors sit at the outer tables with their advisors, and the junior directors sit at the inner tables by themselves. The Grand Cardinal, when present, stands in the center.

Generally, most issues are solved by majority vote in the Council. The Junior Directors get one vote each, and they each tend to highly specialize in one field of knowledge. The Senior Directors get two each and are more generalized in their knowledge, though they do have their biases and political affiliations. The Grand Cardinal only votes in event of a tie, but as such, with such a rather small number of decision makers, his tiebreaking vote becomes very frequently the landmark vote in many heated battles between opposing political wings.

The Grand Cardinal also serves as the religious leader of Cardinal, leading national masses during holidays on TV at the beautifully adorned Korine Cardo Aula church and speaking to mortals on the Kami's behalf much like the Pope does in reality. He is considered a man with great influence and power.

Local governing of Central Capital takes place in the same building and room as the national governing, only with different members. The Senior and Junior Directors become High and Low Counselors, and the Grand Cardinal's place is taken by the Chief Minister, who plays a part somewhat similar to a mayor outside of the mock Grand Cardinal role. Under that, there are various departments and bureaus for national and municipal organizations that go beyond necessary scope.

Overall, the people laud their government as one of the fairest and most balanced bodies of law in the world, even though rivalling politics often seem to upturn that belief.

Defenses

Central Capital boasts a strong, yet not that sizable, military presence in its midst.

History / Description

Central Capital is one of the largest cities in the world, and is the definitive cultural melting pot; Of all sentient races who live on or have visited Earth, at least one member of almost every one lives in Central Capital, though their species may be incognito. Almost any thinkable mix of breeding between known races exists here as well. The city is the capital of the country of Cardinal, which entirely encompasses what the World Empire used to be before the existence shift.

The city itself is so utterly enormous, due to the population level for their particular level of technology, that it had to be split into four sectors, which are on the verge of splitting into separate cities, and are only held together by high dependencies on other sectors. Each sector has specific industries or functions that it is vastly specialized in. The sectors are:

Northwest Sector - Government, Commerce, Residential (suburbs)
Southwest Sector - Airport, Seaport, Residential (urban and suburban)
Southeast Sector - Warehousing, Slums
Northeast Sector - Historical / Religious (inner sections), Industry

The technology of most of Cardinal is considered modern, with the exception of West City, where technology levels are slightly higher (see the West City city sheet). It is a very open nation to other cultures, and tries to promote trade with all its continental neighbors. Aside from the two major metropolises, Dozens of smaller cities and villages dot the landscape.