Few places could outclass Li Anqui, the once proud capital of Great Xi Lan.
It straddled the thin isthmus that binds the western and eastern halves of Yani, the largest island of the Xi Lanic archipelago. Equal parts metropolis and melting pot of the Old World, its remoteness spared it from many of the horrors of recent centuries.
The heart of a nation that fetishized neutrality, Li Anqui became an unlikely favorite for international organizations and money launderers alike. Where else could one tour ancient ruins of the Ni'uats, attend a conference on arms reduction, and fund international terror cells, all within walking distance of one's hotel?
The past was never too far from the minds of those across Xi Lan. Though considerably modernized, complete with elected officials and constitutional law, the nation remained beholden to the will of thirteen families, each heading a Chartered Estate, immensely influential monopolies created in the aftermath of the Milito en la Ĉielo. Viewed by many as an overt revival of the feudal systems of the ancient colonial project, reform movements repeatedly ran into the unshakable will of the Charters. When the passage of token legislation failed to contain one movement or another, the Charters had no issue with deploying paramilitary organizations to ensure that organized opposition would fail to materialize.
Toward the end of the Serene Century, the Charters finally met their match. A new kind of radicalism festered amongst the discontented masses. They found a face, and promptly tore their islands apart in her name.
One has to wonder if she meant for that to happen.