Gemenese Culture (As Established In-Game)
Several of the game's characters are from Gemenon. As such, this page has been established as sort of a meeting point for all the various cultures of the planet, both as a resource for new players and for the purposes of all players to keep track of the details that have been played.
Gemenon, like the other Colonies, is a big world. Just like Earth, it has numerous subcultures. Below are some locations described in-game, followed by a section on the subcultures on a by player basis.
Gemenon, The Twin Colony
Gemenon is not a unified colony by any means. With three major continents surrounding a small central continent, there was plenty of room for tensions to arise on the planet. Legally, the colony is divided into sixteen city-states and their holdings, together as a loose confederation under the Gemenese Council of Elders. Politically, the colony has a deep rift between the conservative North and the more liberal South. Religion is a major part of the Gemenese way of life, and interpretations of the vague portions of the Sacred Scrolls have frequently led to bloody conflict between city-states. The colony has lagged behind some of the others due to this focus on internal strife rather than the good of the colony as a whole. (Selene)
The Western Divide
On the Western Continent, the division as is seen in Gemenese culture has taken a sharper turn. The small local government, while keeping in step with the Council of Elders, has long since practiced a cultural separateness between those of "Northern" descent, and "Southern" Descent. As such there are North only settlements and cities, which come with greater privileges to proven blood families, where as the southern families are treated like chattel. This Apartheid has been long in effect-and often the authorities in Alexandria get a lot of flak from the rest of the colony for their laws. Needless to say this is considered the poorer and more backwater area of the Twin Colony. The local dialect seems to be a hodgepodge language taken from the Colonial standard with bits of "Gemenese" and slang worked in. This is comparable to our own earth's Afrikaans, and South Africa regions. Major cities include: Alexandria, Carthage, and Rustenburg. (Fiver)
Cities of Gemenon
Aquila
The southernmost "Northern" city, both geographically and politically, Aquila was the home of the Kobol Colleges, and a major center of learning. The largest and grandest temples on the planet - and perhaps in all of the twelve colonies - were located here in the City of the Lords, on a hill in the center of the city. The City of the Lords, the College District, and the Merchant's Quarter formed three of the five richest areas on the colony. (Selene)
Daiasi
Once a backwater coastal harbor town on the central continent, Daiasi was skyrocketed to prominence when the Daiasi Treaty was signed, forming the Council of Elders and paving the road for a modicum of peace on the planet. Selene Daiasu's surname comes from this city, though she herself does not. The temples here were the most prestigious on the planet, de jure, but the Aquilan temples were grander and more widely known. The New City, where the government buildings and temples are located, was among the richest parts of the planet. Daiasi tended to be a moderate place, and was generally agreed upon as neutral ground, even between warring cities. (Selene)
Delos
Delos, the southern spaceport, was a city of stark contrasts. The Winged Quarter housed landing platforms and cargo yards, handling 80% of all traffic in or out of the colony, and was never quiet at any time. The Old Quarter was a place of comfortable living for the middle classes, and also a commercial center. The Gilded Quarter was a quiet and peaceful place, far from the conflict with other city-states, and was hands-down the richest part of Gemenon. In contrast, the far larger Mud Quarter was the common image of the colony. The Mud Quarter was a place of extreme poverty, filth, and lawlessness, bombed out from repeated wars and never repaired. Most of those who lived here struggled to survive, and a hatred towards the Gilded Quarter was common. (Selene)
Lyri
Lyri, the northern jewel, was the largest city on the northeast continent, and by far the most conservative of the large cities. The Lyran priests were well known for their "divine retribution" sermons, and caught a lot of flak for claiming that the First Cylon War was divine punishment for attempting to play gods. Though the First Cylon War brought an end to Gemenon's internal warring, Lyri was responsible for many of those original wars. (Selene)
Arena
A seaport on the westernmost edge of the central continent, Arena is most notable as home of the House of War, the largest and most ornate temple to Ares to be found anywhere in the Twelve Colonies. The priests and priestesses of the House of War were also the caretakers of the Cult of Ares, a splinter group that held that there was no greater service to the Lords of Kobol than to die in righteous battle. Often standing against Lyri in the various intra-planetary wars before the first Cylon War, the Priests of Ares declared the Cylons an abomination and called for all of their children to enter the war effort. In a mere manner of years, the line of the cult of Ares changed… there was no greater service to the Gods than to die in battle serving the Colonial Military. (Sparro)
