GASLIGHT Quazistan primer

A Quazistan Primer

 Welcome to Quazistan.

A distant land that should have been…

Quazistan is a continent located in the Indian Ocean. It has a long and varied past, some of it good and some not so good.

At one time an ancient race of people lived here. They had been rumored to have had magnificent devices and a strange sort of technology that made them the rulers of the entire region. Not much is known about this race of people but legions say they became mad with power and corruption. They began to fight amongst themselves and soon everything was lost. A mass exodus ensued by the survivors too the many colonies they had built on the continents of Asia and Africa.

Centuries past and the Quazistani refugees melded into the local populace erasing all former ties to their homeland. As time past many kingdoms in the region began to colonize the “Lost World” of Quazistan. Eventually these colonies became independent states and severed ties with their Kingdoms that sent them.

Much of Quazistan is similar in topography to parts of Africa, Arabia, India, and southern Asia. The western most part is very similar to the coast of West Africa. The northwest parts are dry and arid as is the north west coast of upper Africa and Arabia. The eastern coast, both upper and lower are very similar to the jungles of lower India and Asia. The terrain is mainly flat nearer the coastal areas progressing too rolling hills and low mountains the closer towards the middle one goes. The center of the continent is rumored to be mountainous but no expedition has ever returned to tell what are in the center most lands.

All of the major powers of Europe have holdings in Quazistan at this point. Germany, Briton, Belgium, France, Russia, and even the U.S.A. have a presence. The majority of these nations all back one or more of the local tribal rulers or Kings. They are allowed to stay as long as the Quazistani leaders are well compensated, usually to the detriment of their own people.

The British have the largest claim by far due to their ease of supply from India and their control of the Suez Canal.

Germany also has an advantage due to the holdings in east Africa.

The United States of America had been through a civil war just prior to the game setting. The major difference in this reality is that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated before the end of the war causing great resentment in the north so when General Lee surrendered the south was treated with a harshness that made reunification nearly impossible.

Many of the southern troops have been fighting an on going guerrilla war against the north for years. Several armies escaped and are in hiding on the many Caribbean islands waiting for a chance to start the war all over again.

Being situated in an “alternate universe” it is assumed that time lines are similar but there are some notable differences. This game takes place sometime between 1870 and 1900. There is no real linear technical progression to speak of for example many vehicles may be steam powered but it is possible that they will be operating along side electric and gasoline or oil powered vehicles since most of these vehicles are one of a kind or built in small numbers by individual inventors.

It is a time of fantastic inventions both civil and military. For example Baron Von Zeppelin has not only built working lighter than air flying machines he has also developed a system that increases the lifting capabilities of hydrogen gas by infusing it with negatively charged magnetic particles that repel gravity.

Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla are both developing electric tanks for the United States. Nikola Tesla is working on an alternating current one and Edison is working on a direct current version with one major drawback. The Edison tank is forced to trail long electrical cords that are attached to a mobile generator. The Tesla vehicle operates via an electric current transmitted through the airways that is picked up by two receiving antenna. A better design in general but the crew must shut off the power before exiting the tank or risk being electrocuted.

The English are finalizing their newest airship design that uses a top secret method of lifting the craft vertically allowing the vessel to be propelled forward and backward by the use of gasoline powered engines that drive large propellers.

Other scientific marvels are also in development some with disastrous results such as the famous Spanish scientist Doctor Diablos. He had been working on making animals larger in an effort to feed the growing population of the world. He was successful but was not able to control his monstrosities that broke free and reeked havoc in Barcelona. He has since moved his laboratory to an island just south of Quazistan so he may continue his experiments in an effort to prove to the world his theories are sound.

 

If you have enjoyed these stories please check out my first all original book series at Amazon.com. The title is Beyond the Crystal Heaven.

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Last Updated (Tuesday, 10 September 2013 01:35)