GAITY (Kingdom of)
Location: Island in the Alatian Islands chain, west of Bellissaria, southeast of the Isle of Dawn. SD
Area: 16,960 sq. mi. (43,925 sq. km.).
Population: 1,000.
Languages: Alphatian (Alatian dialect).
Coinage: Alphatian Standard: crown (gp), mirror (sp), judge (cp).
Taxes: In Rainbow Park: 15% income tax on everyone of servant status or higher, and an import/export tax of 2% on magical items and components, and 1% on all other goods (Naycese kingdoms, Karameikos and Thyatis excluded). 10% of tax revenue goes to the Naycese treasury, and an additional 10% is spent on military forces in the name of the confederation.
Government Type: Monarchy, member of the Nayce.
Industries: Sparse agriculture and refugee camps (Rainbow Park).
Important Figures: No king at present. Hathaldrim (Alphatian Garrison Commander).
Flora and Fauna: The island has normal animals and plants found for lands of tropical plains, hills and forest (which are too numerous to all list here). Most of Gaity is wilderness, and almost any type of monster can be found here the recent escape of monsters from Gaity.
Further Reading: Dawn of the Emperors boxed set, previous almanacs.
Description by Festevanessendrama.
[The Thyatians evacuated the island during AC 1017, leaving it to the Nayce. Ed.]
The Land
After the wars and difficulties and appalling living conditions of Skyfyr, I was looking forward to returning home to Rainbow Park. Oh, I knew that things would be difficult, and braced myself for what I would find. But nothing in my imagination could prepare me for the reality, what damage those Thyatian barbarians had done, nor the additional ravages inflicted upon my once-beautiful island by the fiendish creature that spawned out of the pits of Aegos. Oh, I know they're saying that wasn't the Thyatians' fault, but I reserve my doubts! They might want to play down the involvement of the crude Thyatians in unleashing that unspeakable horror, for the sake of peace I suppose, but what other race of men would spawn such a destructive monstrosity?
Robber barons (crude Thyatians, of course) warred back and forth over the island, and though they were here only for a few years, being Thyatian barbarians they managed to destroy just about everything lovely during that span, and in their ignorance unleashed dangerous monsters that we had once kept under control in the park facilities. It's unconscionable, but what can one expect from such savages? The fact that this once beautifully maintained island could be described in previous almanacs [by Allstrick. Ed.] as "rather unimpressive" and consisting "mostly of rocky hills" is an indication of the damage those barbarians did during their occupation. If anything, things grew worse since his trip to Gaity, the landscape more blasted and despoiled, Rainbow Park more ruined and ransacked. Virtually everything of value that the barbarians didn't destroy they carried off with them when they left.
The People
Alas, though the recovery of the island has allowed us to start returning home, sufficient reconstruction funds have not been forthcoming from Nayce's government (they say they cannot afford more than token aid at the moment, due to other expenditures). Indeed, their has already been talk amongst the bureaucratic minds that run Nayce's government of imposing taxes on Rainbow Park's tourist trade when it is up and running again, but all this has done is kill any interest in investing in such a project. It is enough to make one weep. Right now our settlement in Rainbow Park is little more than a shantytown refugee camp and we are dependent upon food shipments from Bellissaria (the little aid that the government has provided us comes in this form). Some of the returnees have struck out for other parts of the island to see if they can find a more hopeful lot, but those have returned report only ruin and desolation. Therefore, most of us remain in the encampment, with a continuous trickle of refugees arriving from Esterhold, but at least regular food shipments also enter the port here.
The Thyatians at least left the island, though signs of their presence are everywhere-ravaged landscape, ruined fortresses. What they didn't destroy in their wars they finished off as they left the island, tumbling down the walls of their keeps and burning their homesteads, which were little more than ugly shacks anyhow.
Do Miss
There is little to see or do here, a far cry from the excitement and
wondrous entertaining variety that kept one's attention occupied in the past,
glorious days of Gaity. I may end up
moving to Bellissaria or even Torenal, when it is completed. I'm not sure I can bear living here too much
longer now; Gaity is no longer the place I once called home. They should rename it, Gloomity is more like
it. Dismal Park.