The Cadogan Guide To Voxtavia

Rhothaerill · December 23, 2003, 18:43

The Cadogan Guide To Voxtavia

The New Voice

Upon first glance it would appear to an observer that The New Voice is a city unfit to be named capitol of a great nation. Originally a Voxian refugee camp in the latter days of the Estonia/Stormia war, The New Voice is a young city. The capitol cities of the other great nations of the world are literally thousands of years old and steeped in long histories of wars, betrayals, and governmental coups. The New Voice, by contrast, is barely five centuries old.

The New Voice is situated in The Vale of Soft Voices, surrounded by the high mountains of The Peaks of Everlast at the center of Voxtavia. Travel to The New Voice is not easy as there are but two passages into and out of the vale. In the early days on Voxtavia, barbarous bandits roamed the mountains and threatened all travelers to and from the Vale. One last task remained for the remnants of the Voxian army to extinguish these bandits to allow for the lengthy construction of roads through the mountain passes. The way is perilous as the first roads were hewn literally through the rock of the craggy foothills of the Peaks of Everlast. But they are now safe, even for the many caravans that now ply the north pass to Renewal for transport to nations beyond.

Once you make your way through one of the passes you are greeted with a truly breathtaking sight. Surrounded by the often snow-capped tips of the Peaks of Everlast, The Vale of Soft Voices is a haven of calm. The storms that rage from the north to feed the fertile grasslands of Hope and provide the deep snow packs for the skiers of Renewal and Resurrection often expend themselves fully before reaching The Vale of Soft Voices. Enough moisture still feeds the Vale to give the look of a verdant land without suffering the fury of the northern storms. The sun shines down upon the high Vale and reflects off the snow of the Peaks of Everlast to give the entire Vale a radiant glow as if kissed by the sun.

If you have seen the other cities of Voxtavia, then you will be surprised at the look of The New Voice as you approach. Unlike the other cities, The New Voice has an angular and blocky feel to it, reminiscent of the great Lego cities of the south. For indeed The New Voice was built by the Legos themselves. In the midst of the great Voxodus five centuries ago the friendly Lego Builders built for the nation of Vox Controli this city as a meeting place and home for the citizens during the construction of their new cities and safe roads to those cities.

Unlike the ancient Estonian cities that were designed with war in mind, The New Voice is laid out in perfect concentric circles as befits the orderly minds of the Legos and their desire of peace for Voxians. Predicting the eventual needs of the Voxians, the exact center of the city was reserved by the Legos for trade. So the tale goes, the Legos predicted that one day those of Vox Controli would give up their warlike ways and become peaceful traders, interested in commerce and research. How right they were as with the opening of the Voxian borders the centralized One Bazaar teems with traders from other lands seeking the wares of Voxtavia. Once a barren stretch of land, The One Bazaar is now home to all manner of merchants offering goods never before seen outside the lands of Voxtavia, and their counterparts offering to Voxians items from other lands. All day and long into the night, one can travel to the One Bazaar and hear the many merchants hawking their wares for this is truly the loudest area of The New Voice.

Encircling the One Bazaar is the newly named Foreign Ring. Home to many newly built inns and taverns that cater almost exclusively to merchants from other nations, the Foreign Ring is also home to new forms of entertainment the world has discovered and recently brought to Voxtavia. The Voxians of the past centuries have not known the term ‘night-life’ as other nations know it, but this new element is slowly being introduced back into Voxian vocabulary. Most citizens still stay in their homes at night, but there is a growing contingent of young citizens that are joining in the various games the night-life has to offer such as chicken racing. It is technically illegal, but it has created a strong following and the city watch has not been overly diligent in stamping it out…probably because many of them enjoy chicken racing as well.

Standing close to an outcropping of the Peaks of Everlast, and far from noise of the One Bazaar, stands the most important historical structure of The New Voice, one that was built with the distinctive style carried by the Voxian refugees from their former homes on Estonia. When the last refugees of Estonia prepared for the journey to this new land, of paramount importance were the histories and teachings of their ancestors. The Voxian Chronicles wove in great detail the long and storied history of the nation of Vox Controli. Included were the many great feats of discovery and research, the sad saga of the nation of Lux Invicta, and even tales of war with Gathering Storm. Above all else, these were saved and passed on to the descendants of Vox Controli. They now rest in a place of honor inside The Library of Eternity where all can go to view copies of this great literary work and all others brought over from Estonia many years ago. Even as I speak, scribes work diligently to copy these works for greater distribution to the other cities of Voxtavia for the new generation hungers for the knowledge their ancestors knew, the better to prepare themselves to lead the way in the future. The Library of Eternity is truly an amazing structure, built with loving care by our ancestors to house the one gift they still had left to give us.

And that brings us to the last stop on our tour, the palace of The One. The first stones of the palace were laid down by the Legos who built The New Voice, but the palace has been completed and expanded with the unique building style that is inherently Voxian. The office of The One is stark and austere, as befits the leader of a stark nation. The only ornamentation beyond his desk and chair is a shelf upon which sits a 400 year old bottle of Dom Zenignon 10bc, a gift from the Glory of War upon arriving in Voxtavia. It is from here that The One lays down his policies for the future growth of the nation.

And grow the nation has done. Exiled from the shores of Estonia after the failed war, the nation of Vox Controli has survived and even thrived in its new land. Faced with life on a rock, or no life at all, Vox Controli has chosen life. From its beginning days as a refugee camp to become the capitol of a young and thriving nation, The New Voice has withstood the test of time. Its people are hardy and consider mountain climbing and skiing the snowy slopes of the Peaks of Everlast near Renewal and Resurrection to be both their pastimes and their luxuries. The citizens of The New Voice are not as vocal a people as they once were in the old homeland, but they are content with their lives they now know. Peace and a fresh start have led to burgeoning prosperity for The New Voice and all of Voxtavia. Taking their example from the Legos that built the city and remained behind to join with the Voxian settlers, they go about their lives with a diligence, determined not to waste the second chance and the time given to them. Remaining neutral in the affairs of the world after a long history of war and bloodshed has changed the mind-set of the citizens of Voxtavia to one of peace and, with the opening of trade routes, commerce. If any city could, The New Voice reflects this newfound outlook on life by the citizens. Perhaps The New Voice will never compete with the ancient and grand cities of other nations, but for the people of Vox Controli, it is home.

Coming soon: Renewal and Panama Vox

Beta · December 25, 2003, 13:51

The Cadogan Guide to Voxtavia

Panama Vox

Being one of the youngest cities of a young land is not much of a claim to fame. However, being the warmest in a generally cold climate is. And that brings us to Panama Vox. The city of warmth, the city of fun ... and the city of scientific research??

Yes, Panama Vox is a bit of a paradox. It was the last city settled in the Great Voxian Resettlement. It is situated on a desert penisula, with ocean on two sides, and is in fact, the closest city to our friends the Legolanders. What is most immediately striking to the traveller is the climate. As you descend from the cool, temperate conditions of the mountains around Phoenix, you cannot help but be taken aback by the warmth and dryness of the desert. But the nation's planners wisely put Panama Vox on the coast - so the heat is tempered by the cooling breezes of the sea.

The architecture, although Voxian in style, is very much adapted to the different climate. One story dwellings are the norm, with open verandas, and in fact, many have windows open to the warmth of the day, and cool evening breezes. Panama Vox has been described as "The City of Cottages". There is little in the way of government buildings, cultural sites, or other improvements in Vox.

So, why come here at all you ask? Because Panama Vox rocks! That's why. It has the highest ratio of bars and nightclubs to population of any city in Voxtavia, and is one of the most popular vacation destinations. The beaches are spectacular, and one would never believe the spartan history of the Voxians given the lax, actually non-existent, dress code at all beaches. Refreshment kiosks are everywhere, and city by-laws allow drinks to be served at any time of day or night. In fact, I have heard many visitors complain that they are exhausted after just two days in PeeVee, as it is commonly known. Pacing oneself is key to enjoying all the pleasures that Panama Vox has to offer.

Despite its closeness to Lego, few Legolanders actually make the trip north to Panama Vox. A recent survey sponsored by the Voxian Tourism Ministry revealed that PeeVee is just a little too much for your average Lego to take: an entire city dedicated to fun, and which in its entire history, has never grown in size or built anything. The survey concluded that Legolanders just don't 'get' Panama Vox.

The tourism survey also tweaked the interest of the Voxian Senate, and perhaps Senator Wittlich put it best during the senate discussion when he stated "Perhaps a civilization has to have a near-death experience before it can really learn how to enjoy itself." Although never publicly acknowledged, apparently he then added "Party on, dudes."

However, the loss of tourism revenue is considered serious enough by the Voxian Government that an entirely new coastal city is scheduled to be built in the more traditional style. In fact, as this chapter of the guide goes to press, Voxian state officials have indicated that the team of settlers, urban planners, and construction engineers are already en-route to the site. Initial plans show a city laid out in the square-grid pattern much in use in Lego, and with blocky-style architecture that will make any Legolander feel right at home for his or her two week stay. We hope to have more on thie new city in a future version of this guide.

So - did someone say - Panama Vox, paradox. What paradox? Well, here's the thing. PeeVee, in addition to being party central, is also the leading scientific research centre in Voxtavia. How so, you ask. Well, in the early days of the resettlement, there was little infrastructure across all of Voxtavia. Scientists were working with what material they had brought with them from Estonia. Scientific research slowed considerably, and in the dfficult terrain and climates of many settlements, was near impossible.

The establishment of Panama Vox became the gathering point for the scientific minds of Vox Controli. It is rumored that three of our leading scientists met in a bar quite by accident one night, got extremely drunk, and decided to stay in town. There is also the local legend that a scuffle in the bar that night led to THE broken piano, and one of the inebriated scientists lying in the broken workings of the piano and coming up with an idea for something called the printing press.

Whether this is true or not, the broken piano still stands proudly in the corner of the PeeVee Scientists Club Bar, and in fact, the scientific community of Panama Vox is very near to completing the world's first working printing press. The PVPP company has its construction facilities just north of town. You can see them from the road leading back to Phoenix, but they are not open to the public until research is finalized.

Interest has been expressed far and wide in the world community for this technology, and PeeVee can be proud that it is producing it. It has taken a long time, and although some would suggest the lack of a library hindered the research, the scientists argue that they liked not being shackled by existing thinking. The average bar owner in PeeVeew will tell you privately that the machine would have been built ages ago if the scientists in fact did live "elsewhere".

So, that is the story of Panama Vox. It is a town not to be missed, and to be enjoyed to its fullest. Expect to let your hair down when you are here. Accomodation, food, and drinks are all very reasonably priced. Your length of stay will only be limited by your appetite for fun, and of course, your stamina.