Ellesborg: Difference between revisions
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Despite the actions of its citizens, the Kingdom had historically sought to avoid entanglements in Arcturia, both due to the logistical challenges and out of fears of running afoul of the spheres of influence that had already been established by other powers. However, this time the Cryrian government was led by Prime Minister Ingvar Aberg, who had close financial and familial connections to the EMC, as well as colonial ambitions for his country. Aberg would prove to be a friendly ear for the Cooperative, and would arrange for a small expedition to be sent to secure Ellesborg. In exchange, the EMC agreed to transfer its governing mandate over the territory to the Crown, allowing Arberg to present Ellesborg as a Cryrian possession and thus a matter of national pride. While the Ellesborg Uprising would be quashed, Arberg's death the following year would effectively end any real interest the Cryrian government may have had in Ellesborg. While it nominally retained the mandate, much of the day to day governance would once again revert to the EMC's control.
This state of affairs would effectively continue for the remainder of the century and through the turmoil of the Cryrian Anarchy. With the formation of the Union of Free Cities, Ellesborg would become an area of shared sovereignty between Cryria and the UFC, though for the most part the Cryrian side of affairs would be effectively run by the EMC. By this time, the mines had practically run dry, but the Mandate's unique legal status would offer new routes to prosperity. Exempt from many of the regulations of normal Cryrian life yet still maintaining full and direct access to the Cryrian system, Ellesborg would transform itself into a tax haven, becoming an important financial hub for the ever more notoriously secretive Cryrian banking system. Loose restrictions and frequent visits from the wealthy allowed for the development of a thriving gambling industry as well, and the city would go from a mining town to a resort town.
The EMC remains headquartered in Ellesborg, though its assets in the territory now consist of several large casinos and hotels. Severe social and income inequalities, both legacies of the city's colonial past, continue to persist, and native Zapolese make up a large underclass beneath a wealthy Cryrian-descended elite.
== Government ==
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