This is a draft copy of thematic information!
City History #
Canal City was founded about 500 years ago, by the group of Pokemorphs who left the surface to live underground. This group of Pokemorphs were led by a leader so charismatic that followers were considered cult-like.
But he wasn’t popular due to underhanded manipulation: a lot of his beliefs that he shared and promoted were very popular among everybody, especially due to the circumstances that led to the Pokemorphs living underground.
Many of his beliefs stem from this core concept: all people desire to do good and are inherently good people. However, people are also inherently flawed. Problems are not solved by getting rid of bad people or fighting until the bad people go away, but with great empathy and unity, even if it doesn’t benefit you.
Although many of this very early history has long been forgotten, the tenets have been passed down. The most important is because people are inherently good, charity must be treasured above all else. Not only to be good, but to help others improve their well being so they don’t succumb to their flaws. There’s also many other core philosophies about forgiveness and mercy throughout.
These philosophies have led Canal City to prefer exiling Pokemorphs over the years instead of execution, prison, or forced labour. Many of these exiles ended up being the ancestors of many living in Scrap Town, Basalt City, and other towns today.
Over time, the philosophy as become twisted as Canal City became hierarchial. Nobles are “less flawed” than to commons which justifies they’re power, but flawed enough that commonors are expected to unconditionally forgive any grievances they may have. They also justify their power saying them giving everyone education, food, and employment is charitable, and citizens are expected to work hard in turn to be good.
The cultural of charity is still alive and well despite that. The guild’s success mostly comes from successfully appealing to the heartstrings of the right nobels of Canal City, namely by showing how much they’re improving the citizen and their lives. Many join the guild with this selfless spirit they were taught to embrace, some possibly in spite of the noble’s views of kindness. In fact, even the guild itself was inspired by returning to the core roots of these altruistic views.
There’s one other tenet that has also been passed down Canal City’s history: an aversion to human artifacts. It is unsure why this came to be, but to this day, Canal City’s central government - an organization that even many nobles aren’t privy too - care very much about upholding this belief.
Social Life #
Canal City is a city defined by order, defined boundaries, and, unfortunately, classism. The nobles, the most powerful and wealthy of the city, outright live completely segregated from the common citizen by the reservoir. The commercial and civil services make a ring around the reservoir from the east, forming that boundary. Among the citizens, they live in clearly defined districts where wealth gets you closer to the center of the city. The absolute poorest wretches symbolize this divide the worse: forced by circumstance to live in the outskirts of the city with the very infrastructure designed so many don’t even notice their plight. In a city built on charity, the cognitive dissonance of wealth inequality is resolved by simply making the poor invisible.
Despite that impression, Canal City isn’t snoresville when it comes to actual social life and entertainment. Down Canal is where most of the action happens, famous for its cafes. With the variety of brews of mushroom coffee, they create a nexus where normally segregated classes intermingle and discuss news, philosophy, and even radical ideas. It’s also a common for some to take their drinks and see the public performance arts that often play there. Even deeper in the metaphorical underground is the art scene that even outright values chaos in defiance to the city, constantly seeking the latest in the avant garde.
The rest of the city in comparison is a bit more quiet and mundane. The shopping districts themselves have a consumerist atmosphere to them and tend to attract the most tourism. Up Canal is in a way a polar opposite to down canal: A quiet, peaceful waterway overlooking the beautiful cavern farms Canal City supports. A great place to crack open a book, or simply contemplate life.
Politics #
Politics in Canal City is an oligarchical system: citizens for the most part see it as just another part of life they have no agency in. The main legislature and executive powers are outright a black box that enact new laws in complete shadows, usually in benefit of the nobles. The only concrete good thing that can be said about them is that their original directive is uncorrupted: even the nobles are banned from accessing human technology and they enforce the ban with prejudice.
The Justice system, on the other hand, is surprisingly meritocratic and egalitarian. The system is an adversarial system with no jury: while the two parties argue their case, the judge makes the ultimate decision on the interpretation of law. Said judge’s appointment is made within the justice system based on their ability as a lawyer previously, and the tradition is strong enough to repel any attempts of outside bribery or coercion. The nobles can simply hire the best lawyers, but even the poorest can have their day in court if they prove themselves of wit and have the facts on their side.
Economy #
Canal City’s main export is its agriculture, supplemented by the plentiful water that makes its namesake. Much of the underworld is dependent on it for basic survival, as the existence of other settlements is only even possible with modern technology preventing the failed harvests of the past. Said technology is also built in Canal city with a small industrial base, and in general Canal City is a very self-sufficient city outside of its focus. It’s history as the first city, and for a long time the only city, necessitated it. Its picturesque sights also make it a prime destination for tourism (Of the family friendly variety, compared to its major competitor Basalt City).
This prosperity also allowed Canal City to maintain a very robust civil service in adequate police forces, fire control, water/electrical infrastructure, garbage disposal, etc. All of which paid for via VAT taxes applied on goods produced, manufactured, and consumed within the city. It’s even enough to fund the city’s pride: Canal City University or CCU as the locals call it. Being the oldest education institution in the Underworld and founded by one of Dr Canal’s colleagues Dr Grunwald, It used to be the original golden child of noble charity in the past. With its needs fully met by the city budget and the rise of the guild, direct charity to the University has become a rarity only done by nobles with an education background.
Religion #
Unknown to most Pokemorphs, the early philosophies of Canal City has have some overlap. However, the religious aspects have long been lost. The philosophies are taught because the nobles and government insist this is how to be a better person without vouching a higher purpose to these duties.
In fact, the concept of religion is unknown in the underground as a whole. The closest is an understanding that humans played with dark, evil magic which was a factor in why the world is underground. Beyond that, Pokemorphs don’t think there are theoretical higher beings that make decisions and they must appeal to.
It’s not that the idea of religion can be introduced. After a catastrophic war, growing crime, old ways being shaken up, and distrust among nobles, the potential for an alternative answer to life is ripe.
(Note: I might move this section to somewhere else, possibly Major CIty overview which I’ll revamp into a “broad society overview”)
Military #
At one point, Canal City was the only population in the Underworld, and didn’t have to concern itself with defending sovereignty. Therefore, the military that developed in Canal City isn’t fully comparable to a modern military.
What Canal City does have is a security force, which acts as a deterrent to crime and as emergency respondant. This applies to both city security and farmland security - after all, thieving has been common throughout the years due to ever-present food supply issues. Although there is understanding that work in both these areas are distinct, they’re organized as one force.
When Canal City and the rest of the underworld went to war, they expanded the security force rapidly who then acted as soldiers. After all, the war was faught over control of the farms, and farm security was this force’s responsibility.
After the war ended, the security force has shrunk due to peacetime, although remains large due to the enlarged presence of Rogue Morphs. Training in the security force can be militaristic at times, especially as Canal City anticipates the possibility of the future war. But overall, both the “police” and “military” are mixed together under the banner of security.