Volume VIII: Atlas — Chapter 9: Political Domains
"Borders are not walls. Borders are agreements. Eight domains divide the land, but they do not divide the sky." — Charter of the Council of Unity, +850 Y.E.
Related sections: → see [Volume III, Ch.05, "The 8 Domains"], → see [Volume II, Ch.11, "History of the Eight Domains"], → see [Volume I, Ch.13, "Continents"], → see [Volume III, Ch.02, "The Council of Unity"] Length: 15 pages
Introduction
The eight domains cover the entire territory of Théxar. The domain borders reflect historical, cultural, and economic differences formed over millennia. This chapter details the territorial structure described in → see [Volume III, Ch.05] and → see [Volume II, Ch.11].
9.1 Kharak-Thar (Domain of Light-River)
9.1.1 General Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Continent | Kharak (northeast) |
| Population | 480 million |
| Capital | Khar-Vexar (18.6 million) |
| Provinces | 18 |
| Districts | 240 |
| Founded | −7,800 Y.E. |
Geographical borders:
- North: the coast of the Serrin Sea (42°N – 62°N)
- South: the Thar River
- West: the Khar-Tor Ridge (foothills)
- East: the coast of the Thalas Ocean
Economic specialization: administrative center, science, high technology, education. Guild headquarters: Scholars, Keepers, Scribes.
Largest cities:
- Khar-Vexar — 18.6 million (capital of the Council of Unity)
- Ven-Khal — 4.2 million
- Thar-Deep — 2.8 million
9.2 Kharak-Tor (Domain of Light-Mountain)
9.2.1 General Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Continent | Kharak (center, west) |
| Population | 320 million |
| Capital | Khal-Ven (3.8 million) |
| Provinces | 12 |
| Founded | +120 Y.E. |
Geographical borders:
- North: the Serrin plateau
- South: the Shan Desert
- West: the Khar-Tor Ridge (crest)
- East: the Central Plain
Economic specialization: agriculture, thorium mining, metallurgy. Guild headquarters: Agriculturists, Miners.
Resources:
- Thorium (52% of planetary reserves)
- Iron (45%)
- Arable land (48% of Kharak)
9.3 Rhuval-Ven (Domain of People-Truth)
9.3.1 General Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Continent | Rhuval (north, center) |
| Population | 380 million |
| Capital | Ven-Khal (12.4 million) |
| Provinces | 14 |
| Founded | −750 Y.E. |
Geographical borders:
- North: the coast of the Thalas Ocean
- South: the Raal plateau
- West: the Irkhen Chain
- East: the Thash-Ven valley
Economic specialization: trade, ports, petrochemistry. Guild headquarters: Merchants, Navigators.
Largest ports:
- Ven-Khal — cargo turnover 2.4 billion ru/year
- Thash-Port — 1.2 billion ru/year
9.4 Rhuval-Irkhen (Domain of People-Fire)
9.4.1 General Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Continent | Rhuval (west) |
| Population | 240 million |
| Capital | Irkhen (8.2 million) |
| Provinces | 8 |
| Founded | +200 Y.E. |
Geographical borders:
- North: the Irkhen Chain (volcanic mountains)
- South: the Raal plateau (northern slope)
- West: the coast of the Gharra Ocean
- East: the inner plateau
Economic specialization: mining, heavy industry, military industry. Guild headquarters: Builders, Warriors, Engineers.
Resources:
- Platinum (48% of planetary reserves)
- Chromium (55%)
- Manganese (50%)
9.5 Vexar-Shan (Domain of Creator-Flame)
9.5.1 General Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Continent | Vexar (north) |
| Population | 310 million |
| Capital | Shan-En (7.8 million) |
| Provinces | 10 |
| Founded | +850 Y.E. |
Geographical borders:
- North: the coast of the Irkhen Sea
- South: the Sharrus Chain
- West: the Ven-Khal Strait
- East: the eastern coast
Economic specialization: high technology, quantum computing, biotechnology. Guild headquarters: Artists, Medics.
Feature: 15% of the territory — Zones of Silence (reserves, closed to construction).
9.6 Vexar-Mor (Domain of Creator-Time)
9.6.1 General Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Continent | Vexar (south, east) |
| Population | 190 million |
| Capital | Mor-Thal (4.2 million) |
| Provinces | 6 |
| Founded | +1,200 Y.E. |
Geographical borders:
- North: the Sharrus Chain
- South: the southern coast
- West: the mountain massif
- East: the eastern coast
Economic specialization: energy, the orbital elevator, REE mining.
Infrastructure:
- The "Khar-Tor" orbital elevator (+3,000 Y.E.)
- 12 thermonuclear reactors
- Receiving stations of orbital energy
9.7 The Island Domain (Domain of Waves)
9.7.1 General Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Continent | Archipelagos |
| Population | 280 million |
| Capital | Khal-Tor (Khal-Tor Island, 5.6 million) |
| Provinces | 4 |
| Founded | −5,000 Y.E. (the most ancient settlement) |
Largest islands:
- Khal-Tor
- Sha-Enn
- Serrin-Ur (reserve)
- The Irkhen Archipelago (24 islands)
Economic specialization: mariculture, tourism, deep-sea mining, intercontinental trade.
Feature: the Irkhen Archipelago is a cultural crossroads between Kharak and Rhuval, a disputed territory in antiquity.
9.8 The Polar Domain (Domain of Ice)
9.8.1 General Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Continent | Polar zones |
| Population | 12,000 (research stations) |
| Capital | Ven-Deep (North Pole, 8,000 people) |
| Provinces | 2 |
| Founded | +2,500 Y.E. |
Research stations:
- Ven-Deep (North Pole) — climatology, glaciology
- Khar-Ice (South Pole) — astronomy, geophysics
Economic specialization: scientific research, climate monitoring. The domain's budget — grant-based (1% of the planetary science budget).
Feature: the only domain without a permanent civilian population. The personnel works in shifts (3–12 months).
9.9 Representation in the Council of Unity
The distribution of seats in the Chamber of Regions (25 members):
| Domain | Seats | Population (million) |
|---|---|---|
| Kharak-Thar | 5 | 480 |
| Kharak-Tor | 4 | 320 |
| Rhuval-Ven | 4 | 380 |
| Rhuval-Irkhen | 3 | 240 |
| Vexar-Shan | 3 | 310 |
| Vexar-Mor | 2 | 190 |
| Island | 3 | 280 |
| Polar | 1 | 0.012 |
Principle: representation taking population into account, but no domain may have more than 5 seats (protection against domination).
9.10 Inter-Species Territories
Zones of joint habitation of the three sentient species:
| Territory | Domain | Species | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands of Khar-Tor | Kharak-Tor | Xha'Ruun, Kel'vash | Joint thorium mining |
| Raal plateau | Rhuval-Irkhen | Xha'Ruun, Kel'vash | Kel'vash — 12% of the population |
| Deep-water stations of Gharra | Island | Xha'Ruun, Moryn | Research bases |
Legal status: zones of inter-species consent (→ see [Volume I, Ch.40, "The Three Species of Théxar"]). Decisions require the approval of representatives of all species.
Chapter Summary
- Eight domains: 3 on Kharak, 2 on Rhuval, 2 on Vexar, 1 island, 1 polar.
- Total population — ~2.2 billion (Xha'ri-primary).
- Kharak-Thar is the largest domain (480 million), the Polar the smallest (12 thousand).
- Representation in the Council — 25 seats, distributed with population taken into account.
- Inter-species territories — zones of consent of the three sentient species.