Kasperia

Kasperia
Subdivision type:	Moorland Overseas Territory
Capital:	none
Population:	1,080
Largest Cities:	none
Local Leadership Title:	Commissioner
Local Government:	Witan
Current leader:	Jodie Baker
Local language:	East Moorland Dialect
Local Religion:	Church of the Holy Lance

Kasperia, is a small Antarctic territory located on the island of Hypernostria. It is part of the Moorland Antarctic Territory (officially part of the Moorland Overseas Territory), a research colony established to conduct scientific studies on the island. Located directly south of Beelandia, the territory is a frozen waste that is inhospitable to most life. The ruins of the Riponian city of Dyvelsten were discovered by the first expedition team who uncovered the ruins of the Kaspar Particle Accelerator there. Efforts to preserve, research and restore the accelerator to functionality led to the creation of the Kaspar Particle Accelerator Laboratory (KPAL). KPAL is a self-sustaining installation with a staff of just over one-thousand employees and military personnel. Kasperia has no permanent population or settlement, and staff at KPAL are transient. Governance is provided from the Commissioner of Beelandia but KPAL is managed by an appointed Director that oversees operations of the facility.

History

Like neighboring Beelandia, the first inhabitants of Kasperia were the nomadic Kaspiri tribes that migrated from Corum, likely pushed out of their traditional hunting grounds by Menelmacar. But while Beelandia was a coastal environment that could support some life, Kasperia had very little to offer the tribes-folk for survival. Surviving on polar bears, seals and whale hunting quickly brought the tribes to starvation and then conflict with those tribes who had more ample (albeit meager) resources along the coast. This was the death knell for the Kaspiri and they were all either killed or assimilated into other tribes. Kasperia would remain uninhabited until the arrival of Riponia and the construction of the Kaspar Particle Accelerator. The Riponians tried in vain to use the vast power of the accelerator to provide heat the city of Dyvelsten. The reactors had failed at some point - records remain unclear - but the loss of power and heat mean't a swift abandonment of Hypernostria and would leave the area uninhabited until the arrival of Moorland and the Kasperian Expedition. The creation of the laboratory at the ruins of Dyvelsten has been a major investment by Moorland and seen a return of a semi-permanent population to the area as they continue to research the reactor. Currently, the only population is staff at the lab, who endure the cold by using a combination of diesel generators and geothermal heat pumps in an enclosed environment.

Geography

Kasperia, located along the southern extremity of Hypernostria, is an arctic climate and as such is mostly frozen glacier with occasional outcroppings of exposed bedrock. The area around Dyvelsten is a series of jagged peaks that extend up through the pack ice and form a semi-circle that was ideal for the establishment of a base, as it somewhat protected the area from weather extremes. However, even this was not enough to keep the harsh weather at bay, even with the KPAL reactor at full functionality. The remainder of the region is no less harsh and is a frozen landscape inhospitable to all but the most hardy of life. Only the random polar bear or penguin make their home here. Nonetheless, the glacial pack ice is an important source of freshwater for the globe and is protected as a conservation area by Moorland.

Research

Kasperia has become the site of important nuclear science research. The discovery of the ruins of the Kaspar Particle Accelerator at Dyvelsten in 1731 prompted the creation of the conservation area and the development of a dedicated lab at the reactor. Now a military base that is supplied via Bee Haven, it is an enclosed community that is completely shielded from the Arctic weather while scientists work on repairing and researching the reactor and accelerator. Unlike other areas of Moorland, where a right to roam exists, Kasperia is strictly off-limits to anyone without security clearance. Outside of the base, the uninhabited regions are protected as natural conservation areas and also off-limits to interlopers.

Conservation

Kasperia is considered a fragile environment and susceptible to damage caused by humans. As such, the entire area is treated as a conservation district. The only human access to the area is from Beelandia to Dyvelsten, and the only human population is located at the ruins of the aforementioned city. Hunting and trapping are strictly prohibited, and human access is granted through a government application process. These applications are typically only for scientific research, most of which relate to work being done at KPAL.