Country Spotlight: Laejis
Laejis was once part of the much larger Xalethian region. Through most of the centuries before The Fall, this region was a scientific powerhouse. It was here that most of the planets in the local system were discovered and that plate tectonics were understood. Laejis itself was known for advances in biology, medicine, and engineering.
However, roughly 70 years prior to the disaster, Korilnes and Perses went through a conflict. Korilnes, more deeply spiritual in its government structure, decided the best way to handle the situation would be to sway the Xalethian region to their favor by introducing religious extremists and enabling them to rise to power.
This backfired terribly. It destroyed the economy of all countries in the area, and several started wars with not only Korilnes, but any country the extremists saw as being "weaker" in their religion.
The citizens were highly displeased and resisted the changes. However, the new government was not above instating a death penalty for what they saw as blasphemy. It attacked its own citizens openly and willingly.
Ironically, this recent history of war and internal destruction is what enabled Laejis to be the closest country to the crater to partially survive. Because war was an expected constant, most homes were fitted with basement survival bunkers. Although most were not built well enough to survive the blast, those owned by the wealthiest citizens and many of those installed in the original Trenzmorf Institute's global aid programs remained solid - and thanks to the early civilian warning system, many of those who did not trust their own had time to join a wealthier friend or family member in theirs. Meanwhile, most of the religious extremists were killed in the blast, having chosen to stay above ground for believing that their faith would protect them.
The sentiments surrounding this twist are mixed. Some, mostly the younger generation, feel an ironic sense of gratefulness for the situation (though it does not extend to the people who caused it), while the older generations still believe it may have been better if they all had simply died. The current overall sentiment toward Korilnes's government is resentful, but peaceful - although with competition over energy produced by Laejis's new orbital tower, the situation is growing more tense. They currently have a weak alliance with Morenia, though neither really trusts the other.
The country and its tower are currently protected from residual radiation by a series of strong electromagnets which create a miniature magnetosphere. Although it does not block all radiation, it does minimize what reaches populated areas. Citizens and visitors are all given special medical treatment in order to prevent complications. Many humans with magical ability come from this region, lending some support to the hypothesis that the emerging magical presence in the world is a result of the bombing and resulting events, though no physical difference has been found between those with and without magical ability even within the same region.
