Ganden
| Known as | The Republic |
|---|---|
| Kind | Oligarchic republic |
| Seat | Ganden, in Zion |
| Chambers | Round Chamber (500 elected councillors), Square Chamber (48 lifetime members) |
| Currency | ORE |
| Founded | 3rd century AI |
| Patron | Saint Paulina |
Ganden is Mainframe's largest city and the chief victor of the Credit Revolution that shattered THALIT rule. Its oligarchic republic controls the Open Corridor and issues ORE, concentrating trade, manufacturing, and military power in the Square Chamber's noble and mercantile dynasties. It calls this prosperity and freedom; most residents will never qualify as citizens.
In the game
In the game the faction appears as the Ganden Republic. It is one of the two factions players can enlist with, and its home hub is Ganden. It is at war with the TZHAL Empire, which has invaded Greylock, a gate fort the Republic holds. See Faction war and Merits.
Founding
Ganden began in the third century AI when Acheron missionaries found a functioning terminal near the center of Zion. Tradition names their leader as Saint Paulina, now the city's patron. Its position drew caravans, pilgrims, nomads, and military expeditions, turning the settlement into Mainframe's largest city and an early center of manufacturing, banking, and long-distance trade.
Government
The Republic presents itself as a free city, but power belongs to a narrow alliance of old blood and new money. Five hundred elected councillors fill the Round Chamber, while the secret Square Chamber of forty-eight lifetime members—fleetmen, nobles, bank directors, manufacturers, and logists—must approve every decision. Only a fraction of residents qualify as citizens, and citizenship unlocks land ownership, voting rights, favorable taxes, and access to government.
Under THALIT
Ganden once led the Communal League against the expanding THALIT Union. After defeat, it capitulated and served as THALIT's capital for more than five centuries. The Union moved its Congress of Specialists and Applied Committees into the city, while the old TZHAL capital retained the fleet headquarters. That occupation left Ganden with powerful institutions, deep infrastructure, and a large population of TZHAL officials and officers that survived the regime change.
The Credit Revolution and after
The break came in 1510, when crushing corporate taxes and a sudden rise in state-bank loan rates triggered the Credit Revolution. Manufacturers, fleetmen, basmals, and neighboring cities joined the uprising. THALIT collapsed, and Ganden emerged with vast territories, Whitegate, and control of the Open Corridor. Today its Emission Chamber issues ORE, its fleets protect the routes, and its merchants dominate regional trade—while crime, corruption, factional rivalry, and the unfinished war with TZHAL threaten the republic it built.