Zuviev Estate

Geography

The Zuviev Estate occupies about a thousand square kilometres by the waters of the Eilyat Sea, to the west of Elibyrge Core on the continent Sabtah on Cadiz. It covers about 50km of coastline and extends about 20km inland to an otherwise undistinguished boundary with the inland House Basque estate of Ansoain. To the north is Odieta, the major port of Elibyrge on the Eilyat Sea. To the south are a string of undistinguished fishing villages administered by the Cathedral.

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Zuviev Estate enjoys a moderate, maritime climate. It is well-watered thanks to the interaction of cold air blowing down from inland ranges and the relatively warm, moist air over the Eilyat Sea. Two sizeable rivers, the Atez and the Morenyin, empty into the sea here through an extensive tidal marsh. Their estuaries were regularised during the Second Republic and a network of canals radiate out through the estate from them. With the collapse of the Vau Embassy maintenance of the canals was neglected. The marsh has largely returned, and the majority of the smaller canals are blocked and silted up by a species of bio-engineered mangrove.

Inland the feral vegetation of choice is so-called Builders Bamboo, a quick-growing cultivar prized for its vigorous growth, strong, straight stems up to 20m tall, and quick regrowth after harvest. In short, it's almost impossible to clear out. Thankfully, it only spreads slowly by rhizomes. The bamboo overgrowth provides thick cover for wild water buffalo, myriads of birds, and the notorious Elibyrge tigers: large hunting cats descended from zoo escapees.

The bamboo also shields isolated pockets of native trees such as silkleaves, szatulies and greenwoods.

Second-Republic era ruins are common in the estate, as it was originally intended to be a coastal resort for the diplomats of Elibyrge, a place of fine hotels, nightclubs, restaurants and diverse entertainments. All that remains of this infrastructure are great rotting cityplexes of stained maxicrete that jut out of the flat marshes and loom over the brackish main canals. They have been largely stripped of furnishings but groups of Scraver-affiliated reclaimers still mine for metal piping, fibre-optic cables and the like.

Community

The towns of Sailmaker Beach (pop. 50,000), Crimea (pop. 15,000) and Alushta (pop. 7,000) hold the majority of the estate's population. Sailmaker Beach is the administrative capital. The Zuviev family's own manse, Feodosiya, is immediately to its north. About another 30,000 people live in small settlements through the estate, as well as 300 Hironem in two reservations, both near Sailmaker Beach.

The serfs of Zuviev Estate are descended from the Nasrid branch of House Gloucester and Second Republic guest workers brought to Cadiz to construct the embassy. After a few disturbances when the estate was transferred from House Basque to House Decados, the estate has been tranquil. The Jakovian Agency rates the Zuviev serfs' Loyalty Index as 7 (moderate-high); their Integration Index as 5 (moderate); their Urbanity Index as 6 (moderate); their Productivity index as 4 (low-moderate); and their Technological Index at 3.5 (Industrial-age primary producers with access to advanced medical care).

The Church in Zuviev is predominantly Urth Orthodox with a significant community of Amaltheans, including a large hospice offering abundant medical care. Temple Avesti has sent numerous missions into the Estate, possibly in response to the decadent reputation of the Zuvievs, but has not managed to establish a constant presence. The cathedral of Sailmakers Beach includes a fine icon of Saint Hombor the Beggar attributed to Toko Serenius (or possibly one of her students).

Zuviev's agora is a backwater run by the local Muster and Scravers. A local Seamans Guild is also influential. The Muster maintains order under contract from the Zuvievs, although more specialised enforcement functions are handled by the Zuviev Death Dolls, household troops whose uniform includes a cerametal mask of porcelain-white skin with red cheek-spots, lips, and heavily blacked eye-sockets that give them the appearance of empty-eyed dolls.

Industry

Zuviev Estate's income-earners include seafood, including prestige sea-meats for the Elibyrge market; bamboo; tourism (sailing and safaris into the bamboo to see or hunt the Elibyrge tigers). Above all these however, is the Zuviev Institute, an incorporated company of Genetech bio-engineers at Feodosiya. The Zuviev Institute produces Elixir, antibiotics and vaccines for Cadiz and export to other worlds. It is also rumoured to have knowledge of reproductive technologies and fertility treatments, for the discreet couple with the right money. The Institute and the Amalthean Hospice are widely renowned for their hostility to each other. It is less well known where the Hospice's apothecary gets the greater part of its medicines.

How to get there

Zuviev Estate is now adequately easy to get to from Elibyrge Core now that the Western Service Road (Route S15) has been re-cleared for ground transport. A small airport at Sailmakers Beach caters to aircraft up to 50T. The deep-water marina at Sailmakers Beach is silted up but craft of less than 3m displacement will still find it easy to access. Spacecraft eqipped for oceanic landing will also find the Eilyat Sea adequately calm, although storms are known in Autumn.