There is no poverty, the people are paid well and encouraged to indulge themselves. Then there are the Pilots, Dragons, and The Network, those three marvelous elements which ensure the country’s safety, keep the water and power running, and maintain the protective electromagnetic domes that shelter the cities.

It can’t be all bad, right?

Not if you don’t mind giving up your basic humanity and freedoms, at least.

Aedolian Culture	Government and Politics
Caste System	Pilots, Candidates, and Dragons
Haviah

AEDOLIAN CULTURE

• Aedolis is a hedonistic and materialistic society that manipulates the masses using the pleasure principle. Brothels and drugs are legal and sanctioned by the government, and you just won’t find many prudes in this nation. Sleeping around is not frowned upon, and is very much normal and expected.
• Illiteracy is largely encouraged, as the pursuit of knowledge is discouraged. The average citizen reads at a 3rd grade level.
• Celebrities and pop idols are Aedolis’ gods, and media is its religion. Aedolians are kept largely complacent and uniformed about world affairs, though they are subjected to pro-Aedolis propaganda daily. Pilots and dragons are marketed as war heroes and celebrities.
• Currency comes in the form of credit, from a microchip implanted in the right hand of all citizens at birth, or whenever they receive citizenship as in the case of immigrants. This also serves as a citizen’s ID, and they cannot so much as buy groceries without it.

• Aedolians are divided into three castes, which they are born into: Upper, Middle, and Lower. There is no poverty in Aedolis; all citizens enjoy a roof over their head and food on the table, though some castes are more privileged than others.
• Upper Caste citizens live on the upper level and enjoy a good education (second only to the military), great benefits, posh homes, and the best entertainment and technology. They are Aedolis’ privileged, and many find work in high paying positions such as CEOs, scientists, doctors, media tycoons, and other specialized fields. Celebrities and military are also Upper Caste.
• Middle Caste citizens on the middle level receive a general education—basic math, language, and history courses. An assessment exam determines the trade school they will attend to focus on whatever line of work they tested into. They make up the majority of Aedolis’ citizens and have nice, cozy apartments. A middle caste citizen might be a whore, massage therapist, secretary, nurse, programmer, fast food operator, etc.
• Lower Caste citizens are kept dumbed down; the only education they receive is that which lets them do their job. The Lower Caste does the jobs other citizens would find undesirable. They are janitors, sewage workers, clean up crews, factory workers, etc. Still, they are treated well and kept content with media and drugs, and though their homes are not as good as a Middle Caste citizen’s, they are comfortable.
• Though everyone is born into their caste, there are two exceptions: military and celebrities. Anyone can join the military, which promotes you to Upper Caste. The government is also always scouting for idols. Any citizen who can gather a following and catch the government’s eye could be promoted to celebrity-dom, which would also grant them Upper Caste status.

• Aedolian cities tend to expand upward rather than outward. Haviah, the capital, is the most notable and most impressive, a true work of architectural art with skyways connecting many buildings and streets together. It is divided into three separate levels, representative of the three castes, with the lower caste trapped in the bottom level and the upper caste taking up the top level, complete with aeries on the roofs for the dragons. The dragons, however, are too large to get down to the lower level.
• Access between the different levels is restricted.
• Many Aedolians go their whole life without seeing the sky. An Aedolian looking up from the bottom level would see only a mass of skyways and buildings.
• Because of the city’s set up, if there ever was an emergency it would be very difficult to evacuate lower and middle caste citizens, who could become trapped.
• Haviah, like all Aedolian cities, is protected by an electromagnetic dome that is provided by the dragons, who also power their electricity and water supplies.
• Haviah has excellent public transportation in the form of shuttles and subways. There are no cars, but some citizens own bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters.
• Hidden surveillance cameras monitor the city.
• Possessing a weapon of any sort is illegal.

• The military is the government, and those in the military receive the best pay, education, benefits, and freedom, be they soldiers or generals. Anyone may join the military, but not everyone does so willingly. Mages and psychics are drafted as soon as they are discovered.
• At the top of the military are the Pilots (always capitalized) and above them are their dragons. Pilots are people who were drafted into the military because they were gifted with psionics. Only they can form the necessary psychic bond with Aedolis’ dragons.
• The leader of Aedolis is the Pilot Imperial and Dragon Imperial team.
• Below the Pilot and dragon Imperial are four other Pilot ranks, from lowest to highest: Cardinal, Echo, Noble, and Royal. All Pilots are addressed by subordinates as “Pilot + Last Name”. For example, Pilot Smith. To be very formal, they are addressed by their rank and full name. For example, Pilot Echo John Smith.
• The lowest ranking dragon is still higher ranked than the highest ranked Pilot. It is the dragons that are truly in control of the nation.
• Aedolis is a nation that is interested in spreading its influence across the globe—and even into space. It has a history of conquering and absorbing other nations, and it is rumored that it has had its eye on Edanith for some time now, interested in the country's terraforming technology—the one thing that could possibly heal the planet that Aedolis ruined.

Pilots are marketed as celebrities and war heroes, so when people discover that they are psychic and are drafted into the Pilot Candidate program, many respond with excitement. The reality is very different. The program involves intense conditioning, brainwashing, and desensitization; it is a rigorous program designed to beat the weaknesses out of each individual, often literally.

When Pilot candidates complete their training, each Pilot is chosen by a dragon, a process that can also be stressful as the Pilot is mentally probed and screened by a dragon that could very well kill them if dissatisfied with the training results. Once the Pilot has been chosen, the two forge a powerful bond, though it is the dragon that is most in control of the Pilot as opposed to the other way around.