Solaris City Zone - Cathay

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Nestled in a lower area of the city between the Black Hills and Silesia lies fractured Cathay, the sector affiliated with House Liao and the Capellan Confederation. After the Fourth Succession War tore apart House Liao, residents of Cathay looked to three different leaders for guidance and identity: Tormano Liao, Candace Liao and Romano Liao.  Soon Cathay had developed subsectors corresponding to those who preferred one heir to the Liao throne over others. The recent conflict caused by Sun-Tzu Liao’s work to reunite the Confederation under a single ruler has only contributed to gang violence and sparked feuds among the Liao stables.

Though Cathay still suffers from an identity crisis, this sector continues to maintain the highest average standard of living in Solaris City—a testament to the wealth that can be found here. Plagued by widespread criminal activity and home to many of the triads, Cathay is also known for containing the some of the most beautiful estates and neighborhoods that Solaris City has to offer.

The Drive-By

The Free Capella subsector, which once followed Tormano Liao and with his death has shifted loyalties to his son Treyhang, is a minor community that stretches along the southern half of the shared border with the Black Hills.  Once a wealthy area known as the Chancellor’s Quarter, this subsector has fallen on hard times since the Federated Suns stopped financial aide to Free Capella. Now its elegant buildings are rapidly decaying and crumbling, and some areas are succumbing to squatters and shantytowns. A few areas remain elite and secured, however, such as the expensive Glass Tower and The Strand condominiums, possibly the most exclusive and beautiful residences in all of Solaris City. The Strand’s extensive penthouse palace is reserved exclusively for Treyhang Liao, though he has yet to visit Solaris VII since his ascendance to the leadership of the Free Capella movement.

Encompassing the neighborhood of Middle Town, the Middle Kingdom was first given its name in mockery of those who looked to Candace Liao and her St. Ives Compact for leadership, but has now come to reflect the grand nature of that name. Dominating the center of Cathay, the Middle Kingdom holds most of Cathay’s highlands, which have always been home to the middle and upper class neighborhoods. A few extra neighborhoods cling to this central core, though the loyalties of such satellite communities are shifting even as the St. Ives Compact falls to the military of the Capellan Confederation.  This subsector hosts the sector’s finest restaurant, the Sesame Inn, and finest hotel, the Cathay Arms. It is also home to the Jade Falcon embassy, which was established in 3058 in a deal brokered by Kai Allard-Liao.

The Jungle, Cathay’s Open class arena, is without a doubt the strongest advantage Cathay still has going for it. Inside an immense pyramid structure designed along Asian lines in a lush environment that duplicates the jungles of Spica. With the downtrodden Tenement Area to the west and the crime-plagued Maze to the east, this arena presides over one of the poorer areas of this sector.  Driving into the parking zones is like penetrating an armed camp of police, private security and enforcers for some of the more patriotic triads, each well-paid to provide protection against their less-scrupulous brethren.  Despite its surroundings, the Jungle remains a popular attraction.

The fourth subsector covers the neighborhoods known as The Maze and Rivertown. A squalid wasteland of crime and poverty, this subsector is sometimes referred to as the territory of the “Invisible Hand.” This title refers to the prominence of the supporters of Kali Liao (formerly supporters of Romano Liao), whose recent Black May atrocities have proven her to be the choice of disillusioned and dark-souled. Not a true contender for the throne of the Confederation, these followers are still a political force in support of what they perceive to be the Confederation’s best interests, and who are willing to use terror and assassination as their main weapons. The Maze is the ideal home for the Invisible Hand, as the sector police are actually forbidden to tread within its tangle of dead-end streets and dense neighborhoods; the triads hold complete power.

Cathay

Neighborhoods
Chancellor’s Quarter	Southwest section of Cathay	Declining residential area, Free Capellan
Middle Town (aka Middle Kingdom)	East section of Cathay	Middle and upper-class residential
River Town	Northeast river section of Cathay	Heavily populate slums, mostly foreigners
Tenement Area	Northwest section of Cathay	Crime-ridden slums
The Maze	Northeast section of Cathay	Heartland of triads and abject poverty
Government Buildings
Capellan High Court	Torquil St & Lio Bang St	Home to Cathay’s court and cell complex
Cathay Security Headquarters	Chuhai Ave & Canis St	Cathay Security includes ‘Mech forces
Security Station	Maxmillian Ave & Beijing Way	Main security post for Cathay slums
Information
Warrior’s Way Brokerage	Starlight Ave & Hsin Ave	Low-talent MechWarrior brokerage
Hotels
Cathay Arms	Capella St & Al Nair St	High-class hotel, imperial Chinese motif
Raven’s Roost	Wazan St & Canis St	Dive hotel, headquarters for a crime family
Attractions
Capellan War Memorial	Chu St & Sian Ave	Fourth Succession War memorial
Lio Arena (The Jungle)	Canton St & Beijing Way	House Liao’s Open Class Siz ‘Mech Arena
The Glass Tower	Confederation Ave & Chandler Ave	Elegant condominium, home to triad leaders
The Strand	Capella St & Chandler Ave	Wealthiest condominiums in Cathay
Tandrek Palace	Confederation Ave & Hunan St	Headquarters of Tandrek Stables
Zelazni Estate	Adlis St & Sian Ave	Headquarters of Zelazni Stable
The Docks	Rivoli Dr & Solaris River	Docks contain both legal and illegal trade
Jade Falcon Embassy	Capella St & Al Nair St	First official Clan embassy on Solaris
Restaurants
The Crane	Confederation Ave & Al Nair St	Large restaurant, Chinese cuisine
The Sesame Inn	Torquil St	Large restaurant, financed by St. Ives
Bars & Nightclubs
The Bitter Pool	West Way & Kung St	Seedy bar with triad connections
The Brass Lily	Tsinghai Ave & Kung St	Fortress of the Hundred Swordsmen Triad
The Cobalt Coil	Angel Ave & Sorrenson St	Popular with Capellan MechWarriors
Dragon House	Drake St & Phung St	Gambling and entertainment establishment
The Kirin	Honer St & Ralson St	Drug house connected to Red Cobra Triad
The Perfumed Garden	Portobello St & Al Nair St	Luxury brothel for Capellan citizens only
Warriors’ Hall	Maxmillian Ave & Phung St	Poor combination bar, eatery, brothel, hotel
‘Mech Tech
Cathay BattleMech Bay	Nova St & Weymouth St	Liao stables use this facility free of charge
Macamis’ Place	Tsinghai Ave & Alexander St	Prime pirate weapon and contraband shop
Medical Facilities
Amida Buddha Hospital	Liao St & Hsin Ave	Free facility staffed by Buddhist volunteers