Charon

Charon
Photograph of Charon (2285)
Interstellar Zone
Government:	IGSA administration; de-facto managed by the Gorgon family
Official religion(s):	Eastern Orthodox (unofficial)
Councilman:	Martin Gorgon
Colonised:	2285
Currency:	Saturnian Legacy (SL)
Demonym:	Charonian
Geography
Located:	Kuiper Belt
Planet:	Pluto
System:	Solar System
Avg. distance from Earth:	4.28-7.5 billion km
Demographics
Population:	500,000
Notable inhabitants:	Cecil Gorgon, Isabelle Gorgon, Konstantin Gorgon, Martin Gorgon
[Source]

“	We revel in the laxness of the path we take.	”
–Charles Baudelaire

Charon is the largest moon of Pluto, almost half the size of the dwarf planet. Connected to Pluto by a unique double dwarf planet system and a large space elevator, Charon was recklessly exploited for resources after Pluto was already being mined relentlessly. Currently, Charon is the playground for the rich and powerful of Pluto and the home to the Gorgon Family Estate.

History

Discovered in 1978, interest in Charon and the nature of its orbit with Pluto had persisted for centuries before its colonisation in the late 23rd century. The composition of the moon made it attractive for mining nitrogen, methane and water ices to support the Pluto colony. Charon developed simultaneously with Pluto throughout the 24th to 29th centuries, with former mines converted into residential districts and the population swelling with immigrants from Earth. The largest coup for Charon would come when Phlegethon, a space elevator, was built between the moon and Pluto in the early years of the 23rd century. This brought prosperity for Charon for a long while. The inhabitants of Charon were largely similar in culture and outlook to their kin on Pluto and would similarly suffer when the Plutonian economy collapsed in the early 30th Century.

This all changed in the 3300s when Charon came under the purview of the Gorgon Family. The family wanted to consolidate all of Pluto under their control, and Charon was the last piece of the puzzle as it lay on one side of Phlegethon. The Charonians then, hardy miners whose families had lived on the moon for generations, resisted the Gorgons' attempted takeover. Eventually though, the Gorgons went over the miners' heads in terms of authority, and slowly but surely, all the old Charonians were forced out to make way for Charon's new owners.

Although the Gorgons claim ownership of both Charon and Pluto, they maintain direct control over the former, as it is home to an immense personal residence that serves as their seat of power. The Gorgons would spend the couple of centuries further improving the subterranean structures of the hollowed out dwarf moon. A lot of these improvements have been done with the help of architects from Pluto and Earth. Perseus Gorgon in particular has a great interest in architecture, and he left Charon years ago to become an enterprising architect on the fringes of governed space. The Gorgons also made efforts to limit the presence of the lower classes on the Charonian side of Phlegethon, and they have been largely successful though there are some notable holdouts.

The Gorgon Family's greatest pride on Charon is the Gorgon Family Estate, a vast subterranean complex underneath Mordor Macula. There are numerous subterranean complexes across Charon that hold Pluto's elite, but the Gorgon Family Estate is the largest and most luxurious. The estate is mostly made up of large sumptuous complexes that act as residences or large receptacles for self-contained ecosystems of exotic vegetation and animals. The entire Gorgon Family spanning several generations live within the bounds of the estate, all under the generous auspices of Councilman Martin Gorgon, the corpulent patriarch of the family and the leader of Pluto's ruling council. Martin was groomed by his father to look out for the family, and he does, only them. He is in favor of the status quo and very friendly with Saturnians.

Councilman Martin however is not the lone power within the Gorgon Family. There also notable individuals within the family, with most vying for power. Isabelle Gorgon is the most prominent Gorgon besides Martin, as she is the oldest and richest of the brood besides the patriarch. The only child of a previous Gorgon patriarch and specially engineered to be immortal, Isabelle has accumulated a vast amount of wealth over the years through various ventures on Pluto. Her megalomania, narcissism, and sociopathy has only increased over the years, as evidenced by her multiple cloned "daughters" (which now only number two), but Isabelle's superficial charm and ability to adapt have managed to maintain her reputation throughout the centuries. Isabelle is even closer to Saturnians than Martin but lacks any of his compassion for the wider family. Another less prominent but nonetheless important Gorgon is Cecil Gorgon, a younger first cousin of the patriarch. Cecil, although engineered to be immortal similarly to Isabelle, is very different from his distant cousin. This is partially because he actually does his job and is a pious member of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Cecil is one of the few Gorgons to regularly visit Pluto and sympathizes with the Plutonians' grievances. He would not go as far to call himself a Psychopomp though and distances himself from the movement in the eyes of his relatives. Cecil shares his cousin Martin's views of family, but he wishes Martin would do more with Pluto than sell it out to off-world interests. Because of this and some degree of personal ambition, Cecil sees himself as the perfect future councilman. Martin's lieutenant Konstantin Gorgon is another prominent Gorgon, acting as the family's chief enforcer and the councilman's strong right arm. A former merchant marine who has fought across multiple systems before returning nearly a century ago to assist the family, Konstantin is a professional who is loyal to his family above all else. Scarred and hardened, Konstantin is feared by his family and many Plutonians, but he surprisingly is not a very bloodthirsty individual.

All these Gorgons live under one roof in the immense Gorgon Family Estate along with nearly a hundred others. About a dozen or so Gorgons are effectively immortal while others are also centuries old but vulnerable to effects of aging. Only a few Gorgons like Cecil are actually young since most of them stopped reproducing centuries ago. They are also generally very out of touch, with most not even being aware of the growing unrest on Pluto. The other elites on Charon are similarly inclined, but they are all less flamboyant about it than the Gorgons. Charon currently is firmly under the thumb of the Gorgons, and the moon is largely ignorant of the increasing discontent steadily rising on Pluto.

Geography

Habitability

Just like its dwarf planet Pluto, Charon's surface is cold and barren. However, the subterranean world of Charon is loaded to the brim with life as the rich and powerful of Pluto ape the style of Saturnian elite. The subterranean structures of Charon are mostly massive underground complexes, but these residences are much fancier than normal colonies. Some of the complexes even have self-contained ecosystems of exotic vegetation and animals.

Government

Similarly to Pluto, Charon has no real government despite there being a council that nominally acts as the government. The ruling council of Pluto usually holds court on Charon, and their enforcers prowl the moon to enforce the will of the council. The Gorgons are effectively all-powerful on Charon, even compared to on Pluto, so their whims might occasionally interfere with the will of the council. The council and the Gorgons usually act as one though since the Gorgon patriarch usually heads the council. However, there is potential for feuding within the Gorgons, and currently, the Gorgons are divided among themselves over the issue of what to do on Pluto.

Economy

The economy of Charon used to be based off of mining, but that time has been left behind. Currently, Charon is an almost wholly residential location for Pluto's elite, and most of the economy is focused towards servicing the elite. Charon also has some trade, but it is not anywhere near as focused on trade compared to Pluto itself.

Culture

Architecture

The architecture on Charon is much more elaborate than on Pluto. Going off of the greco deco architecture style popular in Pluto, subterranean Charon looks somewhat like a more gaudy version of Pluto. However, New Classical and styles seen on Saturn are also present on Charon as Pluto's elite like to set them apart from the masses.

Ethnicity

Plutonians make up the vast majority of residents of Charon, as the moon is the residence of the rich and powerful. The rich Plutonians on Charon, called Charonians, are radically different from their kin on Pluto. Charonians are most accurately characterised as a mix of Plutonians and Saturnians. Many Charonians, more influenced by their American ancestors rather than their Slavic roots, are functionally immortal and megalomaniacs, and they rarely leave Charon as a result, mostly delegating tasks to subordinates. Only a few Charonians interact with Pluto on a regular basis and even fewer normal Plutonians go to Charon. A few offworlders will visit Charon, usually Saturnians but unlike Pluto, no off-worlders actually live on Charon. The Charonians are too proud to allow that, and they prefer to have their own world to play around with.

Language

As most Charonians are ethnically Plutonian, they usually speak a mix of Solar English and Russian. However, other languages are spoken on Charon due to the educated populace. Martian English, Solar Chinese, and Japanese are languages known commonly on Charon.

Religion

Charon is more irreligious than Pluto, but its populace is still nominally Eastern Orthodox. That rarely constrain the morals of the populace, but there are some more pious Charonians, even within the Gorgon family. The previous Archbishop of Pluto and Metropolitan of All the Kuiper Belt lived on Charon, but the current archbishop lives on Pluto to be with his flock.