Region Laconia 

Location: Northwest region of Delta Continent

Regional Capital: Mystras

Primary Industries: Guardian Training and Support; Security Technology; Adventure Tourism

   Named for the region in ancient Greece that was home to Sparta, plans for settling Region Laconia were put in place while the Thelian Dawn was still in orbit. Citing the varied terrain of the region, settlement plans were created with the intent that Laconia become the global center for guardian training. As the first settlement ships departed the Thelian Dawn to begin settlement of Region Thelos, a single ship, the Eurydice, diverted to begin settlement of Laconia. The Eurydice remains where it landed and is now part of the Laconia Regional Museum in the capital city of Mystras.

   Located in the northern part of Region Laconia, Mystras is the second oldest capital city on Thelios (younger than Thelios City by a matter of weeks) and one of the largest. Most major technology companies maintain a corporate presence in the city, and Mystras often hosts tech conventions aimed at bolstering private, municipal and global defense forces.

   Guardian training facilities are scattered throughout the region, taking advantage of the different terrains Laconia has to offer. Roughly one quarter of Region Laconia’s shoreline is off-limits to civilians to allow for guardian use. Other facilities are maintained within Laconia’s rainforests and swamps, or amongst the arid, windswept plains along the western side of the region. Towns and small cities have sprung up in support of these training facilities, providing housing and goods to the civilians who work in the training centers.

   Adventure tourism is a thriving industry in Region Laconia. Luxury resorts situated on the region’s northern coast boast of the finest amenities and have always been a popular holiday destination. As public interest in fitness and military training rose, these resorts started maintaining “roughing it” campgrounds. For additional fees, resort guests are driven to a camp where they spend their days crawling through swamps or hiking through jungles. Evenings are spent in the campground where master chefs prepare gourmet dinners and guests can relax in hot spas before retiring for the evening in climate-controlled tents.

   Laconian culture emphasizes duty, honor and service. A result of this emphasis is that Laconians gained a reputation as being valuable workers: Laconians will do a job efficiently and correctly the first time.  This reputation, though, is tempered by the Laconian nature of being straightforward. The saying “You always know where you stand with a Laconian” is spoken with pride within the region, while outside Laconia, the same saying is used as a word of caution.