One:Chicago-Under-The-Sea
Chicago-Under-The-Sea[1] (usually referred to as CUTS or Whaletown by terrestrials) is home to the largest population of cetaceans in North America, and has served as the cultural and financial capital of that race since shortly after the Inundation.[2] As is the case with all underwater settlements, reliable information is scant and what little we know of it comes primarily from Giller informants.
History
Although its traditional founding date is 9 AK, the origins of Chicago-Under-The-Sea actually extend to the pre-Excession period, before cetacean telepathy was generally recognized. Recent archaeological evidence (primarily a series of monumental plaques referred to as the Shedd Aquaria) suggests that the ruling Beluga Synod was already a functioning political body when Chicago-Under-The-Sea was an human-inhabited city of some repute.[3] In any case, the city grew rapidly due to its ideal location at the crossroads of several oceanic trade routes, bolstered by the discovery of substantial iridium deposits in the nearby village of O-Hayr.
Demographics
| Race | Approximate number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Beluga whale | 16 | Negligible |
| Sperm whale | 400,000 | 47% |
| Humpback | 200,000 | 26% |
| Bottlenose dolphin | 90,000 | 11% |
| Short-finned pilot whale | 40,000 | 5% |
| Striped dolphin | 20,000 | 2% |
| Blue whale | 15,000 | 2% |
| Other whale | 50,000? | 6% |
| Other dolphin | 20,000? | 2% |
| Giller | 12,818 | 1.5% |
Figures should be regarded as rough estimates only.
In addition to the cetacean majority, the northern surfaceward side of the city is inhabited by a small (but rapidly growing) community of gillers, which are the subject of occasional clashes and continuous debate.
Notes
- ↑ The "sea" in question is actually the Gulf of Tonkin, the entire volume of which was swapped with Lake Michigan during the Batavia Excession.
- ↑ In fact, cetaceans rarely settle in large groups, due to their nomadic nature and general distrust of non-mobile infrastructure.
- ↑ This may explain the presence of beluga whales in CUTS, which are native to neither Lake Michigan nor the sea which replaced it, although it is still not clear exactly how or why the creatures came to reside there in a period before translocations were common.
