The largest human city in the outer belts, founded 62 tgc. It shares its name with a city (Nosica) on Thessia Major that was destroyed during the Shattering. The population of both places has generally been predominantly Cossipian. In the early years of the Reed period, Nionosca was seen primarily as a major centre for bulk mineral and ore shipments. By around 200 tgc, its reputation had matured, and was known as the hub for all CTO-originated people, including the Hatel. With the re-settling of Kunanoten c. 1500 tgc, Nionosca experienced a substantial talent drain of people moving back to that more prestigious city, and was direly neglected and mismanaged by the start of the Iron period. The remnants of its Reed municipal council were abolished and new talent appointed by plebiscite, starting a dynasty of Ritzang leadership that was often quite effective despite playing into a public image of vain and frivolous despotism. In time, Nionosca would reclaim the Cossipian reputation for excellence in fine art, thanks to an unwritten norm of supporting minority cultures.
The legacy of the name Nionosca and the culture that flourished in its streets is highly important. When first built on Thessia Major, the city of Nosica was a polar community in the distant southern latitudes of the world. It represented a promise that the Cossipi would always have a place where they belonged, together, without squatting on the turf of cultures that retained a singular ethnic identity. In the harsh environment, the state of Nosica never offered an easy life, but as the Nosicans were determined to prove themselves, they built it up into a fantastic monument to their own determination. Unfortunately this made it a breeding ground for exceptionalism, modelled no doubt in part on the national myths of the other human groups on Thet. This angst had long-lasting consequences after the Shattering, and many historians hostile to Nionosca have profited handsomely, without much dishonesty, by charging its people with both the collapse of the Reed Praesidium and the invention of the Gryphon movement, along with numerous periods of instability and crisis during the Reed and Iron eras. It is one of the great ironies of Thessian history that xenophobia and fascism blossomed in a place founded on its inclusiveness.
The legacy of the name Nionosca and the culture that flourished in its streets is highly important. When first built on Thessia Major, the city of Nosica was a polar community in the distant southern latitudes of the world. It represented a promise that the Cossipi would always have a place where they belonged, together, without squatting on the turf of cultures that retained a singular ethnic identity. In the harsh environment, the state of Nosica never offered an easy life, but as the Nosicans were determined to prove themselves, they built it up into a fantastic monument to their own determination. Unfortunately this made it a breeding ground for exceptionalism, modelled no doubt in part on the national myths of the other human groups on Thet. This angst had long-lasting consequences after the Shattering, and many historians hostile to Nionosca have profited handsomely, without much dishonesty, by charging its people with both the collapse of the Reed Praesidium and the invention of the Gryphon movement, along with numerous periods of instability and crisis during the Reed and Iron eras. It is one of the great ironies of Thessian history that xenophobia and fascism blossomed in a place founded on its inclusiveness.
