Legion.4198

Maybe it's a coincidence, but the Jade Sea map shape vaguely resembles Malicious Oblivion.

She will become a jade-infused cyborg, of course.

Yeah, this is something that I didn't like even back in GW, with seemingly apocalyptic conflicts ending within a year. Then again, our characters would likely be soon forced to retire, if every crisis lasted 5, 10 or more years with some wars in the backstory (Third Guild War) lasting many decades.

Colonial, company and guild wars between Xunlai Jade Company vs the Consortium Corporation vs the Black Lion Company over ancient artificats and free real state all over the globe, while the Order of Shadows fights a secret war against the Order of Whispers for world domination.

Xunlai Jade Company, as the name implies, is a company (probably closer to the Consortium Corporation in Tyria) rather than a guild. I dislike how fantasy abuses the guilds and I'm glad Arenanet has decided to make them a company instead, more fitting for the level of advancement of Cantha. Joon herself, owner of Xunali Jade, is the illegitimate child of the previous Canthan Emperor and half-sister of Empress Ihn. I suspect that she will play a similar role (maybe a foil) to Master Togo, half-brother of Emperor Kisu back in Factions, allowing us to get very close to the Empress, even if her role is that of an antagonist. Given their power and influence and how close they are to the Canthan throne and their prevalence in Kaineng, it could be that Xunlai Jade is a chartered company If so, they probably have exclusive rights over jade technologies granted by an Royal (Imperial) Charter with the biggest investor being the Empress herself. Regardless, they will likely be a major player in the story and maybe the following living season (they may even have their own military in form company troops or colonial infantry).

As other have pointed out before, it seems like New Kaineng, and modern Cantha as a whole, is mostly based on Korean aesthetics rather than Chinese or Japanese, likely to avoid controversies of cultural mishmash. This extend to the clothing that seems to be inspired by the Joseon Dynasty. The name itself, a classic trope in cyberpunk with too many examples to count, clearly hinted that Old Kaineng was either destroyed or reformed. I hope that Old Kaineng is not just an abandoned ruin and has populated areas, industrial districts etc. Either way, it is clearly material for a future Living Season. Joon mentions in the trailer "a hundred year of progress", which implies that the industrial revolution has been going over a 100 years which would follow Zhaitan's rise and the destruction of Old Kaineng (and probably coincided with the downfall of the Ministry of Purity and the rise of a new Canthan dynasty). In the Kaineng's city map tour it is mentioned that Jade Tech is very expensive and not everybody can afford it. While the higher districts show a prevalence of Jade Tech and are very opulent, the lower districts show that they use older steam power technology. Still, you can see bits of jade material attached to it, so it is possible that they used as a component of the steam machines even back then. Jade tech is likely no more sophisticated than anything that the Asura have, but may compensate by having much higher concentrations of magic than any material that the Asura have access to, Cantha having an unmatched labour pool, massive economies of scale, industrial might, and access to the wider world than anyone else in Tyria. A very crude analogy would be an ancient and sophisticated bronze civilization vs a younger and less sophisticated one that has just mastered iron. New Kaineng itself was built to the south on an area that used to be part swamp Naga populated, part unclaimed territory, and part old Tengu territory. While it seems that Kurzicks and Luxons have been integrated into the empire since Usoku's reign, tensions between humans, Tengu and Naga remain. The Tengu themselves on the city seems to live on the lower districts, which implies that while they are no longer persecuted by the empire and the city seems to encourage integration, they are not that well-off either, which is material for economic inequality, class and race conflicts in the city.

I like to think the Empress sees Kasmeer and her companions as a bunch of unwashed and technologically backwards barbarians. I think this approach would be better representation of Canthan chauvinism and arrogance as the most powerful empire in the world. It doesn't help that, besides vague tales from the Zephyrite or the interrogating Aetherblades minions, the only other big empire (that we are aware of) that Cantha may have been in contact or traded with is Palawa Joko's United Kingdom of Elona. On the other hand, you can see Taimi is clearly wearing Jade-powered orthopaedic legs.

If they are disbanded or demobilized, then a lot of former personal is likely to end up spending all their loot and fortunes gathered during their service in record time, becoming vagabond and bands of bandits. I doubt anyone has planned for retirement after centuries of war vs the dragons.

I hope the Jade TV is used for adds and imperial propaganda besides for journalism as an instrument for world-building. Actually, this opens the way for mass politics too.

It's a small thing, but I wonder if Banknotes will be a currency in Cantha, like Elona had Trade Contracts. It would be neat to reinforce the overall modernity theme. Besides, the first banknotes were issued in China in the 11th century (preceded by promissory notes in the 7th century), and Europe shifted towards it as means of payment by the mid-17th century.

I suspect that either the Canthans will present themselves to Tyria by order of Empress Ihn, to establish trade and diplomatic relations to Tyria, or we will pursue Mai Tri and end up in Cantha.

I wonder if the next expansion could take place in not-India (perhaps dominated by Canthans companies or Elonians warlords). Besides India, what other countries/cultures could be used as basis for an expansion? Mesoamerica? Central Asia? Oceania?

This better be a dragon champion:

Of course, when the dragon threat is gone, many of these armies and organizations will cease to be and even a threat to the established powers. Many of the armies and organizations will likely be dismantled or demobilized en mass with a lot of dragon veterans with nothing to do or way to reintegrate into civilian life. An opening is here for Cantha (and other powers) to recruit them en mass as mercenaries to protect their commercial interest and become political players. A lot of successful empires have been built this way rather than outright invasion.

Certainly, the need for resources of industrial societies is voracious, but I wonder about what kind of resource they'd want to get from conquering Tyria. As far as we are aware, their tech is pretty centred on Dragonjade which is more or less exclusive to the Jade Sea. Unless dragonjade deposits exist beyond Cantha itself, they would need an alternative resource to power their civilization: kralkatite/branded crystals, dragon corpses, or the bloodstones themselves? Whatever the case, I think it would be more fitting for a LVS6 Canthan a plotline with the dragons gone where Canthan companies/factions competing over resources vs powers in Tyria and Elona, if we don't go with revolutionary political parties/movements fighting for the Canthan throne.