Clearing Governments

Clearing Governments are decentralized resistance networks in the Era of Modern Geba, formed by settlers and resurgents in vast, newly settled clearings—zones within relay reach but where imperial law is nominal and Shadow Rule influence is indirect. Emerging post-Warlord Eras, they prioritize self-sufficiency, sustainable agriculture, and communal defense against syndicates, warlords, and corporate incursions, contrasting the Empire's hidden governance with grassroots autonomy.

Various clearings are allied with the Empire, specific states, or the Maw; others are completely independent, with very little known about them as they are fully self-sufficient outside of active relays that prove they still exist. Operating as loose federations of farmsteads, clinics, repair yards, mines, and citizen hubs, they minimize relay use, relying on local entertainment and services while accessing it only for important news and emergency transmissions—everyone, including criminals and warlords, depends on relays for trade and connection, often over private ones. People with dreams of pursuing musical spectacle or relay glory through athleticism or piloting ability never stay in the clearings; they almost always migrate to the nearest mega-hub, clearing near a large relay, or capital.

They embody postwar recovery's focus on settling clearings, drawing from disillusioned survivors alienated by gender imbalance, mass killings, and broadcasted atrocities. Key activities include resource pooling for endurance and boundary testing, with figures like Kal’vashir’s Farmstead serving as models tied to Saojuul Labor tools. Regardless of this, new clearings are often erased before the world knew they existed.