Kingdom of Cross

"For other uses, see Cross."The Kingdom of Cross is a kingdom spanning the entire continent of Cross, and is one of the three kingdoms of the planet Expel. The current monarch is the unnamed King of Cross, who sits in a palace in the city of Cross. The kingdom was founded an unknown number of years ago, although probably less than several thousand years. Before the cataclysm of the Sorcery Globe, Cross was the weakest kingdom of the three kingdoms.

The Kingdom of Cross is least affected by the Sorcery Globe, and most of the kingdom remains unchanged at the start of the game. The player begins the game in the southern portion of Cross, a farming and fishing village named Arlia, and the kingdom hosts the player for the earliest portions of the game, until the party sails for the Kingdom of Lacour.

General
Prior to the events of Star Ocean 2, Cross held the smallest population of the three kingdoms, though it covered the second-most terrain. The kingdom boasts a non-playable character "population" of 184. These visible NPCs are mere representations of a larger true population that could not be included in the game. Because Expel's total population is estimated at one billion persons, Cross' population must be on the order of several tens of millions at the very least, and possibly over one hundred million.

Unlike Lacour, Cross' economy is primarily one of basic resources - agriculture produce; ore, refined metals, and gems. Some villages, such as Arlia, are local, subsistence economies, living from field-to-mouth and trading little with other towns. Other towns, such as Salva, are essentially communities built around a single industry sector, such as mining ore for export. High skill goods and services must be imported from abroad; though Cross does support a small rapport of blacksmiths, crafters, and skill guilds.

Heraldry Arts were first developed within the kingdom, starting with the village of Mars. As a result, interested travelers often journey to Mars to learn from their Heraldic libraries. The kingdom, indeed the entire continent, is seen as the most "spiritual" and connected with Heraldry science. Unlike the other kingdoms, Cross protects areas deemed spiritually important. The Heraldry Forest in the east and the Shingo Forest in the south are seen as magical woods, protected by the villagers, and imbued with mystical value.

Story
"The following is a brief synopsis. For detailed story discussion, begin at Arlia: Story."The player begins the game in the sleepy village of Arlia, to the south. Regardless of whether one has picked Rena Lanford or Claude Kenni as their starting character, the party journeys to the capital city of Cross at the behest of Mayor Regis of Arlia to investigate the Sorcery Globe on El. The King of Cross welcomes the group, awards them a Passport, and directs them to Clik to secure direct passage to the continent of El (where the Sorcery Globe landed). Clik is the only harbor in Cross with access to El. Unfortunately, Clik is destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami, so the group travels west. When the party reaches the port of Herlie, they are able to secure passage to Lacour, in hopes of catching another ship bound for El.

History
The date of foundation of the Kingdom of Cross is unknown. However, the start of the kingdom must be less than several thousand years old because Ancient Writings found in Cross Cave are said to pre-date the start of the kingdom, and were written a few millennia back.

While the current throne rests in the capital city of Cross, an older, abandoned palace lies in the western portion near Clik: the Mountain Palace. The reason, or reasons, to switch seats from the Mountain Palace to Cross is unknown, though several explanations have been posited. First, an attack by demons drove the kingdom out. Second, moving the kingdom from the west to the center places the throne in a more geographically-advantageous position. Third, Cross is the closest city to Mars, where Heraldry Arts began several centuries ago.

Government
Authority in the kingdom rests in the Royal Family, with ultimate power centralized in the monarch, currently a king. The king is responsible for inter-city affairs and politics with other nations. It is ultimately the monarch who is responsible for the general safety and wellbeing of his citizens.

City issues are managed by local governmental bodies, typically an elected mayor. However, the town of Mars maintains an older, traditional political structure, run by a council of village elders. It is not known whether the capital city of Cross is governed by the king, by a mayor, or by another body.

Royal Family
Final power rests in the Royal Family, a patrilineal monarchy currently headed by the King of Cross. There is no living queen. Before the events of Star Ocean 2, the King had two issue: Princess Rosalia and Prince Chris of Cross. Prince Chris was the expected heir to the throne, however, he disappears before the game begins. Voluntary abdication of his royal duty is unheard of in Cross, and absconding sends the Royal Family into crisis. Though the fate of Chris is unknown to most of the kingdom, the player may learn through Private Actions that he has gone into hiding, travelling the world to live as a commoner. Princess Rosalia is not expected to be able to sit as ruler of the kingdom, affirming that the Kingdom of Cross is strongly patrilineal.

Municipal Government
There is no effective distinction in management between towns, villages, and cities: all municipalities are run by a mayor or council of elders. Mayors seem to be popularly elected. Elders are established by age and reputation within the respective municipality. The council is headed by the eldest member, who has final authority in the event of council stalemate.

Culture
See Cross (continent): Culture.

Unruled Regions
Several areas within the Kingdom are either only nominally held by the King of Cross or of questionable status.
 * Lasguss Mountain: Located near the capital city, Lasguss Mountain is ruled by Xine, the king of demons. Aside from a small mountain pass to Ashton's hometown, the kingdom seems to have no presence or effective rulership on the mountain. Indeed, the entire peak is dominated by native spirits.
 * Mountain Palace: An abandoned throne of the kingdom is now ruled by a succubus, subservient to Xine. The kingdom stations a guard at the entrance to the palace, but is unable to conquer it. In reality, the Mountain Palace is contained but wholly unmanaged by the King.
 * Herlie: A port city that is locally run by an unnamed gang of bandits. The gang leader, Zand, skims profits off of shipments from Lacour.