Gensym

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A sanct of Straylight. The economic importance of Gensym has steadily grown over the years as the sanct itself has grown from a tourist trap into a major center for shipping operations, heavy industry and perhaps the best academical system in all of Straylight that makes the place an extremely attractive spot for young intellectuals. The two local colleges are subsidised heavily (by Straylightian standards) by Pohjanvälke, and as a result the tuitions here run at under half of the Straylightian average, with no loss in quality of education.

Gensym is one of the only two Straylightian cities with an OTEC plant. Gensym's single-pipe plant is much smaller and, due to the location, much less efficient than Discontinuity's. However, it still neatly handles the energy and freshwater needs of the city.

Gensym's steady growth has been taking place by adding more floating-spar platforms so far. There are currently nine platforms, three of which have a design that doesn't lock neatly into a grid as the rest do, as these platforms were failed projects to create sancts in other places. As a result, the city is starting to take on a somewhat ragged and uneven look. There have been talks of bringing the sanct down to sea level like Discontinuity and building an artificial breakwave around it, but so far it has been more economical to build and scavenge platforms instead.

Gensym is completely led by the Pohjanvälke Coalition. As such, it has a relatively efficient but large government, and high tax rate, compared to most other sancts. The tax money goes mostly into local affairs - maintaining the emergency response force (combined police, firemen, and paramedics), a very limited form of welfare, and subsidies for the colleges. A part of the budget, however, is listed only as "general Pohjanvälke affairs", and it is currently not known where this money goes.