So here we see the interplanetary scope of the maxim "The enemy of my enemy is my friend", with Irish separatists known as Fenians joining with Martian Ground Cleansers in a plot to destroy the almost-built pride of the British Martian Fleet.
The Fenians were founded in America in 1858, and trace their origins back to the uprsising of 1790. At this time Ireland is still unified under British rule, the Republic will not be founded for another two decades or so, but more tellingly, the Great Famine that ran in Ireland from 1845 until 1849 is still fresh in many memories of those who escaped the disaster and a source of lingering resentment and outright hatred for all things English. In game terms, the Fenians are a small but well-organized thorn in the side of British ambitions on Mars.
The Ground Cleansers are a different matter. Ground Cleanser sympathies can be found wherever Earthmen try and put down roots on Mars. The British of course are somewhat inured to the low-level resentment offered by many after decades of running a terrestrial empire where such feelings are always present in the native populations who have yet to properly assimilate into the far superior British Culture.
That said, the term Ground Cleansers is not just a viewpoint, but also a secret organization, a conspiracy if you will, to which many Martians belong. Rural villages have already proven to be hotbeds of Ground Cleanser activity (See: Episode 5: A Series of Unfortunate Events) so the players must game with a heightened awareness of eavesdropping and overwatch by unfriendly NPC forces.
And let's not forget rivalries between city states. Inter-city rivalry for trade, influence and resources is a powerful political backdrop for anyone traveling widely in the geography (areography?) of Mars. How safe is it for it to be known where one has traveled from when arriving in a new city?
We haven't touched on religion yet, either. The player characters have not been on Mars long enough to encounter a Martian religion in any way but as a piece of the local scenery as they walk about town, but it would be a mistake to believe that there are no rivalries between factions/schisms of whatever the Martians believe in. Of course, the British adventurer has always had a condescending approach to the religious beliefs of "the natives".
And then there is just plain prejudice to factor in. Are Martians less jingoistic or racist than Earthmen, not prone to knee-jerk reactions based on ludicrous factors like skin tone and toe/finger count? Are Martians racially incapable of xenophobia, or will that be a factor in future dealings with the locals for our team?
Isn't all this fun?
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