On the island of Betaria lives a modest agrarian society. They rely on a single miraculous crop: a nutritionally complete variety of the humble sugar beet that fulfills all of their basic needs. Of the three hundred or so Betarians, a few dozen farm beets along the Rhizel River, whose annual floods replenish the soil and keep the entire population fed.
The island also hosts a grove of lemon trees, around which the civic center and main village of Citara grew. Lemons are deeply important to Betarian life: once a symbol of wealth and exclusivity in The Bad Times, they have since made the transition into currency, flowing outward as wages and inward as payment for goods and services—echoing the seasonal inundation that sustains them all.
The society of the Betarians—Lemontopia, as it’s sometimes called by crass outsiders—is of course far simpler than the high-tech civilizations of Earth, with their intricate supply chains and vast infrastructure. Yet it offers a model for how a society that produces more than it needs might function without requiring everyone to work, and how such a world might rise from the barren soil of deep inequality.
-9
Before unification, Citara's ruling elite controlled the lemon grove and the fertile banks of the Rhizel, hoarding resources and leaving many to struggle with hunger and poverty. A few defiant families fled to the wilderness to build something fairer.
0
The beet-farming outpost of Redvale grows into a thriving rival to Citara, offering food and dignity to all. As more citizens defect, the old elite collapse, and the first post-unification harvest marks Year 0 of a new calendar.
1
An assassination attempt on the new president shakes the young government. Though the perpetrator is captured, the deaths of guards and bystanders ignite a furious public debate over whether the death penalty has any place in Betaria.
4
Old religious traditions resurface, causing cultural friction; a violent outburst leads to a pivotal affirmation of freedom of belief, while public institutions draw a firm line between education and doctrine.
5
As automation and efficiency reduce the need for labor, Betaria faces a new question: what role should work play in a society where everyone's basic needs are met? Public forums explore how to value caretaking, art, research, and play.
10
A rare dry season breaks the annual rhythm of the Rhizel, endangering the next harvest. Rationing is introduced, and the crisis catalyzes the development of irrigation systems and surplus management strategies.
23
When a master toolmaker dies, their vast collection of hand-crafted implements becomes the subject of bitter contention among estranged heirs. A neighbor suggests a novel solution: turning the workshop into a shared public resource. The community’s embrace of this idea marks the beginning of the Second Harvest, a cultural movement celebrating voluntary gifting and mutual legacy.
50
A blight devastates the lemon harvest, threatening Betaria’s symbolic currency. A radical shift to a fiat Lem economy tests the people’s trust in their new system and sets the stage for modern governance.
60
A citizen begins circulating false Lems. Though no one is directly harmed, the case raises vital questions about trust, enforcement, and how to preserve integrity without authoritarian overreach.
89
Projections reveal an unsustainable population boom on the horizon. Rather than impose coercive limits, the government invests in education, public dialogue, and cultural support for smaller families and communal caretaking.
100
Scientists perfect a method to turn beets into sugar, enabling the invention of lemonade. As Betaria prepares for a massive centennial celebration, planners must balance joy, logistics, and agricultural sustainability.