DISTRICT TWO
Industry: Masonry and Military Training
Population: 185,000
Area: 142,000 miles²
Elevation: 6,800 ft.
Primary City: Crested Creek
Time Zone: Capitol Standard Time
Wealth Ranking: 5th
Power Structure: Autocracy
Mayor: Sentinel Pershing (she/they)
Post-Rebellion Victors: Maxima Gneiss (76), Petra Meslier (86), Madena Hirato (93), Vito Zirensky (95), Raptor Voinov (99).
After losing over 100,000 citizens in the Second Rebellion, District Two has been slowly trying to rebuild itself back into the figurehead it once was. As a result, large cities in Two are under strict watch by Peacekeepers, eager to arrest anybody that could potentially harm the District's reputation. While Two always had a class divide, it has worsened under the authoritarian rule of Sentinel Pershing. Work in the quarries has become more dangerous, now mostly reserved for the Two's poorest citizens. Those not skilled enough to become artisans often work for the Peacekeepers, whether it be training to serve or administrative work. Rebellious activity has become somewhat common and in return, punishments have become more severe. That all being said, District Two's population still feels a strong sense of loyalty for their homeland.
Two is the only District in Panem with multiple Academies due to government subsidizing and a clear pathway to Peacekeeping for failed volunteers. Originally, Two was home to four academies known as the “Core Four” but after Shindy Gregory Academy burned down in 52 ADD, they were rebranded to the “Big Three.” Each of these three schools have their own specialty. Raleburg his prone to train the more flexible and stamina based fighters, Copper Peaks is responsible for those with great tactical skill and intellect and Springridge is known for their weaponry.Two is regarded as perhaps the most brutal of the Career Districts but anybody can enroll. Students, known as Cadets, prepare for the program by attending foundational schools at as early as two or three years old. Volunteers are typically masters of physical strength, while not sacrificing intelligence or survival skills.
From the moment Cadets step onto campus around the ages of six or seven, they are pushed to their highest limits. Weaponry is taught immediately, and at the end of every year, each Cadet is required to kill a rebel with their choice weapon to prove their loyalty towards the Academy. By the time Cadets are teenagers, physical strength is taught alongside survival skills with written exams occurring multiple times per week. The program's rigor means most Cadets drop out and pursue Peackeeping instead. Each year, Cadets are ranked in physical ability, emotional intelligence, and survivability. The three top ranking eighteen year old students of each gender at each Academy can compete for the honor of volunteering. The Volunteers are selected at a gruesome tournament atop the isolated Mount Olympus just weeks before the Reaping, where the students engage in a mock Games separated by gender, with the two survivors being quickly nursed back to health and sent to the arena.