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--- settings:cahyali:pthora [2023/09/21 22:57] – quiddlesticks
+++ settings:cahyali:pthora [2024/04/30 18:25] (current) – quiddlesticks
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   * Major Races: Dwarves, Kleemudor Lizards
   * Capital: Polis
+  * Demonym: Pthoran
 {{settings:cahyali:pthoramap_complete.png}}
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 === Natural Resources ===
-Pthora is home to a wealth of natural resources: stone and ore, all mined from the Stili Mountains (particularly the towering Polis Peak). Most notably of these resources is a metal called **sabarium**, widely sought after for its easy malleability when forging, but incredible strength when cooled and set. Many of the greatest armors and weapons were constructed out of sabarium. This resource is tightly controlled by the Ember Army.
+Pthora is home to a wealth of natural resources: stone and ore, all mined from the Stili Mountains (particularly the towering Polis Peak). Most notably of these resources is a metal called **adamantite**, widely sought after for its easy malleability when forging, but incredible strength when cooled and set. Many of the greatest armors and weapons were constructed out of adamantite. This resource is tightly controlled by the Ember Army.
+==== Regions ====
+Pthora is a large country, though most of it is centralized in the northern landmass and archipelago. Southern Pthora is hardly Pthora at all, though Polis still claims dominion over the vast, forbidding tundras. Altogether, the country is broadly split into six regions.
+ === Greater Polis Area ===
+Polis is the largest city in Pthora, and towers above the Chamomile Expanse from where it is built into the tallest peak of the Spitl Mountains. Surrounding it, representing hundreds of years of building and civilization, is an area full of several smaller towns, as well as acres upon acres of farmland. For millennia, Pthora’s rulers have exerted their power from Polis, and its surrounding area has remained the center of Pthoran life essentially since the country’s founding.
+ === Chamomile Expanse ===
+The Chamomile Expanse covers most of the landmass of Pthora’s northern island, and is named as such for the bounty of chamomile flowers growing in the region over the warmer months. Despite being the warmest region of Pthora by far, few have taken up residence here, preferring the infrastructure of the Polis area and protection under the Ember Army. Many that resist the power of Polis have congregated here, often closer to the Nahruli coast.
+ === Stili Mountains ===
+This mountain range runs in a V-shape across the northern edge of Pthora. It is thought to be the initial landing point for ancestral dwarves, during Pthora’s initial settling. These days, no one inhabits the Stili range any longer, with the harsh environment full of frozen winds and constant subzero cold making it difficult to exist in the mountains as anything but an icy dragon. Ruins of ancient dwarven cities are thought to sit pristine within the mountains, but Pthoran regimes have forbidden exploration of the land since the Letniy era.
+ === Shattered Isles ===
+The Shattered Isles are a chain of islands that connect Pthora and the tundras. In winter, one can walk from northern Pthora down to the islands, as thick sheets of sea ice form between the islands that last well into the spring. Few are sure of the true shape of the Isles, as this icy layer persists in some capacity year-round. The Isles mainly export fishing, and contain all of Pthora’s port cities. All trade conducted with other nations goes through the Shattered Isles. In addition, the Isles contain most of Pthora’s prisons, where inmates work out their days in the freezing cold.
+ === Johtalit Tundra - Inner Coast ===
+The majority of the Johtalit inhabit the western coast of Pthora, where weather is warmer and resources are more plentiful. They form few large cities, but a few sizable towns exist in the Inner Coast area. Many of these maintain good relationships with Ley’Ork, offering aid to explorers and scientists - under the condition that they remain staunchly sovereign.
+ === Johtalit Tundra - Qaiqsu Wastes ===
+Nothing lives in the Qaiqsu Wastes. Nothing has ever lived in the Qaiqsu Wastes. Ignore the “stars” that land here, and do not stare too long at the angry, lone mountain peak. Please. Nothing is to be gained. This is not a place of honor.
+//As of 10081, an adventuring party returning from a short-lived excursion to the lone peak reported that it appeared to be a perfect pyramid shape, with snow and ice building up the facade of a mountain. Ever since that excursion, Johtalit tribesmen have mused that the mountain seems a little less ominous.((See the "Lonely Mountain and the Goddess" game writeups, https://centralia.aquest.com/games/view_writeup.php?writeup=1971, for more information.))//
 ==== Governance =====
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 ===== Cities of Pthora =====
-**Polis, Everlasting Northern Star:** //Population 12 million.// The capital of Pthora, Polis is its largest city. Having stood for millennia, this city is carved out of the side of Polis Peak itself. It stands as a testament to Dwarven culture on Pthora, and acts as a grand facade for the might of each short-lived authoritarian regime passing through the nation. Polis is far wealthier and technologically advanced than the rest of Pthora. Its greater metropolitan region contains about 80% of Pthora's population (excluding the indigenous peoples).
+**Polis, Everlasting Northern Star:** //Population 4 million.// The capital of Pthora, Polis is its largest city. Having stood for millennia, this city is carved out of the side of Polis Peak itself. It stands as a testament to Dwarven culture on Pthora, and acts as a grand facade for the might of each short-lived authoritarian regime passing through the nation. Polis is far wealthier and technologically advanced than the rest of Pthora. Its greater metropolitan region contains about 80% of Pthora's population (excluding the indigenous peoples).
   * **Svetagrad Town:** //Population 0.// Located on the edge of the Polis metropolitan region is an eerie ghost town, devastated by plague in 10025. Rumor has it that eerie, frozen undead wander the rotting streets - an unnatural sight even for the undead...
   * **Kogot Village:** //Population 10,000.// Once a farming village, this small settlement has recently seen an uptick in craftsmen and engineers arriving to the area, and is becoming a hotspot of experimentation and artifice in the Polis region.
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 {{  settings:cahyali:eastside.png?400}}
-**Eastside Port, Gate to Mountains:** //Population 3.5 million.// Located on, well, the east side of the Stili Mountains, this port city is the main access point for shipments of ores from the mountains. Cargo ships sail down the Chamomile River, passing by Polis on their way to the Inner Ocean. Despite Pthora's overall poor reputation on the world stage, trade has remained open from other nations - albeit with high tariffs when it comes to northern Cahyali. Eastside is populated mainly by those who work for trading companies and their families.
+**Eastside Port, Gate to Mountains:** //Population 400,000.// Located on, well, the east side of the Stili Mountains, this port city is the main access point for shipments of ores from the mountains. Cargo ships sail down the Chamomile River, passing by Polis on their way to the Inner Ocean. Despite Pthora's overall poor reputation on the world stage, trade has remained open from other nations - albeit with high tariffs when it comes to northern Cahyali. Eastside is populated mainly by those who work for trading companies and their families.
-**Korabel Port, Gate to Seas:** //Population 4 million.// In the southern reaches of the archipelago connecting Pthora prime and the southern tundras is Korabel Port, a large port city serving as an access point for trade with the Heartlands and the Abundant Expanse. A fair few Johtalit also reside in Korabel; this far from Polis, the influence of the Ember Army is somewhat decreased, resulting in greater relative freedom for Korabelian residents.
+**Korabel Port, Gate to Seas:** //Population 500,000.// In the southern reaches of the archipelago connecting Pthora prime and the southern tundras is Korabel Port, a large port city serving as an access point for trade with the Heartlands and the Abundant Expanse. A fair few Johtalit also reside in Korabel; this far from Polis, the influence of the Ember Army is somewhat decreased, resulting in greater relative freedom for Korabelian residents.
-**Rozmakhigrad, City in Chains:** //Population 250,000.// This city is not so much a city as it is a massive prison, located at the far reaches of what is still considered under Polis' influence. Inmates here work endlessly, doing everything from mining ice to mining actual ores, to launching expeditions into the forbidding tundras. Inmate expeditioners are promised their freedom on return. Few, if any, have ever returned.
+**Rozmakhigrad, City in Chains:** //Population 50,000.// This city is not so much a city as it is a massive prison, located at the far reaches of what is still considered under Polis' influence. Inmates here work endlessly, doing everything from mining ice to mining actual ores, to launching expeditions into the forbidding tundras. Inmate expeditioners are promised their freedom on return. Few, if any, have ever returned.
-**Upirngivik, Anchor Point:** //Population 40,000.// In the northern region of the Johtalit tundras is this small town, inhabited by the Johtalit. Somewhat more militarized than other Johtalit settlements, Upirngivik acts as a deterrent for Pthoran forces from entering Johtalit territory. Ley'Ork lends some support to Upirngivik's efforts, though Johtalit leaders are skeptical of foreign assistance.
+**Upirngivik, Anchor Point:** //Population 20,000.// In the northern region of the Johtalit tundras is this small town, inhabited by the Johtalit. Somewhat more militarized than other Johtalit settlements, Upirngivik acts as a deterrent for Pthoran forces from entering Johtalit territory. Ley'Ork lends some support to Upirngivik's efforts, though Johtalit leaders are skeptical of foreign assistance.
-**Taqtu-Tasiq, Sacred Towns:** //Population 90,000.// The many towns of Taqtu-Tasiq are located on the tops of a gentle ring of hills - a place that was likely a mountain range in the distant past. In a valley at the center of these hills is a kidney-shaped lake, as well as the tundra leyspring. No people live inside the valley permanently, as it is considered a violation of sacred ground by the Johtalit.
+**Taqtu-Tasiq, Sacred Towns:** //Population Varies.// The many towns of Taqtu-Tasiq are located on the tops of a gentle ring of hills - a place that was likely a mountain range in the distant past. In a valley at the center of these hills is a kidney-shaped lake, as well as the tundra leyspring. No people live inside the valley permanently, as it is considered a violation of sacred ground by the Johtalit.
 This leyspring, flowing far more peacefully than the one in Ruefang, is a sacred site for the Johtalit. They call it Angiyok-Orpik, loosely translating to "great tree" due to the leyspring's visible nature, which resembles the massive spectral crown of a tree growing from the ground. The Angiyok-Orpik area is lush and warm year-round.
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 ==== Southbound: Lands of Drifting Snow ====
-Defended by their natural environment, the Johtalit people have managed to weather the blows of both Dahabi invasion and Pthoran aggression for millennia. They practice a spiritual religion, venerating nature itself as the greatest of all gods. Some of this belief is directed at deities such as Julius and Vahrun, referred to as Beaivi and Nuliajuk, respectively. Peregrinus and Tenebrius are also worshiped as a single sky god, called Unipkaaqtuat.
+Defended by their natural environment, the Johtalit people have managed to weather the blows of both Dahabi invasion and Pthoran aggression for millennia. They practice a spiritual religion, venerating nature itself as the greatest of all gods. Some of this belief is directed at deities such as Osiris and Vahrun, referred to as Beaivi and Nuliajuk, respectively. Peregrinus and Tenebrus are also worshiped as a single sky god, called Unipkaaqtuat. Seers, shamans, and healers often worship their own interpretations of Seherine, Vormaxia, and Aset - or sometimes conglomerate interpretations of the three.
-The Johtalit herd large animals called snowstalkers (pictured bottom right), the name going back to their origins on Kleemudor - but here used to refer to an entirely different creature. The husbandry of these creatures is central to much of Johtalit culture, as snowstalkers allow them to cross the land in relative safety and also provide much-needed hides and meat. Johtalit live mostly in small villages built from wood and brick, each led by a chieftain or shaman. Few elemental mages exist among the Johtalit, with magic practice being in the realm of divine or spiritual (the Johtalit make no distinction between the two); or, occasionally, psionic.
+The Johtalit herd large animals called snowstriders (pictured bottom right), the name going back to their origins on Kleemudor - but here used to refer to an entirely different creature. The husbandry of these creatures is central to much of Johtalit culture, as snowstriders allow them to cross the land in relative safety and also provide much-needed hides and meat. Johtalit live mostly in small villages built from wood and brick, each led by a chieftain or shaman. Few elemental mages exist among the Johtalit, with magic practice being in the realm of divine or spiritual (the Johtalit make no distinction between the two); or, occasionally, psionic.
 {{  settings:cahyali:snowstalker.png?400}}
 Promised great rewards from the Ember Army, explorers from Pthora often venture out into the southern tundra. They hope to find something; a place to stake a proper claim for Pthora, or treasure, or the like. Few of these explorers ever return, claimed by Mother Nature or by… something else, perhaps.