Polemos World Map

[Aziel]

Polemos
(Warning: Large map linked above!)

To the left (west) is Maquina, home of the Aethians. To the right (east) is Vida, home of the Lavates.

Each purple circle represents a community in which the population is over half a million--a city, for all intents and purposes, though they may not have your traditional buildings. The red circles signify capitals.

[Aziel]

MAQUINA

Maquina, or the Wastern Continent is a land of whirring machinery and roaring flames. The sparsely existing beaches are grey, slathered thick in oil that trails out funnels dug through mountain sides. The sky hangs low & cloudy, a constant drizzle splashing down and ringing softly across hundreds of metal towers and spires. In contrast to Vida's spread of forests, much of Maquina is made of desert and rock, granting perfect opportunity for deep mining and resource collecting. The largest cities of Maquina are surrounded by coal mines and oil rigs, some that have burned for hundreds of years.

The Aethians rule this land.

Krycek:
Krycek is the northern most town of Maquina, home only to those who call the cold their friend. All year round it is masked in snow, but underneath the rock is rich with iron and coal. Transportation to Krycek is primarily by train, though some prefer riding their mounts for the extreme risk and adventure the mountains pose.

While it lacks the massive buildings and bustling streets that much of Maquina has, the construction of well-heated apartment complexes and dorms have been rapidly spreading out from Krycek's main community hub.

Sky Passage:
A mid-sized town that received its name from the narrowed mountain ridge one must pass to get there. Sky Passage is an extremely popular tourist site and host of dozens of hotels and resorts. It's also known for its hunting and fur trade, as animals must pass over the ridge during migration.

The town has a more rustic, wooded theme with taverns, cabins and lodges abundant. Its population is around the 70,000 mark.

Blue Ridge:
This town is a key territory for mining. Tunnels drill through the mountain walls like swiss cheese, with cart tracks laid down just about everywhere. The sky above is veiled by a screen of gray, bitter fumes spilling out from dozens of factories lining the town's outskirts.

Most homes are little more than square metal units with basic commodities and bunks for factory workers. The walkways and roads are gravel, sides plagued by dozens of run down, abandoned buildings. Blue Ridge was once the highest exporter of precious stones in Maquina, but much of the town has dried since the end of the rush, leaving it a sickly shadow of what it used to be.

Lagrange
Lagrange is not just a city that endures. Lagrange sits on the unstable ground of the mountains, forming metal spires and scaffolds off of the harsh stone terrain. The lowest levels of the city are half buried in rubble. Earthquakes and landslides have decimated Lagrange time and time again but it has been rebuilt every time. Not fire, nor any other force of nature has kept the city from rising from the ashes of itself. Massive strip mines have been cut into the edges of the mountains, into the depths of the city itself. So that even while it rises higher into the sky, it digs further and further into the ground. Churning up raw ore for the fires.

Samos
Samos, known as the collector's town, is a venerable village of small size and population, where many of Maquina's hoarders set up shop. Rather than a dedicated market, nearly all of the residents of Samos have wares to sell from their homes--all one has to do is knock on the door. What each resident has to sell is a mystery until you go in and see for yourself, a sales method that intrigues only the curious and curiouser. There's a single major inn towards the North, that provides bed and breakfast in a homey environment with few extravagances, as is the aesthetic of the town. Colonial would be an acceptable summary for this cobble stoned, simple village of aged folks with stories and wisdom galore to share.

Tullin
Tullin is home to many of the blue collar workers, highly agricultural and the provider of nearly all of Maquina's produce and livestock. If you can withstand the smell of manure, you might find this village of farmers and shepherds a breath of fresh air in the otherwise highly technological country--so long as you stick to the west, as Tullin's east providers a much darker picture of how things work. Massive silos plot across properties, with bulldozers and plows constantly at work clearing the edges of once beautiful plains.  If you listen carefully, you may be able to hear the desperate pleas of livestock before their slaughter, from run down sheds and factories. Unfortunately, the picture perfect-esque dairy farm is lost when you stray to the poorer end of the town, where rules take a backseat to supply and demand. The export of literal tons of milk and meat on the daily is no easy feat, and does not look pretty; locals do what they must to earn a wage here.

Jaconia
Jaconia is a more impoverished community that houses the rough and rowdy, who are capable of surving in its highly lethal forests. Many hire these residents as guards and bouncers, while those deployed from different companies scrape out all the resources they can find: cocoa, fruit, timber, gold, and various pharmaceuticals materials farmed from the (sometimes poisonous) plant inhabitants. From the ground floor, seeing any sky through the thick blanket of tree branches and leaves is nearly an impossible feat, and the jungle is constantly alive with the sounds of bugs, birds and amphibians of all sorts, many yet to be discovered and documented. Getting lost in the forest-y outskirts of Jaconia is all too easy, and for most travelers, proves deadly.

Orson
Coming soon!

Marlem
This city is an archaeological wonder--housing many of the first population of Maquina. It is a highly religious city, with fortified walls of stone that expand hundreds of feet high to protect all within.  Security is incredibly tight due to its significance to the country, providing much of the material required for masonry. The city layout is grid like, with ancient temples to the east and west that worship Aethel. Pitted in the center is the largest museum Maquina has to offer, housing artifacts from the very beginning of the world's time, some said to have belonged to the gods themselves. Unfortunately, due to the strong cultural influence of Marlem, it is a hot spot for hidden Lavate extremists to attack, hence the increased security in recent years and sporadic brand checks when entering through the main gates.

Belstram
Belstram is known widely as the city of wind, and the city of bells. Sandstone buildings were carved long ago into the walls of a desert canyon and now house most of the population of the city. Nearly every door is hung with bells which catch the rise and fall of the wind and make the whole city echo with the sound of their music. The city's major export is blown glass and incense, which means that it is also filled day and night with the mingling scents. It is arguably one of the most pleasant cities to live in for this reason.

Roa:
Home of many gamblers and alcoholics, Roa is the capital of Maquina and an absolutely favored tourist destination. The center of the city is a rainbow of colors and show of flashing signs at all hours, with dozens of extravagant casinos lining the center of a large salt lake pitted in the city's center. Hotels, clubs, malls and the like make Roa a hot spot for the young and wealthy to visit, churning in incredible profit for Maquina's military.  Those of lesser standing live on the impoverished outskirts with less access to the commodities and resources of the center, such as water and electricity. Under the veil of enthusiasm and pleasantry is a strong tension between classes that create most of Roa's violence and crimes.

Galeo:
A tropical paradise and the second most visited destination of Maquina, this beautiful island is one of the few destinations that Maquina's government hasn't completely ripped to shreds. It stays naturally preserved for party goers and adventures to take trips to, jumping on a short ferry ride from the desert's edge. Wildlife is the healthiest and happiest here, with fresh flora to feed off of, and plenty of roaming room. Condos line the beaches edges all the way around, and in a massive loop across the island stands the longest boardwalk in the world. It hosts a variety of shops and restaurants that make Galeo a romantic and fun-filled get away from the greasy labor of working a job.

Farnyl:
Farnyl is not a tourist destination spot, but rather the natural resources that the island offers have encouraged industrialization. Much of the island is covered by competing gas processing plants that sprawl over once-golden beaches and swaths of grassland alike. They compete for space with industrial plants. Very few animals survive in the wilds of Farnyl, but sections have been designated as living zones for those who work and live there.

Iron Canyon:
Iron Canyon, much like its name suggests, is a village at the bottom of a massive rift in the desert. The trade off for being very naturally well guarded from any sort of invasion, is that escapes are limited. This aside, the population of Iron Canyon is primarily the stronger species of Maquina, who work the mines that drill through the cliff sides and gather the minerals and ores within. As expected, the land is abundant with Iron, though it also produces Coal, copper, cobalt and nickel. Occasionally, pits of the deepest mines will reveal natural rooms of gold and silver, that attract gold diggers who go panning in the river running past the side of the town for any sort of run off nuggets. The town sports a very old western aesthetic for tourism purposes, that meshes awkwardly with the newer technology of the bullet trains stations and  military bases carved out into the canyon walls. Jets frequently fly over the city, rattling it to the core

Oil Rig Graveyard: [Current event!]
In the center of the Roa-Marlem-Iron Canyon triangle is a 30 mile stretch of desert known to most nearby inhabitants as the Oil Rig Graveyard or Slicklands, a burning inferno of machinery long since abandoned. It smells heavily of gasoline, with embers and oil known to  occasionally spurt from holes dug decades ago. As the story goes, one miner, pushed over the mental edge, intentionally started a fire in one of several subsurface petroleum reservoirs, engulfing the entire worksite in flames. Now, this fire still roars deep below the rock, gas seeping through cracks and staining the air. While some incredibly resilient creatures may thrive in the harsh conditions, pro-longed exposure without proper equipment will sicken or kill most. By all standards, the Slicklands, fenced in by rusted steel and barbed wire, is incredibly dangerous, so for the protection of the Maquinian citizens, unauthorized entry is strictly prohibited.

[Aziel]

VIDA

Vida, or the Eastern Continent is a land of dense forest and natural beauty. The beaches sparkle pink and white with frothy ocean foam lickings its shores. Beyond the sand, towards the south are plains and grasslands, while the north is home to snowy mountains. In the heart of the continent is the biggest jungle in the world.

Scattered across the country are tribes and villages, some dug in the ground while others have woven their homes in trees. These villages are all very simple and quaint, with heavy reliance on the resources and terrain around them to provide safety and comfort. There is a natural and respected order among the residents of Vida: the food chain. As is the basis of nature, only the strongest survive, and it's very much eat or be eaten once you venture out out of the camp.

The Lavates rule this land.

Grenhime:
Is the northernmost city, hidden amid the stony peaks and layers of ice, yet what began as merely a series of naturally formed caves has become, slowly over the years, a bustling center of life. Reaching the city is difficult without the aid of a sure-footed animal since there are few passes and even fewer roads.

But what the city lacks in easy access it makes up for in hidden beauty and strong defensive capabilities. The caves and tunnels are home to naturally forming crystal that, combined with carefully placed sources of light, keep it surprisingly well lit all year round and give it a colorful aura.

Alihm
In the midst of a hardy forest lies what might be the oldest city. Ancient, well-kept stone monuments stand from times long past, and the whole city hums with a sound that can not only be heard, but felt. The sound of magic.

The population of this city is very low, and most of the residents prefer their quiet studies and religious repasts, however it is this very fact which continues to keep this city relevant through the years. Some of the greatest philosophers, magicians, and prophets have called Alihm home, and they continue to supply other cities with much needed magic and council.

Taranath
This is easily the youngest city, and arguably created by a dissident group from Faesa. The exact details are lost to time, but being young hasn’t meant much for this city. However it is easy to see a lot of the elements architectural influences from Faesa in it’s ‘sister city’. Most buildings are hidden or cunningly grown from the forest itself, and the entire city gives off a mystical, serene feeling, however this is where the two cities separate. Taranath is fast-paced in spite of it’s serene setting and their markets are cut throat. Sometimes literally. Anything can be bought or sold in Taranath, and often is.

Faesa
Unquestionably Faesa is the capital city. It is a feat of magic and architectural genius, and has been around long enough to make that evident everywhere you look. A mystical aura of peace, tranquility, and wild power is the life-blood of this city, and whether it is towers grown from trees and twisting into the sky, or the swords sung from the earth and forged with magic on the edge of the city, Faesa leaves a lasting impression.

Not only is Faesa beautiful, but it is powerful. It offers places of worship be they small altars or larger finely-wrought temples to the gods and goddess. It boasts a mage tower where mages can safely work and learn. And commerce to each one of the other cities which is vital to their daily lives.

Nadinva
There may be some question as to whether to call Nadinva a city at all. It is in fact a massive outdoor temple in the center of which lies a single pool. This sacred place is where all trade is performed by the people of the plains when they choose to bring their goods. All sorts of things can be bought and sold, and all manner of people can be found. It’s mutable nature makes it hard to say what you will find there when you go, and what is there one day isn’t the next, but such is the nature of the plains. The only thing that never changes it the temple and the pool, and a quiet rumor that bathing in it beneath the full moon light will cure any ill--though this has yet to be proven entirely truthful.

[Aziel]

VALIAS

Considered no man's land, for some time Aethel and Lavathor thought it to be under the protection of their elder brother. Moreso, they were too busy bickering over aesthetics to worry about the smaller island of little more than rock and snow.

Valias is a land of very jagged terrain with harsh waves lapping all about the mountains' bases. Visibility is limited by the constant snowfall towards the south, and the few animal species that do thrive here are ferocious monsters and not to be taken lightly. Frequently Valias is referred to as "The tail of Polemos."


Valias:
The only established city of the land that takes the same name, Valias is considered by many refugees as a safe haven and escape from the religious tension and hatred between Vida and Maquina. This city is not very rich and struggles for resources, but the people are incredibly friendly and work together as a community, using a barter system to keep themselves alive and well. Luckily, despite the rocky terrain, because Valias is a relatively new community lacking an urban, resource hogging touch, the land is still abundant with animals and wild plants that are just just enough to survive on, with hunters and gatherers making up much of the population.

Civilians are taught early on how to fight and defend themselves, as every now and again a band of soldiers from Maquina or Vida will attempt to dominate the lands. The people of Valias are surprisingly tactful and cunning, able to entrap the fleets that ambush them and drive the enemy away--this is how they've managed to survive for as long as they have, though no other cities can say the same.

The Outskirts:
Many escapees of Vida and Maquina don't trust the community of Valias, or feel able to work once more with other families and community members. Because of the constant attempt by the large countries to dominate Valias, these people flee to the mountains and live in their own small clans. Most of those on the outside of Valias don't obey any laws other than survive. making them vicious warriors and talented trackers and hunters. Though the death rate of living on the outskirts is significantly higher--usually do to starvation or hypothermia--the idea still appeals to many who desire complete freedom and anarchy.

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