The World, it's structure, Lands, Areas, Cities
Stetil
The coldest and most rugged of the Zerin Areas, dominated by the huge
peak of Stetilyos, upon which several small communities attempt to cling.
Tuer, Hapar and Jeteb are the main townships, all of them relying on mining
and shipping products found only in Stetil. Metals and ores are strong
in these stony mountains, and some of the best steels come from them.
Yuml, Dirir and Kelis are outlying and lower altitude cities, again relying
on exports and production for their livelyhood. North of the mountains
are low wetlands, and a strip of both cold plains and woods, then extremely
chilly barrens and hills. Beena and Skan are closest to the southern mountains
in the wetlands, Lhol is one of the most northerly Cities in the world,
Fabe and Peri both rest in the metal rich barrens, and Nofa makes its
summer and autumn ocean trades when the Cleft Bay unfreezes. South of
the mountains, in the dark Stetil forest, Vlan and Xnet use the woods
for their business, homes and lifestyles, while Ika on the east seaboard
is the largest Stetil city and relies upon travel, ocean fishing, and
racing to stay that way. Ika is still less than half the size of most
other 'major' cities. Stetil Highland accents are the most distinct in
the world, and even the most highly educated High Holder and international
travelers never completely lose their accents.
Unincorporated Population: Not quite 300 thousand is the estimate. Most of these people live in the mountains, eaking out their lives and occasionally trading with those in the few townships nearby. Some also survive on the cold, hard islands on the north-east coast, and some make their living on the ice floes in the Cleft Bay area. For such a huge Area, this number is staggeringly low.
Ika: Using the sea to farm Ikan Flat Grass, or sea weed, Ika is the largest
port in Stetil, surprisingly out doing the mining and Steeding towns because
of this. Also, it has a direct line both over sea and in the air to Kirun
and Qimira. It is a place filled with sensible people, those who live
their whole lives there are quite rustic. Those who otherwise come and
go are the ones who really get a lot out of the local terrain such as
the Slat Wood to the north (a place of shattered ground but striking bits
of timber between dark red stone walls) and the low Steeding plain.
Earthly Equivalent: Yellowstone with a coastline
Founded in 3982 Pronounced "eye-kah"
Population: 710000 SM: .5 VM: x3
Hapar: Combining the Steeding with mining, there are tons of Free Land
Holders here because of its founders. (Good land cheap, only Bayaran for
a year before you can settle on your Own Land!) It's still pretty well
covered with forest, though at the highest points the "trees"
are around 2 feet tall at best. Hapar produces many blades, their metal
works are not the most renoun but they are of good enough quality for
most home-chefs to use.
Earthly Equivalent: ?? Founded in 8300
Population: 450000 SM: .7 VM: x2
Kelis: Kelis is founded in the hills and huge valley of the Stetil east.
The valley occasionally fills with ice, but the lowest reaches of it are
quite warm and the farming there is much better than the area would normally
indicate. The wild cotton-like fibers found on the local GreyMouse bushes
are harvested and processed here, but are usually not turned into anything
interesting until they're far away.
Earthly Equivalent: almost like an Andean community
Founded in 4000 Population: 310000 SM: .7 VM: x2
L'tol: Heavy on the Steeding, and the air here is so crisp most of the
time anyone with the slightest nasal problems will explode. It is simply
always cold here, no matter how many layers you pile on. The streets of
the actual city are all designed for vehicular transport, rather than
Steeds, though in the outlaying areas there are few trucks or any vehicles
beyond those towed by Steeds.
Earthly Equivalent: an Antarctic outpost with a little more style
Founded in 7940 Pronounced "luh-toll"
Population: 220000 SM: 1x VM: x2
Beena: On the warmer side of Stetil, Beena is in the middle of the rainforest,
and grows quite a few of the world's herbs and medicinals. The city is
fair and modern, with a flair for the colorful rounded arches so popular
in the '160's.
Earthly Equivalent: a deco Incan combination
Founded in 6034 Population: 190000 SM: 1x VM: x1
Vlan: This wide area with deep woods in the center of Zerin called Vlan
was founded with the idea that entertainment was beauty. It still holds
true. Steeds and gambling rule here, but there are several very good and
most expensive schools here, mostly of the Membayar type.
Earthly Eqivalent: Austin Texas with more trees surrounding it Founded
in 5119 Population: 122000 SM: 1x VM: x1
Dirir: manages to hold on to its tenuous life, mostly by fishing and
exporting things, but the Steeding and training in the area is fine as
well, through the centuries those bred and trained here are stronger and
best for high-altitude. The city itself blends in with both the beaches
below, and the high sharp cliffs above.
Earthly Equivalent: sandy castles on the beach
Founded in 8040 Population: 102000 SM: 1x VM: x1
Jeteb: Butterfly Wheat used to grow here. Maybe it will again, some day.
Until then, the small place makes its living by mining and exporting heavy
stones for homesteads elsewhere. The river is not used except in a small
(only about 700 miles) portion, that which gets it down the mountainside
quicker...
Earthly Equivalent: none, it's a good thing too
Founded in 9100 Pronounced "jet-ebb"
Population: 77000 SM: 1.5 VM: x1
Fabe: When the ice isn't there, the people are. It takes a real hard
core homesteader to love this place. It is barren and chill year round,
but ice covers the entire Cleft Bay and one can travel across it carefully
to Nofa.
Earthly Equivalent: who would want to live there?
Founded in 7900 Pronounced "fubb-ay"
Population: 54000 SM: 1.5 VM: x1
Skan: Built for quick Bayaran work, the place is really chilly but is
also great for storing things. Like bodies. There is dredging work to
be done here, on the frigid bogs, and those who don't make it are often
left where they lay so that they might be preserved.
Earthly Eqivalent: peat bog in Siberia Founded in 8630 Pronounced "ska-nn"
like the music ska, not like "skate"
Population: 45000 SM: 2 VM: x1
Tuer: Another small mining town which exports rolls of sheet metals of
all kinds. There is a disproportionate number of metal-sensitive mutants
living in Tuer, mostly Owned or Bayaran by the same companies.
Earthly Eqivalent: side of any mountain
Founded in 1956 Pronounced "two-air"
Population: never more than 24000 SM: 2 VM: x1
Xnet: In the dark woods of Stetil, Xnet has maintained a strong Land
Holder and Animal Master population throughout its life. The little town
is an oasis of buildings within a sea of trees. There are many features
which get added on, such as hunting parks and racing facilities, but mostly
this place is for research and high living for those who normally can't
afford it.
Earthly Equivalent: Taliesin (east)
Founded in 5306 Pronounced "zuh-net"
Population: 21000 SM: 2 VM: x1
Peri: There was gold in those hills, once. Now they get most of it out
of the sea, called Golden Shrimp, they harvest quite a few of these tiny
popcorn sized and brilliantly golden critters. Otherwise, there was a
lot of digging going on, but no one does it any more. Nothing more to
get.
Earthly Equivalent: a California Coastal gold-rush town which never quite
died after the rush
Founded in 6224 Population: 20000 SM: 2 VM: x1
Yuml: Used to be you could use the huge river to push your mining trams
down to the lowlands. Now you have to pick it up and airlift it out, because
Yuml is just about the most inconvienent place to get to on land. It has
a good supply of wildlife and trees, and there is still a lot left in
the ground to dig up.
Founded in 8500
Pronounced "you-mill" or like Yuma with an "l"
Population: 14000 SM: 3 VM: x1
Nofa: Directly in the middle of Cleft Bay and with the river behind it
leading way up past Hapar, Nofa is an often visited but rarely homesteaded
place. Mainly because it can only be useful to anyone when it's not frozen
over with the ice floes. There are ice-craft used to push tourists around
if they can manage the cold, but otherwise Nofa is going to be a small
town in the middle of a very pretty land.
Founded in 7708 Pronounced like "sofa"
Population: 9000 SM: 3 VM: x1
