Nations

Though there are many nations across the world, only four major powers remain, all others can be relegated to single towns and communities that are often paying taxes or made of members from the greater empires.

Major Powers

Onokrin Empire

Cities and Towns

Name: Daggard Keep
Empire: Onokrin
Local Lord(s): Crassus the Unbroken (male ogre), Bagman Herod (Formerly)
Layout: Fortress City
Economy: Daggard Keep is largely supplied by trade routes passing through from the Warren Federation, benefiting from taxes and tariffs for all cargo and people entering empire territory. The local industry caters to the soldiers positioned here as the first line of defense against potential raiders and elven incursions. This locale largely focuses on leisure activities and tourist industries that attract even those merely passing through to other empire towns. Actual production is small, with only modest non-empire recruits being trained to later become mercenaries or join federation forces further south. While it contains other forms of minor industry, none of it is truly notable.
Crime: Daggard Keep has an incredibly thriving black market that is largely run by the various caravans seeking to move dangerous, illegal, or simply tax-exempt goods through the empire. This criminal syndicate is largely controlled by multiple competing cartels always seeking to provide various services in an uneasy peace with each other. Despite brutal competition, each various criminal enterprise has an agreement with local law enforcement, keeping their dealings out of the public eye and not letting it spill over to threaten citizens or the status quo.
Population: Daggard Keep is incredibly multi-cultural due to its geographic position as the crossroads between all empires. As a result it is one of the most common place to find members of the Warren Federation or Steel Legion who have taken up permanent residence. While still a minority, these residents are considered a core aspect of the city life and are just as respected as regular citizens.
History: Daggard Keep was first formed as a military bastion to deter gnoll raiders coming north in search of new targets. This fortress served both as a ward and vigil against outside attackers and was positioned on the commonly accepted empire border. Being the last of the great towns to form but the second largest city has positioned it as being far more modern than other areas due to much of its infrastructure being built to current-day standards rather than updated over the centuries. Though less common after the wider spread use of firearms raids and attacks on the keep while it was in construction saw the rise of many famous and legendary lords who cut teeth in these early raids before moving on to new territories. The current lord of Daggard Keep is Crassus the Unbroken, an ogre battle mage renowned for his indomitable presence both on the field of battle and within the courts of nobles, being as much a diplomat as warrior he is often credited as the greatest ally to the rodentfolk, as it is his shrewd negotiations that saw the railroads being built to connect the two world powers more directly.
Ecology: Daggard Keep is a massive city covering a wide swathe of territory surrounded by massive stone walls lined end to end in gun turrets, canons, and munition stockpiles to defend its large population. Much of the keep is practical and functional erring on the use of space and building for economy over comfort. As a result the city is separated into three primary districts. The trade district where much of the tourism and leisure activities may be found. The bastion district which store houses of munition stockpiles and warehouses filled to the brim with trade goods remain under heavily armed guard. Then the sprawl district where housing is largely delegated, separated into its own sub-districts based on economic class."

Name: Barncowl Hold
Empire: Onokrin
Local Lord(s): Emperor Lucius Aratus (male human)
Layout: Castle City
Economy: The economy of Barncowl Hold is primarily supported by the lavish spending of aristocrats and nobles who make up the primary number of citizens. Barncowl is considered the seat of the empire, the bastion of leadership among the empire and, to many, where the true decisions are made for the fate of the Empire, Federation, and Legion. While lavish villas and lush gardens manicured for novelty and beauty are of the most valued industry, the most common job among the middle and lower class is that of clerks, bureaucrats, and otherwise middle management for the rest of the empire. The hostile nature of the world requires an efficient and effective bureaucracy, and the emperor spares no expense in ensuring all taxes, materials, and budgets are balanced daily. Those who are not civil servants are often actual servants, working with independent business making use of all the money coming in from wealthy families, guilds, and companies taking up residence in Barncowl to be adjacent to the emperor, often at the behest of lords whom these sycophants are employed by.
Crime: Next to non-existent, even by the nobility and potential criminal markets. Emperor Aratus is a firm believer in Baitaal and utterly loathes all form of crime, even sanctioned rackets or quasi-legal black markets. As such, enforcement of laws and regulations are paramount and often over staffed and given multiple layers of redundancy to curb potential corruption. Potential criminals in Barncowl do not consider if they can get away with their misdeeds, but can they accomplish them and disappear before the hammer of the law comes down.
Population: As the seat of the empire and with the emperor residing in his castle bastion petitioners from all walks of wealth and life come to take up residency in the hopes of currying favoror having laws and edicts passed that favor them. As a result much of the hold is of wealthier stock and somewhat diverse, as some of the most powerful federation families and legion clans have holdings to function as liaisons and diplomats. Though this remains an exception, rather than the rule, most of the hold retains citizen populations as humans, orcs, goblins, and ogres.
History: Barncowl Hold, despite its status as the seat of the empire, once came from truly humble origins as an overly large farming village. It was where the first alliance and subsequent peace between the early human farmers and orc tribes was brokered to ally against encroaching gnoll raiders. Being the first to take this stance the village of Barncowl quickly grew in size and wealth as rumors came that it was one of the safest villages to live. The then clan elder Aurian the First assumed leadership of the steadily growing village, establishing the first kings and noble families by offering his son in marriage to the tribal orc chieftains daughter. This lineage of kings can be traced all the way to the current emperor Lucius, whose family has maintained the growth and unity of all other surviving villages who brokered similar peace with any orc tribe willing to come to mutually beneficial terms.
Ecology: Barncowl Hold is a city fortress, protected by multiple layers of walls that separate the city into two districts. The velvet hold where castle Barncowl resides along with the houses of the nobility and the silver quarter where much of the luxury, bureaucracy, and other necessary holdings for operating the empire reside. While much of Barncowl can be considered modern the hold is ever under construction as its prior existence as a farming village lends it to a labyrinth maze of streets and buildings that did not come to be with much long term planning. While rare, some buildings can be said to have been built upwards of two millennia ago that still remain standing due to constant repairs and upgrades. Barncowl is also the only empire city to boast having a power grid that offers every building electricity, a fact that lends to what visitors describe as an enchanting colorful landscape day and night."