Major Settlements: Cities of the Broken World
"We build our cities in the ruins of theirs. Every foundation is a grave. Every wall remembers what was lost."
-Nomad Elder testimony
Year 437 humanity clusters in fortified settlements...some built from pre-Sundering ruins, others carved from mountains or grown from living wood. These cities are humanity's anchors in a hostile world: centers of trade, culture, military power, and hope. Each reflects the faction that built it, and each tells a story of survival against impossible odds.
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Settlement Classification
| Category | Population | Characteristics | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega-Cities | 500,000+ | Faction capitals, industrial centers, heavily fortified | The Boneyards, Cathedral Prime, Ironhearth |
| Major Cities | 100,000-500,000 | Regional hubs, manufacturing, standing armies | The Vault, Roothold, Ashveil |
| Towns | 10,000-100,000 | Trade posts, farming communities, garrison towns | Hundreds globally |
| Outposts | 100-10,000 | Frontier settlements, resource extraction, vulnerable | Thousands globally |
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Church of Absolution Settlements
Cathedral Prime (Capital)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Former Paris, France (built atop Notre-Dame ruins) |
| Population | ~800,000 (largest Church city) |
| Architecture | Gothic revival, massive stone cathedrals, prayer bells every street |
| Economy | Tithes, pilgrim donations, Casket leasing |
| Military | 10,000 Penitent Caskets, 50,000 Crusader infantry |
| Landmarks | The Grand Confessional (world's largest cathedral), Hall of Penance (soul-binding chambers) |
| Atmosphere | Constant prayer bells, incense smoke, public penance rituals |
Other Notable Church Settlements
- The Spire (Rome): Second holiest city, archives of pre-Sundering texts, 300,000 population
- Sanctuary (London ruins): Fortified refugee center, accepts all faiths, 150,000 population
- Redemption's Gate (Berlin): Military stronghold, trains Penitent Legions, 200,000 population
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Ossuarium Settlements
The Boneyards (Capital)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Former Detroit, USA (built atop automotive factories) |
| Population | ~1.2 million (largest city globally) |
| Architecture | Industrial brutalism, scavenged steel, bone motifs everywhere |
| Economy | Casket manufacturing, soul-binding services, salvage operations |
| Military | 20,000+ contracted Caskets (largest fleet globally) |
| Landmarks | The Ledger Vault (Bonelord Karath's archives), Soul Markets (contract trading floor) |
| Atmosphere | Smoke-filled factories, constant hammering, desperate contractors selling their deaths |
Other Notable Ossuarium Settlements
- Titan's Grave (Chicago ruins): Salvage mega-complex, Void-corrupted edges, 400,000 population
- The Crucible (Pittsburgh): Steel forges, arms manufacturing, 250,000 population
- Deadwater (New York harbor): Underwater salvage operations, submersible Caskets, 180,000 population
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Dwarven Forge-Guild Settlements
Ironhearth (Capital)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Beneath Alps (Switzerland), geothermal forges |
| Population | ~600,000 (largest underground city) |
| Architecture | Carved stone halls, runic pillars, perfectly symmetrical design |
| Economy | Custom Casket construction, weapons/armor smithing, engineering contracts |
| Military | 5,000 elite Caskets (quality over quantity), impenetrable defenses |
| Landmarks | The Grand Forge (continent-sized foundry), Hall of Masters (guild headquarters) |
| Atmosphere | Ringing hammers echoing through stone, apprentices chanting smithing prayers |
Other Notable Dwarven Settlements
- Deepstone (Himalayas): Highest elevation city, crystal mining, 200,000 population
- Molten Hall (Iceland): Volcanic forges, extreme heat resistance training, 150,000 population
- Runewatch (Norway): Runic research center, defensive magic, 100,000 population
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Elven Verdant Covenant Settlements
Roothold (Capital)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Former Amazon rainforest (Brazil), preserved grove |
| Population | ~400,000 (largest Elven settlement) |
| Architecture | Living wood structures (trees shaped into buildings), bio-luminescent lighting |
| Economy | Agriculture (best in world), bio-organic materials, symbiotic contracts |
| Military | 3,000 bio-organic Caskets (fragile but self-repairing), guerrilla fighters |
| Landmarks | The Great Tree (mile-tall central tree), Bio-Dome Gardens (climate-controlled agriculture) |
| Atmosphere | Birdsong, flowing water, scent of flowers (stark contrast to industrial cities) |
Other Notable Elven Settlements
- Thornveil (Congo Basin): Defensive bio-barriers, thorn weaponry, 150,000 population
- Canopy Rest (Southeast Asia): Treetop cities, aerial defense, 100,000 population
- The Verdant Scar (Australia): Void purification project, constantly under siege, 80,000 population
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The Exchange Settlements
The Vault (Capital)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Former Zurich, Switzerland (built atop banking vaults) |
| Population | ~500,000 (wealth concentrated here) |
| Architecture | Fortified vaults, gold-plated walls, opulent excess amid poverty |
| Economy | Banking, Casket leasing, Soulstone trading, debt collection |
| Military | 8,000 repossessed Caskets, elite mercenary guards |
| Landmarks | The Council Vault (plutocrat headquarters), The Exchange (trading floor) |
| Atmosphere | Wealth disparity on display...gilded nobles, starving debtors in same streets |
Other Notable Exchange Settlements
- Fort Gold (former Fort Knox): Vault-city, impenetrable defenses, 200,000 population
- The Ledger (Hong Kong ruins): Trade hub, caravan terminus, 180,000 population
- Coin's Rest (Dubai ruins): Desert vault-city, water monopoly, 150,000 population
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Nomad Collective Settlements
The Wandering (Mobile Capital)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Migratory (follows seasonal warmth, currently North America plains) |
| Population | ~80,000 (largest convoy) |
| Architecture | Mobile caravans, tent cities, temporary fortifications |
| Economy | Trade caravans, information brokering, scavenging |
| Military | 2,000 jury-rigged Caskets, hit-and-run raiders |
| Landmarks | The Elder's Tent (council meetings), Oral Archives (storyteller circles) |
| Atmosphere | Campfires, storytelling, songs of lost homes |
Other Notable Nomad Convoys
- The Long Road (Asia): Silk Road revival, 60,000 population
- The Dust Runners (Africa): Desert specialists, 40,000 population
- The Frozen March (Scandinavia): Winter survivors, ice-fishing economy, 30,000 population
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Vestige Bloodline Settlements
The Mutation Yards (Capital)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Void-adjacent zone (former Louisiana bayou) |
| Population | ~200,000 (80% mutated) |
| Architecture | Bio-organic structures, grafted bone/chitin, living buildings |
| Economy | Mutation services (controlled Void exposure), adaptive biotech |
| Military | 5,000 bio-mechanical Caskets (adaptive, unpredictable) |
| Landmarks | The Evolution Chambers (mutation labs), Patriarch's Throne (bone cathedral) |
| Atmosphere | Unsettling (mutants walk openly, children born with extra limbs) |
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Emergent Syndicate Settlements
The Hive (Capital)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Jungle bio-structure (former Cambodia) |
| Population | ~300,000 (collective consciousness, hard to count) |
| Architecture | Bio-organic hive (living walls, pheromone vents, communal chambers) |
| Economy | Resource pooling, bio-organic manufacturing, no currency (hive shares everything) |
| Military | 10,000 swarm Caskets (perfectly coordinated) |
| Landmarks | The Nexus (central consciousness node), Birthing Chambers (reproduction center) |
| Atmosphere | Silent coordination, no voices (telepathic communication), creepy efficiency |
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Wyrd Conclave Settlements
The Court of Whimsy (Mobile Capital)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Moves with Void rifts (currently Siberian Wastes) |
| Population | ~50,000 (Stage 2-3 corruption) |
| Architecture | Impossible geometry (Escher-like), phase-shifting buildings, reality-warped materials |
| Economy | Void artifacts, reality manipulation services, stolen goods |
| Military | 1,000 reality-warped Caskets (quality through insanity) |
| Landmarks | The Laughing Spire (tower that exists in multiple places simultaneously) |
| Atmosphere | Chaotic revelry, constant laughter/screaming, reality feels "wrong" |
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Crucible Packs Settlements
Ashveil (Only Settlement)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Ashveil Caldera (volcanic wasteland, former Great Plains) |
| Population | ~15,000 (goblinoid mutants) |
| Architecture | Scrap-metal bunkers, explosive storage, fireproof shelters |
| Economy | Explosive manufacturing, demolition contracts, scrap salvage |
| Military | 500 explosive Caskets (suicide bombers) |
| Landmarks | The Blast Temple (worship site), Munitions Forges |
| Atmosphere | Constant explosions (ritual worship), ash-filled air, fanatical chanting |
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Draconid Remembrance Settlements
Petrified Groves (Neutral Sites)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Scattered globally (crystallizing giants stand like statues) |
| Population | ~50 total (ancient beings, individual Draconids) |
| Architecture | Natural groves, memory crystals embedded in trees, no permanent structures |
| Economy | Knowledge trading, quest-giving, historical consultation |
| Military | None (neutral NPCs, individually powerful but non-combatant) |
| Landmarks | Memory Crystals (historical records visible inside Draconid skin) |
| Atmosphere | Silent, contemplative, timeless (visitors feel like children before ancients) |
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Neutral/Contested Zones
The Borderlands
Regions between faction territories where no single faction dominates. Trade posts, mercenary havens, and contested resources.
- Trade's End (neutral caravan hub): All factions trade here, 40,000 population, strict neutrality laws
- The Drowned Cities (coastal ruins): Underwater salvage, multiple factions compete, 20,000 divers
- The Sibarian Wastes: Void-corrupted, home to The Engine (campaign threat), 5,000 desperate survivors
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Life in Post-Sundering Cities
Common Features Across Factions
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Fortifications | All cities heavily walled (Abominations, raiders, rival factions) |
| Food Scarcity | Rationing common, agriculture difficult, famine frequent |
| Casket Presence | Caskets patrol streets (both protection and intimidation) |
| Class Division | Extreme wealth gaps (elites in towers, poor in slums) |
| Tech Level | Medieval society with scavenged pre-war equipment |
| Atmosphere | Desperate but resilient...humanity clinging to hope |
"Our cities aren't beautiful. They're functional. They keep the Void out. They keep the cold out. They keep death out...for one more day. That's all we can ask."
-Cathedral Prime citizen testimony
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Explore Further
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Factions Overview | Political structure and faction relationships |
| Church of Absolution | Faith-based governance and Cathedral Prime |
| The Ossuarium | Industrial empire and The Boneyards |
| Dwarven Forge-Guilds | Underground cities and Ironhearth |
| Climate & Geography | Environmental challenges shaping settlements |
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