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Forge

Named after the forge that lies beneath the massive outcrop of rock and metal, this eponymous cluster of industry serves one purpose only: smelting metals. Making use of the natural geography of the region that funnel cold winds at high speeds across the surface of the outcrop, Forge has the capacity to match any two industrialised cities yearly output - in a month.

The secret to this industrial behemoth is the vane of rock under which it sits. At first glance this appears to be a natural protrusion, but detailed examination reveals that it is riddled with metallic panels that serve as cooling engines for the forges beneath. Through this clever merger of technology and nature, Forge's creators have engineered one of the marvels of the modern world.

Located a mere 5 miles from the Workshop of the Mechanist, Forge provides the industrial hub of Wintreath with vast quantities of high-end melted metals to be worked into the gear-machinery the Workshop produces. Linked via a clever contraption of conveyor-belts and transport cranes, Forge demonstrates the marvels of Origin design capability.

Details:
Population: 8,000 workers + 300 Hvitt Riddaral.
Location: Frostlake

Bain

First city of the island it takes its name from, Bain was the traditional home of the Meindhert Line and one of the few cities to retain its Fritänkare College after Spiritus took control of Wintreath. Due to its location in the far north-east of the region, separated from most of the rest of the world by the Strait of Cain and the Western Ocean, Bain has always been a highly independent place, full of radical political ideas and less-than-legal experimentation with gearwork.

With the migration of significant portions of House Meindhert to Frostlake and the acceptance of Kestar authority, Bain has become a vibrant city which sees itself as the last bastion of Wintreath. Having taken to its new ruler, Inric I, with a passion, the citizens of the city pride themselves on their loyalty and commitment to the Crown, and it is from Bain and its sister-city Cain that many of Wintreath's finest sailors are recruited.

It is said that one should never venture out of Bain's immediate environs without a local guide, for the rest of the island is prone to playing tricks on an unwary traveller and many are lost along the winding paths that lead to Bain's own small mountain range.

Details:
Population: 21,800 citizens + 500 Hvitt Riddaral.
Location: Isle of Bain [seconded to the territory of Bët]

Saraneth Falls

The crashing thunder that marks the Saraneth Falls is said to bear remnants of power that were used some thousands of years ago to bind the River Saraneth to a new course. Initially, the Falls were located some miles to the south, and the ancient path of the water can still be seen, but something - or someone - bound the river to their will and changed its flow. Now, the river serves as one of three tributaries of Frost Lake, and carries trade from the Krall Peninsula into the heart of Wintreath.

Those who live and work in the Saraneth Outpost that stands in the midst of the falls tumultuous feeder rivers have long since become used to the temptations of the water - an idle thought can lead a man to throw himself into the fast-flowing Falls in a one-way trip to the plains below.

One of the great natural wonders of Wintreath, the drop from top to bottom is measured at 1,377 metres - one of the tallest waterfalls in the world. In case of emergency, a specialised gearship is kept moored in the some-what calmer waters by the Outpost itself, designed to withstand both to raging waves of the Falls and the colossal drop they travel over.

The Line Mountains, from which the River Saraneth originates, are studded with abandoned constructions, many of which are still being explored by the denizens of the Outpost that takes its name from the Falls.

Details:
Population: N/A - Outpost holds 300 citizens + 150 Hvitt Riddaral.
Location: Krall Peninsula.

Halden's Hearth

Marking the last reach of civilisation in the north of Wintreath, Halden's Hearth is an oasis of warmth and tranquility amongst the imposing heights of the Huggtänder Mountains. It's mysterious proprietor, Halden, is rarely seen: his only appearances are to open the doors to weary travellers and to bid them farewell - a job he has been doing for nigh-on 300 years, if the stories are to be believed.

The Hearth is larger than it first appears. One enters through the small building that sits alone on a spire of ironmarble that rises above various water-courses, but once inside it extends down several floors, each larger and more homely than the last. Its interior boasts plush carpets, open fires, heated water - an unexplained miracle for many - and a gearwork contraption that semaphores messages back to Gråskygge Outpost, although this is subject to good weather conditions.

It's unknown how Halden survives out in the depths of the Huggtänder range without companionship or supply for months on end, but from his infrequent appearances he seems happy enough to greet his frost-bitten guests who rarely, if ever, have an invite into his home. Of his past little is known except that he shares blood with the Royal family, which many feel explains his longevity.

Details:
Population: 1 - various visitors may be in residence at any given time, however.
Location: Erinvale [Northernmost extreme]

The Long Road

Representing one of the longest-standing instances of Origin involvement in Wintreath, the Long Road traverses thousands of miles from Dénik in the South Rides to Fullföljande in the Intheral territory. Self-repairing and self-illuminated, the Road carries trade through 5 territories in the heartland of Wintreath, although much of the personal traveller use has been superceded by the Glaciermount Trans-Regional Railway.

Constructed somewhere between two and three thousand years prior to the present day, it is rare to see a stretch of the Road in disrepair, as seen in the painting. However, entropy is a force that affects all things, and as such passage along the Long Road is occasionally disrupted by acts of nature or sabotage - although the latter isn't well-received by the Road itself, and those who perpetrate such acts are rarely seen or heard from again.

Details:
Population: N/A
Location: South Rides, Southwest Rides, Dyster, Central Western Rides, Intheral.

NB: Painting shows damage sustained after an uncontrolled gearengine detonated.

Loving the places and the descriptions from everyone. It really is excellent work.

Where does everyone get all of their pictures they use from?

Wester

As suggested by the name, Wester lies on the western coast of Wintreath, serving as one of the key ports for trade with regions that lie across the Western Ocean. Appearances can be deceiving, and this is certainly true of Wester - the initial impression is of a shanty town, ill constructed and clinging to the faces of various cliffs and pinnaces.

Upon entering the city proper, seen across the bay in the painting above, one will instead find a warm and welcoming environment, with pleasant company, strong ale and good food abound. Wester prides itself on its culinary arts as well as its somewhat non-conventional architectural styles of design, and these are its prime exports. Wester Architect Society is in high demand the world over for their space-saving, open-plan philosophies, whilst the chefs are found in the Royal Courts themselves.

As a non-nuclear settlement, Wester has several distinct communities, each with its own name. Wester-Tal, seen in the foreground right of the painting, is home to the artisans and philosophers, away from the bustle and noise of Wester proper. Wester-Orn, seen to the foreground left of the painting, provides the fisher fleets and the ship-builders who commute via shuttleboat to Wester proper for their work. Wester-Kej, to the very rear of the painting, is the gearwork hub, full of steam and fire and clanking of machinery.

Wester's ruling class is drawn from a combination of three families: The Aeternus, a distant branch of the Eternus (the second family) and the Umbra. A complex series of marriages unified these three unique lines into one that now retains the respect of every element of Wester life.

Details:
Population: 39,400 citizens + 3000 HR, 1500 WRFC, 2000 WRN
Location: West Rides

Årn ad'Imrich

Hidden far beneath the western cliffs that march unendingly from the glaciers of the north down past Cain and Jormving, Årn ad'Imrich is a place of lost secrets. Uncovered by a subsidence in the cliff-top above, the first explorers to enter the gloomy depths of this network of caves were astounded to see the mighty pillars that, if their eyes were not deceived, supported almost the entire western coastline of Wintreath.

The torches that marked the winding stairs, passageways and docks of Årn ad'Imrich flickered and lit themselves upon their arrival. Since then, they have not gone out. The purpose of this gargantuan construction remains unknown to this day, but some suspect their use was as a place of retreat. Others claim it is the last resting place of the Origins, the race that vanished from the surface some two thousand years prior to the rediscovery of Årn ad'Imrich.

Whatever else isn't known, the network is now home to thousands of Braignesl natives who have come to make a second home here amongst the very foundations of Wintreath. The waters bear little resemblance to the crashing waves of the sea far above - to drink from them is to see eternity in visions that drive a man crazy.

Details:
Population: 14,150
Location: Western coast of Wintreath, from Bëthern to just north of Wester.

Lansarna
Previously mistaken as mere outlying peaks of the Huggtänder mountain rage, Lansarna is the collective name given to what has colloquially become known as "The Lances". Living up to this name, Lansarna are pinnaces of ironmarble rising from the ever-clouded foothills just south of the first mountain of the Huggtänder range, each with its own complex series of tunnels, accommodation complexes, workshops and libraries.

Upon the start of the Hard Years, hospitable locations in the northern territories of Wintreath were hard to come across, with the cold winds and blizzards driving many to seek shelter in already established settlements for months and years at a time. It was the intrepid explorer Revin Demetrith who was responsible for their discovery - one of the first private owners of an aeronautical vessel he'd constructed himself, he had been travelling between the Northern Outposts when sudden high winds had blown him and his crew off course.

The rest is known to history: upon dashing their vessel upon the side of one of these spires, the wind had immediately dropped. Resigning themselves to a long, cold and difficult descent, the crew had just begun to move out when one noticed the entrance that dove deep into the internals of their marooning point. From there, it was easy going - the paths, although multiplying seemingly endlessly, led them down to the valley floor.

Now inhabited by many of the air-traders and Flying Corps, Lansarna are important guide-beacons to travel in the North.

Details:
Population: Hundreds of thousands spread across 18 lances.
Location: Northern territories.

Färnhel District
The civic redevelopments that swept Frostlake's districts in ¨190 saw building projects create an entirely new face for many of them. Backed by Family money, Royal authority and the Storting, these changes moved Frostlake from a slightly dated-feeling image to one that thrummed with energy.

Färnhel District lies to the north-west of the Royal District, and it is here that some of the greatest alterations can be seen easily. Prior to ¨190, Färnhel had been slightly dilapidated, part of the little used northern sector of the island as many preferred to live within easy access of the two main train stations and the five free public access ports. The redevelopment changed everything.

Construction of 3 aero-moorings in and around Färnhel brought floods of new life to the area. The construction of the four train stations, one to each cardinal direction, also made the area more attractive. The architects and social planners capitalised on this new surge of inhabitants admirably. Entire streets of housing were rebuilt, bringing the standard of living well up to match the cities now almost world-standard record. New industrial sectors provided jobs, two new ports did much the same whilst allowing freedom of travel, and the entertainment facilities tripled.

Although this rapid leap forward might seem a massive development, it was not the foremost in Färnhel. As the builders and planners withdrew, in moved the politically savvy, the artisans, the courtiers, the philosophers and the ideologists. Soon, the district was a thriving hub from which one could take the temperature of Wintreath as a whole. Ideas meet with fierce debate to this day, as minds come together in discussion about all of the real problems in the world.

Färnhel is not a stranger to violence, either. The political intrigue that so fills the streets at all times of the day and night brings its own brand of trouble - assassinations, bribery, plots and dangerously radical notions. Despite this, however, Färnhel is a well-known haunt of many of the Patriarchs and even the King himself, providing both fuel for discussion and keeping it in check to ensure the balance of power remains as it should.

Aesthetically, Färnhel has a warm atmosphere generated by the orange glow of streetlamps, a sense of bustling activity just beneath the surface from the many bars, restaurants and open meeting areas, the speaking amphitheatres and the tiered and tree-shaded tables where many come to sit, drink and talk. Houses are well-kept, decorated and designed - providing an aura of comfort to go with the feeling of intensity that echoes through the streets like a physical thing.

Details:
Population: 36,174
Location: Frostlake [city district of]

Orcinae

The underwater city of Orcinae lies hidden under the frozen waves of Wintreath’s northern seas. Its origins and the peoples that constructed the sprawling city have been lost in the annals of ancient history.

Upon its rediscovery, Orcinae was repopulated first s a penal colony with its new inhabitants assured that this would be their final chance at becoming a productive member of society.
Any who failed would be jettisoned unceremoniously into the depths of the frigid sea. Fortunately the definition of such a life here allowed far more room for interpretation than most of Wintreath itself.

Today the city thrives as a “Black Market” tourist destination where one can find almost anything – legal and “not-so-legal”.

Population: N/A
Location: Somewhere beneath the Northeastern Seas

Argosai
The aero-city of Argosai demonstrates the pinnacle of Wintreath's aeronautical engineering industry's technology. With an average cruising height of a mere 300 metres below the established aero-lanes, Argosai provides a multitude of services to the sky-traders and Wintreath Royal Flying Corpsmen who are regularly stationed there, either to rotate to new vessels or to transfer to shore.

Primarily, Argosai functions as a mobile mooring station, with refuel and repair facilities that would normally ground an aero-vessel for months at a time available at all hours of the day. Although its average speed is slower than the heaviest of merchant vessels, Argosai makes up for the apparent lack of mobility in the restaurants, bars, workshops, theatres, construction yards, markets and armouries. The WRFC runs 3 month long patrols in relays from Argosai's multi-tiered mooring stations, holding the prime forward bays for the behemoth class aero-dreadnoughts that prove such a disincentive to piracy.

Its 100 year history has been chequered with several take-over attempts by pirates or hidden parties. Argosai's secondary role is as the centre of aero-culture, a rapidly exploding movement to which the majority of aero-traders, pilots and corpsmen subscribe to. To many it is seen as the 'sacred grounds' of aero-traders, the spiritual home for those who live their lives by the wind and the clouds.

In that regard, Argosai has erupted with artisans, painting elaborate vistas, composing symphonies and writing plays and dramas based amongst the wild and unforgiving bounds of the air. The Mikaelson Line is prevalent amongst the upper tiers of Argosaian society, and the running of several key mechanisms of the floating city are entrusted to them.

Purely technologically, Argosai is supported by in-line gas sacs contained within its hull, protected by armour plating. In addition, revolutionary new gearwork rotor houses provide thrust on a scale necessary to move the hulking sky-city. The buildings on topside are riddled with defensive emplacements and it's rumoured that there exists a method of wrapping the entire city in an armoured carapace to defend it from overwhelming assaults.

Details:
Population: Varies wildly on any given day. In excess of 40,000.
Location: Varies wildly.

Ideo'ath Cairn
Raised over two thousand years ago by a wandering tribe of hunter-gatherers as a marker for their annual migration route, the cairn around which the town of Ideo'ath has grown stands some fifteen metres above the surrounding ground. Due to the nigh-constant rains that marr the north-eastern extents of Wintreath, the cairn is now contained in the town hall, just visible to the top-right of the painting above.

Ideo'ath itself is mainly a wooden and stone construction. The town resides on a large hill in the depths of the Highmarch Downs, and this locale has kept the town isolated for the most part. Thus, a visitor from the outside finds Ideo'ath a throwback to the old Wintreath styles of design and architecture - carefully built wooden walls support stone-slate roofs, lanterns gutter in the squalls of wind and rain and cobbled streets gush with the sounds of running water and shod hooves.

For all of its apparent backwardness, Ideo'ath is a comfortable enough place. Buildings are well insulated, and open fires are found in most rooms throughout town. An innovative pipe network provides hot water to the entire populace from the hot springs located beneath the cairn itself. Taverns and inns bustle with gossip and travelers, and the people themselves are quick to laughter despite their wary airs. The local speciality dish is a highly alcoholic stew, made with rum and various meats that does an excellent job of keeping the damp cold from ones bones.

Those who make the three day trek to Ideo'ath Cairn do so mainly for the heavy winter gear the town is famous for the nation over. Ideo'athan jackets, fur-lined leggings, sleeping bags, ice-boots and assorted extras are of the highest quality and its shops and tailors clothe many of the deep winter and far north expeditions entirely by themselves.

Details:
Population: 24,900 citizens + 1500 WHR + 300 WRFC.
Location: Salend Territory

Zystáirn
Based on principles of mobile defensive emplacements and shifting line-of-sight, the fortress-town of Zystáirn looms ominously above the plains of the Far South, poised on the slight coastal rise of the southern shores of the Lysshard river delta. Despite appearances as a static emplacement, the air batteries and shore defense weaponry emplacements operate on tracked gimbals that allow the central control gear-engine to bring up to 70% of the city's defenses to bear on a single target.

Contrary to general expectations, Zystáirn did not start life as a fortress-city: instead, its origins are as a far more humble lighthouse-early warning position on the Southern coast, designed to alert the Langt Myra chain of encroaching forces from the South and West. It was only after the 117 invasion of the Lysshard rides that the city was redesigned from the ground up as a military emplacement, and even today one can still see the light tower that has been subsumed by the city hall.

Visitors to Zystáirn may well expect a very regimented and ordered style of living, but are surprised by the laid-back hustle and bustle of city life similar to almost any other Wintreath city, no matter its purpose or location. The plains over which Zystáirn presides are well-ordered farms, and the majority of storage space within the city walls is given over to grain and foodstuffs rather than ordinance and weaponry.

Details:
Population: 13,420 citizens + 1500 WHR + 500 WRFC + 200 WRN
Location: Søresthal Rides

Holy shit Weiss, these are all seriously impressive.

Sorry - where'd you want me to put the images again? Steampunk I mean?