Me too!

I'd like the eturd, please.

Mimbassu (Xal)
Dominant species: Human (over 80%)
Government: Absolute monarchy (city state- the remainder of the island is not under the Autocrat’s control)
Economic system: Capatalism w/royal inteference

Mimbassu is a parasite city built inside the head of a defunct giant humanoid robot. The city occupies the crown of the robot’s head down to about eye level. The robot’s "skull cap" has been partially removed, and some sections of the city are open to the air.
The post cranial body of the robot is buried (in a standing position) beneath the ground. The main industry of the city is mining the remains of the robot. Currently operations have only extended into the upper part of the neck. Many secondary industries exist, mostly involved in metal work. Mimbassu is the steel mill and the gun factory for this region of the Metal Earth.
Note- most of the guns produced in Mimbassu are black powder arms; more advanced weapons such as four chamber fell guns (revolvers) are produced by master craftsman one at a time- and they are costly.
Xal is the only place in this area of the Metal Earth that is dominated by humans- although Goblins have a large presence in the central western coastal region of the Island. Most of the non human population of the city is either Goblinoid or of the mutant/cyborg freak variety. There is however a small War ape ghetto.

As with their counterparts in Shards, the mine owners of Mimbassu are some of the best customers for the Slavers of Gear.

Secrets- The Ratmen of Skeeme have a large presence in Mimbassu, and may have a certain degree of covert control over the government. They live mostly in the depths (chest region) of the robot, but have access to artifacts and techniques that allow them to pass for human.

The Nameless City:
The Nameless city is a ruin on the southern extreme of the Hungry Shore. Once, how long ago is unknown, the Nameless city came into conflict an unknown enemy. A terrible conflict ensued. The Nameless City lost. Their advasary raised and salted their land, killed or sold all of their people off into slavery, and through a combination of conventional and sorcerous means destroyed all evidence of the city’s past and it’s name. All that remains is the ruins along the coast, and a fleeting half formed memory that once, something was there.


Zil, City of the black Stone:
Dominant species: Mur (90%)*
Popualtion: unknown
Economic system: unknown
*The Mur take lots of slaves during the course of their raiding activity, but they eat most of them not long after bringing them home. The keep some for menial labor and some (humans only) for genetic fodder.

Zil is the stronghold of the Mur and the seat of their madling ruler Autocrix Mandolo Boneaxe.
The entire city is carved from a single piece of black basalt. Popular wisdom is that no non Mur have ever seen the inside of Zil and lived, but rumor has it that the Mur keep thair breeding vats there.
The city is impregnable; many have tried over the last se veral thousand years to destroy it, all have failed. The fall of the Minotaur empire of the last epoch is usually thought to be die to an overzealous commitment of resources in this regard.

So crushingly awesome and metal. Bravo. Somebody please draw this.

Nice to see your setting find a new home, Aos.

Here's some stuff from a thread on religion on the rpgsite; I've been meaning to write it up anyway, but I'll probably edit this post and add to it as time goes on.
Link to thread
http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.ph ... post312808

On Religion
Two things to keep in mind, I think, are the age of the culture in question, and the means of food production.
Big organized religion comes in with agriculture- or possibly just sedentisim (In the upper paleolithic there were several areas of the world that were productive enough to support large sedentary population without the agriculture; For what is worth, these were mostly ecotones). In our world, and in many fantasy settings, agriculture has been around for a comparatively short period of time.

In my setting agriculture has been around a looooong time (millions of years maybe) and, therefore, so has religion. However, agriculture takes place mostly underground and is controlled more by technology than by the rhythm of nature; this is pretty important, because it removes two important tools of control from the priestly arsenal- the knowledge necessary to facilitate agriculture is no longer tied to a calender and the sun has also been removed from the equation.

Obviously, the importance and dominance of religion varies from culture to culture- and over time. Large disasters can really shake the foundations of religious (and secular) power. It's thought that this sort of power loss occurred during the Mayan "collapse"- and it certainly did occur after the black death in Europe. The Metal Earth is pretty much in perpetual state of disaster.

Furthermore, humans are nearly extinct, and are thought to be (through science, sorcery or evolution) the progenerators of the other races. This undermines any belief in a supernatural creator for most groups. The supernatural does exist, and is accepted as real, but it is hardly ever beneficial. Faith has largely been replaced by a cynical sort of fatalism.

Aos,

I often tell you to shut up. I do not wish to do so. I have come to realize (emphasized with this post) how your background is so well suited to the pursuit many gamers have - creating worlds. With your education and knowledge, you could provide a very good resource for people who want to understand how cultures develop, what forces drive them, what causes them to collapse, what happens when they collide, etc.

Therefore, I wish to find a way to harness this power for the good of all. Perhaps an Ask the Archeologist thread or something like that?

Oh..and rock on with the Metal Earth setting. Looooove it.

Thanks,
Jim

Thanks Jim.
Well, anyone is welcome to ask me anything any time, in this thread or in a dedicated thread. However, I'll admit the idea makes me a little nervous, because I don't really perceive myself as an expert on anything- I get dinged at the university all the time for a lack of confidence.

But, yeah, I'm happy to help, if that is possible. One problem, though, is it is difficult for me to properly cite stuff while online. I don't have the time and a lot of what I draw from is published in academic journals with somewhat restricted access- you have to have a university computer account or access to good university library in lots of cases.

-and I'll be out of the country for a while starting in a couple of weeks. I may or may not be available on line at this time. I don't know the condition of the grid in the area I'm working in this year.

Aos, just want to tell you: don't shut up about Metal Earth any time soon, please.
It rocks.