Tinker Town

Tinker Town Overview

The people of Tinker Town deeply value Innovative problem solving and one's membership to a Tinker Town guild. Strong competition between the guilds and grand accolades given to impressive innovations has created a culture of impassioned inventors striving to be the next 'Great Inventor'. This obsession with pushing the limits of creativity has unfortunately lead to a cutthroat system of acknowledgment. Being smart isn't enough, thinking 'outside the box' doesn't cut it on it's own anymore. While some find this competition stifling many others find such ambitions liberating compared to a life lived in mediocrity. People who grow up in Tinker Town often identify themselves with a 'favorite invention' this isn't their own work, but rather something that was created that inspires them to create or is nostalgic in some other fashion.

Ruling over Tinker Town is a large number of talented artificers that haven risen to the upper echelons of their respective guilds. This 'Council of Guilds' has proven to be... less bad than other alternatives, but most Tinker's pay no mind to politics so long as it doesn't interfere with their liberal pursuit of novel ideas. The Council maintains order via a competent police force and a respected court system, their laws have made sure to cover all manner of strange loopholes brought about by the denizens propensity to 'get creative'. Council members are appointed by a consensus of judges after their respective guild has nominated their involvement in the Council. For all it's shortcomings the Council tends to be very efficient in coming to it's rulings, able to react quickly to developing situation, a trait uncommon for such a large body of opposing interests.

Currently the Council is struggling to curb the authority of the judges as some 'biased' rulings had led to 'concern' about some guilds attaining favorable rulings compared to their peers.

Historically Tinker Town was founded when a group of artificers were assimilated into the native dwarven population in the region. In the past the various powerful guilds did not operate as a Council and Tinker Town was host to several civil wars between the guilds. These battles greatly disrupted the city state's stability and eventually what brought all parties to the negotiating table was the evaporation of trade and investment, without a functioning economy no innovating could take place and so begrudgingly the guilds signed a treaty of mutual respect for the judiciary. Following this Tinker Town has become an exporter of bold ideas and arcane craftsmanship, the guilds have become bastions of knowledge and wealth. The only threat to Tinker Town's future continued prosperity seems to be the growing distrust between the guilds and their growing affinity with sabotage and subterfuge to get the advantage over their competitors.

Construct Mines

The people of the Construct Mines are, well, overwhelming constructs and have a strange sense of pride when it comes to their accomplishment! ...The massive hole that they have dug... The Miner's organize themselves by which ancient blueprint they are designed from. Despite their dwarven creators having long migrated to unknown lands the Miners have continued in their great work of excavating the mines. These constructs as a group tend to receive great esteem in their tireless laboring, but that does not dissuade them from their other great love in life, partying! The Miners will often host grand celebrations after meeting their monthly quotas and on special occasions their revelry can last for weeks!

In addition to ores the most treasured find for a Miner is a 'Creation Core' these runed crystals are occasionally excavated from the Construct Mines and are vital for the creation of more Miners.

The Miners ship the resources they have extracted to their singular 'settlement'. This place is called Ore Depot #1, and is managed by a singular overseer that was designated as the sole manager of the mining operation by the dwarven creators of the Miners, The overseer's name is Yero and they like counting ore. Yero has brought 'great prosperity' to the Construct Mines after realizing that they were never told 'what to do' with all the ore they mined post their creator's leaving, so Yero has simply sold it to the neighboring regions to acquire spare parts and the rare reagents to create new constructs. This maneuver has been widely applauded by the Miners and the are extremely satified with Yero's rulership. Because of their love for labor and relative lack of needs the Miners have no internal divisions, so in the case of an external threat or mining disaster Yero organizes a task force to deal with the problem before promptly disbanding the group once the situation is resolved.

Though the Miners claim to have an untroubled history their operation has suffered from external factions attempts to gain control of them. Yero has come under attack multiple times from would be usurpers, but somehow they were always able to resolve the situation in just the knick of time. In addition to being immune to magical forms of deception many would be manipulators and conquerors suspect their failings were caused by some powerful ability to warp luck that Yero possesses.

The Factory

A century ago the barren silent caverns that now host the the Factory were visited by an enigmatic migrator who claimed that their pilgrimage had ended. From nothing 'The Engineer' created a great factory brick by brick. Their works were exponential, they created machines to create machines and eventually their bottleneck became the strange purple crystals called 'dezzies' that could power their machines. Eventually the Engineer struck a deal with The Toymaker to learn what could be done, and since then the Engineer has been 'recruiting' people to produce dezzies for the factory's continued expansion. However, the Engineer's rampant expansion did not go unnoticed and it was the countless horrors of the Haunted Hollows that brought expansion to a crawl. Over the years the Engineer has created several Constructs to act as subsidiary Managers for the Factory, these individuals are loyal to the Factory, but are often eccentric in one way or another. These Managers are often committed to... questionable ideas, but their efficacy is apparently deemed sufficient given the Engineer's tacit approval of their methods.

The Factory specializes in creating industrial quantities of mundane goods, pretty much every amenity can be manufactured there and consequently the Factory earns a staggering amount of wealth from the sheer volume of minor transactions.

The people of the Factory are an exhausted, yet hopeful sort. They are many, yet, they do not live in the Factory as people typically live in other regions. These people are brought to 'produce dezzies' on a contractual basis, either choosing total dezzies produced or duration of the 'service'. These contracts are accepted by perverts or the desperate (and the rumors of the occasional thief going 'missing' in the factory). The Managers make most of their recruitments through offering slaves 'fair work contracts', which will allow one to eventually earn their freedom by 'producing' enough dezzies.

While the Engineer's methods are deemed cold by many onlookers the industrial tycoon themself hasn't been seen in decades, many speculate that they are dead and the Factory now expands on its own, however the Managers do speak of their creator in the present tense, perhaps making the Engineer an eccentric recluse hidden away in the bowels of their greatest creation.

The Rustyards

The progenitors to the modern gangs that rule the Rustyards start as a conquering 'Lennoran' army arriving from the distant kingdom. They eventually came to rule over what was then called 'Chenner', the natives they conquered became serfs and the conquerors became counts of 'the Western Fringe'. However, long long ago the bloated empire collapsed and the Counts of Chenner began to clash after the Skullstaff Cabal manipulated them to be at odds with one another. Years of infighting led to ruthless sacrifices being made as the Skullstaff necromancers made their gambit to seize control. Ultimately the sacrifices were enough, yet the people of Chenner would never again have hegemony over the surrounding region, never quite recovering from their fall. As the 'Modern Era' dawned and Metropolis rose to the East the petty lords of Chenner made deals with the Factory and the city itself to become a dumping ground for all their excess and waste. Slowly the environment collapsed and the serfs could no longer tend to the fields. The second War of Lords arrived, yet this brawl was far from the 'glory' of ages past. The petty counts could not bear the cost of victory and their order collapsed. Now Gangleaders rule the scrapyard that was Chenner, ancient history buried beneath mud and rust as Metropolis' criminals found a convenient place away from order to build their new empires. These gangs form a complex web of alliances and rivals within the Rustyard, forming a chaotic order from the trash.

The people of the Rustyards are spiteful and stubborn folks. The Rusters revel in their rebellious nature, disavowing the cleanly order of 'soft bellied bitches', to them strength has become a virtue all it's own and their feuds have proven most entertaining.

Ruling the Rustyards is a large number of rivaling Warlords The old conquerors of Chenner make up the upper brass of many of these gangs. Whilst the chaos between the gangs is always immense recently the violence has been threatening to spill out into the gutters of Metropolis. This isn't even to mention that the organized crime syndicates of Metropolis often recruit their most ruthless thugs from the Rustyards.

The Halls of Higher Learning

The people of the Halls of Higher learning are teachers and students, forever in a cycle of cultivating sagacity across the procession of generations. Typically amongst the halls students value teachers with some measure of eloquence and wisdom whilst teachers appreciate those who listen well and endlessly strive to increase their mastery of knowledge. Residence within the Halls of Higher Learning typically lasts no longer than half a decade, as by then most have achieved understanding in their desired profession or interest. However, some stay much longer, either absorbing knowledge endlessly or becoming teachers themselves.

The university is controlled by a tribunal of sages, known as: The Collector, The Educator and The Administrator. These intellectuals preside over the affairs of the university, ultimately determining whom will become professors and helpers. The vast majority of this 'staff' are composed of prior students. However, with so many ambitious young learners accidents in the form of unsanctioned experiments are bound to happen and the Tribunal has seem fit to stock the region with statues and other objects that can animate in the event of a mishap .In recent years senior professors have been pushing for a place at the Tribunal, whilst this isn't a super destabilizing shift it does pose a question as to what the Halls of Higher Learning will look like in years to come.

In addition to the university the Halls of Higher Learning is home to Paradisium's largest 'known' collection of historical artifacts that takes the form of a museum. In addition to artifacts people can 'volunteer' to be put on display and it is said those who break the rules of the exhibits may end up as a part of them.

Originally the Halls of Higher Learning was a grand university of the Lennoran kingdom that achieved independence after it's collapse. Whilst the chaos should have reasonably threatened the institution the many powerful spellcasters at the university proved quite persuasive at dissuading ambitious Warlords.

The Painted Peak

As Metropolis grew there became an increasing desire for exclusivity and elegance, far above the bustling streets. The people who had authority and wealth made their desire a dream, and their dream a reality. Hired sorcerer architects made the staggering towers defy gravity allowing them to stretch to impossible heights, and when the towers reached the ceiling there was formed a summit of luxury that became what is now The Painted Peak. Most denizens of the peak proclaim to possess a proud lineage stemming from ancient lords, these 'nobles' often look down on the 'nouveau riche' who join their community composed of modern business tycoons and lucky investors. Regardless of how they acquired their wealth and power most denizens of the Painted Peak put immense value on their social image, always attempting to appear proper and following all manner of unspoken social rituals. Additionally it is paramount for a 'Peaker' to keep up with their neighbors, so the acquisition of more assets is always of interest to them.

On paper the Painted Peak is under the authority of Metropolis, however most affairs of the region are managed by the Heads of most influential families creating a unofficial oligarchic council. Most conflicts are resolved peacefully, however, in a case of escalation subterfuge will often be preferred over official channels of policing. Recently popular discontent spread by 'improvised unfortunates' have been ripping into the perceived legitimacy of these noble families. This has caused the Peak's representatives in Metropolis' parliament to double down on 'anti-defamation' policies, in turn sparking more outrage in a vicious cycle.

Metropolis City

Metropolis is the city of cities, the heart of civilization, the closest thing many denizens of Paradisium may ever see to megalopolis. To some Metropolis is a stifling web of countless faces and places, a veritable abyss of noise thrumming with the unceasing heartbeat of cruel industries. To others, Metropolis is the city of hope. Opportunity and the potential for normality draw many who seek to live much like they once did, as a member of society. The people of Metropolis City have no shared values or beliefs, many simply wish to live life their own way, but they do not wish for a rustic life in Paradisium's many frontiers. However, regardless of where they came from most Metros eventually come to deeply appreciate the City's commitment to upholding the rights and freedoms of the individual.

Ruling over Metropolis is the Parliament, there representatives of Metropolis, it's factions, it's peoples and those of the surrounding regions gather to vote on a wide array of issues. These representatives compete for seats in parliament relying on the people's votes to earn a voice within the halls of governance. Of course, over a couple hundred years of development the exact methods of election have become much more labyrinthine, but this is the gist of things. The Parliament enforces it's edicts through a construct police force, in fact, most social services of Metropolis are primarily staffed by specialized constructs. These constructs were purchased or hired from all across the wider region, but most models have come from The Factory and possess a limited intelligence. (edited)Sunday, March 15, 2026 10:08 PM

Given the layer of disconnect between those in power and those who vote popular discontent has been fermenting in Metropolis for a long while now. Additionally, the competing factions are always looking for ways to get the upper hand officially and unofficially. Crime syndicates have also been growing, their organizations growing increasingly sophisticated and they are reaching an entrenched state.

For all it's flaws Metropolis remains one of the most convenient and safe places to live. So long as the unrest doesn't reach a critical point.