Ironscar

Tip of the southwestern landmass where the Yellow and Maruto rivers meet.

In A Nutshell

A broad, open territory with poor soil supporting ranching and meager amounts of iron.  A small administrative center is located right on the joining of the two rivers where the centre of government is located.

Demographics

• About the same size as: Maine.  Approximately 100 miles by 200 miles in a vague rectangle.
• Population: 80 000
• Magnitude: 12
• Transportation: Convergence of two rivers, minor overland trade route.

Luminaries

• Master of the Hunting Mist, a Zenith Solar, works for the High Noon Ranch for his family.  Can be found here about half the time.  Is mostly anonymous, except for having been known to capture and tame a claw strider in ry771.

Culture

• Plain ol'folk •••
• Community •
• Family ••
• Matriarchy (inland)••
• Patriarchy(coastal)••

Economy

• Production: A lot of cattle is raised here; the poor soil doesn't permit much in the ways of crops.  Some sustenance farming occurs, along with some recreational drug production, all in minor quantities, enough for local consumption.  The poor soil has a substantial amount of iron in it, enough to support a number of mining/harvesting operations which gets used either by local blacksmiths or shipped off to Nexus to be turned into steel and sold back at a significant increase in price.
• Standard of Living: Standard of living is moderately high in the central government city, where it is jealously guarded against the independent ranching families inland.  The ranching communities tend towards self-sufficiency, using local materials and industry to support a moderate standard of living, and a sense of community to establish a verifiable support network.
• Throughput: The capitol of Ironscar has a significant amount of trade.  Anything traveling up the Maruto or Yellow River can use it as a stop-over point for their months-long journey.  The lack of productivity is the only thing stopping Ironscar from becoming a major player in the river trade network.
• Stability: With most of the inland communities vying for independence, only the capitol city is vulnerable to fluxation in trade flow and market shocks.  With cattle ranching being in demand most of the time, Ironscar will be able to continue its mediochre economic growth in most economic conditions.

Geomancy

There are currently two very low power manses in Ironscar as a result of the manipulation of a Wyld zone by Master of the Hunting Mist.  One produces a Gem of the Emerald Rooster, the other a Cold Iron Bauble.  Both appear to be natural formations.  There is likely a powerful water demense offshore where the two mighty rivers converge, but is likely claimed already by the River spirits.

Government

• Constitutional Monarchy, with a Congress of Clans
• Management: The Monarchy has rule over free citizens, while the Congress represents the clans, serving the interest of the various rancher families.  The two are competing systems of power seeking dominance over the other.  This is aggravated by societal perceptions on the role of gender and rulership.  The Monarchy is historically Patriarchal, while the clans are Matriarchal.  The competitive system leads to some bizarre settlements of trade, and can balkinize the growth and development of the nation as a whole.  While not necessarily corrupt, it can be innefficient and slow to process new information.
• Prudence: With independence being a virtue of the inland communities, it is reliant on the capitol and government for managing trade relations with foreign customers.  While growth would be stymied, and the coastal cities would be hard put to present a central authority without the Monarch, the nation as a whole can do without the power of the Monarch present.
• Integrity: Oddly, low.  The entire nation is already divided along two sides, and the beliefs built up surrounding the competency of rulership based upon gender makes this nation vulnerable to simple insinuations and public denounciations.

Military

• Strength: The capitol garrison boasts about twenty-five hundred well-trained troops outfitted with fine equipment with thaumaturgical support in a well-fortified port city.  There is a merchant-marine navy that can double as a privateer force in a pinch.  The ranchers don't have a standing army, but could possibly muster about ten thousand ranchers in a disorganized mess.  The conventional defense inland is the general bareness of the land, meaning that foraging is hard for any army, coupled with a secret weapon of the ranchers; a stampede.  When one is run through an army encampent, there's little that can stop it, and while the beef is free and plentiful afterwards, theres likely nowhere left to cook it.
• Maneuver: The capitol garrison has effective and competent leadership.  The ranchers are lead by their clan structure, and so military mileage will vary depnding on the actual experiences of the individuals leading the clan's efforts.
• Militia: The capitol city has bred complacency and acceptance into the free citizens, and so on their own, they fully expect the government to take care of their protection.  The ranchers all believe to a man that they are responsible for their own welfare, and while not a trained military unit, is more like a land of rangers and scouts.  There would be no stand-up fight, just an infinite variety of traps, misdirections, land use and subterfuge.