Ilkatan Confederation

Founding

The Ilkatan Confederation was founded originally by a large group of Dhulwinite settlers that had grown discontent from the centralized control of power under the monarchy. After discovering a large ruined city the locals considered cursed, they came to discover the marvels of Cradle technology hiding beneath the surface. They quickly began attempts to repair and control the Cradles, but several decades passed with little promise. Thankfully, an alliance with The Parch, a native Lizardfolk tribe with secret knowledge on using Cradles, allowed them to make the breakthrough they needed. In 5675, they declared independence, and when Dhulwin sent a ship to threaten them back in line, they used a Cradle to lift the ship several feet in the air, threatening that they had the ability to do this on a mass scale. This was a complete bluff, as they had to sneak their only functional Cradle powerful enough to lift the ship onto the center of the deck before making their "grand display". Still, the bluff worked as the King saw any future conflict as counterproductive to the otherwise lucrative era of expansion they were experiencing.

Basic Structure

Shortly thereafter, the first Ilkatan Council was formed and the Confederation took shape in the centuries to follow. Their continued alliance with The Parch allowed them knowledge on the Kingdoms and civilizations that came before them and created much of the technology they hoped to rebuild, and from there the four Clockwork Cities began to take shape. Today, the Confederation is led by the Ilkatan Council consisting of seven members: Speaker Bayev of Kronwerk, Governor Kurst of Pulsatum, Chief Executive Chunton of Riculore, Trademaster Regalia of Venunda, Representative Aseir of the Northern Flats, Chief Mysta Fiftus of the Church of Serphala, and Lead General Thrapin of the Confederation Army. Additionally, Draznar of The Parch & Headmaster Varseg Kaan of the Vi Infinitus University serve as record keeper and additional counsel respectively. In the event of missing member or official substitute, they are allowed to step in to keep the vote at seven.
Each leader is elected differently according to the laws each are bound to. The Clockwork cities operate like City-states, predominantly focused on the well-being of the people within the city, but also overlooking the surrounding land and protecting them under their own guard, generally referred to as "Gearguards" given their insignia of the Confederation Crest.

Clockwork Cities

The Clockwork cities serve as the main hubs of industry, trade, and population across the Confederation. Unlike other urban areas across Astalia, these cities are unique for their incredibly complex and interconnected infrastructure. While most cities still rely on horse and cart to move goods and people, the clockwork cities use trolleys and miles of track throughout to create 24/7 transportation. While most cities seldom build higher than a few stories and lack any semblance of plumbing, the clockwork cities can pump water up to a room hundreds of feet in the air.
All of this is feasible due to the Confederation's use and implementation of Cradle technology. Even as far back as the Etani Kingdom, there is evidence of using the Cradles to create Weight Towers, a massive structure designed to carry an enormous weight from the top of the tower to the bottom like the weights in a Grandfather clock, only for the Cradles to activate and have the weight fall back to the top of the tower to repeat endlessly. This creates the necessary kinetic force to turn massive pulleys and crankshafts, all coated in an outer layer of refined Culon, in order distribute power to the rest of the city. Most of the cities started with only one or two Weight Towers, some of which being old ruins from civilizations prior, but in the centuries to follow they have all expanded to using 4-6 towers in order to sufficiently supply the necessary torque. Needless to say, it is these towers that are some of the most guarded and warded structures in the entire continent, and maintenance is performed regularly to ensure that everything is in full working order.
The four clockwork cities are Kronwerk, the oldest and specializing in artisan craft, Pulsatum, the city-sized forge and metal refinery, Riculore, the fortified stronghold with a large Artifice and Scavenger trade, and Venunda, the arboreal trade hub for the entire continent.

Northern Flats

The Northern Flats makes up the territories north of Pitjant River. Originally under the domain of Venunda, the sheer size of the area became too much for the city leaders to manage as more people spread across it. Most of the towns and villages keep close to the river and major roads in order to still receive some of the luxuries produced and traded in the cities, but for many the Flats are an option within the Confederation that is less restrictive and subject to less centralized oversight. Land is cheap, taxes are low, and while they may not be under the protection of the city's Gearguards, the people have managed to organize their own local militias known as The Wardens. While these volunteers have been enough to keep the roads and towns safe for a long time, in recent decades the increasing number of monster attacks from the east is becoming a growing concern among the populace.
The largest town in the Flats is called Terminalm, and is positioned where the Utin River leads into the Ocean. Terminalm acts as a sizable port town for trade between Ilkatu and Threshold, as it is a much shorter journey compared to the trip to Venunda. A notable population of the town consists of Threshold natives and their descendants, and while there is growing political pressures between the two regions, Terminalm sustains equitable terms with The Gloom supercity.

Culture

While the individual regions and city-states have their own distinct identities within the Confederation, the unifying traits are that of perseverance and innovation. Life in Ilkatu is difficult in a number of ways: there is little arable land across the entire continent, there are monsters lurking in every uninhabited part of the map, and relations with the native tribes have always been tenous at best. Therefore, the people of the Confederation and those who wish to join it have been forced to adopt a rigorous and intense work ethic. Beyond that, the scale at which the clockwork cities facilitates production and trade is too large to manage without intelligent and learned people at the helm. The ideal across the Confederation is meritocracy: those best suited to the work will be assigned to it. Not just so the gifted can succeed, but the entire system won't collapse under its own weight. They haven't just seen what happens when a society like their's is not prepared for catastrophe; they built their homes on top of it.

Through Civility We Find Strength

Founding Date

3-30-5675

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Kronwerk

Demonym

Confederate, Civvie, Imp (Derisive)

Power Structure

Confederation

Economic System

Market economy

Deities

• Serphala

Location

Ilkatu

Neighboring Nations

• Earth’s Maw, Whose Teeth are Threshold the Sun Cannot Cross