Methanok

"The Floating City"

The floating city of Methanok is the heart of the empire of the same name. It existed at a historically undetermined time within the Age of Lumeria, and was situated in Hariel Minuta, within what would one day become The Wastes of Veric.
Methanok was ruled by a succession of hereditary God Kings, who eventually grew to become God Emperors, once Methanok decided to expand its borders. We know precious little about the various rulers of the nation, and most of what we do know directly pertains to its final emperor, Razen Diatrasi. The fall of the empire is documented in Aar Tethlan & the Fall of Methanok.

Demographics

Methanok featured two classes of settlers. Citizens (with the power to vote on municipal affairs) and Tenants (who did not carry such privileges). At its height, the city itself (not the entire empire) was suspected to consist of around 200,000 citizens and 600,000 tenants. The citizens were almost exclusively human, while the tenants still tended to be human (80%), but a decent number of humanoids still lived within city limits.

Government

An empire ruled by a succession of God Emperors, the last and most well documented being Emperor Razen Diatrasi. The emperors were all raised from birth knowing that they'd grow to take up the mantle of rulership. They were trained in the arcane ways, as all God Emperors (and even the God Kings before them) possessed a great command of The Art. Some even dealt in the dark study of necromancy.
Methanok, as a city, was ruled internally by a governor appointed by the God Emperor. This governor was assisted by a Lord Chancellor. In this manner, the city was rather self-sufficient, which was expecially important for times when the God Emperor was away. By all accounts, Emperor Razen Diatrasi was often found well beyond Methanok, as he typically desired to be at the vanguard, personally, when his soldiers captured a new territory "for the glory of the empire."

Defences

Methanok was home to a large garrison of imperial soldiers, as well as their various generals. The most prominent being the feared illithid known as Xanalanthi Xanaloth. Beyond the suspected 100,000 soldiers, the city was internally policed by a force of City Guards, some 10,000 strong.

Industry & Trade

Methanok was surely the exact dead center of trade activity for the Methanok Empire, and goods of all varieties constantly flowed in and out of its gates.

Infrastructure

The Empire of Methanok was extremely advanced, even by modern standards. This is likely due to the direct interference of the gods themselves. It is suspected that the Lords of Celene physically walked the lands in those days, and took an active interest in the affairs of man. Even going so far as to provide them with technology and building techniques now lost to time. By account of architectural ruins still standing, major cities within the empire, Methanok included, were outfitted with modern water works and aqueducts, and most structures were made of solid stone. Methanok stood apart from the others in that it was the largest "floating city" known to man. The arcane teachings passed down from emperor to emperor included knowledge pertaining to the construction and operation of a fleet of floating citadels (used primarily for siege and conquest). None had attempted to actually float an entire city, especially one as large as Methanok. Not until Razen Diatrasi, that is. The last God Emperor is remembered for many things, not the least being the "raising" of the capitol city, and its conversion to a movable settlement. In theory, the floating city could move thousands of miles at a time, albeit at a rather lugubrious pace. This makes placing the original site of the city's founding difficult to nail down. We do, however, know where the city ended its existence. Its crashed ruins tell a very powerful tale...

Assets

During its time, Methanok was a hub for trading and development. It was a center of innovation and invention, with creators of all varieties flocking to the capitol to ply their unique trades. Not only was Methanok (suspected to be) ideally placed for trade, it also had the unique property of being able to travel to various foreign locations, making innovation and decimation even easier.

History

We are not certain when Methanok was established, or when it grew from a kingdom into an empire. It is known that, like most others, the story of Methanok began very small. It (likely) began as a simply human settlement that began to thrive due to its beneficial geographical location (suspected to be along the banks of the Zarna River). Over time, the small village became a large town... and eventually a bustling city. But this was never enough for the kings of Methanok. And it didn't help matters that the gods (allegedly) visited the city on multiple occasions, bearing the boons of progress. The gods conferred great importance onto the nascent city, to the point where the rulers began to think of themselves as divinely appointed. This eventually blossomed into a full-on god complex, with the kings progressing to God Kings.
Methanok slowly (or perhaps not so slowly) began to expand, taking on vassal towns and smaller cities within its general region. Though it grew at an amazing pace, it never outgrew the ambitions of its rulers. The Gods Kings thusly became God Emperors, as Methanok eventually turned its eyes to conquest. It began with its nearest neighbor, a nation which we have virtually no record of at all. For when Methanok conquers another land, it absorbs it in total. The history of whatever came before is erased in favor of imperial history.
It would be nice to think that Methanok expanded in a mostly bloodless manner, however our records unfortunately indicate the opposite. Violence and fear were the primary means of growth utilized by the ever-growing empire. Methanok's history is one of blood and slavery, as many of the conquered lands found their people bound in chains shortly after domination. Few outsiders were allowed to become citizens, however the ones that did became equal to the citizens of Methanok itself.
Perhaps ironically, the eventual fall of Methanok came at the hands of a slave taken from one of the only conquered cities that we know anything about. That slave was Aar Tethlan, and he was the heir to the city of Tethlan. See Aar Tethlan & the Fall of Methanok for more information.

Architecture

Mehtanok was a city both broad and tall, with stone and marble structures reaching out in all directions.

Natural Resources

It's hard to pin down the natural resources of Methanok, specifically because its geographical location was always subject to change. This being said, it's assumed that the city was never at a want for anything, as if it couldn't provide it for itself, it could either purchase it, or have it donated as "tribute." It is known, however, that Methanok was an incredible training ground for soldiers (both imperial and otherwise), and the city would often sell the services of its troops to other nations, oftem ones that were in the process of converting to imperial assets.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
-11,000 LE (Lumerian Era or Age of Lumeria)

Alternative Name(s)

The Floating Empire

Type

Capital

Population

Suspected to be around 800,000 at its height. Just in Methanok alone. The Empire boasted over 2,000,000.

Inhabitant Demonym

Methanoki

Location under

Hariel Minuta

Owner/Ruler

Razen Diatrasi, God Emperor

Owning Organization

The Empire of Methanok