Arcadia Geographic Location in The Crossroad Realms | World Anvil

Arcadia

A land of peaceable order and harmony, Arcadia exerts symmetry and consistency on all life within it.

Geography

Arcadia is currently only two-thirds of its original size, since the territory of Nemausus was pulled too far by the cosmic forces of Law, and was absorbed into Mechanus.   The remaining landscapes are composed mainly of even plains dotted with agricultural fields. At the centre of Arcadia is a tall, narrow mountain, where the Orb of Day and Night rotates from the peak. In each compass direction is a slightly lower mount, on which the Storm Kings have their citadels.   From these central mountains, perfectly-rounded foothills taper down in a perfect gradient until they meet flat, grassy plains. These plains are punctuated with equally-sized, equidistant forests and lakes, and are sectioned out by perfectly-straight rivers which turn at right angles.

Ecosystem

Wildlife also lives in tune with the rhythm of Arcadia's order. The Harmonium's edicts ensure that hunting, farming, and other encroachments onto unsettled terrain are kept in sustainable check, and the Storm Kings and Realm Magic handle the rest. Animal populations and wild flora growth cycles thrive in tune with the seasonal and weather patterns.   The weather, and thus, the growth rates of several species, are governed by the Storm Kings. In addition to making sure the weather serves the sapient citizens of Arcadia, the Kings also balance out the wildlife.   Each species' food source is nurtured to support enough young to keep the population stable, and at the same time, none are favoured enough to out-compete their neighbours. Further supporting this stability, nearly all of the animals who live in Arcadia are social creatures, living in packs, herds, hives, and colonies. Their cooperative nature helps them to manage resources equally within each group.

Ecosystem Cycles

The Arcadian year is divided into 100 days, both in its formal calendar and in its natural cycles. Of these, 25 days are spent in each season, each of which is presided over by a different member of the Storm Kings. These monarchs cooperate to deliver the ideal distributions of temperature, humidity, and so forth for each season.

Localized Phenomena

Plants in Arcadia are identical. An Arcadian farmer or gardener can look at an apple seed and know exactly how tall the tree will be, how many apples it will produce, and of what flavour, colour, and size those apples will be.   This is not a result of careful plant husbandry, but simply a natural result of the tree growing in Arcadia. Everything from the seasons to the movements of local fauna operates according to benign and predictable patterns.   Additionally, all animals in Arcadia benefit from resistance to charms and manipulations which work on beasts in other realms. They also perceive illusions as easily as material reality, and thus can be trained into superb watch beasts.   Lastly, there is no twilight in Arcadia, as the Orb of Day and Night always divides the twofold realms into light and darkness. The orb rotates centre of Arcadia on top of its highest mountain. A traveller entering from another realm experiences the ordinary day/night cycle appearing to accelerate rapidly - though no additional time actually passes - until it matches the state in Arcadia.

Climate

The climate, like everything else in this Realm, runs on schedule. This schedule is not as exact as some others, but is nevertheless easily predictable. The Storm Kings ensure that the distribution of weather patterns supports the harmony of the realm's flora and fauna without significant disruption.   Natural disasters are nearly unheard-of, and the meteorological phenomena are mild as a general rule. Common weather patterns are different across different regions. This helps to support a variety of crops and livestock.

Fauna & Flora

Arcadia is home to a variety of plants and animals, but the most populous species are those who live cooperatively in hives, packs, or herds, such as bees, ants, wolves, and horses. The cooperative nature of these groups, especially when it comes to distribution of resources within the group, find synergy with Arcadia's realm magic.   Animals on Arcadia lack the territorial defensiveness their kind display in other Realms. Honeybees do not attack creatures reaching to share their honey, for instance - provided they leave enough for the bees to survive. Whether this phenomena is a result of the Realm Magic or a sort of natural taming from years of harmony with Arcadia's sapient citizens is a matter of some debate.   Some more solitary creatures can be found in lesser numbers, mostly having wandered over the border from Mt. Celestia, or amphibious creatures from the shores of the Misty Sea. These often struggle to compete against the more social indigenous life, but are nevertheless fostered by the Storm Kings, so that they might also contribute to Arcadia's unending harmony.   The various regions of Arcadia support different biomes and weather cycles, and thus a wide variety of flora can be found in this realm. However, the realm as a whole is relatively temperate.

Natural Resources

Arcadia's biomes are perfectly complementary and precise in their balance, and the realm enjoys plentiful fresh water, farmland, and ranching pasture, as well as hunting, fishing, and trapping. The cooperation of the Storm Kings over the natural phenomena and the Harmonium over the behaviour of citizens makes sure these resources are kept abundant. The Realm also has a nominal quantity of precious metals and minerals, but due to the ban on non-renewable extractions of resources, none of it is mined.   The Realm instead benefits from plentiful farming, foraging, hunting, fishing, logging, and ranching. Herd animals thrive especially well in Arcadia, and the ease of keeping healthy flocks of sheep, goats, llamas, and angora rabbits has led to a booming textile industry.

Tourism

Many visitors come to the realm seeking a peaceful vacation, but those from more chaotic homelands often chafe against Arcadia's persistent order.
Type
Subcontinent
Location under
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Wheel Placement

The Great Wheel
Cartography/Cosmography by Obsidian Reach, with backgrounds edited by me.

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