The Domain of Solomon's Reach

Solomon's Reach is the frontier Domain of the Empire and the site of its newest colonies. A lush Domain, Solomon's Reach provide many valuable exports for Ascalon proper at the present. Furthermore, as the crossroads of many Relay Paths and being connected to five Domains at the present, Solomon's Reach is a major trade hub between Ascalon and the wider Domains of the Ethereal Sea.

Geography

In contrast to the arid nature of Ascalon, Solomon's Reach is vastly more verdant and rich in fauna. However, these same factors have greatly inhibited the settlements of the Domain and the growth of the ports. As such, the ports are generally much smaller than their counterparts in Ascalon with only the capital and Port Alnor being comparable in size to the ports of the Imperial Core.
Much like Ascalon, the capital of New Draycott lies on an archipelago of asteroids in the heart of the Domain and the other settlements radiate out in rings from there. In contrast to the six broad biomes/regions of Ascalon, there are only five in Solomon's Reach. Unlike Aeston, New Draycott is only built on an archipelago of asteroids and is probably a quarter the size and population of the Imperial capital.
(all ports described below are located clockwise from the port before it)

Inner Ports

Langen is one of the newer ports of Solomon's Reach, built as a waystation between Port Alnor and New Draycott. Langen lies in the Grand March, the region where the Transit Relay is located. The Grand March is one of the less heavily 'forested' parts of Solomon's Reach, partly naturally (the region is naturally sparser in tree over the other regions) and partly due to the early harvesting of trees for their wood to built homes and the like. As the waystation on the main trade route, Langen sees considerable traffic from ships heading to and from Solomon's Reach and beyond. The port has become as much a place of rest and recuperation as it has been a trade port. While Langen has remained neutral officially in regards to the Revolt, the port is generally regarded as at least nominally Loyalist in the character of the people living there.
Glatterglen lies in inner edge of the Kingswood, a vast and dense expanse of forest. The Kingswood itself is difficult to navigate due to the sheer number and density of the many trees and tree limbs, some which grow on asteroids and others which seemingly can grow in the open sky. Glatterglen was built in one of the few natural clearings in the inner rim zone of the Kingswood and started out as an explorer's port as captains and crews attempted to chart the Kingswood. As the inner zone was charted and the explorers moved further out into the Kingswood, Glatterglen shifted to becoming a prime destination for new settlers as a safe and pleasant port to settle in. Though over time the town developed a rather insular character as many new settlers found the customs of the port's population strange (many strange customs developed from the strong influence of superstitious captains and crews), and those who couldn't (or wouldn't) assimilate into the port's populace left. Glatterglen currently produces a wide variety of food and general products made by artisans that get distributed across Solomon's Reach. Glatterglen is one of the true neutral ports of Solomon's Reach regarding the conflict between the Loyalists and the Independents, both are welcome but are expected to leave their conflict out of the town lest the captain and crew be barred from the port.
Harkenport is a small town built in the shadowed edge of the Serpent Nebula, a vast dust choked region that is plunged into darkness by the vast cloud of dust and mist. The Serpent Nebula is called that not because of any particular presence of actual snakes but because at the edge of the region lies the Transit Relay to the Scaled Kingdom. Harkenport was established to act to the Nebula as Glatteglen did for the Kingswood, a base for explorers to range out from to chart the Serpent Nebula (at the time it was called the Death's Head Nebula as fewer explorers survived leaving Harkenport than any other port in Solomon's Reach. Things only changed when the navy dispatched its Algernon flotilla (later Fleet) to find out why some many ships never came back from the mists of the Nebula. Turns out there were many large sky-beasts living in the dusty mists that easily overwhelmed any individual locomotive. The Flotilla was another force entirely and was able to sweep away the largest threats of the Nebula, mkaing it much safer. This proved vitally needed when the Relay Path to the Scaled Kingdom was found roughly halfway out to the outer periphery near Tasson. Harkenport has since become one of the first ports of call for Scaled Men entering Solomon's Reach. The main export of Harkenport is Harkness Willowwood, a flexible wood taken from the thin trees, Harkness Willow, that grow almost like grass across the Nebula. Harkenport is and Independent aligned port, though not a staunch one like Cadworth.
Calehester resides in the inner rim of Devlan's Folly. Devlan's Folly refers to the region that saw a large number of early attempts of new settlements, virtually all of which floundered and failed. Calehester was the first successful port in the region to take hold in the middle or so of the fourth century. However, the port has struggled due to the large presence of marauders that haunt the region. Devlan's Folly became a favorite home zone for many pirates and marauders due to the plentiful amount of old debris and wrecked engines that littered the place after many engines tried to secure the Folly from the native sky-beasts. While the pirates would be ousted from any large base after the creation of Faerseton in the outer rim of Devlan's Folly, they would still plague the region, and all locomotives traveling around Devlan's Folly are recommended to be well armed and on the lookout for danger. Calehester itself is built on the ruins of one early colony that failed but has since flourished in its own way. The port's main export is the amber found scattered around the inner rim of Devlan's Folly, though its main purpose is as an engine dock for sweeps against the pirates lurking in the wider Folly region. Calehester is a technically neutral port but is sympathetic to the Independent cause. However, they are reliant on support from the Empire to help keep the pirates from attacking the port so Calehester remains neutral for now.
Perlington is settled in a small valley within the Agerman Mounts, a vast stretch of towering asteroid masses wreathed in snow and covered in ancient ruins built be a people long gone. The Agerman Mounts are the most mineral rich part of Solomon's Reach and have attracted many prospectors eager to strike it rich on the freezing rocks of the Mounts. Perlington itself, however is not a mining town. Rather, it is a research post dedicated towards unraveling the secrets of the vast ruins that are scattered across the Agerman Mounts. While the port frequently sells off copies of drawings and symbols that are found in the ruins, the main export is the carefully cultivated tea leaves which are grown in specially made greenhouses. While initially grown for local consumption, when captains started asking if they could buy any excess tea off of the researchers' hands, the port expanded production as a way of maintaining a cashflow. Perlington does not care about the conflict between the Loyalists and Independents and is neutral ground.

Outer Ports

Port Alnor is the largest port of Solomon's Reach after New Draycott and one of its busiest trade harbors due to it being built around the Transit Relay back to Ascalon. While it was the first practical town in the Domain, Port Alnor remained rather ramshackle until New Draycott was founded and money from the Carroway Company flowed in to support expanding the port. Lying on the edge of the Grand March, practically up against the Domain's outer boundary, Port Alnor is the first place a new settler to Solomon's Reach sees and it is from the town's bustling dock that these settlers purchase passage to one of the other colonies in the Domain. Port Alnor itself exports a variety of gems and minerals taken from nearby mines in the outer reaches of the Grand March, most of which are sent to Ascalon or to New Draycott. Port Alnor is the primary Loyalist stronghold in Solomon's Reach and the main center for Loyalist leadership.
Knaerwood is the other port located in the Kingswood, though this outpost of a colony can be found deep the vast forest. Knaerwood was built to be the new ranging post from where explorers charting the Kingswood would start from. However, unlike the early years of charting the Kingswood, explorers have found it much harder to explore the reaches of the great forest due to the increasing density of the trees and the winding paths that one must take to navigate through the forest. There are also far more sky-beasts in the outer reaches of the Kingswood due to the lack of effort to clear them out as was seen in the inner ring zones. It is rather common for an exploring engine to leave Knaerwood and never be heard or seen again due to the dangers one faces in the deep Kingswood. Knaerwood itself is a tiny port whose main export is wood taken from the massive trees that surround it. While fairly lucrative, the work is more akin to mining then traditional logging due to to the extreme properties of the trees of the Kingswood. Knaerwood is another neutral port like Perlington. The loggers don't care who takes their wood, only that they get a steady stream of supplies.
Tasson is the outer port of the Serpent Nebula and is not dissimilar to Port Alnor in that it is the home of a Transit Relay, this one linking Solomon's Reach to the Scaled Kingdom. Tasson was built initially from small homestead clinging to one asteroid in the far reaches of the Nebula. Following the discovery of the Relay Path, the patchwork of homesteads merged into the new port of Tasson, which benefited greatly from trade with the Scaled Kingdom. The town is Independent leaning in character but is host to a sizeable Loyalist populace eager to stay out of the fighting and build better relations with the Scaled Men.
Faerseton lies on the far side of Devlan's Folly, built on the reclaimed husk of an old marauder base taken by a flotilla of engines seeking to strike at the pirates haunting the paths of the Folly. Faerseton is a young port, whose docks currently buzz with frequent engine stops for one simple reason, munitions. Ever since the town was built, it has been a major manufacturing base for the small but powerful Herschel's Munitions Guild. Originally making ammunition to support the rather ad-hoc flotilla battling the many marauders of the Folly, the Guild began shipping their products to all parts of Solomon's Reach, under heavy guard of course. Faerseton is neutral in regards to the two factions of the old Revolt and freely sells munitions to both sides but the Guild has a slight preference for the Loyalists and the Empire as they help supply the Navy for the ongoing Scarlet War.
Cadworth is a true frontier town built in the far periphery of the Agerman Mounts. Unlike Perlington, Cadworth is a mining town dedicated to extracting the vast mineral wealth of the Agerman Mounts for the Empire and its people. The Carroway Company has a sizeable presence in Cadworth in order to harvest its own share of the minerals and metals of the Agerman Mounts. The town is a notorious hotbed of independence minded settlers who deeply dislike the interference of Imperial factions and companies. The Carrowway Company is tolerated only because they are too focused on getting wealthy like the rest of the people at Cadworth rather than pushing for Imperial government interests. Cadworth is the one of the main ports for Independent aligned captains who wish to support their cause instead of working in the neutral capital of New Draycott. Cadworth is the main Independent stronghold outside of New Draycott, much as Port Alnor is to the Loyalists.

History

Early Imperial Era

Solomon's Reach was first discovered by the Empire in the late decades of the third century following the successful arrival and return of the HML Argulon. Following this, efforts were made to establish new colonies across the region closest to the Transit Relay. Besides the hodgepodge settlement around the Relay, most initial colonization efforts failed miserably. The primary reason is due to the natural hostility of the native fauna of Solomon's Reach. The native sky-beasts are a considerable threat to individual locomotives and the practice of convoys was many generations away from being routine. As such, permanent colonies didn't get finalized until a flotilla of engines landed in the heart of the Domain to built the town of New Draycott (so named as the original colony of Draycott had collapsed about a decade earlier). When the new settlement lasted longer than three years, it was pronounced a success and was officially recognized by the Imperial government as the new capital of Solomon's Reach. Shortly after, several small merchant guilds merged together to form the Carroway Company which intended to take advantage of the new opportunities of Solomon's Reach. The Company shortly after gained patronage from the reigning Monarch. The Carroway Company spearheaded the redevelopment of the settlement around the Transit Relay, which gained the name Port Alnor and was likewise given Imperial recognition.

Middle Imperial Era

Following the formal establishment of New Draycott and Port Alnor in the first few decades of the fourth century, Solomon's Reach saw several more colonies be founded, though most failed.

Owning Organization

The Empire of Ascalon