Ortuhr

The Home of Industry

Ortuhr is the single most technologically advanced society on the continent of Wulsten, being home to many technical advancements such as the famous steam engine, as well as rail-based vehicles, and steam powered boats. The skylines of the cities of Ortuhr are filled with smog, smoke, and steam, billowing from the smokestacks that rise from the larger buildings in the cities. Inside the cities there are the distinct smell of coal fires, as well as the incenses and other methods that the inhabitants use to mask the stench of coal. Annaport, the largest city in Ortuhr, sits on the north side of McCannerson's Bay, and is the closest thing to a capital city that Ortuhr has. On the southwest coast, at the mouths of the Landing Strait and the Arbor River, lies the city of Gwilbyharrow, the oldest city in Ortuhr. It was founded by some of the first gnomes that came across the seas from Calidaf. Gwilbyharrow is also the place where paddle-wheeler boats were first invented. Rubbertown, in the hills in central Ortuhr, performs the lion's share of coal mining, and was also where Ortuhr's first railways were constructed.

Life in Ortuhr

Many citizens of Ortuhr live in the various ghettos found in the cities. These ghettos are generally filthy from industrial waste that is improperly disposed of, but beyond that they actually enjoy many luxuries that are considered more rare outside of Ortuhr, such as plumbing and hygienic goods. Citizens that find themselves to be well off even enjoy the new invention of sunbottles in their home, small glass orbs that are hung from the ceiling and are powered by electrical current to produce light.

Demographics

Ortuhr was originally settled by elves, many ages ago, but at some point they mostly left the area for an unknown reason. The next people to inhabit the region were gnome settlers from Calidaf, who made their landing near the current site of Gwilbyharrow. Since then, a large amount of humans and dwarves have moved to the region, primarily due to the need for manual labor that is better suited to those of larger stature. Ortuhr is home to a number of large urban centers, and as such is home to nearly every race imaginable, though humans, gnomes, and, to a lesser extent, dwarves remain the most common. One notable sub-culture is the Irithatai, elves who can trace their lineage back to the elves who once ruled the land, and have descended from those who stayed behind when their people returned to the Emerald Wode.

Government

The industrial centers of Ortuhr are ruled over by Prime Judges, and are split into various boroughs, each of which has a District Judge in charge of it. These boroughs are typically defined based on the most prominent establishments and companies in the city, and include one or more of those companies, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods, which are typically inhabited primarily by workers for that company. Each borough also has a number of neighborhoods, each assigned a Head Judge to preside over a number of judges who directly deal with the problems of those neighborhoods. These judges serve as elite members of the guard force, as well as being the people who serve sentences to lawbreakers.

Industry & Trade

Ortuhr produces nearly everything they can find a way to mass-produce. Fabrics, clothes, tools, and preserved foods are all common. Furthermore, Ortuhr serves as a major intermediary of trade between the nations on the Claw Coast and the nations on the western seaboard of Wulsten. Their steam powered ships are able to sail around the massive coast of the Emerald Wode, the inhabitants of which are largely dis-interested in commerce, and reach Valtaland and Qajir Sahil.

Geography

The majority of Ortuhr is fairly rough terrain consisting of rocky hills and fields made of tough, hard to work soil. There are few rivers and lakes on the surface, though in the underground of Ortuhr there is a network of subsurface rivers and underground lakes. Until recently, these waterways were not suitable for long distance travel, but with the invention of steam powered ships, there are now boats that can easily move though the narrow, winding rivers. The nation is bordered on the east by the Six Winds Sea, on the north by Nid'eh Na, on the southeast by The Gilded Coast and The Diocese of the Verdant, and on the southwest by the Elven Sea.

Natural Resources

Ortuhr is home to a massive number of coal deposits, especially in the central hills. There is also a sizeable number of deposits of zinc, copper and iron, making mining a primary industry.

Type

State

Inhabitant Demonym

Ortuhrian

Pictured above: An Ortuhrian side-wheeler steamboat