At the eastern edge of the former territories of Grand Iron Empire lies Midnight City. The Umberthane river flows out of the Ebon Mountains, and down to the south sea. Straddling the river, near the mouth, Midnight City is a haven for traders and travelers from the islands, and the other continents, making it a bustling capital of trade. Over the years, Midnight City - and Pineland, the surrounding country - has been controlled by many different nations and factions, and has been the site of more than a few sieges, and even sacked on two separate occasions in recorded history. Nevertheless, it has always regrown, and emerged stronger from hardships.
Ironically, Pineland has rarely been under the control of its own people. Originally, the people of Pineland consisted of many different clans, each with their own customs and traditions. However, the people were divided, and they spent much of their time fighting amongst themselves. Over many years, Pineland was conquered by first one empire, and then another, greedy and power-hungry states seeking control of prosperous Midnight City. More and more, under the oppression of foreign lords, the people of Pineland found reasons to cooperate, forging a more unified cultural identity for themselves to better separate themselves from outsiders.
Perhaps the greatest claim to fame of Pineland, aside from Midnight City, is the peoples' rich tradition of natural philosophy and architecture. The ideas of ancient natural philosophers from Pineland form the basis for the western model of alchemy (identifying four elements as corresponding to the Primordials of the Wild in a one to one relationship), and in much the same way, the elegance and grandeur of Pinelander architecture has been aped throughout the west.
As a result of its repeated conquest, and history as a trading capital, Midnight City itself is more diverse than anywhere else in the West. People with heritage from all over the known world find their way to Thraea - foreigners from the jungles and deserts of the far south, the bleak north, and the mysterious and exotic east, not to speak of those who have found their way to Midnight City from the West's diverse population. Not only humans, but an eclectic mix of the other races live in relative harmony in Midnight City - relative being the key word. As much as it is a melting pot of diversity, Midnight City often boils over, and the people of Midnight City are fiercely competitive, even with each other. It is a microcosm of squabbles from all over the known world, as much as it is a haven of cooperation and free trade.
At the end of the Long War, Midnight City resolved as one of the major city-states remaining in the world, and for the first time in many long years, it seemed, it was under the control of its own people. During the Long War, Midnight City attracted many of the Dwarves who had effectively found themselves in exile once as more and more ancient clanholds closed their doors to the outside world. In no small part because of its sizable Dwarven population, Midnight City has an excellent diplomatic relationship with Brackenridge. A new breed of noble has begun to emerge in Midnight City, those who have begun to take advantage of the advances offered by Brackenridge - cheap steel and black-powder devices, and steam power, among other innovations. Mills populate the banks of the Umberthane, the first in a factory revolution that threatens to oust ways of life practiced since time immemorial in the West, and slum towns crowd the banks of the river.
Midnight City is a city of tomorrow, but it is one dominated by corruption. With its provisional government still stretching its wings, Midnight City is a haven for criminal activity from all over the world as well, and outlaws, gangsters, and pirates exercise almost as much influence as the legitimate authorities. Other outcasts - wizards among them - find a home in Midnight City where they can be free to study their craft under one sponsor or another.
Author's Note: Midnight City is a lot of different things. It's a little bit New York City. It's a little bit Chicago. It's a little bit Constantinople. It's a little bit Gotham City and Metropolis. Probably the most important thing to understand about Midnight City is that it's a really great place to be alive, and a really bad place to live. My goal in creating Midnight City was essentially to create the "bad guy" city of the setting. It's a little influenced by gilded-age urban america. Midnight City is where all the tech in the setting is, to a certain extent, and where it finds its worst expression - and it's also the city that introduces my pretty unrealistic approach to technology in Thraea. The Western Continent's technology doesn't reflect any real world historical time period - it's a place caught in a moment between the past and the future. Technology is BEING developed - whether that's black powder, cheap steel, or even Nikolai Balaur's lightning machines. The old ways are still around, and still running strong - a time of iron and chivalry - but they are being replaced a little at a time, the further east you go (on the Western Continent at least). And Midnight City is the heart of the revolution, a place of mad science, and forbidden magic - as well as magic and science of the more wholesome variety.
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