Spire is roughly 1000 miles in length and roughly 400 miles wide. It runs from the southwest to the northeast for length. This is comparable in length to the US East Coast from some place in New England to someplace in the Mid-Atlantic States. There are numerous peaks, valleys and sheer cliffs. Base elevation is considered to be in Ankh-Morpork, site of the first landing. The highest humanoid settlements are 5 miles above that. The lowest settlements are 3 miles below Ankh-Morpork’s base elevation. There are another 10 miles further down that are deadly to humans. At the very bottom there is an ocean of some sort. There are four mountains that are not climbable due to the lack of air near their summits. These mountains top out at 8 miles above Ankh-Morpork.
Despite the large area covered by the mountain, there are three large expanses of flat land. The flat areas are the Sto Plain, the Esthar region and the Egypt Analog region. Arable land is at a premium, and is mostly carved into the sides of cliffs. Terraces are very common. Most people live underground or at least inside the mountain. Any place capable of supporting crops or farm animals is used for production, not housing people. This unusual geography has had a major impact upon the political groupings, lifestyle, economy and even technological development.
There are numerous small towns spread throughout the mountain. Most towns have a population of 200 to 5000 people. Travel is difficult due to the terrain and usually only done by merchants, soldiers and adventurers. Occasionally a group of people will try to settle someplace. Warfare is common, and every town has defenses both for the town and on the outlying farm areas. Raids by monsters and other humans are pretty common. The targets are usually slaves and goods. Many towns are built into the sides of the valleys or partially underground.
Geography has had a number of effects upon Spire. The ruggedness of the terrain has lead to there being many small kingdoms except for the Twelve Cities region. Travel is very difficult between towns except when going via underground tunnels. The large number of mountain passes are each easily defended, thus making independence easier to maintain against any kind of truly central government. While tunnel travel is relatively easy, it is also very easy to stop an invading army. There are literally thousands of small kingdoms and such on Spire. Most kingdoms are more accurately described as independent baronies or Free Cities.
A single hereditary family usually rules an independent barony. Typically the founder was an adventurer that decided to build his or her own castle in the wilderness. These baronies are often failing or being over run. They are often too isolated from their neighbors and all to often-easy pickings for raiders. The economy is usually so simple that they are unable to obtain critical goods. The cash from the original settler can buy goods the locals can’t make; but the descendents run out of cash. The normally agricultural economy does not produce anything of value that can be shipped out to pay for things from outside. As the economy falters, people move away until eventually the barony is so lacking in manpower that a raiding party can easily take the castle or dungeon. This is one of the common reasons for dungeons to go adventuring in. A similar pattern can be seen in both the US and Scotland. Parts of the western US and western isles of Scotland have been abandoned. There is no work, and the farms are not productive enough to truly pay for themselves. People move to parts of the country that have jobs. With the jobs they can buy the goods they want.
Free Cities are similarly small, but have usually been founded in an economically vital location. This could be at the crossroads of a number of tunnels or passes or similar. This could also be on top of a mine or something. The economy is also simple, but it does consist of more than just agriculture. It is the activity other than agriculture that really runs the town. The limiting factor on the growth of towns and cities is transportation. It becomes economically unfeasible to bring enough food or water into the town to support more inhabitants. With pre-industrial transportation, moving grain and animals is expensive since the animals, whether the draft animals or meat animals, must continue to eat while traveling to the town. Rivers are one of the few means of beating this problem. Cities on rivers can grow larger, since food, especially grain, can travel by barge. Meat animals and grain wagons can only be moved 160 miles overland with good roads. On Spire, that is usually not the case and the normal distance drops to 50 miles. After 50 miles on the often rough and steep Spire roads, meat animals will eat more in feed than they are worth. Grain wagons will feed more grain to the draft animals (round trip) than the wagon can hold. This rule does not apply to areas where the animals can live off the land, such as uninhabited grassland. Grain can be moved 10 days via barge. Barges carry so much more grain and require so much less energy to move that they can move grain further and still be economically feasible. Neither of these rules applies to highly priced animal delicacies.
Geography has a major effect upon politics and especially warfare. Spire is a single landmass with no oceans, but there are a number of major river systems and a few major lakes. Ships are basically irrelevant to warfare; the only use is to transport people and goods upon some rivers. The mountains are the major military and political obstacles to having a single government. It is tough to move troops across the mountains, or to maintain control over the many isolated valleys. The lack of energy sources also prevents the rise of any Great Powers. When a country starts to lose power, there rarely is another large power that can step in and take them over. At best, another small country will conquer some of the outlying towns and castles. This is similar to Italy or the Germanys prior to the 19th century.
There are three primary regions to Spire. They are Esthar, the Small Kingdoms and The Twelve Cities. Each has a very different type of terrain.
Egypt Analog is centered on a river that runs west from the Sto Plain to the Sea Minor. The Ankh River Drains the Ramtop Mountains and runs across the Sto Plains. The river drops over 1,000 feet in the space of a couple of miles from the Sto Plains to become the To Be Named River. Egypt’s civilization is the same as Earth’s Ancient Egypt. Life revolves around the control of the river making it a typical hydraulic empire.
The southern most section of Spire is similar in climate to Greece or Italy and is called Esthar. Esthar is roughly 10 miles north to south and 200 miles east to west. From the southwestern edge to about 10 miles inland the land is dry during the summer and receives some rain during the winter. The terrain is hilly and considered rugged. The Ramtops mountain range runs parallel to the southern edge across the entire width of the land. The Small Kingdoms are so large that deciding what pass to use depends greatly upon the final destination. The land is a mixture of soil over soft stone such as limestone and soil over hard stone such as granite. The soft limestone permits an aquifer to exist under Esthar, and the aquifer extends well into the Small Kingdoms.
Esthar has a number of semi-independent city-states. Each city-state has it’s own form of government, whether republican, democratic, or noble house. All the city-states fight each other regularly. Travel between city-states is very feasible, but the country is still rugged terrain. It is this ruggedness that promotes the independence of the various city-states and noble holdings.
In the center of the Esthar region is the city of Ankh-Morpork. This is one of the great cities of Spire. There is an active Thieves Guild and Assassin’s Guild. A major river runs through the center of the city. The river starts in the mountains to the north and west of Ankh-Morpork, runs through the city and then heads east and slightly north again to vanish underground. Ankh-Morpork is home to the Unseen University, the premier magical school on Spire. Ankh-Morpork is the site of where the colonists first touched down. It has been inhabited continuously for 2,500 years. The plains around Ankh-Morpork are the largest single piece of flatland on Spire. Various nobles from Ankh-Morpork control the plains outside of Ankh-Morpork. This is based upon Disc World. It is also similar to England, with Ankh-Morpork being London.
Due north of Esthar are the Small Kingdoms, located in the Ramtops Mountains. This section is mountain locked, and travel between the different Kingdoms is difficult at best. This region is modeled upon the Holy Roman Empire of Germany from 1000 AD until 1800, the Small Kingdoms from Lawrence Watt-Evan’s Esthar series, the Balkans, especially Transylvania, and various other fantasy novels. The Small Kingdoms covers a large number of relatively small valleys. The valleys are relatively close together, and all of them are very craggy. There is limited flat land for crops or other industry in many valleys. Passes tend to be very high and steep between valleys.
There are many quasi-independent city-states, baronies, monastery cities, and such. Each entity has many of it's own law codes, tolls, currency and political system. Many of the free cities and towns gained political and legal independence when the local noble ruler needed money. Cities and larger towns will have a middle class of sorts. There are many different forms of government seen in the Small Kingdoms. Many are small kingdoms, but there are democracies, theocracies, and every thing in between. This region is an excellent place to create very varied towns and governments. Examples would be "Daughter of Witches". The Small Kingdoms is the largest geographical section of Spire. The Small Kingdoms are settled by a wide variety of sentient races including humans, Dwarfs, Orcs, Kobolds, and Elves. The area is ripe for adventurers, especially ones interested in military raiding and criminal protection rackets. The region is a significant source of slaves, especially relatively educated ones. There have been attempts to put the Small Kingdoms under a single ruler over the ages, but all have failed. It is these wars that have helped create the destruction of towns and villages over the years.
Nobility in the Small Kingdoms is very dependent upon controlling land. There are many new nobles created in every generation. Every person who settles and controls a valley becomes a noble by virtue of the land and people they control. There is a middle class only in the large towns and cities, but there are also lots of freeholders and free farmers in the region. Nobles have a difficult time abusing peasants since the peasants can relatively easily move to another lord’s land or to a free town.
The lack of a wide spread middle class and difficulty of travel means that most areas are served by peddlers and trade fairs. Guilds exist in some towns, but vary in political power. In some towns they are all-powerful and run the town. In other towns they existence on the sufferance of the local nobleman.
There are lots of people living in underground cities and towns in the Small Kingdoms. There are also plenty of unsettled areas in the Small Kingdoms. In the Small Kingdoms areas that are unsettled have usually only been abandoned for a generation or two or the area is close to some monster population such as Orcs or Kobolds. Such areas are not very far in terms of straight miles, but are, like most of the Small Kingdoms, hard to traverse. Typically there will be two to five valleys between a village or town and an area controlled or threatened by tribal monsters such as Orcs. The area beyond the tribal monsters tends to be occupied by even tougher monsters.
The northern section of the Small Kingdoms tends toward barbarism, and it is here that barbarians come from. The terrain makes raising goats and sheep and grains common but hard work. Common crops are oats, wheat, and potatoes. Horses are few, and mostly small. Agriculture tends towards animal husbandry and not major farming. The animal husbandry aspect pretty much keeps them living on the surface and not in underground towns. Settlements are small and usually scattered.
This region is based upon Irish and Scottish clans, medieval Viking society and a little bit upon typical fantasy barbarian lands. Technology levels tend to be lower than the rest of the planet.
Each clan has it's own chief who is owed loyalty (not fealty) by the members of that clan. There might be other elders or clergy who assist to run the tribe. Clergy might serve multiple clans. Most clans have a web of alliances. Each clan has territory, but raids neighbors.
To the northwest of the Small Kingdoms is the Twelve Cities region. There are obviously twelve major cities in the region. The Twelve Cities region is a hydraulic empire ruled by an absolute monarch. The nobility does not have a lot of direct power; instead there is a powerful bureaucracy that runs the empire. Nobles tend to get the important jobs along with the eunuchs. This is modeled after ancient China, Byzantine and the Turtledove novels. There is no real middle class since the bureaucracy has such a tight control and there is lots of corruption. There are plenty of small artisans, shopkeepers and peddlers, but they have neither political power nor guilds. Aside from the Twelve Cities, the region is mostly an agricultural society centered the small village.
Nobles will own many of the smaller towns and villages, but will not really run them. The many small towns and villages are run really by the Emperor’s bureaucrats. The nobles can and do oversee the Emperor’s bureaucrats, but the final rules come from the Emperor. Nobles get an income from their holdings, and poor management by them or by the bureaucrats can hurt a noble financially.
The climate is hot and humid year round. The area is known for it’s terraces that grow wheat, tobacco, cotton, rice, and similar. The need to control water flow promotes a central government. The movement of troops through the irrigation tunnels quells potential uprisings quickly. There is an extensive bureaucracy that runs the government under the direction of the Emperor. The population is extremely dense due to intense cultivation of the land.
The Twelve Cities region is roughly 150 miles north to south and 10 miles east to west. There is a mountain range to the east that is partially controlled by the Twelve Cities and partially by some of the Small Kingdom city-states. The Twelve Cities themselves are great underground and above ground cities. Each city receives water via irrigation canals that run from a massive series of lakes and reservoirs in the mountains to the east of the cities. It is this control of water that makes The Twelve Cities a hydraulic empire. The individual cities spread mostly downward and into the side of the cliffs of Spire. Each city controls the top and sides of a rocky peninsula that juts out from the main part of the continent. Each peninsula is between 7 and 10 miles wide and 10 to 15 miles in length (east to west). There is usually a three or four mile gap between each spur of land. Below each city are numerous towns and villages.
The Twelve Cites are Lankhmar, and eleven others to be determined.
Lankhmar is one of the Twelve Cities, and one of the great cities of Spire. Lankhmar has an active, powerful Thieves Guild, Assassin’s Guild (called Slayer’s Brotherhood). Lankhmar is known for its fogs and smokes. Wine and beer are rare, expensive, and only the imported wine is safe to drink in the city. Rum and distilled drinks are common and safe as normal.
Roman Empire - The Roman Empire has a capital city (Rome) plus outlying provinces. Each province has it's own capital. The Emperor chooses the Governors for the provinces. There is an Imperial Civil Service that handles most of the administration. Large land owners and wealthy important merchants form the nobility. The nobility doesn't administer the law, that's up to the Civil Service. The nobility though can pressure the Emperor, plus the application of the law isn't the same for all classes of society. There is only one code of law. There might be a Senate drawn from the nobility and other bodies such as Commons. Significant numbers of people live in cities. There might be a middle class of artisans and minor merchants. This is also similar to the British Empire circa 1800-1900. This empire controls most of the surface of the southeast corner of the mountain. The Irish / Scottish clans are located north of them. There is no land link to either the Holy Roman Empire or the French Kingdom.
Holy Roman Empire - The Emperor is heredity but each time there will be a number of people from the family who are eligible. There will be an election with or without political intrigue. The Emperor may have little or no power, or lots of power. The electors are drawn from the various quasi-independent city-states, baronies, monastery cities, and such. Each entity has many of it's own law codes, tolls, currency and political system. Many of the cities gained political and legal independence when the local noble ruler needed money. Cities will have a middle class of sorts. This is Germany from 1000 AD until 1800.
Irish/Scottish clans - each clan has it's own chief who is owed loyalty (not fealty). There might be other elders or clergy who assist to run the tribe. Clergy might serve multiple clans. Most clans have a web of alliances. Each clan has territory, but raids neighbors. Tend towards animal husbandry and not major farming. Also applies to Germanic tribes prior to middle ages, typical "Barbarians" in fantasy except barbarians are of lower tech level and maybe even less settled. The animal husbandry aspect pretty much keeps them on the service. They are located north of the Roman Empire and have contact with it. They sometimes raid the empire. See also "Janissaries" by Pournelle. There is no land link to either the Holy Roman Empire or the French Kingdom.
French Kingdom - strictly hereditary kingship. Nobility also heredity. There won't be a middle class, but instead there will be fairs, peddlers and Guild artisans. Mostly agricultural society centered around manor houses. Towns will be small and rare, instead villages. Each village will have at least a hereditary knight to run it. There might be a House of Lords, but doesn't meet very often. This is a very structured feudal society. applies to France 700 AD to 1600 AD, the Balkans prior to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, England 1000 to 1300 (pre-Magna Carta). This form of society could be part of the Holy Roman Empire or could lead into it after a civil war to replace king.
Athenian Confederacy - republican, democratic, or nobility, etc based system of government. A variety of cities could have any of the above, and the city-states that owe allegiance & tribute (maybe) to another central city-state. The master state controls "foreign policy" but very little control of internal issues. This could lead to Roman Empire, Holy Roman Empire or to Swiss Republic type state.
Theocracy - clergy are the government leaders. There maybe a non-clergy civil service. Generally only applies to religious societies with very coercive government. Examples would be "Daughter of Witches"; "Lord Calvin" by H. Beam Piper; "Heirs to Empire" by David Weber;
There are societies of wandering groups within the tunnels.