Arcadia
- Victoria McKinnon
- May 29, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 23, 2023
The Kingdom of Arcadia is one of the Independent Kingdoms in the Isles. It is a rugged natural gem of beauty and hard-working inhabitants. The Arcadians are the primary human race who lives here. Long ago, they split from their ancestors in the tribal Realm of Beruna. The capital city of Arcadia is Castalla, and its most important trade city is Riverport. The kingdom's 6 million people are spread out in hundreds of small cities, towns, and rural forest dwellings.
Notable Arcadian Settlements
Castalla, the capital city of the Arcadians, is located in a cradle between the Twin Peaks and surrounding mountains. It developed from the Early Ages as a temple town at the gate of the famous Zokan’ji, a temple built by the Azure Empress to worship the stars. Since then, wars have been held, territories have been exchanged, and now Castalla is a flourishing city primarily of Arcadians whose heritage is intermingled with the Mani.
Riverport is the largest tradeport in Arcadia. It is a mixing pot of cultures, merchants, and a bustling hub of trade in the kingdom. It features refineries and a renown "District of Delights" complete with casinos, pleasure barges, dance halls, speakeasies, and more.
Sasa Sanctuary
Sasa Sanctuary is a Mani bathhouse built upon the cliffs. It features natural hot springs with miraculous healing powers, said to cure even the worst injuries and ailments - and thus is famous across Arcadia as a place where magic "lives". Mani minstrels entertain guests at the bathhouse, and peacocks roam the grounds. There is a Paolu shrine at Sasa Sanctuary. The surrounding Arcadian farmers enjoy trading goods at a small farmer's market held in the courtyard on the weekends.
Arcadia's Technological Advancement
Arcadia's roots as a tribal society-turned feudal clashes with its modern, industrialized advances in science and technology. Factories, the assembly line, and mass-production of goods has shifted its populations from rural farming towns to mega-cities like Riverport. Infrastructure and city services experience growing pains as they struggle to adapt to Arcadia's new and evolving identity as a center for commerce, invention, and trade.
Arcadia's largest cities are lit by electric lights. Neon signs light the night, and railroad tracks are being laid for the first steam-engine tests. Human inventors tinker with flying machines and electronic devices. Arcadia's old folk traditions strain against its modernization.
People and Society
Arcadians are the primary inhabitants of Arcadia. They are ruled by feudal lords who report to dukes and duchesses, who in turn report to the King of Arcadia.
Arcadia is a proud, independent kingdom whose ancestors mingled with tribal people of the realm of Beruna. During particularly harsh winters (or once every seven years), an ice bridge forms between Beruna and Arcadia, which enables trade.
In more recent times, Arcadia has established its own identity. The discovery of precious metals and invention of factories has made it a thriving place full of scheming lords, rich merchants, artisans, and laborers who work farms and cut trees. The cedar canoes of Arcadia’s early years have been replaced by galleons and frigates. Steel plating, electricity, and other modern inventions can all be credited to the innovative Arcadians.
Most native Arcadians are practical and non-religious. Hard work for profit is their mantra. Accepting of differences and home to some of the Isles' best scientists and pragmatic leaders, Arcadia is a welcoming paradise to many.
Religion
The majority of Arcadians are not religious, believing that magic and all other “supernatural” forces can be explained by science. They are respectful of other cultures' beliefs and views, and generally tolerant of the religious fervor of others.
The border of Arcadia in the north features more people who worship pagan gods from the Berunic pantheon. Some small towns and cities have local pagan spirits they revere. Arcadia's forests are full of strange and powerful spirits, witches, and other creatures so it is largely practical to pay them homage. Arcadia's southern border features many Arcadians who follow the spiritual path of Paolu.
Verunism has made a few small inroads in Arcadia's rural countryside due to an appearance by Veladriel and her missionaries.
Geography
In general, Arcadia has a wet and cool climate which has led to the growth of extensive forests featuring some of the largest trees in the world. The region's coastal forests are considered temperate rainforests. More inland, however, the climate can be drier with more harsh winters and warmer summers.
Most of the small continent is covered in the Arcadian Forest. The forest is full of thick fir and pine trees that lend themselves to an immense logging industry. A small protected area features massive cedar trees.
To the northwest are Arcadia’s Twin Peaks : two smooth, rounded composite stratovolcanoes that are primarily the result of layered ash, rubble, and lava over the past 500,000 years. They’ve both piled up about 12,000 feet high.
Travel time information
Arcadia is about 350 miles tall, which is just shorter than Los Angeles to Sacramento, or the distance between Seattle and Eugene, Oregon.
Walking 12 hours/day at a hiking pace of 2mph, it would take approximately 15 days to cross from the northernmost point to its southernmost, or 8 days by horseback (horses walk at 4mph).
The Arcadian Forest
Overview
The Arcadian Forest earns its lusciousness from the ever-flowing Glacias River that carves its way from the Twin Peaks towards the Rian Ocean (west) and Sea of Kings (east).
Throughout the winter season, rain falls frequently in the Arcadian Forest, contributing to over 100 inches of rain each year. The result is a lush, green canopy of both coniferous and deciduous species. Mosses and ferns that blanket the surfaces add another dimension to the enchantment of the forest.
The forest is home to many species of wildlife, especially nearby the Twin Peaks. Plenty of edible food including wild mushrooms and many varieties of berry are common here.
Industry
Arcadian blackberries and red salmonberries cannot be found anywhere else in the world. It is from these blackberries that purple dye is made. The jams that come from Arcadia are delicious and valuable exports. Certain mushrooms and herbs native to the area are useful in tinctures and healing medicines, including the generic “health potion”.
Logging is commonplace and practiced in areas designated by the Arcadian government, who resides in Arcadia's capital. There are frequent reseeding and regrowth efforts to preserve the forest’s ecosystem. A major export from Arcadia is fresh and sturdy timber.
Glacius River
The Glacius River is located in Arcadia. It is approximately 100 miles long, originating among the Twin Peaks and snaking through the Arcadian Forest until it meanders through the foothills in a broad valley and finally emptying into the Sea of Kings beside Ashwell in the west. It has a small western fork that empties into the Rian Ocean called the Glacius Braid (owing to how many side-channels, waterfalls, and zig-zags there are in it).
The Glacius River is fed by glaciers on the Twin Peaks, such as the Blue Glacier. The glaciers grind rock into a fine glacial flour which turns the Hoh River a milky slate blue color. Enterprising citizens of Arcadia pan for lapis lazuli and other precious blue gems in the water. In the summer, its flow is significantly reduced from its high winter flow, so most panning happens in the colder months.
The river valley is generally broad and flat, causing the glacial sediments to settle out. This creates extensive gravel bars, river meanders, and many side channels.
Twin Peaks
Ascending to just over 12,000 feet above sea level, the Twin Peaks stand as icons in the landscape of Arcadia.
The Twin Peaks are both active volcanoes with heavily glaciated peaks, spawning several major rivers. The most notable is the Glacius River. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcanoes while the ancient Arcadian Forest cloaks their lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the Twin Peaks' ecosystems, including:
Owls
Hawks
Songbirds
Squirrels
Garter snakes
Alligator lizard
Mountain lion
Grizzly bear
Fox
Fishers
Marmots
Otters
Frogs
Trout
Kokani Salmon
And much, much more. Plant life is abundant. Wild mushrooms, edible berries, and tall fir and pine trees are common.
Economy
Draka makes the world go 'round - or at least, it does in Arcadia. Arcadians trade, barter, sell, and mass-produce many of the most valuable goods in the Isles. They have access to cedar lumber, rich iron mines, and have perfected the art of making money. In fact, so focused on wealth is Arcadia that some of its cities are ruled by Merchant Councils (the most notable being Riverport).
Because Arcadia uses factories, its means of production are quite powerful. Unfortunately, the lower class is subject to rampant mistreatment by the upper class. The wealthy upper class can afford education and jobs that don’t involve hard labor, while the lower class toils in factories or taxing professions like staffing brothels and indentured servitude. It is common for the worse-off in society to sell children to factory owners for a quick infusion of draka.
Military
The King has his own standing men-at-arms comprised of champions, knights, militia, bowmen, and cavalry. He also has agreements with his vassals – the wealthiest and most influential businessmen and lords in the Kingdom – to supply their own champions and conscripts to his charge, should he have need of them. The Arcadians have advanced military tech. Their ships are plated with thin steel plates fitted over wooden hulls, they have siege rams capped with iron, and generally well-equipped champions due to the wealth of metal available in the mountains.
Though the Arcadians have never been an aggressor in any wars, they have successfully defended themselves from The Azure Empire's forces before.
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