City States

Though the planet of Athas is comparable to the size of Earth, most of the action in this setting takes place in the Tyr Region. The Tyr Region is about the same size as the US, east of the Mississippi. It sets on a continent equal in size to the North American continent. Across the Sea of Silt, there are four other continents. Like our world, Athas is global in its communication and sharing of ideas. And as mentioned in the Organizations and Corporations, Nicos Consolidated and Konsoti provide 80% of the world’s food supply. All the same, the majority of the action in this setting takes place in the Tyr Region and the 8 city-states within the region.

Free Cities

The Free Cities are the bastion of Freedom and Democracy. Or they at least give the appearance of Freedom and Democracy. As explained in Organizations and Corporations, the Free Cities’ Councils are usually under corporate control. They still allow the populace to vote for each Council member, but each member is hand-chosen by the corporations. So the illusion holds and the people of the Free Cities have varying degrees of acceptance. Below is a brief description of the Free Cities. Each also has their own individual page with further information.

Balic

The city state of Balic sits on a peninsula formed by the Forked Tongue Estuary. Previously plagued by giants, the city is now the cultural center of the region producing the most movies, television, and web content, rivaled only by New Urik.

Gulg

Located in what used to be the Southern Forest Crescent, Gulg has seen a long a tumultuous history. Though the city is ostensibly one of the “Free Cities”, because of the lucrative bootlegging and smuggling routes to its neighbor Nibenay, the city is more or less under control of the Syndicates (the Human and Dwarf Syndicates being the most powerful, followed by the Elf and Halfling Syndicates).

New Urik

To the north and east of Tyr, New Urik is the second largest city in the Tyr region behind the region’s namesake Tyr. Having had to completely start over since the Freedom Wars leveled the original city, New Urik boasts the most modern in city planning and urban development.

Raam

East of the Dragon’s Bowl is the city of Raam. Once a rigidly divided city, it has since overcome its segregation issues and has become a beacon of thought and study having the most universities of any city state in the Tyr region.

Tyr

Jewel of the region and the largest and most populated of all the city states. It is a center of innovation, trade, and commerce.

Absolutist Cities

The Absolutist Cities are the last remaining holdouts of the Champions of Rajaat, aka the Sorcerer Kings. Each city is under their absolute control with a rigorous bureaucracy supporting the needs of each Sorcerer King and running the day to day business of governance. The populations of this city are mostly slaves ruled by a minority of ancient ruling houses who have been granted status by their respective sorcerer king. These ruling houses are powerful forces within each city’s bureaucracy, but ultimately answer to their sorcerer king.

Bodach

Located on the Salt Meres, Bodach is an odd city to say the least. It is a city constantly under a heavy, oppressive mist that though it may block out the sun, it does little to alleviate the heat. This is because the sorcerer king (and a large chunk of the population but not the majority) is undead. The most common undead are zombies, but not the mindless, brain-hungering kind. The ruling class of this city are mostly vampires with a few wraith families. The living population of the city makes up the majority of its slave class as well.

Draj

This costal city is one of the most advanced and, by all outward appearances, progressive of the Absolutist Cities. Their streets are clean, their public transportation runs on time, its free populace enjoys the comforts afforded to other Free Cities, but there is still a slave class and a master class with only a minimal middle class.

Nibenay

Of all the cities in the Tyr Region (free or absolutist), Nibenay is the one who clings to the past most desperately. In our world’s terms, it would be considered a “developing nation”. Fresh water, medicine, and food are in short supply in the city, unless you’re a member of the ruling class. Nibenay, the sorcerer king not the city named for him, rules with an iron fist insisting all worship him and follow the cult religion that has developed around him.