Pathway Metropolises
Castsulae
As large walls are susceptible of breach and forces could come through the Pathway and across Nexus the defenders chose to focus on independent fortifications to protect their people and territory. These fortified blocks make up the core of the Golden Path Metropolises. Combination fortress and settlement, these structures can house hundreds of people for some time in the event of a siege. As the battles for the Golden Path Metropolises would often devolve into street to street fighting. During the Second Nexus Wars the Golden Path Metropolises became patchworks of territory controlled by multiple sides.
The Golden Path Metropolises each surround a Golden Paths on Nexus. Independent states unto themselves they are gateways to the other Spheres. While they were founded by Offsphere cultures, the Nexus Accords cut off those cultures from controlling them, ensuring their independence. They tend to be the largest settlements in all the Spheres they are the temporary home of more travelers than their permanent citizens. Connected by the Tradeways, all Nexus Trade passes through at least one Golden Path Metropolis.
The Second Nexus Wars shaped the Golden Path Metropolises. As they were commonly battlefields as armies tried to cut off their opponents at the source, their cores are fortified for street to street fighting and to defend against sieges. Since the Nexus Accords, the cities have sprawled outwards with little consideration of defenses.
Each of the Metropolises are broken into wards. Each ward is a voting block that votes for Magestures, the Magestures then nominate candidates to the Pathway Senate. The Magestures administer their ward, managing its laws, economy, security, and justice within the bounds of the Nexus Accords and laws created by the Accord Council.
A'nocirban
The smallest of the Golden Path Metropolises, it is also excluded from some points of the Nexus Accords. The Elven Council on Val'a maintains direct control of the Metropolis and a standing army within the Military Exclusion Zone. The Elves allow a minimum of trade through their Golden Path as such the transitory population is low. They primarily maintain A'nocirban to prevent a new front of The Blood War from opening. A stance that the Orcs are happy to support as it isolates the Elves politically from the rest of Nexus.
Burning Sands
Originally a trade hub regularly fought over by the Baeon settlers, the Druanti Empire, and the Orcs during the Second Nexus Wars. As such it contains the most Castsulae of any Golden Path Metropolis. Even after the Nexus Accords were signed, Castsulae remained the dominant architectural style. It never came under control of Ibzzar'Yashen or the Faithful so it has limited influence from the culture of Burning Sands. It is the terminus of the only salt water canal across Nexus
Cyrmaddox
Containing the Golden Path to Baeon, Cyrmaddox was one of the least touched by the Second and Third Nexus Wars. As their colonists were independent of the High King of Baeon's control and support, there was little strategic value in taking Cyrmaddox. As such its architecture tends to the Baeon styles.
Djarval
Holding the Golden Path to Val'Dorath the Orcs built a ziggurat around the Pathway to defend it during the Second Nexus War. While the frontlines of the Nexus Wars were distant from Djarval, it was temporarily conquered more than once by other powers.
Helepalatzo
The largest of the Golden Path Metropolises leading to Duranti, control of it was fought over by other Nexus Powers and factions within the Duranti Empire. Since the end of the signing of the Nexus Accords it has benefited most from their independence from Duranti control. While its core wards are made up of Castsulae, the city has exploded outwards with architectural styles popular during that ward's creation. Virtually all cultures from across the Spheres have their representatives in Helepalatzo.
The Forehold
Not a signatory of the Nexus Accords, the Dwarves maintain their Fortress Holds surrounding the remains of the Truehold Golden Path. Exclusively populated by Dwarves, as they have been driven to trade with outside cultures small ghettos of other cultures have been allowed within the Forehold.
Thousand Seas
Far from the frontlines of the Third Nexus War, high in the mountains, and with little resources of value during wartime, the Golden Path to Thousand Seas generally remained unscathed during the war. As the source of rare and exotic spices and fabrics the Golden Path Metropolis has expanded slowly over the years. It is also the source of the only salt water canal on Nexus as seawater from Thousand Seas is piped through to Nexus to eventually be imported into Burning Sands.
Tierhellir
Centrally located on the continent, Tierhellir's Golden Path leads to the Broken Plains. While the Golden Path Metropolis was a strategic center, Pathway on Broken Plains being situated in the middle of a desert limited its usefulness to the Nexus Powers. Now that an overland route to the Sultanate controlled Golden Path on Thousand Seas has been discovered it has become a trade hub both for cargo crossing Nexus and being imported or exported through Broken Plains.
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