Miennach

Miennach, sometimes referred to as the Miner's Aspect, lies in southeastern Syoll along the curve of the Neverending Mountains. The land itself is mostly open, with rolling hills and wide rivers transitioning from a cold climate in the north to the more temperate climate of the south. Most of the land is barren and cannot be used for agriculture, with the exception of a small area around Devalle and the Fields of Banquet at the western border.  

Structure

Miennach is split into two holds: Kesava, the southern, more temperate region and Ironstar, the northern, colder region, who are both controlled by their respective settlements of the same name. The border between the two lies along the Titan’s Rush. Mig Dural, Miennach's trade capital, acts as the third hold (along with its satellite town, Titan's Hand). Before it gained independence in 411, Amridge was the third hold of Miennach.   Miennach's border with the Neverending Mountains is spotted with countless mines and quarries which are owned by a variety of organisations, many of which are families. The control over Miennach's contributive resources made these families incredibly wealthy and powerful, with certain ones taking the control of entire towns or cities into their hands. Some of these families are content with the rule over one mine, town, or city, while others strive for greatness. Kesava's rule has fluctuated over the last few centuries, passing readily from one family to another while the rule of Ironstar has remained with the Carbonhill Clan for a very long time. Although the various factions lived in relative peace with each other for centuries with only few small tensions between them, things escalated in 1411, leading to a full-blown civil war in Miennach.  

Population and Culture

Miennach's population is quite concentrated to its towns and cities, with not many living far outside them. This is due to the ready availability of imported goods in settlements, and the lack thereof out in the countryside. The towns of Miennach are primarily situated along the rivers and lakes of the aspect, although there are some (including the capital) that are in the mountains. Despite the lack of agriculture in the aspect and thus heavy reliance on imports, Miennach has a relatively large total population, and thus a considerable workforce to work its mines and quarries.   The people of Miennach value hard work most of all. Their society is built on honesty and productivity, and the welfare of business people is of great import. However, a business should never thrive off the pain of others, and fairness and support are equally as important as success to the average Miennan. There is a strong aversion to exploiting workers, as it is them who help gather the resources used to trade with the other aspects for food and other vital resources. There are no real harvests in Miennach, as it is mostly fallow land, still there are a few festivals that celebrate the turn of the seasons.  

Travel

Travel across Miennach is gerenally regarded as safe and easy, although the hilly landscape in the Kesavan hold can be rough to travel if not properly equipped. There are many roads, most of them paved, that are often populated with waypoint villages never more than a day's travel away from each other. This is especially the case along the more regularly travelled roads like those connecting Ironstar, Mig Dural, and Kesava with each other.    Journeying over water is also possible, especially across the two great lakes of the aspect, Titan's Lake and Norgar Lake. Certain rivers are reliable trade routes, whereas others are only useful to a point and are in some places too wild and treacherous to travel on. The Titan’s Rush is the most commonly navigated river, both for trade and travel, being a wide and (despite its name suggesting otherwise) relatively calm river.  

Resources and Contribution

What Miennach lacks in terms of agricultural resources, it makes up for with minerals and metals. Being one of Syoll's largest contributor in the web of reciprocal trade, it is justified in receiving a lot of support from other aspects in feeding its people. The aspect's specialisation is in the mining and smithing industry, exporting raw minerals as well as produced goods made of steel and other metals. Some towns are famous for their expertly crafted jewellery, while others might as well be designated Syoll's armoury.    Another nearly entirely unique natural resource that Miennach has access to is its Glowstone, which is used for a variety of purposes, both aesthetic and functional. While the majority of it is kept within the aspect, small quantities of produced goods containing Glowstone are sold or exported, while even smaller quantities are donated to research outside the aspect.   Due to its situation between Amridge and Colliennach, Miennach has the advantage of being close to very important trade partners. Especially the western parts of Miennach are close enough to the forest to receive freshly hunted meat from their neighbour. Before the outbreak of the civil war in 1411, there were plans being made of constructing an airship dock in Mig Dural.  

Civil War

With tensions rising between the north and south, Miennach's political landscape became a precarious situation in 1411. After the Mig Duralan Revolution, during which the son of Magnus Bellowbrand was deposed, and the death of Paro Dallen, Magnus declared war on Ironstar and launched a campaign to take hold of the now unstable Mig Dural. The Kesavan attempt to claim the capital failed, however, as the northern forces prevailed in the Battle of Ironstar.