Gnomo-Dwarven Settlements

  The dwarves have three large settlements on Vashyl Minor -- a major port and two large refinery cities. These settlements are characterized by their hazy skylines, towering smokestacks, and, most distinctive of all, the smell of endless furnaces and refineries working at all hours.   It is not uncommon to see unusual clockwork machines or magical constructs while roaming one of these cities. The strangeness of these inventions is rivaled only by their inventors. The often-eccentric, often-hyperactive gnomish inventors of Vashyl Minor are among the best metallurgists and tinkerers in the world. Along with every shipment of raw materials flowing from the dwarven mines is a hefty shipment of unusual inventions. This engineer's paradise is the source of many of Ultor's most useful inventions -- ranging from water purification devices to clockwork butlers that can go to market for their master.   Such is the hunger for knowledge of the gnomish inventors that many will pay exorbitant prices to the mine overseers and oil tycoons to get their hands on the finest materials. Of course, most inventors cannot afford these expenses out of their own pockets -- especially when accounting for laboratory space rental and living costs. Most of the gnomish research is actually funded by Enclaves, kings, and eccentric private investors.   Having such valuable inventors and inventions all in one place is...tempting for those willing to break a few laws to get schematics or even the scientists themselves. The inhabitants of the gnomo-dwarvish settlements are well aware of this, and it is not unusual for one to see armed guards patrolling every corner of the city. Humans, dwarves, kgat, elves, and even tieflings can be found among the city guards. A huge amount of diversity accompanies the influx of mercenaries looking for work, and the settlements are often a huge melting pot of many different cultures. A kgat roasting hut could be next to a spotless laboratory, with the local dwarvish tavern just across the street. The patchwork civilization has made the gnomo-dwarvish side of Vashyl Minor one of the most tolerant societies in all of Ultor.  

Goblin Settlements

  When the goblins arrived on Vashyl Minor, factions formed almost immediately. Different groups ventured to set up their own refineries and "strike it big" in the Vushti oil swamp. Each hoped to make more profit than the others. In the goblin oil business, no tactic is too dirty as long as you walk away with a profit.   Three names are known to every single goblin who has any chance of success in the oil industry in the east of Vashyl Minor. Gaboz, Mazzoc, Zul. Gaboz and Mazzoc are the great oil rivals of the goblin underworld, and each controls his own refinery-city. Each runs what is essentially a highly organized crime ring. Kidnappings, murders, theft, and extortion are regular practices in the refinery-cities, and the only way to survive is to claw your way up the gang's hierarchy and become indispensable. Zul is a rare exception among the hopeful goblins of the oil fields -- she has foresight, and is willing to accept a slower but surer growth for her empire. Her exceptional intelligence has kept her alive and ruling the only major port in the east of Vashyl Minor for nearly her entire adult life.   The lords of the underworld are constantly at war with one another. It is a war waged from the shadows. Backstabbing, assassination, and betrayal are the main strategies, and profits are the ultimate governor of the winner. Mazzoc and Gaboz have a more open conflict over the refinery cities of Smokestack and Blackbrick. Turf wars rage throughout both settlements, and the majority of the population is temporary -- laborers, mercenaries, and aspiring gang members. Bodies are often left in the streets for days, until someone decides the stench is too overwhelming, at which point the bodies are dumped in mass graves and burned. In this society, you don't matter unless you generate profit for a cartel.   The east of the continent is quite attractive to mercenaries and criminals alike. Those seeking refuge from the law are an asset to the goblin cartels, and are enticed into service in exchange for protection from whomever is hunting them. Mercenaries can also find excellent pay to engage in the dirty work of the underworld. Unlike on the western side, intermixing between groups is not encouraged. In fact, the leaders of the underworld often directly control who may live where -- placing their favorites in the best part of the slums, and relegating the rest to the worst housing available. Those who can afford it, such as mercenary groups, will often build ramshackle settlements for themselves separate from the goblin settlements.