Places of Pathalis
Pathalis is a world defined by where you stand.
Cities do not merely differ in size or wealth; they differ in rhythm, law, belief, and the way the world seems to behave within their borders. Some places are orderly to the point of suffocation. Others thrive on instability. A few feel wrong in ways no map can explain.
This section records known locations—as travelers, residents, and chroniclers understand them.
Not all places are safe.
Not all places agree with each other.
Some places change faster than records can keep up.
Major Cities
The great population centers of Pathalis are hubs of trade, power, scholarship, and conflict. Each exerts influence far beyond its walls through law, economics, or control of vital routes.
City entries typically include:
- General atmosphere and culture
- What visitors immediately notice
- Common laws or customs travelers should know
- Why people come—and why some leave
Towns & Settlements
Smaller communities survive through specialization, location, or stubbornness.
Some are trade stops.
Some exist to support a single industry.
Others persist simply because no one has finished them off yet.
These entries reflect daily life more than power politics.
Sky Taverns & Aerial Waypoints
Pathalis is not bound solely to the ground.
Floating taverns, airborne platforms, and sky-anchored stations act as neutral ground, information exchanges, and vital rest points along the sky-routes. Many travelers will recognize these names long before they ever see them.
Expect:
- Neutral spaces
- Rumors from every direction
- Deals struck over shared tables
- Trouble that arrives without warning
Ruins & Notable Sites
Some places are no longer alive—but they are not gone.
Ruins, abandoned keeps, sealed manors, strange forests, and places that no longer serve their original purpose still shape the world around them. Locals often avoid them. Scholars argue over them. Travelers occasionally regret entering them.
Descriptions here reflect what is commonly believed, not what is proven.
Travel & Distance
Distance in Pathalis is complicated.
Sky-travel has shortened routes, but not removed danger. Weather, traffic, politics, and timing matter as much as miles. Some places are easy to reach but hard to leave. Others are visible for years before a traveler ever sets foot there.
Travel notes focus on expectations, not guarantees.
How to Use This Section
Think of this section as a traveler’s record, not a surveyor’s map.
- Entries may contradict one another
- Details may be incomplete
- Tone reflects reputation as much as reality
If a place feels unfinished, uncertain, or unsettling—
that is intentional.
4
Meshentown
Meshentown is not the oldest city in Pathalis, nor the most beautiful.
It is, however, the most consequential.
What happens in Meshentown does not stay in Meshentown. Decisions made here ripple outward through contracts, trade routes, academic doctrine, and enforcement mandates that reshape distant cities long before most people hear the reason why.
Meshentown is a city of systems, and those systems work.
The Shape of the City
Meshentown is vertically layered rather than sprawling.
Instead of expanding outward, districts stack, overlap, and interlock through elevated roads, lift-rails, sky docks, and enclosed walkways. From above, the city appears almost engineered—segments of purpose rather than neighborhoods grown by chance.
Broadly, the city can be understood as five overlapping zones:
- Civic & Administrative Core
- University District
- Industrial & Trade Wards
- Residential Tiers
- Aerial Infrastructure
There are no true “slums” in Meshentown—only zones of lesser priority.
Civic Core & Governance
The heart of Meshentown is its civic core: a dense cluster of council halls, legal archives, registries, and enforcement offices.
Governance here is:
- Procedural
- Documented
- Predictable
Edicts are posted publicly. Changes to law are archived and cross-referenced. Ignorance of policy is not treated as innocence.
Citizens rarely speak passionately about the ruling council. Instead, they speak confidently—as if the existence of governance itself is reassurance enough.
Meshentown does not ask whether something is right until it has determined whether it is workable.
Law, Order, and Enforcement
Order in Meshentown is not maintained through fear, but through clarity.
- Rules are visible
- Consequences are consistent
- Enforcement is professional
Guards are present, but rarely aggressive. Their authority comes not from intimidation, but from certainty. When they intervene, it is usually late in a dispute—after all other systems have already failed.
Visitors quickly learn:
- Fighting draws attention
- Contracts matter more than promises
- Paperwork outlives people
The University District
Meshentown’s University is its most famous institution and its greatest export.
The University trains:
- Scholars
- Engineers
- Strategists
- Administrators
- Licensed adventurers
Graduates are known for competence, discipline, and an unsettling comfort with hierarchy. They are taught not just what to do, but how systems respond when things go wrong.
To the public, the University represents:
- Controlled expertise
- Professional problem-solving
- Stability through doctrine
Its libraries are vast. Its rules are strict. Its internal culture is famously insular.
Industry, Trade, and Contracts
Meshentown thrives on regulated commerce.
Major trade houses maintain offices here not because it is convenient, but because legitimacy flows outward from the city. A contract validated in Meshentown carries weight elsewhere.
Key features of Meshentown trade include:
- Standardized measurements
- Enforced contract law
- Arbitration courts
- Certified inspectors
Markets are efficient rather than colorful. Prices are fair, but rarely flexible. Bargaining is seen as a sign of inexperience.
If something can be monetized, Meshentown has already written the framework for it.
Residential Life
Despite its reputation, Meshentown is a lived-in city.
Residential tiers range from modest communal housing to carefully insulated upper residences for officials, scholars, and wealthy contractors. Public services—water, lighting, sanitation—are reliable and closely monitored.
Daily life is structured:
- Work hours are predictable
- Festivals are scheduled well in advance
- Civic announcements are routine
People who thrive here tend to value:
- Stability
- Routine
- Clear expectations
People who do not often leave quietly.
Taverns, Entertainment, and Culture
Meshentown does not lack entertainment—it simply curates it.
- Taverns emphasize quality and safety
- Performances reward skill over chaos
- Public events are permitted, scheduled, and supervised
Spontaneous celebrations are rare. Planned ones are impressive.
Cultural expression exists, but it operates within acceptable bounds. Satire is tolerated. Open defiance is not.
Aerial Infrastructure & Travel
Meshentown is one of the most important sky-ports in Pathalis.
Its airship docks are:
- Heavily regulated
- Precisely scheduled
- Constantly active
Cargo and passengers are processed efficiently. Inspections are routine. Delays are uncommon—but rarely explained.
From Meshentown, one can reach nearly any major region of Pathalis with the right credentials.
Reputation Across the World
Meshentown is described differently depending on who speaks:
- “The backbone of civilization”
- “A city that files people down until they fit”
- “Where wars end before they begin”
- “Where freedom has a processing fee”
What everyone agrees on is this:
Meshentown remembers.
Why People Come — and Leave
People come to Meshentown to:
- Gain recognition
- Secure legitimacy
- Access education
- Influence outcomes without violence
People leave because:
- The city never forgets mistakes
- Systems are slow to forgive
- Some lives resist structure
Meshentown does not chase those who leave.
It simply continues without them.
What Travelers Should Know
- Carry documentation
- Respect posted notices
- Understand that rules apply even when unspoken
- Assume you are being observed, not judged
Meshentown is not hostile to outsiders.
It is indifferent.