Before the great Uniting imposed by a Karthopolis Monarch hundreds of years ago, the various Nation-States of Karth were splintered and racially homogenized. They still are--- but it is less rare to see a human traipsing in the Woodworkers Guilds of the Elven City of Galladeer these days. Here are a few of the current surviving Nation-States.
Karthopolis
Known as the Shimmering Jewel of Karth, Karthopolis reigned for a millenia as the biggest City on the Continent and housed many of the great Guild Halls and Lawful Government Bodies of Karth. Ruled by a fairly benevolent King and his council (an assembly of Nobles from across the full span of Karth) for 8 generations, the King of Karthopolis became of living symbol of peace between the great city-nations and their ethnic and geographic boundaries. The assassination of King Teodor Agathan III sent a shockwave through the great City (and Karth as a whole), sending the Great Karthian Council into a scramble to restore order.
Despite it's fairly recent descent into nepotism, Karthopolis still stands as a beacon of progressivism for both magical, philosophical and civic thought and is one of the most diverse (and youngest) city-nations in the realm. One can enter the grand multi-storied Library Towers and find Orc and Halfling Scribes nose-deep in tomes and wander the cobbled Lilac-tree lined streets to enter clean shops and boutiques filled with pompous Dwarves and Humans alike.
Population: 5+ Million
Home of the Silver Company of Light, Bard and Merchants Guilds, The Great Library of Karth.
Vibes: Shining Cosmopolitan with a Smear of Hot Slum
Galladeer
Built in the middle of an Ancient Old-Growth Forest, Galladeer has reigned as the Ancestral capital of the Elven Folk for over 3,000 years and has only opened its magical borders to non-elves a century ago. Ruled by an aristocratic council of Ancient Elven families, Galladeer is renowned for it's extraordinary organic architecture; Chapels built from the hollowed innards of ancient still-living trees and roadways ascending deep into tree-top canopies and pristine homes built into the hills surrounding the massive Forest known as the Gadway. [And at the heart of the Great Gadway, sits Galladeer.]
For all of its extraordinary wealth, the great Elven nation has had a bit of a brain-drain as Elves do not reproduce nearly as fast as their human or even Orc counterparts and have lost many of their people to war, disease and bad decisions over the ages. As a result, Galladeer's population is a now an incredibly diverse mix of Elves, Humans, Dwarves and Small-folk with the occassional Tiefling or Orc wandering its mossy roads.
Population: 2 Million
Home of the Great Gadway Forest, The Galladeer College of Olde Magicks, Fezmoralin (AKA: The Door to the Underdark), Carpenter's Guild, Witches Guild & Karthian Botany Society
Vibe: Wealthy Environmentalist with a hint of Ancestral Privilege.
Port of Gogue:
It is said that the first thing one encounters upon entering the Harbor of the Port of Gogue is an attractive cut-throat....
As Karth's primary seaport, the port of Gogue is an iconoclastic hub of cultures, scents, ideals and architectural styles. Known for it's magnificent shops, cutting edge machinist technologies, alleyway deals and extraordinary shipping lanes, the Port of Gogue is nearly as old as Karthopolis itself. However, where Karthopolis shines, Gogue is consistently more brazen in style and mannerism. Devoid of Ancestral ties due to its Port Nature, Gogue is one of the most democratic nation-states in Karth---where the rule of meritocracy and networking has far more weight than family lineage. The civic duties of the Port and its surrounding villages are run by the Guildmasters, a cabal of...(you guessed it) Guild Masters---each elected by their respective Guilds to helm the rule of the Sea Port via majority consensus. The Guild Masters seem to have no qualms with diversity, and their chambers are filled with masters of all races, creeds, and genders with a wide range of ages.
Population: 1.5 - 3 million (depending on the "Tide")
Home of the Machinist Guilds of Karth, Various Merchant Guilds, The Red Hand (Rogues Guild) and the most bars/taverns per person in Karth
Vibes: Salt-crusted Working Class and wait, where did my moneypurse go?
Whel
Nestled deep in the magnificent range of mountains known as the Warlaws, the northern city of Whel is a feat of Dwarven engineering. Shorn into the mountain face, the City of Whel's lowest levels are an impressive 1500 hands above sea-level---with it's great Hall of Kings soaring at the peak of a snowy capped mountain surrounded on all sides by glacier-fed waterfalls regarded proudly as a symbol of the City's strength and resilience.
Whel's history is an interesting one in that its primary population is composed mostly of Dwarves and Orcs. Once mortal enemies, the two ancient people's made a lasting peace over a millenia ago and that truce has held fast---contributing to a cultural bond that has evolved into a rich blended heritage. The combination of Dwarven ore-lore, Orc strength and their melded stamina have created a near-monopoly on mining, stonework and weapon production (unrivaled in all of Karth)---producing a heavily fortified City resplendent with stone carvings, gilded iron lanterns, artisanal metals and skilled armorers. Not shockingly, Whel is also renowned for its prestigious whiskeys and massive beerhalls.
Unlike the majority of Karth, Whel is mostly untouched by the Civil War. This is most likely due to the rough terrain of the Warlaw mountain range, it's extreme winters that encompass the majority of the year and its fierce occupants.
Population: 1 million
Home of the WarLaw Confederacy, The Iron Guild, Whelian Distillers Guild, Whelian Healers Guild (the best trauma hospital in Karth)
Vibes: Stony Facade with a warm soup center
Momnon
Nestled deep in the desert, the Ancient City of Momnon's multi-storied exterior walls have kept the Turmerine Sand Dunes at bay for thousands of years. Arguably, one of the oldest Cities on the continent, Momnon has survived countless wars, famines and sieges. A shipping port, much like the Port of Gogue, Momnon has its secrets----and the massive ancient abandoned Temples now serving as monuments to its storied past have been hailed as one of the most dangerous sites in Karth.
Despite it's crumbling sandstone walls, the city of Momnon is bustling with spices, textiles and riches----and its mostly human and elven citizens seemed well-equipped to deal with the voracious heat and perpetual summer via it's pristine cool underground springs that well up via the City in well-tended gardens, aqueducts and natural wells. Once the intellectual powerhouse of the Realm, Momnon has since fallen into quiet disarray as its Monarch went gone deep into hiding after the subsequent assassinations of King Alabaster of Onyx Falls and King Teodor Ahgathan III of Karthopolis. The subsequent re-emergence of the shadowy assassins guild, The Cadit Umbra---have done little to allay the fears of the people.
Momnon is renowned for it's initial magical discoveries of Portal-craft and as the ancestral home of the great Elven mage, Spectrum Elias.
Population: 2 million (and dwindling)
Home of the Great Graveyard of Shala, Mage College of Momnon and the headquarters of the Cadit Umbra.
Vibe: A Desert Rose with Thorns
Other Cities and Spaces of Note:
The Holy Circlet:
South-east of Galladeer, the Holy Circlet stands as a solo monument to the Gods of Karth. As both Citadel and name of the order of Clerics who tend to the massive domed building, the Holy Circlet houses the great Holy Libraries of Karth and dispense their clerics to aid towns and city states in need. Though like all Holy Orders, the Circlet seems particularly rife with inner turmoil as the Civil War rages outside of it's walls....
Population: 5,000
Onyx Falls:
Once a bustling Gnome city, Onyx Falls has since been abandoned after the assassination of King Alabaster XV, signaling the start of the Great Gnome Diaspora of Karth.
Population: 0
Ice Dale:
Perched on the shelf of a glacier, Ice Dale is the northernmost settlement in all of Karth. Go here for Polar Bears, Northern Lights and a diet devoid of green things. Mostly a waypoint for adventurers looking to test their mettle in the thousands of ice caves surrounding the settlement.
Population: 20,000
Appleteeth:
A Quaint town in the great plains east of the Holy Circlet. Nice Bread. Very Quiet.
Population: 50,000
Myrgor:
Once a human settlement, now a battleground for warlords during the Civil War.
Population: Unknown