Urban Planning
Introduction
At a glance, the population distribution of Morijigoku seems odd. The Onyx Mountains are frigid, and quite barren of resources; even if morific phenomena allow a measure of life to survive up there, food is scarce. Large-scale agriculture of high yield grains and crops is near impossible and trees are absent, leading to natives subsisting on foraged cryofungi, the hunting and herding of animals such as the Jigokak and Yukitori, as well as the catching and the aquaculture of a variety of magical fish species in the many glacier lakes dotting the range.
Even with all these vectors for sustenance, these settlements are not self-sustaining. Indeed, the cities in the Ilimyth Valley must import the majority of their food from the lower altitude, more agriculturally productive regions of the country. The dense flow of trade to the mountains led to the construction of roads dedicated for use by specialized breeds of Satan's Unrelenting Bakemushu. Colloquially called the Subways, these drives are reserved for Bakemushu-drawn carriage trains filled with goods, including a majority of foodstuffs for any such transport headed towards the densely populated mountains.
Although this explains how these towns are kept fed and thriving, the question remains; why settle where every facet of the elements seems to reject humanity and its efforts?
There are obvious religious and strategic reasons. The ceiling of the world is considered to be the home of the Goddess, and is where Deadbeats have been buried for times immemorial, in the sprawling catacombs worming their way through the granite of the mountains. From a military standpoint, these alpine regions are as advantageous as they would be anywhere else in the world. Creating defensive positions is straightforward, ambushing enemy forces can be done easily, and the environment further works to wear down any intrusions.
But these two factors are not the explanation to the state of things; the reason Deadbeats are so strongly drawn to the mountains is that they are the source of their power. Indeed, as you move past the snowline in the Eastern part of the Onyx Mountains, ambient magical radiation levels quickly rise to be orders of magnitude greater than that found in the verdant lowlands. This translates to an enrichment of both the physical and the spiritual incarnations of Mordimdima, in the form of Reaper's Eye deposits and the life-borne moriama cells for the former, and increased magical energy levels, spell potency, and heavenly communion for the latter.
Such power makes possible the casual use of magic for a range of practical purposes, including architecture, waterworks, transport, communication. These potentialities drive the unique design patterns found in the urban planning of these alpine cities.
Construction Materials
◐ The geological regions of the Onyx Mountain Range is a well-studied topic. The active orogeny of these mountains have led to a varied landscape dense in unique features and materials.
Settling the jagged peaks of the mountains came with many material limitations for the Deadbeats. This far past the snowline, trees are completely absent, and what small flora is able to carve their survival into the massifs is much too small to have any use in large-scale construction. Since the range is equatorial, the absence of seasonal effects reduces the amplitude of the freeze-thaw cycle the region undergoes over a year, reducing weathering. Moreover, most precipitation taking the form of snow also works to reduce erosion; both factors work to reduce the amount of sediment available for construction, such as the mixing of concretes. Finally, the weather and soil composition is unsuited to the production and use of clay in fabrication. All these aspects work to funnel alpine Deadbeats towards stones as their primary construction materials.
On the northern side of the range, in the more humid Lesser Onyx geological region, dark grey granites are used most commonly. Cryomosses can grow easily on their rough surfaces; these mosses can have a variety of colors, depending on their species and Morificity, so patterns in blue, red, orange, white and pink are sometimes cultivated on these buildings for aesthetic purposes.
Looking in the south of the range, mainly around the Transonyx region, gneiss species become the more common material, especially orthogneiss. These beautiful rocks feature many layers of black, white, orange and grey material, twisting into complex patterns, and while they are a primary building material in their native region, it is also exported as a more decorative stone in the rest of the country.
In the heart of the range, marbles of a wide variety become the most common sight in quarries. Black marble is found in all of these central regions, but is more common in the High Fonyx Crystalline, while white marble and grey marble is found in the others. White marble veined in blue due to copper oxide inclusions is unique to the Suico Traps, and red marble veined in pink is mined in the Southern Chadka Dome and Morific Crystalline.
As for the Greater Morific Slab, concentration in microscopic Reaper's Eye particulates is high enough to tint most marbles with a pink hue, which is either dispersed evenly throughout the bulk material, or concentrated in veins. The presence of the magical gem in the crystalline structure increases the toughness and strength of the stone, which is why these types of marble are considered a strategic resource, and only exported in tiny quantities.