This article collects information regarding the conceptualisation of the game world of The Mana World.
Some ideas for the snow region.
Nivalis
- Current snow village
- Continental
- Main economy: Mining
- Export: Fire crystals, Ore
- Import: Food
- Geological active region
Background
Nivalis is in a mountain region famous for its hot springs. The main economy of Nivalis is mining. The mountains around Nivalis are rich of fire crystals. The crystals cause a lot of vulcanic activity making mining dangerous, but the local miners have learned how to cope with this.
Nivalis exports fire crystals to all other dwellings on the continent. The crystals are used for heating. Although Nivalis is not dependent on fire crystals for heating because of the geothermal activity in the region it is a life-important good for the other villages on the continent. They used to sell their surplus and all metal ores they found while mining for fire crystals to other continents.
The pressure by Argaes to focus the fire crystal trade on them is leaving the village elders in a difficult situation. Should they make more business with Argaes and reduce the fire crystal supply of the other villages in the region or should they keep supplying the continent? Stopping fire crystal deliveries to their fellow countrymen might result in a lot of them freezing to death during the harsh Kaizai winter, but refusing to deal with Argaes might provoke their wraith and might lead to a military occupation of the village resulting in no fire crystals at all for the surrounding area.
Cacerzi
- Fishing village
- Harbor
- Export: Meat, Fish, Fur
- Import: Weapons, fire crystals
Background
Cacerzi is the main food source on the continent. It produces a lot of meat by hunting and fishing which is sold to the other villages. The furs are also a great source of income because they keep the people warm during the winter. But Cacerzi is in dire need of this income because it is dependent on fire crystals from Nivalis to survive the long, cold winter nights.
Castle Frostthorn
- Fortress City
- Build by Argaes to increase influence over the area
- Import: Fire crystals, Ore, Food
- Export: Weapons
Background
Castle Frostthorn is an expedition heavily financed by Argaes. The castle has been built to increase the influence over the area with the goal to make the import of fire crystals and ore from the area more economic and more reliable. The initial goal was to show military presence to discourage raids by bandits on traders and to improve the organisation of the mining economy and thus its productivity.
Unfortunately the Argaes authority underestimated the harsh conditions of the area and thus the costs and efficiency of the project. For that reason Frostthorn is in danger of becomming a big financial disaster. There is a big pressure on the advocats of the project in Argaes and on the local baron of Frostthorn to make the endeavour lucrative. This pressure has recently lead to more harsh treatment of the local residents of the continent bordering tyranny.
Gameplay
The only strangers welcome in Frostthorn are fire crystal traders. Only characters known to the castle or those who possess fire crystals and who claim that they want to sell them are left in. When a character does a quest for the baron of Frostthorn the guards will stop checking him and let him in even when he carries no fire crystals.
The furnance master in the basement administers a huge fire crystal furnance which heats the castle. He will buy fire crystals for an unusual high price, but the amount of fire crystals he buys per hour is limited.
The temple of the castle has a stone altair made from a soul menhir. It has the same function as a natural one.
The traders in the castle offer high quality weapons and armor - but only when the furnance master has fire crystals in stock.
The baron has a lot of errands to do for committed adventurers. Most are diplomatic missions to the other villages or gathering resources for the castle.
