Step 18: Build more worlds

I wrote myself into a corner.

So I did some research. I want to make the cities in my desert-world realistic- or at least as realistic as I can manage. I've done a fair bit of a research over time, but today- I wanted the population figures and sizes of each city, in hectares or square kilometers. 

The fact that the cities are in the desert complicates things, because without fresh water- no cities.

Though it does rain in the desert, and all ancient cities built in the desert were done near flood plains or freshwater...

The growth factors, both positive and negative, effect the size of the cities. Magic plays an interesting role here- when it comes to scarcity of resources, or child mortality rates, or trade, and disease. 

A lot of the cities are based off of (loosely) ancient Mesopotamia and Assyrian cities, as well as Babylon. 

Without spoiling anything, the city design actually hints at certain secrets that are revealed later on. I can take some glorious pleasure in the fact that I could probably write that here and no one will actually realise it kekekeke.

Why not..

There is a city in the desert, the only freshwater source near it is an oasis. The oasis probably taps into groundwater, an aquifer, to it makes sense it does not evaporate. However, the tillable land is within the city walls- not at the oasis. The oasis has animals, and these animals can be controlled by certain members of the priest caste in the city- the 'Keepers'. They have taken a vow of silence, so they can't actually explain how they do this. 

The sheer number of hectares required to support the 20k+ population of this desert city does not add up. 

The food they eat is mainly a 'soup' produced by contributing what they farm to the priest class. The city has one of the most powerful militaries (supposedly) in that area. They have an effective sewage system and expansive walls. The only natural resource is the oasis.

I am a nerd, in that my fantasy world makes sense. Even when it doesn't- especially when it does not. The painful thing for me is getting to the 'cool' parts later on. It's taking ages. I'm on chapter 9-10 and they haven't gotten to where I originally (in an older draft) 'began' the novel.

Anyway, research is fun.

One of my favorite bits of research, I did a year back, was on the actual nature of hoplite/ancient Greek warfare contemporary to the events in the Iliad. The holywood portrayal of charging armies is less likely than groups of skirmishers chilling with their lord, their entrourage, sallying forth from a massive line of men to fight micro-battles.

It's kind of heroic, kind of schoolyard. I'm looking forward to the first battle. There's been fights already...but...anyway. 

Someone got their jaw broken by taking a flying knee to the face in the current chapter I'm writing. That was satisfying .