Empty Quarter
The Empty Quarter is a vast region to the west of The Hexarchy's interior. Almost completely unpopulated, the massive region has close to zero built infrastructure. Instead, the area is one of Micras's single largest nature preserves, and also the Hexarchy's largest single territory as of 1695 AN. Due to its size, abject lack of human habitation, and proximity to several important regions in the country (including the capital), the region as a whole is directly governed from the national capital at Marduk, while the region's only settlement of Midway was granted autonomy upon the region's annexation in 1695 AN.
Outside of the capital city of Midway, no urban infrastructure, dwellings, hunting bases, or any other manmade construction has been allowed to be built in the territory. The region is characterized by an extreme lack of human population outside its only city (see below), the dense, gigantic conifer trees found in its interior, and the colossal kaiju that live among the trees, rarely seen by humans.
The single built structure is the far western portion of the Pan-Keltian Highway that runs directly from the Port and City of Ashtaroth to the far-off Realm of Karnak. The Highway branches off at some point near Kunapura (despite the fact that no overland trade with the city exists) and run towards the country's northern interior at Pyrax.
The city of Midway is both the regional civilian capital and the only settlement in the Empty Quarter. It has a population of around 155,000 people, an impressive number for such a remote city (likely because of it being the only place one is legally able to build anything at outside of essential Highway infrastructure near the western border). Any other settlements are hundreds of kilometers away, those including the military base at Dragon's Point, the northern reaches of Asshyria, and the faraway cities of Karnak.
Overview
The Empty Quarter lends an apt description to itself. Easily the largest of The Hexarchy's various territories, it is also the least populated. No permanent dwellings or manmade structures outside of ruins are located -- or allowed -- within the entire territory. Former ruined cities were instead converted into military bases designed to strictly enforce the region's few but harsh laws.
The Empty Quarter is characterized primarily by three defining traits: the aforementioned lack of population, a vast forest of increasingly massive conifer trees the closer one moves to its dense inland interior, and the surprisingly small population of equally colossal kaiju that wander between the trees. These same kaiju have served as inspiration for epic monster movies the world over, and the occasional tourist braves the extreme risks of the deep forest to have a chance to behold these creatures with their own eyes.
The region's extremely close proximity to the national capital of Marduk posed a serious national security concern for many years. This, along with the Battle of the Behemoth fought in 1690, formed an extremely strong reason for the government to concentrate on surrounding and subduing wandering kaiju at the forest's edge for several years. The impending visit of the King of Nouvelle Alexandrie and other extremely important persons to the country's efforts to continue international outreach also gave an extremely compelling reason to accelerate the region's conquest. Lastly, the sudden emergence of a city-state on the coast of Keltia not far from the Hexarchy's own borders prompted efforts to secure the southern fringes of the forest as soon as possible.
In 1695 AN, domestic portions of the Praetorian Expeditionary Unit finally led national efforts to success. In addition to surrounding the Forest's far fringes with military bases, it also established the settlement of Midway so that civilian support of prolonged military operations could be entrenched to guard the forest. This helped to complete an otherwise unrealistic circle of permanent military bases so deep in the nation's interior. This allowed for three things: for the Hexarchy to connect with the region of Karnak, which joined in 1695 AN, it allowed for the Pan-Keltian Highway to extend even to the most remote parts of the country (including Karnak itself), and allowed for significantly enhanced domestic security so that Marduk would not be threatened by incursions from The Green at any point in the near future.
Geography
The only civilian settlement inhabited by people is Midway, which serves as the de facto regional capital. The town of roughly 156,000 people serves as the only city within the territory, with all other settlement and permanent construction being illegal (with specific exemptions for natives living in the area's northern reaches). The only other significant settlement is the massive joint base to the northwest, called Dragon's Point, which mostly acts as a de facto military capital for the country's empty western frontier regions outside of Karnak. While nominally located in Pyrax, the military base's primary point of responsibility is guarding the vast frontier and has little interaction with the natives, who almost never venture that far west in the interior.
The region is bordered to the east by Eridu, where a string of military bases guards the interior against the very occasional kaiju that wanders too far outside the vast, unpopulated forest's deepest interior. It is also bordered to the north by Pyrax, which itself is sparsely populated, mostly by nomads. The densely populated region of Asshyria forms the region's southern border. The Empty Quarter separates both this region and the faraway, remote city-state of Kunapura with the heavily populated Karnak, which is situated on a coastal plain beyond the forest's confines.
Of significant note is that the Empty Quarter's eastern regions nearly come directly into contact with the Hexarchy's national government capital of Marduk. This fact, coupled with the mysterious and sudden appearance of Kunapura, and its proximity to the otherwise cut-off region of Karnak, prompted the otherwise strategically valueless region's accelerated annexation as a national priority. The region formally became a territory of the Hexarchy with Midway as the de jure capital in 1695.
Pan-Keltian Highway
The only paved roads and railroads through the region are through the Pan-Keltian Highway, or by air. There is an aquifer that the city taps for water, but there are no nearby navigable waterways within city limits that are commercially viable for power generation.
The only major transportation infrastructure within the region's interior include the Pan-Keltian Highway and its attendant railroad, which runs through the region's southern area and along the Keltian coastline on its way to Karnak, far to the west of Asshyria. A branch-off of the Highway runs from Asshyria's northern reaches not far from the city of Ba'al to Midway, which is located on a sparse region of the forest. This branch passes through Midway, goes north to Dragon's Point, and doubles back to Kadesh, where it meets the north portion of the Highway that originally branched off to pass through Marduk.
Nothing cuts through the deepest interior parts of the Empty Quarter: no roads, no airplanes... and no dragons. Firstly, the great forest is far too dense with massive trees the likes of which are found in very few other places on Micras. Additionally, the colossal kaiju, as docile as many are, nonetheless make settling in the region an extremely dangerous prospect at best, as the many ruins in the region from days long past testify to.
Midway
The city of Midway is the only settlement within the Empty Quarter's boundaries. Located very deep in the western Keltian interior, the town is otherwise extremely far removed from anywhere else in The Hexarchy. The city of some 155,000 people is incredibly far removed from the outside world. Its only traffic is through a small airport, and through the only branch of the Pan Keltian Highway that is able to run directly north to south in the entire region west of Eridu, wherein the vast conifer forests of the Empty Quarter grew sparse enough for a large, constrained settlement and attached infrastructure to grow.
Since permanent construction of any kind is banned in the Empty Quarter outside of Midway's city limits, the only infrastructure present outside of the city within the entire region includes the aforementioned airport and highway, which themselves are governed with extremely strict rules against littering, loitering, and the like. Additionally, the nationwide ban on fossil fuel-powered vehicles also applies even here, so most travel north and south in this remote place occurs by rail or by air. Otherwise, passersby are strongly urged to bring spare batteries for their vehicles.
Flora & Fauna
The fauna of the Empty Quarter, for the most part, grow more and more massive towards the interior. The deepest parts of the great forest are dominated by reptilian kaiju that have, on many occasions, inspired blockbuster monster movies in the more civilized parts of the world. On first glance, most appear to resemble dinosaurs, especially the herbivorous species. The predators, having evolved to also fight against dragons for both survival and food, have developed dangerous weapons of their own that merit extreme caution at a regional level should one be encountered.
Such massive beasts are simply too large to be relocated, making the prospect of smuggling the colossal animals out of the forest not only incredibly dangerous, but also impractical -- even if it weren't for the ever-vigilant eyes of the Hexarchian armed forces.
The region sports only one apex predator this deep into the giant forest's interior: the Behemoth, an exceptionally powerful kaiju, and thankfully also an incredibly rare sight anywhere outside the impenetrable interior. While extremely few, the occasional starving behemoth that wanders too far away from its food source in the forest's central regions once every few years could, in extreme cases, pose grave threats to national security, and are immediately eliminated and harvested for meat (as capturing a creature of that size and power while alive, never mind relocating it, is impossible with their equipment).
The plant life typical of the Empty Quarter's interior grow more and more to resemble the great conifer forests of geological eras past, such as the Carboniferous period that occurred on the planet some 300 million years prior. It has been theorized by Hexarchian scientists that the entire region is a living fossil from days long gone by... or else some epic freak of nature equally worthy of preservation and further (extremely cautious and careful) study.
Law & Order
The right to roam is a basic privilege granted to all citizens and permanent residents of the country. Additionally, foreign nationals with prior authorization are allowed to travel there. However, the area is closely monitored for its extremely dangerous kaiju, a number of especially large species which collectively render the region nigh uninhabitable. Instead, the vast region is meant to serve as a buffer and an area for the Hexarchy's population of natives to roam around in with what is left of the country's domesticated dragon population (with its various species nigh-extirpated from the wild).
The region's northern reaches are common grounds for natives to roam on dragonback, making the Empty Quarter one of the few remaining places where the ancient art of dragon riding is still performed by the natives without heavy legal restrictions. Since the region's annexation, both Arumite and Pyraxian natives have ventured into the vast wilds on dragonback to both train and initiate new tribespeople, careful not to upset or otherwise disturb the region's delicate (and incredibly dangerous) natural balance while doing so. Many dragon hunting expeditions also pass through the region so that any guests can get used to riding on dragonback before proceeding into The Green to begin their traditional hunts in earnest, as kaiju hunting stopped after 1690. (See the Battle of the Behemoth, mentioned above).
The highway itself is carefully monitored with cameras and high-tech equipment purchased from the government of New Alexandria. Those who are caught littering are fined amounts based on a person's net worth, and fines can exceed millions of guilders for wealthy violators. Despite near-extreme pushback for such harsh fines, they've remained in place and the region has remained very pristine thanks to funding that goes directly into beautification, preservation, and security for those moving along the highway. Offroad vehicles are not permitted under any circumstances, with a special lane on each side designated for vehicles having mechanical or other serious issues. Airplanes are also always redirected to avoid flying over the forest's interior under most circumstances.
Unlike other regions in The Hexarchy, visits by civilians to military bases along the Empty Quarter's border area via the Pan-Keltian Highway are allowed, and facilities meant for refueling, supply restocking, and the like have been built in an effort to keep an excessive amount of persons from being stranded on the highway. Such checkpoints also contribute to the ability to keep the highway secure in the event of the rare kaiju wandering out of the forest and onto the fringes. This is, consequently, the only portion of the Highway system with a dedicated, perpetually deployed military civil engineering team that comes to repair the road or nearby railroad in case of accidental damage by one of those colossal (and usually docile) giants.
