Alabasta

Alabasta is the largest and wealthiest country on the continent of Glistan. The country is primarily populated by humans, with other races mixing in to the large cities throughout the country. With an eastern and a western port, Alabasta has a large amount of imports into the country. The riches of Alabasta come from the abundant precious gem quarries that lie under the deserts.

## Geography

Alabasta is almost completely covered in sand. Although the country in general is a large dessert, there is an abundant amount of large oasis throughout the country. Large cities are usually build in or around these oasis and are integral for survival.

### Oases

The oases of Alabasta are vast beautiful landscapes filled with water and plants, giving a utopia feeling when cast upon a desert background. These places are considered sacred and are vital for the survival of the inhabitants. There are many oases, so they do not receive names, except for a select five. These special five are the Lethe, Styx, Akheron, Kokytos, and Phlegethon.

The Lethe is an oasis that is densely populated by tropical trees, with a large pool of water at the center. There is an urban legend that those who wander into the forest often forget their way and become lost forever. It is believed that there is a large beast that lies at the bottom of the Lethe lake that has a mysterious art that causes this phenomenon.

The Styx is an oasis near the northern part of Alabasta, just north east of the Lethe. The Styx oasis is a canyon with waterfalls and large pools of water. there are few scattered trees throughout the oasis. The Styx is special because it is the only place where fire ruby can be mined. Fire rubies are a special crystal that contains power within them. The crystals have the ability to conduct and strengthen any energy that is flowed into them. Because of this, these rubies are used in the creation of energy tools and weapons. even though these gems can only be found in one place, there is an abundance of them in these canyons. The rubies can have an affect on the user if handled poorly. If a user receives a poorly handles gem, they can potentially go mad with hate and rage. This is why the capital stresses the importance of purchasing energy tools from trustworthy vendors and for craftsmen to abide by the power setting laws, but that doesn't stop the cheap black market trade of fire rubies.

The Akheron is an oasis in the center of the country. The Akheron is the greenest oasis, with grass and tropical features. There is a large rock formation with a flat top at the center of the oasis. This rock formation is surrounded by a lake, with waterfalls falling from within the cliffs near the top. the center of the formation is somewhat hollow, and utilizes natural forces in order to pull the water from the lake with underwater tunnels and flowing it back in through the use of the waterfalls, making it a giant natural fountain. Instead of normal rock, the Akheron has a special white stone that surrounds the oasis, giving it a marble and regal appearance.

The Kokytos is an oasis in the south eastern part of Alabasta. This oasis resembles a very green oasis, with patches of greenery and pools of water. the oasis in on steppes, with rivers that flow down them. The Kokytos is odd because this oasis receives an unusual amount of rain. It rains for most of the year over this oasis. This phenomenon cannot be explained and has caused very unique architectural and agricultural improvements to take root in the surrounding city.

The Phlegathon is an oasis in the Western part of the country. This oasis is on the shore of Alabasta, having the port city Vagos built into it. This oasis is densely populated, and most of the natural scenery is buried under buildings. The iconic location in this oasis is the Red River, which flows the length of the oasis into the ocean. The river is red because of small fire ruby crystals that get lodged into the river bed. These crystals are very small and therefor unusable, and are a byproduct of the fire ruby refineries within Vagos.

### Diamond Desert

The Diamond Desert is the main desert in Alabasta and surrounds the capital, Jaco. The desert has an abundant amount of crystal particles in the sand, making it glisten more than usual. This desert also has the largest oasis in it, called the Akheron.

## Cities

### Jaco

Jaco is the capital of Alabasta. It resides in the Diamond Desert and in the largest oasis in the country, the Akheron. The royal palace, known as the Sun Palace, sits on top of a rock formation in the center of the oasis, with stairs that lead down to the rest of the city.

### Vagos

Vagos is a port city in the Phlegethon Oasis. It is most known for the fire ruby refineries in the city that are the cause of the red river.

### Gran Cara

Gran Cara is an Iriqir village residing on the back of a particularly large arbor.

### Blue Garden

Blue Garden is also known as the City of Books and it is compromised entirely of the school of the same name. Blue Garden academy is one of the most prestigious arts schools in Alabasta and is world-renowned for the arts users it has produced. The entire city is geared towards the learning and training of arts, and a competition arena sits at the center of the city.

## Culture

### Political Hierarchy

The political structure of Alabasta consist of a King and his royal family. The King has ultimate power within the country. The king usually sends conduits out to spread his word on any certain act. There is a council of chairmen that take the requests and complains of the people of the country and forms them into acts, which is then given to the king.

### Megafauna

There are various giant animals throughout the country of Alabasta. These animals are seen as ancient creature and even though they are massive, most are quite reclusive. There are many types of megafauna in Alabasta, some being predators that should be avoided, and some becoming an integral part of the culture, like how the Iriqir people who are a nomadic tribe have their villages on the backs of abor, which are giant mammals that walk on all fours.

### Grand Alabastan Games

The Grand Alabastan Games occurs once every 3 years in the lavish Solstice Colosseum, a magnificent tourney grounds with multiple arenas and shop centers with one large arena situated in the center of the grounds. The Solstice Colosseum is located in Jaco, Alabasta's capital city. The Grand Alabastan Games attracts both warriors and spectators from around the world to watch electrifying competitions between elite fighters. Warriors typically join the tournament in small teams, usually no more than about 3-5, but some fighters do participate by themselves. There are numerous varied events that occur all around the tourney grounds, but the main and most popular event is the 1.v.1. fights that occur in the main arena, the Solis. The winner/winning team of the solo battles gains not only the personal regards of the Alabastan king as well as a large sum of money, but they also gain the main prize which is usually some powerful energy artifact.

## Military

The Alabastan military is known throughout the world for its strength, and competes with Dagara to be the most powerful military power on the continent. The military is set up with the King as the highest ranking officer, allowed to issue war and peace and override any military plans. Under the king are the four High Officers, who lead the major divisions of the military. There are a massive number of soldiers, who are grouped in large groups called Machi, which are comprised of around 600 soldiers. The Machi are lead by generals, which are called Phalanxes. Each Phalanx then reports to a High Officer depending on which division they're in.