The West

No-man's-land spotted with small clan territories. The West is known for its favourable living conditions and hospitable inhabitants, although not as favourable and hospitable as the rumours in the other parts of the known world would make one believe. The machines who live here call themselves "Allied" or "Allies", and their lifestyle is focussed around helping each other. A hungry, lost traveller will have a good chance of meeting a group of Allies who will share some of their fuel. But everything comes at a price in the West.

The inhabitants of this region firmly believe that every favour must be repaid. If someone helps them, they will immediately claim to be "in debt" and try to "make up for it" as quickly as possible. Their societal structures revolve around this system of debts, which they keep rigorous track of. This often leads to alliances between the debtor and debtee, but can also be the foundation for unforgiving vendettas - in the case of injustice or slights being repaid.
A debt that goes unpaid for too long is a valid reason to kill the debtor in the West.
This entire system is actually rooted in the Allied's strong wish for personal independence. Their ideal is being debt-free, and thus completely independent of others. The downright pedantic need to track any possible debt stems from this ideal. The West's hypothetical heroes are powerful, self-sufficient machines that don't need anyone's help to survive.

Demographics & Infrastructure

Social groups in the West tend to be small, consisting of a low number of vehicles. A very common sight are loners or "teams" made up of only two to four vehicles.
There is a greater concentration of vehicles and vehicle types from the former Allied countries of the wars here than for example in the North, where the factories produce different parts. Travellers (or outcasts) from Regalia are a frequent sight, and those who want to go to the land of the big clans usually do so by going through the harbor towns that the coast features - other than the adjacent areas of the North, the West has functional harbors.

Geography

Historically, the expanse of the West was larger, but the borders have shifted southward as various teams and clans claimed affiliation to the North rather than the West. Despite the two regions fighting together in the past, this causes some controversy.

Type

Region

Location under

The Known World

Related Myths

• Fletcher's Cruel Fate

Thanks, but...

A popular way for Allies to ensure that they are in no one's debt is making sure that everyone else is in theirs. After all, the concept of mutual debt is not something they believe in. The resulting, over-eager readiness to help others can border on imposing their assistance on someone who didn't actually need it all that much.

A Folklore Hero

Various sources claim that the West was the birthplace of Aki, one of the two god-commanders in the Great Machine War. Many mention a town named Roanne as his home.
The Allies themselves are the biggest advocates of these claims. For them, Aki continues to be an important figure: His sacrifice when fighting his nemesis Sulfur and his prowess in combat are thought of as a big inspiration and ideal.