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The Kingdom of Atlas

The Heart of Progress

The Kingdom of Atlas is the youngest but, arguably, most prosperous kingdom on Remnant. Located on the northern continent of Solitas, a land of deep ice and snow, Atlas is often seen as the pinnacle of human achievement. Industrially, Militarily, and Commercially strong, it is the ultimate demonstration of mankind's perseverance and will.

Culture

Perhaps the most defining aspect of Atlesian culture is Pride. Citizens of Atlas are proud of Atlas, proud of its military might, and wholly confident of their preeminent place above the rest of Remnant. Most have grown up being told that Atlas is the pinnacle of human achievement, that its army is the strongest in the world, and that they alone can be trusted to shepherd the rest of the world. As a result, unsurprisingly, Atlas has a very martial identity, with even civilian organizations tending to model themselves around military custom. Businesses have very rigid chains of command, public health organizations are structured more like militias than charities, and everyone tends to affect at least some sort of military association. Even schools are run with an emphasis towards discipline and service. 

Looking at Atlas' history, it's clear as to how such militarism became so prominent. At the root of Atlesian pride is the idea that they are descended from fighters, from those who came to Solitas when it was nothing but a cold rock in the northern sea and have since transformed it into the ultimate demonstration of Mankind's mastery over the elements. Every Atlesian knows in their heart that they have conquered the very world, and that the comfort and security they enjoy is born from this fact. It's only natural that most of them would seek to protect that security, or emulate those that do.

It's hard to argue with the results. Atlas is the most advanced kingdom in Remnant, where great minds are tempered and then bent towards ever more ambitious goals, where ruthlessness and cunning are rewarded, and where no one need question the overwhelming might of the military. It is the birthplace of geniuses, scientific and strategic, where miracles of science and medicine are daily accomplished, protected by the most powerful and advanced army the world has ever known.

It's no wonder that the people of Atlas see the weight of the world as resting on their shoulders, because surely they are the only one's strong enough for such a burden.

Geography & Climate

Straddling the most northern parts of the world, Solitas is a land of ice and snow, of dense forests and towering mountain ranges. It is so inhospitable in most seasons that, when Mantle was originally settled, only the bravest and most foolhardy thought to make it their home. Not much has changed since then. Vast tundras and glacial fields dominate what little flat land Solitas, most of which do not melt even at summer's height, while the rest is given over to forests of ancient evergreens whose hearts have never been seen by human eyes. 

It is a land of inclement weather, where blizzards might dumb enough snow in a night to completely bury a house, and where the sun might go unseen for weeks at a time.

At least, that's how it is in the unsettled parts, for things are much different in those parts touched by mankind. In such places, the architecture is dominated by towering buildings in sleek, geometric designs, and the ever present glow of Dust. Such features are most prominent in the kingdom's eponymous capital, but even smaller settlements emulate these design.

Origin

Atlas itself was not always the kingdom's capital and, in fact, did not even exist prior to the Great War. Rather, it was Mantle, the first city settled on Solitas, for which the kingdom was originally named. Early settlers found Solitas to be almost uninhabitable but, through grit and ingenuity, were eventually able to eek out a sort of existence upon the northern continent. The fact that Solitas' fowl weather was nearly as much of a hindrance to the Grimm as the humans settlers helped considerably, allowing early efforts to focus on overcoming the challenges of ice and snow rather than monstrous incursion. The answer to both these problems turned out to be much the same however, and the early Mantelians came to rely greatly upon Dust and its many wondrous capabilities. Over time, Mantle drew to the fore of Dust technologies and distinguished itself in terms of scientific and militaristic advancement.

However, this fixation on advancement and on safeguarding its citizens came at a cost, one not hard to anticipate. Mantle, not long after establishing itself as Remnants most advanced kingdom, outlawed all forms of art and self-expression. It was their hope that, by doing so, they could further defend themselves against Grimm incursion, and it was this decision, historians argue, which most contributed to the beginning of the Great War. 

The Great War itself forced Mantle to ever greater extremes of innovation and development, giving them the upper hand throughout most of the conflict, but it was not enough to keep huge swashes of settled land from falling to the encroaching Grimm. Following the War, countless settlements had been lost, with Mantle itself only a shadow of its former glory. However, utilizing developments and discoveries made during the war, Mantle was quickly able to large tracts of lost land, and further focus on Dust mining and research.

It was in the ensuing rush of modernization that the combat school of Alsius grew up into the massive, sprawling metropolis of Atlas. Surrounded by rich Dust deposits and located in a strategically secure location, not to mention playing host to what had become the single best Huntsman Academy on Remnant (according to the Atlesians), it came as no surprise when the decision was made to move the kingdom's capital to Atlas. 

Since then, Atlas has continued to flourish, remaining the leader in Dust technologies and development, while expanding further than ever before. The Kingdom of Atlas has yet to resettle all the lands held by Mantle before the Great War, but its centralization and concentration on military might have made that something of a moot point. Nowadays, Atlas' position has never been more secure and, while political corruption and corporate greed mar its achievements, one would be hard-pressed to find any human who is not proud to hail from Atlas.