Ishpeming is situated in the center of the old state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The coast of Lake Superior is approximately fifteen miles northeast from the center of the city. Its closest neighboring kingdom, The Manistique Imperium, lies some 75 miles to the south, along the northern shores of Lake Michigan. Numerous small factory towns and cities dot the landscape around and between Ishpeming and The Manistique Imperium, many having given up their independent kingdom status to join one or the other of the two industrial giants.
The borders of Ishpeming see a great deal of traffic year round. The western border of the kingdom of Ishpeming, which is the most heavily defended, is formed by "The Iron Wall". Following the old US-2 roadway between the city of Ironwood, approximately 130 miles (260 km) west of Ishpeming, southeast through the city of Iron River, and then further southeast to the city of Iron Mountain (see the Iron Wall section of this Netbook for more information on these towns). The eastern border of the kingdom is rather indistinct, with patrols ranging between fifty and seventy five miles past the Munising power plant. The independent kingdom of Grand Marais lies east of Munising along the shore of Lake Superior. The dangerous waters of Lake Superior form the natural border of the kingdom on the north side.
West of the Iron Wall lies the Wisconsin Wild Land, also known as the Wisconsin Wilds, and the Free Lands. Prior to the war in Minnesota, the Coalition established two military bases in the Wisconsin Wild Land, ostensibly to keep an eye on the D-Bee and monster infested countryside, as well as the Xiticix to the west, but in reality the bases serve to keep a wary eye on the comings and goings of travelers making their way to Ishpeming and The Manistique Imperium. Even before the CS/Tolkeen conflict, much of the land was a dangerous wilderness, but it suffered a great deal of devastation during The Sorcerer's Revenge and is heavily watched by the CS now. The two bases are Fort Perrion, which stands approximately 170 miles (274 km) from Ishpeming on the bones of the pre-Rifts city of Ashland, and Fort Barron, which lies 60 miles (97 km) further to the southwest.
While buffered by the two Coalition bases in the Wisconsin Wilds, the Xiticix Duluth Hive remains one of Ishpeming's greatest threats. While the CS bases are certainly capable of defending themselves, the commanders have chosen to let the forces of Lazlo do most of the work for them (see World Book 23: Xiticix Invasion for more information). Unfortunately, this means that a number of Xiticix still reach the border of Northern Gun before being stopped at The Iron Wall. In the past, the Xiticix seemed to treat the Upper Peninsula and its two large industrial kingdoms as a rival hive, leaving them alone with only token efforts at probing the territory. That may change as the Duluth Hive grows in number. Their past treatment of the region hasn't stopped them from making several attempts at establishing hives along the northern coast of Lake Superior, all of which have been smashed by Northern Gun and allied tribes of Wild Psi-Stalkers.
Near the eastern edge of the Upper Peninsula, 178 miles (278 km) from Ishpeming, the locks at Sault Ste. Marie have always been under the control of a contingent from the Coalition State of Iron Heart (370 miles/595 km). Since the trade agreement with the Coalition States, Northern Gun has enjoyed greater ease of use in shipping and receiving materials through the locks. This has enabled Northern Gun to maintain a slightly easier delivery to the rogue traders that deal with Lazlo on their behalf. The city of Lazlo is 650 miles (approximately 1000 km) from Ishpeming.
Other notable kingdoms with whom Northern Gun has business dealings and or retail locations are MercTown, which is 740 miles (1191 km) away between Chi-Town and the Magic Zone, Kingsdale and Whykin, which are 800 (1287 km) and 850 miles (1368 km) away respectively in the territory of Missouri, and Fort El Dorado, the hub of the newly christened Coalition State of Arkansas, which is approximately 1165 miles (1875 km) away from Ishpeming.
To the north, Ishpeming has established the town of Eagle Harbor to monitor conditions on Lake Superior and serve as a stopover for vessels. A large mercenary company has also established an airfield and fortified the facility to serve as a staging point for patrols over Lake Superior's northern coast. The base, called Portage Point, is stationed at the mouth of the Portage Canal, and it sees frequent action fending off stray Xiticix and destroying their hives on the lake's northern coast before they can become established enough to pose a threat. Portage Point is serviced by the independent kingdom of Hancock, which straddles the canal and sits atop the pre-rifts cities of Hancock and Houghton. The only Ley Lines in the Upper Peninsula flow from Hancock to the ruins of Tolkeen, making Hancock the lone domain of the arcane in Ishpeming's area of influence.
Much of the land between Ishpeming city proper and the Iron Wall is forested wilderness with several small towns and homesteads spread out along the old snowmobile trails and roads. Several small logging companies using the new Forester Power Armor (See New Product Line section of this Netbook for more information) make their living culling the myriad forms of harmful alien vegetation from the forest, as well as cutting down timber for use in one of Ishpeming's many factories making household sundries. Ishpeming maintains a strict policy by which companies removing lumber must also plant an equal number of saplings, but some of the more unscrupulous loggers ignore this rule. Large tracts of land have been set aside to the east of Ishpeming for the purpose of farming and agricultural experimentation. Ishpeming manages large automated harvesting systems on most of the farms, with the remainder contracted to grow specialty items not needed in bulk. In the latter part of the Golden Age, a company used the Upper Peninsula Experimental Forest to breed hybrid plant forms. The post-Rifts world has taken this evolution one step further by seeing the introduction of a few beneficial forms of alien plant life into the expansive reserve. A pharmaceutical subsidiary of Northern Gun currently resides there, experimenting on the habitat and attempting to create new medicines.
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