The planet is a favored site for Scraver reclaimation teams, as well as Prospector miners and more biologically-minded Engineers. The Muster even keeps a small training facility here, at Menus Station on the island / continent of Parthia. Menus Station is one of the finest naval academies in the Known Worlds, and the Muster is primarily responsible for keeping the Station staffed with only the finest instructors.
Many nobles come from across the Known Worlds to sample the fine cuisines which can only be found on Madoc. The cuisines could be shipped offworld if it were not for a consortium between the Charioteers and a local guild known as the Seawolves Guild. Seawolves are responsible for the fishing industry, which involves making sure certain delicacies are always in fairly short supply as well as the everyday tasks of catching, cleaning, and even preparing dishes. Their deal with the Charioteers brings in revenue for pilots transporting wealthy nobles to and from Madoc, and also ensures that only smugglers will get frozen fish out of system - the ever-watchful Charioteers keep ships with "special sensors" near the gate, as well as running the occasional boarding to check valid jumpkeys, cargo, etc. Some have whispered that these ships have no special sensors at all, but are crewed by extremely powerful psychics who randomly scan crewmembers for anything....fishy.
The Seawolves originally came out of Korimys Labs, a biological experimentation project brought about during the Second Republic. The labs were set-up to develop better ways to provide meat for the masses, biologically engineering certain breeds of fish in most cases. Certain successes were made in the Korimys Herdfish and Korimys Seaweed, but when the Fall came, tragedy struck Madoc as a whole. Overzealous Inquisitors, backed by the local fishermen, raided the labs and burned them, claiming they were "bastions for the unholiest blemishes upon the face of the Pancreator." This caused one of Korimys Labs' "black-book" projects to escape - the Korimys Jellyfish. The Jellyfish was larger and faster than most seagoing creatures, and its venom was powerful enough to kill several humans at a time. The Jellyfish caused mass shortages of food due to its overbreeding and ability to take in large amounts of food. Finally, some of the remaining scientists and workers from the labs (along with the help of some now-angry fishermen) were able to convince the Avestites that only technology could fix the problem. The remains of Korimys labs were re-opened and another "black-book" project reinstated. Even before the burning of the lab they had been working on a way to control the Jellyfish - and thus the Korimys Alphadolphin was released into the waters of Madoc. Faster and smarter than the Jellyfish, the Alphadolphin was also partially immune to the Jellyfish's powerful venom, though it did not breed nearly as quickly. Once again, fisheries returned to almost-normal status, though the two species still exist in Madoc's waters to this day.
When the project was finished, Korimys Labs closed permanently, quarrantined by the Inquisition, but not completely destroyed. To this day Korimys Labs sits on the northern coast of the island of Vindredys, a sort of monument to the Hubris of the Republic, and at the same time the hope which can spring from its ashes.
What did not die was the scientists and workers at the labs. These resilient people formed a society known as the Sea's Wolves, to keep track of the Alphadolphin and the Jellyfish. Eventually they strayed into other fields such as fishing in order to keep the foundation going, and after they were convinced that the Alphadolphin was doing its job, they turned to the Merchant League in hopes of making a profit. At first the thought of making money off frozen fish was laughed-at and dismissed, but finally, in 4257 High Wolf Blithe Avigarrity convinced the Leaguemeister that great profit awaited the League if they recognized the ability of the Sea's Wolves to make a monopoly on fishing.
Madoc's major islands are the metropolitan Vindredys, picturesque Parthia, the sinking Ranbosh, and the countless islands of the Prythys Archipelagos. Several seas dominate the planet, and though the dividing lines are mostly arbitrary, more than one black-eye has been given because of disputes as to which sea ends where. The largest (usually) sea is the Gandus Sea, located in the nothern tropics. Its opposite is the Taunlis Sea, in the tropical south. The Saricik Ocean, also known as the Prythys Ocean, encompasses the many islands of the Prythys Archipelagos.
Vindredys houses much of the Freeman population in the city of Abeen. Charioteers compete to bring the greatest chefs from across the Known Worlds to cook for well-paying nobles here, while the Scravers use it as a base for their artifact and technology-hunting, as well as frozen fish smuggling. Abeen is on the southern-side of Vindredys, nearer to the tropics. On the northern-side lies Reef City, a lasting marvel of the Second Republic, as it was built upon specially-grown coral. Much of this city is tourist attractions, with coral spires jutting out of the water almost 20 meters. Reef City is also home to many Eskatonic Geomancers, who say the city exists because it is a focus of planetary energies. Vindredys itself is dotted with many small cities, mostly in the medium-tech range, though there are many small fishing villages.
Parthia is the largest island / continent on Madoc, and also arguably the most untouched by man. Strange wildlife grows in the Skypainter Mountains at the center of the island, while native Gjartin villages dot the coasts. Parthia is the most common hang-out for Gjartins on Madoc, aside from their floating sea-villages. Parthia has recently suffered from several earthquakes and even a tidal wave, and Gjartins are whispering that these things are dark omens of the future.
The remote island of Ranbosh has been found to be sinking. Since records are sketchy at best, nobody knows just how long this has been going on for, but there is a very long time before it is completely under water. Ironically enough, most of the land owned by nobles on Madoc happens to be on Ranbosh, so future generations may find themselves landless by nature's hand.
The Prythys Archipelagos have been found to contain no less than 10,000 islands at last count, many of which are unexplored. The largest in the area is Vrahan, which is remarkably like the jungle planet of Severus, containing the majority of Madoc's indigenous venomous wildlife.