Istvan's Reach

Overview
Situated in a tall valley next to a narrow and long lake, the city of Istvan's Reach was originally founded well before the dwarves annexed the area under the banner of their Grand Conqueror, Victor Magnus. The mythological founder of the city was a half-crazed man by the name of Istvan, known for his eccentricities and manic phases of exacting justice and vengeance with his black iron axe. Situated on the southwestern shore of Long Lake, the city has road connections westward and northward to the mines and quarries. On the eastern and southern shores of Long Lake, there are very productive agricultural land. To the northeastern shore lies the great fortress-monastery of the Holy Order of Ashnod. The city is well-resourced, and despite its depleted population, it is a source of constant activity. 
After the retreat of the dwarves from their Empire, Istvan's Reach had been the capital city of a moderately-sized realm ruled by an Archduke from the House of Koskun. The House of Koskun ruled for a time, but ultimately fell in a preemptive war against the House of Eos. With the fall of the Archduke, the ruler of the House of Eos rose to be proclaimed the new King of the lands that would now carry his House's name. Under King Elsin the Fourth (now called Elsin the Great), the capital was moved from Istvan's Reach to the great castle now known as Faradan's Folly. In addition, the cultural and economic center of the kingdom became Brigden Ford rather than Istvan's Reach.   Having fallen from grace, but occupying an important symbolic place in the history of the House and Kingdom of Eos, the city is traditionally ruled by the heir-apparent or younger brother of the sitting King. In this instance, it is ruled by the young Prince Elias of Greenhall. Known locally as "Woodhand" by Istvan Reach's inhabitants, Elias is popular due to his swashbuckling nature and propensity to venture incognito into the city with relatively few guards or retainers. 
It was during one of these outings that he earned the moniker, Elias acted in concert with some local Knights-Errant, an Arcanum Wizard and a trio of elven magicians to battle the rise of hidden threats from within the city's large necropolis and very nearly lost his life in addition to his left hand. In gratitude for his aid, the trio of elven magicians revealed themselves to be members of the far south's rules, the Spring Queens, and replaced his left hand with a wooden hand grafted to his body painlessly. It is said that his hand sometimes sprouts a flower coloured like the horizon at dawn, and when picked it becomes a finite token of blessing and power for anyone who is given it.

Demographics

~250,000 Total (all numbers approximate)

1. 200,000 Humans
2. 15,000 Elves and Half-Elves
3. 12,000 Dwarves
4. 10,000 Halflings and Gnomes
5. 10,000 Orcs and Half-Orcs
6. 5,000 "Others"

Government

Ruled by an arms-length Prince more interested in adventure than governance, the city is often ruled by a small council of advisors: 

• Irias Wenth, Senior Farrell of the Cathedral of the Divine King 
• Lysander Harwen, the Grand Master of the Holy Order of Ashnod 
• Eudice the Lesser, dwarven Tower Chief of the Arcanum
• Fennon Rath, the Senior Magister of Law in the Reach
• Severon Whitehart, Castellan of Castle Greenwall (Leader of the Small Council)

Defences

While the city is well-defended with two layers of city walls built before the annexation by the dwarves and afterwards, the city has not seen a siege in almost two centuries. The valley relies on a network of smaller watchtowers, fortresses, and keeps throughout the valley to provide responsive protection and communication. The valley itself has been threatened by external threats, but the communications network allowed a response to be mustered before the incursions could get past initial defenses. Of all things, it is the well-coordinated defenses maintained by the local Barons that has kept the valley and city secure for a very long time.

Industry & Trade

The major industry remains the smelting industry. Taking raw ore and creating ingots of iron and tin, the latter of which tends to be the largest source of revenue for the area given tin's use in making various alloys. There are some local armourers and blacksmithing operations present, some of which have located north of the city along the river before the locks. These larger production facilities harness the power of the riverflow to run hammers and presses which can speed up production considerably.

Infrastructure

As one of the oldest cities in the Free Realms, Istvan's Reach has some very good infrastructure. 
Water and Sewer
The city has dwarven-quality aqueducts from the nearby mountains and matching sewers to help manage the waste generated by the city when its population was at its height. The Reach now has roughly half the planned population of the city, so the water and sewer sources have led to a population with relatively good health. The excess of water capacity has led to each quarter of the city having several well-serviced public baths, which also contributes to the overall health and welfare of the population. 
The Locks and the Canal
Due to the rich mineral and agricultural resources produced in the area surrounding Istvan's Reach, the dwarven empire mandated not only a great investment in the city itself, but also a means to transport the tons of oats, barley, coal, iron and tin produced in the area. To do this, the dwarves commissioned the construction of two series of locks to enable the transport goods by barge from the outskirts of the mountains through to the lakeside city and then past Koskun Falls through to the larger Brigden River and on down to the Port of Boundary Bay.

Assets

The Cathedral and the College
The Cathedral of the Church of the Divine King and its detached Seminary College is the preeminent place of learning and training for priests of the Divine King in the Free Realms. Over two thousand attend the college and are in various stages of training to become a Farrell, Chaplain or Deacon within the orders of the Church. Located on an island close to the city itself, the Seminary College is well-attended and well-staffed with some of the finest minds devoted to the Divine King. There is nigh-constant movement by boat, ferry and sailing vessel between the city and the island. 
The Holy Order of Ashnod 
The Fortress-Monastery of the Order of Ashnod is a very large castle complex located across the lake from the city itself. Sitting upon a hill on the northwestern shores of Long Lake, the Knights of Ashnod sally forth to patrol the borderlands to ward off external threats. The Order itself is quite large in number, and it has several smaller groups within it devoted to different activities. The first demarcation is to separate out the practice of warfare from other activities, the Knights of Ashnod are a subordinate group within the Order, though conventionally the entire Order is led by a Grand Master who is also the Master of the Knights. There also exists the Guardians of Jhoira, who train physically, mentally and spiritually in the name Ashnod's daughter to educate, heal and protect primarily the children and their parents from threats in the darkness and the wilderlands that the more martial aspects of the Knights often miss.

Guilds and Factions

The Alliance of Coal and Iron Miners
The Guild of Tin Workers
The Guild of Smelters
The Smith's Guild
The Union of Locksmen and Lakeshoremen

Architecture

There is no unifying architecture in the city and surrounding area. Founded very early in human history, the city bears evidence of simple wooden and stone structures rarely built over two storeys. It has since been influenced by elven and half-elven culture, as well as being annexed by the Dwarven Empire. Since that time, most structures bear influences from both the elves and the dwarves using local materials for construction.

Geography

The city is located on the southeastern shores of a narrow lake called Long Lake. The surrounding valley is wide, gently sloping and fertile in the south and narrows to rocky hills and mountains in the north. There are several islands in Long Lake, the largest of which houses a large college complex servicing the Church of the Divine King.

Natural Resources

The area surrounding Istvan's Reach is rich in minerals and ore. The agricultural productivity is very high for hardier crops like oats and barley. And Long Lake is rich in waterfowl and various species of bass, perch, pike, and trout. The Lake is famous for its pale sturgeon and the its delectable black eggs.

Founding Date

Before the Dwarven Empire, Well Before the Founding of Eos

Alternative Name(s)

The Reach

Type

Large city

Population

~250,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Reachers

Owner/Ruler

Prince Elias of Woodhall

Owning Organization

Kingdom of Eos