Proudworth Heights

Proudworth Heights is less of a fortress and more like a traditional city from other continents, except built at a higher elevation.  The society of Proudworth Heights is the least regimented and dictated by the various powers of the navies and trading guilds. 
The economy of The Heights is based more around internal commerce within their city than anything else. Despite their lack of tangible produced goods, they are essentially self sufficient in all of their supply requirements. Being the southernmost stronghold of Eizea they have a smaller control area than their naval significance would imply. This lack of lowlanders under their command has been the main reason behind their decades long initiative to become self sufficient to begin with. In the modern era they have changed course to using their navy as a force for hire by various guilds and companies. 
Despite their small area to garrison the skies of, they have a significant navy and marine corps. They have a significant skill level in sailing the oceans as well as the skies. Their naval tradition has them travelling on both mediums. The navy of Proudworth Heights is often on tour as a mercenary force, they offer their support to shipping companies and merchant guilds as escorts or the removal of monsters in the valleys of Eizea or in the depths of the ocean. This business has been a significant form of income for the Stronghold.
The way of life in Proudworth Heights has been seen as an abomination to the other Strongholds. Each citizen has a required military service period to fulfill. The only ways to evade this is to be physically unable or to be dedicating yourself to matters of scientific development. The military forces that exist rotate every two years, those wishing to remain in combat roles stay, but those that desire civilian life may return to it at this time. There is opportunity in this system for those of the Lowborn to buy their way into Proudworth society by completing three rotations of this service. An entire bureau is set up to manage this, educate the outsiders and give them entirely new documentation to have their lowborn history hidden forever. 
Proudworth society has been running along these lines for the past seventy years since the final King Josephius Hallem was ousted and thrown from the skyport in the Proudworth Revolution. While it is a seeming contradiction that their society has the freest culture as well as compulsory military service, the people of Proudworth Heights do not see things that way. The freedom exists for anybody to leave the stronghold in protest of their duty and they are not judged at all for their actions, the simple truth in this case is that they may not return unless they are willing to complete their time. However, for the great majority of the Proudworth Heights population their time in the military is completed with eagerness. 
With their geographical location placing them furthest south, Proudworth Heights is the staging point for many of the major expeditions into the world outside of Eizea. Those from this continent ever seen in other regions are usually from this Stronghold. Though there is internal controversy based on how these explorers and travelers have acted in the past, they have given those of the entire continent something of a bad reputation with their eagerness for combat. The failed colonisation of Arahe was mainly spearheaded by this stronghold, and while it was hailed as a victory in battle for Eizea as a whole many resent being made part of the travesty.