Gendren

Gendren is the farthest northern city of the empire. It is the gateway to enter the Midden Reik . In good times it is a beautiful trading city between the two mighty empires and in times of war they are the first to experience it. Over the centuries it has fallen into the hands of the Midden Reik and has been reclaimed by the Empire many times. It suffered heavily in the last war and many strongholds and defensive measures have been razed by the forces of the Midden Reik. The Empire can barely afford the cost of rebuilding the town, but the surviving citizens of the town are rebuilding it brick by brick. So it may become a glorious city of the Empire again. Many who have fled, are eager to return to their homes. Gendren was once prosperous and powerful, but since the trade routes to the Midden Reik has come to a bitter end, rebuilding has proven to be more challenging. The city of Gendren was once one of the most beautiful cities in the Empire and now it is little more than a ruin with broken roads. Many of the buildings have been destroyed by fire and some streets are still covered in rubble. The people on Gendren however won't give up; everyday more and more buildings and roads are reconstructed.

Demographics

During the time of rebuilding the city gendren, the class system has become redundant. Everyone is doing their part to call this city a home again. Halflings have established supply lines to fulfill the needs of the citizens as fast as possible. Even though there is still a lot of tension between them, humans and half-elves alike have taken it upon themselves to work on the construction sites and the fields together. Nobility uses their influence to gain every ressource they can get, to rebuild the city. Many nobles have made deals that make them very vulnerable to intrigues just to gain more resources for Gendren. Some noble families who lost sons or daughters in the recent war started to use all of their wealth to rebuild the infrastructure.

Government

The city is ruled by Custodes of the Empire who has supreme rule over the city. The Custodes lowered taxes to a minimum in the city as long as the city struggled with rebuilding and abolished custom taxes for essential goods. Punishment for crimes is unpaid labor work under observation of the Imperial Legion. The Citizens are free to vote for a mayor for the direct dealings with the Custodes.

Defences

The city has rebuilt parts of the old wall, especially the northern and eastern flank facing the hostile Midden Reik has seen the most of the renovation. A few prototype golems bought from Ruhn  also protect the city from threats. The Imperial Army has stationed 4 Legions at Gendren for its defense. The City Guardsmen are trained and equipped to defend against a possible invasion.

Infrastructure

While most of the infrastructure is destroyed, the citizens rebuild a lot of the windmills and the road to the nearby lake to ensure that there won't be food shortage anytime soon. a lot of the old bridges have also been rebuilt to establish trade to imperial cities. There are also attempts to build a direct trade route to Centavault to gain goods faster and maybe cheaper. The land near the lake has become farmland and the farmers work as hard as everyone else to help rebuild Gendren. They are happy because they have a job and they will be able to feed themselves and their children without any fear of starvation and disease.

Districts

The city’s central plaza has been rebuilt into a bustling marketplace of sorts, only a few ruined buildings remind of tragic events that occurred there. The Worker District is located at the north-western side. It is a mixture of an accumulation of tents, construction sides and humble houses. The Castle west of the central plaza is still in shambles; only the castle keep has been reconstructed and is used as headquarters for the Custodes, occasionally also used by the Imperial Army. In the southern and eastern area of Gendren the Imperial Army has set up camp and constructed a barracks.

Guilds and Factions

The three crime syndicates (Post Mortem, Lux Fortuna, Syndikat Nox) are using this unstable ground to gain further influence in the empire. Their services are used by those who need faster results to rebuild the city.
The Imperial Army never lets an opportunity go by to emphasize their importance in the region to gain more funds. Some of this funds might go into the pockets of generals and high ranking officers. The City Guard on the other hand is just trying to do their best to keep order in Gendren. They fight for every possible income they can get.
The Mayor and his entourage gets the lion's share of the funds and while most of the funds go into the city, they sure use it to their advantage. Bound by an oath to serve the Empire and its people, the Custodes and his servants try to distribute the funds as fair as possible. This does include providing housing for those who can’t find work and giving foodstuffs to those who have nowhere else to go.

Architecture

Most of the old structures have been eradicated, but even now the influence of the Midden Reik and Empire on this city can't be denied. Between the columns and very openly built houses of the empire, one can find buildings that contain gothic arches and ribbed vaults. Buttresses reinforce the structure of temples and other important buildings. All in all the city lack a certain grace like the other cities of the empire because many of the buildings were built with the rubble left from the older ruined buildings. This gives the city a rougher tone.

Population

31567