Bastion
Located on Crystal Lake, Bastion started as a small fishing and farming village founded by survivors of the Mist Fall. It is believed that many of those survivors were actual refugees of the now ruined pre-Fall city that Palisade was founded in though there is no way to know for certain if that was the case.
In its early days, Bastion was a target for roving bands of bandits and would-be warlords. Its prime location, upon a lake filled with fish and surrounded by lush, fertile farmland, it was an obvious target of desire. The records of what exactly transpired during those earliest decades are scant, and often contradictory. The only thing known for certain is that those initial settlers and refugees somehow managed to survive everything that turbulent time through at them.
Today, Bastion has grown into a bustling, wealthy, mercantile city. Like its sister city, evidence of the Republic's drive to pierce the mist is evident, as is the Republic's devotion of the Silver Spire and all things related to shaping. This, however, is where similarities between the two cities end. Unlike Palisade, which is known for its tight streets and sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere, Bastion has spread out, taking advantage of the flat terrain that surrounds it. As such, there are few building more than three stories high, with most being but a single story. Within, one will find a number of manicured parks and gardens for residents to rest and relax in.
Government
While Palisade is the nominal capitol of the Republic of Emirr, Bastion serves as a major administrative hub for Republic business as well. Where Palisade tends to focus upon the more martial aspects of the Republic's affairs, Bastion is its center for commerce, trade and agriculture. The Silver Spire also maintains a satellite school here, focused on similar disciplines, though it is not nearly so grand as the Spire itself and its denizens are focused on work related to Bastions more mercantile focus.
The city itself is managed by a small council of 8 elected members. An additional two appointed councilmen represent the interests of the Republic herself and a single member of the Silver Spire helps to provide its own input on important developments. A mayor acts as the cities executive body and is also elected by the city's residents.
Defences
Much like Palisade, an internal militia is responsible for law and order within the city itself. Beyond its paved streets, the Vanguard ensures that the local farms, ranches, and other Republic concerns, are safe from any would-be raiders, enterprising Church forces, or creatures that may come from out of the mountains and nearby forests.
History
- The Kenku Raid (685 AMF): At the time, the Kenku had gained a reputation as demons who descended from the skies at night to steal away people, resources and anything else that could be quickly taken. These raids were always devastating, leaving behind burned farms and villages, slaughtered livestock and misery. Fortunately, they were rare and seemed focused around the coast of the Meridian Sea. Thus, Bastion was not prepared when their unseen skyships parked overhead in the midst of a storm, luring the city's militia out by staging raids on outlying farms and ranches, then descending upon the city itself once its defenses were weakened. When the storm broke, and the sun rose, it revealed a level of destruction the city had not experienced in even some of its worst battles against would-be warlords and bandit kings. Many believed it would be the end of the city, for there was not enough foodstuffs remaining to sustain the population until fields could be cleared and crops replanted. Salvation came in the form on relief efforts staged by the city leaders of Palisade. It was an unexpected show of kindness, for the two cities had had, until that point, a contentious relationship as they squabbled over the rich lands that lay between them. The relief effort, taking form as both much needed supplies and additional hands to rebuild, cast the two city's relationship in a new light.
- Battle of Palisade (810 AMF): Even before the Republic was formally created, Palisade had its eyes on the past, for the sake of the future. As such, their decision to offer safe harbor to Shaper refugees fleeing from Church of Order persecution was no surprise to anyone. What was a surprise was the level the Church was willing to go to in order to secure capture of these refugees. The Battle of Palisade was a long and bloody affair that cost both sides dearly. Despite this, the Church's victory seemed inevitable for they were willing to throw as many bodies into the effort as possible. Bastion, however, had never forgotten what Palisade had done for them, and unknown to the Church, dispatched nearly the entirety of its own military. So focused on what the Church believed to be the final push into the city, they did not detect the incoming Bastion formations until far too late. The remaining Palisade defenders and the fresh Bastion forces crushed the Church's Faceless between them, delivering the first and still most devastating defeat the Church of Order has even suffered.
Population
215,000
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