Aisenraik

"Nothing but bone and soul

Many short lives they stole

Your songs, in death, cease never

And we will remember you forever

Aisenreik"

 - From a Remembrance Day Song

Today Aisenraik floats as a cold, dead monument to the horror of the Boggin Conquest. Many have wondered why the Naga never rebuilt this citadel. There is no one answer. First, many Folk, not just Naga, feel that rebuilding the fortress would be like desecrating the dead's graves. Moreover as the single largest loss of life in the sky sea, it became a monument to all who lost their lives there during the war. Finally, the spirits attack those who change things inside. Many humans ignored warnings to stay out and were found crazed by what they saw or disappeared. The Naga are researching ways to put the dead to rest. But until that time, Aisenraik stands as a stark reminder that evil must always be fought.    

Demographics

In the years leading up to the Boggin invasion, Aisenraik acted as a commercial port.  While mainly Naga populated the fortress, Sobekkians lived in a large quarter.  The Sidhe had a university annex and Alma maintained the amazing engineering there. With ships docking from every Terra, Folk of dozens of races visited.
The war changed that. It transitioned back to a fortress overnight. The Naga ruling the settlement took in as many refugees as possible, nearly doubling the population. Of special note, certain groups unable to flee themselves smuggled their children to the Sky Sea. More than 150 of these children were at Aisenraik when it fell.

Government

Made up of elders of the Pala Romani, the Council of Twelve ruled Aisenraik at its fall. Using a tradition still maintained in some clans, elders, those individuals over 100, drew lots to decide who would sit on the council each year. They believed the gods were choosing the council. The council held open sessions on the 16th and last day of the month but only citizens could petition them.
Under the council, administrators controlled various departments including, docks, tariffs and finances, education, utilities, and guilds. Each had a small staff to oversee the day-to-day operations. Anyone with an issue could petition the proper administrator. According to reports at the time, this bureaucracy worked fairly and efficiently.  
Before the boggin Invasion, the few warrior units maintained by the Pala Romani acted as police. Minor crimes such as pickpocketing or lewd behavior resulted in fines. However, the Council of Twelve tried serious crimes such as lying to a customs official, major thefts, or murder.

Defences

The Pala Romani chose a gargantuan granite mountain floating in the Sky Sea to become their fortress. After the center was hollowed out, the hard rock provided a first line of defense. The designers only planned two entrances into Aisenraik: the main harbor and a hidden postern gate. A third was added when the citadel became a trade port. To provide defensive fire, arrow loops were excavated at regular intervals along the top of the rock. A gatehouse made of two towers and a connecting span, complete with murder holes, gave entrance to the harbor. 
While the designers considered defense when designing the exterior, they worried more about air loss in the interior. Each section of the fortress could be sealed off in case of leaks. All openings to the Sky Sea had magical screens that held air in while allowing larger objects such as arrows to pass through. Finally, the builders added an emergency air shelter in every large open area within the citidel.

Infrastructure

The Main Harbor Before

All sizes and shapes of terrestrial and Naga sky ships use the well-built port. On either side of the facility, two mammoth cranes lift crates, barrels, and other goods from cargo hulls. A swarm of dock workers hustle the goods into large elevators. These move them to the lower warehouses quickly and efficiently. On the trailing side of the dock, an alma gallion dangles a half dozen Naga over the side to repair a hole in her hull. On the spinward side, a voyaging ship sits in a dry dock as workers remove barnacles.

The Main Harbor Now

Past the two towers that flank the main harbor, nothing remains of the port but fallen stone, broken timbers, and the ruins of dozens of ships. The great cranes look like broken tree stumps. Beyond, great patches of black soot cover the walls. Its once-dressed stone has splintered and crumbled. All along the dock, tools, crates, and skeletons lie where they fell so many years ago. Yet some life has returned. Clinging to some of the broken stone, brightly colored corals grow adding discordantly gay colors.

The Central Processing Plant Before

Inside the largest single room in the fortress, a jungle of pipes and ducts stands. They pierce the walls, ceiling, and even the floor at odd intervals and angles. The vast number of materials paint the room a riot of color. From the pipe branches, Alma engineers swing to carry out maintenance and repairs. In the center of the room, the machine that renews the air wheezes like an old man. Not far away, Naga stoke a huge furnace. Its ducts bring heat to the entire fortress. In the back of the room, a gigantic cistern fills constantly and is siphoned off by even more pipes. These deliver water and flush away waste throughout the huge citadel. Few places outside of the Sidhe caverns can claim such wonders.

The Central Processing Plant Now

Giant holes pierce the pipe jungle. Woodden ducts end in splinters, Metal pipes lie on the floor mangled, and clay ones have been shattered into pieces. In the center, the air machine spills forth its bladder like a flaccid tongue. The exploded furnace has crumbled into a pile of broken bricks. As for the cistern, instead of water, it holds the skeletons of desperate workers hiding from the assault. Even with all this destruction around her, in a dark corner, a keef octopus tends her eggs.

Assets

When Aisenraik was a major trading port, it amassed great wealth. Rumors circulated that the Pala Romani had a vault stacked floor to ceiling with gold bricks. After the start of the war, refugees brought with them the valuables they escaped with. They usually had only a few coins but in some cases, people arrived in Aisenraik with expensive jewelry and other treasures. While the ruins have not been explored, most Folk believe the fortress still contains all this wealth.

History

The Naga built Aisenraik in the dark times when the clans warred against each other. The Pala Romani designed it to keep its non-combatants safe. As such they constructed it with many defensive features. However, its legend as an impregnable fortress kept other clans from trying to capture it.
When the Naga settled into peace, the fortress became a port city. Ships, both terrestrial and Naga, docked in her harbor to trade goods, stock up on supplies, or just let off steam. Naga engineers widened and deepened the harbor, lowering the fortress's defensibility. Additionally, they created a new larger postern gate with a small attached harbor. The Sidhe Three Gods' University even set up an annex within Aisenraik's walls for its sages studying the Sky Sea. People far and wide knew it as the most tolerant city in the Universe.
Then came the Boggin Conquest. As was the Naga's way, they refused to fight in a war they didn't believe they were a part of. Instead, their fortresses and settlements took in refugees fleeing from the conflict. Aisenraik was no different. In the very early days, a few desperate Snow Shrew and Sky Dancers made it to the citadel.  Naga merchant ships smuggled over a hundred Sidhe children into Aisenraik in the hope they would be safe where their parents weren't.  Later even more refugees hid within its walls. But the Boggin didn't care that the Naga were neutral and they certainly didn't care that Aisenraik was full of non-combatants. They attacked three times. The first two times the defenders were able to fight the monsters off. The last time the Boggin brought an overwhelming force. They massacred almost everyone who was in the fortress that day. Of the nearly 10,000 Folk, only 247 are known to have survived including 148 children.
Since the massacre, the Naga avoid the site. They believe the ghosts of the dead haunt the place; the Lutra Shamans who have visited agree. If you go to the site, do so during the day when the spirits are quiet, don't disturb anything, and leave with nothing. Those who have violated those rules have died mysteriously after losing their sanity.

Points of interest

Boesir Market Place Before

Noise fills the air of the indoor market square. People laugh, sellers shout their wares, children squeal, and intellectuals debate. People are everywhere. Naga, of course, make up the majority here but there are Folk from every Terra as well. In the center, a huge fountain carved in the shape of a Naga merchant pours forth water. Hand carts and temporary stalls take up most of the market space. Their owners sell an amazing variety of goods. Around the perimeter built into the terrock walls, the shops feature higher-end goods. A few people sit in one of the two cafes enjoying a bite to eat. And, Sailors congregate at a pub flirting with every woman who passes their way.

Boesir Market Place Now

On the marketplace ceiling, numerous bat-rays roost looking down at what little is left. Guano from them covers the floor. Out of it, the charred remains of the market stalls poke up. Little crab-like creatures roll up balls of the waste to bustle off into the "high-end" shops. In the fountain, piles of bone huddle against the broken statue. Little voles hide inside the fountain's cracked pipes which have long since run dry.

All Gods Temple Before

The thick temple doors seal out the hustle and bustle. Smelling of sweet spices, incense fills the air. Small candles light numerous niches with gifts of food, wine, and Naga tea. In the center, a large circular altar built of pure white whale bones rises from the marble floor. Artisans carved scrimshaw into the bones and painted them with a rainbow of inks. High above the altar, a crystal window lets sunlight in. Eighteen other halls branch off the altar area with more niches piercing their walls. At the end of each is a statue of one of the gods.

All Gods Temple Now

The temple doors lay on the floor just beyond their shattered hinges. Across the opening, a shimmering wall of aether crackles blocking any further progress into the temple.

Three Gods University Annex Before

The Three Gods University, a Sidhe institution, signed a 216-year lease for its annex in the fort. Her Imperial Majesty Queen Heeleeth designed the extensive main library. Carved to look like living trees, two lines of 12 columns rise three stories. Between the pairs of columns, scholars sit at graceful stone tables. The rest of the floor is filled with books of every size and color. Wrapped in carved vines, two wooden spiral staircases wind their way to the mezzanine. On it, maps cover the walls of the spinward side. The other side contains shelf after shelf of scrolls. On the third floor, Naga youths copy manuscripts in a well-appointed scriptorium.

Three Gods University Annex Now

After the end of the Boggin war, the Sidhe tried to recover books from the university library. None were ever recovered and nobody who went would talk about it. Where they gained entrance, a great hole opens into the Sky Sea. A group of twenty skeletons seem to reach out towards space just inside the hole. The floor of the library is littered with torn books and papers. From various points, trails as if the skeletons drug themselves to their current resting place snake through the debris. Cutting off the trailing side scriptorium, spinner crabs have created a webbed nest.

The Central Creche Before

In the dormitory, a vibrant mural of the Sky Sea covers the wall. A mixture of beds, mattresses, and sleeping rolls line both sides. In front of each, a box of possessions sits marked with a child's name. Next door, a group of tables form a large horseshoe. Elbow-to-elbow children sit or stand supposedly doing school work. However, the little Sidhe and Naga students seem more intent on playing. In front of the classroom, an elderly Naga shouts to be heard over the excited chatter. In the final room, even more children zoom around two matronly women whispering to each other. While their mouths smile, their furrowed brows and tight shoulders betray the caregivers' true emotions.

The Central Creche Now

Once stacked high, a bed barricade lays scattered. Shredded clothing, toys, and other childish trinkets cover the floor. On the wall, monsters have rent gouges with their huge claws. In the next room, tables spill across the floor where the door was forced. Pictures ripped from the walls and broken chairs tell of purposeless rage. In the final room, a single splintered rocking chair gives witness to a last attempt to stall the invaders. All around the edges of the room are broken children's things. In the cleared center lays a single coiled skeleton of a Naga woman.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
30th of Sextus 2457

Founding Date

C. 3300

Alternative Name(s)

The Haunted Fortress, The Lonely Fortress,

Type

Citadel

Population

0

Location under

The Sky Sea

Owning Organization

Pala Romani