Ostbach
Culture
Mining isn't the most glamours work for most of the world, but for Ostians it is a sign of true morale character. It is a symbol of working as one part of a rapid working machine, helping carve a future of wealth out of the stone of the world to benifit their family and friends. In fact, some of the most inflluential nobles of the city are the guild masters of mining or production guilds. For this reason, the famed Ostian steel and silver is highly valued, said to be perhaps better than Vestoni steel, and garners ever a high price from markets local and foreign. This has also led to the people having a special reverance for the mine shafts and the stone they work in, with priests blessing the miners as they enter and leave the mineshaft each day.
While some may think Ostians to be all work and grim, dour people, this isn't entirely the case. However it is true that the reverance of the god of death is quite popular in the city, with the largest church to said god residing in the great city. This combined with the conflicts Ostbach has had to fight mean tending to the graveyards is another important task the church and some hired hands help with. This also blends into their builder culture, for if a worker died building a project, their body is santified and then incorperated into the project somehow. If they were building a house, their body is perhaps entombed in the walls or floor, or if it was a weapon perhaps their skull or some of their bones are attatched to the weapon. In fact, the Statue of Rodina is said to be the tomb of countless thousands of workers and architects.
Aside from work and dying, the Ostian people are said to be proud of their herritage, and are some of the most patriotic of the empire and land. Even though Vandarr is praised quite heavily in Ostbach, Mother Rodina can never truly be replaced it is said. However the Church of the Flame has been using the connection with Vandarr to expand their influence in the city, winning over nobles with lucrative deals, however if such a drastic change in worship were to happen, the statue would likely have ot be torn down, which is definetly not happening anytime soon. This, combined with Ostbach being the big city on the way to the wider empire, makes it a popular resting stop and pilgram attraction for the rest of the continenet, which Ostbach has gotten quite welathy off of the pilgram caravans coming in and out the gate. Indeed, for how can a few coins be worth more than the security of one's immortal soul?
History
The thunderous cacophony of pick splitting rock is said to echo every minute within the lands of Ostbach. Being one of the oldest settlements that the ancient Neunmen tribes first settled, it is an old city to be sure. It is said the first tribes came to the land, they did so for they saw a glint of light in the caves and mountains nearby, which sparked the curiosity of the tribes. After establishing their settlement, they found a most wounderous discovery after braving the dangers and beasts that lurk in these caves: jewles and gold viens as far as the eye could see. While Uffenberg would grow rich upon trade, Ostbach would grow rich upon its mineral wealth. So it was that crude mining guilds were organized, and the first leader (Hildegund von Steinschlosse) would take charge. The city earned popularity amongst the tribes, but this popularity came with jealousy. To make matters worse, the ogres and giants that would ravage Neundorf did not spare Ostbach, actually effectively completly subjugating it, only being freed once Ottfried the Hero helped liberate the city.
To honor the mysterious hero that vanished as soon as he had saved them, the Ostian people were inducted into the Neundorf Empire, with the leader being renamed Graf rather than King. To celebrate this union, construction of the greatest statue the entire continent has ever known began, and would see complettion in the year 250EC. This statue was of course, the Statue of Rodina, a testemant to the engineering and skill of Neundorf and Ostbach, and a reminder of what god saved them (much to the annoyance of some parts of the Church of the Flame). It is said that a parade lasting 5 days was held as the people celebrated after such a collosal project, but quickly got back to work on other, less grand matters.
After this, history would play out rather plainly, but the construction of the largest temple to the light pantheons god of death, Vandarr (who in the Neunmen tongue is roughly named Mother Grimmig) was built in the year 2000EC, and still is the grandest church dedicated to that god. It is said the event was celebrated by releasing a flok of ravens and crows out of the church, but since then the birds have become the most common avian creature in Ostbach, to the grumbling of some. Such an event was then followed by a devestating mineshaft collapse in one of the gold mines, which led to some cudely joking that Mother Grimmig had her tax payed.
After this the most notable event was of course the Uffenberg-Ostbach crisis. Such a crisis came about when Uffenberg was suspected on trying to annex one of Ostbach's most profitable mines, and the Kaiser himself had to get involved. This eventually led to taxes that supposedly crippled the Uffenberg economy, and causing a retaliation attack to begin upon Ostbach intrests. Said conflict was short but incredibly violent, with some mineshafts turning into full blown battlefields as they would tunnel and collapse pathways of the enemy, and many died in the conflict before the Kaiser could rush to work out a deal. In return for some damages payed, Ostbach would maintain its mining intrests, only having to give some share of the spoils (not enough to actually hurt the bottom line for Ostbach) and Uffenberg became a free city. Since then, Ostbach has stood proud and prosperous, but ever bitter about the conflict. Some jokingly say that if they burn down Uffenberg, they can give the death priests more work. However, it is said that none can truly match the quality of steel that comes out of Ostian mines, and the Ostians are quite proud of this.
Demography and Population
Due to the improtance of mining, though humans are of course the majority, the city has a surprsing number of dwarven residents, with a large district almost entirely dwarven inhabbited, and serving as an intresting cultural blending of dwarven and neuinan customs and architecture.
Foreign Relations
"If they love the caves so much why don't they go fuck the damn tunnels and bugs in em, ey?" - Dietmar Knacke, angry uffenian guard
"I had traveled to the land of Ostbach, and though Clamont shall ever be my home, I must admit I was left in awe of the land. The mines sung with the sound of riches being made, and the statue, Twin Ladies do I pray one day fair Vebastonne could build something as grand as that." - Ambride Soiryeux, vestoni knght errant
"While our homes are still yet overtaken by the goblins, I can say that at least Ostbach can keep a dwarf moderatly happy away from the mountains. Ale could use some more dwarven flair though personally." -Kunnim Grundamane, traveling dwarven labourer
Uffenberg is of course, not very big fans of Ostbach, and in truth other cities are jealous of the immense mineshafts that work for Ostbach. However, it is also a strategic point of defense for the wider empire, and so it is seen as a sort of secondary safeguard after Uffenberg. This is to the annouance of some Ostian locals, who claim that Uffenberg coundn't defend their mothers marriage if their life depended on it. However, the city is begrudingly seen as some of the best architects in the land, save of course for the natural skill of dwarven engineers.
Type
Geopolitical, City-state
Demonym
Ostian
Parent Organization
