Uffenberg
Culture
The Uffenians are, ironically, likined to being as stubborn as a mountain to move. Even for the stubborn nature of Neundorf as a whole, the Uffenian people are considered to be immovable both in culture and ideals. It is said that a Uffenian family will only change its stance on something after several generations have passed long after whatever the situation was had passed. For this reason, some call the Uffenian's spiteful, which to some degree is true but an exxageration. They are some of the most martially proud of the nation, and its small but strong standing force has achieved much battle honors against monsters and rival factions.
They are also fiercly independent, despite equally loyal to the wider empire of Neundorf. This leads to a sometimes bizzare juxtaposition of being their own people, but also being one group of a wider whole. United but free some locals in Uffenberg might say some times. This can also sometimes be attributed to the nature as one of the nations biggest and most important trade cities, rivaled only by Grobenhan and Kaiserbruck proper. The river running through it leads directly into the River Rhine, and this in turn is a fast trade route with Ashenfeld. Ashenfeld in turn imports trade from all over, and so trade naturally flows into Uffenberg as a consequensce. This, coupled with the insanely lucrative deals managed by the merchants guild in the city has made it a very profitable city.
This fact as a center of trade makes it a strange melting pot of cultures, with Ashfeldian and even Tajiran culture mixing into the local Uffenian customs. Food as well is a strange mix, with it being agreed that Uffenberg has some of the better cuisine in the nation. While this has made the city a cosmopolitian maze of stone buildings, it can also cause some tensions to flare up amongst the populace, something that at worst can greatly impact the trade of the city. Thus there is great effort to keep such conflicts to just occasional brawls, and not gang wars near the docks. It is said that the docks are an orgy of noise and activity every second of the day and night, and that there is a constant influx of adventuerers and traders trying to earn their fortunes in the city. Just don't insult the ale in the taverns, that's a quick way to start a brawl that can likely end with knives being drawn.
History
Indeed, the city of Uffenberg is a strange one indeed, being a proud part of an empire while also being a free city. To know the complicated history of Uffenberg, one has to go long back into the past. When the first Neunmen tribes arrived into the land from Ashenfeld, it is said some stopped in the land that would become Uffenberg, for a lone grey mountain stood proud before the great Thüringen Forest, This mountain would be the basis of the city, as they harvested the stone to eventually build early walls for the settlement.
However, it is said a great army of garuuk beastfolk began to attack the tribe. So terrible was the destruction that it is siad only a handful of buildings remaind standing by the time the monsters were utterly anihilated by the bloodied tribesfolk. Though they were bruised and batterted, these tribes people began to see themselves as indomitable as the mountain, thus the city of Uffenberg was formed. When Volkmar came to unite the city after the hero Ottfried helped vanquish the largest threats to the nation, Uffenberg stood as stubborn insult to its enemies that they would not break easily. Thus the city was inducted into the empire at the year of 76EC, and it quickly rushed to open trade lanes with nearby villages and of course Ashenfeld to their direct south. Around this time (77EC) the strange Faethhil elven community was discovered, and a tenious trade deal was struck up between the two.
After this most of its history is relatively plain. Districts are build, guilds invest in buisness, braons and baronessess rise and fall, schemes abound in the courts and so on. However, one of the most recent developments has made the city into a powderkeg of intrgue admist the trade deals. About 120 years ago (4106EC) a dispute happened between the Kaizer at the time (one Siegbald Brauer) and the family that had historicaly ruled the city since its foundation, the von Fortendorf family. It is said the Kaizer was suspecting that it was hoping to encroach upon an incedibly wealthy mine of rare crystals and silver in the territory of the closest city, Ostbach. Having alot of investment in the mine as well, the Kaizer sent judges to preside over the case, discreatly at first but very open near the end. The trail, depending on who you ask, was a complete sham or simply miscommunitcation, but it was proven that the von Fortendorf family was illegally planing to sieze the mine. For this, the judges levied increased taxes upon some of the von Fortendorf's most invested buisnessess.
The following repercussions on the economic state of Uffenberg, being such a crucial trade city, were devestating, and it only narrowly avoided a total economic collapse (some say that the taxes levied ,potentially either through malice or miscommunication, were mistakenly raised too high, and no one seemed to stop even after noticing the issue till it was too late). Riots began to break out as the von Fortendorf family retaliated by raising an army and threatening the city of Ostbach for using the kaizer to ruin the city. By the time word got to the kaizer, skirmishes were starting to break out between the two cities. Cannons roared and shields were splintered by blade as the two began to make war, and some other cities (espically Elsterbach and Weinslug) were scared that civil war would break out.
Rushing to solve the matter, and realizing that brute force would simply escalate the situation, Kaizer Siegbald managed to sit the two barons down and hash out a deal, with the biggest consequence being Uffenberg being declared as a freistadt, a free city. As the conflict did die down, it was revealed that the von Fortendorf were hell worshipers (some conspiracy theories say they were framed). Due to this, the family was stripped of its titles, but instead of furthering conspiracy theories that Ostbach was going to annex the land, the city was made to be ruled by a council of the most influential guilds of the city. This council to this day remains as the basis of the goverment, though it has its own problems.
The city has recently become a powderkeg of intrgue due to rumors circulating that the current kaizer (Franz Von Kästner) is looking to revoke the citys free status, and reinstalling a baron in charge, who he would technically have more "control" over. Some also say Ostbach is looking to invade any day now, and may try to fabricate an event to justify annexation. If these are true or not is unkown, but it has also resulted in several noble families seeking to influence the guild council in Uffenberg, as those families who can get in on the lucrative trade of Uffenberg would gain so much indeed. Despite the tensions in politics, the city still stands as a bastion of Neundorf and a proud and storied city.
Foreign Relations
"If i have to wait in the river for my turn to get into the city, i'll drown myself! Wrecker crews stalk the damn rivers for those who get stuck waiting for the fucking docks to open up space." - Laila Reynolds, Annoyed ashfeldian merchant
"Those Bergvolk are a bunch of stubborn shits! They just lucky that damn joke of a kaizer bailed them out, and I pray to Rodina, the Flame, and every god above that the rumors their deal will be revoked are true, need me a reason to polish my armor!" - William Krauser, Ostian drunkard
"They hate us, but they need us. They aren't willing to admit that most of their wealth is built on our dockyard workers, shifty as those folk and the merchants tend to be anyway." - Notker Obst, Uffenberg local
The people of Uffenberg are stubborn to a fault. It will take a mountain of argument to convince them of something that they don't agree with, and they make sure to remind people of this fact in arguments. While they can be stubborn and perhaps a bit too free spirited, it is said that there is no prouder or patriotic people of Neundorf save for Kaiserbruck itself. Many adventuers encountered outside of Neundorf come from Uffenberg, for it inspires a zeal to prove the courage and ability of Uffenian people.
Type
Geopolitical, Free City
Demonym
Uffenian, sometimes also reffered to as Mountain folk (or Bergvolk)
Parent Organization
