Arbeit
Pillars of wisping steam and smoke billow into the sky above a sea of snow covered shingled rooves. A bell tolls in a distant square as the last slivers of sunlight pass from the streets of the city and creep below the peaks of the distant mountains, all at once a cascade of twinkling lights begin to flicker to life on the street corners of the city, as many hundred lamp posts begin to shine their own bright brilliance onto the darkening streets of Arbeit. Fire light begins to shine from the windows of the tightly packed buildings that blankets within the hexagonal walls of the city, and with the dying of the light comes the birth of the night life of the city, a low cacophony of voices begins to fill the streets as the many restaurants and nightly businesses begin to open their doors.
Tucked in the valley of a sweeping mountain range in the eastern tundra of the Abendroth Heart lands is the city of Arbeit, it is a large hexagonal shaped city built upon the shores of a large mountain river that runs from the base of the largest peak, until it finds its end in a nearby lake. At the heart of the city is a walled castle district that houses the ancestral home of the region's ruler, Parandor Hold, spreading out like a tree trunk the city is a mix of timber and mortar homes, to more robust brick and layered stone buildings. Arbeit is unique among the cities of the empire as it is one of the only cities to have steam heating as well as traditional fire places within their buildings, it is also one of the first cities to have fully converted their old oil lamp posts to lightning powered ones. More famously Arbeit is heralded as the home of the Warforged, as its factories and mines are what create the alloys in which these metal soldiers are created.
Demographics
Arbeit like most cities within the empire has a large human population, with the next largest being dwarven, and gnomish. The minority groups within this city consist mostly of teiflings and dark elves who generally come to Arbeit in search of work, or escape from turmoil in their original lands.
Government
Arbeit is ruled by High Lord Thale Biron and her family, they act as the chief executive forces within the region and hold most of the land holdings within the region. Her family is large and this divides her land into six smaller land holdings each with their own small town or settlements built around the manors, castles and estates of the Biron family. Arbeit is ruled by Thale herself along side her five regents, she acts as the central law maker and executive head, but she must pass her laws unto the regents for signing into official law. Each regent controls a sphere of influence within the city, there is the regent of coin, delegation, agriculture, production, and records. Additionally the council of regents and the high lord work within the confines of the King's Law, and to ensure the keeping of those laws, they are joined by a member of the Wissen Hexen, who acts as the voice of the king in matters of state.
Industry & Trade
Four factories make their home within Arbeit, these factories create the steel shells of the automaton soldiers that will become the Warforged. The factories are fed by the many iron mines that are dug deep into the surrounding mountains, this iron is then turned to steel by the many blast furnaces within the Smoke Yard. Additonally these factories produce many siege engines and more complex weaponry for the imperial army, there is also a section within the Smoke Yard that is dedicated to experimental weaponry, which can be anything from steam powered siege engines, to gunpowder contraptions. Outside of the military profit Arbeit is also known for their fish exportation and their stone, most of those who live within the city are connected with those two exports, however these are not the only profitable ventures within the city. Arbeit sits on the eastern edge of imperial territory with roughly a hundred miles between the eastern base of the mountains and the Veturstein border, as such many travelers from within the empire and from outside come to Arbeit on their way to a fro, with this comes the need for taverns and inns to house and feed these people.
Infrastructure
The city is built upon the banks of a large river that winds down the steep face of the mountain range that surrounds the city. This river was partially diverted in order to form a series of channels, that are used for both quick transportation around the city and for defense should the city come under siege. Arbeit is surrounded by a large stone wall affixed with several watch towers and guard towers, there are five main gates to the city The Old Gate is on the eastern side of the city facing the river and Aldrich's Bridge, it was the first gate built, it was constructed when the first section of the outer wall was constructed and is the most heavily fortified gate within the city. To the north of the city is Ekart's Gate, it is a small but fortified gate that begins the road through the mountains to the further east of the empire, it is named as such for Asketill Ekart, a famous scholar born in the city and the man who first invented the Warforged. Mrozgate is the western gate of the city and is covered by the shadow of the northern mountains leaving a constant glaze of ice upon the wall and the gate. The southern gate of the city is called The Lord's Gate, it is mot travelled gate within the city as it is considered the main entrance to to city, it faces west, to the break between the two tails of the range and outward into the greater heartlands of the empire. The final gate of the city is Fisher's Gate, which opens to the harbor ward that lines a small section of the river just outside of the city, it is located just a few hundred yards left of the Lord's Gate, and is considered the only "internal" main gate of the city. The interior of the city is broken up into six districts, the largest of these districts is Claymire District or Claymire for short, it is the residential area of the city and is located between the Old Gate and The Lord's Gate, it is the first place that any traveler sees upon entering the city. It is comprised of rows upon rows of stacked houses and three story high rises, it is teeming with life, and is home to the Commoner's Bazaar, the largest bartering market within the city. to the left of Claymire is the River District or The River Step or The Steps, this is largely a district for fishing and trade warehouses and other establishments, this district bleeds out of the castle unto the Harbor Ward and is considered the second heart of the city. At the heart of this district is the Waterman's Court, a large plaza with a massive stone fountain statute at its center of a hooded common man with a barrel full of water, this plaza is one of many that act as common areas within the districts. To the right of Claymire is the Golden District, it is the largest commerce district within the city and is the home to all the finer establishments within the, and closer to the wall houses the Red Light Walk, a section of the district carved out by local pimps and gangs to harbor their, more promiscuous businesses. To the left of The Step is the Long Row, or the Cold District, this is the poorest of the districts and is considered the slums of the city, it houses the bases of many of the criminal organizations within the city, black markets and bootleg liquor shops are abundant within this district and many of the homes are built on top of each other and list slightly in different directions from disrepair. The final district is found built around Ekart's Gate, it is the Steel District or Smoke Yard, it is the home of the four factories that make their home within the city, it also houses the many refineries and blast furnaces within the city. The Smoke Yard is separated from The Long Row and The Golden District by two canals and a few rows of buildings, the canals are aptly named The Twins, while the buildings are referred to as The Ashouses. At the center of the city is built a smaller stone wall that separates the city from Parandor Hold, this wall is connected to the city by two gates, one facing toward the old gate and the other facing toward Mrozgate. The wall forms a warped ring of land that is four miles in radius called The Lord's Bailey, at the center of the bailey is Parandor Hold, a massive fortified estate that appears more like a castle than an actual mansion. The hold is made up of a central hall that looks like the main body of a cathedral, with towering buttresses and spires and a red tiled roof ribbed with marbled white stone, the very center of the hold is a massive domed roof made of glass paneling, decadently framed in brass with many sweeping arches and swirls within the patterning. Connected to the central hall are two smaller buildings of equal beauty and design, erupting from both the central and subsequent buildings are towering seven marble spires. Tucked just a few hundred yards from the interior wall within the golden district is Saint Edmund's Cathedral, the central site of worship of the Primer Gods within the city.
Guilds and Factions
The Lord's Guard are the most prominent higher law enforcement within the city, the commander of these forces is also the head of the town watch and the imperial garrison that is housed within the city. But along side the Lord's Guard works a small delegation of the Office of Royal Affairs, they deal in the more remedial tasks within the city, many citizens see them as the police of the police, they ensure accountability and the insurance of royal law within the confines of the city. Outside of the governmental sphere the largest organization within the city is the Church of The Primer Gods, they are the keepers of the peace and often times the voice of reason during times of strife, they are as important as the governing lord and her constitutes and they know that. The Church acts independently from the government but still adheres to many of the codes and moral laws of the empire in the name of keeping the peace, thought they are granted some religious freedoms. The second largest faction within the city is The Journeyman's Guild, they are a coalition of the most skilled artisans and machinists within the city, they are devoted to their craft to an almost zealous degree and are the ones who get the final say in matters that concern the well being of the Smoke Yard and the four factories. Finally there is the Master's Guild, they as the name suggests are the masters of trade and commerce within the city, they believe that they hold the lord in their pocket and that they are the true rulers of Arbeit, the only thing that stops them from rising up and taking the city is the constant threat and influence of the Wissen Hexen within the city that keep them bickering over each other.
Geography
Arbeit is located at the inner base of a curving mountain range within the far eastern tundra of the Abendroth Heartlands, the range is shaped like a large bell curve with the outer side of the long end facing toward the south, and the smaller spiral cradling the city. Running down the inner face of the mountains is a large river that follows the outer curve of the range until it merges into a larger lake further to the west. Upon the banks of this river named the Rusalka is largely rapids as it winds steeply down the mountain side but calms partially into a fast moving stream as it comes to the base of the mountain, it branches off slightly into three separate channels that start the different canals that wind through the city, but coalesce further down stream. The Rusalka merges into lake Obra which lies several miles further to the west, the lake is home to Hafen, a small port city built around the shores of Obra, it acts as the trade depot for Arbeit and a few of the other smaller trade towns within the region.
Type
City
Population
6,300
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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