Wienkauf
Demographics
Is largely homogeneous, being distant from the former Fey rich areas and relatively close to the source of the Cataclysm that ruined the landscape.
Government
The Barron lords over both the City of Weinkauf and the Barony of the same name, which came first is still debated. The Barron is the last stop for legislative disputes and the head of state when negotiating with foreign powers. His administrative tasks are handled through a court. The Captain of the Guard commands the militia and the knights on retention, as well as the army when demobilized. The Court Mage is the magical advisor, often the most educated person in the city. A treasurer keeps tabs on finances. A Judge serves as his legal advisor. There are other minor positions that also run the castle and state aspects. A freely elected mayor served as the liaison between the Barron and the City Councel, which meets in both the castle and the town hall outside the castle, although there is a lot of overlap in responsibilities.
Defences
The City is surrounded by a 10 foot stone wall with battlements, guard towers and barracks that are manned by a militia staffed primarily with volunteers but back filled with conscripts. A small standing volunteer army exists that numbers in the thousands but can be rapidly inflated with conscription thanks to an accurate census and civil service system imposed upon citizens. Small islands in the river and across it are manned by watch towers buoys to cover the water ways. Castle Wienkauf is built upon a hill near the city centre and is the seat of governance. It is heavily defended with a 15 foot wall and high towers that overlook parts of the exterior walls.
Industry & Trade
Weinkauf started off as a mining community. The nearby quarries and mines under the small mountain Kassander are rich with minerals and resources, namely coal, iron, stone and copper. Coal fuels the furnaces and industry of Wienkauf, which helps them convert the raw materials into tradable goods. Craftsmen forge all manner of weapons, armours and tools from the hard industry, as well as jewelry and coins. Merchants trade goods in the docks and town squares, which are transported by boats to the sea and rivers, but also along the roads being built by the Barron to connect the known world's cities.
Infrastructure
The city sits on an inland port that feeds through rivers into the sea. Small dock yards line the waterfront that service this industry and shipping is a key part of the economy. The city has an extensive series of layered multilane cobblestone roads for heavy traffic between foot and carriage. There is an over engineered sewer system under the city (likely the ruins of an old Fey settlement built into the ground) that cleanly flush the wastes away down stream into another river that is well maintained. There are some bridges over impasses and creeks, all stone and well managed.
Assets
Its ironworking industry and wealth of arms production makes it well stocked with high quality weapons, armour, and equipment.
Guilds and Factions
The city is home to many quilds that safeguard trade secrets and craftsman knowledge. Armourers, weaponsmiths, enhancement, merchants, alchemists, almost all trades have an organization associated with it that sponsor their training, employment and usage.
History
Wein was the community of miners that sprung up near the resource rich camps near the quaries and mines of the hilly region. Kauf was the river community they traded with, usually metal and goods for food. Overtime, the communities grew in towns that expanded towards each other until neither was one or the other. Thus Weinkauf was bourne, which became a manufacturing hub with innovations in smelting and metalworking developing around the world. The Barron, a relic of the old order that presided over the two communities, built his castle on the hill near the river between the two communities to signify their union and merging the governance of the new city with the barony.
Geography
The city is near a small mountain and built atop several hills and valleys. Roads have been dug into hills or raised across valleys over time, with many bridges and walkways linking them. The Waterfront gradually slows into the river, which has been dredged to make an inland port for trade. The river opens into the sea on the east coast of the continent and has turned the city into a hub.
Natural Resources
Coal, iron and other precious minerals are mined from nearby quaries, hills, valleys and mountains the area is rich with. There are extensive fields and farms around the city that escaped the Cataclysm relatively unscathed and are managed by a landed elite and tilled by locals or migrant workers.
Alternative Name(s)
The Twin Citiy, Iron City
Type
Large city
Population
180,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Wienkaufian
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
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