Lion's Arch
Lion's Arch was an Imperial City built on the coast of the Ivory Savanna in the days of the Old Iron Empire. Like many of their settlements and forts, the Old Iron Empire had been forced to abandon it as they entered their decline and the Age of Storms created chaos throughout the Shimmering Sea. Now, it is occupied by several Rustspeaking tribes, the old districts now each independent 'villages' belonging to these different groups. The old stonework is mostly overgrown and rather than build new houses in the Imperial style, the tribesmen instead use their traditional methods. At times, the streets of Lion's Arch swarm with people as different Grasstongue tribes will season their flocks and herds within the walls of the city.
Demographics
Almost all the residents of Lion's Arch are members of one of three Rustspeaking Tribes, with the exception of a detachment of Iron Legion soldiers and a few Iron Navy ships that live in the old harbor. During the dry seasons, the streets of Lion's Arch are filled with temporary tents and shelters, using the stone ruins as supports, as the semi-nomadic pastoralist Grasstongue tribes bring their flocks and herds to the more humid coast. During this time, the city doubles or triples in population, and it is the time when there is most conflict in Lion's Arch, but also the time when merchants are most likely to stop and try to trade in the city, usually from the Gold Coast or the Firelands.
Government
There is no city government for Lion's Arch. Each of the Rustspeaking Tribes sees to their own business and holds their own laws and customs, though they have, over the years, shared much of these standards between the three of them. The harbor runs as a military outpost for the Imperial Navy and so it is structured like a military fort.
Defences
The walls of Lion's Arch are old but still stand in most places. Nature has taken its toll in others, where the stone had collapsed, and the Tribesmen had replaced it with with wood, mud, and sharpened sticks. Lion's Arch does have a harbor, though the Rustspeaking tribes that live there mostly use it for fishing boats and short voyages to trade with other tribes along the coast. Most of their defenses are provided by their numbers, their witch doctors (lotusmasters) and their dancing witches. The Rustspeaking Tribes have also made an agreement with the Iron Empire to allow them to control the harbor, treating it as a separate 'village' and treating the Imperial detachment that is stationed there as outsiders. This does provide determent from corsairs or ambitious Firelanders from simply taking the city from the Ivory Savanna Tribes.
Districts
There are three tribes that live within the walls of the city throughout the year, four if you count the Iron Legion detachment stationed in the harbor as a separate 'tribe'. Between the areas that the tribesmen live are the ruins of Old Lion's Arch, which is overgrown with plants as the stone starts to crack and crumble. There are no proper districts like most cities, as the area between 'villages' is considered no man's land.
Points of interest
The Lion's Arch
The Lion's Arch is what gives the city its name. It is located in the harbor district and was clearly constructed by the Old Iron Empire when their power stretched across the sea. A giant lion, overlaid with brass, sits at the top of a fountain in the square above the stone stairs that lead up from the docks. A giant stone arch greets those who are arriving by sea, as if it was the gateway to the Ivory Savanna. This is treated as the border of the 'village' for the Harbor. The fountain has been repaired by the Iron Legion engineers and serves as a source of water for all the tribes, serving as a neutral ground for meetings and gatherings.Architecture
The architecture of Lion's Arch is a mixture of ruined collapsing stone, supported by other materials like wood or dried mud, and hide-tarps and other tent fabrics.
Type
City
Location under
