Kronbruck

City in Ione

Kronbruck is one of the largest settlements outside of the capital cities. Kronbruck is home to the majority of farmers that produce food, both crops and livestock for the whole of Ione. Smaller villages branch out from Kronbruck, and the majority use Kronbruck as their centre of distribution and delivery to the rest of Ione through Fortuna. Kronbuck’s location within Ghia also makes it a centralized area for travel to the other towns in Ghia as well as to Ione’s capital, Fortuna. Kronbruck also acts as the distribution system for some of the adjacent settlements, such as Anderselt and Vane. As the village exists between Fortuna and Absolus, the parade bringing the Initiates to Sanctum Forest for the Trials of the Fortunate also travels through Kronbruck every year. Even though the annual celebrations for the Initiates and Acolytes of the trials take place in Absolus, the parade passing through Kronbruck has allowed the town to develop its own set of celebrations. Part of these celebrations is the gifting of food for the first few days in the forest as the initiates begin their trial.

Demographics

Kronbruck has a recorded population of 1,145 individuals all of which are human making it one of the largest settlements outside of the capital cities. Following the direction of the Alarch, only the human population of the city is recorded so it is likely that the population may be slightly higher than reported.

Government

Kronbruck is governed by theocratic rule similar to all settlements within Ione and the municipal government is controlled by an Eparch who is appointed through Cionecic's Divine Selection. The Eparch reports to the provincial representative, the Exarch, who resides in Absolus as it is the provincial capital of Ghia.

Industry & Trade

Kronbruck is one of the of the larger farming settlements that feeds the majority of Ione and produces large quantities of grains, fruits and vegetables, but also dyes and fibre plants used in the assembly of cloth or tools. Much of these plants are farmed throughout the adjacent hamlets and stored in communal storage areas within Kronbruck before being transported to it's final destination, either one of the other settlements or traded out to visitors arriving in Ornamen.

History

Kronbruck originally sprang up between Fortuna and Absolus in 316 as a transit town to support the trials of fortune but as Ione’s population grew, Kronbruck expanded outwards into the large plains that surrounded it and converted the fertile soil into farmland. This expansion of farming attracted further individuals from across Ione leading to even further population expansion, with groups splintering off into small hamlets to tend to the lands around Kronbruck. The town centre eventually expanded into a basic distribution centre as Kronbruck was still the centre of the nation due to the Clandestine Growth Directive announced in 440 and the subsequent razing of Ravenstadt which had previously existed south of Fortuna. The Clandestine Growth Directive prevented much of the growth of Kronbruck until 880 when it was lifted. The smaller hamlets saw an increased number of individuals shift thier livelihood there after it was removed prompting the initial replacement of the wooden structures with stone ones. The large shifting of stone also prompted the creation of the [Kronbrick Road], a large paved road that extends from Fortuna to Absolus specifically for the parade, but also sped up distribution of food to many areas of the nation. It was completed in 582 and was the first fully paved road in Ione. Kronbruck experienced steady growth, that slightly outpaced most Ionean settlements up until the town centre was overhauled with marble after which it plateaued.

Points of interest

[Kronbruck Marketplace] - The Kronbruck marketplace is found in the centre of the settlement and has most Ionean crops for sale.
[Huskers Hideout Tavern] - A well known tavern in the region that many of the surrounding hamlet dwellers travel to Kronbruck for.
[Kronbrick Road] - The first paved road in Ione that was built specifically for the Trials of the Fortunate parade.

Architecture

Like most early cities intially established by The Fortenes Kronbruck was originally built out of wood from the trees in the vicinity. When settlements began updating their buildings to stone, the centre of Kronbruck was done fairly quickly as much of the food stores and distribution existed there. The outskirts, including much of the farmhouses remained wooden structures until much later. By the time marble was discovered in Arnsrath, the parade from Fortuna to Absolus was going through the centre of Kronbruck every year and since it was effectively part of the the Trials of the Fortunate the centre of Kronbruck was overhauled shortly after the majority of Absolus was finished. As a result most of the city centre buildings, particularly along the parade route, feature elements similar to that found in gothic archtiecture similar to elsewhere in Ione. Pointed arches, rib vaults, detailed columns, flying butresses, and noteworthy towers and spires can be found throughout the village. Moving further from the city centre and public spaces into residential areas results in much simpler architecture, though still finely crafted from marble. Most of the farmhouses that mak up the surrounding hamlets are still made of stone, though a few are rebuilt in marble every year.