Firston
The largest city on the island of Plenty. Built by the edge of both the massive Ooobalaba lake, and the edge of the island itself, the city serves as the islands chief port for the exportation of food, silk, and earth attuned Source Crystals chunks. The city always smells of baked goods, grass, and earth. The people are friendly, perhaps a little overly friendly, but they ultimately mean well. Its position near the edge of the island always guarantees a cool breeze, and the constant arrival of ships means that almost any good of the skies can be purchased here from a traveling merchant. Food and shelter are given freely, as is the Greenborn way, but there are inns near the docks set up for off-islanders who prefer privacy over friendly companionship. A ring of a dozen light houses armed with Stone Cannons stand at the edges of the city, guiding ships traveling by night, and providing protection against those who would threaten the city's peace.
Firston is just that, the first town established on Plenty after the Fracturing. After the first few decades of instability, the people of Plenty came together in a great meeting which came to be known as The Joining. Now united, the people began to build the first major settlement on the island, both to create a center of authority forThe Stewardship of Plenty, which was founded during The Joining, but also to mark the location of the beginning of a new way of life and the start of a new culture.
Firston is a large but short city. No building stands more than a single story tall, at most being only a half a meter taller or shorter to the buildings next to it, save for the light houses built at its edges. Most structures are built from wood, with only a few key locations being made from stone for the sake of posterity. The streets are an intricate web of closely packed alleyways and open thoroughfares, all spitting off from the city's core. The layout of the city can be confusing to visitors, having started off more orderly towards the city's center near the edge during early construction, but expanding rapidly in random directions as the population of the city grew. Very few buildings use glass, so most buildings use silk drapes for privacy and decoration.
Do to the fact that most Firston buildings are made from wood, the city has developed a robust system of fire departments who can respond within minutes. These fire fighters are largely a volunteer organization which function under the chief fire warden of The Stewardship of Plenty. In addition to fighting fires, fire fighters in Firston also oversee various weekly fire safety classes, perform fire safety inspections, issue fire licences, and police the presence of fire based elemental magic in the city. Fire fighters are considered local heroes, particularly in the dry season of Youth, when temperatures rise and fires become more common, and their presence becomes even more vital to the city's survival.
The tops of Firston buildings are carefully curated rooftop gardens, upon which the inhabitants grow vegetables, flowers, and even small trees. These gardens are joined together by a vast network of wooden bridges and scaffold, turning the city's skyline into a vast park curated by thousands of people. These pathways also make it very easy for fire fighters to travel to burning buildings, cutting past the dense network of streets below.
The busiest section of the city are the Sky Docks of Firston, through which flow the goods that Plenty is known for. Here, transpiration off of the island can be found, as well as many of the goods and services that cannot be found elsewhere on the island.
Demographics
Demographically speaking, the two largest population groups, the Sapie and Gentle Ones, live together heterogeneously across the entire city. Small groups of earth and water Kissed are dotted across the city, interwoven with the Sapie communities. Water Kissed, however, tend to prefer to live closer to the lake. Non-Greenborn residents of the city, generally immigrants or the children of immigrants, tend to live toward the sky docks.
Government
The governing of Firston is overseen by The Stewardship of Plenty, who largely function as an extended municipal body. Labor in Firston is mainly volunteer based, due to the strong communal culture of the Greenborn, and so The Stewardship of Plenty mainly function to organize various task-forces towards city maintenance, construction, sanitation, and fire suppression.
The Stewardship of Plenty also closely oversees the movement, production, and distribution of food to all citizens of Firston and beyond, as well as its preservation and storage. In a similar way, The Stewardship of Plenty also oversees the food and fiber trade, exchanging both for Slivers and direct trade with other islands to secure resources not found on Plenty, such as metal tools, glass, Skyhome technology, Source Crystals chunks, etc.
Defences
The city is defended both by the Stone Cannons built into the twelve lighthouses constructed around the city, as well as a small fleet of The Iron Band ships stationed at War Pact Airfield.
In the even of an attack, several dozen citizens are trained in the use of the cannons, and will attempt to hold off the invaders while the The Iron Band begin a counteroffensive.
Industry & Trade
Firston is the port where most food leaves the island, and where it is directly sent to other islands of The Pact for metal, weapons, and technology, and sold to merchants from other islands for Slivers and other rare goods and services. The market for silk and cotton is smaller, but no less significant. Both trades provide an abundance of wealth that The Stewardship of Plenty uses to procure additional resources for the island, both at a discounted price from members of The Pact and from non-Pact merchants representing other islands.
History
Firston has a history of terrible fires which have savaged the city, leading to widespread destruction and tragic losses of life. Memorials stand across the city, dedicated to the men, women, and people who died both to and trying to put out these legendary fires.
There are four civic holidays for remembrance of these solemn occasions, each for a different fire:
- The First Dock Fire: The 3rd of Youth.
- The Burning of the Stable: 21st of Youth.
- The Second Dock Fire: 38th of Youth.
- The Burning of City Hall: 27th of Twilight.
Type
City
Inhabitant Demonym
Firstoners
Location under
Owning Organization
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