Arkonspire

A city of wind, iron, and banners, Arkonspire rises from the open plains as a monument to shared burden—where freedom is earned through labor, and strength belongs to all who work.


Overview

  • Type: Capital City

  • Country: Iron Union of Arkon

  • Population: ~50,000 (including rotating labor and military cadres)

  • Primary Industry: Governance, agriculture coordination, military command, heavy industry


Description

Arkonspire stands where the plains meet purpose.

Built of dark stone, timber, and iron bracing, the city rises in broad tiers around a central stone keep—not a palace, but a hall of assembly. Windmills turn constantly on the surrounding hills, their blades creaking like slow metronomes of labor. Smoke from forges and communal hearths drifts low across the city, carrying the smells of grain mash, hot iron, leather, and sweat.

There is no grandeur meant to impress outsiders. Buildings are solid, functional, and clearly marked. Streets are wide enough for marching columns and harvest wagons alike. Banners fly everywhere—not of noble houses, but of work units, regiments, and fallen hosts.

Arkonspire feels stern, honest, and alive with motion. No one loiters. No one begs. Everyone is doing something.


Districts & Areas


Notable Locations


People of Note


Factions Present


Culture & Daily Life

Arkonspire is built on the principle that no one eats unless everyone works.

  • Values: Equality of burden, endurance, collective survival

  • Dress: Wool, leather, practical uniforms marked by role

  • Social Structure:

    • No nobility

    • Status earned through years of service

  • Traditions:

    • Public accounting of harvests and losses

    • Annual naming of the fallen before the entire city

  • Taboos:

    • Hoarding

    • Refusal of labor

    • Claiming privilege without service

Freedom here is not leisure—it is ownership of one’s contribution.


Law & Governance

  • Laws debated publicly, enacted collectively

  • Military and civilian authority intertwined

  • Punishment emphasizes restitution and labor

  • Cowardice in war is punished more harshly than theft

In Arkonspire, the law is not feared—it is understood.


Relations with the World

  • Valin: Viewed as fearful and indulgent

  • Heterland: Respected ally of principle

  • Free Republic of Arkon: Blood-kin and forward shield

  • Infernal Empire: Existential enemy

Arkonspire prepares for war not because it desires it—but because it refuses to be conquered.


Rumors & Hooks

  • A faction within the Iron Council argues for total mobilization

  • Grain tallies from the Cut Fields do not add up

  • A pre-Union relic uncovered beneath the High Assembly challenges the founding myth


Player Notes

Arkonspire is stern, fair, and exhausting.

Everyone contributes—including visitors.

Earn respect through effort, not words.

If this city ever stops working, the Union falls with it.