TEW - Capitals - Aarn
Aarn is the rarest of settlements; a frontier town that succeeded on an unprecedented scale. What began as one of the first Hunter’s outposts is now the largest centers for Hunter activity in the Wilds. The city, though it now is large enough to support a population of one million, is still firmly rooted in its pioneer origins. Most of the streets remain muddy and unpaved while very few buildings are not made of wood. The city’s population varies from month to month; while it can swell to nearly a million during the least dangerous seasons, when hunters are in high demand the city stands empty, reduced to nearly a quarter of that. There is an informal ruling council, made up of the most experienced hunters, although their rulings are often only enforced by the arms pledged to them rather than respect for authority. The city is largely ramshackle, with tents and hastily-constructed longhouses clustered around the edges of the city. Power is often difficult to come by, with only the more permanent residences at the center of the city receiving it with any regularity. Training grounds, forges, and stables make up a large portion of the city’s industrial core. Hunters wishing to gain official certification as such can become accredited here through the rigorous Sevenfold Provings, a combination of spiritual, physical, and mental tests that in theory provide the hunter with a better ability to withstand the Wilds.
The Aarn, an Elven hunter from before the Bloom is the city’s unoffical king. Moreso than the ruling council, his decrees are respected out of loyalty rather than fear. He survived the Bloom while outside of a city, enduring horrors unimaginable while fighting his way back to the nearest city. However he managed this, he pledged to spend the rest of his life beating back the Wilds. When the first mana-siphon caravans set out into the Wilds, he pledged his sword to their service, founding Aarn and the Hunter’s Guild. He “rules” from the center of Aarn in an ancient stone tower that was thrust up from the Dungeons. Unlike most outcroppings, the tower has never returned to the Dungeons. How and why this is is hotly debated, but the Aarn’s decision to live there is seen as proof of his courage in his advanced years. Some say that dark things travel to speak to him in the night from the Dungeons; others dismiss this as superstitious nonsense.
As Aarn grows, some seek to civilize the frontier town, while the sizeable criminal element seeks to keep it trapped in the past. Hunters who see the town as a sign of freedom from the oppressive laws of some cities vehemently refuse attempts to move the town forward, while the Aarn stays silent on the subject. Magineers stringing up power lines have been found dead in the mud, and every night the taverns see blood spilled. Hunters trying to relax in their off-duty moments drink to excess and fight to escape the fear of the Wilds, and numerous criminal factions, headed up by Dwarven “legitimate businessman” Mr. Smith are more than happy to help Hunters waste their hard-earned coin on brothels and gambling. Rumors abound that the ruling council is building a secret army to destroy the Aarn’s tower and take the town for themselves. Pundits say that within the year, Aarn will be either burned to the ground or headed for a new future. Mr Smith, the Aarn, and the ruling council seem unlikely to cooperate for much longer; how long the tenuous peace will last is anyone’s guess.
- Existence: 40 years
- Government: Self-described "Meritocracy"
- Economy: Mercenary work, manufacture
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