and last but not least a big worldbuilding thing that i dont think i ever posted. i never finished balancing the population versus physical size versus economical power relative to medieval cities and at that point in my life that was very important to me
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The three main cities in The Kingdom of Askr are the functional capitals of the three main power regions in the kingdom.
The Himiníoður peninsula
Himiníoðurik – The sole city in the Himiníoður peninsula. With a population of 51,583 people, Himiníoðurik houses a whopping 80% of the population of the Himiníoður region. Average population density for the region is 6 people per square mile; excepting the city, this falls to only 1 person per square mile.
Himiníoðurik is the second largest city in Askr. However, due to its out of the way location as well as the isolated nature of Himiníoðurik culture among Askrans, most people of Askr (excepting those on religious pilgrimages to the Tower of Heaven) do no travel to the city. Himiníoðurik supplies itself with staple farming from around the city, but largely engages in a great deal of oceanic trade with Askr’s norther neighbors. Despite the positioning of the capital of Askr, in times of peace, this is the main port where Askr and Embla trade goods.
Himiníoðurik is a deeply religious city, mirroring the people of the region. The religious authorities take care of the most advanced Zenikian library in the world (barring medical/healing advances, with which several Emblian institutions excel). Most Zenikian scholars, however, scoff at Himiníoðurik praxis, as the culture of the region has no interest in the slightest in gatemagicks, nor in the history or interactions of other worlds.
The city is known for its sprawling layout, yet simultaneously squat, stout, and fortress-like construction. Himiníoðurik has a series of ancient aqueducts and underground brickwork channels that handle the cities water and agriculture needs, as well as its sanitation. Despite being the most advanced city in the world by far, it is a bleak looking place, and fits right in with the windswept desolation of most of Himiníoður.
In the face of the recent devastation wrought by the first tempest, several parts of Himiníoðurik are growing rapidly. It is possible that the city could see the entire rest of the region’s population move to the fortress city in the coming days. The ancient and smooth system of supply and demand is currently undergoing a massive stress because of this, and food riots as well as disease are on the verge of breaking out all across the city. True to form, the crown in Efstrahæð has not noticed this in the slightest, nor has Himiníoðurik desired to let it know.
Central Askr
Efstrahæð – the capital of the Kingdom of Askr.
Efstrahæð is the smallest city in Askr by a margin of about 6,000 people. At a population of 45,000, Efstrahæð houses only a minuscule 4% of the population of Central Askr.
Largely a mountain city, Efstrahæð gets a good deal of its food from the surrounding towns. However, Efstrahæð itself does produce a fair amount of its supply within its own walls. While appearing a delicate and airy city on the surface, in truth, Efstrahæð is designed to withstand anything that its close neighbor Embla can throw at it. After countless historical surprises from its on-again off-again neighbor, Efstrahæð has been turned into a stronghold that, despite the gravity defying look of the central castle/manor, can withstand any siege anyone cares to throw at it. A great deal of the mountains to the southeast of the city have tunnels and buildings built into them, with the most advanced agricultural techniques stolen/learned from around the worlds put to making sure the population of the castle town, at the very least, can survive a siege if not indefinitely, then certainly for long enough to evacuate the population through the legendarily difficult to navigate mountain range. Most of the true valuables belonging to the powers-that-be in the kingdom are also stored in vaults in the mountain, including the Forbidden Library with Askran records of the full known histories and known futures of all the worlds.
Most residents of Efstrahæð don’t know any of this. And the ones who do, hope the main population never has to learn.
Efstrahæð itself is made up of three main sections:
Athrpallr is the first,and it located to the north of the city. Athrpallr is more ruins than city. It is the oldest part of the city, and rests upon ages and ages worth of ruined temples and religious constructions. Most of Athrpallr is abandoned and disused. The people who do live there are perhaps the most insulary of any people in Askr. Most in Efstrahæð believe Athrpallr to be haunted. They’re probably right.
Aeþiliis the second part of the city, and is the formal name for the tiered fortress that surrounds the castle, as well as the noble homes and main military installations. While the nobles who live on the lower tiers of Aeþili spend more time in the bulk of the city, those who inhabit the castle have more of a town of their own. The official name of the castle/manor is Aeðrastóll.
Aeðrastóll is the third part of the city. The only people allowed to live in Aeðrastóll are:
the royal family; their court, companions, retinue, and important relatives;
any council/governing members and retinue, if applicable;
scholars in contract to the state or under invitation;
the order of Gatemages;
the order of Heroes, when in operation;
the king and queen’s guard;
high ranking castle staff;
high ranking castle military staff;
diplomats from other countries, when applicable;
the castle’s religious company;
Legendary or Brave Heroes in service of the state;
as a secondary home for heads of important guilds in the city proper;
as a secondary home for the head of the university in the city;
as a secondary home for local higher ups of the few manakete tribes that live in Askr.
The families of most these categories of people are also allowed to live within the grounds if space allows.
The Aeðrastóll population is carefully monitored and approved by the ruler of the country and their closest council members, as those living in Aeðrastóll are those who will practically and purposefully be prioritized if a worst case scenario came up, and Efstrahæð had to retreat to its underground fortresses.
The final part of the city has no specific name, and is merely the bulk of Efstrahæð. Efstrahæð here is quiet, for a city, and prioritizes wide spaces and short homes. As most of Efstrahæð is made of wood, Efstrahæð historically was prone to terrible fires. The current-day wide layout helps moderate this. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the people in Efstrahæð tend to congregate into even smaller sections of the city. This leads to much duplication of stores and goods. The economy needs be monitored carefully at all times, as Efstrahæð has collapsed many times in the past under the pressure of famine, drought, floods, or even small changes in weather that completely disrupt the very careful balance that Efstrahæð usually finds for itself. Aeðrastóll itself is rarely party to these turbulent times, as Aeðrastóll is designed to be self-sufficient under duress or in worst-case scenarios, though not at all comfortable. As such, Efstrahæð inevitably comes back to life around Aeðrastóll.
Despite the geographic closeness of Efstrahæð to several Emblian borders, its position in the mountains makes it difficult to attack. While it does get attacked due to its political importance, it is rarely the first target. Travel around or through the mountains is simply too much for an army to manage yet. Emblian naval technology will have to develop a great deal before Efstrahæð needs to make changes to its defenses.