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The Free City of Rockholm
Realm: Independent
Population: 3,000 permanent, seasonally up to 12,000
Military: 700 men (Respectable)
Economy: Seasonal, but generally vibrant
Language: Common
As the southern terminus of the dangerous but lucrative Iron Road trade route through the dwarven citadels, Rockholm serves as the staging ground for the massive, heavily-guarded caravans setting off into the mountains. Any man capable of following a sword and staying sober for a week can find himself a job here, and those who survive the trek north to the mines and workshops of the dwarven lands often have enough money to purchase a small farm or business. Most guards, however, take their hard-earned pay to the city's welcoming bars and brothels, either for one last burst of pleasure before the dangerous journey or to celebrate its successful completion.
Rockholm is nominally independent from Calantyr, though the Duke of the Coeur maintains an envoy there with substantial influence and Corian armies have marched to the city's rescue on more than one occasion. In practice, the Duke prefers to let the warfare and crime of Rockholm be someone else's responsibility -- a mandate eagerly taken up by Rockholm's citizens.
Some 700 of Rockholm's permanent residents have full citizenship, which carries with it responsibilities -- donate money and manpower to the city's defense and operation -- but also extensive rights to rule their own city. A council of seven citizens, drawn by lot every year, runs Rockholm on a day-to-day basis, but all major decisions are decided in public meeting by the citizen body as a whole.
Of course, these elections seldom even have a pretense of fairness. Bribery, threats and blackmail are the order of the day, and even the sacred drawing of the lots is widely recognized to be rigged. Nevertheless, Rockholm's residents are fiercely proud of their republican traditions; comments about politics are a favorite excuse for bar brawls.
The citizens of Rockholm maintain a volunteer militia which drills regularly and is responsible both for guarding the walls and for keeping the city's streets in a degree of controlled chaos. Though the city can seem anarchic at first glance, any excess of crime or violence brings swift and brutal repression.
Being beyond the scope of Calantyr law, Rockholm is a favorite hideout for wanted criminals, who can lay low for a while or move in for good to prosper from the bustling caravan traffic. However, this large presence of criminals has also made Rockholm an attractive place for bounty hunters to set up shop, ranging from glorified street toughs ready to track down pickpockets to skilled adventurers who will hunt down deadly assassins, dark cultists and infamous bandits -- for the right price.
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