Eisenplatz

Summary
Eisenplatz is a city in western Reilla, south of Corstopitum. Originally a prospecting town, Eisenplatz gained prominence with the discovery of rich deposits of precious metals. The Ruling Council made up of the Great Houses was formed to govern the city in its petition for formal recognition by Jus. The Council itself has little formal structure, being made up of the head of each of the five Great Houses. In practice, each Great House rules its own section of the city and manages the function of its particular specialty: mining, processing, manufacturing, trade, and agricultural production, with the relative power and prestige of the houses descending in that order.

In DR 36466, the Great Houses attempted a coup of Corstopitum in response to the decline of their city in relation to Corstopitum's ascent as the center of wealth and trade in the region. Shortly after the failure of the coup, the heads of the Great Houses vanished and new heads appointed. This signaled a major shift in the direction of the city, with the focus being less on mining and more on production. This change in focus placed Eisenplatz in good position to take advantage of new deposits of strategic metals discovered as the surface veins of the mines played out.

In the present day (DR 36623), Eisenplatz is a major source for arms production as well as fine metalworking. The Great Houses still appoint their own representatives to serve on the Ruling Council, but the Council itself wields enough power to check any one of the houses. In general, Eisenplatz has few laws, although slavery is expressly forbidden-- mainly as a reaction designed to limit the power of the mining House. Corruption is commonplace, but the entire city is very protective of the manufactories and forges that produce its lifeblood.