Eisen: Imperial Crown[]
Eisen is the ancestral heartland of the ancient Simeonite tribes that banded together to form the earliest Alamastran Empire in a distant age when Solaren and Luna are said to have still walked the earth. According to popular legend, Solaren was the founder of the Alamastran Empire, built Eishen as its capital and reigned as it's first High King. The veracity of this account is long lost to time. However, it is clear to scholars and sages of the current day that Eisen is a land with ancient imperial roots spanning back millennia. This is the only Crown within the Alamstran Empire where its inhabitants still have deep cultural ties to the original Simeonite tribes that banded together to form the original Alamastran Empire. These ties are mostly in particular crafts, trades and surnames, livery, heraldry that are tied to prominent families. Echoes of tribal associations are also still present in the nursery rhymes, folk tales and beliefs of the poplulation - especially in the veneration of particular Immortals with historical and cultural ties to particular tribes.
Simeonite folk religion holds the tightest sway over the large urban and rural populations of Eisen. Simeonite folk religion has common roots with its more hierarchical and dogmatic cousin based in the Temples of Cymoria. However, it is less influenced by the Valar religion of the Elves. It centers on veneration of celestial ancestor beings, known as Immortals. They are loosely associated with various astrological cycles observed by Simeonite sages. The two most prominent ancestral beings are the sibling-spouses Luna and Solaren, associated by lunar and solar phenomena. According to Simeonite mythology, Solaren founded the Alamastran Empire, based in Eisen by uniting the Simeonite tribes of humans who lived there - known as the Kingdom of Day. And his sister-wife, Luna founded a rival imperial center in the neighboring land of Cymorria known as the Kingdom of Night. These rival celestial forces battled for hegemony over the land and lives of the Simeonites before being unified in the first Alamastran Empire with the union of Solaren and Luna. To this day, Solaren is the major focus of folk veneration in Eisen - where in Cymoria the situation is much more nuanced and complex. Eisenites also venerate a host of other minor Immortals who they believe can intercede to Solaren on their behalf and can intervene in everyday affairs with a portion of Solarens power and favor. Solaren is seen as an untouchable, distant power that has delegated governance of the natural order and protection of his faithful to his celestial host of minor Immortals.
However, despite this passive cultural influence - most of the Eisen populace think of themselves simply as Simeonites and Imperial Subjects of the High Crown. Eishen is politically and culturally the epicenter of imperialist fervor within the Alamastran Empire. They revel in their status and the benefits it confers as being the patrimony of the High King. All who live here are direct vassels of the High King, answering to no other royals, nobles or magisters. This is a major point of pride - Eishenites often viewing themselves as the freest and most legally, socially and politically protected subjects in the empire. Which, to a large extent, is true. Eishenites are considered to be under the direct protection and jurisdiction of the High Crown - regardless of where they are within the Alamastran Empire and must be tried and taxed within an Imperial Court. In practice, this means they enjoy and empire-spanning immunity from feudal taxes, laws and punishment where it conflict with the laws of the Empire or the personal perrogatives of the High King. For this reason, all major factions, orders, societies, guilds and enterprises carefully maintain a physical presence in the capital city, Eishen, staffed by Eisenites in order to reep the commercial, financial, legal and political advantages of Imperial Perogative. Over centuries, this has turned the capital city into one of the major cities in all of the continent of Ghalastra, as opportunity, population and resources have continued to flock to it and concentrate there.
Outside of the metropolis of Eishen, there are few second-tier cities within the Crown of Eisen. The Crown Hinterlands are largely rural, agricultural and made up of small cities, towns and villages of freeholders, cottagers, yeoman and gentle folk families. The notable absence of both higher and lower nobility within the Crown is a both a point of pride and also a political feature unique to Eisen. The High Throne abolished serfdom long ago and the natural economics of empire allowed the free population to establish the equivalent of a lower nobility via the development of a prominent landed and merchant class of gentry. Imperial officers of peace and justice have also largely been able to supplant the need for feudal structures, such as landed nobility to bring security and political control to the region.
The longheld tradition is that all Imperial royalty are sent outside of Eisen to assist in the Imperial administration in roles of influence, such as Grand Dukes or High Magisters of various Crowns. This is both maintain control and cohesion among the Crowns by effectively deploying the Imperial Family and its minor houses, but also to maintain their loyalty and manage potential rivals to the High Throne. This along with the High Throne's drive to establish control over the Crown for use as its own patrimony, source of income and resources, and power base of support have largely enabled this nobless society to emerge. The High Throne derives its primary personal income from taxing its Eisen subjects' commerce and agriculture. Historically, this has allowed the High Kings to circumvent the wall intended to separate the finances for the empire and the personal finances of the High King - giving them more flexibility to assert their will and influence against rigid imperial institutions - such as the Imperial Legions or Imperial Courts of Peace and Justice.
The population of the hinterland is actually surprisingly large, and densely settled - but is able to maintain social and economic mobility by sending its second sons into Eishen to pursue commercial opportunities within the major enterprises of the empire that are stationed there. The other route whereby second sons may better their prospects is in the service of the Imperial Apparatus - whether the Imperial Legions or other imperial beurocratic institutions. For this reason - Eishenites are found throughout the empire and all nations of the Aetherea. They are widely seen to be cosmopolitan, educated, well-traveled. On the other hand, they have a reputation for being cunning, ambitious, and individualistic. Traits that often clash with the societies that are hosting them. Throughout the Alamastran Empire Eishenites are pejoratively referred to as "Imperial Foxes" due to their reputation for guile and scheming and their fierce allegience to the High Throne. It is common to find Imperial Foxes in positions of leadership or influence in any organization tied to or with a presence in the Alamastran Empire. They are always under suspicion of doubling as imperial agents, informants and operators by the societies that are hosting them - which is often not far from the truth. Unlike the privillaged partisan classes of other empires - Imperial Foxes are not known for their lavish tastes or decadent displays of wealth. Instead, they are known for their plain, practical garb, simple lifestyles, unassuming dispositions, grim work ethic. They are known to be tough in adversity, full of grit and gumption in pursuit of their goals. They are outspoken and direct in their opinions - which also can run them afoul with the more subtle, indirect cultures that may host them.
To its core, Eisen is the heartland of the Alamastran Empire, its culture, its politics and opportunities. Eisenites fill out the Imperial Legions and leadership roles across the Empire and are the glue that holds the Crowns together at lower levels of government, military and administration.
Eisen is known for its simple, pragmatic, workaday culture, focused on hard work, getting ahead and quality results. However, it is also renowned for its troubadour culture, which celebrates the rich mythology, religion and history of the Alamastran Empire through music, dance and drama. Troubadour shows are a mainstay of folklife in Eisen, and are found in every tavern or town square. They are seen as healthy form of spectacles and revelry that channel the commonfolk away from crime, debauchery and other vices. They are also seen as a means of re-enforcing pride in Simeon heritage, Alamastran might and social cohesion with the imperial project. For that reason, they are widely sponsored by the local gentry and local imperial functionaries. This abundance of demand has fueled the development of a large troubadour culture and tradition that has spreadout to the rest of the Alamastran Empire. In Eisen, troubadours are viewed romantically as poets and cultural icons - whereas in other Crowns, their are viewed as travelling entertainers, cut from a similar clothe as other travelling manageries and shows. There is a formal, Imperially sanctioned Troubadour Guild based in the capital city of Eishen - which attempts to establish standards and governance to the troubadour profession and provide formal training and apprenticeship to its members - but it holds little sway outside of Eisen and the bands of self-proclaimed troubadours that roam the countryside of Crowns throughout the Empire.
The Imperial Capital City, Eishen is located at the heart of Eisen. Known as the City of Pearl, because of its ancient, ensorcelled walls made of a pearly substance known as heartstone, similar to the Sunway in the Blue Elven capital of Lume. Little is known of its origin, or construction - except that it has withstood the tests of time untarnished. The City of Eishen has expanded well-beyond its original heartstone walls and now consists of many double-walled wards that radiate out from the Old City. Beyond that are many districts that are protected by more humble enclosure, such as curtain walls or wooden pallisading - these tend to be the commercial districts aligned to specific trades and types of commerce, such as smithies, foundaries, tanneries, etc. - especially those that support imperial production of protected industries such as silk and wine or supply imperial institutions such as the Imperial Armory or the Imperial Legions.
At the heart of the city of Eishen is the the ancient palace complex. It is build atop a large acropolis, which scholars believe contains the remains of at least 12 previous palaces or castles from previous ages within it's strata.