Bullwark
| Bullwark | |
| Other Names: | Shield of The North |
| Society: | |
| Nation/Territorial Area: | The Seven Cities |
| Population: | 440,000 |
| Languages: | Common, Orcish, Romini |
| Deities Worshipped: | The Nine, and other minor deities |
| General Alignment: | Lawful Neutral (Good) |
| Head of City Government: | High Commander Bernolf Rook |
| Races: | |
| 30% Human, 30% Orc, 20% Dwarf, 20% Other | |
The city of Bullwark is the southernmost city of the confederation known as The Seven Cities. It is the only city in the confederation that does not have access to a major watery thoroughfare, yet it is highly regarded as the glue that holds the confederation together.
Bullwark is the smallest and youngest of the Seven Cities, yet its troops make up the largest percentage of the Confederated Army. This is because all males of fighting age that are residents of the city are required by law to serve in the military. This is at times hard to enforce because record-keeping can be difficult unless magic is employed to help, but luckily for Bullwark, strict measures for enforcement are not necessary. The citizens of Bullwark are incredibly nationalistic and proud of the Confederation. They take great pride in being allowed to serve in its armed forces, and it is thought that this pride partly rubs off on the other cities to solidify their confederation.
History
Early Settlement
Prior to the early 4th century A.O.D, the area of present-day Bullwark was contested between the armies of The Kurathene Empire and its southern neighbor, the nation of Dubunat. Initially, Bullwark was set up as a small fortress to guard against the onslaught of orcs that came into the region during the Great War and afterward, but it was not until the year 317 A.O.D. that the emperor chartered one of his nobles, Duke Maron Clairvont of Julaspium, to settle the fortress and expand it. Both the emperor and Lord Clairvont understood that this would be a resource-intensive job, since the fortress had no access to the waterways to the north and would need to receive all of its supplies over land. However, both men thought it was worth the effort in order to shield the area from further invasion.
The high-resource nature of the settlement kept it small and functional for several centuries. Other nobles surrounding the area had settlements of their own that would later turn into the other major cities to form the confederation now known as The Seven Cities Confederation. For mutual safety, they donated personnel and supplies to keep the fortress running and provided aid especially during the latter part of the 4th century A.O.D. when Bullwark was used by the emperor as a staging ground for an invasion into Dubunat.
Despite the optimal location for protecting the north against invasions from the orcs to the south, the area remained largely untouched for centuries after the war waged by The Kurathene Empire which ended in 382 A.O.D. Instead, Bullwark found itself in a position to act as a trading post between Dubunat and locations north, and Dubunat focused most of its military aspirations on conquering its fellow orc nation of Brekon which was to the north east.
Independence
Cordial relations with Dubunat gave rise not only to trade but also immigration, which in turn drew the two entities closer together not just financially but also culturally. As the population of orcs within the city rose and they mingled with the "native" humans descended from Lord Clairvont's time, Bullwark's identity became less oriented toward membership in The Kurathene Empire, but also not aligned with the bandit-dominated culture of The'ton worshipers in Dubunat.
From the years 500 to 1300 A.O.D. this gradual change grew to include some other populations swirling around from the nearby cities to the north, along the waterway. Smatterings of other races began to settle in the area and what was once just a fortress became a full-grown fortress town. Aside from minor squabbles with Dubunat and the other cities to the north, this period was peaceful.
Despite the drift away from the empire, the nobles of the city were content to leave things as they stood. The empire and its politicians in the capital of Kuras were content to leave Bullwark alone so long as it kept to its function of preventing invasion. Taxes were low and aid was forthcoming from the homeland. This all came to a head, however, in the year 1320 A.O.D. when The Kurathene Empire mounted a massive invasion of Dubunat, with intent to capture the entire area and annex it. Most of the invasion was conducted by sea, with landings in the northern and southern part of the country. However, an auxiliary force was deployed into Bullwark to act as a protection against counterattack. With Kurathene troops housed in the city, tensions immediately shot up to a boiling point
As the usual suspects, the orc residents of the city rose up but were surprisingly joined (from the Kurathene point of view) by their human and dwarven brethren to protest and resist the "occupation". Through years of unrest, the imperial army was eventually driven out of Bullwark in 1331 A.O.D., though most historians point out this happened simultaneously with the failure of the entire invasion when the nation of Tyedu invaded the northern fiefs of The Kurathene Empire and captured many lands. Armies had to be pulled back to answer that attack, and the emperor's forces did not have the power to deal with both events at once.
As the armies withdrew from Bullwark in 1331 A.O.D., the nobles present within the city symbollicaly declared their independence. However, it was not until 1360 with the Empire’s final defeat in Dubunat, that the Provincial Council led by Governor Sir Michael Hawke of Crosstreams took the first official steps toward independence. In 1362 he and the Council signed an oath affirming their commitment to the independence of the Charter Cities. Later in the same year, Bullwark ratified the call for independence.
On the first day of the new year in 1363 the Provincial Council of the Charter Cities, with Governor Hawke in the lead presented their declaration of secession to the Imperial Army garrison commanderin Arvanos, Legate Warren Hale. Rather than risk bloodshed, Hale accepted the declaration and departed with his garrison for Brescant.
Bullwark makes only what it needs in terms of goods and services, and it exports little. Much of its wealth, whatever meager wealth it contains, is imported from elsewhere, usually the other six cities. The center of the city is a vast fortress run by a series of generals who double as the nobles of the city. These nobles are not just responsible for military matters, but also for making laws and running the day to day operations of the city. For the most part, this task is not difficult for them internally, because most citizens of Bullwark understand the nature of the law and follow it accordingly. Those who don't are either expelled or imprisoned.
Off to the northern side of the city is a vast training ground and military base that is used to train the Confederated Army. Soldiers from all Seven Cities come there to train and learn the ways of combat. The fortress and the base together are considered the military center of the confederation. To the east of this complex is the Confederated School of War, where officers are trained for the Confederated Army. This school is not directly controlled by the government, however, and is often known to take students from any place in the world who can afford the fees. Many Kurathene Nobles have sent their sons there, as have M'Chekian nobles, and even some sons of Toran Shaarda.
Surrounding these areas are the residences, usually made up of functional homes with little austerity. There are a decent number of inns and other establishments but rarely does one find the shady places that are so common in the other cities. The residents of the city are much like the noble. They tend towards kindness and the desire to help others, with a healthy respect for the law.
Racially, Bullwark is fairly diverse. Initially, the city was largely human, but over the centuries many orcs have made their homes there from either Dubunat or Brekon. There are even a fair number of dwarves and halflings in the city that contribute immensely to the local culture. Less common races would include elves and goblinoid, but there are plenty of token examples, as always.
Religion is not such a prevalent force in Bullwark as is nationalism, but there are sizeable temples in the city to Dra'Nar, Dre'Ana,Gorethar, Toran, and Senath. Smaller shrines to other deities are also fairly common.