Chapter 27: Rammstein and it’s bloody alley
Rammstein was never meant to fall into chaos. It was a city crafted through deliberate strategy and hard-earned victory.
Born from the ashes of war, it was built after House Angeras, once a defiant noble house outside the Kingdom’s grasp, the House won a decisive campaign after the Kingdom invaded the Angeras Estate and negotiated autonomy through a bloodstained treaty.
With that, they gained a permanent status of a duchy and became part of the Kingdom, but it retained its iron will. Rammstein was one of the two new cities constructed after the victory of Angeras as they wanted to have two major hotspots in the western side and eastern side with Luso in the middle.
The city began modestly, with a central square serving as its beating heart. Four main roads sprawled outward like veins, dividing the city into quarters. Each quadrant housed its own mix of residences, markets, and public utilities. As trade flourished and population grew, Rammstein expanded but at first in a controlled, almost architectural way. But the order soon crumbled.
Over the years, greed and desperation took over. Illegally constructed homes mushroomed along the periphery. Bribery became the new currency for property rights. A chaotic fringe formed around the organized core, and the city lost control of its own shape.
Then came Duke Simon, unlike his predecessors, Duke Simon didn’t turn away from the rot after all he was born in Rammstein so he felt the need of fixing what he believed to be his own home.
He burned it out. A large neighbourhood of shoddy, unauthorized homes were demolished, without warning. In their place, he constructed a grand palace in the northeastern quarter, as it was a testament to House Angeras’s presence in the City. It’s might cast a long shadow over the poor and the corrupt alike.
He also safeguarded the trade through Rammstein. Positioned near the western border, the city was a hub for merchants traveling in and out of the Kingdom. Inns sprang up overnight. Caravans camped in long queues.
Due to corruption, many merchants were forced to pay more to guards and were bullied by local ruffians for money. Duke Simon strengthened the City Guard and used the family Knights to make sure none are harmed while passing through.