Honor. Duty. Order.

These are the principles which pervade Reikhurst. "Home of the King," so does the name translate from the old language of the region before the establishment of the city proper and the primacy of the Common Tongue along with it. Reikhurstans are generally a stern and proud people (much in common in this regard with the neighboring dwarves of Belgrath and the Spine), and they venerate family and personal responsibility. Not even the King himself is exempt from this: indeed, the King must be elected by a delegation of voters. And only those who are "Citizen and Warrior" may vote, meaning that service in either the Reikhurstan City Guard or in the elite Order of the Golden Blade is required. The Reikhurstan elective monarchy and way of life has survived for more than four hundred years, yet their greatest challenge certainly lies ahead.

The demographic of Reikhurst is majority human, minority dwarves, and some small percentages of other races.

Reikhurst is a militaristic city-state near the mouth of the Sayve River. Other villages, towns, and cities and regions were, over time, made into vassals of Reikhurst either through diplomacy or conquest, and the various rulers of these places were all made to swear fealty to the King of Reikhurst.

Being at the mouth of the Sayve and at the southwesternmost edge of the Spine, Reikhurst enjoys a prime position as a trade city not only in the region, but also between goods flowing as far as Alliria to the west and their friends in Belgrath to the east. Though the trade, while large, is not the city's primary export: order and security are. While some residents of the vassal settlements might grumble and desire independence, few in these settlements can outright deny the security afforded by Reikhurst's protection.

Reikhurst is a roughly oval-shaped walled city on the Sayve River; the length of it running west-east and the River to the north side.

Two wide avenues dominate the city. The King's Avenue, starting at the Western Gate and running west to east and going to the foot of the Citadel of the First King; and Harbor Road, starting at the Southern Gate and running south to north and going to the harbor on the Sayve. These two avenues intersect one another in a sideways " ✝ " shape. At this large intersection lies the Victory Arch of the Ninth King, a massive monument celebrating a past victory and the site of many present celebrations.

In the northern portion of the city lies Little Belgrath and the harbor on the Sayve. The Reikhurstan dwarves are not obligated to live here, many of them have simply chosen to do so. Here the architecture deviates to an appreciable degree to resemble, unsurprisingly, buildings of more dwarven make that one would see in Belgrath proper. Little Belgrath features a majority of Reikhurst's forges and stonemasonry workshops.

Southeast of the intersection of King's Avenue and Harbor Road is a quadrant of the city known as the Garden District where: a number of parks can be found; trees, flowers, and trimmed bushes are allowed to grow; and several canals branching off from other areas of the city feed magical fountains and a few small lakes in said parks. Vale Street is the primary street through the Garden District.

Reikhurst as a whole is a clean and orderly city, as its citizens take great pride in these qualities.

Citadel of the First King: Constructed during the Reign of Edwin Reik (though he did not live to see its completion), the Citadel is easily the largest structure in Reikhurst. Its massive height makes it visible from nearly any angle in the city, and serves (ideally) as a constant reminder of the lawful order and stability brought by the elected King. The Citadel is a gargantuan defensive fixture, a city within a city. It is the centralized location of the Monarch, the Order of the Golden Blade and the Reikhurstan Guard, embassies from other kingdoms/lands, representative courts of Vassal states, representative offices of various guilds both foreign and domestic, and more; there are, as well, plenty of servants and upkeepers employed by all of these interests, and merchants who are allowed to conduct business on Citadel grounds, hence how the bustling Citadel is practically a city in and of itself.

* Public access to most of the Citadel is available to all citizens of Reikhurst.

The Old Gold Mine: The city of Reikhurst was founded next to a dense and profitable gold mine, by which Reikhurst accumulated its wealth and funded the creation and expansion of the Kingdom. In the past situated outside of the walls, the growth of the city soon came to incorporate the Mine itself. The flow of gold, however, slowed in more recent decades, and in the year 340 primary mining operations ceased altogether. The Mine exists presently as a heritage site, and it is a great honor for a selected few to uphold the duty of caretaker for it. The Order of the Golden Blade (their very name derived from the iconic Mine) uses it on occasion for special ceremonies, and what gold remains is used to forge the insignias for new Knights.

Victory Arch of the Ninth King:

Little Belgrath: Connecting Reikhurst to the Sayve River is the district of Little Belgrath. Here is where a large portion of Reikhurst's dwarven population chooses to live. This congregation happened naturally since Reikhurst's founding, attracting many émigrés from Belgrath and other dwarven holds, who all in time adopted the Reikhurstan ways. A hub of forging, crafting, and maritime trade on the Sayve, Little Belgrath is the busiest district of Reikhurst bar none. This busyness and flow of goods does, however, make Little Belgrath a hotspot for crime, both for domestic and foreign criminals. Those majority of dwarves who are honorable abhor the underground elements that foul the reputation of their communit--but, if you know where to go and who to talk to, illicit activities of all sordid kinds can be found.

Vale Street and the Garden District:

NOTABLE KINGS OF REIKHURST

The First King, Edwin Reik: A man of incredible renown in the region, he united the ancestors of and established Reikhurst during a time of great upheaval and crisis. Yet he did not desire anything more than to return to his farm, the warriors under his banner all swore undying loyalty to him and begged him to become Lord of Reikhurst. This title of Lord was changed to King after Reikhurst secured its first vassal town. After twenty-five years of rule, King Edwin willingly abdicated the throne, but not before he had set up the system of Elective Monarchy by Citizen Warriors still in use hundreds of years later.

The Third King, Jürgen Kaiser: Mysteriously vanished six years into his reign, leaving no trace. Soon after his disappearance, his wife and family likewise disappeared. King Jürgen nor any of his family were ever found at the time. The Lord Commander of the Golden Blade at the time, so overcome with his failure to protect his King, reportedly committed suicide--though his body was never found either.

The Fifth King, Kurt von Spiers: King Kurt ruled a Reign of twenty-five years. However, at the end of it, he was unwilling to abdicate his power and did not hold the election for his successor. He was good friends with both the Lord Commander of the Golden Blade as well as the General of the Guard, and so thought he could cast off tradition. He thought wrong. King Kurt was confronted by the Lord Commander and enough Knights to fill the throne room of the Citadel, and was forced to abdicate, and was sentenced to hang shortly thereafter. Reikhurst's Elective Monarchy has not been challenged by a sitting King since.

The Ninth King, August Schulze: King August faced a crisis which threatened to subjugate (or outright destroy) Reikhurst as its citizens knew it. Gothia, Reikhurst's longtime rival across the Sayve River, had amassed a mighty alliance and waged war on Reikhurst and its vassals. King August himself led the army in several key battles, lifted a siege that had befallen Reikhurst in the army's absence, and even personally seized the Gothic King in the decisive battle which ended the war and dissolved the alliance against Reikhurst. He is remembered fondly by all Reikhurstans, and revered on par with Edwin Reik himself.

The Fifteen King, Otto Meyer: King Otto's rule was preceded by an unusual interregnum. If a King dies before his twenty-five year Reign is done, the First King's instructions were to have the Lord Commander of the Golden Blade (or the General of the Guard, if the Lord Commander is likewise indisposed) rule in the interregnum while the next vote is conducted. But the Fourteenth King did not die. Instead, a powerful storm soaked and destroyed all of the collected ballots during the election of the Fifteen. This freak occurrence led to the Queen of the Fourteenth, Kristinnia Vahlen, ruling after the Fourteenth's necessary abdication and while the election was sorted out. This marked the only time in which a Queen ruled Reikhurst, brief as it was.

The Sixteenth King, Grundunn Forgefire: The first dwarven King of Reikhurst. King Grundunn worked to solidify weakening relations with Belgrath. During his Reign Reikhurstan prospecting and mining ventures were expanded into vassal territories (this, partly because the Old Gold Mine in Reikhurst proper was showing signs of being tapped). King Grundunn also oversaw the expansion of the walls of Reikhurst, a massive project which not only strengthened the city's defenses but also created more living space within the city itself for its increasing population.

The Twenty-Third King, Rommel Klein: The last King of Reikhurst before its sacking in 364 at the hands of the King-turned-Vampire Lord Jürgen Kaiser and his massive host of vampires. King Rommel holds the unenviable distinction as being the only King slain by enemies of Reikhurst.

* * * * * (SANDBOX NOTES) * * * * *

-- The term "Reign." An elected King may only reign for 25 years before abdicating power. As such, 25 years, or a single "Reign", has become a kind of special time until for Reikhurstans. It is a special occasion for celebration for citizens, more so than regular birthdays, to have lived for a Reign or two or three (or, if one is extraordinarily lucky, four).

-- King's Avenue parade. Holiday.

-- Victory Arch of the Ninth King. Point of Interest. Saying: "Like the Ninth," meaning won handily or performed well or, of a person, of impeccable and extraordinary character.

-- Militaristic city-state, winner of regional wars. Some waves of migration from other towns/city-states in the region. Becomes largest and most powerful over time.

-- Traditional, conscientious worldview and culture. Elective monarchy stemming back to the First King, who did not wish for power and abdicated voluntarily after 25 years. Unlike elsewhere, "nobility" is based on merit/service/wealth as opposed to bloodline; it is not unheard of for sons of Kings to be disappointments, and "descend" down to the rank of common folk.

-- Instances of "stolen valor" are punishable by public execution. Corporal punishment, compelled service, culture of shame, used to punish crimes (no jails/prisons in Reikhurst?)

-- KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN BLADE. Ranks: Knight-Gallant, Knight-Valiant, Knight-Captain, Knight Commander, Lord Commander.

-- Jura, the old religion.