Cities/Prontera
From AeonRO
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Stats:
Population: 40,000
Geography: Moderately hilly fields and forests scattered around
Government: Enlightened monarchy (king, chancellor, and advisory)
Affiliations: Rune-Midgard Kingdom, Pronteran Church, Pronteran Chivalry
Military: Pronteran Honor Guard (300 knights, elite unit); Pronteran Chivalry 1st Division (500 knights); Pronteran Chivalry 2nd Division (200 knights); Pronteran Chivalry 3rd Division (200 knights); Pronteran Chivalry 4th Division (100 heavy cavalry); Pronteran Chivalry 5th Division (100 heavy cavalry); Pronteran Home Army (150 infantry and 150 crossbowmen); Pronteran 9th Division (200 crossbowmen); total 1900 troops
Summary
Capital of Rune-Midgard. Prontera Castle, the home of the Rune-Midgard monarchy, is located here, as well as the largest branch of the Church of Rune-Midgard - Prontera Cathedral, where many of the acolytes and priests world are ordained - although they may disperse to other areas after that ordainment. Aside from the headquarters of the Pronteran Chivalry and the Church, not much of political importance is located in Prontera - no major research facilities, factories, or anything of the sort. While it has a busy marketplace, it's mostly involved in local trading rather than commerce with wider regions - a farmer's market, with not much else available for open-air trading.
Prontera itself only governs a relatively small province, consisting of most of the border with Morroc, a small area around the city itself, and east towards St. Capitolina Abbey where the main body of monks maintain their order. Most of the city is centered around the central government and the church; Prontera could be said to be the world capital of red tape.
The current king is not noteworthy for tremendous good or bad in his current reign. A prevalent time of peace has curtained over the people for the past few hundred years. For being the city that the King resides within, there's not much to be offered aside from that. A market central, however far from being the trading hub that Alberta is. Agriculturally strong, but not the main force (as much is provided by Geffen, Payon and Izlude as well). In terms of strategy, Prontera is a source of morale and not a completely essential cog to the economy machine of Midgard.
Government
Prontera is ruled by its king, the line of Tristans, which abruptly came to an end when King Tristan III died of ill health prior to the city's invasion and occupation by the Schwarzald Republic. Soon after the war's end, High Father Ereyan of the Prontera Cathedral declared a new king to the throne, a supposed illegitimate son of King Tristan III.
The government is known to be, for the most part, fair and just, although there are layers upon layers of political intrigue which happen on a daily basis; such is expected for such a massive bureaucracy. The king serves not only as a ceremonial figure but as a wielder of dire measures when issues and conflicts become too entangled for officials to deal with. Traditionally, King Tristans in the past have been wise about exercising their power and stepping in with enough weight to resolve situations that require it, and leaving the otherwise daily affairs to the rest of the government functionaries. This is a survival mechanism more than anything else; the king's authority rests over many different peoples, all with differing beliefs and ideas about how things should work, and it is only his traditional repute and a means of bringing a sanity check to the government's inter workings that keep him from being more than an ornament.
The church is undoubtedly one of the largest factors in political power play within Prontera. Its clergy hold a not insignificant amount of influence within the system and hold sway on many issues that come up. Since by tradition the church is the functionary that recognizes and bestows the king his power, it wields this position indiscriminately to its own purposes; although, to be fair, a very large percentage of Pronteran citizens are faithful church-goers, and its members have benefited the city's community as a whole far more often than not.
The Pronteran court and justice system is the most modernized in Rune-Midgard by far, although it comes at the price of inefficiency. Sentences imposed are often harsh to deal with the many problems that come with running a city of this size, the largest in the kingdom.
Military
Prontera boasts the largest fighting force on the continent, by far. With nearly two thousand able-bodied men to serve to its defense, among its ranks the knights of the Pronteran Chivalry - the undisputed finest fighting force in the world as far as melee combat goes - Prontera's military might is a source of pride for its city and inhabitants. Along with its mounted peco-riding cavalry, the Pronteran army is a force to be reckoned with in a straight fight.
Unfortunately, this does not come without its costs, as the amount of preparation and upkeep the city must spend to keep its soldiers in top fighting form is significant, and consequently the capital is very vulnerable to siege tactics or combat from afar, where it must rely upon its provinces for aid.
More often than not, Prontera sends its own divisions out to other cities to maintain order and keep its presence aware to the local governments, which accept the capital's actions with only a bit of complaint; prestige still graces the presence of a full-armored knight from the chivalry or a regiment of peco-peco cavalry, and it is rare that one truly complains of their presence, a shining light during these often troubled times.
