Aschen

Aschen

Aschen is the fourth largest city in the League of Igeum and the capital of the territory of Aschen.

History and Founding
Aschen has a rich history, being one of the territories that played an important role in the eventual formation of the League of Igeum. It was founded in 170, with the noble Aschen of Alaphor spearheading the expansion of territory further south of The Divine Empire of Solum.

Due to its central location and relatively short distance to many major epicenters on the continent, the Messenger’s Guild headquarters were eventually established in the city around 358 by its founder, Armondo Vonbach, namesake of the Vonbach Range. Due to the constant flux of messengers passing through the city, Aschen has developed an incredibly unique identity, featuring a culture that has adopted many traditions and teachings brought from afar. As a result, this has fostered a deep-rooted curiosity of the world in her people. There’s no coincidence that many children look up to adventurers as their heroes, striving to become messengers themselves in the future.

Recent Mining Boom
For most of its history, Aschen’s economy has never been anything exceptional or particularly interesting in the least. Their main export and source of income was from farming, more specifically terrace farming due to its elevated terrain. Potatoes, tomatoes, various grains alike were planted and harvested aplenty every season. They’ve never struggled to reach ends meet but they haven’t exactly excelled either. At least that was the case until just recently however. An incredibly ambitious politician by the name of Richard of Aschen has laid the groundwork for a momentous windfall of prosperity. Being located on mountainous terrain, mining stone has always been a staple of Aschen’s trade and business. Yet, excavations could only proceed so far due to limitations in both knowledge and experience in the trade. Due to recent collaboration with the far more advanced mining industry of Craeus that was negotiated by Senator Richard, the sector has seen an unprecedented boost in productivity and profit. It is more shocking considering that the terms of the collaboration require Aschen to share 30% of the profit earned with Craeus themselves.

However, the hustle and bustle of the mines in Aschen was short-lived. Aschen as of 2 months ago have mysteriously shut down all mining operations and all access to the mines have been cut off by the military, citing safety precautions. Rumour has it that the Craeus people who had been residing in Aschen to help with the collaboration have been sent back in droves. This sudden breakdown and animosity has left many puzzled. Senator Aschen, the minister of mining operations, has refused to comment on the situation. This lack of communication has resulted in rising tensions between Aschen and Craeus.

Government
The Senate of Aschen is made up of twenty senators that govern the people of Aschen. Each senator represents a distinct area of expertise regarding the affairs and governance of the city. For example, Senator Richard Aschen presides over all mining operations and related activities. The head of the senate is known as the Prime Senator, wielding absolute power within the territory and has the final say in all decisions made in collaboration by the senate. However, as a member of the League of Igeum, the Supreme Chancellor of Igeum holds veto power in any and all legislation. Furthermore, the Supreme Chancellor may declare any executive order without the approval of the Senate, for the duration of up to 6 months.