Gateway to the Outer Kingdoms
The main route to Auspenheim from the south follows the old Cyron Empire road called the Auspenstrecke. It leads first through the forested portion of the Wenden Highlands, and from there crosses the River Auspenwald into the increasingly craggy terrain of the Nimmerendes.
To enter Auspenheim, one must pass through a mountain corridor called the Condor Gate Pass. This site takes its name from the large mountainside overlook which was seemingly shaped by ancient hands into the likeness of a titanic bird with wings spread. This monument hints at the mythic history of the region, going back long before the time of the First Empire.
The City of AUSPENSTADT
Auspenstadt stands in strong contrast with its rustic surroundings. Its high walls, grandiose buildings, and bustling local culture boasts a high standard of living. The cobbled streets are clean and presided over by numerous statues of past princes and holy figures, and in the wintery half-light, warm interiors flicker through stained-glass windows like inlaid jewels.
The surrounding mountains contain many mines, and the mineral bounty of the region supplies both the foundation for the local banking system (established at the height of the Old Cyron Empire) and the raw materials that sustain the famous metalsmiths and jewelers of Auspenstadt.
Among the most famous exports of Auspenstadt are clockworks and other engineering marvels. Although in recent years the Wellundian port of Harkrest has become a new hub for engineering sciences (especially to military ends), it is said that they cannot hold a candle to the beauty and intricacy of Auspenstadt wares.
POLITICS
It is customary for the Prince of Auspenheim to serve as a warden for the region, and as an intermediary between the peoples of the Torvarian interior and the independent Auspen Princes of the western Nimmerendes region. This role has fostered in Auspenheimers a strong sense of exceptionalism and an aloof local character.
On the surface, it would appear that Auspenheim enjoys good relations with the rest of Torvaria due to its friendliness to the Emperor during the War of the Phoenix (unlike the Auspen Princes deeper in the Nimmerendes region).
However, many Imperials believe that Auspenstadt benefited too much during the war (including a strengthening of their pre-existing banking privileges dating from Cyron times), while committing very little to the rise of the Empire militarily. Some even go so far as to assert that Prince Alberingen played both sides during the bitter Battle of Obrau in order to gain leverage over the Emperor.
It is perhaps for this reason that the Imperial fort of Condor Gate Redoubt - which sits within view of the walls of Auspenstadt - is always so well-garrisoned.
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SURROUNDING REGION
See: Map of Auspenheim
Historically the main crossing into Auspenheim was at Oldgate. Here, a mighty old Cyron Imperial stone bridge and bastion once stood over the River Auspenwald. During the recent War of the Phoenix, the Oldgate bridge was destroyed, and today a simple wooden bridge stands in its place.
Further north along the river, there is another crossing at the town of Teffenbrucke, where the terrain is flatter, but the river wider. This was once a small community that ran ferries across the river, but during the War of the Phoenix, Emperor Reinhardt ordered the construction of a large permanent bridge (to ensure his armies always had another route into Auspenheim).
Now a thriving trade town has grown up around the new bridge. The road beyond Teffenbrucke (the Teffenweg) takes a winding less-traveled route along northern slopes of the mountains of Auspenheim, with the odd narrow pass that leads to the interior, and eventually to the walls of Auspenstadt.
Historically the main crossing into Auspenheim was at Oldgate. Here, a mighty old Cyron Imperial stone bridge and bastion once stood over the River Auspenwald. During the recent War of the Phoenix, the Oldgate bridge was destroyed, and today a simple wooden bridge stands in its place.
Further north along the river, there is another crossing at the town of Teffenbrucke, where the terrain is flatter, but the river wider. This was once a small community that ran ferries across the river, but during the War of the Phoenix, Emperor Reinhardt ordered the construction of a large permanent bridge (to ensure his armies always had another route into Auspenheim).
Now a thriving trade town has grown up around the new bridge. The road beyond Teffenbrucke (the Teffenweg) takes a winding less-traveled route along northern slopes of the mountains of Auspenheim, with the odd narrow pass that leads to the interior, and eventually to the walls of Auspenstadt.
Beyond Auspenstadt to the west is the Valley of Obrau, where a craggy pass provides access to the Nimmerendes beyond. This is the true Auspen region, a wild territory of mountains sprouting from the edges of Arvanna, the vast and largest expanse of Old One-Forest remaining in Duatha. This area is rich in lore of the Fading Folk, with many Duathan and Elvish ruins, and stories of encounters with Faerie-kind. It is said that the deeper you travel into this wood, the more real the stories become.
Skirting the edges of Arvanna are the domains of the Auspen Princes, bordering on Capracia to the south and Delon to the west. These principalities have long enjoyed some degree of independence and isolation from Clarion and Imperial authority (both old and new), though they still rely on trade routes through Auspenstadt for many essentials and news of the world beyond.
These Auspen Princes often consider themselves outposts of civilization that must stand against the encroachments of monsters, savage hill people, goblin infestations, and other weird beings emerging from the heart of the One-Forest.
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