Stein (City)

The city of Stein is the capital of the Bietesbachian empire, and the most populous city within the empire. Standing on the edge of the Stein inlet as it becomes the river Stein, the city contains the massive Stein gates which control the movement and travel of those on the river system. With a population of 27,000,000 the city of Stein stands as one of the most populous cities on Akros, as well as being the largest Shawzen city in the world.

Etymology
The name Stein stems from neither the Stein inlet nor the river Stein, but rather is named after the Shawzen religious hero known as Stein the Magnificent, whose laboring towards accession ended with him creating the Inlet and river through falling from the heavens as a comet as to witness the ancestor Miltrud, the one above and below.

History
The city of Stein was settled in the year 1123BC, by a large Shawzen tribe being led by the mythic Arpas. Initially, the settlement flourished due to the extensive potential for fishing that existed both along the Inlet and within the river. While little else is known throughout this period about the city, it is known that Arpas' dynasty continued to rule the city. During this time, perhaps around 950BC-870BC, the massive Stein gate was erected, giving the settlement control over movement throughout the river and inlet.

The lineage of Arpas continued to rule the city as 'Patriarchs/Matriarchs', old titles from their days as tribespeople, until the year 753BC. Heavy rainfall had caused mass flooding around through the region surrounding the river Stein, and as such caused a famine as crops and livestock were lost to the waters. The inability of the Patriarch at the time, Badua, to rectify such issues and provide support to the commonfolk caused widespread riots and looting. When Badua sent a regiment of warriors to restore the peace, this only worked to worsen the tensions, and revolt was declared in the city. For about 3 weeks the city existed in a state of warfare and chaos, with Elladan Scholarman Lemnus, who was in the city at the time to study Shawzen culture, describing it as "a complete debauchery of what is right and civilized, the horrific acts of lust and wroth that I have witnessed today show that the barbaric nature of these people's yesteryears have not left them". The revolt only ended with revolting citizens descending into the Stein Royal Palace and bringing the remaining Arpas dynasty out to be executed, though a few remaining members did manage to escape the city before the final days of the revolt. From this execution, a smattering of tribal dynasties attempted to take control, including the Rasha Dynasty(753BC-704BC), the Borani Dynasty(704BC-685BC), and Patriarch Osuin(685BC-667BC).

Osuin's reign was the final reign of a tribal partiarch/matriarch, with his finals years littered with controversy and corrupt dealings. These failures led to the people of Stein overthrowing Osuin in 667BC, and installing a people's dictator, known as a Dominus. The first Dominus, Lioba, took major steps to recreate the city into a significant trading port for those on the Jade Gulf, succeeding in bringing much wealth to the city-state. From this, the Dominus became intertwined in the trade dealings of the city, wielding great power as the cities leader and most important 'merchant'.

Throughout the next few centuries, Stein continued to grow to become a powerhouse within North Akros. The city began to exert its influence and control over the towns of Wasburg, Shlilertal, Frietesfeld, Keldinhonach, and Strauter, giving it a large area of influence around the watershed of the river Stein. This expansion brought Stein into conflict with the Kingdom of Kushutnia and the Kingdom of Ofengenia, during a conflict known as The Blood-Soaked Years. This conflict lasted between 536BC - 473BC.

Timeline of the cities rulers;

 * 1123BC-1067BC Arpas