John Ash
Only by Fire do we become Ash.
Ashhearth, Lake Side
Ashhearth, Mountain Side
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To provide a capital for the Pii system.
- Image Credit: Pic 1 ; Pic 2
- Canon: N/A
- Links: Greel Tree (canon link); Greel Wood (canon link); John Ash (owner of the system); Pii System (canon link); Pii 3 (canon link); Building a Future (establishment the Pii System while Ashhearth was still known as Rosh)
- City Name: Ashhearth
- Classification: Metropolis
- Location: Pii 3, Pii System
- Affiliation: Ashhearth Association; Ashhearth Industries; John Ash
- Demographics: Cosmopolitan- The city is as diverse in the species present as Nar Shaddaa or Coruscant.
- Wealth: High- Ashhearth is a new capital city located in an emerging system. A growing industry thanks to Ashhearth Industries, the exporting of raw material such as metals, and the sale of the local Greel wood (a rare and luxurious wood) has caused the city to boom economically thanks to it being the center of all trade in the system.
- Stability: Medium- Ashhearth is a new city with a booming economy, which means its growth is a little unstable. There is not enough security and authority officials around to maintain the peace at all times and as such it is not uncommon to find violence erupt out of nowhere. The problems would be worse however on stability if the city was lawless or heavily governed, but this was avoided by the introduction of a short list of laws centered mostly on fair treatment and basic citizen rights. Most things are legal, such as spice and gambling, so crime has a hard time flourishing. It is also not unusual for vigilante justice to take place if someone breaks the law or morality in the city. This fosters a better sense of community than most such places would have leading to better stability. Visitors will also find themselves as welcome as a local so long as they follow the few laws in place.
- Description: Ashhearth is a pristine city with lots of new buildings going up all the time. It has a few districts that have arise among the two sides of the city. Ashhearth finds itself in an unusual spot on the planet that is mostly made up of plains. It is located in one of the few rocky regions of the planet along a large lake. The rocks do cause the city to seemingly be cut in half with the older portions of the city along the lake side and the newer ones popping up among the greel wood forests of the mountain side.
Ashhearth Industries Headquarters- The Ashhearth Industries Headquarters is located in the middle of the bay on an island in the lake that Ashhearth rests against. It is the center of the enter lake side half of the city for this reason and is the largest building in this portion of the city. It is the second largest building in the city as well behind only the spaceport. The interior is luxurious as it utilizes the local greel wood for much of its design. The building itself is extremey sturdy and can act like a hold out location in case of emergencies. All of the administrative needs for the Pii system, both for the company and governing, is handled here. This duality is shared in that it also serves as the capital building for the entire system as well. All guests coming to the system for diplomatic reasons will find themselves welcomed, housed, and seen here. It is also the only place in the city with a private port for the company higher ups and invited guests to use. A bridge leads from the headquarters to the rest of the city. It is the single most secure location in the entire city.
Business District- Ashhearth's business district is located along the north and central portions of the lake side half of the city, is the second largest district in the city, and is from where the city expanded at its founding. The Ashhearth Industries facilities make up much of this district as John owns the system and the company both and because it is the main employer for the vast majority of the businesses in the system. Some of the Ashhearth factories are also located here, but not all of them. The offices for every other business in the system is located here around the bridge heading towards the Ashhearth Headquarters. There is an unspoken pecking order that can be seen among the other businesses as the closer they are to the Ashhearth HQ the higher their status is in the system. This is also were the banks and main hospital is located within the city as well as all of the public service buildings. The local authorities and social workers all call this district home, and are located as close to the divide between the two halves as possible for ease of access to both. This district is the second most patrolled portion of the city by local authorities.
Entertainment District- Ashhearth's entertainment district is takes up the south portion of the lake side half of the city, the second smallest district, and is the most popular district of the city. The reason this district is so popular is because it is where all of the entertainment facilities in the city are located. Dance clubs, strip clubs, gambling dens, cantinas, recreational substance stores, arenas, arcades, spas, and anything someone might find fun or relaxing can be found here. This is the place in the city where people go to have a good time. It is also because of this reason that it tends to be the most unruly part of the city. The locals also like to refer to this district as "Little Nar Shaddaa" because of the similarities it often has with the Nal Hutta moon.
Housing District- Ashhearth's house district is located in the central portion and parts of both the north and south portions of the mountain side half of the city, is the largest district in the city, and the fastest growing district as well. This district is full of housing units ranging from apartment complexes to housing units to small mansions. It also contains plenty of places to eat ranging from cheap and quick to expensive and fancy. It contains most of the stores, hospitals, and parks within the city. Artisan shops, such as greel woodworkers, are found all over this district. There is very little need for people to leave this district of the city unless they are heading to work, going into the business district, or most likely reason of going to the entertainment district. This portion of the city also is the most peaceful part of the city despite having the least patrols, as it is the most prone to vigilante justice of any section of the city. Despite this faction though it has the most friendly and inviting atmosphere of any district.
Industrial District- Ashhearth's industrial district is located in the north portion of the mountain half of the city, and is the considered to be the most active district in the city. The reason for this claim is that it is where the vast majority of the factories, refineries, and salvage yards of the city are located. These facilities run none stop to keep up with the demand for Ashhearth Industry products including both materials and goods such as speeders and ships. There also many warehouses located here as well to go along with the industrial facilities. This is the only district in the city as well that is completely dominated by Ashhearth Industries and the reason most people find themselves safely employed. This district has plenty of security with mercenaries and former troopers keeping an eye out for any problems. While things are mostly stable here, the district can be prone to violence from time to time as workers get stressed on the job. Security is always quick to act however, so it rarely has chance to go on for long or escalate.
Trade District- Ashheart's south portion of the mountain side of the city has been dubbed the Trade District because it contains the city's spaceport. The spaceport does not make up all of this district, although it does take up most of the district, but the fact it is the main trade center for the system certainly makes it accurate. The spaceport here is large and can support ships up to the size of a frigate easily. It is also able to handle a single cruiser sized ship as well, but that is only if the ship absolutely has to land. Outside of the spaceport, the district is made up of warehouses for storing all of the imported goods not heading to the Industrial District. This is district sees a lot of traffic and because of that as well as how vital it is to the prosperity of the city is the most secure part of the city. Most of the patrols by local authorities and plenty of private security can be seen at all times in the spaceport. No incident can pass without a response within seconds.
Underground Bunkers- Ashhearth is a new city in a developing system out in the middle of nowhere focused on trade, but John didn't think everything would progress smoothly forever. With the Galactic Empire and Confederacy of Independent Systems surrounding the Pii system from both sides, he utilized the local geography to create bunkers for the locals if they ever came under attack. There are tunnels all over the city where it meets mountain that go deep down to bunkers. They are always well stocked with enough food to supply the entire population of the city for nearly a year. Fresh water is available to the people from local sources and they contain their own generators for power. Thick blast doors seal the entrances to the bunkers and make it so anyone trying to get in will have a hard time of it. Outside of the blast doors and natural geography, the bunkers lack any form of defense.
SECURITY
Medium
- Deflector shield generator x2 (primary & secondary; both city wide; located in the center of the city)
- Quad Laser Cannon Turret x6 (4 eventually spaced around city perimeter & 2 in the center of the city)
- Turbolaser tower (located in the center of the city)
- Troop garrison (1000 militia infantrymen; enough troops to operate the defenses)
Ashhearth contains enough defenses and troops to hold back an attacking force, but not enough to handle a full military invasion on its own. It relies mostly on the local authorities and security to buffer its limited defensive assets for a capital city if it falls under attack. The main focus is more on stalling long enough to evacuate people to the bunkers and wait for the system's militia forces to arrive. The use of the local geography and two shield generators is the main focus on this defense as well with the turrets and tower there mostly to shoot at any aircraft that might attempt to transport hostile forces into the shields' perimeter. Once the shields go down and the enemy forces are past the rough terrain, there is little to stop them from taking the city.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Ashhearth is a very young city. For the vast majority of its history, it was nothing more than a small town to house the greel wood workers. With droids making up most of the manual labor, there was little need for large numbers of people in the system and so it remained that way with little impact from the outside world. The Gulag Plague, 400 years of darkness, Netherworld event, and Omega event did not effect the town different then it had other small towns out in the backwater systems at the edges of the galaxy. The main changes the town saw were mostly in who owned the system and what name the various owners decided to call it.
This all changed however when John Ash obtained the deed of ownership for the system and absorbed the old owner's company into Ashhearth Industries. He quickly gathered up all of the locals from the system, the people on a vagrant fleet left from a remnant of the Galactic Republic following its collapse, and the members of a local pirate gang together in the town. He offered them all a deal to be a citizen of the new Pii system and work for him or they would be allowed to leave and taken wherever they wanted. It was from those who stayed that John created the new capital city of the system. He named it Ashhearth after his family and his company.
The foundation for Ashhearth was quickly yet properly put up in the first year after its founding. During this time the city saw little growth, but once the new headquarters for Ashhearth Industries and spaceport was put in the city began to see a steady number of people arrive for the work. The number of people arriving suddenly exploded though as the Galactic Empire and then the Confederacy of Independent Systems began to expand their influence. Ashhearth, under the directive of John himself, was considered a safe haven in the sector for all of those not wanting to live under Imperial and Confederate law. The more people arrived the more the city expanded and grew.
By the time of the Insurrection, Ashhearth had grown to nearly its current size. It had also found itself in the borders of the Galactic Empire. John, however, made sure the system stayed under the radar of both groups and maintained the autonomy the city and system both enjoyed. The Insurrection past with no effect to Ashhearth and signs of the Galactic Empire waning power began to show. The Confederacy eventually invaded Tattooine while the Sovereignty, a faction on the other side of the Galactic Empire, invaded Zenith Prime at the same time. This showed how vulnerable the Empire was to her citizens and yet again John kept the Pii system out of the fighting while reaping the benefits. Refugees from both systems began to flood into Ashhearth seeking shelter. This new influx of citizens further expanded the city and has left it at its current size.
