Arch City
Arch City bought its freedom with the bodies of those who sought it. A bustling, self-sufficient outlier settlement operating on a devil's bargain with the Ironworks, the city maintained its autonomy through an arrangement that most of its residents found reasonable and a few found monstrous.
During the Ironworks era, Arch City sat separate from the main train lines and off the Lake, which helped it maintain independence from the empire. As an unaffiliated settlement, it was a frequent stopping point for slaves fleeing the Ironworks. The city's answer to this situation was pragmatic: offer the escaped slaves drink, ply them until they were insensate, then load the unconscious bodies onto carts for transport back to the Ironworks. In exchange, the empire left Arch City alone.
The settlement was generally self-sufficient, enjoying freedom from the Ironworks that most outlier communities could only dream of. Brewing and trade sustained the economy. For the majority of the population, the exchange of returned slaves for continued autonomy was a reasonable transaction. A few individuals quietly managed to smuggle some escapees out instead of returning them, but these acts of conscience were small and careful, conducted in the shadow of a deal that kept the city standing.
During the Ironworks era, Arch City sat separate from the main train lines and off the Lake, which helped it maintain independence from the empire. As an unaffiliated settlement, it was a frequent stopping point for slaves fleeing the Ironworks. The city's answer to this situation was pragmatic: offer the escaped slaves drink, ply them until they were insensate, then load the unconscious bodies onto carts for transport back to the Ironworks. In exchange, the empire left Arch City alone.
The settlement was generally self-sufficient, enjoying freedom from the Ironworks that most outlier communities could only dream of. Brewing and trade sustained the economy. For the majority of the population, the exchange of returned slaves for continued autonomy was a reasonable transaction. A few individuals quietly managed to smuggle some escapees out instead of returning them, but these acts of conscience were small and careful, conducted in the shadow of a deal that kept the city standing.
History
Arch City established its independence from the Ironworks through a calculated bargain: returning escaped slaves in exchange for autonomy. The arrangement developed naturally from the settlement's position as a frequent stopping point for fleeing Irons. Rather than risk the fate of CinCinn by harboring escapees, Arch City chose survival through complicity. The deal held throughout the Ironworks era, keeping the settlement self-sufficient and free while the empire received its runaways. A small number of residents worked against the arrangement by smuggling some escapees to safety, but these efforts remained hidden, knowing that exposure would end both the bargain and the city.
Geography
Arch City sat on the southern periphery of the Ironworks, separate from the main train lines and off the Lake. This geographic isolation contributed to its ability to maintain independence from the empire. The settlement was close enough to serve as a stopping point for escaped slaves but distant enough from the core Ironworks cities to avoid direct military pressure. Speedtown was a fellow outlier settlement in the region.
