Fort Lupis - Example of a Steam Sage City

  Fort Lupis is what would be considered in the "mid-range" level of
industrialization for the Steam Age.  Established as the main crossroads and
switching station for all the major locomotive traffic coming from the Old
Kingdom's Grombli Industries and going out to the world, Fort Lupis has six
major railways, two south, two west, one east, and one north, and a handful of
noral trade roads from all over.
  Origionally, Fort Lupis was only a small military post, consisting of
fortified walls, a half dozedn siege cannons only, and a central watch tower. 
When it was purchased by Grombli Industries, the city was formed.  The initial
watchtower of only a few floors, was reconstructed to a ten story, iron framed
colossus using dwarven technology, though it still only has three internal
floors.  The origional walls were strengthened, but the Fort now only serves as
the barracks for the police.
  The surruodinging city has grown in response to the railways.  Immediately
surrounding each railway is a storage district of warehouses, inns, and bars
for traveling merchants who are switching trains.  Those wealthy enough to own
their own rail-car generally have it pulled from the tracks and moved to a
nearby warehouse, as cars generally are not in town for more than a few days,
there is no official rail-yard.   
   Outside the "Rail District" is where the normal cityscape begins, a
sprawling mass of buildings one to five stories tall, with the shorter
buildings near the edges of the city.  As the primary "merchant district" is in
the center of the city, just outside the main switch station, the cirt has an
almost bowl design when viewed from the iron watch-tower.  Telling the
difference between wealthy and impoverished sections of the city, even though
both exist as large buildings outside the "merchant district" only the wealthy
can afford buildings with the glorious "raised rail" system allowing transport
to adjacent buildings, and down to the "merchant district" directly, by foor or
small rail-car, without being bothered by local street vagrants.
    Unlike most Steam Age cities, Fort Lupis lacks the illustrious spires raised
by nobles as a sign of wealth, as the government is a council of appointed
officials, provided by Grombli Industries.  Also, the city's connection to
Grombli Industries makes it difficult for factories to be started, thus most
successful machinists are usually in some way working for, or paying tribute
to, Grombli Industries.  The lack of spires and major factories leaves the main
watch-tower the most prominant figure of the city, and at all hours of the day
the tower reflect light, standing out as a beacon on the horizen.

     Aside from the main city, the handful of fithy rich people (the old
nobility) and current government officials have estates outside the city
limits.  Such places are usually exploited as commercial farmland, or, in
government cases, testing areas for scientific constructs.

   During all seasons, the streets of Fort Lupis are illuminated by both
natural and artificial lighting, with the artificial ranging from city-owned
lamps, to locally provided magic lights, and during the winter, companies and
home owners are expected to provide their own street clearance of snow, as the
government only provides it for the railways and main trade roads.  Many
merchants have organized communities to work together for un-official city
maintainance, thus most important streets are keps clean.  Unfortunately, this
does not often cover the homes of the less fortunate, who often fall prey to
wiley vagrants using the bad weather to their advantage.

   Within the Fort Lupis' city limits, communication is done either by
magic pigeon, or runners, the only social class granted access to the
"raised-rails" other than the wealthy, normal pigeons and similar courier
animals are concidered unreliable and dangerous within the city, as the poorer
citizens have a tendancy of catching and eating such creatures.  Communicating
outside the city is primarily run through the rail companies as a sort of
capitalist mail system, thus runner/couriers are often the first choice any
citizen.

   There are no illegal weapons in Fort Lupis, and most laws only support the
wealthy and government-employed.  Generally, the only crimes one is committed
for officially are outright murder, damaging government property, and
assaulting government officials; however, most companies enforce their own
laws and employ thier own police force, without argument from the government
unless the company threatenes other businesses.  Like street cleaning, many
companies band together to have communal protection.
   Although Grombli Industries wil sell weapons to anyone, prices in Fort Lupis
are high, 15% to 50% higher then the normal if bought from the official
merchants, thus usually only the wealthy and government-employed (who get a
discount) can afford firearms.  Commonly, local tinkerers will construct lower
quality firearms for a lower price, but these are almost always low calibre and
hand packed, as local sanction decrees only Grombli Industries can sell
cartrige weapons.

   As for transport, most is done by foot or horse.  At a fair pace (forced
march) one could walk across the diameter of the city in just over a day,
assuming one wasn't assaulted first.  Wealthy individuals can often afford
"steam-wagons" which are little more than steam engines with wheels, to carry
them about.  Most such wagons are usually magically, or technologically
protected from theft, and any official parking location is usually constantly
under survielence.


   The underworld of Fort Lupis is almost as grand as the "merchant district". 
Actually, many of the merchants double as crime lords, constantly seeking to
undermine their competition.  Many of the previously mentione merchant alliances
are little more than thieves' guilds who run protection rackets.  There is one
primary shadow guild only spoken of in secret throughout Fort Lupis and that is
the Pendragon's Society, one of the world's most feared Assassin's guilds. 
Although no one officially, and very few otherwise, know who is actually in the
guild other than guild members, it is fairly well known that most of the
guild's hiring happens in Fort Lupis.  Generally one comes to the city, making
their intentions known about town, and they are approached by a busines man who
arranges the deal.  Generally, there's a fiar chance they actually work for the
Society, since imposters are quickly terminated.