Pax District, Pax Gothica
In Dreadfire Square, thousands of diplomats, government staff, and workers had gathered for the opening ceremony of Pax Gothica. While everyone had a reason to be proud this day, the workers were feeling particularly thrilled with what the media was calling “Opening Day.”
The regional capital and her outlying districts had been completed in a just over two years thanks to an army of construction workers and an armada of printer ships. The capital city wasn’t completely finished of course. There were plenty of empty parcels of land still waiting for buildings to fill them. The official buildings - the Gothic Hall, the Trade Building, Praetorium and other administrative offices - were finished and decorated in banners from every Gothic nation. The other buildings that were standing had a sturdy, but unfinished look to them. The air smelled of sawdust and fresh asphalt.
Castellan Evelyn Burnham was the star of the show and she had made sure that the construction workers that had worked so hard to make this day happen got a front row seat. As Castellan, she had been in charge of the effort to build the city at the behest of the Gothic Lords. It had been a gargantuan undertaking. Each Gothic nation would have its own district plus four embassy districts to be utilized by those outside the region and district just for the air and seaport. At the center of all this - and in the exact geographical center of the region - would be the central district of Pax which would house the capitol building...Gothic Hall. Gothic Hall would be permanently staffed with ambassadors from every nation working together to solve whatever crisis unfolded before them. Even now, Alliance military forces were meeting together to discuss the current state of war against the Slaver Empire and the effort to liberate the Pudite island chain of Shen Almaru.
Burnham was in a Gothic Red power suit and held the Castellan's Mace in her hand as she rose to the podium to speak. Joining her on stage were a number of important people including several Gothic Lords and almost all the Ambassadors to the Gothic Council. There were to be many speeches made this day, but as Castellan she would get the first.
She rose the Mace above her head to call for silence. The Mace resembled the Crimson Oak with branches engraved with the names of every Gothic nation. As the crowd fell silent, she placed the Mace in its holster.
“My Lords… my fellow Goths… steelworkers, masons, welders, and carpenters. I bid you welcome to Pax Gothica!”
Cheers erupted from the crowd for a moment.
“I won’t speak long, but I want to do two things. The first, is to thank each and every one of you for your work to build this great city. This day is history. You built this history. Years from now - generations from now - when they talk about what happened in this place you can tell your children and grandchildren that you built it. Thank you for service to the region. Truely, thank you.”
Several of the Gothic Lords stood to applaud the workers. Media cameras zoomed in on several men who were still holding onto their sledgehammers and wearing their construction helmets.
“There are many people who look to this region and our violent history and say that we are irredeemable. Let them come to Pax Gothica. There are some who say that in these uncertain times that only the language of violence can achieve great things - that peace and diplomacy are only tools of the weak and the slow. Let them come to Pax Gothica.
The peace process has many difficulties and the reforms are not perfect, but never before have so many nations put in so much effort to build what we have built here today. I know of no town, no city, that has been as ambitious as this one, and carries with it the hope and the determination of the Region of Gholgoth!
To the world at large, we open our city gates unto you! Use this opportunity to start dialogue, establish embassies, open up trade, and come to celebrate our new era of peace.
Let them come to Pax Gothica!”