Lensen

***I could see the air quotes out of the corner of my eye.***

*The following is an extract from* Worth the Candle: A Brief Description of Aerb*.*

Caledwich was the home of the First Empire, and Lankwon (later Manifest) was the home of the Second Empire. When the Articles of Empire were being written, it was acknowledged that imperial governance would greatly benefit from a centralized location. After a great deal of debate between interested parties, it was finally agreed that Lensen, a moveable floating island, would be made into an imperial polity, controlled and administered by the empire itself, and transferring locations at set intervals so that it wouldn’t favor any particular member polity more than others just because of geographical proximity. The plan was that the floating island of Lensen would move every four years to a newly prepared location where various services could be reconnected, and the city itself would serve as a monument to the unity of the new empire.

Unfortunately, the reality of moving an entire city, even through known means and a large amount of magic, has logistical challenges that are difficult and costly to overcome. Lensen was originally set down twenty miles from Hershford, but took nine years before it was moved for the first time, rather than the original four years that were planned, largely due to cost overruns at the recipient site in Parrungal. Additionally, while the plan had been for Lensen to be a self-contained city-state, this didn’t bear out in reality, as disconnection from its first site caused considerable strain on the polity.

Following Lensen’s landing in the kingdom of Parrungal, there was some skepticism that the floating island would ever fly again, skepticism that has been borne out until the present day, though a reception site has been prepared in Anglecynn, and motions will occasionally be brought in the legislature to move the city once more. At this point, such a move seems incredibly unlikely, as Lensen has been deeply embedded into Parrungal, and Parrungal itself has poured significant amounts of money into infrastructure support for Lensen’s continued location in their kingdom.

Lensen is a city-state and imperial polity, governed in part by the legislature and overseen by a mayor who is chosen by a legislative sub-committee. Formally, the city of Lensen’s authority stops at the edge of the floating island, but in practice, the mayor has broad authority over the surrounding areas, which include a number of businesses and buildings that are of vital function to the surrounding area, as well as housing for many of the people who live and work in Lensen. The arrangement with Parrungal is a complex thing, and colors much of how citizens of the city view themselves and their city, with a sharp divide between Parrungal and Lensen.

Architecturally, every building in Lensen must be designed with movement in consideration, which increases building costs somewhat and results in fewer of the tall buildings that are found in other major cities. Because Lensen can move as a whole, there is less risk of structural damage than might be assumed, but there are still practical matters like the effects of acceleration to consider. In the taller buildings, magical materials are often used, which is sometimes reflected in their outward appearance. When people think of Lensen, it’s typically of the government buildings, which dominate the available space, and around which everything else is built.

The largest of these buildings spans three city blocks, an entad building called the Myriad Halls, which predates the EoCC and was one of the reasons for choosing Lensen. The building is hyper-adaptive, altering rooms and adding extradimensional space as needed by its occupants. The main chamber can expand, adding desks, for the entirety of the legislature, and every meeting room will have exactly as many chairs as needed, with more popping into existence as people join. As with most entad buildings, it’s not without its quirks, and the many staff the place requires are largely there to correct the building’s attempts at ‘helpfulness’ (though the building cannot communicate and is arguably sub-sentient). The Myriad Halls have offices for every member of the legislature, as well as meeting rooms for every committee and sub-committee. As the internal space expands, bathrooms are added at regular intervals.

*Extracted text ends here.*