Lantern
Lantern is a small secluded citadel deep in a gigantic forest. It is the largest manufacturer of Radiant Steel in the region, thanks to a building-sized lantern projecting a large, stable portal to the Spirit Realm. Lantern continues into the otherworldly realm and has large soakfields of radiant steel.
The defensive militia for Lantern calls itself the Lantern Force and is led by the dwarf Marshall Calliope Ridge. She is too young for the job and overwhelmed by the responsibility after getting promoted due to the previous Marshal taking an early retirement. The prior Marshall was an old slightly-racist dwarf (thus why he picked a dwarf to follow after him) who clearly just did not want to deal with the aftermath of the upcoming end of the Radiant Steel deal. His name is Lora Sanks and lives in a posh mansion to the north of Lantern.
Districts
Lantern runs a gamut of heavy industry all the way to secluded forests. It is further bifurcated between the Material Plane and Spiritual Plane, with a mechanikal Lantern serving as a large permanent gateway between the two. The Lantern namesake is about in the middle of the Citadel, nestling between semi-rural housing deeper into the forest and growing industrialization to the east, toward the train station. Much of the industry is concentrated in the east.
Within the Spirit Realm, a web of small flagstone paths with rocks of every color spread out from the Lantern portal. Between the paths are numerous small-to-medium sized wading pools, not very deep but generally very still and crystal clear. Batches of radiant steel absorb the spiritual energy at the bottom of the pools. Workers are very careful to avoid disturbing the water in the pool, and they typically fill up and empty each pool in one go. Industrial experiments are trying at larger, multi-batch pools, but so far the process still has rough edges. Disturbances to the water can slow down or ruin the purification of the radiant steel in the pool. Much of the Lantern Force serves a non-violent watch over the pools to help ensure the pools stay at rest, though certain types of spirits are allowed in, and others aren't. It requires careful study and memorization, particularly because many spirits mimic others that are okay, or are particularly clever about sneaking in to cause havoc. With the spirit contract ended, spirit disruption has sky-rocketed, and the Lantern Force doesn't actually have the authority to stop the spirits anymore. The larger pools have more built up around them and ironically get disrupted less now.
Guilds and Factions
The Pipers
The Pipers are a brave group headquartered at the western wall of Lantern. They travel on short-distance (under 50 miles from the Citadel) expeditions into the great forest in search of diamond pipes. Much of the travel is attempted through the spirit realm (with easements from the contract in the past...), and spirits help track down deep pipe veins of diamonds that cut through the Hellways. These diamonds are quickly mined for a couple days, then the expedition retreats back to Lantern. There are both the devils in the Hellways to contend with if they dig too deep or too far out from the pipe, and roving hunter-scavenger wraiths in the forest that must be evaded. To aid in mining speed, the Pipers make very heavy use of powerful explosives.
The diamonds are needed to make radiant steel, so the business is very profitable, but the owner of the company, Maestro Musile, is concerned about starting a new expedition after news of the contract ending- less diamond dust may be needed. Musile hides their identity as an elf; their real name is Sharp.
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