Axbister

Axbister
City
Clockwise from top: The Marknadsgaitt in winter; the Palace of Axbister; the Basilica of Saint Brendan; Old Town Axbister; Downtown Axbister streetscapes; Mathowsgaitt in Kanmor quarter.
Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  The Ax; Cloud City; Crown Town
Motto(s):  Operibus anteire Leading the way with deeds
Country	Rocail
County	Axbister
Founded	10th century
Council	Axbister City Council
Government
• Euverborgmeistre	Walter Skaw (Non-partisan)
Area
• Metro	898.42 km2 (346.88 sq mi)
Population  (2023)
• City	976,213
• Metro	1,124,726
Demonym	Axbistrian
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+
Website	www.axbister.rk

Axbister is the capital and largest city of Rocail and the centre of the administrative district of County Axbister. As of 2023 it had a population of 976,216. The larger Axbister metropolitan area is home to more than 1.1 million people, roughly 20% of the population of Rocail. It is located on the River Rann estuary in the Lees of Great Rocail, facing onto the Scyllsvik and Olaw Kolbrun Sound.

Axbister was founded in the 10th century, likely by Norse whalers, though anecdotal evidence suggests earlier habitation by Rocailish Papar. The city gained political ascendancy between 1093 and 1103 under the House of Melmari and served from 1118 as the seat of the Jarldom of Rocail under the Kingdom of the Isles. It developed into the main port and centre of the first Rocailish kingdom and was reinstated as capital after the Rocailish Revolution. The city flourished as Rocail's cultural centre through the 19th century and experienced steady redevelopment that defined the urban landscape to the modern day. The post-Second World War era brought increased verticalization and modern infrastructure development.

Axbister is the cultural, economic and governmental centre of Rocail and is home to the Riksdagh and the Monarchy of Rocail. It is colloquially known as "Cloud City" due to its oceanic climate creating frequent rainfall and high likelihood of cloudy skies year-round. With an annual mean temperature of below nine degrees Celsius, Axbister is in the bottom third of coldest capital cities in Europe, while being the second-warmest capital city in Scandinavia (behind Copenhagen). The city's strategic waterfront location has driven development of a robust marine economy. Rocail's largest financial institutions are located in Axbister. The city has the highest level of post-secondary education in Rocail and a comparatively high level of ethnocultural diversity.

Toponymy

Axbister is a corruption of the Old Norse name Ásketill and the place indicator bólstaðr, indicating a farm or domicile. The name derives from Ásketill inn Katneski, or Asketil of Caithness, a Norse-Gael who is held by tradition to have established the first settlement in Axbister. The original form of the name was likely along the lines of "Ásketills-bólstaðr." By the late 11th century it is recorded as Áskebolstar. The modern spelling is attributable to influence from Danish rule in Rocail and regular contact with English-speaking traders.

History

Tradition attributes Asketil of Caithness as the first settler in the area of Axbister. Archaeological discoveries in the area of Papey Tor have been attributed to the early 10th century and include artifacts consistent with Viking settlement, including tools and the remains of a stone hillfort partially overbuilt by the Palace of Axbister. Later tradition attributes a Rocailish Papar settlement to the area, largely based on the name of Papey Tor, but modern historians reject this claim for lack of physical evidence. The name is more likely derived from an Old Norse ancestor of the Norwegian pupp (breast/tit), evoking the roughly conical shape of the tor.

Axbister was initially overshadowed by the more developed settlement at Fexgert, but grew because of its strategic location adjacent to good farmland and a sheltered harbour. The city's position on the Rann estuary offered whalers and traders advantages that promoted settlement. The House of Melmari emerged as the predominant ombodsmen in the broader County Axbister and eventually secured privilege over the Tormodings, being named Jarls over Rocail. The settlement at Axbister would receive its first walls in this period, along with a stone harbour, some of the remnants of which have been found underlying the modern waterfront.

Axbister is estimated to have lost nearly half its population during the Black Death. Burials from the period have been found near the House of the Holy Ghost monastery, with remains showing clear evidence of bubonic plague.

From 1407, Axbister was the seat of the first Kingdom of Rocail. The Palace of Axbister, apparently extant as a fortified house since the late 13th century, was expanded during this period, but eventually replaced by a larger palace near the site of the modern Axbister Central Station. Foundation stones from the palace, which fell into disrepair through the early modern period and was demolished in the 18th century, can still be seen around the station.

Early modern Axbister

Settlement of Aquilona brought an influx of trade to Axbister and resulted in an increase in overall prosperity. The Protestant Reformation reversed these trends by placing the mostly Roman Catholic Rocail in opposition to the mostly Anglican England. The deterioration of relations between England and Rocail resulted in a reduction in trade and a prevalence of English freebooter activity in nearby waters.

Axbister remained the administrative centre of Rocail following the Danish conquest of the kingdom in 1616.

Geography

The Old East Gate transits the Axbister Walls between Old Town Axbister and Kanmor quarter.

Axbister is the western anchor of the Innerlee region, on the boundary with the Ribbeckness in County Valland. It is located on the estuary of the River Rann, at the point where it flows into the Scyllsvik and the broader Olaw Kolbrun Sound. The core of Axbister is on the southern bank of the river and extending along adjacent coastlines. The large hill of Papey Tor is located close to the city centre, while much of the cityscape proper has otherwise experienced significant grading.

The old core of Axbister is concentrated east of Papey Tor on the south side of the Rann, straddling Ros Creek, a natural stream initially widened to accommodate small barges coming to the Old Harbour. Old Town Axbister is highly walkable and surrounded by the remains of Axbister's late-medieval town walls. Four gates survive and are frequently used by both pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The city spreads west, east and south around the old core, following the Scyllsvik and Rann coastlines to the modern Port of Axbister, and extends to less dense quarters on the north side of the Rann. On the south side, the old core is surrounded by the midtown quarters of Kanmor, Lyngehavn, Årness and Sudingerd and the administrative centre of Vestregrind at the southern foot of Papey Tor, location of the Riksdagh and other key government structures. Outer quarters include Trongvik on the north side of the river and Bisby, Konungsgart, Nyseter and Dalton in the southern halo.

Climate

Axbister experiences an oceanic climate of the marine west coast type (Köppen Cfb). The Gulf Stream pushes warmer water from the central Atlantic towards Kolbrun Sound, moderating the winter. The city receives significant precipitation year-round. Axbister is comparable in latitude to Aberdeen and experiences similar fluctuations in the length of the daylight period throughout the year. Days throughout December can be as short as seven hours long, extending to closer to eight and a half hours by the end of January, while day length at the peak of summer is closer to 18 hours in length. Axbister can typically expect between 30 and 40 snow days per year among roughly 40% of days of the year where precipitation is expected. The heaviest precipitation occurs from mid-September to mid-March, typically peaking in December and January. The city receives frequent "storm dregs" each Atlantic hurricane season, particularly in autumn, and experiences extratropical storm systems, squalls and snow flurries blowing off the Atlantic during the peak of winter.

The moderating effect of North Atlantic wind and currents, largely southwesterly, results in Axbister experiencing relatively mild mean temperatures year-round. Axbister has never experienced a temperature high above 29.7 °C or a low below -19.5 °C. A more typical temperature band is around 25 °C on a hot July day and -6 °C on a cold December day. July and August are typically the warmest months, with mean daily maximums in the ranges of 18 °C to 20 °C and highs in the 23s and 24s, while December and January are the coldest months and experience mean daily minimums just above freezing.

Climate data for Axbister (Jhone Kerr International Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	15.9 (60.6)	16.3 (61.3)	21.1 (70.0)	23.2 (73.8)	23.8 (74.8)	25.9 (78.6)	29.7 (85.5)	29.4 (84.9)	27.0 (80.6)	24.1 (75.4)	19.5 (67.1)	15.1 (59.2)	29.7 (85.5)
Mean maximum °C (°F)	11.9 (53.4)	12.3 (54.1)	14.8 (58.6)	17.1 (62.8)	19.2 (66.6)	22.1 (71.8)	23.3 (73.9)	23.2 (73.8)	21.7 (71.1)	17.2 (63.0)	15.1 (59.2)	12.6 (54.7)	23.3 (73.9)
Average high °C (°F)	6.2 (43.2)	6.8 (44.2)	8.6 (47.5)	10.8 (51.4)	13.5 (56.3)	16.8 (62.2)	18.7 (65.7)	18.5 (65.3)	15.9 (60.6)	12.1 (53.8)	9.6 (49.3)	7.1 (44.8)	12.0 (53.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	3.6 (38.5)	3.8 (38.8)	5.2 (41.4)	7.1 (44.8)	9.6 (49.3)	12.2 (54.0)	14.5 (58.1)	14.5 (58.1)	12.4 (54.3)	9.7 (49.5)	6.8 (44.2)	4.1 (39.4)	8.6 (47.5)
Average low °C (°F)	0.5 (32.9)	0.8 (33.4)	1.5 (34.7)	3.5 (38.3)	5.5 (41.9)	8.5 (47.3)	11.2 (52.2)	11.1 (52.0)	9.2 (48.6)	6.4 (43.5)	3.3 (37.9)	1.2 (34.2)	5.2 (41.4)
Mean minimum °C (°F)	−5.9 (21.4)	−5.4 (22.3)	−4.8 (23.4)	−2.2 (28.0)	−0.6 (30.9)	3.3 (37.9)	5.8 (42.4)	5.1 (41.2)	2.9 (37.2)	0.8 (33.4)	−2.9 (26.8)	−6.7 (19.9)	−6.7 (19.9)
Record low °C (°F)	−19.5 (−3.1)	−19.3 (−2.7)	−16.3 (2.7)	−7.4 (18.7)	−5.1 (22.8)	−0.2 (31.6)	0.3 (32.5)	−0.1 (31.8)	−2.7 (27.1)	−3.9 (25.0)	−14.2 (6.4)	−18.8 (−1.8)	−19.5 (−3.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	192.8 (7.59)	161.5 (6.36)	128.3 (5.05)	91.1 (3.59)	81.6 (3.21)	78.2 (3.08)	82.3 (3.24)	93.4 (3.68)	122.7 (4.83)	147.1 (5.79)	158.0 (6.22)	176.3 (6.94)	1,513.3 (59.58)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	27.3	22.1	18.7	15.6	14.5	13.6	14.0	15.9	18.6	20.5	22.0	25.2	228
Average snowy days	8	7	6	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	34
Average relative humidity (%)	87	84	82	79	78	78	79	81	83	84	85	85	82
Percent possible sunshine	22	26	20	34	38	37	34	34	30	27	25	22	29
Source: Environment Rocail

Urban character

The 41-storey, 174.9-metre Skyhagin Residens in east-central Axbister is the tallest building in Rocail.

Quarters

Axbister is made up of numerous quarters, neighbourhoods of various sizes and ages that have developed distinct identities. The boundaries of the quarters are not formally delineated and can be subject to debate.

Old Town Axbister

Old Town is the oldest region of Axbister, with some structures dating to the late medieval period. The neighbourhood is loosely bounded by the surviving portions of the Axbister Walls to the east and west and by the canalized Ros Creek in the south. Street layout in the old core represents former medieval-era foot routes leading towards the waterfront. Old Town is a highly walkable area transited mainly by foot traffic. Built character is largely wall-to-wall, with most development dating from the 1700s and 1800s and featuring street-level storefronts and upper-level residential. The historic Basilica of Saint Brendan is a heritage landmark. The north end of the Old Town is bounded by the outlet of Ros Creek and Axbister's old fisheries district, where several warehouse facilities now operate as restaurant and hospitality facilities and pleasure craft generally take the place of fishing vessels.

A notable waterfront attraction is a scale replica of the 1857 brig KRM Axbister, a historic tall ship first brought into service in 1819.

Vestregrind

This quarter's name translates literally to "Westgate." It is located outside the west gate of the old medieval walls, at the southern foot of Papey Tor. Vestregrind is a dense and walkable-drivable neighbourhood predominated by administrative buildings. The Riksdagh building and Rannborg Palace, residence of the monarch, are both located in Vestregrind. The quarter contains a disproportionate number of foreign embassies to Rocail.

Transportation

Air transport in Axbister and the surrounding area is provided through Jhone Kerr International Airport, Rocail's largest airport. The airport is the headquarters for Lift Rocail, the country's flag carrier, and other Rocailish airlines. The airport is a major hub for both passengers and international cargo. County Axbister Regional Airport in the township of Dardale, constructed as a relief airport in the 1960s, has two runways below two kilometres in length and is suitable for business jets, charters and some smaller passenger craft from low-cost airlines. The Axbister County Seaplane Port, located in western County Axbister, can accommodate small numbers of seaplanes.

Axbister Central Station (Rocailish: Axbister Hevedridagartin), commonly shortened to Axbister HRG, is Rocail's largest passenger rail station and the main hub of Rocail's railway network. High-speed rail and conventional rail are both accessible. Passenger service is provided by RSJR. The Axbister Metro is the city's rapid transit system and connects the broader metropolitan area through underground routes. The Axbister tramway network provides roughly 100 light rail stops along key surface streets throughout the city and achieves ridership of approximately 150,000 people daily.

Axbister Harbour is one of Rocail's largest ports and the central hub of the Rocailish ferry network. Råkelska Varvanferjar provides passenger ferry service to other areas of the Rocail Archipelago. Vehicle ferry service is also available.