Eastaher sucks. Literally sucks. It is the one piece of solid land surrounded by quick sand.
Eastaher is unique. It was founded at the end of the Pyschic Wars, by deserters and outlaws. It was out of the way, and hard to get to. Perfect for avoiding the prying eyes of the law. It was never controlled by anyone in power. The Eye who controlled all the thieves in the south couldn't control it. The White King found it a continuous thorn in his side. The only one who had any amount of control on it was Quonos. He based his Rough Riders there.
It is bordered by the Never Ending beach to the south and surrounded by the Trackless Swamp on every other side. The swamp water bubbles underneath the Beach, and causes quick sand that sucks everything down. Building the train there was a necessity. It was the only viable option for the Crynin to Arthic railway since at the time, Riverton was still ruins.
Eastaher Station is the shining center of this city. It used to a literal train station, but now it is the nickname for the whole district of bright lights and hustle. The world’s entertainment is based out of Eastaher Station, it is where the network radio is based out of so all the big news, star singers, and serialized dramas are coming from. While there is glitz and gleam, it is all just appearances, underneath, there is a seedy underbelly of crime, oppression, and outright abuse of the talent. Paradise promised, hell delivered.
It is a corrupt little city filled with the worst that humanity has to offer. Everyone who has ever lived there wants to leave. The only reason to go there is to find cutthroats, rogues, and con men. Only the sneakiest, meanest, downright unbearable thrive here. And by that very definition, the Iron Barons are the single best at thriving.
The Iron Barons like Eastaher, the civil authority is weak and there is almost no oversight. Eastaher grew exponentially during the time of the White King, all the undesirables who did not fall in with the theological rule. The Iron Barons use all of that undesirable to enforce their rule of the rails.
The Iron Barons have been chaffing under The Unified Army's rule for almost decades now. They have managed to make it work by sacrificing enough of their profit margin to keep them happy, but not enough that they don't make any money. The Iron Baron families are; Goldmender, Scoldori(Elf), O'Halloran, Johnson, Boiling Fist (Dwarf)
The Gangs of Eastaher
There are a lot of street gangs that the Iron Barons use as muscle- but they aren't owned or controlled by the Iron Barons. Hundreds of them. However, there are three main gangs. They have the most money, power, and numbers. They don't think of themselves as gangs though.
The Caparelli Crime Family. They were created and gathered by Scarath years ago, and were at the height of their power were in control of half the drug trade in the Human Lands. Most of the wererat clan went legit and are now in pharmaceuticals, those that are left are now a street gang in Eastaher. They run numbers and protection rackets. Eastaher is where the Caparelli's are most obvious, but they are everywhere.
Quonos's Original Riders are the closest to a traditional gang that you would find. Mostly because they tend to take over any gang that is getting a bit big. They also still engage in the most blatant of crimes, banditry. Whatever Quonos had in mind when he formed the Rough Riders is long gone. They are now just petty criminals with big dreams.
The Army of the United Pantheon is the least like a gang, but the most likely to go to violence. They are lead by Orin the Third- The White Prince. They formed a core of the Regulators military arm years ago. At one time they were paladins and other religious warriors. Now they are thugs with a religious tilt. They do the dirty work of the regulators. Purifier Squads from Fort Holt would never assassinate someone, use poison, or brainwash people- the AUP will. And they will do it with a grin on their face.