Cound Castle

Cound Castle (/cound/ [Translation Unavailable]) is a subtropical Large City located in Merrowford Dutchy, Queoulnia Kingdom, within the Sylvan.

The name Cound Castle is derived from the Sylvin language, as Cound Castle was founded by Marys Bence, who was culturaly Sylvin.

Climate

Cound Castle has a yearly average temperature of 17°C (62°F), with its average temperature during the summer being a warm 27°C (80°F) and its average temperature during the winter being a cold 8°C (46°F). Cound Castle receives an average of 205 cm/y (80 in/y) of precipitation, most of which comes in the form of rain during the fall. Cound Castle covers an area of nearly 202 km² (80 mi²), and an average elevation of 3432 m (11259 ft) above sea level.

Overview

Cound Castle was founded durring the late 10th century, by Marys Bence. The establishment of the new community went well, with no major obsticles durring construction.

Cound Castle was built using the conventions of Sylvin durring the late 10th century. Naturaly, all settlmentss have their own look to them, and Cound Castle is no diffrent. The city's buildings feature waddle and daub construction with good timber frames and a stone foundation protected by thatched or shingled rooves. Most buildings with second floors are built in such a way as to overhang into the streets on the upper floors for more space, as building size seems to be the primary indicator of wealth within the community. Most buildings are not decorated with any integral features, but instead use ivy, flowers, and other natural elements in planters of on trellices to breathe life into the structure they grow upon.

Cound Castle is is constructed arround a series of broad cobblestone mainstreets which form concentric circles, with smaller strait roads linking the circiles to each other at varrious points. The city has a defencive wall made from large clay bricks. The wall is constructed to the exact specifications of millitary fortifications, but the nature of its clay brick construction leaves it vulnerable to even outdated siege equipment. That said, the city is well defended against anything short of an army. The brittle defences have not been wellmaintained over the years, and while functional are in dire need of some loving care and perhapse light renovation.

Even the most brief look arround Cound Castle has a good chance of putting a church or shrine into the center of your view. The city is most certainly a god fearing community. It’s also definitely a god loving community. THe streetcornors are occupied by preachers, with the occasional intersection playing host to an actually friendly debate relating to the merits of various gods. Even the less popular as well as the less politically loved gods seem to have a space in Cound Castle, there’s even shrines to gods known to the region only through hearsay.

Civic Infrastructure

Cound Castle possesses a city-wide Aethary Link which provides Aethary access anywhere within its metropolitan. This allows citizens who can afford the relevant devices access in their places of work, and rarely homes.

Cound Castle has an animal control department which works to enforce local ordinances relating to the control, impoundment, and disposition of animals.

Cound Castle has an Office of Civil Groundskeeping, which works to enforce local ordinances relating to the construction and upkeep up of all plant life, water features, and other natural decorations within Cound Castle. They are also responsible for the maintenance of these features. Notably, the OCG is not responsible for Cound Castle's parks.

Cound Castle has an Office of Civil Vicary, which is responsible for providing a livelyhood for all officialy recognised religious figures within Cound Castle.

Cound Castle has a government-funded child care program, overseen by the local Department of Nursemaids, which is responsible for providing childcare to working-class citizens according to local ordinances.

Cound Castle has a Gravedigger's Guild, which is responsible for collecting the dead and laying them to rest according to all applicable laws and religious customs.

Cound Castle has a Guild of Nurses, which is tasked with caring for the elderly and infirm in accordance with local ordinances, religious values, and customs.

Cound Castle has a Department of Firefighters, which is responsible for organizing fire fighting efforts during a fire and enforcing local ordinances relating to fire safety.

Cound Castle has a Highwayman's Guild, which is tasked with maintaining the roads and highways leading into town as well as keeping them safe for travelers.

Cound Castle has a Hall of Slayers, which is tasked with maintaining the roads and highways leading into town as well as keeping them safe for travelers.

Cound Castle has a monistary of an order of Civil Monks, who provide divine-related services to the general public and maintain Cound Castle's public wards, blessings, and other arcane systems.

Cound Castle has an Administrative Academy which trains individuals in the administrative arts.

Cound Castle possesses a Galvanic Power Grid, which brings galvanic current to most if not all buildings in town, and permits a great many consumer goods to function within the Large City. Cound Castle's grid is powered by a direct leyline tap.

Cound Castle's old civil lighting system was converted to Galvanic Lamps recently, and expanded to provide nighttime illumination to all city streets.

Cound Castle has a first rate hospital which caters to anyone in need of long term medical care.

Cound Castle has a library, which keeps a large collection of books, scrolls, and archives all manner of physical items. The library is open to the public, including the Aether Link.

Cound Castle has a Parks and Recreation Department, which is responsible for the construction, management, and usage rights for all of its parks and parklands. They are not to be confused with the Office of Civil Groundskeeping as they do not hold authority over nor responsibility for Cound Castle's natural decorations nor waterways.

Cound Castle has a Guild of Roadworkers, who are responsible for maintaining the roadways and public paths within town. They also have the duty of enforcing all civil laws relating to the roadways.

Cound Castle has a public schooling program overseen by the Hall of Sages who has the responsibility of ensuring access to affordable high-quality education in all basic classes (Reading, Writing, Mathmatics, General Sciences, General Arcana, and Social Education) is made available to all citizens.

Cound Castle has a public septic system, which allows its citizens to have indoor bathrooms. The septic system is overseen by the League of Sewerkeepers, who posses the legal authority to enforce all laws relating to the septic system, and are also tasked with its maintenance and upkeep.

Cound Castle is home to a University which provides higher education in a variety of fields, and also serves as a research institute for those same fields.

Cultural Notes

Cound Castle's chapel was built using a different architectural style from the rest of the town. The style used which employed abundant symbolic geometry, using pure forms such as the circle and square, and plans are based on often symmetrical layouts featuring rectangular courtyards and halls. These structures were is decorated with carved stone or stucco reliefs and made use of colorful stone mosaics..

In Cound Castle there is a constant smell of overcooked presumably ethnic food.

The Marble Snake near Cound Castle are known to be a mutant strain of the creature.

Cound Castle's citizens partake in a curious ritual relating to their local kami. It takes place in winter and involves embarking on a group pilgrimage to channel Truename Magic energies of tier 2 via moments of science.

Economy

The following information was obtained via the Imperial Census Bureau as part of the Eyom Economic Outreach Program. It differs from Standard Imperial censuses in that many of Tom's citizens, regardless of culture, work in more than one occupation or hold more than a single job. The Imperial Census Bureau has ruled that a job is a job, hence, the intigers within the data presented here can count an individual more than once.

Cound Castle Census Data: Year 2000

18261 of Cound Castle's population work within a Foundational Occupation.

• 988 work in Agriculture
• 4107 work as Craftsmen
• 1477 work as Merchants
• 2875 work as Service Workers
• 1848 work as General Laborers
• 746 work as Skilled Laborers
• 2706 work as Civil Servants
• 1594 work in Cottage Industries
• 1002 work as Artists
• 918 work in Produce Industries

26472 of Cound Castle's population do not work in a formal occupation, but do contribute to the local economy. 3366 (7%) are noncontributers.

Points of Interest

Cound Castle is known for its odd use of round-a-bouts, small ring roads used in place of intersections.

POI

History

A vast influx of newcomers over the last 6 years has greatly spiked Cound Castle's population. They may have been drawn by economic opportunities, or fled some pursuing peril, or been forcibly moved there by a ruler who wanted to dilute the existing native cohesion. The natives may not have the resources or opportunities to integrate these newcomers, and it may be that the new population has no desire to stay longer than is necessary.

In time immemorial, reportedly some time during the early 2nd century a local hero by the name of spared the town from an attack. One of Cound Castle's festivals remembers the hero.

History