Dark Castle

Dark Castle (/dɑrk/ [Translation Unavailable]) is a temperate Large City located in Valebourne Dutchy, Midate Kingdom, within the Sylvan.

The name Dark Castle is derived from the Sylvin language, as Dark Castle was founded by Izsrang Worrall, who was culturaly Sylvin.

Climate

Dark Castle has a yearly average temperature of 10°C (50°F), with its average temperature during the summer being a cool 14°C (57°F) and its average temperature during the winter being a cold 7°C (44°F). Dark Castle receives an average of 234 cm/y (92 in/y) of precipitation, most of which comes in the form of snow during the pleasantly short winter months. Dark Castle covers an area of nearly 174 km² (69 mi²), and an average elevation of 1350 m (4429 ft) above sea level.

Overview

Dark Castle was founded durring the early 12th century in summer of the year 1126, by Izsrang Worrall. The establishment of Dark Castle suffered from several major issues, resulting in the need to develop many solutions to basic problems. Problems such as a lack of fresh water, logistical support, poor quality tools, and the odd monster or two. Howeaver, these were overcome in time.

Dark Castle was built using the conventions of Sylvin durring the early 12th century. Naturaly, all settlmentss have their own look to them, and Dark 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.

Dark Castle is was constructed arround several narrow flagstone mainstreets which cross one another at certain axies, with smaller streets branching off of them to premit acess to the many buildings deeper into the road network. The overall fashion is remenessent of a circulatory system, or other organic construct, and is quite effishent in its design. The city is defended by arcane means. It's hard to spot at first, but there's a tell tell shimmer in the air arround Dark Castle, and you can spot the ocasional warding glyph carved into a rock or tree all arround town. These mystical defences are ancient, unknowable, and unassailable by current means... Assuming everything is in working order. Otherwise, the wards are little more than a deathtrap. The city's Relic of the World That Was are visibly old, but also obviously well maintained. Its likly the local malishia or garrison are tasked with routine mantance of the city's defences.

Before you’ve even set foot into the heart of Dark Castle, you can smell it. The incense. It hangs about the town like a cloud. Monks, priests, and clerics are everywhere, all dedicated to the same god, all performing the same rituals to bless and anoint buildings, streets, people, animals, you name it they are or have blessed it. The same holy symbol is everywhere too. Its on buildings, on people, and even branded into livestock. This certainly loves its god. More than it loves wealth. The city is very clearly poor. Buildings are run down in ways that are not imeadiatly obvious. The people are a bit too thin. The market is very eager to sell to newcomers, but not so eager to buy from them. There’s also a general lack of the hum and buzz of healthy industry in Dark Castle.

Civic Infrastructure

Dark Castle possesses a Aethary Link for its accademic, government, and financial institutions. Public Aethary access is available through one or more of these intitutions.

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

Dark 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 Dark Castle. They are also responsible for the maintenance of these features. Notably, the OCG is not responsible for Dark Castle's parks.

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

Dark 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.

Dark 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.

Dark 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.

Dark 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.

Dark 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.

Dark 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.

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

Dark Castle has an Millitary Academy which trains military officers and specilists.

Dark 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. Dark Castle's grid is powered by an arcane means.

Dark Castle possesses an older civil lighting system consisting of street lamps. In spite of the Galvanic Grid, these lights continue to use their old fule sources to provide nighttime illumination to all city streets.

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

Dark 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.

Dark 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 Dark Castle's natural decorations nor waterways.

Dark 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.

Dark 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.

Dark 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.

Dark 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

Dark Castle's town hall was built using a different architectural style from the rest of the town. The style used is which made use of the classical orders and mathematically precise ratios of height and width combined with a desire for symmetry, proportion, and harmony. It used columns, pediments, arches and domes are imaginatively in buildings of all types. Decorative features were seen as largely unnecessary as the sheer beauty of the structure itself was often close to art. However, many buildings with large ceiling spaces had their ceilings decorated with elaborate paintings, simply because the large flat spaces could feel wasted.

In Dark Castle sometimes, near one of the seasonal solstices, the sun appears to split into three and it rains from a clear sky for several hours.

The Herd Animal, Stag near Dark Castle are known to be quite timid.

Dark Castle's citizens partake in a curious ritual relating to their local kami. It takes place in autumn and involves bloodletting to channel Mysticism energies of tier 3 via singing.

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.

Dark Castle Census Data: Year 2000

15409 of Dark Castle's population work within a Foundational Occupation.

• 834 work in Agriculture
• 3445 work as Craftsmen
• 1263 work as Merchants
• 2373 work as Service Workers
• 1571 work as General Laborers
• 640 work as Skilled Laborers
• 2242 work as Civil Servants
• 1378 work in Cottage Industries
• 857 work as Artists
• 806 work in Produce Industries

23081 of Dark Castle's population do not work in a formal occupation, but do contribute to the local economy. 2456 (6%) are noncontributers.

Points of Interest

Dark Castle has been cursed with some blight that makes life difficult, albeit not impossible. An offended sorcerer's vengeful Working, an outraged god's wrath, a local distortion of the Legacy, or a simple history of bad feng shui in the area may have brought the curse about. I(devise not only the curse, but the reason why the locals haven't left for better lands).

Dark Castle has a substantial mill pond located a short distance from town.

POI

History

The the a war pick of Summoning, an a war pick imbued with great amounts of Summoning energies was created in Dåb Netugh Ÿhkphÿh by in time immemorial, reportedly some time during the early 2nd century.

History