Deerdale

Deerdale (/dɪə/ /deɪl/ [Translation Unavailable]) is a subtropical Large City located in Rosecrystal Dutchy, Baldockia Margrave, within the Sylvanian Empire.

The name Deerdale is derived from the Sylvin language, as Deerdale was founded by Byocthel Searle, who was culturaly Sylvin.

Climate

Deerdale has a yearly average temperature of 16°C (60°F), with its average temperature during the summer being a warm 26°C (78°F) and its average temperature during the winter being a cold 7°C (44°F). Deerdale receives an average of 137 cm/y (53 in/y) of precipitation, most of which comes in the form of rain during the spring. Deerdale covers an area of nearly 281 km² (112 mi²), and an average elevation of 4828 m (15839 ft) above sea level.

Overview

Deerdale was founded durring the late 13th century in spring of the year 1183, by Byocthel Searle. The establishment of the new community went well, with no major obsticles durring construction.

Deerdale was built using the conventions of Sylvin durring the late 13th century. Naturaly, all settlmentss have their own look to them, and Deerdale is no diffrent. The city's buildings feature timber and earth construction, with most buildigns first floors resembling mounds of earth, with subsequent floors appearing as elaborate log cabins, with each building forming a tiered pyramid of sorts fromed from the stack of rectangular, peek roofed cabins. Most wooden bracing, support, and trim is carved with decorative knotwork, and the larger structures even feature painted trim which emphasises the knotwork.

Deerdale is was constructed arround several crampt cobblestone 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 rests behind a thick wall made from clay bricks. The wall has all of the proper fortifications and is well made. Unfortuantly the nature of clay brick leaves it quite vulnerable to siege equipment, though the thickness of the wall lends it simmilar resistnace to a thinner hardrock wall. The millitarily questionable fortifications has suffered a visible ammount of structural damage, leaving them effectivly useless. One can't help but wonder why the has not yet effected repairs.

A look around Deerdale gives you an uneasy feeling. Everything is just a little too worn down, a little too dirty, or both. No one makes eye contact. Kids play quietly, but happily. Occasionally a passerby glances at you out of the corner of their eye, staring just long enough for it to be uncomfortable. A second look around Deerdale makes it abundantly clear the city suffered something horrible some time ago. It's as if the town itself is depressed. Smiles are few, cheer is nowhere to be had.

Civic Infrastructure

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

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

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

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

Deerdale 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.

Deerdale 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.

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

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

Deerdale 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.

Deerdale 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.

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

Deerdale has an Arts Academy which provides higher education in many fields including math, language arts, philosophy, engineering, and other such disciplines.

Deerdale 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. Deerdale's grid is powered by mana accumulators.

Deerdale 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.

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

Deerdale has a library, which keeps a large collection of books, scrolls, and archives all manner of physical items. While not open to the public, the librarians and scholars employed by the library will assist anyone with their research needs, and wealthy individuals can purchase membership to access the library's materials themselves. In spite of being generally closed to the public, the library has a room with several Aether Linked devices available to the public during business hours.

Deerdale 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 Deerdale's natural decorations nor waterways.

Deerdale 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.

Deerdale 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.

Deerdale 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.

Deerdale 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

Deerdale's chapel was built using a different architectural style from the rest of the town. The style used is known primarily for its use of abstraction and simplicity. Clean lines, right angles, and primary colors characterized this aesthetic and art movement expressed via architecture and paintings. Its design ethos allows only primary colors and non-colors, only squares and rectangles, only straight and horizontal or vertical lines. Vertical and horizontal lines are positioned in layers or planes that do not intersect, thereby allowing each element to exist independently and unobstructed by other elements. These seemingly impossible principals for an architectural style coalesces into structures which most experts find hard to put into words. It is not that their geometry is impossible, but rather the style's attempt at producing works only describable visually was most successful..

Due to the actions of local Kami, spring is skipped in Deerdale.

The Porcupine, Giant near Deerdale are known to be a mutant strain of the creature.

Deerdale's citizens partake in a curious ritual relating to their local kami. It takes place in autumn and involves drinking to channel Conjuration energies of tier 3 via oath swearing.

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.

Deerdale Census Data: Year 2000

25009 of Deerdale's population work within a Foundational Occupation.

• 1347 work in Agriculture
• 5520 work as Craftsmen
• 2028 work as Merchants
• 3857 work as Service Workers
• 2585 work as General Laborers
• 1022 work as Skilled Laborers
• 3746 work as Civil Servants
• 2201 work in Cottage Industries
• 1366 work as Artists
• 1337 work in Produce Industries

37002 of Deerdale's population do not work in a formal occupation, but do contribute to the local economy. 3958 (6%) are noncontributers.

Points of Interest

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

POI

History

Deerdale used to be more prosperous, but something happened relatively long ago that left it a shrunken shadow of its former self. If the settlement is prosperous, the locals often lament how much more they could have had. If the settlement is not prosperous, the locals blame their ill fortunes on that event. Reminders of this better time can be found in many places within Deerdale.

In time immemorial, reportedly some time during the late 2nd century was struck by a great wind storm. A great funnel cloud itself touched down in Deerdale, bringing twisting winds which killed 221 people, 373 livestock, and 57 buildings in the disaster.. The disaster is generally remembered as the Howling Winds of Horror.

History