Golding

Golding (/gəʊld/ /ing/ [Translation Unavailable]) is a subtropical Large City located in Violetmill Dutchy, Merland County, within the Sylvanian Empire.

The name Golding is derived from the Sylvin language, as Golding was founded by Eurypterids Crawford, who was culturaly Sylvin.

Climate

Golding has a yearly average temperature of 14°C (57°F), with its average temperature during the summer being a pleasant 24°C (75°F) and its average temperature during the winter being a cold 4°C (39°F). Golding receives an average of 246 cm/y (96 in/y) of precipitation, most of which comes in the form of snow during the pleasantly short winter months. Golding covers an area of nearly 271 km² (108 mi²), and an average elevation of 922 m (3024 ft) above sea level.

Overview

Golding was founded durring the early 13th century in spring of the year 1246, by Eurypterids Crawford. The establishment of Golding suffered from many setbacks, delays, and obsticles, most notably a group of Golding which required millitary assistance exterminate before the community could finish being built.

Golding was built using the conventions of Sylvin durring the early 13th century. Naturaly, all settlmentss have their own look to them, and Golding is no diffrent. The city's buildings feature delicute timber framework hidden behind layer upon layer of finly ground plaster bleached to an almost glossy white sheen, with green clay tiled roofs and decorative brass-leafed trim. Even the smallest, poorest looking structures appear to be expencive thanks to the extreem elegence of the organic shapes and paterns going into their lofty, spire-y, vagly gothic designs. The more well off folks live in identicle homes, save for even shiner trim and a more whimsical appearance to their structures flowing forms.

Golding is buildings are arranged arround a network of spacious flagstone streets which form a diamond shaped grid, where each diamond verries in size given the proximity of the paralell streets forming each section. The ocasional smaller diamond has been used to construct a park, plaza, and other communal structures. The city rests behind a set of well fortified walls, with gatehouses, watch towers, and battlments. Golding's walls are, howeaver, fashioned from stone and timber. While unorthadox, the design looks to be functional to a reasonable degree. With luck, the untested design will remain untested for years to come. Unfortuantly, these unusual yet seemingly effective fortifications are in extreem disrepair, so much so that one cannot tell if they are decaying from a lack of mantance or damage incured.

A look around Golding 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 jsut long enough for it to be uncomfortable. People seem to be allowed to do as they please with little harmoney to anything. It feels less like a city, and more like a spot people just happened to place their homes.

Civic Infrastructure

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

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

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

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

Golding 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.

Golding 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.

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

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

Golding 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.

Golding 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.

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

Golding has an Arcane Academy which provides higher education in the arcane sciences.

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

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

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

Golding 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.

Golding 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 Golding's natural decorations nor waterways.

Golding 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.

Golding 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.

Golding 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.

Golding 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

Golding's bank was built using a different architectural style from the rest of the town. The style used has a sleek, linear appearance with stylized, often geometric ornamentation. The primary facade of its buildings often featured a series of set backs that create a stepped outline. Low-relief decorative panels can be found at entrances, around windows, along roof edges or as string courses. It was best known for its use of smooth finish building materials such as stucco, concrete block, glazed brick or mosaic tile. Decorative details can incorporate various artistic or exotic motifs to suit the building's function or the architect's whim. Chevrons, zigzags, and other geometrical motifs are common forms of ornament.

In Golding most nights are accompanied by colorful ribbons of light in the sky.

The Hoar Spirit near Golding are known to be almost tame, such that they can be put to domestic use.

Golding's citizens partake in a curious ritual relating to their local kami. It takes place in winter and involves reenactments to channel Enchantment energies of tier 2 via throat 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.

Golding Census Data: Year 2000

24566 of Golding's population work within a Foundational Occupation.

• 1361 work in Agriculture
• 5476 work as Craftsmen
• 1955 work as Merchants
• 3769 work as Service Workers
• 2543 work as General Laborers
• 1010 work as Skilled Laborers
• 3693 work as Civil Servants
• 2097 work in Cottage Industries
• 1322 work as Artists
• 1340 work in Produce Industries

37158 of Golding's population do not work in a formal occupation, but do contribute to the local economy. 2571 (4%) are noncontributers.

Points of Interest

Golding's is something of a geological and arcane anomaly, as neither physical nor magical law entirely explains its formation.

POI

History

Almost every community has some problem with bandits and highwaymen, but Golding is seriously plagued with raiders. One or more groups of persistent plunderers are hitting the community repeatedly, and they lack the necessary resources to fend them off or protect all their holdings.

In time immemorial, reportedly some time during the early 2nd century Mount Ill Tides, an iconic vista located neare Golding, proved to be volcanic when the mountain erupted. The eruption was isolated to the area around Golding, which was swallowed in ash, lava flows, and pyroclastic gasses. Golding lost 124 people, 209 livestock, and 39 buildings in the disaster. The event is forever remembered as the Day of Ill Tides's Wrath.

History