Chess Castle

Chess Castle (/ʧɛs/ [Translation Unavailable]) is a subtropical Large City located in Greymage Dutchy, Midate Kingdom, within the Sylvan.

The name Chess Castle is derived from the Sylvin language, as Chess Castle was founded by Gersel Aymes, who was culturaly Sylvin.

Climate

Chess Castle has a yearly average temperature of 13°C (55°F), with its average temperature during the summer being a warm 26°C (78°F) and its average temperature during the winter being a freezing 0°C (32°F). Chess Castle receives an average of 176 cm/y (69 in/y) of precipitation, most of which comes in the form of snow during the pleasantly short winter months. Chess Castle covers an area of nearly 63 km² (25 mi²), and an average elevation of 3274 m (10741 ft) above sea level.

Overview

Chess Castle was founded durring the early 15th century in summer of the year 1409, by Gersel Aymes. The establishment of Chess Castle was only bairly constructed. The sheer number of problems with its founding were enough to make several of the backers funding Chess Castle's construction back out of the project. Gersel Aymes pushed on reguardles, and Chess Castle was finished, but starts off as a terible place to live.

Chess Castle was built using the conventions of Sylvin durring the early 15th century. Naturaly, all settlmentss have their own look to them, and Chess 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.

Chess Castle is buildings are arranged arrounded a highly ordered system of spacious packed earth streets which form triangular paterns, allowing the incides of the octagons to be common grounds for the buildings on the edges, be it for parkland, yardspace, plazas, or markets. The city is the proud owner of a thick set of fortified walls fashioned from querried stone blocks. While not up to snuff for a fort or castle wall, the city's walls are naturaly much larger than those of forts or castles. Therefore, the construction such a wall is most expencive. Chess Castle's buget focused wall would serve its community well in battle in spite of looking unimpressive compared to castles and fortresses. The city's top tier civilian fortifications have recently undergone extensive repairs and renovations, such that the repairwork is imeadiently apparent and can be spotted due to the diffring ages of materials. One can't help but wonder what brought the need for those repairs to the city.

Right off the bat Chess Castle hits you in the face with its success. Everyone, even the peasants, are dressed in well made clothing. Every tool and implement you can see is finely made, and people will boast to you as obvious strangers of the wonders which can be found in their markets. More interestingly is a total lack of beggars, and plenty of new buildings are going up even as you speak. Somehow this city has come into quite a lot of wealth, and recently from the looks of things. This wealth has brought the city nothing but neurosis, if you can believe your eyes. Everyone acts as if you’re out to take a piece of them. Every door is locked and every window barred. Efforts are made to make you feel welcome, but only in the public areas of the city, particularly the market.

Civic Infrastructure

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

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

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

Chess 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.

Chess 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.

Chess 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.

Chess 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.

Chess 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.

Chess 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.

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

Chess Castle has an Scientific Academy which provides higher education in the natural sciences.

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

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

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

Chess 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 Chess Castle's natural decorations nor waterways.

Chess 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.

Chess 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.

Chess 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.

Cultural Notes

Chess Castle's bank was built using a different architectural style from the rest of the town. The style used is best known for the combined use of arcuated and trabeated construction, employing arches and constructed with post and lintel. The arch served as the style's chief structural element, with flanking columns serving as buttresses or decorations. While the general shape of their structures could be generously described as simplistic, the use of these arches and columns created a most distinct ascetic which is easily distinguishable on sight to armatures and experts alike.

In Chess Castle it is impossible to directly or indirectly lie.

The Ifrit near Chess Castle are known to be more aggressive than normal.

Chess Castle's citizens partake in a curious ritual relating to their local kami. It takes place in autumn and involves reenactments to channel Transmutation energies of tier 1 via oratory performances.

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.

Chess Castle Census Data: Year 2000

5611 of Chess Castle's population work within a Foundational Occupation.

• 302 work in Agriculture
• 1280 work as Craftsmen
• 446 work as Merchants
• 882 work as Service Workers
• 573 work as General Laborers
• 224 work as Skilled Laborers
• 794 work as Civil Servants
• 493 work in Cottage Industries
• 314 work as Artists
• 303 work in Produce Industries

8826 of Chess Castle's population do not work in a formal occupation, but do contribute to the local economy. 446 (3%) are noncontributers.

Points of Interest

POI

History

A local has came up with a wonderful new idea 4 months ago; it may be a magical innovation, a new industrial process, a new agricultural product, a new use for what was thought to be ancient garbage, or some other very useful, profitable idea. Everyone around them is fighting for the chance to exploit this clever new plan.

In time immemorial, reportedly some time during the late 2nd century an unusualy harsh winter spawned a deadly blizard to Chess Castle. The ice, snow, and wind killed 185 people, 371 livestock, and destroyed 72. The event is remembered as Doom's Breath.

History