Ratette

Ratette (/ræt/ /ette/ [Translation Unavailable]) is a subtropical Large City located in Magewind Dutchy, Ledonia Earldom, within the Sylvanian Empire.

The name Ratette is derived from the Sylvin language, as Ratette was founded by Tsîbè Wathey, who was culturaly Sylvin.

Climate

Ratette has a yearly average temperature of 16°C (60°F), with its average temperature during the summer being a pleasant 25°C (77°F) and its average temperature during the winter being a cold 7°C (44°F). Ratette receives an average of 136 cm/y (53 in/y) of precipitation, most of which comes in the form of rain during the spring. Ratette covers an area of nearly 523 km² (209 mi²), and an average elevation of 5296 m (17375 ft) above sea level.

Overview

Ratette was founded durring the early 14th century in fall of the year 1334, by Tsîbè Wathey. The establishment of the new community went well, with no major obsticles durring construction.

Ratette was built using the conventions of Sylvin durring the early 14th century. Naturaly, all settlmentss have their own look to them, and Ratette 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.

Ratette is buildings are speckled and packed arround narrow gravel streets with seemingly no patern to them. It appears as if the city's residents simply built streets as they pleased and squeazed buildings in wherever and howeave rpossible, creating an organic, frustrating to navigate, maze of a city. 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.

Ratette has a very calm atmosphere. People can be seen relaxing, scocilizing, and going about all manner of business other than the daily grind. Men, women, children, all can be seen enjoying life in a laid-back way in the many parks which line Ratette’s streets. In spite of this, quite a few people can be seen reading and the city has an abundance of libraries. It’s quite clear the community values education.

Civic Infrastructure

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

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

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

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

Ratette 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.

Ratette 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.

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

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

Ratette 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.

Ratette 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.

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

Ratette has an Theological Academy which trains clergy in various arcane and theological topics required for their occupations.

Ratette 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. Ratette's grid is powered by an arcane means.

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

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

Ratette 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.

Ratette 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 Ratette's natural decorations nor waterways.

Ratette 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.

Ratette 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.

Ratette 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.

Ratette 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

There’s more than one leader in Ratette, but at least some of them are at each other’s throats. It might be a conflict between formal leadership and informal authorities, or it could be a struggle among civil officials. Their interests might diverge sharply, or it could be a personal grudge that’s boiled over. Outside threats and internal problems are likely being ignored until the power struggle is resolved.

Ratette's mayor's house was built using a different architectural style from the rest of the town. The style used is based upon new and innovative technologies of construction and the idea that form should follow function. It was an embrace of minimalism and a rejection of ornament. The style became characterized by an emphasis on volume, asymmetrical compositions, and minimal ornamentation..

Due to the actions of local Kami, summer is recurring in Ratette.

The Almiraj near Ratette are known to be quite timid.

Ratette's citizens partake in a curious ritual relating to their local kami. It takes place in winter and involves sacrificing an animal to channel Elven High Magic energies of tier 3 via recitation of poetic epics.

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.

Ratette Census Data: Year 2000

47669 of Ratette's population work within a Foundational Occupation.

• 2650 work in Agriculture
• 10721 work as Craftsmen
• 3792 work as Merchants
• 7100 work as Service Workers
• 4833 work as General Laborers
• 1971 work as Skilled Laborers
• 7436 work as Civil Servants
• 4120 work in Cottage Industries
• 2575 work as Artists
• 2471 work in Produce Industries

72768 of Ratette's population do not work in a formal occupation, but do contribute to the local economy. 3724 (3%) are noncontributers.

Points of Interest

The center of Ratette's town square was built around an ancient standing stone.

POI

History

In time immemorial, reportedly some time during the late 2nd century the Kami ended a famine plaguing Ratette. One of Ratette's local festivals commemorates this miracle.

History