Capitoleum

Some of this includes notes in their purest form. Ignore things you can't understand. :)

Capitoleum is like its name suggests the capitol of much of the Realms. It is under the control of the Governors, the five most powerful noble Houses.

About

Capitoleum is not the official capitol, but was simply the centrum of an empire that broke into pieces about 2-400 years ago. Instead it is the de facto centre for trading and much production and the city has a population at least 10 times larger than the second largest city in the Midrealms. All other major factions of the area have some sort of interest in Capitoleum.

Facts:

• Ruling house(s): Menthell, Haldean, Artipellin, Wyny & Edmyr (the Governors)
• Population: 200,000 (more?)
• Militia: The Stripes (2,000)

Food comes from a zone donated by four of the Governors aroud the city called the Resplendent Fields, which are irrigated and also use spells to increase the yield, supporting about 80% of the city's need for food.

Areas of Capitoleum

• Newtown (middle fort)
• Calond (west fort)
• Penvald (east fort)
• Westfield (west mid)
• Bridge (east mid)
• Whitefold (west lower)
• Redfold (east lower)
• Redhill (outer hill)
• Whitehill (outer hill)
• Westgate (west village (gate))
• Scruffle (west, top village)
• Farmgate (west, bot village)
• Northpride (west, top vil)
• Venhouse (west, bot vil)
• Vengate (gate)
• Western Northbrook (north, top, west)
• Greater Northbrook (north, top)
• Northbrook (north, bot)
• Northgate (gate)
• Mercoise (north, east)
• Merchant's Gate
• Eastgate (gate (East vil))
• Western Tristad
• Southerns Tristad
• Eastern Tristad
• Sandwish
• Capital Bay
• Resplendent Fields

From my notes

Note that several details have already been retconned, including the dates, but this is a close approximation of Capitoleum's history.

The biggest city in the travelled world. There are myths about all-golden cities in the far south on the Dragon Continent and even about floating cities across the Endless Seas, but people tend to dismiss that sort of dreamery.

There has been people living on the spot of capitoleum for a long time. Before the great city was founded, the two latest settlements were Calond to the west and Penvald to the East. These two towns are largely intact in the remaining (and enhanced) fortifications with the same names.

A majority of the infrastructure and defensive designs were created by Helfram Housetames Uldin who conquered, by force or diplomacy, all the then current noble houses between the years 1382 and 1429, about 300-250 years ago. This originally only included the moat, beginnings of the sewage system, the original canals (with flash-locks) and a large number of independent fortifications.

Helfram managed to appease both the Church of Rahn as well as the Sickle in exchange for support. The lands enjoyed peace and prosperity for all of his reign and that of his son Harald.

Harald "The Builder" Uldin continued the work of his father and started building road structures for a truly enormous city. He also set up a governing council under more official capacities and a court for the noble houses both for politics and enjoyment.

His reign saw a big influx in a population not torn by many conflicts and also immigration from every corner of the world, mainly to Capitoleum.

The already existing and much respected Family Register, with a long history of gathering information about courtly busineesses was given further powers as it became the de facto organisation to solve hereditry and court attendance.

In a similar fashion, the near unknown budding Haldean family with the, to that date, largest library and academic interest were given the mandate to design and run the Capitoleum University.

Harald's reign lasted from 1429 to 1442, when he died of old age and his only son Lidgast was crowned King of the Midrealm Kingdom.

Lidgast "the Breaker" Uldin became the last member of the Uldin family. He spent no time keeping up his anscestors' work and spent more money than the total wealth of the Uldin family.

Though most of the business continued working, by 1453, the Uldin family was in debt by almost all banks and houses that lent money.

By 1455, a drought that even the Sickle could not affect created hunger in the city. Lidgast had by then sold even a lot of the food reserves to pay for his extravagant lifestyle and a peasant/citizen revolt stated.

The current Governor houses quickly acted and siezed Lidgast and his family, including cousins and a tribunal was held.

Pressured by the common people (and probably all to happy to do it anyway) the Governors decided to hang Lidgast and family.

Afterwards, the Governors took over all control of the economical/food crisis with their own money. This weakened them, however, and a slow, outdrawn political and military civil war started.

History of Capitoleum

This section details the history of Capitoleum in quite high detail. It's more meant as my notes than informing for others, but feel free to read

The Rise of the Nine Kings

• Nine chieftains rise in different parts of the Midrealm, creating the first kingdoms
• Many stories exist of their prowess and love and war between them
• Generally considered an amazing time and many epic stories
• A couple of great wars between dragons and hawks
• Humans are on different sides of the conflicts
• Dwarves and halflings also join
• Wars against crazy individual hawk/dragons
• Last war was against a hawk, some dragons supported
• This is where the Dwarven stronghold that becomes Capitoleum is ruined
• Seven (or something) generations pass
• The most powerful King doesn't marry, has hundreds of illegitimate children
• There has always been mystics and seers and healers
• A group of mystics call themselves Warlocks and start joining sides in battles

The Warlock Wars

• Warlocks join up to form the Black Nettle
• Nettle topples three kingdoms in one night, claims ownership of them
• Very oppressive, slave trade increases
• Other kingdoms get very nervous, starts discussions
• Mystics of all sorts are persecuted by regular people across the kingdoms
• An underground network of understanding nobles and a small collection of mystics start The Sickle, with intention to cut down the Warlocks
• Warlocks use their powers to create Servants (powerful slave warriors) and Stuarts (slave warlocks) by infusing demonic essence into people.
• Warlock armies, aided by dark shapes, attack another neighbouring Kingdom and crushes it
• Remaining five kingdoms mobilise
• Peace talks; Warlocks want obedience
• Assassins hired from the far south manages to kill the leader and top 3 Warlocks
• Temporary confusion among the casters as internal politics stops most activity
• Five kingdoms attack
• Warlocks fall in under a temporary leader
• Large Kingdom army burned as the sun leaks down on the fields - Firefall
• Sickle create an earthquake on the Black Nettle main fortification
• Warlocks agree to a truce implying some form of surrender
• Leaders gather in middle of new battle field, much greater numbers for Kingdoms
• Ground becomes black and dark wispy claws drag kings and servants down into black shadows
• Warlock army attacks, routing Kingdom armies, killing many
• Warlocks claim large areas of lands and many new farmers
• Kingdoms in disarray
• Warlocks sorts out leadership (takes long time)
• Low officer soldier, bastard son of popular king, starts rallying troops, orders queens to organise supply routes - The Mageslayer
• Mageslayer already veteran with early teen children
• Allies with Sickle
• Sieges outlying Warlock fort, takes some losses but win. Captures exhausted Warlock
• Warlocks see it as minor uproar, ignores it
• Sickle interrogates warlock, learns much
• Possessed sensitive to bloodlead, rare lead compound seen as waste because so soft. Can be mixed with iron, less effective but hard and usable
• Warlocks gain energy from a demon heart in central castle
• Mines with bloodlead reopened, soldiers help the work
• Runners sent out to further away kingdoms and chieftains
• Army gathered
• Splits army so largest force is in outskirts. No bloodlead weapons, but new tactics
• Disarrayed Warlocks think it's the entire opposition and sends out majority of army
• Keep many Servants and Stuarts
• Meanwhile a smaller army with bloodlead has worked way through Warlock lands
• A week after army left, the stealth army groups up and attacks the Servant areas and takes over the castle in one night, capturing the Warlocks that were left and fighting their way down the catacombs towards the heart
• Comes to standstil quickly and main army returns haistily
• Kingdom army ignores fortifications and runs towards main Warlock army to halt their progress
• Warlock army arrives, stealth army blocks themselves in castle cellar with all supplies they can, works on getting further down catacombs, brings ballista, limited arrows
• Warlock army stopped in cellar and then main army arrives, battles outside, city walls breached
• Population joins Kingdom army
• Fort armies hit Kingdom army in back, some die, block up city wall with rubbish and hold attackers out. live off of city supplies
• Continues couple of days, cellar runs almost out of food
• Stealth party kills guardian demons deep in the ground and then stabs heart with bloodlead knife
• Warlocks scream out in pain, falls unconscious, lost powers
• Servants and Stuarts die, a couple survives, flees
• Warlock wars are over, local celebrations

The Barbarian Conquest

• Tribes that had not pledged help saw their chance for riches, started plundering border towns
• Some want noble rights
• The Mageslayer gets support from the queens and temporary Sewarts are inserted in the Warlock kingdoms
• Some noble family individuals worried about lineage, starts an official Register, gets funds from combined families and a little bit of land to sustain it
• A war with very many factions start, general alliances quickly forged
• Mystics on both sides, Sickle only official group, many uninterested in joining
• Lots of to and fro, stops for winter generally and mostly lets farmers plant seed
• Mageslayer outdone by his son, called the Conqueror by people
• War goes generally well with a few major defeats
• As it seems barbarian tribes are giving up, Mageslayer declares himself Emperor, alienating many families

The Midrealm Conquest

• Internal wars start, Sickle sides with Mageslayer (irony)
• Mageslayer killed in semi-early battle, Conqueror takes over entirely
• Conqueror marries in to other powerful house, gaining support
• Conqueror has daughter
• War goes to and fro
• Another three daughters, worry among allies
• Wins large battle, night of battle a boy is born, allies rejoice, enemies disheartened
• Has second boy
• Has four more daughters
• Enemy ferocity diminishes because of draught, but barbarians reemerge
• Wars grind to halt as both sides deals with barbarians
• Conqueror deals with barbarians better than enemies and secure more food
• Oldest daughter married to strengthen internal power
• Rise a successful general to Lord, creates a Knight class of mini-lords
• Marries second daughter to very popular officer
• More marriages
• Peace with northern tribes through marrying strongest leader's only daughter with oldest son
• Younger son more interested in buildings, but marries
• Builder improves on fortifications and quality of siege weaponry
• Starts building quality roads to improve warfare
• Older son has some success on battlefield
• Older son has child
• Older son dies on battlefield, protecting his home town with wife and child
• The event rises the spirit of the North and hordes of unknown northmen
• Builder starts having children, mainly girls
• Last 10 or so years of war
• Final gargantuan battle, massive losses on both sides and leader dies
• Builder takes over, manages to aim ballista to impale opposition leader and routs remaining army
• Starts to plan for long term peace

The Prosperous Times

• Over-all name of time until the Ruiner

Conquest finishing

• Builder's many daughters are married to improve internal politics
• Engineer only son, very young and not married off

Pre-build

• Locating good harbours
• Scrying locations for bedrock/types
• Capitoleum location selected
• Building plans for basic such as walls and roads.
• Builder reserves plans for university site
• Church pays up front in cash for building site for large church
• Church is at this point a collection of differently run churches and slightly different traditions. Effort is made to unify them in the Council of Faith.

The Great Build

• Name of the whole period of the Builder

Build initiation

• Using river for fresh water. Dumping illegal in north
• Taking control of the ruined twin forts for outer protection
• Earliest fort (wood/tents)
• Sickle magic-enhanced crops
• 2 windmills for stonecutting (sledded)
• Building camps
• Starting soil removal for inner walls
• Removing stones from wall foundations
• Starting on inner city wall
• Big market place
• First generation roads (dirt, planned)
• First noble families comfortable camps
• Royal fort (wood)
• First pier built in natural harbour
• Wooden forts for protection

Early building

• Makeshift "quarry" of removed stones created
• A lot of help from Sickle giving workers more strength and stamina
• Restoring ourer forts for 3/4 of garrison housings
• Sickle strikes deal to help more extensively and gets a building site for free included
• More windmills, set on gigantic sleighs
• Many noble families that were provided food donated large amounts of manpower on top of requests. A great sense of accomplishment and also internal power shifting between houses.
• More formal noble council set up
• First council of houses held with Builder
• General purpose plans drawn up and handed out to houses
• Area in and a lite around walls cleared of rocks and some areas levelled
• Main inner city (city) roads planned in detail and built. "Plenty" of space, made with gravel and sand so they don't change size much in winter. Large and smaller slabs used in familiar pattern (also to avoid ground frost problems).
• Foundations for permanent estates among noble houses
• Two additional piers and now a sprawling temporary harbour and a shipping marketplace for bulk trade
• Survey started of the recently found cave system beneath the building site not found in scrying. Very ambitious young person from newly opened Haldean University conducting it. Very detailed maps created. Concluded they are structurally very sound (surprisingly sound!) and then filled up and ignored.
• More detailed plans for entire city drawn up with noble houses. Builder in charge. Most noble houses felt honoured etc.
• Power struggle among houses continue

The inner city construction

• More and better windmills made
• Inner city walls completed
• Castle walls completed
• Great Keep construction started
• Inner city foundations almost done
• Several noble houses estates done
• Cobbled marketplace done
• Most roads done
• A very large sprawling shanty town
• A couple more piers
• Harbour area grown more
• Started on fortifications at harbour mouth
• Finish repairing outer forts' walls

The great build plans

• Great plans to build a ring wall around shanty town
• Lots of discussions on size
• Politics, gaining support
• Sickle offers to help creating massive moat out of river rather than going through
• Church tries to gain more power with little success
• Son (Engineer) surveys maps and the underground tunnels. Conducts further surveys himself, with the original guy. Finds they lead to ocean on both sides of the city. Dislikes the smell of new city, suggests blocking up some of them to create a fresh water system and a waste removal system, draws this with guy. They become fast friends. Few people dislike it. They are gay.
• Sewer idea presented to Builder who is intrigued
• Building inner city continues
• Some outer fortifications finished
• More nobles' estates done
• Politics continue
• Engineer starts campaign among shanty town for a wall for them. Great support.
• Builder supports the campaign, many minor houses joins the effort
• Detailed plans are drawn
• Idea behind great road network drawn up

The great build starts

• Work starts under ground
• Plans for the waterways planned out
• Locks created in many places (double)
• Sickle makes the metal free of rust
• Sickle makes wooden doors free of rot
• Sickle suspends water so an entrance can be made by river in North
• Entrance is made and water released with much apprehension
• It works! Few minor places of missed caves that were fixed manually, but Engineer praised high. Shares credit with friend.
• Water Gate work starts, Sickle keeps area water free. To start with, plan is for full river to through here regardless.
• Work starts on massive ditch well around city
• Foundation for wall starts
• Debt exchange to King from house for craftsmen start, popular
• Impopular with houses
• Work starts on kingdom-wide road network of quality roads
• Wealth starts accumulating everywhere
• Builder swings in favour among everyone
• Houses struggles for Builder's favour
• Many (newly) wealthy business families start building estates
• Inner city is almost full in terms of paid-for land slots
• Some changes to existing design to allow better waste removal

Engineer feats

• Church finished, several smaller churches added in outer city. People casually attend. Frustration among clergy.
• First canal plans drawn up by Engineer
• Roads finished to nearby major cities
• Work starts to dredge the harbour
• Major outer city roads constructed
• Waste removal plan created by Engineer
• Particular areas in outer city prep for markets and first houses
• Waste removal implemented in areas
• Some shanty houses destroyed for small fee (people like it)
• Citizen get opportunity to buy well-planned slots and get free construction help in exchange for a large loan
• Register starts keeping track of loans and debts
• Ditch and outer wall foundations finish
• With help of Sickle, Engineer and friend opens the new moat. Central river still through town.
• Work on Sickle tower commences
• Foundation work on cathedral commences
• Wooden buildings for the university erected. Lots of cooperation with Haldean university, which is ahead.
• Team of architect students draw up more detailed canal plans. Engineer receives, makes final changes and propose to Builder. It is agreed to make.
• Building of canals start in inner city
• Canals planned with flush locks
• River is getting dirtier, some people sick
• Sickle helps making stone drill to drill for water. Succeeds.
• A number of wells are set up (not crossing tunnels)
• Recognised that Well water will not be enough for entire city
• Preboiled milk starts to become popular
• Ice from mountain lakes starts being imported to warehouses and noble house cellars, insulated
• Sickle starts selling Coldstones, stones that are -20 degrees cold and last for a month in air, a week if repeatedly dipped in water. Bought back for fraction of cost.
• Engineer and friend goes back to caves and does more mapping with teams of university students, looks over old maps
• Engineer and student group proposes changes to system to allow two separate ones; one for waste removal and one for fresh water supply
• Builder approves new plans
• Tunnel reconstruction starts with Sickle help. Is done within a year.
• At a housing construction there is an accident and Builder dies saving commoner children.

The Engineering

• Sub-name if Prosperous Times of the biggest engineering feats

Completions

• An incredibly large funeral and many days of partying celebrating the life of the Builder and the Ruler family
• Engineer takes over with heavy heart
• A couple of years of national depression, lowers economy a bit
• A new trade partner found further south through sea routes and the Great Road connects more cities increasing trade
• The kingdom clears the depression as the Engineer gets more into his job
• Major dredging close to shore completed
• Sturdy harboursides and piers planned and started
• Piers remain mainly wooden and the harbourside is made of stone
• Serious discussions of the Engineer needing a wife
• Minor rumours of his male friend
• Wife is announced, rumours abate
• Inner city almost fully built
• Sickle has large area but small building; wasn't that well planned
• Church use significant portion of its wealth to buy Sickle's land patch to build cathedral. Begrudgingly takes some help from Sickle, indebted to the mages.
• Church structure starts becoming more coherent
• Sickle original building taken apart and foundations laid for the Church
• Sickle buys very large area in the west at a big junction and starts from scratch
• Sickle gets single child noble house wizard who is very influential
• Wizard noble starts selling off land and assets, buys a couple of smaller estates around his own and new construction. The armed forces of the noble becomes the new core of Sickle militia. Nobleman loves towers. Starts to make a Sickle chapter in inner city
• Sickle final designs of both tower complexes finished and buildings begins. Some debates but in the end not much to do about it, as Noble Wizard has so much political power.
• Sickle starts gaining popularity (still not very popular) and gain new blood in their ranks
• Many Noble families send their offspring to Sickle for basic mystical knowledge, most has new skills, but Sickle wants more positive contact. It backfires slightly when a Noble man use magic to rape a girl. Sickle punishes the noble child, gaining some general support and losing some noble support.
• Sickle starts crystallising into the Circles
• Wall gates finished
• Waterfront fortifications finished
• Attempted invasion thwarted with combined help from all forces, including Sickle
• Engineer starts to create medals for valour etc
• Decided to construct a harbour chain
• Catapults added to all towers
• Harbour Office gaining much more power, registering all ships and passengers
• City guard mobilised better, registration of all comings and goings
• Register starts adminustrating it and takes copies of harbour material
• Peacebinding starts
• Crime decreases
• Guilds come together as response to harbour office powers. Chamber of Commerce created.
• After a few years without child, Engineer's wife is ill with pneumonia in a summer house and dies. Kingdom mourns and Engineer debands publicly to Church ans Sickle to find cures to stop mourning of the peoples.
• Engineer throws himself entirely in his work and also keeps check on politics.
• Engineer starts filling out medal sorting to things like building and other support. Creates a Knight's Order in the name of the medals. First proper Knight's Order.
• New wife announced after a few years. Engineer now middle aged.
• Keep finished
• Large celebrations throughout kingdom for the buildings and lasting peace
• Engineer's friend is given various medals, also others. Wife very angry.
• Wife has a child. It's a small sized boy that does not have the same colouring as his father.
• Does not have siblings. Gets spoiled by his mother.
• Engineer neglects his wife and relies heavily on his friend.
• Massive work done in city and the roads.
• Continued interest in buying slots and taking loans.
• Shanty towns moves about but almost gone.
• Highest belief in the Kingdom ever

End of the Prosperous Times

• Ruiner, as a 25-year old, takes over as father dies
• Ruiner has had plenty of education, but is uninterested
• City sees several large celebrations
• Ruiner has several betrothed that he breaks up (and MANY secret "weddings")
• Bribes high up Church officials
• Some administrational neglect
• The five most powerful houses come together to suggest they take over particular administrational facet, Ruiner is happy
• When that issue is done they look at others and suggest solutions to Ruiner who is happy to allow it
• Cash runs out and loans are taken to support the lavish lifestyle and many parties
• Banks start properly appearing
• Nobles start asking for the Ruiner to get married, he doesn't reply kindly
• Most nobles lost respect by now
• Walls are done, much construction work finished and though the royal family have loads of debts, it also has a lot of potential money in debts too it

The Ruining

• Economy starts suffering and corruption increases
• Church population increases, many soup kitchens open for homeless and poor
• Poor houses open
• 11-year old noble daughter accidentally starts fire with unrecognised magic ability
• Oil storage burns wildly and a large part of the city is in flames
• Sickle is essential in putting it out, gains positive reputation
• Raised awareness of the dangers of untrained gifts. People of all walks of life more likely to report children and adults.
• More work but also more mages
• King approved detection spell and replacement of all lamps, making oil salesmen and lighters angry
• Large amounts of cases of rape reported in short time span
• Laws banning alcohol and other drugs are employed to stop it
• Thieves' guilds start popping up and the Thug Wars begin
• City guard helpless or bribed
• Economy heading down
• The Cathedral finished as are many smaller churches around the city
• Ruiner found raping a woman together with a group of friends. Was not contained. Public outcry.
• A pact was made by the five strongest noble houses and a coup was made, killing the Ruiner and his mother. There was some rumbling but no other noble house or commoner complained openly. The families married in to the royal family are part of the five.

The Tumult

• Shortly after the coup, wars broke out in all of the kingdom. The Capitoleum was spared most of it but building outside of the city more or less stopped
• The five managed to keep control of their own lands (mostly) and Capitoleum, granting them trading riches as well as the debts (to the crown and from the crown).
• Many debts to faraway noble houses were cancelled after their hostilities but the five could not keep the kingdom together
• The Church started gaining a lot of power as they sold favours from Rahn to different factions and they were seen in a favourable light by ordinary people
• At this point, some of the followers had gifts of Rahn and genuinely believed a stronger church would mean better lives for the people
• The Sickle, which had been close to the King were thrown away a bit and started accumulating a larger army
• Sickle finished its buildings and did what they could to stay in favour
• Church continued to preach and together with the five, they managed to get control of Capitoleum again and spread their teachings widely as peace slowly returned (as promised).
• Register gained a lot as they incorporated the coup into their administration and as small mercenary bands overtook the smallest noble houses it created praxis for becoming nobles. Because of the fact that many of these events were useful to a lot of factions, it was considered fair play.
• The Governors appointed new nobles as well as rewards from combat (and a few treasurers), widening the praxis further
• For each of the events throughout the Tumult, the Register gained reputation as fair and just

The Calm

• Lasted a hundred years
• Conflicts started to die down as there was more a lack of soldiers and more focus ended up on intrigue
• Each house started calling themselves Kings and Queens and the praxis was added to the Register
• A deadly calm with occasional conflicts emerged
• The Council of Houses gained power and the Governors had to deflect intrigue and wars
• Armed conflicts still emerged and a complex puzzle of alliances and animosities emerged
• The Governors also expanded the trade routes, gaining them more power as well as allies and enemies
• The Church became significantly more corrupt and departed greatly from its original calling. This was unknown to the common people, however, and used by nobles.
• Some religious people felt a true calling and tried to improve the Church. Instead they were appointed travelling preacher status with warnings that if they criticised the Church they would worse than die.
• It all lulled people in to a sort of security and focus became trade and mutual respect (or hate).

Useful stuff

• DM guide helper
• 20 000 Swedish police officers
• Add something here about bad luck to rename a castle.
• Son taking over, finish much. Creating aqueduct, fresh water and waste-removal. Also the first generation of the canal.
• The Builder, The Engineer and The Ruiner.
• During early Engineer days, attempted invasion. Was stopped and lessons learned.
• During early Ruiner days was the great fire.
• Magic crops just grow faster. No difference otherwise.