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)

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

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 Sicklecould 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.

Sickle stuff

During the Prosperous Times, the Sickle managed to gain a lot of public support and partly wipe away some of its tarnished reputation by pledging help to the city without demands for compensation. They helped to move the river Wildrun into an impressive moat, move tonnes of soil to enable important buildings to be founded on bedrock and to irrigate the local fields as well as setting up a system of magic enhancement to improve the crops themselves, making the already massive city almost self-sufficient.

The great fire of XXXX was found to have been started by an 11-year old daughter of a noble family, who had undetected magic powers which randomly manifested and burned not just the girl, but the whole estate and most of the family. The fire spread to an oil storage for street lamps and almost took on catastrophic consequences from there on.

The Sickle, which was central in putting out the fire, managed to raise awareness of the dangers of uncontrolled magic as well as creating a strong sense of urgency to report magic use in non-Wizards. When they pledged to cast a powerful detection spell, it was even welcomed.

The Sickle also gave the King a hundred fire-free street lamps to avoid further fires and pledged to continue to deliver lamps to entirely replace the oil lamps (much to the outcry of oil salesmen and lamp lighters). The catch was that the city would have to pay for magic power at a cost similar to that of the oil lamps, a deal the King gratefully accepted.

Some lamp lighters got to keep their jobs, only now they refill the lamps with magical batteries rather than oil.

Despite many a good deed, The Sickle has never completely gained public support even in the city, and some merchant initiatives are to avoid MEP - magically enhanced produce.