Dynasty's Dawn

Dynasty's Dawn is the seat of the King of Aldevaria, and it has been the Royal capital since the accession of Aldevar, thousands of years ago. As the current seat of the Royal Court, Dynasty's Dawn supports a flourishing economy, which attracts all kinds of people. It is a bustling city with a substantial community of merchants, adventurers, mercenaries and fortune seekers from all across Silceris. The wealth passing through Dynasty's Dawn's gates and the political intrigues that unfold within its courts also support a rotten underbelly, a den for thieves, corrupt city officials and assassins. There are certain streets that even the city watch avoids at night for fear of finding a dagger stuck between their shoulder blades.

Demographics

Citizens are a proud lot. Even the lowest citizen takes pleasure in their status as a part of the great city. They may not understand the arcane system of rights and vassalage, but that doesn’t prevent them from telling folk about it. Outsiders from the provinces are treated with a measure of disdain and pity. Whatever they say, nothing compares to the heritage of each and every citizen of Dynasty's Dawn; at least, that’s what they believe. Dating from the feudal times of Aldevar, the citizenry laws originally dictated who worked where, what tax they owed, and who they served.

Complex even then, these dubious laws have grown into a bewildering variety of legal statuses that serve mostly to ensure the hegemony of the Lawyers’ Guild. Famously described as “a thorn upon the rump of justice,” these laws govern all sorts of activities, including who one may marry, which city gate one can use, and even what type of hat one can wear. Whilst citizenship is usually inherited from parents or granted by a guild, it can sometimes be granted as a reward. Generally speaking, advancement requires a sponsor and a great deal of money. The individual’s status must be vetted by the Lawyers’ Guild and then added to the great Civic List of the city. Folk can be recognised as full, half, or even quarter citizens— temporary men of Dynasty's Dawn, traders, vagabonds, and outlaws.

One might attain the status of freeman, friend, or even the infamous dastard. Wizards of course, attain the position of magus once they complete their apprenticeship. This strange status means wizards are technically vassals of their Order, each having a form of baronial status but only within the bounds of their School. In practice, the citizenry laws are seldom enforced, for they harken back to an earlier age. When it comes to tax, the collectors have a difficult enough time collecting a flat rate from people, let alone trying to apply different rates. Unless buying property or dealing in complex trade, ordinary folk ignore these laws and get by on common sense. Those involved in high finance and the like simply pay the lawyers until they receive the desired result.

According to the census of 1600, there were 18,238 taxpaying Dwarven households in Dynasty's Dawn. The city also has a few Elven inhabitants, mainly Envoys of the merchant Clans.

Government

The supreme ruler of Dynasty's Dawn is the monarch, who is the Ducal Elector of the Crown Domain of Aldevar. His rule over his city is almost undisputed, not only because of the required statesmenship but also because the monarch commands the adoration of his people. Yet despite their best efforts, the day-to-day demands of governance are too much for one man or woman to keep track of. Dozens of decisions each day demand the Emperor’s attention, from policy on grain taxes to the final appeal of a prisoner condemned for treason. To prioritize this mess and make sure that only those with the most urgent business get an audience with the monarch, successive kings appointed members of prominent families to advise them on matters of law, finance, diplomacy, and military matters, among others. Over time, this group of advisors grew into a formal body, the Royal Council.

The Royal Council

The Council has no formal power, although King Harold I, grandfather King Harold I, tried to write a constitution for the Kingdom built around the Council. This was quietly quashed by the Ducal Electors, who oppose anything that would limit their authority. The Council, however, does control access to the King and thus what information he receives. Their power is, therefore, quite strong—when they can make a united stand. When this happens, it is usually due to the Grand Chancellor’s behind-the-scenes machinations on crucial issues.

Current members of the Royal Council

• Grand Patriarch Walaric - Religious Leader and Archpriest of the Temple of Aarus
• Duke Theudebald - Duke of Bemedia (Royal spymaster)
• Supreme Primate Burchard etheric - Counselor and rector of the School of the Arcane
• Duke Aedelrad - Duke of Farevigt and Counselor of external relations
• Sir Cassyon Blacklung - Personal Military Advisor to the King
• Amabilia Untergar - Chancellor of the Royal Treasury
• Judge Agatha ad Veats - Supreme judge of Legal Affairs
• Osmunt Restault - Chamberlain of the Royal Household

Royal State Portection

The Royal State Protection is an Royal organization which was created to help administrate the actions and well-beings of the King in person. At the end of the 14th century, when Ulferth tried to confer the title of Duke to his favorite race horse, the Electors unanimously decided that they had to administrate the king's actions so as to keep face with the kingdom's people. So they assigned one representative each to form a watchdog body that would take the name of the Royal State Protection.

This institution is located within a beautiful building in the confines of the capital, ostensibly open to any person of recognized nobility, although the "lackeys" of the King are carefully kept away. In fact, the Royal State Protection has now become the Supreme Court. All Royal Edicts are carefully examined "in the interest of the state", with documented reports being immediately sent to the Electors who would choose either to support or veto the edict. This organization has the powerful ability to refuse any edict that does not suit them or the Kingdom's interest, allowing the Royal State Protection to have a near-complete control over what the King is logically placed to decide.

Each Ducal Elector has ensured an established representation in the capital, embassies directed by a loyal family member or close acquaintance. These ambassadors would discuss new royal decrees or legislation, as well as send these reports back to the Electors that had elevated them to such a position. As they have the power to reject decisions that do not suit them, it is important for the King to obtain the approval of the Royal State Protection if he hopes to accomplish anything. In theory, the King also has a veto over the choice, but in practice, it would be very difficult for him to exercise it. Indeed, without a real majority support amongst the Electors, the King has no chance to assert his right of veto. The latest attempt to do so was Queen Ecgwyn who wised to institute the first ever democracy, but the threat of civil war by the other Ducal Electors was so pressing that she was forced to give it up.

Defences

Dynasty's Dawn's defenses are ancient but have yet to be defeated. The tall thick walls that surround the city are almost as old as the city itself. Canons, catapults and other siege weapons do very little damage to it. Together with that, the walls are equipped with platforms able to hold a section of archers or siege weapons to retaliate. The gates of the city are made of reinforced wood and each gatehouse has a secondary iron grated door that can be used to add another layer of protection, should an invading army try to pry open the gargantuan wooden gates.

Next to material defenses, Dynasty's Dawn also houses two garrisons big enough to house an army. Those are:

• Fort Stonegate
• Cainspire Keep

Industry & Trade

The city has a huge manufacturing industry in the form of crude mass production facilities and factories. Dynasty's Dawn is mostly know for their mass produced common items made out of iron or other metals. Together with common items, the capital is also exporting weapons, armor and other military equipment to other parts of the Kingdom or other nations scattered in Silceris.

Guilds and Factions

Guilds in Dynasty's Dawn first appeared in the early 2nd century. They were originally formed to protect the tradesmen, rather than regulate the trade.

Today, hundreds of various guilds exist in Dynasty's Dawn. All guilds offer some sort of apprenticeship process and demand some kind of fee or service, but beyond that there are very few unifying characteristics. Many guilds are very old and have evolved complex bylaws. In a few cases, guilds have even reserved the right to try their members outside the Royal justice system. In order to officially have guild status, an organization must be on the Civic List of Dynasty's Dawn, but many informal guilds operate outside of this law.

• Blackgrain Men: Miner's Guild, known for their dislike, if not hatred, for mages and wizards.
• Butchers’ Guild: The Butchers’ Guild is currently attempting to sway over an incident known as the Dead Body Scandal.
• Dwarf Engineers Guild: The guild of Dwarf Engineers in Dynasty's Dawn is the largest Dwarven organization in the Kingdom.
• Royal Guild of Arms and Armourers
• Lawyers’ Guild: The Lawyers’ Guild is not well-liked, but considered unavoidable. Historically, they have influenced the city’s citizenship laws to make them impossible to understand without their help.
• Masons’ and Carpenters’ Guild
• Society of Merchants and Traders
• Tailor’s Association

History

Dynasty's Dawn is the very first city created by humans and has always seen as the jewel of the Aldevarian Kingdom. Written history also starts right before the creation of the city. It is known that, before the time of Aldevar, there existed at river Hantham a walled village called Greykeep possessed by a tribe known as the Heimdals. The town had access to good fisheries and fertile farmlands. Greykeep did not come to prominence until the year that Aldevar, chieftain of the Heimdals, united the eight of the largest tribes in the region and defeated a equally powerful tribe at the Battle of Greykeep, the year commonly referred to as 1 AD (Aldevarian Calendar). It was here that the Archpriest of Aarus crowned Aldevar Emperor, and was here that Aldevar ruled his newly formed Empire.

During the reign of Aldevar, two roads were built to Greykeep, one connecting it to the southern parts of Aldevaria, and the other to the center. By the end of Aldevar's reign, Greykeep became Dynasty's Dawn and was said to be the largest city ruled by men. During the early years of the Empire, Dynasty's Dawn experienced a golden age of trade. Wool, leather, timber, metalwork, and ales were exported out of the Crown Domain, bringing money and trade to her capital city.

Architecture

The streets of Dynasty’s Dawn are furnished with a rarity in the Old World - streetlamps.

Since space is at a premium within Dynasty’s Dawn’s city walls, houses are typically four to six levels. They are built up next to each other. Typical houses will contain a shop on the ground floor, a yard in the back, and a residential area in the levels above. The quality of the houses varies.

There were defensive walls in Dynasty’s Dawn even before the time of Aldevar. Later, between 286 and 309 , a new set of walls were built. During Ulvesar’s reign, work was started on making new stone walls. However, he died before this project was completed. Today, Dynasty’s Dawn's walls are famously strong. They're high and up to fifteen feet thick. They are also painted white.

The city gates of Dynasty’s Dawn are guarded, and a toll is levied, although certain groups, such as members of the government, have an exemption. There are gaps in the city walls through which the river flows. However, if necessary, giant chains can be strung across the river to prevent waterborne invasion.

The Dawnflow River runs through Dynasty's Dawn. It is an important trade route in and out of the city and is often crammed with boats. In Dynasty’s Dawn, multiple bridges cross the Dawnflow, some of which are equipped with steam powered drawing mechanisms designed by the Institute of engineers.

Dynasty’s Dawn has some underground sewers, to remove the smell of human waste are tall enough for a dwarf to walk through without bending over. Some of these are effective, but others have been blocked. Of course, operational sewers are more likely to be located in wealthy neighborhoods.

Founding Date

1 AD

Alternative Name(s)

Iron Bastion

Type

Capital

Population

545.000

Location under

Aldevaria

Owner/Ruler

Clothar I

Owning Organization

Aldevarian Kingdom

Characters in Location

• Clothar I