Swansgard
On top a hill stands a lonely castle overlooking a rocky bay. Once Swansgard was an old viking settlement growing through the centuries to a small picturesque fishing village supplying nearby mines with goods from the sea. It seemed like Swansgard would wither into obscurity after the industrial revolution when the mines closed and the population dwindled. What no one could predict was the town's perfect spot on a knot of ley lines hiding a fey treasure that had been growing through the years by the words spoken across time. When the Dragons ravaged the metropolises of the world Swansgard became a safe haven as multiple Monarchs looked to establish themselves in the area. And so Swansgard became the second largest settlement in Northern Europe second only to New London. With rows of protective white walls, twisting skyscrapers with vertical gardens, a fleet in the bay ready to spring to life at any sign of a Dragon approaching. The people live safe, modern lives in this self-sustaining metropolis made by the will of the Monarchs and their secret agendas.
Government
Swansgard is under a Unitary Authority governed by the Swansgard City council. It consists of 68 councillors split over multiple wards with the Mayor being the chairman/woman of the council. Elections are held every four years where all citizens with a Swansinite citizen subscription over 16 can participate and vote.
After many turbulent years and the diffusion of governments following the destruction left by the Dragons and refugee crisis the 2018 Local government act gave great autonomy as the state could not effectively function. There is still much debate over whether this was the state "throwing in the towel" leaving communities to fend for themselves or if it was the best decision given the situation. Today this has led to the dependency of trans-national corporations, private defense agencies and non-profit organizations have more say in the budget and functions of these weaker, smaller, governments.
After many turbulent years and the diffusion of governments following the destruction left by the Dragons and refugee crisis the 2018 Local government act gave great autonomy as the state could not effectively function. There is still much debate over whether this was the state "throwing in the towel" leaving communities to fend for themselves or if it was the best decision given the situation. Today this has led to the dependency of trans-national corporations, private defense agencies and non-profit organizations have more say in the budget and functions of these weaker, smaller, governments.
Infrastructure
Since traveling comes with so much risk and uncertainty, cities in the world of Dragons and Monarchs have become largely self-contained with little need for private cars and infrastructure to accommodate them in the way that cars defined cities in the modern area. Either you take the underground tube, overground rails, or rent a transport unit through an app such as Steed-E.
As for citizenship and legal matters all citizens must pay a quarterly subscription fee to the town of Swansgard to retain housing rights, network access, electricity and water as well as the means to enter public areas. It’s fairly cheap, though there are several tiers of subscriptions that for example puts you in the line for different housing waiting lines and insurance coverage. It’s all needed for living in a neat little package and speaks to the control and interconnectedness between the city government and the corporations providing these vital services. It also means that if you can’t pay or are unwilling to pay you can’t keep your housing rights and protections which can lead to exile. Part of the reason for this system is because of the costs of protection and making a city work when the world is such a dangerous place with Dragon attacks happening on a weekly basis around the British isle.
Architecture vise the city is crammed with the walls acting as both protection but also soak up sunlight and hold lots of infrastructure to make it easy to access and manage. Underground is a bit of a mess considering the city's rushed early history with several unfinished projects and closed down tubes and sewer systems next to the new systems in use. Greenery and plants can be found everywhere in taller buildings as they catch rainwater, filter water being used in the building, and provide natural cooling and air freshening, as well as providing food.
Guilds and Factions
The Monarchs and defense agencies are undisputedly the most important actors in Swansgard providing vital services and with huge amounts of capital. The three major agencies being:
Guiding Star
The biggest agency in terms of number of Knights Guiding Star has always played into both the defender and idol part of Knights, setting up concerts, selling merchandise, vlogs and broadcasting their fights with Dragons live on tv. The Knights are divided into courts, one for each season with a captain being appointed of each court. When the agency had a lot of Knights to fill the courts it worked as a ranking system with spring court being for the newbies up till the winter veterans. However Guiding Star have suffered heavy losses and with their Monarch not having the energy to support as many Knights the courts have been left a mess with the spring court instead being filled by members of Guardian as a form of collaboration and keeping the court from being empty.Guardian
Guardian is one of the few agencies that works across multiple cities due to the unique properties of their Monarch, their radiance Cael. After many years of being a central actor in Swansgard, Guardian allocated their resources to focus on gaining ground in New London and other cities across the UK, leaving Swansgard without any Knights for two years. However with a few scandals including some of their top Knights and losing public opinion a few Knights were relocated to Swansgard to soften the blows with two Knights taking position in the traditional Guiding Stars team the spring court to help balance out the other agencies mismatching of territory and Knights.Neptune
With their Monarch being known for handing out very peculiar abilities Neptune have crushed the competition in marine and air defenses. Though not playing into the idol part of knightdom Neptune gets its resources and trust from companies and businessmen instead as they offer Knights-for-hire as long as the Knights return to Swansgard to be near their Monarch once every other month.Points of interest
Swansgard is a jungle of high rise buildings, gardens and led lights. In the old town, up on a little hill, stands the old castle from Swansgards beginnings. The area has become a public garden and museum named Avalon Garden and the biggest open green space is Swansgard.
There is no chance of missing the grand white walls circling in multiple layers around the town. Ontop the walls you can walk and see the forests and mountains that have been left mostly untouched after society changed during the Dragon Calamity. It’s quite popular for joggers to run around on the open walkways on the walls.
Down in the bay The Neptune Fleet always has a ship or two on standby. On occasion the main ship will be open for the public and host events such as the annual Prismatic Gala and Christmas Knight Show. But most importantly the fleet is working 24/7 to scan the air and waters for any sign of attack with Knights always on the ready.
Speaking of Knights, the Guiding Star HQ, aka The Tower, stands on the outskirts of Swansgard at a junction of the walls. The Tower is a beautiful piece of Green-Revolution architecture and has hosted several generations of Knights. Back in the day it was even owned by the rival company Guardian that later moved due to logistics. It’s a safe haven locked away from the public where Knights and their families live in the house in the closed community in front of the Tower and the HQ itself is home to several offices, training facilities, and uses part of the wall as a garage to easily drive out Knights or send them out via helicopter.
Type
City
Population
12.2 Million
Inhabitant Demonym
Swanite
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
Top 5 Ranking Knights In Swansgard
- Specter. Sam Graham (Guiding Star)
- Amaraus. Fredric Newton (Guardian)
- Melody. Petunia Castle (Guiding Star)
- Snow. Astrid Axeldotti (Guiding Star)
- Atlas. Atlas McKay (Neptune)
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