Severnia
"A dazzling metropolis, where mortal and magic find themselves intrinsically woven together... why would you choose to live anywhere but Uthilith's capital of wizardry?"
-Archmage Tenya Aramyar, Alderman of the Hÿllis borough
Severnia is the third-most populous city in Uthilith, built at the base of the southern Severnus Hills with suburban outcroppings stretching all the way to the shores of the Cantusloch. By area, it is the largest metropolitan region in the world, as Temporan dynastic zoning laws prevented Misty Run from extending into any of the four designated provinces. It is also the central terminus for the Eastern Trade Web, a network of maintained roads that stretches across the Eastern Kingdom of Chaelwyth. The settlement was founded by Haelstrom Severnia, an immensely powerful Human Sorcerer, in CY 110 alongside his many consorts (of all genders). He sought to establish a government that emphasized arcane education and magic, free from explicitly divine influence. Haelstrom established the Unified Kingdom of Chaelwyth in CY 126 with the eponymous Severnia as the capital, which spanned the entire continent of Chaelwyth.
Severnia is the third-most populous city in Uthilith, built at the base of the southern Severnus Hills with suburban outcroppings stretching all the way to the shores of the Cantusloch. By area, it is the largest metropolitan region in the world, as Temporan dynastic zoning laws prevented Misty Run from extending into any of the four designated provinces. It is also the central terminus for the Eastern Trade Web, a network of maintained roads that stretches across the Eastern Kingdom of Chaelwyth. The settlement was founded by Haelstrom Severnia, an immensely powerful Human Sorcerer, in CY 110 alongside his many consorts (of all genders). He sought to establish a government that emphasized arcane education and magic, free from explicitly divine influence. Haelstrom established the Unified Kingdom of Chaelwyth in CY 126 with the eponymous Severnia as the capital, which spanned the entire continent of Chaelwyth.
Demographics
Severnia is highly diverse city featuring people from all walks of life and every imaginable heritage. As it's a desirable locale to live with affordable costs of living and excellent infrastructure, people mingle and socialize in a way not found in places with similar populations yet still stratified by class (such as Misty Run and Fenrir). Like most places in Uthilith, the dominant population is Human - but they make up less than 1/3 of the total population.
- 30% Human
- 12% Elven descent (including Half-Elves)
- 11% Hill Dwarf
- 9% Dragonborn
- 8% Half-Orc
- 7% Lightfoot Halfling
- 7% Rock Gnome
- 4% Stout Halfling
- 3% Forest Gnome
- 2% Genasi
- 2% Tiefling
- 1% Aasimar
- 4% other
Government
Severnia is a society where archmages from across the Eastern Kingdom are either appointed to (by the Rex Arcan), inherit, or are elected by their constituency to the position of Borough Alderman. Their assembly - the Council of Aldermen - simultaneously serves as a legislative body and the highest judicial court in the Eastern Kingdom.
The city has been the principal seat of the U5 since the ratification of the Severnia Convention of CY 1110, a document outlining international ethical treatment in combat. Thus, it is the global central hub for international relations and significant economic trade.
Defences
Severnia's primary method of defense is that Centruum is at the very heart of an extremely dense city; any who may wish to attack it will have to go through dozens of miles of housing and industry.
The Rex Arcan is the most powerful Sorcerer in Uthilith, posssessing arcane firepower that could level a town. He and the Aldermen of Severnia could face a standard continental army and be victorious.
Industry & Trade
Severnia is one of the trade capitals of the world; hence, it has one of the strongest economies in Uthilith. Centruum alone is able to fund the outer districts' projects and maintenance with the taxation placed on financial transactions from within the heart of the city.
The world's largest Ley Extraction company - Power Incorporated - resides in Centruum. Through constant extraction of this form of renewable arcane energy, they are the primary producers of power for the STA and the Transcontinental Railroad. They also supply energy to Tempora and Iacchus Argentum; the company is currently looking for ways to begin fueling other forms of machinery.
Infrastructure
Severnia is renowned for its elaborate street grid and self-contained mass transit system, which was created after Wyndi Čeloscas reverse-engineered her own Line of Ley Railway into the artificial installation of Ley Channels throughout the early 1690s throughout the city. As of the end of the decade, there are over 100 miles of track laid with a ridership of approximately 100,000 per weekday.
Severnia has six self-contained transit lines, each beginning in Centruum (the most central borough where the Rex Arcan's Gilded Alcazar and Severnia University are located), extending outward into one of the other six boroughs and terminating at the respective borders of each. The STA (Severnian Transit Authority) also services two commuter transit lines, with one extending southwest to the Lakewoods College of Theatre Arts and one extending eastward to Windfell. Approximately 14,000 people take the STA's commuter rails each weekday; these lines both extend for around 20 miles apiece.
A common Severnian 'fun fact' is that the signs for the Eastern station (along the outbound Gold Line) and the Occidental station (along the outbound Violet line) were switched by who the city reports to be a "serial prankster" just before the zoning map was created, and the amount of red tape that would have to be crossed to rename the station wasn't conducive to the STA's mission at that time.
- The Verdant Line extends from Centruum to its terminus at the Scala Station-Railyard in Hÿllis, approximately 11 miles north of Unity Station. It maintains a ridership of approximately 9,000 per weekday.
- The Gold Line extends from Centruum to its terminus at the Knoll Station-Railyard in Goldenrod, approximately 13 miles northwest of Unity Station. It maintains a ridership of approximately 13,000 per weekday.
- The Azure Line extends from Centruum to its terminus at the Mossdeep Station-Railyard in Musicäa, approximately 7 miles southwest of Unity Station. It maintains a ridership of approximately 19,000 per weekday; the Azure Line is one of two STA rail lines that runs 24/7.
- The Crimson Line extends from Centruum to its terminus at the Ouroboros Station-Railyard in Old Town, approximately 9 miles south of Unity Station. It maintains a ridership of approximately 14,000 per weekday.
- The Saffron Line extends from Centruum to its terminus at the Spruce Park Station-Railyard in Marshton, approximately 15 miles southeast of Unity Station. It maintains a ridership of approximately 20,000 per weekday; the Saffron Line is one of two STA rail lines that runs 24/7.
- The Violet Line extends from Centruum to its terminus at the Deepwoods Station-Railyard in Nordwälder, approximately 8 miles northeast of Unity Station. It maintains a ridership of approximately 11,000 per weekday.
A common Severnian 'fun fact' is that the signs for the Eastern station (along the outbound Gold Line) and the Occidental station (along the outbound Violet line) were switched by who the city reports to be a "serial prankster" just before the zoning map was created, and the amount of red tape that would have to be crossed to rename the station wasn't conducive to the STA's mission at that time.
Districts
Severnia is divided into seven boroughs, each with dozens of self-contained neighborhoods. Every borough presents its own self-contained cultural identity from the presence of various ethnic (indigenous AND diasporic) groups that have come to call Severnia their home.
Centruum is the central borough, where the Eastern Kingdom's primary governmental institutions have stood for well over a millennium. This area - although far from residential in the way the six outer boroughs are - contains the city's largest employers (such as the five-winged Santiago Memorial Library, Uthilith's second largest library and the best-kept archive in the E.K.) and Severnia University, the most prestigious institution on the continent. Unity Station - a terminus for Transcontinental Railroad trains and a railyard for STA cars - also resides in Centruum. Although the Rex Arcan resides at the heart of Centruum, the borough's Alderman is the Human archmage Violetta Vyvanse II.
Hÿllis is the northernmost borough, built up the slopes of the Severnus Hills. It is the favored neighborhood for transplants and new money Severnians, with the most available space to sprawl while remaining consistent with zoning laws put into place by the municipal government. It holds a high concentration of humans and the Temporan High Elf diaspora, many of whom left Zonaius when President Karyon Beeching significantly increased property taxes on their land in CY 1628. The borough's alderman is Tenya Aramyar, a Half-Elf archmage with a penchant for auctioneering.
Goldenrod is located to the northwest of Centruum, partially built on the slopes of the Severnus Hills while maintaining significant amounts of the flat-ish grassland at their base. It is intentionally the least developed of the seven boroughs, as it is indigneous land where many Lightfoot Halflings call home. A loose grid system is still maintained even without the urban development undergone by other boroughs, as these halflings continue to maintain their traditions of agriculture. The borough's alderman is Malachi Grassbottom, a Halfling archmage who inherited the title and magical prowess from his father over a century prior.
Musicäa is located to the southwest of Centruum, containing an extensive arts scene. The Via Euterpe is a boulevard containing many Severnian institutions integral to its history, including the Staatsoper Severs, Sinfonia Centre, and the Skyline Theatre. Aside from Centruum, this borough has the highest international tourist population of almost anywhere in Chaelwyth. Thanks to the presence of the robust arts culture, a large dwarven diaspora population can be found here. A robust Unseen Taxi system services areas in Musicäa difficult to access from any of the various STA stations. The borough's alderman is Tonya the Terrific, a Hill Dwarf archmage and playwright who regularly has works performed in this borough.
Old Town is the southernmost borough, holding a significant portion of the city's historical architecture. Much of Severnia's "old money" still lives in Old Town, maintaining hold on their large manor properties that remain under protective laws by the municipal government. Old Town is the second largest employer in Severnia (only behind Centruum), as three major temples (Lation, Briris, and Enaldir) were constructed quickly after the establishment of the Kingdom; much work persists to keep these works of architecture maintained. Uthilith's largest population of "non-ethnically homogenous" Dragonborn live in Old Town, having fled the Occidental Kingdom in the early 1100s. The borough's alderman is Theodas Aralana, a Sun Elf who serves as the modern Master of Illusion after the death of Brincock Drid in the mid-1680s.
Marshton is located to the southeast of Centruum, and is the city's primary blue collar residential borough. Named for the once swampy land it now stands on, thousands of small townhomes have been erected in the area (interspersed by hundreds of markets, restaurants, and taverns) to house the working-class. The heart of this neighborhood contains many artisan shops and assembly lines where the residents of Marshton work; individuals from Old Town and Hÿllis frequently travel to Marshton to purchase their wares for a far cheaper price than importing goods from other continents. Marshton also possesses its own Little Iaccha neighborhood, full of immigrants from Iacchus Argentum who have established restaurants and stores. The borough's alderman is Gnoelle Chacha, a world-famous Rock Gnome archmage and clockmaker who moved to Severnia a few decades back from the city of Hresvelg.
Nordwälder is located to the northeast of Centruum and is home to the continent's largest diasporic Half-Orc population. These individuals were granted asylum following the Occidental endeavor to chase the citizens of Grūmstultimǎ out of the country in the late 900s, and the Rex Arcan at the time welcomed them with open arms in Severnia. This area now contains the second-largest greenspace in the Eastern Kingdom (behind only Hresvelg the borough council's mission is to retain a sense of connection with nature in the area despite the rampant urbanism of city policy. The borough's alderman is Masami Uëmaa, a half-orc/half-drow archmage who hopes to maintain the beauty of her borough.
Assets
Severnia employs hundreds of municipal archivists to maintain all historical artifacts and texts known to be owned by the Eastern Kingdom, ranging from the Rex Arcan's personal archivist to the Special Collections people at Severnia University. Together, they have possession over several million in artifacts and assets.
Points of interest
The most prominent landmark in Severnia is, of course, the Gilded Alcazar. Home of the Rex Arcan, the Gilded Alcazar is the largest, most elaborate structure in the Eastern Kingdom of Chaelwyth.
Maps
-
Severnia Transit Authority
A map of Severnia's elevated transit system.
Founding Date
Harpstring Moon 3, CY 110
Founders
Type
Capital
Population
992,150
Inhabitant Demonym
Severnians
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Additional Rulers/Owners
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
