The Flannish Cities
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Table of Contents: Overview * Locales of Interest * Organizations * Map * History * Ratings & Reviews
Sublocale Quick Links: Atalan Wall * Bodenwald * Breonor * Court of Birds * Dartmouth * Fields of Harrow * Forest of Songs * Galbinus River * Gorok-kar * Gray Hills * The Green Monoliths * Grüngarten * Hoganrood * Hollowhill * Nimdenthal * Oldenheim * Praxus * Rondhaven * Siren's Rock * Svardholm * Torburg * Zuidenstadt
| The Flannish Cities (Realm): |
Overview: "While it cannot be denied that the architecture of the Parginian Rim and other regions to the south and east have their own unique charms, the Flannish Cities remain the place to watch if you are interested in the latest advances of architectural design.
And in no place is this more evident than in Praxus. In this shining beacon of progress, urban planning has taken place on a scale seen never before in this world, and its architects work day and night to bring the vision of its city fathers to life..."
- Introduction to "Praxus: City of Tomorrow", Annual Special Issue of "Architectural Review" (1421)
Capital: None
Population: 32,736,350 (humans 71%, halflings 14%, dwarves 6%, gnomes 4%, elves 2%, hobgoblins 2%)
Government: Varies by city state, though a merchant oligarchy is the most common form of government
Imports: Wood, ore
Exports: Magic items, manufactured goods, ships, textiles
The Flannish Cities dot the north-western shores. Their culture is a young one, but perhaps it is this which gives their citizens unmatched drive and ambition. Their ships range far and wide, and their trade goods reach all over the world. A prosperous future of these cities seems assured.
Perhaps paradoxically, they tend to have a strict definition of "morality". Most city governments have de-fined a range of activities as immoral, such as gambling, prostitution, or drinking alcohol, and passed laws to outlaw those. This often does little to actually suppress those activities, as they are just driven underground. Still, most upper-class citizens like to make a show of how morally superior they are when compared to people from other regions.
On the surface, the Flannish Cities seem far more egalitarian than other regions. While there are still some hereditary nobles left from the feudal ages, true power is open to anyone who is able and willing to grasp it. There is more than one merchant lord, city councillor, or other potentate of humble origin—and who is proud to tell the tale of his self-made success to anyone who is listening.
But despite this, class tensions are alive and well. Most of the poor live in squalid apartments they have to share with a dozen other inhabitants—or more! They have to work long hours in factories without hopes for better jobs, while their children are sent to work as soon as they are able to contribute to the family income, thus denying them chances for a better education and a brighter future. The rich, on the other hand, have replaced the nobility of old in all but name—they make sure their own children get the best education and opportunities, and look down on the poor as being lazy and lacking in moral fibre. Between these extremes is a middle class of craftsmen, accountants, shopkeepers and other people frantically trying to enter the upper classes (or at least aping them) while constantly worrying about sliding down to lower class status.
Still, the Flannish cities are constantly expanding and changing, and someone with the right measures of boldness, wits, and luck can easily make his fortune, if he is only willing to take his destiny into his own hand.
| Map Label | Locales of Interest | Locale Type | Components | Date Last Modified |
| Atalan Wall | Ruin | 0 | 7/25/2007 9:56:56 AM | |
| Bodenwald | Metropolis | 0 | 7/23/2007 3:59:13 PM | |
| Breonor | Island | 0 | 7/23/2007 3:41:20 PM | |
| Court of Birds | Island | 0 | 7/23/2007 3:43:35 PM | |
| Dartmouth | Metropolis | 44 | 9/12/2007 9:34:53 AM | |
| Fields of Harrow | Wilderness | 0 | 7/23/2007 3:48:14 PM | |
| Forest of Songs | Wilderness | 0 | 7/23/2007 3:49:58 PM | |
| Galbinus River | Wilderness | 1 | 2/21/2008 1:03:45 AM | |
| Gorok-kar | Large City | 0 | 7/23/2007 4:31:06 PM | |
| Gray Hills | Wilderness | 0 | 9/11/2007 12:03:29 PM | |
| The Green Monoliths | Tower | 0 | 7/25/2007 10:10:19 AM | |
| Grüngarten | Large City | 0 | 9/12/2007 11:24:44 AM | |
| Hoganrood | Metropolis | 0 | 7/23/2007 4:35:14 PM | |
| Hollowhill | Large City | 0 | 7/23/2007 4:37:35 PM | |
| Nimdenthal | Large City | 0 | 7/23/2007 4:42:23 PM | |
| Oldenheim | Large City | 0 | 7/25/2007 9:24:55 AM | |
| Praxus | Metropolis | 39 | 9/3/2007 11:48:36 PM | |
| Rondhaven | Metropolis | 0 | 7/25/2007 9:31:03 AM | |
| Siren's Rock | Island | 0 | 9/11/2007 12:05:35 PM | |
| Svardholm | Large City | 0 | 7/25/2007 9:35:53 AM | |
| Torburg | Metropolis | 0 | 7/25/2007 9:42:09 AM | |
| Zuidenstadt | Metropolis | 0 | 7/25/2007 9:46:43 AM |
| Organizations | Organization Type | Date Last Modified |
| Butchers' Guild | Trade/Profession | 9/12/2007 11:16:04 AM |
| Flannish Cities Unity Coalition | Other | 7/25/2007 12:28:21 PM |
| The Cerulean Dawn | Other | 7/25/2007 12:33:42 PM |
History: In the distant past, the entire region was a mixture of lowlands, swamps, and forest sparsely inhabited by humanoids and human tribes. But in 180 NA, the Atalan Empire appeared on its southern borders, and started conquering and civilizing it. By 241 NA into three provinces, which compromised the southwestern, southeastern, and the northern parts of the region. They then built the Atalan Wall to defend the provinces against raids by barbarians from the Norfjell Wastes, and apart from a few small skirmishes never expanded beyond it.
This state of affairs continued for several centuries, but gradually the Atalan Empire crumbled from within. When the last provincial governor renounced all ties to the Empire in 654 NA and crowned himself kind of Darchester, it was a mere formality—the Emperor in Atalus was too far away and too weak to do anything more than protest. Now the three provinces became feudal kingdoms, with Darchester in the south west, Gelgen in the south east, and the Flannish Kingdom in the north. These soon splintered into small baronies, fiefdoms, and small, independent cities that continually warred with each other, despite a short attempt at unification by the Flannish King Hellweg III, who crowned himself the first Emperor of the Flannish Empire. He succeeded in conquering the entire region in 977 NA, but died seven years later without heirs—all heirs apparant had apparently met "tragical accidents" or been murdered outright. Thus, the Empire crumbled soon after it was created, though rumors of a "true heir to the Flannish throne" continue to be popular in certain circles even today.
The feudal system reached its moment of crisis with the invasion of Negroth the Doombringer in 1174. The various feudal lords were completely incapable of uniting in the face of a common threat, and indeed often used the invasion as a chance to stab their fellow nobles in the back. As a result, the Flannish kingdoms were soundly defeated at the Fields of Harrow, and even though the reign of Negroth ended two years later, the aristocrats were completely discredited in the eyes of the common people. Some nobles saw the writing on the wall and gave more and more of their powers to various citizens' councils, while other were forced to abdicate or even executed by angry mobs. This culminated in the "Liberation War", where the combined armies of Hogenrood, Holzau (now Grüngarten), Oldenheim, Torburg, and Zuidenstadt marched against the other regions where nobles were still in control. This war culminated in the partial destruction of Praxus, and ran out of steam when an elven army from Avareen conquered and occupied Holzau. The armies retreated, leaving only Bodenwald in the hands of nobles.
Thanks to the experiences from these wars, people were now much more concerned about external threats that old-fashioned armies wouldn't be able to handle, and the ancient techniques of constructing nexus towers became popular again. Old ones were repaired and improved, and new ones sprung up everywhere. The cities were expanded and fortified, while most smaller settlements vanished or were reduced to small supply depots. And in 1268 NA, all Flannish cities (now including Gorok-kar and Svardholm) signed the Treaty of Praxus, a self-defense pact that requires all Flannish cities to cooperate in the face of an external threat.
Today, such concerns seem out of date. No enemies seem to threaten the prosperity and stablity of the Flannish Cities from without. Instead the cities have become increasingly competetive and hostile to each other, as they try to monopolize key resources and trade goods. And all the while, the cities themselves become more crowded, and full with poor, desperate people who have little to lose.
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| Genre: Medieval Fantasy | Popularity: TBD | Owners: 2 |
| Maturity: S | Rating: | Components: 92 |
| Tone: Average | Date Created: 7/23/2007 | Last Modified: 1/30/2008 |
