Nova Adocentyn

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Jacques Citadine
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Location: RhyDin: Old Market District

Nova Adocentyn

Post by Jacques Citadine »

~I, Iodor Ulson, have undertaken to write this description of the origin of Jacques Citadine, known variously as Iacobus Maris, Iacobus Civis, leCitadin, and Jacob. The information has been gathered by our diviners in the department, and we are submitting the information to you, our sponsors in RhyDin, for your edification. This information has not been presented to the man himself; indeed, he never speaks of his home, for it inevitably causes him to break down into tears.~

The Great Chronicle of the City designates the city's plane of existence as "Expanse DLXXXVIII", and claims that it was entirely manufactured by a cabal of powerful archmagi. This is held as fact. Everything in the Chronicle is held as fact, even that which has been altered to suit the needs of the current regime.

-Gross Geography-
The Expanse itself is like any other; it has stars and planets. However, it is is circumscribed: a finite universe, and that lends credence to the notion of it being artificial. There is but one habitable planet, roughly half the size of the commonly known planet Earth. At one time it had its own pangaiacal continent, but over eons it divided into two, separated by a channel about two hundred miles across. Human habitation is mainly found in temparate zones, and is limited to farming communities and medium-sized free merchant towns. There are only two large cities: Nova Adocentyn and Croatonia, located respectively at the northenmost and southernmost regions of human habitation.
Observers (there have only been a few) have noted that the great majority of people in this world actually come from Earth, but from a variety of different centuries, sometimes millenia apart, as though they had been plucked out of their proper timelines.

-The City and Its Environs-
Nova Adocentyn was an unplanned city at first, and its districts blurred into one another. This state of affairs was ended by a large fire that wiped out much of the original city. After The Fire (so goes the Chronicle), the people embarked on the building of the "New City", whence comes the City's nickname, Adocentyn the Twice-New. The city is now divided into three large parts: one dedicated to residences, one to business, and one to public affairs. These three larger parts are clearely divided by a man-made canal and are themselves further divided into districts. Thus, as in many cities, there are rich neighborhoods, poor ones, a campus town, an industrial district, etc.
The less desireable parts of town are obscured behind the tall, silvery spires of the Collegium Magicum and Government Palace, as well as the more modest, but still glittering, towers of various magnates, private and public. Those of correct politics enjoy easy access to grand libraries, bright gardens, and luxurious bathouses. The rest get by, living either in degraded slums (of which there are mercifully few) or nondescript looking blocks of stores and flats. Fortunately, the city government has always been conscious of sanitation, so even poor citizens at least enjoy clean streets and decent parks.
The countryside for hundreds of miles around has been subjugated by the military power of the City. Thus, Nova Adocentyn's granaries are always full (essential for maintaining public order), because vast stretches of farmland are city property, worked by farmers who are quite dependent on Municipal favor. There are several merchant towns as well under city control. At one point, they had formed a defensive league, but now they submit to harsh tarriffs, which further enrich Nova Adocentyn.

-Municipal Government and Politics-
Nova Adocentyn's ruler is known as the Illustrious Prefect, who functions as a strong chief executive, who, through an expansive administration, rules nearly absolutely. Half the cities judges are chosen by the Prefect. Succession in this office for the longest time was determined by popular vote, but throughout leCitadin's life, the Prefect was elected by the various oligarchic councils that controlled the city, namely the Great Council, the Collegium Council, and the People's Council. The Great and People's Council are both filled with powerful individuals; whatever old distinction between them once existed has long since been forgotten. The Collegium Council refers to the Collegium Magicum, not the towns other universities, and is, naturally, filled by powerful mages. These three councils are responsible for different areas of legislation; the distinctions are incredibly fine, indeed: too complex to discuss here. However, between them, they choose the other half of the city's judges.
Within the last ten years or so, the political faction that had ruled the city for centruies began to lose its grip. leCitadin was a member of this faction and became embroiled in a series of violent conflicts fought in the streets of the city. It is rumored that, as his faction was nearing its defeat, he destroyed the Collegium Magicum with a powerful spell. Later, so these rumors go, he escaped to a tower outside of town and withstood several assaults alone before surrendering and being exiled. I say these are rumors because the man himself does not actually appear in any public records! So, of course, you see why I believe the rumors.
The new Prefect has begun a campgain of militarization and expansionism, which leads me to today's last section.

-Diplomatic Relations-
It could be said that Nova Adocentyn rules about one half of its planet. The other large city, Croatonia, has not gotten beyond its own walls, leaving the rest of the land without large government. For centuries, the scholars and merchants of the two cities kept up a regular dialogue that was beneficial to them both. However, the new Prefect seems bent on conquest of all settled lands, and, for the first time in its history, Croatonia has begun to levy an army from its citizens and the surrounding countryside in preparation for its defense.

~Explicit Sententiae Iodori Ulsonis de Nova Adocentina~
Jacques Citadine
Junior Adventurer
Junior Adventurer
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2005 10:52 pm
Location: RhyDin: Old Market District

Post by Jacques Citadine »

~Excerpt from a letter of one T.T. Noland to our committee~

Now, my last desire is to step on Master Ulson's toes. However, after reading his reports, I decided the topic was quite fascinating. This is not because I have a personal relation with the said Dr. Citadine (as Mr. Ulson does) but because I've always been fascinated with the relations between different planes of existence.

In any regard, it would seem that more information about the physics of this place that Mr. Ulson explored is to be had in his journal than in his finished report. For, in the latter he does not record any dates, but each entry in the former is labelled "Day 1", "Day 2", and so on. Now, you our gracious patrons had been awaiting Mr. Ulson's report for nearly over a year, as I know. However, his journal only reaches one hundred eleven days. I therefore suggest another expedition be set out to determine the exact rate of time dilation between our plane and that of Nova Adocentyn.

This dilation is quite miniscule and cannot account for Dr. Citadine's very advanced age, which is probably the result of some magick experimentations of his. However, what it does point out is that Mr. Ulson spent a very short time there, certainly not long enough for a thorough exploration.
He mentions a "great chronicle" in his report. I'd bet a great deal of money that he spent most of his time in the city, reading about its planet, rather than exploring the planet itself.

Of course, I don't mean to disparage my esteemed colleague, who....

~The excerpt is ended~
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