Capital County (Encyclopaedia Chapter)

The eigth chapter of the Encyclopaedia describes the most important county of them all - Capital County. Great cities, forts and symbols of alliance, trust and peace decorate this beautiful and fertile land, where the Realm has its roots.


Chapter 8 – Capital County – Land of Power

The Centre of the Realm. The Central County. The White County. Land of Power.
The Capital County of the White Realm has many names, and it is with good reason. This area is the oldest and most important part of the Realm, being the key in government, trading, warfare and education. The Capital of the Realm – the White City is the biggest, most beautiful and most protected place in the whole Realm. It is where the residence of the Lord is found as well as the metropolis of opportunities for all kinds of professions.

Geographically, the Capital County is located in the very middle of the Realm. It is surrounded by rivers, and is a very rich and lush county. The northern border is the River Niconf, beyond which lies the Northern County. The west and south is marked by the River Ellaine and the Farragut River. The eastern border is the Silverstream and the Mountains of Glory. Additionally the Glory Foothills are the border between Capital and Glorious County in the gap between Spiky Hills and the Mountains of Glory.

The White City is in the very northern part of the County, and the area between this huge city and the Niconf River is a barren waste. Few camps are encountered there, but trees and hills are very rare. The waste is covered by rocks, sand and little vegetation.
The southern part however is much more cultivated and attractive. Many, different and beautiful forests are spread over the fertile County. Rivers stream through the landscape, and small and big hills rise above the flourishing valleys. There are quite many cities in the southern part of the Capital County – the biggest and most important being the City of Collar, Liventon, Errentus and the City of Vallein.

Being the oldest County and the County with the very capital city of the Realm, the White Army has fortified the whole County – in one way or another. The roads are always safe, with many guards and soldiers patrolling them. Barracks and towers rise in the landscape, offering help to those who need it, and watching over the County. Bandits are quite rare on the roads of the County and the farmers are always safe from intruders. The people of the Capital County love this security, making it the safest County of them all.
Still, the Lord has managed to maintain the safety of the County, without ruining its natural beauty, so that forests, rivers and animals can live in peace and beauty. Adventurers rarely use the County for adventures, as it offers very few bandit and monster dwellings, but nature lovers still visit the Capital County because of the mix of untouched, beautiful nature and very little risk of being attacked.

Apart from the “outer” security, the most protected are is of course the very heart of the Realm – The White City. With its glorious castle and towers rising in the horizon, the capital of the White Realms is full of activity, glory and people. Being the largest city of the realm, the White City is home for more people than the rest of the County, and the City also boasts a very large defensive army, watching over the city day and night.

The White City has the Vast Market, a great place for merchants and travellers, the White Library, the Capital University, the Bloody Square and many other unique and essential structures for the maintenance of the White City and of the entire Realm.
The most important structure however, is the House of Honour. It is the core of the White Realm, where the Lord of the Realm resides. Additionally, the High Council is located in this vast, but wonderful castle. Galleries, meeting rooms and of course Council Guards are found in the House of Honour and the Elder Scroll is kept safe in the halls of this citadel.

Never has the White Realm fallen to any enemy, and the Warriors of the White City swear, that it will never happen.

(For more information on the White City, read first chapter of the Encyclopaedia)

Although the White City handles most of the administration, economy, trading and soldiers of the County, the other cities of the Capital County are of great importance as well.

The City of Collar is the largest non-capital city in the County, and it serves as a centre for all citizens of the Capital County, outside the White Realm. Farmers and land-owners meet in this less busy town to trade and hear the latest news, and the atmosphere is generally calm and much more comfortable than the incredible stress in the capital. That is why many farmers prefer to do their trading in this “outer city”.
Collar has a small defensive force and a few fortifications, but is most commonly described as a huge village – because of the air and the population. The City of Collar has something special however. The Basin of Collar.
There are countless mysteries, rumours and legends about this Basin and many travellers visit the City to see this extraordinary sight. The Basin of Collar is so special because of its depth. No living person from the White Realm has ever managed to swim or find the bottom of this lake. Because of this, adventurers, authors and poets have described the Basin in many tales, books and poems – of course – none of them confirmed. Some theories tell about a huge treasure, a vicious monster, a portal to the Underworld or even a hole so big, that the one who swims to the “bottom” will find himself in the Bay of Ortin. These myths and rumours are a vast subject of speculation and fun for those who visit or hear about the Basin of Ortin.
Every year, brave and daring men meet in Collar, and attempt to swim to the bottom, solving the mystery once and for all. Many incredible inventions are encountered on this annually event, such as so-called “Sub-ships” and many other crazy machines, built by enthusiastic adventurers. Every year, some daring men die in their attempts to reach the bottom, but they were all aware of the risk.
This is one of the most mysterious and interesting sights in all of the Realm.

Liventon is a smaller city in the very south of the Capital County. It is located at the very “fork” between the Farragut River and the Silverstream. And it is this fact, which makes Liventon a famous and important city. At this “fork”, kinds of fish encountered no where else are found, and caught by the locals. These special fishes are extremely tasty and very expensive, as they are so rare. Many foreigners have attempted to settle near the fork, and tried to fish for these special creatures, but with no success. The locals seem to have secret and useful fishing techniques, and they have announced, that only a pure-blood “Liventoner” will know about this sacred fishing.
Many people think that the Liventoners have special spells or scrolls, but no one has ever found out how they manage to catch these special fish.
Additionally, Liventon serves as a market for fish and other wares – rare or common, and the “fork” makes the city a natural meeting point for “boat-merchants” sailing down the rivers from either Ell, the Spiky Hills or even the Nothern County.

Lievnton also hosts the White Realm Ranger Guild. Rangers meet here to discuss different problems and news in the wilderness, as well as train, trade and compete in various ways.

Errentus is the famous mining city. Outside of it – deep within the Spiky Hills lie the White Marble mines. Here, these skilled miners and sculptors gather this precious material, and if someone orders for example a tower to be built, then the Mason’s Guild will send builders to construct the ordered tower. This White Marble is extremely rare – impossible to find, except for the Spiky Hills Mine. Therefore, such buildings or just statues cost a whole fortune. Only the richest of aristocrats can afford it.
The most distinctive structures built of White Marble, however – are the Wall of the White City and the White Tower. These enormous constructions were built by the very fist Masons of Errentus and the city is proud of the honour to know that the foes of the Realm will never step inside the White City, because of this almost indestructible material.
The secret of mining and sculpting with White Marble remains a secret within the city.

The City of Vallein is actually on both Capital County and Zealous County soil. It is split by the River Niconf, and three bridges connect the two halves. The whole of Vallein is, however, counted within the Capital County. This city is one of the oldest in the Realm, and the river was vital for its development in the early days of the White Realm.
Since the Zealous County is a paradise for adventurers, with many dangers and secrets, many Realmers consider Vallein to be “the last bastion of sanity”. The City of Vallein boasts a happy atmosphere with many inns and much busy life. It is a fairly large city, almost the size of Collar, but it is less farmer-oriented. Vallein is most famous (and important) because of its great shipyard. Strong, fast and agile ships for river-sailing are produced here, and a visitor will find plenty of skilled crafts- and salesmen as well. Travellers describe how every man and women greets you with a smile, and how the city seems to have no worries.

Although it is not of huge importance as a trading centre, Vallein serves as a bastion to the west. If beasts attack the Capital County, they usually must use Vallein’s bridges. That is why Vallein is of military importance, and it hosts a large force of Rangers and Soldiers of the Realm. Usually, these battle-hardened warriors take out invading beast-tribes, before they reach the thin walls of the City.

Apart from its cities, the Capital County has a large amount of estates and castles, owned (and defended) by different Knights and nobles. This boosts the county’s defensive force further. Some of the most important castles are Sentinel Tower (an ancient fortress, serving as sentry for the White City, with a big force of soldiers, Wisdom Rampart (Sir Apollo’s estate – more info in Chapter 3), Milliath Castle (Castle near the Milliath Mountains, owning the largest fields in the whole County).

Otherwise, the county is dotted with farms and estates in its lush valleys in the centre of the County – and of the Realm.

The Two Towers, known as the Tower of Weissland and the Tower of Gold represent one of the most important and required attributes in the Code of the White Realm – trust. The Two Towers stand where the Silverstream forks and they are not used for military purposes – they are a form of giant monuments, symbolising the Alliance of the White Realm, the Golden Empire and Weissland.

The Two Towers were raised once the Allegiance treaty between Weissland and the White Realm found place. The Golden Empire had been an ally of the Realm before that day, and originally there should only be a single tower – the Tower of Weissland. The Lord decided however, that the Golden Empire deserved to be forever known as honour- and trustful allies, so the Tower of Gold was raised next to the Tower of Weissland.

In appearance the two towers are quite large. They would form an excellent military bastion, many officers of the White Army say. Yet they serve another purpose.
The architecture of the Tower of Gold and the Tower of Weissland is identical. They are however, decorated in slightly different fashion.

The Tower of Weissland is built entirely of White Marble. The tower reflects the sunlight in a very beautiful way, and as the sun shines on it, it truly seems like a magical, white tower – which symbolizes Weissland well, the Lord thinks.

The Tower of God is constructed of marble, but not of such high quality as the Weissland tower. The reason for this is that travellers never see the marble. Across all walls and surfaces, the marble is covered by a layer of pure gold. The tower of Gold rightfully bears its name, travellers say, and the Tower is truly beautiful – representing the Golden Empire well.

Apart from being monuments and attractions, the two Towers serve a higher purpose. In times of need, the Lord may summon a meeting in one of the two towers, depending on which land’s ruler he wishes to see for council. The reason for having a meeting in for example the Tower of Weissland is, that many believe that because of its signal of trust, the Tower has a magical enchantment, which prevents anyone who does not belong there, and who can not be trusted to hear what those in the Council Chamber talk about.
“Quite a few times has these great towers saved us from ruin because of spies!” has the Lord said on a White Council meeting.

Apart from these special features, the Towers have something else, which is quite unique. Between the Two Towers is a little town, known as Towerton. The special thing about this little, cosy settlement is, that only 5 % of the population are White Realmers. The remaining 95 % contains only Goldens and Weisslanders. 61 % of Towerton’s population comes from Weissland and the remaining 34 % come from the Golden Empire.
Many travellers, who can not afford a travel to the Empire or Weissland visit the little town to get a feel for the culture, people and customs of the “foreigners”.

So when the sun goes down, and shines for the last time of the day upon the golden and white tower, the people of the White Realm know that one more day of trust and glory has ended!

The Capital County is by far the most important County, but its most important function is to connect the other counties – and unite them into one – one Realm. As inscribed upon the House of Honour:
“Ready your shield, ready your sword, fight for your land, but in the end – fight together!”

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