Free City-State of Centrum
They say it is a free city, yet nothing within Centrum is actually free. Everything has a price.
Overview
The Free City-State of Centrum, usually just referred to as the Free City of Centrum, is an economic powerhouse located on the central island of the Occulus Sea , Quassus Continent. The city-state is ruled by the Centrum Director's Council. Part of the reason for its prosperity is its location in the middle the Occulus Sea, which effectively puts in in the center of most trade routes. While Centrum gives this political entity its name, the entity has grown to purchase ownership of other port towns. The Pumpkin Town of Qakum is located on the island of Parva Soror to the east of Centrum, the town of Espelhar is located next to Lunarian territory, and the town of Vulpecula is located on the southern shore of Dammerung. Qakum was always tied to Centrum politically and economically, Espelhar was purchased by the Director's Council to secure a trade route to the Lluvia Continental Island, and Vulpecula was purchased to secure a trade route to the northern tribes in the continental island of Dammerung. The city promises great riches for those seeking it, but such prospectors must be ready and willing to do anything to attain it. There are many in the city willing to secure it for themselves at the expense of others. Friends are a fleeting commodity here.Major Settlements
- Centrum
- Port Town of Espelhar
- Vulpecula
- Qakum
Territories
The entirety of Visus Island is under the sphere of Influence of Centrum. There is also a small plot of land around Vulpecula that was purchased by the Director's Council as part of the town's purchase. In terms of total land area, Centrum is much smaller than the Kingdom and Queendom.
Military
You won't believe the kind of weapons and training you can buy with enough money, and Centrum is overflowing with money.
Town Guard
Centrum fields several platoons of highly trained guardsmen. Their function is to defend the city from invaders should they reach the island. Besides that, they act as law enforcement.Navy
Centrum fields a sizable navy that is highly advanced as well as being well traiend. The navy acts as the primary defensive force for the free city. To date, the Centrum Navy has never engaged in offensive operations towards a neighbor.Technological Level
Centrum is more advanced than Lunaria and Helia in a number of areas including: navigation, ship construction, gunpowder munitions, and bookkeeping. Centrum vessels are generally larger and faster than other ships in the known world. Such ships are also armed with new gunpowder armaments, a technology that has yet to see active combat. Centrum is the only place on the continent known to practice double entry accounting, which the Queen of Lunaria has expressed interest in. The practice allows Centrum Merchants to track revenues and expenditures with greater accuracy and completeness.
Foreign Relations
The Free City of Centrum prefers to establish trade agreements with foreign powers. Their largest trade partners are the Kingdom of Helia and Queendom of Lunaria.
Agriculture & Industry
Centrum imports most of its food due to a lack of farmland on the island. However, their wealth is not built upon agriculture, but on mining. Centrum is the continent's greatest producer of platinum, which the island had in abundance. In addition, the site of the city's founding was a ruin that contained plenty of Sable Fiber. Centrum has yet to sell its remaining stock, the exact quantity of which is a state secret.
Education
Centrum education is provided by several private schools for residents who can afford to pay the necessary entry fees. This often restricts education to the higher echelons of the city state's society. Completion of official Centrum education earns the studious individual several degrees: Elementary degree, High Degree, Bachelor's Degree, and finally a Master's Degree. Official education is often taken on top of guild apprenticeships for most merchants.
Centrum schools teach students the basics of grammar (which encompasses writing), rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, and philosophy. These courses can take years to pass, only the most intelligent students are able to attain all degrees within ten years.
Infrastructure
Make no mistake, the city is a far cry from the sheer grandeur of Sol, but it is a far cleaner place. That is a kind of grandeur of its own perhaps.Centrum's wealth has enabled it to establish and maintain several infrastructure systems that elevate the city as possibly the best to live in on the continent. To facilitate trading activity, Centrum has a highly developed a network of roads, bridges, and ports. It is a point of high praise for many merchants as they are able to unload, deliver, and offload their cargo with little difficulty. Carts are rarely broken by Centrum's smooth stone roads, a major reason for reduced maintenance and replacement costs of doing business in the city. As of 1277, Espelhar and Vulpecula are in the process of massive infrastructure development projects that are set to make them even better at handling traffic than Centrum proper. Centrum is also known for its surprisingly sophisticated sewage management system, which uses a combination of intelligent technical design and efficient application of magic to treat waste or dispose of waste. Citizens also have access to various water fountains for drinking and baths for bathing. The city makes use of a web of underground waterways that takes in sea water, treats the water using a process consisting to physical techniques and magic, and produces drinkable water ready for consumption.
All artwork is by Starfarertheta unless otherwise stated.
Maps
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Visus Island
A central trading point and the location of the Free City of Centrum.
Founding Date
1191AGC (the city iteslf was established earlier under the Principality of Avistar)
Type
Geopolitical, Free City
Capital
Alternative Names
Merchant State of Centrum, The Rogue Avistarian Province
Demonym
Centrist
Government System
Plutocracy
Power Structure
Thalassocracy
Economic System
Market economy
Major Exports
- Platinum
- Sable Fiber
- Stone
- Marble
- Banking services
- Weapons
Major Imports
- Food
- Gold
- Lumber
- Silk
- Cloth
- Tobacco
- Iron
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Organization Vehicles
Note(s) from the Archivists:
I have seen the markets of Luna and of Sol, but neither are comparable to that of Centrum. - Archivist Tharivol You're telling me, a Centrum merchant can haggle you up to a higher price and you won't even realize it. Then, when you're the one selling, they will haggle you down to a much lower price than you thought you would consider before setting out. - Archivist Bob We all have our moments of learning, Bob. - Archivist TharivolRemove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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