Rue
"We shall name this settlement Rue, in honor of the man who saved us from death itself." -Harry Tubben, 1536
The capital of the Kingdom of Ruitis, Rue is a stunning spectacle of the modern world, borrowing technological, cultural, and architectural advances from across Dasani to create a city of the future.
Demographics
Rue's demographics is similar to that of the rest of the country, with the majority of the city being inhabited by humans, though Dwarves make up a larger percentage compared to nation wide numbers.
Human- 67%: Humans make up just about two-thirds of the populace, with the vast majority being middle class, though human nobles and, inversely, slummed humans exist. The human population has slowly, yet steadily, declined since the KoJar war, due to an influx of dwarf immigration.
Dwarf- 23%: The second largest percentage of the city, dwarves make up a sizeable twenty-three percent of the overall populace, with the majority being blue-collar, middle class workers. Unsurprisingly, dwarves make up only 1% of the slum population, due to their hard working and intelligent nature.
Elf- 7%: Elves make up a small seven percent of the population, with the average elf being upper class or at the very border of lower upper class. Elves are the nobles, scholars, and teachers of Rue, to the point that the Conductor of Magical Affairs and Top Scholar roles are both filled by elves.
Halfling- 2%: Making up a measly two percent of the population, halflings are the lowest major race in numbers, education, and wealth. Estimates suggest they make up nearly 33% of the bottom class, with a very small amount overcoming the slums and entering middle class. Despite this, halflings are a joyous race to have and do not let their bad situations control their life, a halfling slum is a nonstop party regardless of class.
Other Races- ~1%: The rest of the population is made up of the rare orcs, lycanthrope, lizard folk, and other exotic races. This percentage makes up sixteen percent of the overall slum population, however 99% of the Other Races statistic inhabit the slums.
Human- 67%: Humans make up just about two-thirds of the populace, with the vast majority being middle class, though human nobles and, inversely, slummed humans exist. The human population has slowly, yet steadily, declined since the KoJar war, due to an influx of dwarf immigration.
Dwarf- 23%: The second largest percentage of the city, dwarves make up a sizeable twenty-three percent of the overall populace, with the majority being blue-collar, middle class workers. Unsurprisingly, dwarves make up only 1% of the slum population, due to their hard working and intelligent nature.
Elf- 7%: Elves make up a small seven percent of the population, with the average elf being upper class or at the very border of lower upper class. Elves are the nobles, scholars, and teachers of Rue, to the point that the Conductor of Magical Affairs and Top Scholar roles are both filled by elves.
Halfling- 2%: Making up a measly two percent of the population, halflings are the lowest major race in numbers, education, and wealth. Estimates suggest they make up nearly 33% of the bottom class, with a very small amount overcoming the slums and entering middle class. Despite this, halflings are a joyous race to have and do not let their bad situations control their life, a halfling slum is a nonstop party regardless of class.
Other Races- ~1%: The rest of the population is made up of the rare orcs, lycanthrope, lizard folk, and other exotic races. This percentage makes up sixteen percent of the overall slum population, however 99% of the Other Races statistic inhabit the slums.
Government
Royal Governor:
Although Rue is the home of the royal family, they do not control the city directly. Instead, a Royal Governor is appointed by the king every 10 years, with no limit on the number of terms a governor can work. This Royal Governor is the leader of Rue as well as the surrounding region, acting as a Lord with additional power. The Royal Governor appoints three major positions at the beginning of his term: Head Tax Collector, Chief of the Guard, and Guild Head. These three individuals interact the most with the community, controlling the tax collection, Ruitis Guard, and Adventurer's Guild respectively. Each of these individuals control their respective fields, and report their progress on a semi-annual schedule to the Royal Governor.
Head Tax Collector: The Head Tax Collector is the highest of the three, and is called by many as "the worst in the entire country." The Head Tax Collector, as his name implies, collects the taxes of the people of Rue, but his job also includes deciding how much to tax, when to tax, how the information should be given, and, most importantly, appoints Tax Heads in other regions. These Tax Heads work under their respective Lords, but report directly to the Head Tax Collector.
Head of the Guard: Keeping Rue and other regions safe, the Head of the Guard controls and manages both Rue's Guard and the rest of the nation's. The Head of the Guard decides how the Guard should be split among the city as well as specific issues the guard should look for. He is also responsible for dividing the guard nationally, sending groups of Guards as well as a Captain to Lord's regions where they split them accordingly. More information about the Ruitis Guard can be found in the Ruitis Guard article.
Adventurer's Guild Head: The Adventurer's Guild Head controls the Adventurer's Guild and is the weakest of the three. Due to much of Ruitis being explored and charted, the need for adventuring has died down, leaving the guild with simple jobs too small for the guard but too big for the average civilian. The Adventurer's Guild Head spends most of his or her day on paperwork, approving quests and organizing forms. Rarely, the Adventurer's Guild Head will report a quest to the Guard to take care of, however these quests normally end up in the backlog.
Other Positions of Power: Along with the Royal Governor and his three managers, there are a number of other, less hands on government officials such as: the Head Scholar, Conductor of Magical Affairs, Diplomatic Relations, Civil Relations, Public Organizer, and the Immigration Control Officer. These officials play an integral part to the city and nation as a whole, but their efforts are not normally noticed or gratified by the public.
Head Tax Collector: The Head Tax Collector is the highest of the three, and is called by many as "the worst in the entire country." The Head Tax Collector, as his name implies, collects the taxes of the people of Rue, but his job also includes deciding how much to tax, when to tax, how the information should be given, and, most importantly, appoints Tax Heads in other regions. These Tax Heads work under their respective Lords, but report directly to the Head Tax Collector.
Head of the Guard: Keeping Rue and other regions safe, the Head of the Guard controls and manages both Rue's Guard and the rest of the nation's. The Head of the Guard decides how the Guard should be split among the city as well as specific issues the guard should look for. He is also responsible for dividing the guard nationally, sending groups of Guards as well as a Captain to Lord's regions where they split them accordingly. More information about the Ruitis Guard can be found in the Ruitis Guard article.
Adventurer's Guild Head: The Adventurer's Guild Head controls the Adventurer's Guild and is the weakest of the three. Due to much of Ruitis being explored and charted, the need for adventuring has died down, leaving the guild with simple jobs too small for the guard but too big for the average civilian. The Adventurer's Guild Head spends most of his or her day on paperwork, approving quests and organizing forms. Rarely, the Adventurer's Guild Head will report a quest to the Guard to take care of, however these quests normally end up in the backlog.
Other Positions of Power: Along with the Royal Governor and his three managers, there are a number of other, less hands on government officials such as: the Head Scholar, Conductor of Magical Affairs, Diplomatic Relations, Civil Relations, Public Organizer, and the Immigration Control Officer. These officials play an integral part to the city and nation as a whole, but their efforts are not normally noticed or gratified by the public.
Defences
While Rue may be situated in a safe country, protection of the king and his people continues to be a major point of importance. Because of this, Rue is protected by three layers of protection: Towers, Bridges, and the Guard.
Towers: Eight towers are situated in the region around Ruitis, each connected to the city via a system of roads similar to those inside the city. These towers were built equally close to Rue and are constantly supplied with eight of the Ruitis Guard, rations to last three months, as well as five horses. Also inside each of these towers is a magical item capable of direct communication between the other towers, as well as a connection to the Head of the Guard. In the case of a threat, the towers will send a message to each tower and the guard, alerting them to the threat. The tower that viewed the threat will also send a Guardsman on horseback back to Rue, alerting any minor settlements, farms, or merchants to retreat into Rue. The tower guardsmen are ordered to prolong the threat for as long as possible, however if the threat of loss of life is too clear they may retreat to Rue.
Bridges: The bridges around Rue and in the path of the invading force are raised after an hour of the horseback Guardsman passing over them. This gives time for those in the path to retreat, but arriving late will force a different retreat. If the invading force is sizeable enough, eg. an army equivalent to Golar's, the bridges are immediately destroyed after the rider passes over.
The Guard: As soon as the towers alert the Head of the Guard, every Guardsman is moved from their posts towards the invading force. Additionally, riders are sent out to each region to alert them of the threat, as well as to bring back guards to aid the combat. Citizens are ordered to bunker in place and the Royal Family is taken to a discreet and safe location. If the threat is deemed strong enough, the populace is instead ordered to flee in all directions towards other regions. If the threat is this powerful, other countries are also alerted to its existence. At this point, the Guard's only goal is to distract the threat while the populace flees.
If this level of threat appears, Rue is considered destroyed and the country is set into panic mode, requesting aid from other nations, the Gods, or other sources of power.
Towers: Eight towers are situated in the region around Ruitis, each connected to the city via a system of roads similar to those inside the city. These towers were built equally close to Rue and are constantly supplied with eight of the Ruitis Guard, rations to last three months, as well as five horses. Also inside each of these towers is a magical item capable of direct communication between the other towers, as well as a connection to the Head of the Guard. In the case of a threat, the towers will send a message to each tower and the guard, alerting them to the threat. The tower that viewed the threat will also send a Guardsman on horseback back to Rue, alerting any minor settlements, farms, or merchants to retreat into Rue. The tower guardsmen are ordered to prolong the threat for as long as possible, however if the threat of loss of life is too clear they may retreat to Rue.
Bridges: The bridges around Rue and in the path of the invading force are raised after an hour of the horseback Guardsman passing over them. This gives time for those in the path to retreat, but arriving late will force a different retreat. If the invading force is sizeable enough, eg. an army equivalent to Golar's, the bridges are immediately destroyed after the rider passes over.
The Guard: As soon as the towers alert the Head of the Guard, every Guardsman is moved from their posts towards the invading force. Additionally, riders are sent out to each region to alert them of the threat, as well as to bring back guards to aid the combat. Citizens are ordered to bunker in place and the Royal Family is taken to a discreet and safe location. If the threat is deemed strong enough, the populace is instead ordered to flee in all directions towards other regions. If the threat is this powerful, other countries are also alerted to its existence. At this point, the Guard's only goal is to distract the threat while the populace flees.
If this level of threat appears, Rue is considered destroyed and the country is set into panic mode, requesting aid from other nations, the Gods, or other sources of power.
Infrastructure
Sewer System:
Despite being a relatively new advancement in technology, the city of Rue has a fully functional sewer system. Desvla assisted Rue in the creation of the sewer system, sending the designs and workers to aid in the construction. This interaction between the two countries strengthened their bond, and since then Ruitis has made countless amounts of aid to Desvla. The sewer system spans nearly the entire city and is kept in good quality, though the slums' section has regressed in quality in recent years.
Roads and Bridges: Rue is renowned worldwide for its high quality of roads and bridges. While most nations have continued using gravel or cobblestoned pathways, Rue has a stone brick roadway that spans the entire city. The light red brick is smooth and easy to clean, making travelling on wagon comfortable and safe for goods. The bridges around Rue are also modernized, their strong stone foundation and supports means threats such as storms or erosion are dulled, and the intricate designs and elegant statues that decorate the sides and ends of the bridges leave them as less of an eyesore than the common bridge.
Watermill: Along the river that encircles Rue, three watermills exist. Their base design, while being borrowed from Kojark, have been redesigned slightly to account for the less hostile conditions they face. These watermills are the main source of power for the agricultural side of Rue, which while small is an important section of the city.
Roads and Bridges: Rue is renowned worldwide for its high quality of roads and bridges. While most nations have continued using gravel or cobblestoned pathways, Rue has a stone brick roadway that spans the entire city. The light red brick is smooth and easy to clean, making travelling on wagon comfortable and safe for goods. The bridges around Rue are also modernized, their strong stone foundation and supports means threats such as storms or erosion are dulled, and the intricate designs and elegant statues that decorate the sides and ends of the bridges leave them as less of an eyesore than the common bridge.
Watermill: Along the river that encircles Rue, three watermills exist. Their base design, while being borrowed from Kojark, have been redesigned slightly to account for the less hostile conditions they face. These watermills are the main source of power for the agricultural side of Rue, which while small is an important section of the city.
Districts
Rue is split into three major districts based on wealth and power. The Upper Class is the highest class, for the most wealthy and powerful in Rue, mostly filled by scholars, government officials, nobles, and the highest merchants and artisans. Middle Class is the main class of the city, for the common worker, merchants, shop owners, and construction workers. Finally, Lower Class is the lowest of the classes, for the unemployed, lesser races, and sick. The class structure is strict, it is very difficult to move up in the system, however it is not unheard of.
The Upper Class: The Upper Class of Rue is the smallest and wealthiest. Consisting of Nobles, government officials, scholars, and high merchants, this class holds a majority of the wealth of the city. Living in beautiful mansions around the castle, this gated community is the dream for the middle class and an impossibility for the lower. The Upper Class is a closed community, guards are stationed at the gates leading into the community and proper paperwork must be filled before one can enter. This direct, physical separation of the upper and middle class has led to a split in their relationship: the Upper Class sees the Middle Class as lower than them, simply existing to supply their companies and workforce, while the Middle Class views the Upper Class as pompous pricks who abuse the system and the people to get rich while they stay the same. This has led to an almost hostile relationship, with riots or protests occasionally occurring at the gates of the Upper Class.
The Middle Class: The Middle Class is the working class of the city, as well as the largest. This class is filled with humans and dwarves, who work and live in comfortable conditions. This class inhabits the majority of the city, with very few limitations on who can go where. The Guard wanders the section, looking out for crime and altercations, but more the most part the area is safe. The Middle Class almost unanimously despises the Upper Class, but understand they are essential to the system. However, this doesn't stop them from wanting better treatment, which leads to protests and, rarely, riots at the gates of the Upper Class. Inversely, the Middle Class sees the Lower Class, known informally as Slum Trash, as violent and useless to society. Because of this, the Slums are heavily avoided by the Middle Class.
The Lower Class: Also known as Slum Trash, the Lower Class is the lowest class of Rue, as well as the most impoverished and unhealthy. Living on the edges of the Middle Class, this group mostly consists of the homeless, impoverished, sick, and also includes almost all of the Lesser Races that live in Rue. This group is heavily persecuted against, it's not uncommon for Middle Class civilians to enter the Slums to harass and bully the Lower Class, and there have been reports of Upper Class civilians entering the slum to partake in Slum Fights, dogfights where two Slum Trash are coerced into fighting to the death. This Class is almost unprotected by the guard, with very few patrolling the streets. The Slums are also heavily susceptible to famine and sickness: in 749 a sudden wave of Flesh's Rot killed nearly 1000 people in 2 weeks and left 200 dead of starvation
The Upper Class: The Upper Class of Rue is the smallest and wealthiest. Consisting of Nobles, government officials, scholars, and high merchants, this class holds a majority of the wealth of the city. Living in beautiful mansions around the castle, this gated community is the dream for the middle class and an impossibility for the lower. The Upper Class is a closed community, guards are stationed at the gates leading into the community and proper paperwork must be filled before one can enter. This direct, physical separation of the upper and middle class has led to a split in their relationship: the Upper Class sees the Middle Class as lower than them, simply existing to supply their companies and workforce, while the Middle Class views the Upper Class as pompous pricks who abuse the system and the people to get rich while they stay the same. This has led to an almost hostile relationship, with riots or protests occasionally occurring at the gates of the Upper Class.
The Middle Class: The Middle Class is the working class of the city, as well as the largest. This class is filled with humans and dwarves, who work and live in comfortable conditions. This class inhabits the majority of the city, with very few limitations on who can go where. The Guard wanders the section, looking out for crime and altercations, but more the most part the area is safe. The Middle Class almost unanimously despises the Upper Class, but understand they are essential to the system. However, this doesn't stop them from wanting better treatment, which leads to protests and, rarely, riots at the gates of the Upper Class. Inversely, the Middle Class sees the Lower Class, known informally as Slum Trash, as violent and useless to society. Because of this, the Slums are heavily avoided by the Middle Class.
The Lower Class: Also known as Slum Trash, the Lower Class is the lowest class of Rue, as well as the most impoverished and unhealthy. Living on the edges of the Middle Class, this group mostly consists of the homeless, impoverished, sick, and also includes almost all of the Lesser Races that live in Rue. This group is heavily persecuted against, it's not uncommon for Middle Class civilians to enter the Slums to harass and bully the Lower Class, and there have been reports of Upper Class civilians entering the slum to partake in Slum Fights, dogfights where two Slum Trash are coerced into fighting to the death. This Class is almost unprotected by the guard, with very few patrolling the streets. The Slums are also heavily susceptible to famine and sickness: in 749 a sudden wave of Flesh's Rot killed nearly 1000 people in 2 weeks and left 200 dead of starvation
Assets
Galliard's Glorious Goods:
The most popular shop in the entire country, Galliard's Glorious Goods is a large store sitting near the gates of the Upper Class. Selling a wide variety of weapons, gear, food, and other essentials, as well as a sizeable selection of magical items. With personal guards stationed in the store and at the doors, the store is well protected and supplies the middle class with a large selection of reasonably priced goods, as well as more exotic goods for those wealthy enough to claim them.
Variety in Consumption: Besides Galliard's Glorious Goods, Ruitis is also home to a surplus of shops with goods ranging from food to weapons to furniture. These shops are all ran by Middle Class citizens, however many are owned by the city and rent is paid to the Tax Collector.
Variety in Consumption: Besides Galliard's Glorious Goods, Ruitis is also home to a surplus of shops with goods ranging from food to weapons to furniture. These shops are all ran by Middle Class citizens, however many are owned by the city and rent is paid to the Tax Collector.
History
Due to being the capital, most of Rue's history is directly tied to the overall Ruitis history, which can be found here.
Architecture
Variety on Class:
The architecture of Ruitis can be described in three sections: Upper, Middle, and Slum. The upper class buildings are marble and stone, with beautiful designs and exotic wood roofs. This architecture is meant more for design then use, with many large open rooms. The Middle class architecture is much more simple: stone foundations and wood walls, however these buildings are kept in excellent condition and the unknowing would think that the entire city was brand new. The Slums, however, are disgusting. Rotting wood, cracked foundations, and moldy foundations leaves the entire area looking like a melted opposite of the middle class, and a nightmare for the upper class.
Founding Date
1536
Type
Capital
Population
568, 210
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Comments