Bankette

The World's Melting Pot

The city of Bankette is the gateway from Cornucopia to the rest of the world, seated on the mouth of the Mavourneen River, opening up to the Kaleido Sea. The phrase "all roads lead to Bankette" is only slightly hyperbole, as the city served as the starting point of all of the first secured highways to be constructed across Cornucopia.

Government

Bankette is ruled by a constitutional monarchy, currently headed by King Fergal. In general, the king's power is very limited outside of times of crisis. The bulk of governance is performed by an elected council of locals, consisting of seven farmers, six local business owners, four merchants, and four locals who do not hold any major property or assets. This system ensures that the needs of people from all walks of life within Bankette are addressed. Every two years, alternating halves of the council are up for re-election. No individual can serve more than three terms.
The constitution of Bankette outlines very specific conditions during which the crown has complete control over the local defense force, closing of markets or borders, and martial law, limited only to instances of crisis in which a council may not be able to respond swiftly enough. Outside of these crises, the royal family of Bankette works in direct service to the people, presiding over local ceremonies and holding court in the castle, opening the floor daily for locals to visit and present their concerns or petition for assistance. Once a month, King Fergal petitions the council for permission to attend their meeting; this is a ceremonial formality to display deference to the will of the people, but historically speaking, this petition has never been declined. During this monthly visit, King Fergal brings to the table the concerns of the locals who have visited him in his court, and asks the council to pay direct attention to these concerns that may otherwise have slipped by.

Defense

The city of Bankette is protected by a standing guard. Because Bankette was founded on the principle of people coming together from disparate cultures to form a defended settlement, the city has always taken great pride in their defense force reflecting the makeup of its citizenry, rather than relying on hired adventurers like so many other towns. All able-bodied citizens are asked to serve for two years once they reach adulthood at whatever age that may be for their culture, though they may request to be excused from this duty if it would cause them undue hardship, such as causing a caretaker to be away from home or a promising craftsman to leave their training. After two years of honorable service, guards may chose to pursue a career in military defense, or return to civilian life.
The defense force is primarily focused on defending Bankette from monstrous threats across land and sea, most heavily patrolling the borders of the farmlands, the city walls, and the port. The guard has little cause to police the city itself, though because most of its citizenry has been through some small amount of military training, many of the locals are willing to jump to action to help control fights or stop thievery in progress.

Wealth

The people of Bankette range from those living hand to mouth, to the fabulously wealthy. The lower limits of poverty within Bankette are still preferential to almost anywhere else in the world, as a hot meal is guaranteed for all; in order to combat massive food waste, a local ordinance requires all restaurants surrender unserved food at the end of its shelf life within two hours of closing their doors. This food is utilized by local food pantries and soup kitchens, or turned into animal feed, or composted. The reduction of food waste and ensuring no individual goes hungry is the primary social focus of Queen Muriel. Most of those who benefit from soup kitchens are transient workers and adventurers down on their luck.
The average citizen in Bankette has enough money to build a modest nest egg while still enjoying the niceties of city life, such as occasional restaurant dining and local entertainment. Upper-class citizenry may invest their money into local businesses in addition to running their own. The wealthiest few citizens subsist entirely off of investments in local businesses and trade goods, and turn enough passive profit to fund extravagant but volatile lifestyles.

Agriculture

The plains to the west of Bankette are flush with farmland. Owing to the sandy soil, wheat is nearly absent; rye is planted as a winter crop, with barley and oats for the spring. The primary vegetables are varieties of asparagus, beans, carrots, collard greens, corn, cucumber, lettuce, potatoes, radishes, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini. The most plentiful herbs are oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Orchards of peaches, plums, and apricots provide the bulk of locally grown fruit.
Chickens, cows, goats, pigs, and sheep are raised in large numbers around Bankette, though the domestication of cows has been fraught with complication. In 682 AE, an enterprising rancher decided to attempt the domestication of the dire cow. Not only did the construction of adequate barns and fields vastly overshoot his original budget, but a lacking knowledge of dire cow behaviors lead to several disastrous escapes and stampedes. In 687 AE, the local Goblin community rallied against the practice of domesticating dire cows, believing it would contribute to the destruction of their traditional cultural practices. They were heavily supported by local farmers and the Reapers of the House of Scythe and Rake, citing the destruction of fields and equipment by rampaging dire cows. In 688 AE, the domestication of dire cows was outlawed in Bankette and the surrounding regions, though it has not stopped disingenuous farmers from attempting to breed dire cattle hybrids for meat production.

Tourism

At the heart of travel across the world, Bankette itself is a prime stop for travel and tourism. Arguably, Bankette was the first 'foodie destination', owing to the foundation of the guild of Meatshields and the belief that the consumption of gargantuan beasts would grant strength and vitality. Many of the finest chefs in the world have opened restaurants in Bankette, and competition is high at all levels of formality or styles of cuisine. Many of the city's non-culinary attractions are hosted by The Keepers, including museums and libraries.
Many adventurers come to Bankette, believing that all of the greatest tales start here. As such, competition for any sort of job or lead is high, and job boards are usually picked over within an hour of notices being posted. Most adventurers will find work escorting travelers and merchants along the highways to and from Bankette, or serving menial duties within the city like cargo handling or pest extermination. Still, the rare occasion in which a local adventuring party skyrockets to fame is enough to fuel a thriving adventurer-based economy, keeping afloat numerous inns, smithies, sundry shops, and travel ration dealers.

You would be surprised how many brave and enthusiastic adventurers wind up bussing tables while waiting for their big break.

— Julienne, Adventurer, Chef

Guilds

All of the largest guilds in the known world have a branch operating in Bankette, even if they are headquartered elsewhere.

by Ashley May

Brewmasters of the Sacred Spring

The Brewmasters of the Sacred Spring have a branch established in the basement of a tavern and brewery called The Dancing Tankard. Though this locale is technically downstream from the sacred spring, the waters are so muddled by other tributaries that it holds no special power here. Regardless of this, the Brewmasters are known to import barrels of spring water from the source in order to produce special beverages, potions, and tinctures to market in Bankette. A local phenomenon called the "Acolyte's Parade" refers to the weekly sight of apprentice brewers hefting barrels of imported spring water from the river docks to the brewery at The Dancing Tankard under the first rays of morning light. Though this task could be performed much more easily with the assistance of carts, the apprentices are required to do the work by hand, no matter their physical size.

by Ashley May

Hagbane Bakers

The Hagbane Bakers operate out of the back room of a bakery on Main Street. They are one of the most active working guilds in the city, as the Bakers not only work and sell their goods in the city, but also guard the city from surreptitious threats like hags, boggarts, vampires, ghosts, sirens, and other intelligent threats from the land and sea alike. Because these threats often hide themselves in plain sight and walk among the civilized folk, the Bakers do the same, wearing no markings to signify their affiliation. There are often no signs that Hagbane Bakers have detected a threat within the city, unless one happens to spot some jolly tourists following an eerie figure into an alley with swords glinting under their cloaks.

by Ashley May

House of Scythe and Rake

The House of Scythe and Rake host a branch of their guild out of an enormous farmhouse on the outskirts of Bankette. Here, they cultivate a wide variety of crops which are sold to local restaurants and eateries, or donated to a number of causes. Trainee Reapers are often employed to keep the city beautiful by pruning trees and shrubs, cultivating flowers, and maintaining parks within Bankette. Between the gardening chores of the trainees and the sales of crops to high-end restaurants, the Reapers fund the largest charity in Bankette, delivering simple but hot meals to any who demonstrate a need for it.

The Keepers

by Ashley May

The Keepers occupy a unique position in Bankette, in that they maintain several branches without a singular main office. This is because The Keepers are responsible for the construction and maintenance of nearly every museum or library within the city. In addition to seeing that cultural artifacts and history are preserved and shared with the populace, the Keepers maintain several important underground bunkers where they catalog and store farming records and seed collections donated by local growers and wandering adventurers alike. These bunkers are not open to the public and are kept carefully sealed outside of monthly maintenence visits, to ensure no natural disasters could harm the samples stored within. The Keepers believe it is their duty not only to discover things that have been lost, but to ensure they are never lost again.

by Ashley May

Meatshields

The Meatshields are headquartered in Bankette, as their founder Ser Hamza was among the first adventurers to migrate to the region in an effort to establish the foundations of the city. Today, the Meatshields Head Office is centrally located in Bankette, with a direct line of sight up Main Street to the gates of the castle. Traditionally, the heads of the Meatshields have also served as the captain of the city watch in Bankette, and Ser Bruno Maillard carries on this duty with great pride.

FAMILY TREE NOT AVAILABLE

Founding Date

1 AE

Type

Metropolis

Population

Approx. 26000

Owner/Ruler

King Fergal

Additional Rulers/Owners

• Queen Muriel

Related Historical Events

• 1000
  Founding of Bankette