Tourdicorne (/tuʁdikɔʁn/)
Τουρντιξορνε
Approaching the city of Tourdicorne you find yourself surrounded by beautiful, well tended farm fields and orchards. The approaching walls washed in brilliant white. The outer districts have a hustle and bustle much like any other city in the known world, with merchants hawking wares not generally seen this far from the Tealestrian Sea. As you pass through the gates however, you find yourself overwhelmed by quiet. The activities remain the same, with merchants selling, and people talking, but they do so in hushed tones, creating a sense of peace even the heart of a major city.
Wards of Tourdicorne
Tourdicorne is divided into seven districts. Three of these districts lie within the walls of the city, with four districts located outside the city. Most of the city is located outside along the east bank of the River Hesse, spreading well into the relatively flat lands further east with only a few districts lying, in part, along the somewhat hillier western bank. Ironically the center of power for the city lies on a hill despite being on the east bank. Highbarrow: The noble quarter of the city, with the wealthiest residents of the city, including a number of prominent noble families, living within. Highbarrow holds a lot or prestige and influence within the city. It also serves as an administrative center with much of its northern bounds taken up by the Tower of the Unicorn itself as well as the bureaucratic offices that keep the city running, as well as its chief financial institution.Market District: The center of commerce for the inner city, the market district is where most of the city's elite craftspeople and artists make their homes. As a result of multiple generations of encouragement and funding from the crown, the denizens of the market district are nearly as wealthy as the nobility. This district is relatively quiet despite the number of market stalls, as city ordinances have been put in place to ensure a level of peace and dignity in the area.
Riverrun: The last of the districts within the wall, Riverrun was formerly internal grazing land, but has since been taken up by human settlement. Riverrun still serves as a relatively prosperous and beautiful area, as a significant amount of state funding flows into the district in order to beautify it and prevent it from turning into a slum, despite the much less wealthy populace living in the district.
Eastgate: The oldest and most prosperous of the districts located outside the city walls, eastgate is another market town, a place for those whose skills aren't quite good enough to live within the walls to ply and sell their own trade. The smoke of forges flits through the air, and the district itself is incredibly loud with commercial activity taking place at nearly all hours of the day.
Outer Barrows: A district filled by comparative poverty, the Outer Barrows are a storage place for most of the city's unemployed population, with most of the incoming money coming from public works projects within the city, and in the surrounding countryside. Efforts towards outreach have been made in recent years, and conditions are improving, if only fairly slowly.
New Expanse: A relatively recent developmnet, the New Expanse is a catchall term for a number of distinct neighborhoods that have sprung up in recent years in Tourdicorne. The New Expanse is home to most of the city's foreign population, with most of the neighborhoods therein becoming ethnic enclaves as a result. Plans have been made to construct a new city wall, encompassing the New Expanse.
The Outer Estates: Built relatively recently, the outer estates are actually, not generally inhabited year round. Rather most of the homes therein serve as second, seasonal homes for members of the nobility from far afield within Merida, who have constructed new homes within Tourdicorne for the event that they need to live within the capital for a certain period of time.
Important Locations
The Tower of the Unicorn: Serving as the center of government, and the personal residence of Reynard III Candilis, the ruler of the city, the Tower of the Unicorn is one of the most important buildings in the city. It is also the headquarters of the Order of the Unicorn, and the meeting place of the Benneret Council. Those seeking the attention of the Grand Prince go here for assistance.La Grande Banque de Tourdicorne: The Grand Bank of Tourdicorne, or the Grand Bank, is the chief financial institution not only of Tourdicorne but of the whole of Merida. It is a fairly recent instiution, having only come to Merida within the past century, but has already become fairly influential. Seeking to make themselves more impressive, the officers of the Grand Bank are known for hiring adventurers in order to secure a wide variety of magic items or "acquire" famous artworks for display within the confines of the bank itself.
Tower Square: Situated right next to the Tower of the Unicorn, the Tower of the Unicorn is the chief cultural center of the city, with many plays and sporting performance taking place on the green space in the shadow of the tower. Tower Square is intentionally and painstakingly kept up to a high standard and is the most beautiful space in the city.
The Temple of Io: The Temple of Io is the largest temple in Tourdicorne, and is, as a result a major center of culture and religious servicing. One seeking out the services of clerics would do well to go here.
Bard's College of Tourdicorne: An institution within the city, the bard's college is the largest school of the bardic arts in Merida. Those seeking training in both the performing arts, and magic come from around the country, and even further afield to learn. It is also a major source of performances in the city, with students frequently performing in Tower Square.
Demographics
The city of Tourdicorne possesses a population of 26,112 residents living therein. The population of the city nominally consists entirely of free subjects of the realm, as serfdom within the city walls is not allowed. Most residents of the city are human, with Meridans being the majority of the human population, Eagons being the second largest group, and smattering of Gallacans, Ellerycans, Aeillans, Hadar and other minority human populations. There are significant populations nonhumans as well, with dwarves hailing from Volgeberg being commonly invited as foreign experts, the nonhuman population of the city is roughly 8,100, but it changes frequently as a result of the number of workers recruited from overseas.
Government
The city of Tourdicorne is run as the personal domain of the Grand Prince of the Realm, currently Reynard III Candilis. Reynard III however, does not rule alone, and relies on a state bureaucracy that he has intentionally molded along the lines of Aeilla in an attempt to modernize the state. As a result a number of civil functionaries actually do the day to day work of running the state, magistrates to administer laws, collect taxes, a small cadre of civil engineers to continue the work of building and maintaining the city's infrastructure, and a modest force of guards to enforce the laws of the city and to protect against a possible attack.
Defences
The city is principally defended by its own city watch, a force roughly of roughly 300, but can use to its benefit the presence of the Order of the Unicorn and can actually call upon a significantly larger force if it is ever actually attacked. These soldiers at arms can rely upon the city walls of the city, as well as the Citadel that is the Tower of the Unicorn to protect themselves and the cities, the walls are relatively well built, modern, and are equipped with artillery for attacking targets in the air. Wards are in place to strengthen the walls and make them even more resistant to assault.
Industry & Trade
Tourdicorne is the beneficiary of a an extensive effort to direct trade into the city, and can count on trade from throughout the continent and even from Felora. Trade routes arrive from the coast up the River Hesse, as well as along major roadways. As a result the commercial economy of the city is quite healthy, and it is one of the wealthiest cities north of the River Tinib. Manufacturing in the city has grown relatively quickly in the city, and maintains an excellent level of quality, with a strong focus on skilled craftspeople. Attempts have been made to industrialize the economy of the city, but the city's government has so far struggled to develop the necessary productive forces thanks in large part to the efforts of skilled tradespeople to maintain their jobs and therefore economic influence.
Infrastructure
The city of Tourdicorne is, thanks to the efforts of the Candilis Dynasty, the most modern in Merida. It possesses a working sewer system and a clean, well maintained road systems. Work has started on building aqueducts to provide fresher water from the nearby hills, and indeed within the city the water system has allowed for the creation of a few public bathhouses. The bureaucracy has steadily expanded in recent years, and the corps of civic engineers has grown with it, likely in anticipation of further projects to develop the city's civic infrastructure.
Guilds and Factions
The city of Tourdicorne is generally relatively peaceful with relatively minimal factional infighting. However, a number of factions do wield an unusually strong influence over the politics of the city. Due to the high density of skilled craftspeople in the world, especially the goldsmiths, the blacksmiths, the tanners, and the masons have enormously strong and influential guilds that secure the economic future for their members. The knights of the Order of the Unicorn are also a major influence, using their own power to secure loyalty to the Prince. Unusually in Tourdicorne, thanks to the wealth and prosperity of artists in the city, they too wield considerable power over the direction of the city's politics.
History
The city of Tourdicorne is a relatively new one, being a product of the invasion of the Principality of Merida by the Band of the Unicorn and Reynard 'the Feytouched'. After the conquest of the nation, and to secure a place where the new Candilis dynasty would maintain complete control, Grand Prince Reynard sought to establish a new capital, away from the traditional capital cities of the six duchies. A site was proposed and the first buildings in what would become Tourdicorne, the royal palace began construction in in 2045.
By the time the Tower of the Unicorn was completed in 2050, a modest town had already grown up to service the people working on the castle. In the time since this foundation, the city has grown steadily at a fast pace as a series of Candilis monarchs have put great effort in building up the city, to secure their own control over the central heartlands of the Principality. After nearly two centuries, the city of Tourdicorne has become the largest and wealthiest city in Merida, and indeed one of the most prosperous in Southwest Galisea.
Geography
The city of Tourdicorne straddles the River Hesse with significant parts of the city on both banks. To its west lies the rolling Lupins Bleu hills, a relative wild land that is used heavily by the city itself for its natural resources, particularly as a good source of wood, and because of the marble quarries that exist nearby. To its east lies the flat plans of the central Hesse valley, which are home to vast and dense farmlands. Most of the city proper and indeed most of its developed outskirts exist along the east bank, though the west bank has, in recent years begun to see some development beyond the city walls.
Tourdicorne Map by Javak
Founding Date
AS 2045
Type
Large city
Population
26,112
Inhabitant Demonym
Tournes
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
