Nation of Clockhome
CLOCKHOME by Stone Gargoyle
Estimated Total Population: 600,000
- Outlying areas (non-city): 120,000
- City of Clockhome: 240,000
- Town of Wunss: 15,200
- Town of Twyss: 14,800
- City of Theree: 30,000
- Town of Forr: 14,900
- Town of Fyve: 15,200
- City of Halfpast: 60,000
- Town of Seaven: 15,100
- Pirate Town of Aitt: 14,800
- City of Nynne: 30,000
- Fort Tenn: 16,000
- Town of Ellevenn: 14,000
The Clockhome Office of Numbers does not recognize or count non-elves, since only elves are allowed citizenship. Non-human races are present, just uncounted, the Hoppitti being the most prevalent of these, with an estimated 60,000 of them living there.
The Elves of Clockhome
The inhabitants of the Nation of Clockhome are said to be descended from the Twelve Chosen Elves from which the Noble Houses are said to be formed, their servants and retainers. The original Twelve Chosen Elves were said to have been taken from the Palladium World to act as watchmen and repairmen to the Great Clock Face, and were sentries to mark the positions of the hours. They were given new names for which the current Noble Houses are named. It is said that those events occurred some 25,000 years ago. The elves believe, thus, that they are the Chosen race and that all others were put there to serve them, justifying the practice of slavery in the Nation of Clockhome. They also believe that it is their duty to look after the naturally forming machinery of Kh'ron. Anyone refusing service to the Machinery will face being enslaved, exiled or killed for such insolence. Anyone known to have intentionally damaged a machine will face severe prosecution. Serving the Machinery is considered a sacred duty which is drilled into the elves at a young age by their elders and the church. They have established a society based on service, with Machinist Guilds in every town, even the Pirate Town of Aitt. Men comprise the majority of those joining the Guilds, those women are accepted as well. Due to the nature of the work, and the fact that some of it takes place where there are monsters, it is considered highly dangerous. Of the men, those refusing to serve the Machinery or join a Guild will ultimately serve, joining the ranks of slaves set to the purpose of fixing the machines in even more dangerous environments, or else be exiled or executed. Those thinking that escape to the Pirate Town of Aitt will save them from such service will be sorely disappointed, for in this one area the Town of Aitt is in compliance, wishing to avoid all-out war.
Before the establishment of the Ruling Council of Twelve, each of the towns in Clockhome was an independent city-state under the rule of each individual Noble House. It was only once a state of war existed among all of the city-states the the Noble Houses made the decision to unite under one government rather than run the land to ruin. The towns were then reorganized based on their individual strengths and weaknesses, with the seat of government moving to the city of Hourmark, which was renamed the City of Clockhome to symbolize the fact that it was now the primary place of government for the entire nation. Many of the Noble Houses transferred their holdings to the City of Clockhome as its population surged, abandoning their original towns. It was this abandonment of the towns by the Noble Houses that made some of the towns too weak to defend and sustain themselves, as was the case with the Town of Aitt, which fell to the control of the Sky Pirates.
Currency
Clockhome's official currency is in the form of gold coins shaped like clock gears, which is legal tender for all transactions not done using the barter system. Some stores, inns and households will accept coins of other realms, however, and all keep measuring scales for the purpose of accepting gold.
Government and the Legal System of Clockhome
The great powers of Clockhome consist of the Twelve Noble Houses. Only those from the Noble Houses are allowed to serve on the Ruling Council of Twelve (which has 12 members), the Supreme Court (which has twelve members), and the Senate (which has 48 members). Elections are held yearly to determine who will serve in the various positions, with only one member of a Noble House allowed to sit on the Council at a time, only one member of a Noble House allowed to sit on the Supreme Court, and only four members of a given Noble House allowed to sit in seats of the Senate. This is to keep any one given family from having more power than another, though certain positions within the Council allow for more power over other members, such as the Council Head, with the same being true for the Supreme Court and Senate.
For resolution of legal issues, the Ruling Council of Twelve decides cases as they relate to national and foreign policy and matters of state, with the Supreme Court deciding matters of criminal law and disputes which occur over land and such. The Senate acts to create the laws which the decisions are made on, though the Council and the Courts write up documentation for laws which must go to the Senate for approval.
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Commissioned Agencies
The Ruling Council of Twelve appoints many commissions to see to the running of Clockhome. In addition to the major ones listed here, there are a number of minor commissions. These include the Gallery of Art, the Council's Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Forestry Service.
Office of Numbers: Responsible for tax collection, conducting the census, and auditing the military. This is by far the largest of the Council appointed commissions. In the employ of the office are tax collectors, census takers, and many others used for all manner of statistical information used by the Council, including spies and soldiers.
The Machinery: Chosen from noteworthy mechanical guilds, and appointed for life. This body maintains all of the public machinery within the lands, both those naturally occurring in Kh'ron and those built by the elves. They can indoctrinate additional workers in the event of a major shutdown or other mechanical crisis. They regularly travel to inspect the machine forests around the ring of the Great Clock Face.
The Admiralty: Chosen from noteworthy airship captains and military leaders, and appointed for life. This body maintains the military outposts like the one at Fort Tenn, and commands the fleet of airships used by the Ruling Council of Twelve and the military, as well as commanding the militia of Clockhome. They regularly inspect the condition of airships and the structures around Clockhome, inspecting for wood rot and other such problems.
The Clockhome Military
The military forces in Clockhome have a presence in all the cities and towns with the exception of the Pirate Town of Aitt, which they leave to its own devices. Their main land force is concentrated within Fort Tenn, which is a military town, and their main fleet of airships are located at major airports in Halfpast, Theree, Nynne and the City of Clockhome. Many of the towns have airship docks, but they are not generally used for military purposes.
The duties of the military include policing the people of Clockhome, protecting the Ruling Council of Twelve and the Noble Houses, guarding the Supreme Court and the Senate from attack, serving the Office of Numbers and the Machinery as needed, and patrolling the various areas for monsters which might threaten the cities and towns.
The Clockhome Economy
By necessity, Clockhome is self-sufficient. Everyone is expected to join a Guild, which then sees to the needs of that person and their children. The Guilds receive their funding from the Noble Houses according to the decree of the Ruling Council of Twelve- since the Noble Houses own the various Guilds it has to work that way- and any profits from the Guilds go back to the Noble Houses, less any taxes, of course. Special dispensation is made in some cases to allow for a Guild not controlled by a Noble House, but this is rare, and any profits would be taxed and extra fees charged which would go back to the government. Any independent tradesman or merchants must pay royalties to a Guild or Noble House in order to operate within the Nation of Clockhome, and additional fees must be paid to operate within a city or town.
Most trade takes place between towns within the Nation of Clockhome itself. While trade and exploration to other areas of Kh'ron are encouraged, there has been little to promote such activities, and it is generally more costly to engage in such activity than is profitable. Clockhome is capable of growing timber and mining metal on its own, and farming enough crops to feed its people, without having to rely on outside trade.
Magic
Practitioners of magic are encouraged within the Nation of Clockhome, but it is highly regulated. There are schools of magic in the four major cities of Clockhome, Theree, Nynne and Halfpast, and anyone seeking to practice magic within the nation must have training from one of these schools. Foreign mages and those trained outside of these schools is viewed with suspicion. Anyone trained outside of these schools will have to be evaluated by the Wizards' Guild and receive permission from the Minister of Magic in order to be allowed to continue practicing magic within the nation. Anyone without such permission that is caught using magic will be imprisoned or exiled from the land.
Religion
The worship of the time god Kronos is the official national religion of Clockhome and that of the Noble Houses. Other churches are not permitted, though many worship other gods in the privacy of their own homes. Displays of fealty to other gods in a public forum or manner are strictly outlawed.
The Shipyards of Clockhome
One of the most difficult industries in the Nation of Clockhome is the building of airships. The shipyards of the Nation of Clockhome are controlled by the Noble Houses which maintain two shipyards in the City of Clockhome and one in each of the major cities of Theree, Nynne and Halfpast. The military also maintains its own shipyard at Fort Tenn. Most of the wood used to build airships comes from the Fated Forest.
Geography
Officially, the Nation of Clockhome consists only of the outer ring of the external surface of the Great Clock Face of Kh'ron and not the hands of the clock, the central section, or the internal surface of the Great Clock Face. It includes all of the land on the outer ring of the external surface, however, including villages of Hoppitti in addition to the twelve elven cities comprising the Nation of Clockhome proper. The innermost section of the ring, the Secondis Desert, the ring of forest next to the desert, the Forest of Time, and the outermost section of the ring, the Minute Mountains, are mostly uninhabited. Just inside the outermost ring of mountains is another area of timber lands, the Fated Forest. The circumference has never been measured, but the outer ring of the Great Clock Face which the Nation of Clockhome occupies is some 420 miles across from its innermost edge to the outermost one.
The Secondis Desert has no permanent outposts and has very little native life of any kind. The Hands of the Great Clock sweep overhead at high speed, generating intense winds. The only life forms to be found are subterranean predators which attack anything which travels on the surface. The desert is twelve miles across and encircles the entire innermost section of the outer ring of the Great Clock Face of Kh'ron.
The Forest of Time is an enchanted place where it is said that time does not flow properly. It runs alongside the entire length of the outside of the innermost ring of the outer ring of the Great Clock Face of Kh'ron, the Secondis Desert. People who enter the forest come out days or even years later thinking that no time has passed. Like the Secondis Desert, it is twelve miles across. Central to the forest, providing it with a primary water source, is the Amnesia River. Due to its magical properties, no outposts exist in this forest, nor any villages. Strange creatures live in the forest which seem to defy description. The trees of this forest serve to act as a buffer against the winds generated by the Hands of the Great Clock.
The Minute Mountains form the outermost section of the outer ring of the Great Clock Face of Kh'ron and form a section going all the way around which is 36 miles across. The mountains are steep and slick, making travel across them difficult. As a result, the elves have established no permanent outposts here to prevent anyone from entering their lands. The mountains have very little native life of any kind; most of the vegetation consists of grasses, lichens and moss. There are rumors of ruined cities and ancient temples built into the very rock of the mountains, but the only actual things living in the rock are predatory animals which will attack anything entering their caves and tunnels. Much of the terrain is made up of colossal monolithic machines which defy explanation, and most of these are too enormous for the elves to be able to tinker with.
The Fated Forest is an area of timber lands running along the inside of the outermost ring of the outer ring of the Great Clock Face, the Minute Mountains. It circles the entire ring and is 24 miles across. Central to it, providing a much needed water source, is the Littletime River. The elves maintain ranger outposts within the forest, and numerous elven and non-elven villages exist there. Both mechanical and organic forms of life are present in the forest, which is one of the main sources of timber for the elves who rely on its wood for everything from their homes and businesses to the airships they fly.
