Kufmal City

Kufmal City is the capital city of the Empire of Kufmal. The city was founded in October of 2019 by the Emperor. The city has since grown to the largest in the empire, known for its massive temples and winding canals. The city is a blend of Mesoamerican and Venetian architecture.

## Kufmal City

Flag of Kufmal City

Kufmal City at night, 11/07/2022

Map view of Kufmal City, 11/02/2022

## History

### The Early Days - City State

The city of Kufmal began its life early in October of 2019. The town was officially founded as a city-state on October 19th of 2019, at that time consisting of a handful of buildings on the east side of the bay of Kufmal. This side is known as Sandvine Island, and contains a jungle. The island was connected via Gonegap Bridge to west side of the city, called Hyphae Island, named as such for the huge mushrooms that grew on its surface. At the time of founding, the first temple in the city had been built, dedicated to the seas that the city would rise from. This started a grand tradition of temple-building in the capital, and the mushrooms of the "temple district" would add more to the early tourism factor the city drew from surrounding city-states.

Kufmal City had been bordered by two city-states, Carhio to the south and Uxban to the north. The city's early residents largely came from Carhio, as a religious schism had caused a migration from the desert town. Kufmal would continue to grow, using platforms to build on top of the water. Eventually, the bay of Kufmal would be completely covered by buildings, turning Gonegap Bridge into an overpass rather than a means of traversing water.

### Growth - Imperial Capital

Kufmal would not stay a city-state for long. On November 26 of 2019, the First Capitol Building was constructed. Noticeably larger than needed for a city state, the building preempted the city's ambitions. The next day, the Empire Column was erected in the capitol building's plaza, officially marking the transition of Kufmal into an Empire. As such, November 27th became the empire's Declaration Day. The once-imposing city states of Carhio and Uxban, now dwarfed by Kufmal's size, were the first to join under the imperial banner in exchange for favorable trade deals. As such, the trade from the growing empire fed massive growth in the new capital city.

Many large building projects would soon follow, and the city sprawled ever further into the ocean. Other businesses and services would also expand, such as the creation of the Bunbunmaru Kufmal Gazette newspaper, which is printed in the city at the Bunbunmaru Media Group.

### Imperial Plague

In November of 2021, a plague swept through the capital city. This plague would have spread to other cities if a quarantine had not been enforced. The plague took a major death toll on the capital, but those who survived gained herd immunity and the capital city repopulated. To this day, very little is known about the disease, what type it is, or where it came from.

### Districts

There would also be new districts created over time There are currently five districts:

* Old Town - The original town of Kufmal before the founding of the empire, known for small wooden boardwalk roads and cramped streets
* Temple District - A crescent-shaped district taking up much of Hyphae Island and beyond, known for hosting a majority of the temples the city is known for
* Kappa Street - The area encompassing the aforementioned street full of shopping and dining, as well as entertainment, sports and lodging to the east
* Plaza District - Contains many government and public buildings, centered around the First Capitol Building
* Brick Row - A newer district known for row houses made of brick and deepslate, centered around the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kufmal, and the home of Fren Banklin's print works and businesses

## Geography

Kufmal City is located in the center of the Sea of Kufmal, between the continents of Pinniped and Arboland. The city's ease side is anchored to Sandvine Island, and contains a jungle. The city's west side is built upon Hyphae Island, which contains mycelium and giant mushrooms.

## Demographics

There is an impressive mix of demographics and species in the city. The only original resident on the island was the Emperor, as most of the city's early population came from Carhio. The city has a majority human population. However, Kufmal City also holds the highest populations of Tengu and Kappa in the empire. The metropolitan environment mixes these populations amongst each other.

## Administration

Kufmal City is the home of much of the government of the empire. Its Imperial Executive Arm is serviced from the Imperial Winter Palace, the Imperial Legislative Arm from the First Capitol Building, and the Imperial Judicial Arm from the Kufmal Imperial Courthouse. The city also hosts the Kufmal Metropolitan Transit Authority in their HQ building, the Department of Civil Education in their pyramid, and the Office of Land Requisition among many more government-run structures.

## Infrastructure

The growing city and its trade needs led to a need to move people and goods quickly. The city center had notoriously small roads, and so more projects were needed to keep foot and cart traffic moving. As such, several major projects were created. Most of these fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Infrastructure.

#### Nether Highway Network

The first of these projects was to be called the Nether Highway Network. This highway links every town in the empire, and originates from the Nether Temple in the heart of the city. It also connects to the Kufmal Metro. The highway is maintained by the Department of Transportation.

#### Kufmal Metro

The Kufmal Metro services dozens of stations in and beyond the capital city. It is run from the headquarters of the Kufmal Metropolitan Transit Authority, which operates nine stations through four metro lines in just Kufmal city alone. Part of the line runs on the former tracks of the previous Kufmal-Carhio Express Railway, its old station building is now the Kufmal Railroad Museum.

#### Address System

Kufmal was the first city to follow the Imperial Address System, naming every street and numbering every building.

#### Canals and Harbor

The Kufmal Walled Harbor services all the canals that snake through the city. The port is a naval shipbuilding hub as well as a safe site to unload large seagoing vessels.

## Economy

Kufmal acts as a trade hub for the entire empire, facilitated by access to the Sea of Kufmal through the Kufmal Walled Harbor. The largest commercial shipping company that utilizes the port is the Kufmal Shipping Company. A large fishing fleet also feeds Kufmal's markets and restaurants. Tourism is also a major draw to the city, as the mass of impressive architecture brings in visitors from around the empire. Many of them stay at the famous Dagler Grand Hotel.

## Culture

### Religion

Kufmal City has the largest mix of religions in the entire empire. Almost every faith has a few practitioners. The Kufmal Pantheon of every temple in the capital's temple district receives countless visits and donations each day. Shintoism also has a few kami with a good following at the Moriya Shrine. However, aside from the pantheon of individual smaller temples, there are two major religions that are based out of the capital.

#### Yellowism

Yellowism is the worship of the primal power of yellow and its greatest representation: the sun. This religion has a rich history that evolved and changed its own definition over time, especially with the arrival of the Yatagarasu to the religion's holy site, the Temple of the Yellow Sun. The Yatagarasu's integration into the religion has resulted in Yellowism blending with a small part of Shinto. Yellowism also evolved from and maintains ties to the Kufmal Pantheon.

#### Catholicism

Catholicism is a more recently established religion. This faith began with the establishment of the Diocese of Kufmal City upon the completion of the colossal Cathedral of Our Lady of Kufmal on 5/14/2022. This cathedral is the religion's holy site.

### Family Houses

Kufmal City is home to several major family houses, each with large stakes in the political and sporting efforts in the city.

#### House of Kirisame

The House of Kirisame is the oldest family house in the city, which sponsors their own team in the Kufmal Ball Game. They are a very competitive family that prefers raw power and strength, which is reflected in the training regimens of their athletes.

#### House of Margatroid

The House of Margatroid is a family house that specializes on the magical arts, preferring to work smarter and not harder. They are known for owning the city's potion-making industry as well as hoarding autonomous worker dolls that perform their chores. They also host their own ball game team.

### Sporting

Kufmal City is the home of the Kufmal Ball Game. This sport is known for chaotic matches and passionate fans. This aspect has evolved over time as the ball teams sponsored by powerful family houses came to have more and more political weight behind them, so much so as to spawn rumors that many politicians got their start as athletes. These games have drawn polarization in the city's population, with some riots occurring after important games. This problem has even drawn imperial attention as its severity increases.

### Culinary

The city is known for its massive concentration of restaurants and eateries, the most notable being listed near the bottom of the page. Of those, there is a rivalry in the city between two dango restaraunteers, the moon rabbits Seiran and Ringo. The former claims her dango is the favorite of the Emperor while the latter claims that the Yatagarasu across the street prefers hers.

## Notable People/Characters

* The Emperor
* Admiral and Museum Ship Aquarius
* General Roy Bateas (originally from Nearwater)
* Yatagarasu Utsuho Reiuji
* Businessman Fren Banklin
* Reporter Tengu Aya Shameimaru
* Reporter Tengu Hatate Himekaidou
* Family Head Marisa Kirisame
* Family Head Alice Margatroid
* Yellowism Head Priest Yatasu
* Catholic Archbishop Freeman Guss
* Chief Justice Eiki Shiki
* Moon Rabbit Restaurateur Seiran
* Moon Rabbit Restaurateur Ringo

## Notable Structures

### Temples/Religious

* Temple of the Seas - 90 Saltwater Drive
* Temple of the Skies - 51 Sky Circle
* Temple of the Bones - 86 Boneyard Boulevard
* Temple of Poultry - 88 Colonel Street
* Temple of the Yellow Sun - 49 Ravi Road
* Temple of the Mushrooms - 91 Fungi Avenue
* Temple of Earthly Riches - 69 Temple Plaza
* Nether Pyramid - 50 Hell Raven Avenue
* Suspicious Water Temple - 92 Sus Drive
* Moriya Shrine - 71 Temple Plaza
* Cathedral of Our Lady of Kufmal - 140 Cathedral Circle

### Government/Military

* Imperial Winter Palace - 10 Aquarius Street
* Imperial Treasury - 26 Burrow Boulevard
* Ministry of the Navy - 28 Navy Row
* Ministry of the Army - 29 Army Row
* Customs Office - 43 Ravi Road
* Kufmal Municipal Prison - 47 Ravi Road
* Imperial Stables - 67 Aryanne Avenue
* Office of Land Development - 70 Temple Plaza
* First Capitol Building - 73 Capitol Lane
* Sunstone Barracks - 105 Kappa Street
* Kufmal Imperial Courthouse - 119 Justice Lane
* KMTA Offices - 135 Burrow Boulevard
* Archery Range and Armory - 144 Aquarius Street
* Department of Civil Education - 166 Hell Raven Avenue

### Public

* Museum Ship Aquarius - 0 Aquarius Street
* Kufmal Municipal Library - 11 Kufmal Central Boulevard
* Kufmal Railroad Museum - 12 Kufmal Central Boulevard
* Old Town Square - 22 Old Town Square
* Golem Memorial - 44 Ravi Road
* Kufmal Municipal Public Baths - 53 Sky Circle
* Kufmal Museum - 65 Museum Way
* Empire Column - 72 Capitol Lane
* Ihsaka Belltower - 85 Ihsaka Boulevard
* Kufmal Municipal Public School - 132 Hegemon Street
* East Side General Hospital - 147 Hospital Lane
* Kufmal Memorial Cemetary - 154 Mycelium Lane
* Kufmal Fire Station No.1 - 159 Aquarius Street

### Restaurants/Food/Bars

* Broken Quill Tavern & Inn - 13 Kufmal Central Boulevard
* Seiran's Dango Eatery - 48 Ravi Road
* Hazy Maize Restaurant - 78 Board Street
* KFP Kufmal - 96 Phoenix Drive
* Ringo's Dango Restaurant - 99 Ravi Road
* Pataleana Cafe - 107 Kappa Street
* Kappa Street Ice Cream - 109 Kappa Street
* Nemuno Restaurant - 111 Kappa Street
* Yuugi's Speakeasy Bar - 115 Dune Way
* Earthly Dregs Bar - 120 Glittering Way
* Rising Dough Bakery - 126 Phoenix Drive
* Mulligan's Bar - 131 Phoenix Drive
* Confisco's Restaurant - 133 Kappa Street
* Davey's Bar and Grill - 143 Kappa Street
* Ironbelly Food Hall - 168 Seacove Avenue

### Guilds/Corporations

* Historic Fishing Lodge - 1 Aquarius Street
* Kufmal Shipping Company - 30 Harborwall Boulevard
* Smithing Guild - 39 Ravi Road
* Old Mill - 42 Mill Street
* Treasure Hunter's Guild - 55 Guild Street
* Bunbunmaru Media Group - 138 Burrow Boulevard
* Banklin Corporation - 125 Phoenix Drive

### Other

* Meliora Grand Theater - 114 Tengu Avenue
* Kufmal Ball Court - 116 Army Row
* Dagler Grand Hotel - 117 Army Row
* Villa De Kirisame - 97 Kirisame Boulevard
* Margatroid Estate - 121 Burrow Boulevard

## Trivia

* The whole concept of the Ball Game and the Family Houses being tied to their political power is a reference to chariot racing teams in the IRL city of Constantinople during the Byzantine Empire
* Many characters and locations in Kufmal are just blatant references, most of them being references to the Touhou games because I have no self-restraint.
* The Dango feud between Seiran and Ringo is not only a Touhou Reference, but also a reference to IRL Philadelphia's "Pat's" vs "Geno's" Philly Cheesesteak Rivalry