Bluebell

Bluebell is the capital of the nation of Windrose in the Windrose world. It is also the headquarters of the megacorporation Aranea and famous for being an almost entirely vertical city.

#### Geography and Structure

Bluebell is located near the exact center of mainland Windrose, as well as in the center of its Central province. The city borders a river that drains from the Tumult Range into Lake Chantilly, as well as the westernmost point of the Titanium Peaks. It is north of the Echo Chaparral as well. A variety of paved roads lead towards the city, and there is a train line that runs through the base of the city going west to east. A small amount of farmland and farmhouses dot the plains around the city, the only remains of Bluebell's earliest incarnation as a settlement.

Beyond the small patches of farmland, the main city of Bluebell is located entirely within a massive tower-like structure. Instead of being divided into regional districts of boroughs, the tower-city is divided into levels called "Tempos". Generally, each Tempo is smaller in area than the first. The first ten Tempos are where the majority of the population resides, with schools, shops, hospitals, and other modern amenities. The remaining Tempos are under the full jurisdiction of Aranea and act as the company's headquarters and main research center.

The lowest Tempos are where the poorest citizens of Bluebell reside. Despite this, these initial Tempos are not the worst places in the city to live, due to their important infrastructural role. The first two Tempos - Tempos 0 and 1 - are responsible for the upkeep and processing of sewage for the higher levels. Much of the refuse is turned into fertilizer used both in the exterior farmland and internal hydroponics systems that are also operated on these lower Tempos. With the assistance of Aranean technology, the lowest levels are actually given quite a lot of upkeep. Much of the actual dangerous sewage and disregarded infrastructure is found in Tempo 2. The middle public Tempos are where many of the schools and hospitals are located. Tempos can be traversed through elevators, as well as by going through certain buildings that pass through multiple Tempos.

The exact number of Tempos is unconfirmed.

#### History

During its earliest history, Bluebell was nothing more than patches of farmland. Eventually, the small settlement began to gain some renown as a meeting point for the various powerful royals of early Windrose - those of Gaillardia, the Titanium Peaks, Eurus, and Gladiolus (relocated to Allium following the One Week War). At some point in the recent past, Aranea set up its headquarters in the city. It is unknown when Bluebell's current incarnation as a tower city began to take shape, but it was not a tower later than fifty years prior to the present day. Bluebell never had a monarchy.

Following the One Week War, thousands of immigrants began to flee from Notus into Bluebell. At the same time, and possibly for related reasons, Aranea began to bloat in size, wealth, and political influence. These factors possibly lead to Bluebell's growth into a tower city, but it is equally possible that the tower was established beforehand for other, unknown reasons. At some point, Bluebell was given the role of the political capital of all of Windrose.

#### Demographics

Bluebell has about 75,000 citizens, and is one of the more populous cities in Windrose. Most of the common bloodlines are those that are also endemic to nearby areas in Windrose, including standard humans, flower-people, rabbit-people, bird-people, and butterfly-people. Catfolk from Notus also became quite common following the One Week War.

#### Culture and Politics

Due to Aranea's rapid bloating following the One Week War, the company assumed much of the administrative role in Bluebell. The company provides many services for the citizens, including healthcare, agriculture, and education. Bluebell is generally clean barring certain Tempos as a result, and the city has a reputation for being safe and welcoming.

#### Trivia

* The Bluebell is a kind of flower. This follows a trend in Windrosi cities being named after flowers, which is seen in cities such as Snowdrop and Gaillardia.