Paclethea

The arcology of Paclethea, often referred to as the ***Jewel of Kunnimach***, is the largest and most populous city in the world, with an estimated population of 131,579 distributed over a land mass of 4,028 square miles (10,432.5 km2), the largest island in the Iskethend Archipelago. At the center of the Paclethea metropolitan area lie the 9 most populated districts that are the headquarters to the governing guilds and central municipal buildings, giving the extensive population of citizens homes and employment. As the self-described "Center of the World", Paclethea has been declared the financial, spiritual, and intellectual capitol of Kunnimach and exerts a tremendous presence in the spheres of commerce, entertainment, research, technology, arcanology, education, and politics. Keeping the city independent of any of the kingdoms found on the large continents allows the city to offer an unbiased stage to further international diplomacy.

Situated within the caldera of an extinct volcano, Paclethea consists of 49 diverse districts, each of which focuses on a necessary aspect of city functionality. The city is an always welcoming port for immigration, for those humanoids that wish to leave the four continents for whatever reasons, and as such any number of racial and national tongues from around the world can be overheard. The entire population of Paclethea is either an immigrant or the descendant of an immigrant, as the Iskethend Archipelago was uninhabited before the founding of the city.

Paclethea's origins can be traced back to eight individuals who left their homelands to escape the ravages of war and to live out their lives in pursuit of their own ideals, rather then being hampered by the feudal systems employed by any of the given monarchies at the time. The first to find the island of Paclethea, was the druidess Molidef who after witnessing the death of hundreds in Ordin, wished to start a grove upon the fertile soils of a new land, as a way of replacing much of the life that was being lost. Many members of the guilds dispute this claim that she was the first to land on Paclethea. Whichever of the Founders was the first, each of them wished to establish a place where they could carry on their private work without being harassed, and thus gathered to forge a deal that divided the continent into even proportions. After the Founders landed, news spread of a land free of the control of the kingdoms. Individuals native to these lands began making the voyage to the Archipelago, those that landed on Paclethea sought out the Founder that they most identified with and petitioned to work with them to share in their pursuits, and from these first immigrants came the guilds.

## **Etymology**

Paclethea's name appears to be a rough portmanteau of various Ordinish root words that translates essentially to "The Key to Seeing Peace," which gives some credence to the assertion that Lady Molidef was the initial Founder.

## History

Main Article: History of Paclethea

Paclethea was created from the eruption of a supervolcano, which also birthed the True Dragons, and all other species of dragonkind. It has been marked by subterranian activity, either from the volcano or from another source.

A group of 8 refugees fleeing their home continents settled the continent and would later become the leaders of the Guilds of Paclethea.

After an initial surge in settlers brought by excitement for the new continent, a seismic disaster occurred which killed many. After an extended period of hesitation, a resettlement occurred which ushered in the rebuilding of the guilds.

## Geography

The arcology of Paclethea is located off-center, toward the northwest coast of the Paclethea island which is situated centrally in the Iskethend Archipelago located in the Edarisk Ocean. The city itself rests in the caldera of the extinct volcano that comprises much of the island, creating a natural stone seawall on all sides save for the northwestern quarter which has been converted into the various docks districts to allow sea travel.

The metropolitan area of Paclethea takes up 1,514 square miles (3,921 square km) of the island making use of the rest as mining. agriculture, and wild life reserves. The highest point of the island is the caldera ridge on the southeastern coast rising up 13,527 feet (4,124 meters) above sea level.

### **Architecture**

The architecture of the arcology consists of some of the most unique and disparate structures that run the gamut of all manner of architectural styles and time periods, including restorations of some of the original buildings that were destroyed in the Glass Upheaval. Districts tend to have similar architectural styles, especially the districts that are run by a single guild and the surrounding districts have similar styles. Additionally the Fleet Masons take great strides to flow the styles from one to the next in an effort to maintain a uniform consistency.

### **Districts**

As the city grew, the guilds decided to establish territorial areas dedicated to their responsibilities and thus divide the work needed to keep the large metropolis running. Within each of this districts there are hundreds of distinct neighborhoods, each with their own stories that give an exclusive character.

### **Climate**

Paclethea's climate is typical for a tropical environment with the near constant migratory winds keeping the temperatures and humidity in the comfortable ranges. On average the highs around the Radiant Solstice reach 85 °F during the day and falling to 75 °F at night. Deep Solstice days usually hover around 80 °F and rarely fall below 65 °F in the night. The migratory winds and surrounding islands of the archipelago keep the worst of storms from making landfall and keep precipitation flowing regularly, save for the off chance of magical intervention by a careless caster.

## Demographics

Without the dragon's migration happening nearly year-round, Paclethea has become much easier to approach by ships, both in the air and in the water. The archipelago sits almost equidistant from the various continents making it an ideal resupply stop for intercontinental voyages and allows anyone who can pay an asking fair to book passage to the shores. A wide array of various races congregate within the city and any race that wishes to live in the city is welcomed, thus a member from just about any race imaginable can be found within the metropolitan districts.

### **Race and Ethnicity**

The Paclethea Island is filled with all varieties of races from across Kunnimach with the largest group being Humans and half-humans of various interracial couplings, followed by dwarves and elves. The rest of the majority of the population is gnomes, goblins, and halflings. Rounding out the rest of the population are the races from prominent kingdoms located on the continents and various other sapient creatures such as a Mezlan, surviving Soulcast soldiers from the MysTecH War, and rarer Faunans.

Each of the continents provide a roughly equivalent amount of immigrants into the population of Paclethea, but the largest ethnic concentration have been native Pacletheans that over two or three generations lose the distinctiveness of their race from their family homelands. Theories about the lack of strong elemental leylines in the Archipelago allow races to return to a less specialized body form.

### **Religion**

All of the world's religions are recognized as long as the practitioner's dogma and rituals don't call for violent or harshly illegal activites, certain leeway is given for minor misdemeanors as long as the representative temple gets approval from the council through the Gavaliers.

In this unique land the access to a diverse polytheology leads to contradictory information and the Gavaliers have attempted to encompass each continent's beliefs into one comprehensive pantheon. This means that the gods with competing spheres of influence, such as Hades and Hel, are given more precise domains within their influence, such as Hades being the Caretaker and Warden of dead souls and Hel being the determiner of fate and judge of destiny. Most long time residents and naturally born citizens take this as their belief system, but new comers from the continents and people set in their religious ways may stick with ideas that their gods live outside the influence of other pantheons.

## Human Resources

### **Education**

#### **Primary and Secondary Education**

In the central metropolitan districts a series of schoolhouses were allowed to open to teach children various skills and basic social skills needed to survive in a large urban environment. Parents within these districts are encouraged to pay for tuition for at least five years of primary education but there is no official law that forces this form of education. After the five years, the parents are given the choice of teaching their children about how to work in the family business, attend a guild sanctioned schooling facility to join that guild, or to send them to a private tutor to learn all manner of trade or job skills.

Children living out in the suburban districts may attend the schools if their families can pay for transportation, but many families choose to train their children to work in the jobs their parents work in, typically the agriculture and mining jobs.

#### **Higher Education and Research**

The Higher Education facilities in the arcology are entirely controlled by the guilds to teach specific skill sets needed for specialized jobs. The largest of these campuses has a district all to its self, the Ankergo University, where students from around the world are trained to become spellcasters who manipulate arcane energy. Graduation means that the guild offers a mid-rank position within its community skipping years of work to reach a similar rank without the formal training. This is not the only choice, as many of the graduates learn from the institution and then return to their homeland to fulfill their personal goals.

Research into various subjects is conducted throughout the island but its biggest draw is research into spellcraft and artifice. Paclethea boasts the largest collection of unique arcane spells that have been scribed by members of the Helix League, as well as their annual *Darastrix Donoap Expo (DDX)* where the guild demonstrates new discoveries in artifice as well as competing for the High Arcanist position.

### **Public Health**

The Gavaliers are the primary providers of healthcare within the city, although the Circle Salvage and unguilded doctors and clerics operate within various districts. The *Ornathear Medical Ward* is the largest medical compound throughout the metropolis. This center not only treats patients but also acts as a hub for communication between the various Gavalier run medical institutions located throughout the other districts.

The Gavaliers work to treat as many of the cities population as they can at a cost that the patient can afford, but sometimes the demand for the services is so large that it can be difficult for them to avoid long wait times. In these times those with means may seek private healthcare with licensed providers but a premium cost.