Fowkverton

**Fowkverton** (traditionally Foque-over-Ton) is the capital city of Pridain and the seat of the Crown of Pridain. The gets its name from the Ton river that flows through it and is paired with the smaller settlement of Fowkend across the water.

## **History**

The area that Fowkverton inhabits was first home to a clan of aviarns that were defeated by the Fenizian occupation and chased from their lands. Fenize then constructed the first permanent structures in the area roughly four hundred years before the Crowning of Pridain. After ruling for centuries from a country estate the monarchy moved its primary estate to within the now ruined town of Fowkverton for better defense in around the year 500 A.A. Because of this many of the governmental buildings and the palace itself are partially constructed from remnants of the Fenizian structures present.

Around the turn of the first millenia the city began to grow as the academies began to consolodate in the area, with many leaving their former home in Biforum to be closer to the crown.

Around two hundred years ago a monarch attempted to construct a wall around the entire city but grew ill before they could complete the project. The remnants of the wall run north at the western end of Beauedge and have become known colloquially as Barbel's Folly, and now houses apartments in the towers that overlook the entire city.

## **City Description**

Fowkverton is the westernmost city in Decester, along with its sister city Fowkend. It is also the largest city in Grand Pridain. The city is a place of halves, divided in two by those who have and those who have not, with a distinct line of cleanliness and architecture showing exactly where these two lifestyles clash.

### **Foque Village**

Foque Village is a walled area of the city that sits atop the settlements earliest known location. The village is compact but busy with life as the main hub of education within the city, hosting most of the academies found within the city limits and their associated accomodations. It is often remarked that Foque Village is taller than it is wide, due to the towers that rise from between the walls; architectural marvels that are constructed to one up the other academies and are constantly under renevation.

It is within the confines of Foque Village that the gated entrance to Abox Palace sits, resting flush along the western-most wall.

### **Beauedge**

Beauedge is comparatively the poorest district of Fowkverton, but is still astronomically wealthy compared to most towns in Pridain. It is a bustling place of small homes and apartments designed to make the most of what little space they have to work with. Its residents are mostly middle class but often young offshoots of noble families also hold homes here.

### **Hoyden**

Hoyden is the newest district of Fowkverton and is home to much of the new nobility that have risen since the last war with Oxwall. The district began construction as a pet project of the previous king but was not completed until after his death, after a rushed push by his heir. Many of the homes and businesses here were designed to be gifts from the king to his most loyal supporters after the taking of Oxwall (which of course, didn't happen). Instead after the King's death the Queen divided the properties between her supporters and friends, as well as craftspeople and artists who she was a patron of.

The outer edge of Hoyden however is akin to a ghost-town, homes unable to be filled before the tensions between the Crown and the Charmament erupted. It is rumoured a significant percentage of these empty buildings are being squatted in by criminals and the homeless population of the city. It is also well documented that the presence of the empty swathes of the district have caused issue with the general population who see the existance of the district as an insult.

The buildings here are large, colourful, but not tall and towers are non-existant. Some even have private gardens, much to the chagrin of the residents of North and South Areworth.

### **Areworth**

North and South Areworth were once one district that was divided in two as the city grew.

#### **North Areworth**

North Areworth is thought to be the eldest district outside of Foque Village and boasts historic buildings from as far back as the Fenizian occupation. The district is the single most expensive area to live in in Pridain and is almost exclusively home to oldblood nobility.

The skyline here is host to myriad towers and obscured by countless flags that tell which nobles are home or who owns what property. The buildings here are typically palacially large and lavish, some even coming close the luxury of Abox Palace itself. However, gardens and areas of private greenery are rare as space is tight.

Within North Areworth you will find Hulix's Pride, a tower owned and lived in by the Hulix family, an ostentatious display of wealth and power.

#### **South Areworth**

South Areworth is dominated by the elevated grounds of Abox Palace, which rests on a foundation that sits roughly 10 foot above ground level. It itself is one of the smaller districts of the city and was once the area of the dock and warehouse district before these were moved to the other side of the river. Because of this a lot of the buildings here are of recent construction. Construction here was heavily taxed during the last war with Oxwall, the specifics of which were based on the width of the property meaning that the most common type of building here is narrow but long and tall.

As the construction of Hoyden picked up property values in South Areworth declined and the district saw an influx of upper middle class families moving into the houses here. The area has also become a haven for the arts with a open air theatre along the riverfront and a number of galleries scattered throughout.

### **Vezegate**

Vezegate is a market district, filled with businesses and markets of all kinds. It is comparatively small but dense with multi-storey buildings, walkways, flags, and signs. Because of this a common saying attached to the area is 'the sun never rises in Vezegate'. Homes here take on the form of upper floor apartments or living spaces built into the backs of the shops.

## **Etymology**

*Fowkverton* is a Pridgeon estimation of *Foque-over-Ton*, the original name of the settlement. *Foque* means 'bird' or 'fowl' in Giant.

## **Trivia**

* Fowkverton is known for its sloe gin and has a competitive nature against Fowkend's apple gin. Numerous varieties of sloe gin can be found in town and a number of distilleries are present within the limits that produce the spirit.
* Outside the western end of North Areworth is the Royal Greenward, a massive greenhouse structure that serves as the academy of botany. Inside this academy plants are studied for both arcane and natural properties.
* Even though Abox Palace is considered the primary estate of the Crown the amount of time the monarch spends living there varies from ruler to ruler. Queen Eudoxia II resided there for the entirity of her rule until the South Areworth Unrest, whereas her father King Arthew IX spent almost no time there and chose to reside in an estate in Rutshire outside of Vilonard.