Gelene
Gelene (pronounced ge-LEEN) is an inland city on the continent of Dwilight. It is a largest, wealthy and highly populous city.
The city is famous for its great and beautiful design - its castle walls shine high on a hill overlooking the countryside, and it is deemed by military strategists as extremely difficult to assault. Once inside the city, one is struck by the auburn colored marble stone which most structures are made of, as well as the fantastic architecture used in the building of the city. The original inhabitants of Gelene are unknown, but whoever they were clearly were a grand people with great knowledge.
The city is inland off the eastern coast of the realm, and experiences extremely hot and humid summers and temperate winters, more so than regions on the coast or further north. Centrally located, the city of Gelene was a massively important hub for trade and commerce during its years under Everguard's rule, and is unavoidable for anyone who is traveling north or south through the region. After Everguard was destroyed it remained abandoned for many years, but has been recently reclaimed by Astrum.
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Climate
Gelene has a humid subtropical climate that is somewhat unique for the area it is in on Dwilight. Its climate is more typical of areas removed from bodies of water further south, toward the mid-oceanic areas of the continent.
Summer tends to be hot and humid with daily high temperatures in July and August averaging in the high 80s to low 90s. The combination of heat and humidity in the summer brings very frequent thunderstorms, some of which occasionally produce tornadoes in the area, something the pagan peasantry of the city take as signs of displeasure from the gods (although Sanguis Astroism has become the norm for the city). The combination of heat and humidity can also be reminiscent of a true tropical climate, even though the closest tropical zone is hundreds of miles away to the south.
Spring and fall are mild with high temperatures in April and October averaging in the high 60s to low 70s. Residents of Gelene collectively enjoy this time of year the most, because of the moderate temperatures, crisp air and stable weather patterns.
Winter brings sustained cool temperatures and occasional snowfall. Average highs tend to be in the low 40s, and lows in the mid 20s from mid-December to mid-February. Occasionally, arctic air can lower nighttime lows into the teens, even in the city itself. The average annual snowfall is a little over 16 inches, though the outlying suburb of Gelene Outskirts receives upwards of six more inches of snowfall each year.
While tropical cyclones (or their remnants) occasionally track through the area in late summer and early fall, they have often weakened by the time they reach Gelene partly because of the city's inland location. Flooding, caused by a combination of high tide, storm surge, and storm runoff, has been known to cause extensive property damage in the nearby town of Gelene Outskirts, but rarely touches Gelene itself - especially given its elevated location.
Native Plants and Animals
The city of Gelene is one of the mostly highly urbanized areas of northern Dwilight, aside from the great city of Darfix itself, and as such much of its original plant and animal life has been wiped out in favor of buildings, clearings and other man made things. This has left much of the former biodiversity of the region depleted.
However, there is a great deal of native character still left in the city, due in large part by the efforts of the architects and craftsmen of Gelene to integrate the city with some of the original flora and fauna. The result has been the preservation of several unique trees, flowers, and plants - as well as the animals who's habitat that plant life provides. The most noted native animal that remains inside the walls of Gelene is the stark Red Squirrel of Gelene, which is a smaller variety of the gray squirrels found on most of the rest of the continent, with bright red fur and quicker reflexes. These animals are found only in the inland area of the east coast in the northern part of Dwilight, and due to the human presence in the city, the red squirrels are mostly concentrated in Gelene.
Additionally a great number of birds make Gelene their home, perching on the tall spires of the castle walls and nesting in its many cracks and corners. Of special note is the species of eagle, known as the Western Crimson Eagle that can often be seen floating above the great city, peering down at its residents and hunting for food. Besides eagles, Gelene is home to many small birds such as orioles, chickadees, cardinals and dozens of other birds.
The needs of the growing kingdom may put pressure on the land inside the city, possibly destroying the remaining greeneries that are inside the city walls currently. With the population growth in the city of Gelene during the rule of Everguard, there was a great deal of depopulation of many animals, and a reduction in the plant life. After Astrum's siege and the resulting mass starvation however, much of the city was abandoned for years, allowing animal and plant populations to rebound. Parts of the city have nearly been reclaimed by the wilderness.
Influence of the City
Gelene is nestled in what was commonly referred to by Guardians as "the heart of the north". It is centrally located between the major cities of the east, west, and south - and any potential movement through what was once Everguard in any direction inevitably brings one to Gelene. It is a massive city that was by far the economic capital of the kingdom, and though it is landlocked, it was a nearby center of culture for those who come and go by sea.
These characteristics made Gelene, and her suburban town of Gelene Outskirts a hugely important area to Dwilight culture and continental trade.
Since the war with Astrum and the destruction of Everguard, the city has been largely abandoned and left as a ruin. After many years, Astrum finally reclaimed the city and its future influence remains to be seen, as the political heart of that realm is still in Eidulb and Libidizedd.
Politics and Recent History
Unlike many of the regions Everguard conquered in its early phase of expansion, the city of Gelene was extremely receptive to its new masters, not resisting the imposition of Guardian rule. Once converted to the kingdom, the peasantry remained very loyal to the realm. Loyalty has been aided by the fact that there are rumors in the city that the High King plans to make Gelene the Emerald City of Everguard, the formal name for the capital of the nation.
During the war between Everguard and Astrum, the city of Gelene was cut off from the remainder of the realm of Everguard when Astrum seized control of the Gelene Outskirts. When Everguard proved unable to break the Astrum siege and provide shipments of food to the city, massive starvation set in. When the death toll climbed to over 15,000 peasants, nearly 2/3rds of the population of the city at the beginning of the siege, the peasants revolted. They pledged themselves to Astrum and begged for salvation. When Astrum proved unable to deliver food to the city and stop the starvation, the city once again revolted, this time declaring itself independent. It remained abandoned for many years, home only to a few hundred souls (many of them outlaws and other ne'er-do-wells who eked out a living scavenging the ruins and growing small gardens in abandoned city squares. Just recently it has been reclaimed by Astrum, and will no doubt over time grow to rival its former glory under Everguard's rule.
Lords who have ruled Gelene
- Duke Hackem de Struct of Everguard- Ruled April 5, 2008 - Unknown
- Unknown of Everguard- Unknown - May 22, 2009
- Duchess Alexandria Dwarvenite of Astrum- May 22, 2009 - May 24, 2009
- Duke Ysgarren Addonwy of Astrum- May 25, 2009
- Rogue - Ruled May 26, 2008 - January 2, 2011
- Duke Rowan Geronus of Astrum- January 2, 2011 - March 18, 2011
- Duchess Melania Rahl of Astrum - March 23, 2011 - unknown
- Duke Sparticus II Bathgate of Westgard - November 9, 2019 - Present
Regional Information
- Investment cost: 500 gold
