Kronos, God of Time

[Stone Gargoyle]

I created a type of pixie perfect for this setting called the Gremlin. I posted it to the Monstrous Creations topic thread:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=83179&p=2630302#p2630302

[Gryphon Chick]

I am working on maybe writing up one of the towns on the Great Clock, a city called Clockhome, and working in the culture centered around the machines with it. Might take me a while to get it together.

Any progress on this?

[Stone Gargoyle]

I am working on maybe writing up one of the towns on the Great Clock, a city called Clockhome, and working in the culture centered around the machines with it. Might take me a while to get it together.

Any progress on this?

Actually, yes. I have much of the Nation of Clockhome written up and should be posting something on it within the next couple of days before going into specifics on the main city.

[Stone Gargoyle]

CLOCKHOME

Estimated Total Population: 600,000
Outlying areas (non-city): 120,000
City of Clockhome: 240,000
Town of Wunss: 15,200
Town of Twyss: 14,800
City of Theree: 30,000
Town of Forr: 14,900
Town of Fyve: 15,200
City of Halfpast: 60,000
Town of Seaven: 15,100
Pirate Town of Aitt: 14,800
City of Nynne: 30,000
Fort Tenn: 16,000
Town of Ellevenn: 14,000

The Clockhome Office of Numbers does not recognize or count non-elves, since only elves are allowed citizenship. Non-human races are present, just uncounted, the Hoppitti being the most prevalent of these, with an estimated 60,000 of them living there.

Currency
Clockhome's official currency is in the form of gold coins shaped like clock gears, which is legal tender for all transactions not done using the barter system. Some stores, inns and households will accept coins of other realms, however, and all keep measuring scales for the purpose of accepting gold.

Government and the Legal System of Clockhome
The great powers of Clockhome consist of the Twelve Noble Houses (to be detailed later). Only those from the Noble Houses are allowed to serve on the Ruling Council of Twelve (which has 12 members), the Supreme Court (which has twelve members), and the Senate (which has 48 members). Elections are held yearly to determine who will serve in the various positions, with only one member of a Noble House allowed to sit on the Council at a time, only one member of a Noble House allowed to sit on the Supreme Court, and only four members of a given Noble House allowed to sit in seats of the Senate. This is to keep any one given family from having more power than another, though certain positions withing the Council allow for more power over other members, such as the Council Head, with the same being true for the Supreme Court and Senate.
For resolution of legal issues, the Ruling Council of Twelve decides cases as they relate to national and foreign policy and matters of state, with the Supreme Court deciding matters of criminal law and disputes which occur over land and such. The Senate acts to create the laws which the decisions are made on, though the Council and the Courts write up documentation for laws which must go to the Senate for approval.

Commissioned Agencies
The Ruling Council of Twelve appoints many commissions to see to the running of Clockhome. In addition to the major ones listed here, there are a number of minor commissions. These include the Gallery of Art, the Council's Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Forestry Service.
Office of Numbers: Responsible for tax collection, conducting the census, and auditing the military. This is by far the largest of the Council appointed commissions. In the employ of the office are tax collectors, census takers, and many others used for all manner of statistical information used by the council, including spies and soldiers.
The Machinery: Chosen from noteworthy mechanical guilds, and appointed for life. This body maintains all of the public machinery within the lands, both those naturally occurring in Kh'ron and those built by the elves. They can indoctrinate additional workers in the event of a major shutdown or other mechanical crisis. They regularly travel to inspect the machine forests around the ring of the Great Clock Face.
The Admiralty: Chosen from noteworthy airship captains and military leaders, and appointed for life. This body maintains the military outposts like the one at Fort Tenn, and commands the fleet of airships used by the Ruling Council of Twelve and the military, as well as commanding the militia of Clockhome. They regularly inspect the condition of airships and the structures around Clockhome, inspecting for wood rot and other such problems.

The Clockhome Military
The military forces in Clockhome have a presence in all the cities and towns with the exception of the Pirate Town of Aitt, which they leave to its own devices. Their main land force is concentrated within Fort Tenn, which is a military town, and their main fleet of airships are located at major airports in Halfpast, Theree, Nynne and the City of Clockhome. Many of the towns have airship docks, but they are not generally used for military purposes.
The duties of the military include policing the people of Clockhome, protecting the Ruling Council of Twelve and the Noble Families, guarding the Supreme Court and the Senate from attack, serving the Office of Numbers and the Machinery as needed, and patrolling the various areas for monsters which might threaten the cities and towns.

[Stone Gargoyle]

Noble Houses of Clockhome

The Twelve Noble Houses are believed to be descended from the original twelve elves brought to Kh'ron in the ancient past, though this seems rather convenient and there is no true way to prove lineage that far back. Even then, why are there elves that are not part of these Houses? But I digress. Currently, each of the Noble Houses has well over 12,000 members each. The following are the names of the Noble Houses and their traditional roles in Clockhome society.

Tinker: Without a doubt, the most powerful Noble House in Clockhome. This family controls the Clockmaster's Guild and has main control of the Machinery. The family has its main holdings in the Town of Ellevenn, where it has numerous airships docked. This House currently holds high positions in both the Ruling Council of Twelve and the Supreme Court.

Widdershins: In control of the Office of Numbers, this family is known for its political maneuvering in times past to control the Senate. Unfortunately, when members of this family are in positions of power, less seems to get done. During his time as Prime Minister of the Ruling Council of Twelve, the former head of the family, Wiseborough Widdershins, brought about the longest period of stagnation that the Nation of Clockhome has ever known. He was caught using his position for financial gain, and so was deposed and exiled, and it is believed that if he had remained in office the government would have collapsed.

Stopwitch: The Chief Admiral of the Airship Fleet, Gearshift of Stopwitch comes from this noble House which is known for its military tradition. He currently holds the position of Minister of Military Affairs on the Ruling Council of Twelve.

Friddeus: The Banking Houses of the Nation of Clockhome are largely controlled by this family which is headed by Fourscore Friddeus, the current Minister of Trade and Exploration on the Ruling Council of Twelve. The family operates one of the largest merchant guilds in the nation and has produced numerous Tailor Mages. They have a large fleet of merchant airships which they keep docked at the airport in the City of Nynne. Due to their considerable holdings there, they currently control all of the political offices in the City of Nynne and the surrounding area.

Saturnus: With their principle holdings in Halfpast, this family owns numerous inns and taverns throughout the Nation of Clockhome. They have traditionally involved themselves in matters concerning the regulation of nightlife and alcohol within the nation. It is suspected that they are involved in illegal dealings with the Sky Pirates in the Town of Aitt, but nothing has been proven which would be grounds for removal from office of any of their family members.

Hourlea: This family, whose principle holdings are in the town of Wunss, has petitioned to give citizenship rights to the Hoppitti and is active in the civil rights movement to give rights to people living in the Nation of Clockhome other than the elves. They finance expeditions and use their fleet of airships to explore other regions of Kh'ron that lay beyond the Great Clock Face, and have been instrumental in establishing trade agreements with the people in other regions of Kh'ron. It was Clockwise Hourlea who established the Council's Commission on Exploration during his time as Minister of Trade.

Daelea: This family traditionally supports the Temples of Kronos and has a history of having members of the family serve as priests within the Church. Grinder Daelea currently serves as Minister of Religious Affairs on the Ruling Council of Twelve.

Wiekley: The educational welfare of the Nation of Clockhome is one of the major concerns of this Noble House which has been responsible for the establishment of major libraries and schools within the Nation of Clockhome. They also have a publishing house in the City of Halfpast which produces periodicals and books, which have grown in popularity in recent years.

Ticker: Tictoc Ticker is the head of this Noble House which has its major holdings in the Town of Twyss, and he currently serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the Ruling Council of Twelve. He supports the trade of slaves throughout the Nation of Clockhome, a position which many find distasteful.

Temporal: This family has a tradition of producing mages and supporting schools for the practice of magic. The family head, Tempest Temporal, currently serves as Minister of Magic on the Ruling Council of Twelve.

Yearborne: This family owns numerous plantations and cattle farms all over the Nation of Clockhome and are well known as the principle supplier of Blade Runner mounts in the nation. They typically serve as ministers of agriculture on the Ruling Council of Twelve.

Klokwerkz: Known traditionally as doctors and promoters of medicine in the Nation of Clockhome, the members of this family have been implicated in times past of illegal trade of drugs and pharmaceuticals, often seeking the position of the Minister of Medicine on the Ruling Council of Twelve to allow them greater freedom to do so. They are currently barred from holding that position.

[Gryphon Chick]

Question: If the Twelve Noble Houses get seats in the government automatically, what is the point of the elections?

[Stone Gargoyle]

Question: If the Twelve Noble Houses get seats in the government automatically, what is the point of the elections?

The elections take place within the Noble Houses, as the families are quite large. In some cases, the Head of the Noble House just appoints people. I will be going into more detail about it in upcoming posts.

[Stone Gargoyle]

Clockhome's Ruling Council of Twelve

The Ruling Council of Twelve was established with the idea in mind that each Noble House have a representative leader as chief of government in the Nation of Clockhome. It was created in order to give each of the then city-states an equal place in government. Traditionally, the Head of a Noble House would serve as its representative on the Council. But as the Head of a Noble House has other responsibilities, often tied in with city government and the Guilds, an election process was established by which each Noble House can elect a leader to represent them on the Council. This election process was already in place for election of Senate members and Supreme Court judges in any case.
While intended to give equal powers to each of the Noble Houses, it works quite differently in practice. The Prime Minister position on the Council is actually more powerful than the rest and can override decisions and authority of other members on the Council. It is the Prime Minister who assigns the roles of the other positions, though certain Noble Houses do traditionally serve in some positions. The Prime Minister is voted on by all of the people, not just the Noble Houses, each time a new set of Council members is elected. The duties of some of the positions on the council overlap, and some are positions in name only with no real authority or responsibilities or power, as some of the responsibilities are already handled quite capably by appointed commissions which the ministers are supposed to oversee. The Prime Minister may choose to handle multiple minister positions within the Council himself, leaving the representatives of some Noble Houses with no responsibilities and no authority. This has happened in the past in cases where a position was being used for personal gain or to the detriment of the nation as a whole. The Prime Minister may also bar a specific individual from serving on the council, forcing their Noble House to select a different representative. Of course, a three-quarters vote by the other Council members to remove the Prime Minister from office keeps the Prime Minister from abusing their own powers.

The following Minister positions exist on the Ruling Council of Twelve:
*Prime Minister, or Head of Council
*Minister of Military Affairs, or Head of the Military
*Minister of Financial Affairs, or Head of Finance and the Treasury
*Minister of Trade and Exploration, or Head of Trade and Merchants
*Minister of Foreign Affairs
*Minister of Education, or Head of Public Education and Schools
*Minister of Magic
*Minister of Religious Affairs
*Minister of Agriculture
*Minister of Mechanical Affairs, or Head of the Machinery and Mechanics
*Minister of Medicine
*Minister of Arts and Entertainment

[Stone Gargoyle]

The Elves of Clockhome

The inhabitants of the Nation of Clockhome are said to be descended from the Twelve Chosen Elves from which the Noble Houses are said to be formed, their servants and retainers. The original Twelve Chosen Elves were said to have been taken from the Palladium World to act as watchmen and repairmen to the Great Clock Face, and were sentries to mark the positions of the hours. They were given new names for which the current Noble Houses are named. It is said that those events occurred some 25,000 years ago. The elves believe, thus, that they are the Chosen race and that all others were put there to serve them, justifying the practice of slavery in the Nation of Clockhome. They also believe that it is their duty to look after the naturally forming machinery of Kh'ron. Anyone refusing service to the Machinery will face being enslaved, exiled or killed for such insolence. Anyone known to have intentionally damaged a machine will face severe prosecution. Serving the Machinery is considered a sacred duty which is drilled into the elves at a young age by their elders and the church. They have established a society based on service, with Machinist Guilds in every town, even the Pirate Town of Aitt. Men comprise the majority of those joining the Guilds, those women are accepted as well. Due to the natura of the work, and the fact that some of it takes place where there are monsters, it is considered highly dangerous. Of the men, those refusing to serve the Machinery or join a Guild will ultimately serve, joining the ranks of slaves set to the purpose of fixing the machines in even more dangerous environments, or else be exiled or executed. Those thinking that escape to the Pirate Town of Aitt will save them from such service will be sorely disappointed, for in this one area the Town of Aitt is in compliance, wishing to avoid all-out war.
Before the establishment of the Ruling Council of Twelve, each of the towns in Clockhome was an independent city-state. It was only once a state of war existed among all of the city-states the the Noble Houses made the decision to unite under one government rather than run the land to ruin. The towns were then reorganized based on their individual strengths and weaknesses, with the seat of government moving to the city of Hourmark, which was renamed the City of Clockhome to symbolize the fact that it was now the primary place of government for the entire nation. Many of the Noble Houses transferred their holdings to the City of Clockhome as its population surged, abandoning their original towns. It was this abandonment of the towns by the Noble Houses that made some of the towns too weak to defend and sustain themselves, as was the case with the Town of Aitt, which fell to the control of the Sky Pirates.

[Stone Gargoyle]

The Clockhome Economy
By necessity, Clockhome is self-sufficient. Everyone is expected to join a Guild, which then sees to the needs of that person and their children. The Guilds receive their funding from the Noble Houses according to the decree of the Ruling Council of Twelve- since the Noble Houses own the various Guilds it has to work that way- and any profits from the Guilds go back to the Noble Houses, less any taxes, of course. Special dispensation is made in some cases to allow for a Guild not controlled by a Noble House, but this is rare, and any profits would be taxed and extra fees charged which would go back to the government. Any independent tradesman or merchants must pay royalties to a Guild or Noble House in order to operate within the Nation of Clockhome, and additional fees must be paid to operate within a city or town.
Most trade takes place between towns within the Nation of Clockhome itself. While trade and exploration to other areas of Kh'ron are encouraged, there has been little to promote such activities, and it is generally more costly to engage in such activity than is profitable. Clockhome is capable of growing timber and mining metal on its own, and farming enough crops to feed its people, without having to rely on outside trade.

Magic
Practitioners of magic are encouraged within the Nation of Clockhome, but it is highly regulated. There are schools of magic in the four major cities of Clockhome, Theree, Nynne and Halfpast, and anyone seeking to practice magic within the nation must have training from one of these schools. Foreign mages and those trained outside of these schools is viewed with suspicion. Anyone trained outside of these schools will have to be evaluated by the Wizards' Guild and receive permission from the Minister of Magic in order to be allowed to continue practicing magic within the nation. Anyone without such permission that is caught using magic will be imprisoned or exiled from the land.

Religion
The worship of the time god Kronos is the official national religion of Clockhome and that of the Noble Houses. Other churches are not permitted, though many worship other gods in the privacy of their own homes. Displays of fealty to other gods in a public forum or manner are strictly outlawed.

The Shipyards of Clockhome
One of the most difficult industries in the Nation of Clockhome is the building of airships. The shipyards of the Nation of Clockhome are controlled by the Noble Houses which maintain two shipyards in the City of Clockhome and one in each of the major cities of Theree, Nynne and Halfpast. The military also maintains its own shipyard at Fort Tenn. Most of the wood used to build airships comes from the Fated Forest.

[Stone Gargoyle]

Geography
Officially, the Nation of Clockhome consists only of the outer ring of the external surface of the Great Clock Face of Kh'ron and not the hands of the clock, the central section, or the internal surface of the Great Clock Face. It includes all of the land on the outer ring of the external surface, however, including villages of Hoppitti in addition to the twelve elven cities comprising the Nation of Clockhome proper. The innermost section of the ring, the Secondis Desert, the ring of forest next to the desert, the Forest of Time, and the outermost section of the ring, the Minute Mountains, are mostly uninhabited. Just inside the outermost ring of mountains is another area of timber lands, the Fated Forest. The circumference has never been measured, but the outer ring of the Great Clock Face which the Nation of Clockhome occupies is some 420 miles across from its innermost edge to the outermost one.

The Secondis Desert has no permanent outposts and has very little native life of any kind. The Hands of the Great Clock sweep overhead at high speed, generating intense winds. The only life forms to be found are subterranean predators which attack anything which travels on the surface. The desert is twelve miles across and encircles the entire innermost section of the outer ring of the Great Clock Face of Kh'ron.

The Forest of Time is an enchanted place where it is said that time does not flow properly. It runs alongside the entire length of the outside of the innermost ring of the outer ring of the Great Clock Face of Kh'ron, the Secondis Desert. People who enter the forest come out days or even years later thinking that no time has passed. Like the Secondis Desert, it is twelve miles across. Central to the forest, providing it with a primary water source, is the Amnesia River. Due to its magical properties, no outposts exist in this forest, nor any villages. Strange creatures live in the forest which seem to defy description. The trees of this forest serve to act as a buffer against the winds generated by the Hands of the Great Clock.

The Minute Mountains form the outermost section of the outer ring of the Great Clock Face of Kh'ron and form a section going all the way around which is 36 miles across. The mountains are steep and slick, making travel across them difficult. As a result, the elves have established no permanent outposts here to prevent anyone from entering their lands. The mountains have very little native life of any kind; most of the vegetation consists of grasses, lichens and moss. There are rumors of ruined cities and ancient temples built into the very rock of the mountains, but the only actual things living in the rock are predatory animals which will attack anything entering their caves and tunnels. Much of the terrain is made up of colossal monolithic machines which defy explanation, and most of these are too enormous for the elves to be able to tinker with.

The Fated Forest is an area of timber lands running along the inside of the outermost ring of the outer ring of the Great Clock Face, the Minute Mountains. It circles the entire ring and is 24 miles across. Central to it, providing a much needed water source, is the Littletime River. The elves maintain ranger outposts within the forest, and numerous elven and non-elven villages exist there. Both mechanical and organic forms of life are present in the forest, which is one of the main sources of timber for the elves who rely on its wood for everything from their homes and businesses to the airships they fly.

[Stone Gargoyle]

I am pretty well finished with the Nation of Clockhome stuff. It will take me a while to get the City of Clockhome to where I can post stuff for it.

[Gryphon Chick]

I am pretty well finished with the Nation of Clockhome stuff. It will take me a while to get the City of Clockhome to where I can post stuff for it.

Take your time. No sense rushing it.

[Stone Gargoyle]

I am pretty well finished with the Nation of Clockhome stuff. It will take me a while to get the City of Clockhome to where I can post stuff for it.

Take your time. No sense rushing it.

Having a bit of trouble figuring out where the different guild halls are and such, so it is taking longer than initially anticipated.

[Stone Gargoyle]

I am still working on the city districts and such, but decided to post what I have so far.

City of Clockhome

Originally called Hourmark, it is also called "Midnight" by Sky Sailors. With a population of around 240,000 elves, including 1% slaves and 99% free men, it is by far the largest elven city in the Nation of Clockhome and houses the headquarters of the Ruling Council of Twelve and the entirety of the national government buildings. The city is flanked by two major airship yards: Hourlong Yard upwards of the city and Noonday Yard to the downward side.
Geographically, it is divided into twelve districts around its center, which consists of the Central Clock, an enormous clock tower surrounded by a large plaza area serving as an open-air market.

[Stone Gargoyle]

I got sidetracked with other projects. It will be a while before I have more on the City of Clockhome.

[Stone Gargoyle]

Since I stalled out on the city building and development of the Nation of Clockhome, I will be going back to basics and developing more of the wildlife and plants existing on Kh'ron. Hopefully I can get back to working on the Twelve Cities at some later point.

[Stone Gargoyle]

I am currently writing up many creatures for Kh'ron which I will be posting to the Monstrous Creations thread and linking back to this thread. I currently have a type of insect-deer hybrid called a Scarabou and two types of clockwork spiders written up and am in the process of writing up an intelligent race of giant spiders who use steampunk style technology.

[Stone Gargoyle]

Scarabou, a deer-insect hybrid native to Kh'ron can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=83179&p=2771151#p2771151

The Pocketwatch Spider and Cog Spider clockwork arachnids native to Kh'ron can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=83179&p=2771163#p2771163

The race of intelligent spider tinkerers known as Giant Tinker Spiders can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=83179&p=2771181#p2771181

[Stone Gargoyle]

I am contemplating writing up a "clockodile", a clockwork crocodile creature which can link up and form natural bridges across the Great Gears and such.
Also, I am contemplating how the machine trees contribute to the air and what their overall function is to the eco-system of Kh'ron. I hope to have more written up soon.

[Stone Gargoyle]

The Clockodile write-up can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=83179&p=2776905#p2776905

[Gryphon Chick]

I like this setting, so hopefully you will finish fleshing out the towns and such eventually.

[Stone Gargoyle]

Eventually, but right now I am focusing on animals and plants that exist there.