City Districts
After the Fifty Years’ War, Rosewood was left in a desperate state. However, with the wise rule of King Philip II and his heirs, the City not only recovered through the Restoration but also started to thrive again at the turn of the century. As Rosewood began to grow again, more and more people were drawn to the promise of wealth and freedom it provided when compared to rustic life. In an effort to better manage the growing Capital, the City was split up into administrative districts. These districts have their own Reeves, who serve to collect taxes, enforce the Mayor’s decrees, and represent the people of their districts to the Mayor. These districts are further divided into Burhs, smaller communities of homes of different families. Burhs are often named after famous people. Some are new, while others are historical. Mainly, the City is split into three regions among the commoners:
- The City Proper (made out of the Centre, the West and East Banks, the Archdiocese, the Buckles, the Fisher District, as well as the First and Second Districts)
- The Slums (made out of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Districts)
- The Purlieus (made out of the Western and Eastern Perlieus that surround Rosewoo’d walls)
The City Proper
The City Proper is the oldest part of Rosewood, protected by the City’s inner walls. It holds the Main Square, as well as the Marketplace, so it is always crowded with people. Those who live in this part of Rosewood are the wealthiest citizens and even lower nobility. The ground is lain with gravel and cobblestone, clean, and regularly maintained by the King’s and the Mayor’s people. Men and women here spend time in the arts and practicing their craftsmanship. Many festivals and fairs take place here, so the people are almost always in glee. Children and other young ones usually spend their days either learning, training, or working on their apprenticeship. Unlike the other regions, people here don’t usually partake in sporadic fun; they enjoy themselves in planned fairs, dances, and feasts, but spend most of their time working and progressing upwards. People who live here are called either Patricians or Peers. Patricians are descendants of true Rosewoodian families, French and Roman Catholics, people who have lived in the same place within the City proper for at least three generations. Peers are the others; those who came from afar, or who moved into the City Proper for another part of the City. While considered Patricians or Peers, men, and women from the City Proper are oftentimes called Gentlemen and Gentlewomen.
The Centre
Located just beneath Fernyard Fortress and around it, the Centre is the oldest part of Rosewood and home to the wealthiest people in the Capital. There is a stigma around people who live here; that they are superior to the rest, while not necessarily true, many act like it.
Reeve: Calvin Avigne
The Archdiocese
Also known as the Church District, it is the clerical center of Rosewood. Many clergy people spend their days here, studying and guiding the people of Rosewood. Most of the homes in this district are reserved for clergy members, but not all of them. Those who live here, only pay the Church tax.
The West Bank
The West Bank is known to the people of Rosewood as the beating heart of the City. Most taverns and bathhouses are here. Moderately wealthy citizens live here, mostly artisans and high-ranking guild members.
Reeve: Michael Reeves
The East Bank
The East Bank is home to the majority of Rosewood’s most skilled artisans and craftsmen. Artists and philosophers like to live here to the unusually beautiful way the homes align at some places. This district was rebuilt in a planned manner, so it seems almost fairytale-like.
Reeve: Edward Affray
The Buckles
The Buckles are home to Rosewood’s most esteemed foreign families. Those of different cultures or religions who traveled long distances to reach the Capital. If they are lucky and skilled enough, they will acquire enough wealth to build or buy living quarters in this district.
Reeve: Jacob Renouf
The Fisher District
The Fisher District is a part of Rosewood whose development was funded directly by the Fisher Family. Those who live here are either close allies to the family or their servants.
Reeve: Josse Fisher
The First District
The First District is home to a myriad of different people. It is unusually densely packed, with a very small amount of space between individual homes. Seeing as its construction wasn’t planned, the distribution of homes across the district is chaotic, as different homes adapted differently to the terrain.
Reeve: Clemente Midas
The Second District
The Second District is known for being the opposite of the First District in the sense that its development was planned after it was decimated during the Fall of Rosewood in 1168. The homes are more modern, and not as crowded as they are in the First District. Some see this as an advantage, but usually, the lower the District number, the higher the prestige when you live there.
Reeve: Darryl Lambert
The Slums
When walking the pathways of the Slums, you’d notice beaten dirt, some grassy surfaces, and even parts of the City that hold what remains of the ancient forest that once stood in Rosewood’s place. Unlike the City Proper, the Districts of the Slums are noticeably more cramped, the homes are of a lesser quality, and crime is very rampant. Men and women go to work outside to the fields, or they travel inwards to the shops. Children run around and play various games; since a decent number of homes are vacant or abandoned, children and even adolescents will sometimes explore them, at times even uncovering decades-old possessions that belonged to the previous tenants. The Slums offer a strange atmosphere, where the best of both urban and rustic life come together in harmony. However, some parties have taken advantage of the Slums’ unique position to promote crime and immorality among the commoners there. Those who live here are called Commoners/ Citizens.
The Third District
The Third District is the richest district in the Slums. A lot of Rosewood’s apprentices and lesser artisans live in this District. The Watch has a particularly high presence here in order to ensure crime doesn’t reach insane levels.
Reeve: Edith Sword
The Fourth District
The Fourth District was the least affected one during the Fifty Years’ War. During the Restoration, the Fourth District wasn’t invested into; while it did retain its glory more or less, after half a century of underdevelopment, it has begun to decline in quality, leading to an increase in the crime rate.
Reeve: Jarvis Goldfield
The Fifth District
The Fifth District was the most damaged one during the war, and especially during the Fall of Rosewood. While it was the place where most of the development budget went into, the rapid pull it had, enticing settlers from around the countryside, promoted immoral and even criminal tendencies among the populace. The Fifth District has been in decline since the turn of the century and it only continues to decline and spread villainy across the Capital.
Reeve: Warbuton Genshill
The Purlieus
Outside the safety of the walls, the Purlieus offer little protection to those living there. The Purlieus are the newest parts of Rosewood, divided by East and West, they represent the newcomers to the City. Those who work the lands outside, and who are trying to learn a craft in order to move inside the Capital. Rosewood is constantly growing, and it needs a constant stream of new people coming in from the surrounding settlements, slowly becoming urbanized. There are animals on the streets, which are not paved, or beaten most of the time. Children can be seen laughing and playing all around, every type of game possible, while their parents toil most of the day. The nights are particularly lively, with everyone coming together to share stories and songs around fires, hearts, or tables. Since most people here are united by their shared experience and status in the City, there is little animosity towards different peoples and religions. While crime is an obvious issue, the majority of settlers are very religious and are staunchly opposed to it. There are no big differences between the Western and Eastern sides since neither of them existed during the Fifty Years’ War. Those who live here are called Denizens, by the rest of Rosewood.
Western Reeve: Neville Pork
Eastern Reeve: Spencer Amee
