Governments of Windemere: Darkmill

City in Narnia

City in Narnia

This location has yet to be visited in the books, but it has been mentioned.  Ruled by Queen Ionia, Darkmill is a City of Magic and the Eastern Sister City.  By City of Magic, I mean it is created from the aura of its ruler.  A powerful caster uses his or her aura to create the city and it remains in existence as long as that person is alive.  Once they die, all of the buildings and other structures vanish until a new ruler claims the crown and builds a new city.  This typically has a new name too, so cartographers are not fans of this city system.

Darkmill isn’t really about the laws since those remain the same throughout the incarnations unless the new ruler changes a few things.  In fact, Darkmill tends to be the most independent of the Serabian cities.  Many people forget that it is even part of the kingdom since it has a Queen and tends to stay out of the main politics of the region.  The laws of Darkmill are kept in a magical tome that always survives the loss of a leader and has the name of the city inscribed on the cover.  The knowledge within is immediately revealed to the new ruler through the enchanted crown, so there is very little issue with the transition.

Now, you might be wondering why such a city is under the Serabian Kingdom instead of working on its own.  Well, that’s because of the nature of the city.  A new ruler is not always an automatic thing for Darkmill and there have been times where a year or two will pass before the appearance of a caster worthy of the crown.  Not every caster can do this since it takes a lot of power, so a system is in place to protect the citizens.  There are only 50,000 people in this big city because of the risk of losing your home.  To help these people, Darkmill has an agreement with Gods’ Voice and they have created a fund to house the homeless citizens around the kingdom.  This money is collected as part of the taxes from Darkmill and builds up over time.

For anyone wondering, there are ways to rebuild and alter the buildings created from the caster’s aura.  Natural products are used to make the changes and they are ‘absorbed’ into the aura section.  One could say that they bond and take some of the pressure off the ruling caster.  These parts vanish along with the original, which tends to leave only personal belongings.

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About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.
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7 Responses to Governments of Windemere: Darkmill

  1. “because of the risk of losing your home” – I’m amazed by your fertile imagination! So, basically, you might find your home gone, except for your personal belongings, once a ruler dies. Is the new ruler under some sort of obligation (even a moral one) to build homes for the inhabitants? In other words, once a new ruler has been established, do you automatically get a home (possible under a rather different architecture)?

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    • It depends on the ruler. Some will create homes for everyone while others just make the city without considering the citizens. The architecture is always different though. As far as the obligation, there really isn’t one, which is why the Duke gives the citizens lodging throughout the kingdom. One of the factors is how much time there is between rulers. It’s rare that a new one shows up within even a week of the old one dying.

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  2. Charles Lominec's avatar Charles Lominec says:

    Intriguing concept. I feel bad for the city’s inhabitants. Does the government have a program to prevent mass exoduses from the city?

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    • For many it’s because the area is their home and a magical city tends to have better defenses than a normal one. There’s also the agreement that makes sure they are taken care of if the city vanishes, which isn’t held by any other city. If Rodillen is razed to the ground, the survivors don’t have security.

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  3. Magic crown is a good idea. Very efficient. (Yo Congress you listening?)

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