Uhrwerkstadt
A not-so-sleepy village of Germanic influence. Name translates to Clockwork Town.
Contents
Description
Nestled in the lesser mountains lies Uhrwerkstadt, a village full of varied and skilled craftsmen. Simple architecture stands out with white plaster and exposed dark beams. Clocks and dials are a constant decoration adorned throughout the city. They are often worked into buildings, ranging simple paintings to animated cuckoos and everything in between imaginable. The surrounding area is forested with some sections of grassy plains and farm fields offering beautiful views.
Zeithalle, the proper name of the Town Hall, lays at the center of town and is home to the ruling aristocrat. It is set on a large, round courtyard that holds an interesting secret that is hidden in plain sight and often overlooked, especially during busy events such as the Inventor’s Triumph. All along the border of the front courtyard are mathematically placed roman numerals and the steeple of Zeithalle serves as a gnomon, effectively making the entire front courtyard an accurate sundial.
The town's workers are very fond of using their hands to create and the most skilled have fashioned into existence wonderful items. For example, the finest articulated armor is often attributed to the workers of Uhrwerkstadt, and is so expertly crafted that it can often be used as a base for prosthesis. Their handy work brings them a great deal of pride (and money), but other work still exists such as the farming of goats, sheep, and cows and the mining of various ores and gems. Some of the best bakers call Uhrwerkstadt home, even despite the extra expense to import ingredients that cannot be grown locally.
In contrast to the Capital, this is a far less busy locale with a deceptive population. The crowds are hardly anything resembling the actual amount of people, as most remain busy indoors with their projects. Others are out in the world at large to acquire or sell materials.
History
Uhrwerkstadt was established by Cecily Klein, a Maestro that focused on craftsmanship of all possible varieties. Klein’s guild had such a large population that creating the buildings, systems, and architecture of Uhrwerkstadt was made efficient without sacrificing quality. The ambitious project was completed with such a layer of finesse that the work and craftsmanship that went into it resonates a millennia later. Townsfolk continue to be so enamored by its splendor that they rarely make changes to the overall look of their quaint country town. Eventually, after Klein’s fall the guild split into its own factions, each focusing on specific crafts, such as Smithing and Woodworking, whose powers seemed to rise and fall in popularity as they fell in and out of necessity.
One guild in Uhrwerkstadt's recent (~100 years) history known as "Copper Heart" is noted for its handiwork in creating intricate mimicries of life as little clockwork creatures. They eventually mastered these creations and grew bored with working on such a small scale. Emboldened by their successes, they began to create larger machines. These beyond life sized puppets took up entire warehouses and are still used to this day in the yearly parade known as The Inventor’s Triumph. Eventually, they branched out beyond even these grand designs and focused on the humanoid shape, finely crafting full suits of articulated armor. Seeing promise in these designs, a mage-healer named Nitika worked hand-in-hand with Copper Heart to make the first prosthetic for a local woman who had lost her arm. This type of prosthetic is still used today with different shells from armor to wood and bone depending on the wearer's needs.
Eventually all guilds in Uhrwerkstadt fell in power to the Merchant guild. Some would say that they used their wealth to manipulate their way to the top, literally buying out the previous standing guild. Others would proclaim it makes sense that a guild focused on commerce would rise to power, as their expansive coffers could simply buy whatever they needed to crush their competition. Despite that, the control of the town by this guild has been rather fair.
People and Society
Population
~10000
- Mixed Race
Culture and Customs
Fashion
The majority of people in Uhrwerkstadt find themselves wearing their work clothes more often than their casual wear. When casual wear is a thing there are no social restraints as to what is acceptable and often falls in line to what is affordable and comfortable to them. Popular styles include dirndl's for the ladies, which come in a variety of colors and patterns for every season and occasion. Men often choose a simple pants/shirt/vest combination with less brighter colors or variations of lederhosen.
Traditional / Festival garb
Lederhosen
Leather shorts with decorated suspenders, paired with shirts and/or sweaters of coarse linen or wool. Sometimes a jacket and feathered felt hat are paired with it. Worn with country shoes and tall socks, rather than boots.
Dirndl Ruffled apron dress consisting of a bodice/blouse, and a skirt. The materials used to make it vary by a person's status or reserved for special occasions like a community event. Comfortable and flattering, it is popular even outside of festivals. Sometimes paired with a hat or hair decoration.
Life Events
Marriage
Polterabend Three weeks prior to the wedding, a party is held where every guest brings old porcelain to shatter. The future bridal pair have to clean it up together. If the couple is especially adored by their guests, some guests might bring entire cartloads of porcelain! This is to ward off any ill will or bad luck, jokingly from a jealous ex or ne'erdowell.
Ceremony The lady in her best dirndl and the man in his best lederhosen. If the couple is especially esteemed, or if it is required, it may be overseen by a representative of the head guild. This usually short, with an exchanging of vows and rings before the whole wedding guests follow the newly named couple down the aisle and around the square in a processional parade to the party destination, usually tents similar to Fortschrittsfeier. From here the one presiding over the ceremony will have a log pulled into the tent and placed on a sawbuck. The couple will have to saw this log to display how well they can work together. Then the real party begins!
Someone with wood working skill may take a slice of this log to burn in the date of the union as a keepsake for the couple.
Death
With the Tapestry having a quirk that the dead can sometimes just... wake up fairly normal within a month of their decease, wakes are just as long here as everywhere else. Once that period elapses the dead is buried in a plot of land dedicated to be a cemetery or given/sold to someone who would have need of it for their work. However the choice of burial, in or outside of the cemetery comes with some caveats: the underground residents will only have their spot for about ten to thirty years before another body will be allowed to lay there. For this reason cremation is slowly coming back as a preferred option, with unique ways to handle the loved one's ashes, but is still largely seen as taboo.
Religion
Skaldic
Economy
Main Exports
- Refined ores
- Metals
- Clocks
- Replacement Limbs
