Free City of Chalcedony

The Free City of Chalcedony, usually referred to simply as Chalcedony or, informally, as the Wise Sister, is a self-governing, independent republic located on the coastal border between Lathannan and Greyland. Chalcedony is a port city well known for its cultural and governmental intelligence and its lavish ruling houses.

Important Locations

 * The Marble Spires: the palace of the Chalcedonian mayor and the central governing building of the free city. Number 1 on the map.
 * Tecta Legere: the world's most esteemed library not owned by a royal family. It houses several great works of classical authors, and has a Statue Hall dedicated to accomplished thinkers and theoreticians. Number 18 on the map.
 * Memswith Hall: where the non-mayoral Chalcedonian houses meet, vote, and discuss. Number 12 on the map.
 * Maderie Bridge: the only land passage from Chalcedony to Vabalt Island, the neutral territory between Chalcedony and sister city Halburton. Number 39 on the map.
 * Chatling Pass: the constantly manned gate between the respectable and dodgy districts of Chalcedony. Number 26 on the map.

Internal Government
Chalcedony is governed by a group of royal Houses, each derived from the bloodlines of famed scholars or political revolutionaries. Every twenty years, the houses convene at the Marble Spires and choose a house head to be the new Mayor of Chalcedony. Traditionally, one nominee is presented by the sitting mayor and one by their opposition house. The new mayor then conducts all foreign affairs and official diplomacy, while the non-mayoral houses all deal with citywide legislation. In the event the sitting mayor abdicates or dies, the title is passed down through the ranks of their house.

Houses
Each House is paired with an Opposition house that draws the greatest contrast to its beliefs, which was chosen by the founders of Chalcedony to give differing perspectives strength. The Opposition to the sitting mayoral house gets extra voting power and is allowed to veto the mayor's actions with sufficient approval. The houses are as follows:

The Stag Houses, descended from great explorers The Boar Houses, descended from great generals The Dolphin Houses, descended from great magicians The Owl Houses, descended from great intellectuals
 * House Walden, the current mayoral house
 * House Guinor, the current Opposition house
 * House Collins, a warlike house allied with Walden
 * House Virius, a strategic house allied with Walden
 * House Iaconis, a treacherous house allied with Walden
 * House Balory, a wild-willed house allied with Guinor
 * House Gamron, a venerable house allied with Guinor
 * House Altyre, an innovative house allied with Walden

Foreign Governance
Chalcedony wants to curate and facilitate the greatest spread of knowledge through travel and trade. Under the traditionalist House Walden, they also support the expansionist empires of the world, believing their spread will maintain the order and peace required to spread cultural innovation and that small separatist nations freed from colonial rule will fail at governance and be infiltrated by Redemptionists or radicals.

Formerly, the sister cities had drafted a Transnational Coalition ensuring widespread cooperation. When Chalcedony moved to exclude newly formed nations from the pact and prevent trade with rebel countries, Halburton left and formed a new agreement, called the Watchdog Pact, protecting the freedom of newly liberated colonies and allowing them to maintain their lucrative market culture. As wars broke out globally and the two began backing different belligerents, the Coalition and the Pact drifted further and further apart, and now proceedings of formal war between the two alliances are assumed to be all but inevitable.

Notable Inhabitants

 * Mayor Hornlow Walden
 * Prime Lady Catherine Kilmarnock Walden
 * Minna Walden