Court of Mirrors
The Court of Mirrors
The Gentry is the political district of Galvia, home to nobles, lawmakers, and merchants. It is stated that throughout the ages it has shifted forms. Its current form is a Republic. Of the six districts, it is seen as the most elite due to the constant creation of bard songs, noble house sayings, and the commissioning of sculptures, paintings, and other expressive mediums to line the landscape.
The Gentry is ever a district in flux, filled to the brim with opportunity and political conflict. Some Noble houses and Lawmakers focus on keeping things the same, driven to maintain the structures that have existed for their lifetimes. Others are more focused on change and the spread of the new. The Gentry remains a political battleground, where these views and many more fight and conflict, always trying to get ahead.
The Gentry is one of the oldest of the districts of Galvia, the home of noblemen, and of politics within the city. The records do not indicate the names of those who first took command over the city, only that they gathered the people up and ordered them to work, some on the fields and food, and others on what needed to be done and where. Before it even had a name, the district of political reform was in the minds of those of the land.
Through every age, the Gentry is reformed and reorganized, and, in the current age, the Gentry has become a Republic, filled with lawmakers who have the ability to vote for and change laws as needed or desired. These Gentrymen, however, only make up one part of the Gentry is, with wealthy Merchant families and the newer journalism faction rising up behind the Gentrymen each with their important roles. The Merchants trade items, ensuring that those who need them are capable of obtaining said items. It is in this district that laws, customs, and duty all intertwine, creating a wealth of information and intrigue.
The Court of Chains
Law and Order is the very foundation upon which society is nurtured, a social contract to adhere to and uphold. Fairness, Justice, and Judgment are rendered upon those who would seek to tarnish a citizen’s expected social conduct and contract within the City of Galvia. These, at the very core, are the tenets to which the Constables of Galvia hold themselves to. To those who don the Ironcoats of the Constables, the tenets are not merely an important facet of society: it is an absolute necessity. There can be no honest living whilst disorder reigns supreme.
Thus, at the very heart of the Constabulary, is it a place populated by the self-righteous, the just, the dutiful, and those who have been wronged in their past. The Constabulary is what keeps the Districts of Galvia in line: to disrupt social conduct and contract is a mistake many live to regret. Public opinion of the Constabulary tends to shift like a pendulum; reception of the Constabulary may swing from outright respect to begrudging tolerance. While many find them to be an unneeded nuisance, most would agree that, at best, they are what keeps Galvia functioning, and, at worst, a necessary pain.
Camaraderie runs thick in the Constabulary; the esprit de corps is an essential part of day-to-day life within the force. Constables, detectives, and scouts all share an unbreakable bond despite their differences. No man in the force looks down upon another for his position, as it is a universally agreed truth that, by donning the Ironcoat, they shall be made brothers. Whilst not every member may personally know each other, they undeniably would step into the line of fire for each other.
Ever since the first iterations of Galvia through Convergences past did the Constabulary make themselves an important facet of the city. Though fluctuating in the rules they carry out - the operations and laws year in and year out are always in flux - the function of the Constabulary has remained set in stone. Whether as a disorganized militia, a privatized company, to professional lawmen, it has almost always existed in some capacity. As an entity dedicated to public service, they have always been under the most scrutiny. From low to high borne, an inherent flaw with their position. Despite this, they continue to operate from dawn to dusk without relent.
It is only in recent years that the Constabulary has relaxed: not so much that they’re willing to let all criminals off the hook, but in terms of public outlook. No longer are the days of Constable partners running into the depths of the Foundry for minor infractions, nor are Constables searching every single entrant to their district. Public assemblies are allowed to stay, as long as they’re peaceful . It’s hard to say what exactly caused this shift in demeanor. Some attribute it to the last Convergence never happening, grumbling veterans claim softening recruits who come from more than storied Constable families to be the root of the issue, others point out the diversification of thought, an extension of worship beyond Paludrex. Whatever the case may be: it is undoubtedly a turning point in the Constabulary’s history.