jqavins
2014-06-22, 08:56 PM
Well, here it is, the city at the center of the world I'm slowly putting together. Enjoy, and please comment.
On the planet Enthia, on the Western Planes of the Great Northern Continent, among the kingdoms and realms great and small, is the city of Freehold. Freehold lies on the north bank of the Trodinay River and on both sides of the Clugar, where the Trodinay takes it in. This is a highly valuabe position for a center of trade such as Freehold, for the Trodinay is the greatest commercial artery of The West, and the Clugar its biggest tributary, offering access to uplands and the sea to the people of the northern Plains.
In times past, when humans began to tame the planes and villages, farms, and cities that were safe from the orcs and goblins of the region, many small rulers of smaller realms arose, and frequently fought one another for control of land and their conflicting desires to expand. Even then, the value of a place like the intersection of two mighty rivers was not lost on those settlers. A village appeared on the west bank or the Clugar, another on the east, and yet another on the south bank of the Trodinay. The villages of Cryn in the west, Veir in the east, and Trod to the south thrived on the produce of the surrounding country, and the farmers of the area soon found a ready market for their produce in the rivermen carrying goods along the waterways. Quickly, all three villages grew and prospered as markets grew for goods of all sorts.
As time went by, while the villages were growing into cities, lordlings of all stripes throughout the Western Planes were fighting and racing for land, and the winners declared themselves kings. But the rulers of Cryn, Veir, and Trod, unique on all the Planes, saw that their fortunes were tied to peace, for only in peace could the markets operate at their best. And so, they valued trade and good relations above military might, developing the arts of law and diplomacy far ahead of the other kings and lords. And the three cities grew rich.
Now, around the three growing cities, the land became parts of the kindoms of Bandaray in the west, Kalyeni in the east, and Thiallin in the south. King Band, King Usk of Kalyeni, and Queen Elmay of Thiallin all covetted the wealth of the three cities. Yet, as each one made attempts to conquer them, or even to conquer just one of them, the others saw that they could not let another gain control of the key trading ports. Each grew suspicious of designs upon themselves by the others, suspitions that needed only little help from the diplomats and spies of the three cities. And so, a precarious balance and uneasy truce were formed, which lasted for generations.
The cities of Cryn and Veir continued to develop closer and closer ties, with personal relationships among people of every class, more and stronger financial partnerships, and even the building of bridges across the Clugar that linked Cryn's and Veir's growing road networks. Trod, while still enjoying peace and friendship with Cryn and Veir, did not become so closely entwined with them due to the enormous width of the Trodinay, being over two miles wide in that place.
The peace lasted in the three cities for over 150 years, until King Udonis of Elmay built a strong navy. This allowed him to block aid to Trod from across the Trodinay river while his army conquered the southern member of the prosperous market trio.
Queen Band XIV of Bandary and King Elmkaly VI of Kalyeni saw that this could be ruinous for them. They prepared large armies and built boats to carry them across the Trodinay over such a wide area that even the mighty Elmayan navy could not stop them all. Under threat of invasion, Udonis agreed to meet for diplomtic talks with Band and Elmkally on neutral territory.
A bridge was built across the Clugar between the centers of Cryn and Veir. This bridge was build on 50 foot high piers and was 100 yards wide, and supported a compound of buildings specially made just to house the talks. It was called the Peace Bridge, and it was built in the 163rd year of the Reign of Band, the 179th year of the Kaly Kings, and the 188th Year of the Kingdom of Elmay. It was there that Band XIV, Elmkaly VI, and Udonis, with the leaders of Cryn and Veir, and representatives from Trod forged the future of the Great Western Planes.
The goal of the treaty was to preserve the benefits that the free cities had brought to the region. Band and Elmkaly saw that continued war would harm all their interests, but Udonis could not be dissuaded from from his plans to "bring Cryn and Veir under control" except by the threat of just such a war. If Cryn and Veir would agree to be annexed by Bndary and Kalyeni then they would be secure against Elmayan aggression, yet this did not sit well with their citizens; the citizens of Trod were none too happy with becoming part of Elmay either. Yet a solution was found that preserved the economic and other benefits to the region that the three cities had brought, if not a perfect one.
Under The Treaty of Freehold, the cities of Cryn and Veir, already entangled by numerous ties became The Independant City of Freehold, and the kingdoms agreed that any attack on Freehold by one would be considered an attack on the other two. The city of Trod would remain a part of Elmay, but would be granted autonomy to run its own economic interests and enact its own agreements over port rights with Freehold, so long as taxes were paid to the Crown.
In addition, The Treaty codified the rules for diplomacy and international trade. It established diplomatic immunity and safe passage, and the limits of that immunity; created common rules for weights, measures, and currency; defined international standards for contract law and definitions of fraud, along with minimum punishments therefore; and unified the calanders of all four signatory powers. The treaty was concluded in the year 1 of the New Common Era.
In the years and decades that followed, as Freehold grew and the surrounding kingdoms prospered, other kingdoms and countries saw the benefits of joining in the diplomatic and economic terms of The Treaty of Freehold, and joined as new signatories, which only served to make Freehold all the more secure from attack and helped it grow in importance as a center of commerce, finance, and industry.
Here in the middle of the seventh century NCE, it is no boast to say that Freehold is the most important city in the Western Planes. It is home to nearly 100,000 people; while most of them are human, all species are welcome if they pay their bills and taxes and don't make trouble. Orcs, goblins, and ogres may be viewed with suspicion, dwarves and elves with wonder.
Freehold is the most cosmopolitan city on the continent, and home to universities, cultural institutions, and emabssies from every country.
Freehold's position is not entirely seure. Keenly aware of this, it has developed the twin arts of diplomacy and espionage to the highest degree. While its wealth could hire a formidible mercinary army should the need arise, the diplomats and spies are the city's main defense.
On the planet Enthia, on the Western Planes of the Great Northern Continent, among the kingdoms and realms great and small, is the city of Freehold. Freehold lies on the north bank of the Trodinay River and on both sides of the Clugar, where the Trodinay takes it in. This is a highly valuabe position for a center of trade such as Freehold, for the Trodinay is the greatest commercial artery of The West, and the Clugar its biggest tributary, offering access to uplands and the sea to the people of the northern Plains.
In times past, when humans began to tame the planes and villages, farms, and cities that were safe from the orcs and goblins of the region, many small rulers of smaller realms arose, and frequently fought one another for control of land and their conflicting desires to expand. Even then, the value of a place like the intersection of two mighty rivers was not lost on those settlers. A village appeared on the west bank or the Clugar, another on the east, and yet another on the south bank of the Trodinay. The villages of Cryn in the west, Veir in the east, and Trod to the south thrived on the produce of the surrounding country, and the farmers of the area soon found a ready market for their produce in the rivermen carrying goods along the waterways. Quickly, all three villages grew and prospered as markets grew for goods of all sorts.
As time went by, while the villages were growing into cities, lordlings of all stripes throughout the Western Planes were fighting and racing for land, and the winners declared themselves kings. But the rulers of Cryn, Veir, and Trod, unique on all the Planes, saw that their fortunes were tied to peace, for only in peace could the markets operate at their best. And so, they valued trade and good relations above military might, developing the arts of law and diplomacy far ahead of the other kings and lords. And the three cities grew rich.
Now, around the three growing cities, the land became parts of the kindoms of Bandaray in the west, Kalyeni in the east, and Thiallin in the south. King Band, King Usk of Kalyeni, and Queen Elmay of Thiallin all covetted the wealth of the three cities. Yet, as each one made attempts to conquer them, or even to conquer just one of them, the others saw that they could not let another gain control of the key trading ports. Each grew suspicious of designs upon themselves by the others, suspitions that needed only little help from the diplomats and spies of the three cities. And so, a precarious balance and uneasy truce were formed, which lasted for generations.
The cities of Cryn and Veir continued to develop closer and closer ties, with personal relationships among people of every class, more and stronger financial partnerships, and even the building of bridges across the Clugar that linked Cryn's and Veir's growing road networks. Trod, while still enjoying peace and friendship with Cryn and Veir, did not become so closely entwined with them due to the enormous width of the Trodinay, being over two miles wide in that place.
The peace lasted in the three cities for over 150 years, until King Udonis of Elmay built a strong navy. This allowed him to block aid to Trod from across the Trodinay river while his army conquered the southern member of the prosperous market trio.
Queen Band XIV of Bandary and King Elmkaly VI of Kalyeni saw that this could be ruinous for them. They prepared large armies and built boats to carry them across the Trodinay over such a wide area that even the mighty Elmayan navy could not stop them all. Under threat of invasion, Udonis agreed to meet for diplomtic talks with Band and Elmkally on neutral territory.
A bridge was built across the Clugar between the centers of Cryn and Veir. This bridge was build on 50 foot high piers and was 100 yards wide, and supported a compound of buildings specially made just to house the talks. It was called the Peace Bridge, and it was built in the 163rd year of the Reign of Band, the 179th year of the Kaly Kings, and the 188th Year of the Kingdom of Elmay. It was there that Band XIV, Elmkaly VI, and Udonis, with the leaders of Cryn and Veir, and representatives from Trod forged the future of the Great Western Planes.
The goal of the treaty was to preserve the benefits that the free cities had brought to the region. Band and Elmkaly saw that continued war would harm all their interests, but Udonis could not be dissuaded from from his plans to "bring Cryn and Veir under control" except by the threat of just such a war. If Cryn and Veir would agree to be annexed by Bndary and Kalyeni then they would be secure against Elmayan aggression, yet this did not sit well with their citizens; the citizens of Trod were none too happy with becoming part of Elmay either. Yet a solution was found that preserved the economic and other benefits to the region that the three cities had brought, if not a perfect one.
Under The Treaty of Freehold, the cities of Cryn and Veir, already entangled by numerous ties became The Independant City of Freehold, and the kingdoms agreed that any attack on Freehold by one would be considered an attack on the other two. The city of Trod would remain a part of Elmay, but would be granted autonomy to run its own economic interests and enact its own agreements over port rights with Freehold, so long as taxes were paid to the Crown.
In addition, The Treaty codified the rules for diplomacy and international trade. It established diplomatic immunity and safe passage, and the limits of that immunity; created common rules for weights, measures, and currency; defined international standards for contract law and definitions of fraud, along with minimum punishments therefore; and unified the calanders of all four signatory powers. The treaty was concluded in the year 1 of the New Common Era.
In the years and decades that followed, as Freehold grew and the surrounding kingdoms prospered, other kingdoms and countries saw the benefits of joining in the diplomatic and economic terms of The Treaty of Freehold, and joined as new signatories, which only served to make Freehold all the more secure from attack and helped it grow in importance as a center of commerce, finance, and industry.
Here in the middle of the seventh century NCE, it is no boast to say that Freehold is the most important city in the Western Planes. It is home to nearly 100,000 people; while most of them are human, all species are welcome if they pay their bills and taxes and don't make trouble. Orcs, goblins, and ogres may be viewed with suspicion, dwarves and elves with wonder.
Freehold is the most cosmopolitan city on the continent, and home to universities, cultural institutions, and emabssies from every country.
Freehold's position is not entirely seure. Keenly aware of this, it has developed the twin arts of diplomacy and espionage to the highest degree. While its wealth could hire a formidible mercinary army should the need arise, the diplomats and spies are the city's main defense.