Twinford
Demographics
Government
The highest authority in Twinford is its Doge, a hereditary title passed down through a succession of monarchs in the decades since the founding of the Aubergine League.
Prior to its charter with the Aubergine League, Twinford was a diarchy ruled by two aristocratic families descended from the merchants that had funded the initial expedition that settled the region. Following a series of costly pirate attacks to cities along the Aubergine Coast, many cities including Twinford formed a defensive alliance known as the Aubergine League. As part of this, Twinford was required to select a single ruler to assume the title of Doge who would represent the city within the League. A marriage was arranged between Larilen Zhyg'auril, eldest son of the Zhyg'auril family, and Ildres Ornable, the oldest daughter of the Ornable family, with Larilen assuming the role of Doge and, as part of the families' formal arrangement, his wife being given equal, albeit unofficial, powers. From then on, the firstborn son or daughter of the Zhyg'auril-Ornable line would become Doge upon the passing or abdication of the previous ruler.
The current Doge of Twinford is Ciathan Zhygorn, great-grandson of the first Doge and first member of his family to wed outside of Twinford's aristocracy. His marriage to Lady Opal of Arbrandr has strengthened the relationship between their two cities, while also creating some tension with other members of the League who see the marriage as an attempt to consolidate power within the alliance.Defences
Districts
History
One of the consequences of the Sundering was the sudden cessation of thaumic-powered flight, as the feedback from the explosion severed the arcane connection that had enabled airships to become the primary mode of international transport for millennia. In the century that followed, those nations that avoided descending into anarchy turned to naval transport in order to re-establish trade routes with the rest of the plane. The Al'draken Republic enlisted the aid of two powerful merchants to lead an expedition to the east, to find suitable trade routes with the Quorel'hrim Kingdom. The Zhyg'auril and Ornable families gathered their personal fleets and filled them with privateers, soldiers, and laborers and within a month of being contracted by the Triumvirate, the fleet set sail for Zandrazil.
Following a turbulent week of sailing during which the fleet was battered by storms and one of the ships had capsized and sunk below the ocean, Vryn Zhyg'auril was visited by visions of a triton woman with seaweed for hair who showed Vryn a safe passage through the normally treacherous Crested Reef that bordered southern Zandrazil. The fleet was supposed to simply avoid the coast and sail to Sekajota for resupply, but following the disastrous week, the crew were unsure that the expedition would make it. Vryn convinced the fleet commander to change course and sail through the reef, led by his vision, and the expedition found a hitherto unknown break in the reef that allowed them to make landfall on the southern coast of Zandrazil, at the mouth of the Espen River.
By the end of the following month, the expedition had properly settled the area around the Espen River and given the town the name Twinford. Lumber and fishing industries had sprung up, thanks to abundant populations of fish along the Aubergine Coast and the untouched Zandrazil Jungle only a few miles inland, and what had originally began as an expedition to re-establish trade with another nation turned into colonization of the southwestern coast of Zandrazil. Ships were sent back to Urdravrak and east to Quorel'hrim and Sekajota with news of the new colony and Twinford continued to expand as more nations used the growing port city to resupply.
As the city grew, explorers travelled north along the Espen River, establishing settlements along the banks of the river, which provided plenty of arable farmland along with weather conditions perfect for growing tropical fruits and vegetables.
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