Tezzano

Tezzano is one of the five leading cities of the Trading Coalition. It is the capitol of the Grand Duchy of Tezzano-Citta.

Demographics

Tezzano is primarily inhabited by Humans of Lurian descent, with a small minority of Halflings. The Vistani are a common sight in Tezzano and travel between Tezzano and eastern Vladkimir along the Northern Route. Nuovo Tezzano - Tezzano's island colony - is substantially more diverse, with many races calling the island home.

Government

Tezzano is led by Gran Duca Raffaella Torino. The position of Duca is hereditary and the Torino family have led Tezzano for centuries. Raffaella Torino was crowned Duca in 6510 following the death of her father. She crowned herself Gran Duca of Tezzano-Citta following her marriage in 6519. She is known as a shrewd and cunning leader, with a merciless and competitive demeanor.
Within Tezzano, much of the countryside is owned by rural nobles or knightly orders. The rural nobles and some knightly orders swear fealty to the Duca, but many of the knightly orders report to the Church. The cities have a town council made up of prominent citizens, a tradition that dates back centuries.
Tezzano has a colony, Nuovo Tezzano. The Duca appoints the Viceduca who manages the island's affairs as a provincial governor. The current Viceduca, Manfredi Falco, was appointed in 6510.

Defences

Tezzano has a long and proud martial history. Centaurs from the north have been a threat to the farmlands near Tezzano for centuries. As a result, Tezzano has fought more land warfare than any other Coalition city and the soldiers of Tezzano are considered the best in the Trading Coalition. Tezzano has a core force of professional soldiers as well as knightly orders, which are heavily supplemented by the mercenary condotierri. The need for common defense pushed several of the smaller settlements and rural areas into the sphere of Tezzano long before the Coalition.
Tezzano's knightly orders are significant land owners, with the knights owning several key lands north of the city. The knights were granted these by past Ducas in exchange for their martial service. The largest and most prominent of the knightly orders is the Holy Order of St. Kassandra.
Tezzano knights most commonly fight the Centaurs of the Northern Steppes. As such, they typically wear lighter armor than knights from other Realms in order to maintain speed. They also train to become proficient with the bow on horseback, having just as much skill with the bow as with a lance or sword.
Tezzano maintains a small navy, primarily consisting of smaller coastal and river vessels. Tezzano relies on other Trading Coalition partners to keep the routes between Nuovo Tezzano and the homeland clear, but has also been known to hire privateers on an ongoing basis.
A unique Tezzanero custom is swearing upon iron - usually a blade or other weapon. This custom dates back to the ancient practices of knightly orders, but it is now a common custom to show a serious, life or death vow.
Tezzanero soldiers will often give the battlecry of "Santa Kassandra", invoking the name of the city's patron saint.

Industry & Trade

Tezzano is known for the agricultural base around their city, which produces dairy, grain, and vegetables for much of the Trading Coalition. Many of the industries in Tezzano work with goods from this agricultural base, including leather tanners. Tezzano merchants tend to deal in foods and other staples, shipping these basic items through the region. Tezzano grain, leather, and wool are highly prized items in much of Durin.
To be transported by sea, Tezzano goods are brought via river barges to Citta, where they can be transferred to large ocean going vessels. This has long been a source of tension between the two cities, one hopefully resolved by their union. Tezzano leaders have historically supported trading by land as an alternative to Citta. A key land trading route, the Tezzano-Vatalli Road, connects Tezzano to Pellagia and other towns in the Republic of Vatalli to the south, providing an alternate route for exports. First built after independence, the physical road was rebuilt by Atathian legions during the protectorate era and endures as an prime example of Atathian engineering. Additionally, the Northern Route connects Tezzano to the town of Seriv in Vladkimir, but is considered a dangerous and unsecured route, plagued by centaur raids. The current war with the centaurs has nominally been to secure the Northern Route. Historically, the Northern Route has predominantly been used by Vistani caravans.
Despite the history of rivalry, Tezzano and Citta have a close economic relationship, with Citta providing a key port for the import and export of goods from Tezzano, while Tezzano is a key supplier of agricultural goods for Citta. Citta is clearly not as wealthy as other cities within the Coalition, especially Vatalli, and the debts of the state have been mounting since the collapse of the Cittan banks decades ago. This mercantile underperformance has pushed the state closer to Tezzano, further deepening the relationship.

History

Tezzano was settled by colonists from the Lurian Empire in 5497. The settlements of the Lurians had continued to expand since initial settlement on the coast at Citta, eventually reaching the interior. Tezzano was a key strategic location with fertile land, but it's proximity to the Northern Steppes brought the colonists into immediate conflict with the Centaur tribes. During a war with demon worshipping centaurs, a young and devout woman named Kassandra came to lead the defending forces. After a long campaign, she was executed by the centaurs when she refused to surrender. She was recognized as the patron saint of Tezzano for her bravery and piety, and to this day, Tezzanero forces invoke her blessing in battle.
Tezzano has a long history of rivalry with Citta, which dates back to the colonial period under Lurian rule. Citta was greatly enriched by it's prominent position on trade routes, often at the expense of the inland Tezzano.
The Torino family came to prominence during the The War of the Eagles, when Raphael Torino commanded the Tezzanero forces against the Lurians. After independence, a provisional republic was put in place in 5943, modelled after the former city council, but it collapsed within a year. Raphael Torino stabilized the government and crowned himself Duca in 5944. Ever since then, the Torino dynasty has led Tezzano.
After independence from the Lurian Empire, the rivalry between Citta and Tezzano reached a breaking point. A protracted trade dispute between the two cities ultimately led to war in 5978. During the war, Citta denied Tezzano access to the ocean, effectively blockading trade and draining the treasury of Tezzano. However, the superior land forces of Tezzano emerged triumphant, and the Treaty of Citta was signed guaranteeing Tezzano's access to the sea in 5981.
In the 6100s, both Citta and Tezzano eventually became protectorates of the Atathian Empire as the Empire expanded it's influence on the Eastern Continent. During this period, the Atathians would enforce the terms of the Treaty of Citta in an attempt to create an integrated trade network. Tezzanero and Atathian sailors colonized Nuovo Tezzano in 6238. Both Citta and Tezzano regained their independence after the Demonic Invasion, expelling the Atathians in 6302 following the successful independence campaigns of both Vatalli and Acqua Draconis. Their joint campaigns against the Atathians created a sense fo camraderie, but it proved short lived.
Citta and Tezzano went to war again in 6322 as Citta once again blockaded Tezzano trade following a major trade dispute, an act prohibited under the Treaty of Citta. Tezzano once again emerged victorious in the war, with the Treaty enforced as part of the peace in 6326.
Tezzano eagerly joined the Trading Coalition in 6346, seeing the Coalition as another diplomatic avenue to maintain the access to the sea granted under the Treaty of Citta.
In 6519, Duca Raffaella Torino of Tezzano married Duca Ulderico of Citta, stabilizing the finances of both cities and joining them in union. Traditionalists on both sides oppose the union given the long history of rivalry. The unified realm was known as the Grand Duchy of Tezzano-Citta, with Raffaella Torino crowned Gran Duca.
Duca Raffaella is commonly known as "the Warrior Duca", a title she is said to appreciate. She has led several military campaigns into the territories of the centaurs, with a goal of securing the Northern Route between Tezzano and Vladkimir. She has created several fortifications along the route and provided land for colonists nearby, but has been unable to decisively defeat the nomadic centaurs. Despite her successes, the wars have been unpopular with many Tezzaneros, particularly the common people and those in Nuovo Tezzano far away from any centaur threats. The wars are costly, and largely paid for by increased taxes and tariffs. The wars are known to scholars as the War of Hooves, but are dismissively referred to as "The Duca's War" by commoners forced to bear the costs of the war. She enjoys continued support from the knightly orders, nobles, and church for the continued war effort.
Duca Raffaella's reign has seen the escalation of tensions between Vatalli and Acqua Draconis. For many years, the Duca endeavored to remain diplomatically neutral as the taxes, tariffs, and embargoes were set between the two powers. This led to Tezzano - especially Nuovo Tezzano - to become a popular intermediary for smuggling between Vatalli and Acqua Draconis - goods from one nation would be unloaded in Tezzanero territory, repackaged as Tezzano goods, and then be sold at extraordinary markup. This practice earned the ire of both the Alta Signora of Vatalli and Doge of Acqua Draconis. The Duca instituted a strategic shift in 6519 and began a crackdown on smuggling between the two countries and enforcing of new taxes and tariffs. The revenue collected has been used to fund the Duca's War. This act seemed to please Vatalli, but was met with oposition by other Trading Coalition leaders and further deepened divides between the states. Political observers pointed out that this strategic shift occured alongside the union of the Grand Duchy and speculate that the Duca sees less need for the Coalition in the long term.

Geography

Tezzano sits where the Rio Cavallo and Rio Fangoso meet, connecting the city to settlements and farmland along both rivers. The land around the city is particularly fertile, with plains for grazing sheep and cattle and hills covered in grain.
The Rio Cavallo is navigable by river barges and small vessels up to Tezzano. To connect to the oceanic trade, the river barges unload in Citta, where cargo is loaded into larger ocean going vessels.  This gives Citta a key strategic position and it is the source of much of the conflict and rivalry between the two cities. Many years ago, Tezzano won a war against Citta allowing for free passage of their vessels, but the possibility of Citta cutting off trade to Tezzano has been a constant threat since.
Tezzano has invested heavily on a land road network to overcome the threat of disruption to waterborne trade. There is a well traveled road connecting to the Rio Auro to the south (and by extension, Vatalli and their subject cities). An unsecured route to the north connects to Vladkimir.

Founding Date

5497

Type

City

Population

100,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Tezzanero

Owning Organization

Trading Coalition