Zimunya - City of Light

Aeela stood tied up on a ledge on the edge of the Desert of Firestorms. Two priestesses held her tightly, but she screamed and cried for her newborn daughter, who was abandoned in a sand rider and left to the wild. Where would the winds take her? Aleela was the daughter of Queen Kiani of Ayanda and had given her over to sin. It was done in love, but it was unworthy of a princess who would one day inherit the land. Aleela prayed and hoped that the sun goddess would have mercy on her child and take care of her.

Ngidi heard her and with a ray of mercy, the child sun goddess led the sand rider to an oasis, where the child was taken in and raised by the Nadara tribe. The tribe gave her the name Tikaris, which means miracle.

The girl grew up and, like all women, was trained in the art of fire magic. Tikaris became a great warrior-priestess who dedicated her entire life to the three-faced sun goddess.

When her foster mother was dying, she wanted to return to the small oasis where she once grew up. On the way there she came to an arm of the sea that reached inland. There the clouds cleared and a torrential beam of light bathed the edge of the bay and the surrounding hills in a dazzling light. She called the place Tsemunis - light and built the first place of worship in honor of the sun goddess.

Zimunya has been the capital of Olayangi, the largest land on Layida, since the 16th century AEC. The city was founded in 214 BEC by Tikaris of Nadara and grew from a small, insignificant port into a cosmopolitan city. Over 250,000 Layikani live on around 4,550 km². The city is located in the southwest of the country at the end of a narrow inlet with access to the Ingiwakim, a small strait between the island of Wajali and the mainland of Olayangi. The surrounding area is characterized by ravine hills, which also fit into the cityscape and on which the temple complex and the rich quarter were built. About 30 km away is the Fire Labyrinth and the Academy of Fire Magic, which has given the city an additional boost since the 5th century AEC.

History

• 214 BEC city founded by Tikaris of Nadara; due to access to the sea, the city grows from the small harbor inland.
• 530 AEC The city is nearly destroyed by a fire tornado that formed east of the city. This led to the construction of a large wall and magical shields on the east side to protect the city from further fire tornadoes in the future.
• 765 AEC The port is expanded and under Priestess Ombesa II the city becomes a naval power, calling the Mahamhe around the western Layidian coast and the cliffs of Wajali home. In times of war the harbor has space for over 100 warships.
• 932 AEC Overthrow of the priesthood, which is driving the city to the brink of ruin through corruption and nepotism. Nayala of Meron is proclaimed queen. Her descendants rule for around 600 years, making the city one of the richest cities in Olayangi.
• 1,526 AEC Founding of the Guild of Sorceresses, which split off from the Safambi Order and partly also practiced dark fire magic.

  They gradually take over the government of the country and name the city, now known as Zimunya, as their capital.

  The city's coat of arms shows a sun with tongues of flame, whose light falls on the city and shines upwards again. The colors of the coat of arms are gold, red and silver.

  

  by Blue Fairy 74 via Armoria
• 1,878 AEC There are clashes with the Safambi Order, wich
• 1,918 AEC will be settled between the Order and the Guild in the Peace of Zimunya. This means the order retains power over training the Layikani to become fire mages.
• 2,120 AEC The guild is destroyed and
• 2,125 AEC the Ministry of Flame Keepers is founded. The Sunfire Matriarch is appointed city manager.

Zimunya around 500 AEC by Blie Fairy via Inkarnate

At a Glance

Size: 4.550 km²
Population: 250.710
Founded: 214 BEC
Type: Metropolis
Religion: Fire pantheon
Demographics: 80,493 households, 2,087 farmers - Administration 1.6% - Entertainment 2.9% - Other 3.7% - Clergy 3.8% - Trade 10.1% - Crafts 18.8% - Army 27.7% - Food suppliers 31.4%
Government: Sunfire Matriarch from City Senate - currently Manyika Asante
Quarters: Lower town (port, crafts), middle town (trade, education) with east and west quarters as residential areas for the middle town, upper town (nobility, temples)
Attractions: Temple of the Sun, Botanical Gardens, Ministry Building, Magic Lantern (Theater), Tikaris Memorial Library, Museum of Layid Ethnology, Museum of Prehistoric Fire Creatures

Government

Taxation and municipal legislation is determined by the Zimunya Senate, which consists of 50 senatrix. The Senatrix are elected from all classes in the city, with the seats being distributed based on the city's demographic development, so that richer citizens do not automatically hold more seats.

Every ten decades, the Senate elects the head of the city, the Matriarch of the Sunfires, from their ranks. In the last few centuries these were primarily women who felt particularly closely connected to the city's well-being and had done a lot for the city.

Manyika Asante - Matriarch of the Sunfires by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

Infrastructure & Defense

The city is kept alive and supplied with electricity mainly by geothermal energy. Steam-powered watermills built on the shores of the fjord supply water to the city via aqueducts. In the lower city there are bathhouses for the poorer population, as the lower city only has less water in the households. Additional water can be taken from the wells connected to the aqueducts in the lower city. The middle and upper towns are much better connected to the aqueducts. Below the city, the wastewater is disposed of outside the walls via the sewer connection in the east of the city.
Zimunya is surrounded by a wall about ten meters high and two meters thick, which can be passed through three gates to the south, to the west through the harbor and to the north. It consists of mortared and plastered sandstone and is connected to the aqueducts. The gates are colorfully painted and festively decorated with statues of the sun goddesses and their companion animals. The entire wall is equipped with several small round towers for guard protection as well as a few thicker protective towers. The protection towers warn the population in an emergency using light and sound signals and are aligned so that they can create two different types of shields. When attacked by enemies, a Jala shield protects, which prevents the attackers from breaking through the shield without endangering their own lives due to the corrosive gas. The second shield forms a force field and protects the city from sandstorms and fire tornadoes.

Architecture

Zimunya's architecture is characterized by straight and geometric shapes. The roofs of important buildings and in the upper town are equipped with domes either decorated with mosaics or made of glass. The buildings were made of sandstone and have plastered and colorfully decorated facades. The design on the walls follows certain patterns that have changed repeatedly over the centuries and are specified by the city administration. Since the city is protected from destructive natural disasters by the shields and is less polluted by dust, many houses have large windows. In addition, many green strips with different types of palm trees and plants provide fresh air.

Life in the city

The city imports wood and metals from the surrounding area. Luxury goods such as fabrics, wines, oils and jewelry as well as resins and incenses that are important for ceremonies come into the city via the harbor. The main exports include fish, prickly pears, fire dates, leather fruits and others. Payment is made with Njur - trioval coins. The city's gross domestic product is around Njur 10,500 per year, making the city one of the most purchasing-powerful cities on Layida. In comparison, Olayangi's gross domestic product is about Njur 7,800 per year.
In the upper town there is a spacious temple complex with three temples for the three-faced goddess and a small park. The weekly masses take place here and are attended by most of the population. A multi-level botanical garden was created around the complex, which supplies the population with many types of fruit and vegetables.

Zimunya today by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

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In response to Tillerz's unofficial challenge

Unofficial Mapvember 2024