Huvora
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Demographics
Known as The King's Crossroad, Huvora was the largest established settlement in The Commonwealth. Its nickname is derived from its central location among some of Terisirae's most important landmarks. It is flanked by Cania's Reservoir and the Colum Kingdom, and directly south is the Kelsyvo River, second in size only to the might of the Rune River.
Huvora is incredibly diverse. Given its proximity to Colum and its central position within the region, it attracts merchants and adventurers of all sorts who are then entranced to stay by the amenities of the city. Though the population is a majority human, nearly 15%, they are closely followed by Terisirae's primary races of Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, and a significant number of Dragonborn. Given its population and locale, it is easy to find those from almost any walk of life within Huvora.
Government
Breaking with tradition, Huvora collects regular taxes from businesses and adventurers guilds, modeling itself off the systems of money collection from its neighbors in Colum. Tax-paying institutions within the city all register with the Huvora Chamber of Commerce (HCC), allowing them to vote for the representatives that make up the newly formed government. The HCC has many dozens of cabinet positions that work under the President, some of the most prestigious including Deputy of the Treasury, Deputy of Writs, Deputy of Expansion, and Deputy of the Interior. Each of the cabinet positions serves non-consecutive 3-year terms with variable term limits, while the President can serve an unlimited number of 9-year terms. The only limit is that a President's terms must be consecutive, if they are ever voted out of office they are barred from running for it again, though they may serve in the cabinet of their successor.
Defences
In the spirit of free travel, Huvora bucks the city-state tradition of having a large and impenetrable wall, instead opting for a relatively small contingent of city guards who patrol the exterior of the city and watch for suspicious activity. They have small battlements that act as survey towers between a dozen guardsmen patrol.
The true defenses of Huvora are found within its adventurers' guilds. The city is second only to Colum in the number of incorporated guilds and has many positioning themselves to advance into the ranks of the High Powers. Ten-thousand adventurers strong, Huvora is a city burgeoning with defenses that are unpredictable and impossible to measure.
Industry & Trade
As a major trade hub, Huvora is full of wondrous shops and intriguing merchants. Some 135 million gold pieces are traded each day within the town's territory--a not-insignificant portion of which is easily traceable to Ressex University's tuition.
Often overlooked amidst its more exciting exports of magical items and artifacts, Huvora is the largest supplier of masonry materials in the world. Furnaces and kilns run practically around the clock and produce over 150 tons of building materials each day, selling them to trade and merchant guilds who then take it outside the city and to the rest of Terisirae.
As the most powerful city in the ruins of The Assembly, Huvora exerts an immense amount of pressure on smaller settlements spread around it, Cania's Reservoir, and the southwestern villages of Norione and Raewynn. Huvora, and the many merchants that call it home, constantly exploit their position and production capabilities to take advantage of smaller powers in the region, consolidating their economic advantage at the expense of everyone else. The only city that refuses to do trade with Huvora is Varkart, which can only look the other way because of its status as an Elvish vassal.
Infrastructure
None of Huvora's massive area is wasted. Its commerce district, the Wolfwater Market, is the largest in the known world, topping even Colum's diverse economy. The downtown district is the quintessential stop for all manner of adventurers, guild certified or otherwise, providing the town with a stable volunteer police force. The many neighborhoods dotting Huvora are home to over 7 million people of all kinds and roadways--dirt and cobble--crisscross the city like a fine sieve.
Huvora is also home to the esteemed Ressex University, a massive college that teaches all subjects both magical and mundane. With nearly 400,000 students matriculated, it stands as one of the largest higher education facilities in the world, even larger than some small cities. Ressex is an ecosystem all to itself, its gardens and arboretums are large enough to affect the weather and humidity for miles. Students who live on campus can scarcely find a reason to leave, all the comforts of living in a downtown area are available within a short walk.
In the southwestern corner of the city, a clocktower looms over every other structure in the city, the famed Bradley Tower, named after Huvora's most famous son.
Districts
Largest and most important to Huvora is its Commerce District, a sprawling tapestry of bazaars, shops, stores, and merchants. Standing as the largest economy in the country, it is essential to the longevity of the city. Its only flaw is being far in the city's northwestern corner, making it wholly distinct and separate from the rest of the populace.
Much of the rest of Huvora belongs to the three neighborhoods, Driesdale, Cressboar, and Fieldshrew. Without clearly drawn boundaries, the three intermingle and cross each other at regular pathways, making room somewhere in the middle to form a Downtown District that houses a majority of Huvora's registered guild houses, the Anbhor Museum of Natural Science and Magical History, and the President's Mansion.
History
Huvora was the first great city of the western region, organizing itself around 2128 E.Y. with a population of nearly 200,000. It was on track to become the capital of Terisirae, rivaling even Colum in size, scope, and power, almost entirely because of its proximity to what would become known as Cania's Reservoir.
Then, in the year E.Y. 1866, The Year of the Long Drought, the easterlies failed to climb over the walls of The Green Line and Colum's rain shadow grew by nearly 80 miles. Dry, stagnant air hung over the entire region for months, long enough that even the world's greatest freshwater reserve began to boil away. The land around it became denitrified, the Tinderfield became inarable, and plant life refused to grow for several straight months. By the time the drought ended, desertification had swallowed miles of the land Huvora exploited. Even after the drought came to an end, it took years for Huvora to even begin its recovery. By then, its wealthy and starving had already made the trip across the desert to become citizens of Colum.
Despite its setbacks, Huvora stood strong during The Impetus and has become an important settlement--in no small part due to its distance from the scars left behind by the world changing cataclysm.
During the 1060s Y.E., The Assembly underwent a dramatic shift in its structure that reduced its membership from 23 to 17, massively increasing the required fee therein. One member of the Assembly whose family called Huvora home for generations, Letarian Villanova, was unable to produce the necessary coin to maintain his seat. A childhood friend of his, Cromwell Cresthart was able to maintain their position and pushed through a provision to create a new position in his friend's home, an unprecedented governorship that would appoint one individual to oversee the daily duties of the city guard and guild activities. Cresthart also included a glowing endorsement of Villanova with the provision, and naturally convinced the rest of his colleagues to elect the once Assemblymember to what was devised as a figurehead role.
After The Assembly crumbled in 1099, Huvora and its governor remained. Unlike other cities in The Commonwealth, Huvora has survived many near misses with total collapse. This experience and grit provided the city and its people with an uncanny ability to pull through, and Huvora was one of only two established settlements that survived The Three Crown War Hundreds of thousands of displaced people fled from villages and townships that previously existed under Assembly rule and found their way to The King's Crossroad, now a city upon a hill that acted as many peoples second, and perhaps final, chance. Letarian Villanova spent a lifetime consolidating political power behind the walls of Huvora so that he may one day rejoin the Assembly. In the moments after the war ended, he realized he had set his sights too low and began a campaign of rebuilding his home to accommodate its new citizens and reorganizing its financial structures into a self-sustaining capital city. By 1114, the people of Huvora called him President.
This entry is narrated by Brayden Bradley
Founding Date
2128 E.Y.
Type
Large town
Population
7.8 million
Inhabitant Demonym
Huvoran
Location under
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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