Dephand
Dephand is the capital of the Kingdom of Fossa, and one of its largest and most important cities. Positioned strategically at the mouth of the Pheisan Strait, the city spent much of its pre-Kingdom history as a minor city-state subservient to either Tassis or Demaiadon. Upon the founding of the Kingdom of Fossa in 753, Dephand was selected for its temporary capital as a compromise choice between its two traditional suzerains. Following the year of Calamities in 791, plans to relocate the capital were ultimately scrapped. Dephand has since grown into a bustling metropolis and a hub of both trade and culture. The city's skyline is dominated by the extravagant White Palace on its hilltop, the seat of power for the King of Fossa.
History
Dephand was founded around the 2nd century by Fossan settlers believed to have come from the west. Folklore claims that Fossan exiles were sailing through the area when they witnessed a pelican dropping several fish back into the sea from above them. The sailors were awed by this sight, since if even a greedy pelican was so engorged that it was choosing to let go of fish it had caught, the seas around the area must be teeming with food. They consequently decided to settle along the coastline, establishing what would become the city of Dephand. The pelican remains the symbol of the city to this day. For most of its history before 753, Dephand was a small, if fairly prosperous city-state, under the sphere of influence of the larger regional powers of Tassis or Demaiadon. Dephand's strategic position along the Pheisan Strait, usually considered the most navigable of the straits between the Desperian Ocean and the Phodian Sea, led to frequent competition between these two powers for influence in the city, although Dephand was traditionally aligned with Tassis. Demaiadon successfully swaying Dephand from Tassis's sphere was a major factor in igniting the War of Three Leagues, which saw the city become nominally subject to Callas. Following the outbreak of the Tassian-Demaiadonian Revolt against Callas, Dephand was quick to swear allegiance to Adrian of Tassis, the rebellion's leader. Upon the declaration of the Kingdom of Fossa, Adrian chose Dephand as a provisional capital. This was in part due to its strategic location, but the decision was largely influenced out of a desire to balance Tassian and Demaiadonian interests. Dephand was located closer to Demaiadon but was historically more closely aligned with Tassis, making it an acceptable compromise choice for both cities. Adrian never planned to have the capital remain in Dephand, which was at the time still a small and unglamourous city, however his efforts were concentrated on stabilising the nation and cementing his rule, leaving preparing an alternate capital a distant priority, especially as it ran the risk of angering elites in Demaiadon, Tassis, or both. Events in 791's Year of Calamities cemented Dephand as the permanent capital of the Kingdom. Firstly, the great city of Demaiadon was left in ruins by a series of earthquakes, with much of the displaced population travelling to Dephand either to resettle or to petition the King for aid. This effectively led to Dephand usurping much of the authority Demaiadon once had. More immediately, the disasters allowed local nobles to successfully dethrone the ineffectual Adrian II and install Leander I - a Dephandian - in his place. Consequently, the Tassian influence in the city and Kingdom diminished in favour of the local elites, who had no incentive to move the capital away from their own centres of power. While 791 was disastrous for much of Fossa, Dephand emerged from the Year of Calamities in a prominent position within the country. Leander I and his heirs put a great deal of effort into expanding the city's infrastructure, transforming it from a relatively small and enclosed city into one of the largest metropolises on the Fossan Peninsula. Leander's reign also prompted the construction of the city's famous White Palace on its acropolis. First completed in 780, it has undergone near constant expansion or renovation in the following centuries, the interior in particular often changing to fit each new monarch's tastes. The city is also said to have overtaken Ilouil as the cultural hub of Fossa, with grand patronage of the arts increasingly common among the city's noble and mercantile elites.Dephand
Coat of Arms of Dephand
azure, a pelican statant argent, beaked and legged or
Founding Date
c. 100 - 200
Type
Capital
Inhabitant Demonym
Dephandian
Owning Organization
Comments