Boralto
Capital of The Communal Republics of Lavenna
Boralto is the beating heart of the The Communal Republics of Lavenna, acting as the primary seat of the national government and the centre of politics in the nation. It sits at the confluence of the countless cultures of the landmass, and has for centuries acted as a neutral meeting ground between expansionistic empires and trading groups alike. Graced by the cool, gentle winds of Ardanto Bay, and shielded from the billowing sands of the Ala'kald desert by the Boras River valley drylands, Boralto is often called the "emerald of the sands". Communal gardens, rooftop farming collectives, and urban forests drape a vibrant green embrace across every building, and the Boras river has been contorted into countless meandering canals, making the city stand in stark contrast to the endless reddish tans that surround it.
History
Government
Being the seat of the Lavennic Government, Boralto is filled to the brim with government agencies, departments, branches and organisations. It is a hive of bureaucratic offices and the constant bickering political debates. Being the heart of the nation, political discourse here is particularly pronounced. The Grand Hall of Boralto is a voluminous, majestic domed building that dominates the Boralto skyline and is home to the tricameral Lavennic Parliament resides within Boralto. The Premierial Villa, the seat of the executive, and is surrounded by rows of ministerial departments, organisation headquarters, and buerocratic apparatuses.
Infrastructure
A City of Canals
The city is also famous for its unique combination of both surface and subterranean canals and waterways. Built upon soft sandstone and basalt, the early semi nomadic founders of the city slowly chisled away a network of underground channels through the porous cave systems, which were protected from the elements and offered a reliable source of food. After the Volarra expanded into the area and began developing Boralto, they expanded these channels into navigable canals, which allowed for rapid transit of goods from the ports to the elevated sections of the city. Even with the advent of faster forms of transportation, this network of canals is still a vital backbone to the city, and has been successively expanded over the years to allow for even small sloops and cutters access to the canals. Rows of barges, gondolas and transit vessels are a common sight in the canals, which are either lit through bioluminescent lights or through breathtaking skylights cut through the rock.
History
Prehistory
The site of what would become Boralto was long a nestled safe haven, providing seasonal shelter for nomadic groups from the relentless and brutally hot dunes of the drylands within its craggy cave-filled cliffsides and natural springs. Its timeless renown as a neutral meeting ground likely began as early as this time, with many different sands tribes agreeing to cooperate and co-habitate for a time, learning to put their differences aside in order to mutually benefit.Origins
Eventually, it is believed that several of these sands tribes formed a kind of tribal communal soceity, having become semi nomadic farmers and established a mostly permanent settlement at the site. They used an ingenious system of spherical stone-hewn nurseries, where they grew cultures of microbial mats, fungi, and various algae that were common in the craggy tidal pools within the caves. It is possible that these structures, which were anywhere from a few to thirty meters wide, were inspired by the agroponic spheres from the pre-sterilisation planetary settlers. These would become the precursors to the emblematic Arcospheres, and along with the natural springs, lead to the settlement developing into a flouishing oasis and safe haven.The Age of the Volarra
As Volarra traders explored westward, they entered into contact with the settlement and recognised its potential as a major trade hub, frequently trading with it. The Volarra nation of Helvetalia later colonised the region, and founded the city of Boralto. Under their authority, the city rapidly grew and developed, with grandiose domed buildings and beautiful Helvetalian architecture hewn from adobe designed by the greatest architects of the kingdom. It quickly became a major entrepôt for Borashta, and the Helvetalians continuously expanded its port infrstructure. While the original sands tribes became a minority, their cultural heritage persisted in the city.The Golden Age
During the turmoil of the Volarra League's unification wars, the city was declared an independent neutral city state, at which any traders, merchants or diplomats could meet.The Fall
During Novosti rule, the ruins of the city remained an important locale for trading, though the utter destruction and encroaching sands of the surrounding desert made resettling prohibitively difficult. After the fall of the Novosta Empire and during the period of the seventeen nations, the city continued to languish, its ancient edifices standing resolute as solemn remnants of a more enlightened time. It was only until the Parvanto dynasty came to power in the Kingdom of Parvald-- who controlled large portions of what is today Borashta and Sulvont, under the rule of the infamous Parvanto dynasty-- that the city was finally rebuilt. The Parvantoi used significant state resources and a decades long civil engineering project to entirely rebuild the city.Architecture
Boralto is a city of towering, domed buildings. Majestic archways and grandiose vaulted ceilings enshrine the design philosophy of the Kingdom of Parvald who rebuilt the city. While many of its original structures, such as the Neo-colonial style of the original Helvetalian founders of the city remain, it has certainly become both a symbol of archaic grandeur, as well as modern ideals and principles. Those grand archways and domes that dominate the skyline, though intended to shock and awe the masses at the ruling regimes power, now inspire a different kind of awe. That of pride in the ideals of a nation founded by all the people for all the people-- at least in principle.
Type
Capital
Population
2.12 million
Inhabitant Demonym
Boralti
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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