Eisley

Assets

Eisley makes the vast majority of it's funding from it's ports and harbors which all operate 24 hours a day, never stopping with all the shipments being sent from one country to another, making their pitstops at Eisley to restock on supplies and freshen up their crews. The island also imports particular items it cannot produce, for whatever reasons, such as crops and metals which are hard to find naturally on the overcrowded metropolis. In addition to this, the island also exports fish and other sea life as well as books, weapons and clothing out to the surrounding nations.

History

While also the name of the city-state that spans the isle from shore to shore, Eisley is technically the name of the island itself which was first discovered by the Bolalari who are generally recognized as the first race to discover sailing and aquatic navigation. No one person in particular is given credit as their name is lost to the winds of time, however the Bolalari had set up a port around the year 904 1A which is generally agreed upon by historians and scholars alike as the year of discovery.
  The rumored island was ‘discovered’ by the other races over the following centuries through word of mouth and eventually by boat as sailing became more widely practiced by all peoples over time. It’s location near the middle of the Sea of Lot, made it an ideal location for obvious economic reasons and trade. This led each country to claim ownership of the so-called 'Eye of Lot', even if only with a port or two. As all things do however, this evolved into a race between each culture to spread their influence further, building more of their own ports, eventually growing into small villages. These villages quickly grew into larger and larger towns, until after nearly two hundred years of growth, and the fact it was on an island, the towns had all run out of space, having met in the middle of the island. And so it was the island had evolved into a single, massive metropolis with ports and harbors covering practically the entire coast.
The next few decades were filled with fighting, riots and economic upheaval as each race continued to claim the island for their control. These decades are known as the Eisley Civil War. When the war inevitably came to an end, it was agreed by all peoples involved that a council would be formed. It was to be made up of one member from each race, and as a group, would govern the island as a cohesive unit. Their first act? To abolish all previous names for the various towns that had grown on the island as that was no longer an option. They settled on naming the singular metropolis Eisley, after the name of the island itself which was in fact a phrase in Illis'thir meaning ‘Sunset on the water’. Their second act was that of independence. Upon hearing this, several countries threatened invasion, though that never came to pass, instead the island quickly gained a reputation as a fair and neutral, city-state and it was all due to its peoples own merit. Eisley had finally come into it’s own.
Over the centuries it's citizens merged so that most regions of the city were no longer segregated into one race over another, but a fairly balanced blend of them all, save for a few relatively small areas which the council would designate for religious or political purposes, such as temples or embassies for the other nations to use. Over time, Eisley became known throughout the continent as one of the most open and unbiased places ever for its citizens and it now enjoys a stable and healthy relationship with all other countries.
The architecture of Eisley is varied and seldom repeats in other regions of the island. The sheer scale of the island city-state is so massive that some say you can live your whole life there and still get lost in the tangled maze of streets, thoroughfares and alleyways. To help with this, many a resourceful citizen has gone and put themselves for hire as a guide or merely transportation via carriages, wagons and even gondolas via Eisley's intricate waterway systems. The island includes everything you can think of, from the embassies of every nation within the boundaries of Aÿshra, save the Gisherva, to tiny shops with world-changing secrets hidden away in their shelves or backrooms. To try and explain to you, dearest reader, all the different sights and smells and people you'd run into would be like trying to type a book with every word ever spoken, and I'm not that dedicated to my craft, thank you very much. But depending on your location on the island as well as the time of day, you could experience anything from a funeral march to a wedding, from the festive energy amongst the public squares and inns scattered around the metropolis to the quiet chatterings and hagglings of any number of street vendors in a dark alley, you never know what you'll get when you turn the corner in Eisley.
This includes her people as well. While the council who runs Eisley tries to make sure that everyone on the island has opportunities for a job or a home, there are still many 'forgotten' peoples who wander the streets during the day begging for change and trying to find a doorway or crawlspace to sleep in while trying to stay warm at night. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you also have any number of political and affluent citizens who will ride around in their personal horse-drawn carriages, barely casting a glance to the downtrodden. Despite how this may sound though, Eisley is still one of the cleanest, most modern cities in the known world. Thousands visit the island daily and it's been estimated that possibly as many as a million people may live on this island they all call home.

Territories

Due to the ever growing population and need for expansion, the accurate length of the island is difficult to pinpoint, though most experts still consider it to be roughly 17 leagues across from it's two farthest points.  Essentially, if you decided to walk from one point to the other it would take you nearly 24 hours! There's a reason Eisley is often called the Paragon of Lot, as many other cities strive to one day reach the breadth, beauty and power that this bustling metropolis has become over the centuries.

Mini'thi Excori Trum'uth (Illis'thir for: Forward in Unity)

Founding Date

904 1A

Alternative Names

The Eye of Lot

Demonym

Eislans

Government System

Democracy, Parliamentary

Power Structure

Thalassocracy

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

Eisley has it's own small mint which uses imported metals for coinage. There are three coin types:

The Whānua - a large golden coin, rougly the diameter of a person's eye named after the infamous Bolilari pirate king, Captain Te Ariki Whānua, who had brought his massive pirate army to the aide of Eisley after a massive hurricane had struck the island and it's citizens a horrific blow in 843 3A, bringing with them food and supplies for the citizens who were in desperate need. The coin is printed with his flagship, The Sea Witch
The Morrow - a medium-sized coin created from a combination of silver and copper, giving the coin a rather distinct 'rusty' look. Imprinted on it is the face of a beautiful young Mhan female by the name of Gildra Morrowind. She is credited as being the person who, centuries before, had gone to the elders of each tribe of peoples on the island and suggested that they work together and form a council.
The Kinütt - a small bronze coin which has the Jekovaan Mountains printed on them. They are named after Sigurður Kinütt who was the first recorded Jekovaan to join the Eisley Council at the beginning of the current Age in 52 4A and brought with him the fabled Auður Épée, which sat out for public display for decades at Montavier's Exhibition, before it was sold to a private citizen and hasn't been seen in the centuries since.

Legislative Body

Most historians today believe that the Eisley Council was first thought up by a young Mhan female named Gildra Morrowind who traveled from one end of Eisley to the other, bringing with her a message of hope and unity amongst the squabbling tribes of Sylvans, Bolilari, Mhan and Orkaens. She spoke with the elders of each tribe, giving them a mental image of a united island, free from any other nation, ruled by a council made of members from each tribe. Nearly two Ages later, that council is still together, made up of new members who are put in place every six years so that no one person or one set council will retain power indefinetly. With the changes over the years, some councils have excelled at their positions, furthering the technology, economy, etc of Eisley. Other councils meanwhile, have nearly destroyed the island nation.

Location

The Sea of Lot

Official Languages

• Illis'thir - The Common Tongue