Sinofis

If I look out at the bay for long enough, I could swear the crumbling ruins are visible beneath the waves, but more like how they would've looked before they fell in. Grand towers and sprawling mansions, the cozy and crowded houses packed tightly next to each other, and the lights gleaming in the night. It would be nice to see how it once looked.

— Támjol Eliodan

Sinofis is the capital city of the Kingdom of Telziad, located on the shores of the bay of the same name. It has held a powerful position in central Abravost for many centuries, as it was the seat of the Duchy of Sinofis which existed within the Vosti Empire.

History

Sinofis began as a collection of small towns located on and around a large bay in the continent's north, all taking advantage of the safe harbour the bay provided for their boats, and the bountiful supply of fish. In 612 BC, three of these towns merged together under the control of a local lord, being renamed Sinofis after the name of his daughter, Sinion.
The town slowly grew into a trading hub for the north, connecting many people along the coast. This position was noticed quickly by the southern Kingdom of Vost, who in its decades-long conquest of the continent, took care to take the city without much force in order to gain access to the north seas. The local Telziado people joined the Kingdom without much fuss, barring the complaints of the minority Yulemto populace.
To cement their new relation, King Zaloren I appointed his nephew Ferean to serve as the first Duke of Sinofis, having him married to a lord's daughter in 564 BC to make things more legitimate. This duchy swiftly grew to encompass the entire shoreline of Sinofis Bay, and was the anchor around which most of the north revolved.
The growing city was forced into the spotlight during the War of Vosti Succession, serving as the base of operations for the various Vunisi claimants, most notably Empress Askila I. When her hold on the claim grew strong, she relocated back down to Fovenis, but ensured that the city was rewarded for its loyalty. Various members of her court came from northern territories, with the Duchess of Sinofis serving as her Treasurer.
Its brilliance faded somewhat during The Collision, a devastating event that brought two worlds crashing together. While having the obvious effect of bringing elves into Tiyu Amara, it also caused various geological changes. In Sinofis, half the city found itself plunged into Sinofis Bay, with even the Duke at the time caught in the flood. The other settlements around the bay pledged resources and people to help with rescue, recovery, and reconstruction, but it took many years for the city to grow past its loss.
Sinofis' importance to the north was officially recognised during the Vosti Civil War, when the Duke of Sinofis declared it to be the capital of the rebellion. After his death, his successors changed from wanting to seize the Imperial throne to establishing their own kingdom, of which Sinofis would be its actual capital. When the war ended, King Dravulean I made it so, and began the extensive work required to connect the city to the many regional towns through his domain.

Founding Date

612 BC

Type

Capital

Inhabitant Demonym

Sinofiso

Location under

Abravost

Included Locations

• Church of Seven Tomed Ibraos

Owning Organization

Kingdom of Telziad

Crater

The flooding caused in the Collision is not the only destruction Sinofis has ever faced. From small fires to attacks by enemy mages during the Vosti Civil War, no town in Telziad has been left unscathed.
Uniquely, Sinofis has experienced semi-divine damage. The huntress Koshi Varmand, while possessed by one of The Divinities who created the world, created a large crater into the southern outskirts of the city, and carved a path of fire through many farmsteads before she was stopped.
Even to this day, how this incident was able to happen isn't known. The best theories many can present is that Koshi's anger at having been kidnapped and nearly sacrificed had let her take the god's power and overridden the ability for that god to stop her. The crater is avoided by all, even as farms slowly rebuilt in the vicinity.

Fireworks by davidgarry