Waal Paisheim

Waal Paisheim - the new city of a golden sea.
I've been there, and I saw no gold.

Waal Paisheim is the capital of the elven republic of Waal Zaimyatl, and the largest city in the country. It serves as the seat of the Waal Zaimyalkee parliament, and the second largest port of trade.

History

Foundation

After The Collision stranded many elves in the human world, measures needed to be taken. Emperor Zaloren V of The Vosti Empire, recognising a chance to get something out of the disaster, offered elven leaders a deal - equal treatment within the Empire, in exchange for founding a colony on the eastern side of the Krenar Mountains. That land had remained largely uninhabited due to the Empire's western expansion, but with Abravost split in twain, the time was right.
The colony was delayed many times due to complaints that it would cost too much to establish and those resources should be spent on communities ravaged by the Collision, with the first ship finally setting sail in 23 AC. Lady Palori Volara acted as the leader of the fleet, and Támteing Tiashaje as her elven aid. After a few months of travel, the fleet discovered a deep bay, which Támteing named Suungchol Bay. On its shores, golden and fertile, Palori declared the Colony of Sina Vost.

Sina Vost

The fledgling colony found itself the centre of eastern expansion, not all of which was naturally sought. Like clockwork, more ships full of elven colonists would arrive on their shores, desperate for food and shelter. Támteing's pleas that settlement be slowed down while the colony got on its feet were ignored by Zaloren and his court, and many starved colonists left Sina Vost and headed further inland. These groups would terrorise the colonies for decades, stealing and pillaging for their own survival.
Just as it appeared the colony would collapse under its own weight, an expedition uncovered a mineral rich area just to its north-west. With a valuable export in hand, Palori and Támteing were able to convince the imperial court to send fewer ships less frequently.
During this early period, elven colonists came up with an alternative name for the town - Waal Paisheim. This name was never officially used by the Empire, but it was used by all who lived there. Even Palori Volara, at the end of her two decade long tenure as leader of the colony, used the name when passing on her duties to her successor.

Conflict

Of course the humans were under no obligation to show us courtesy. They were wary of the outsiders with the foreign tongues. But that was then. The people grow kinder with each day, and yet the Emperor remains cold on his throne. We will not stand for it. We shall take our respect by force.

— Wiamjol Maazije, 106 AC

Waal Paisheim's rocky relationship with the Empire continued to deteriorate over the years, especially during the Kailkoseltii Riots in 89 AC. The discovery of a destroyed city off the coast led many in the colonies to call for an expedition. When this was denied, the notable Kailkoseltii elf population of the colony rioted, stealing many imperial ships and sailing forth themselves. The punishments on the colony as a whole were severe, with the Empire deciding that the geographic and racial divide had caused the colony to drift culturally. The teaching of Elven was forbidden, and many religious practices were outlawed and replaced with Vosti traditions. Such measures were intended to assimilate the elves into the Empire properly, and prevent any further riots.
While this technically worked, it also gave many of the colonists the tools they needed to seize independence. They used their stronger grasp of Vostan to re-examine the deals that had been presented to their leaders in the years following the Collision, and discovered that they were not equal. Not only this, but by outlawing religious practice and language, they had failed in their meagre promise - that elves would be equal in the Empire. While the Emperor at the time, Brimeon II, tries to argue that Sina Vost was not itself part of the Empire, but a subsidiary thereof, the colonists refused this. In 106 AC, Wiamjol Maazije read a declaration of independence in the centre of Waal Paisheim, making it the capital of the Republic of Waal Zaimyatl.

Independence

The battle for the independence of the Republic was brief, with the Krenar Mountains able to block the Empire's advances. Emperor Brimeon II admitted defeat and withdrew all forces in 107 AC. Waal Paisheim, as it was now officially known, set about the arduous task of establishing its governance. Wiamjol Maazije became the first president of Waal Zaimyatl. Trade dried up in the aftermath of the war, unsurprising given the Empire was their sole trade partner. This changed in 142 AC with the 'return' of the Republic of Skarhu, which had formed in the western part of Abravost after the Collision. With their arrival, Waal Zaimyatl found a trade partner that delighted in their goods, both mundane and culturally exotic, and Waal Paisheim in particular benefited from the riches brought about by their close relationship.
With time, Waal Paisheim would come to be known as the centre of academic learning throughout the whole of Abravost, with even Vosti nobles admitting to their dominance in the fields of magical learning. It was in the grand study halls of the city that the greatest advances in planar magic would be developed, notably the ability to create portals which could connect the human world back to the elven world. As the hub for contact between these two worlds, Waal Paisheim grew richer and more powerful, and by far one of the biggest cities in all of Abravost.

The Fall

When The Separation tore the worlds apart, portals all across the city collapsed, taking their buildings and residents with them. The destruction, combined with the loss of many in the Waal Zaimyalkee parliament to the other side, sent the country into chaos. The ensuing Vosti Civil War, which tore the Empire apart, gave the city little time to focus on efforts to rebuild and renew. At its end in 336 AC, the city still lay in ruins.
In the decades since, the city has been restored, at least in part. Its status as academic capital has waned considerably, and many of its citizens have left for other cities throughout the country. It is still Waal Zaimyatl's largest, and its position as primary trading location with the Kingdom of Telziad keeps it alive, but many would say that the golden days of the city lie far in its past.

Geography

Abravost

Open full size

Waal Paisheim is located in north-eastern Abravost, on the shores of Suungchol Bay.