Neoprakos
Neoprakos is a city within the Imperium of Colosse, and the third-largest settlement in the Colicca Peninsula. It is populated almost exclusively by Humans, and has a population of around 8,000. It is an important regional commercial hub, controlling the flow of trade between the vicinity of Lake Limne and the Ciprosian coast. The regional economy revolves largely around fishing, shepherding, and grain farming.
Government
As is standard in the Imperium of Colosse, Neoprakos and the surrounding towns and villages that make up its catepanate are ruled by the city's kephale, who acts as both the civil and military authority. Unlike in most catepanates, however, Neoprakos has multiple dikastes (judges) and a permanent imperial diksastis, a privilege enjoyed only by Neoprakos, Ambrako, and Colosse itself. Each dikastis is appointed authority over one or more wards of the city, and a number of outlying villages and towns, while the imperial dikastis hears any appeals and acts as an overseer of the other judges.
The current kephale, Nektarios, has earned criticism for his recent conversion to the Aspirants of the New Gods, but has managed to prevent the highly divided city from devolving into internal conflict thus far.
Guilds and Factions
Neoprakos is currently divided sharply along political lines. The two primary factions are the Greens, who support Alexandros "the Castellan" for the Colossean throne, and the Blues, who support Mihalis, the "Horned Prince". The political divide also corresponds closely to the growing religious divide, with the Aspirants of the New Gods generally aligning themselves with the Greens, and the Teghneists generally aligning themselves with the Blues. The dwindling adherents of the Colossean Pantheon are largely split between the Blues and the Reds, who support a personal union with the The Ciprosian Regnum.
History
Neoprakos was founded relatively early in the colonisation of Colossia by the Dukhalan races. The first structure known to exist in the area was a large tower, which was discovered and occupied by the wizard Magallu some time in the first few decades YD, and is said to have been built in Time Immemorial to seal away an ancient evil. Over time, the security afforded by the presence of a powerful wizard attracted many settlers, who would otherwise be threatened by lizardfolk and draconic raids. By 62 YD, the local nobility, with aid from the Order of Zaernevir, had completed construction of a castle on the northern bank of the river, and formally incorporated the settlement as the City of Neoprakos, and claimed rulership over the surrounding villages in the new County of Neoprakos.
The following decades saw Neoprakos struggle in numerous wars against the dragon-king that ruled the Colicca Peninsula. When the Colossean Imperium was established in 117 YD, the Count of Neoprakos quickly swore fealty in exchange for military aid. The following three decades of war saw Neoprakos' position secured, as the dragon-king Karestec was slain by the dragonborn hero Drelriakeas, and his kingdom annexed by the Imperium.
When Imperator Zemim I mandated the worship of the Five in 197, Neoprakos initially resisted, raising its flag in rebellion alongside the dwarven hold of Bierg-Kolik. However, even with the aid of the local chapter of the Order of Zaernevir and their dragons, Neoprakos fell within two months. Most of the Order of Zaernevir were killed or enslaved, the city's Count was executed, and the main Teghneist temple was converted into the Great Temple of Teokt. Unlike Bierg-Kolik, which was razed entirely, the general population of Neoprakos was spared, and so the city remained prominent.
The city slowly grew over the centuries of Imperial rule, enjoying prosperity despite occasional conflicts amongst its nobility and persecutions against underground Teghneists. However, the aftermath of the First Ciprosian War saw the Imperium grow increasingly authoritarian after the loss of most of its territory, and Neoprakos suffered greatly, suffering from protracted population decline. This time saw the Cult of Orcus grow (particularly once it was decriminalised in 819 YD), as the people of the Imperium began to believe that the Five had forsaken them.
Neoprakos once again became a battleground in the Third Ciprosian War, when it was assaulted and occupied by the forces of the Grand Coalition in preparation for the assault on Colosse. Following the war, Agrinonian soldiers and Teghneist Inquisitors hunted down and imprisoned or killed the remaining worshippers of Orcus in the city, with only a handful escaping through unknown means. In the years since the war, Neoprakos, even more so than the rest of the Imperium, has become a hotbed of political and religious turmoil, as the Aspirants of the New Gods and the Teghneists grow in prominence, and fierce debate surrounds the issue of who should assume the throne of the Imperium.
Points of interest
At the centre of Neoprakos, overlooking the city's market square, lies the Great Temple of Teokt, and enormous, columned, rectangular building that serves as the primary Fivist religious centre of the city, where animal sacrifices are offered to Teokt and the other gods daily. The Great Temple was once a Teghneist temple belonging to the Order of Zaernevir, where special reverence to Saint Drelriakeas - the dragonborn paladin who slew the dragon-king Karestec - was paid, before it was forcibly repurposed. At the northern edge of the city lies the Citadel, which was originally built with the aid of the Order of Zaernevir, and still bears draconic architectural features, including prominent statues of metallic dragons on its battlements.
The oldest structure in the city, possibly predating humanity's presence on the continent, is the Mage's Tower that dominates the eponymous Mage's Ward, and is inhabited by the secretive wizard Magallu, who some say is over eight centuries old. The main Teghneist temple in the city was converted from a temple of Siviessa in 835 on the orders of a previous kephale, who had converted to Teghneism after assuming office. The Aspirants of the New Gods also have a temple in the city, which was previously a large guildhall, and was sold to them when the chandlers' guild was absorbed into the waxworkers' guild.
Founding Date
62 YD
Population
8,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Neoprakan
Owning Organization
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