The city of Celere is, perhaps confusingly, the capital city of the nation of Celere and the New Celeri Republic. The city has earned a reputation as the "city of finer pleasures", as much of its economy is built around tailoring to the many personal fantasies of its vast clientele. This has also led to the New Celeri Republic's emphasis on total neutrality during times of conflict, with the city of Celere continuing to serve all regardless of allegiances, so long as they agree to play nice while they're in town.
History
The history of the city of Celere dates back to the late Second Era, during the rise of feudal kingdoms on the continent of Drezomira. The county of Celere was named for its founder, Viscount Frederick Bartrop-Celere, who had earned his lordship due to his close connection to Augustus Gadsden, King of Wridol. Built near the Burderican Plateau along the northern coastline, Celere lacked enough fertile farmland to grow food. Viscount Bartrop-Celere had initially blamed the farmers for bad harvests, but after several years of similar results realized the problem lie with the farmland itself. To compensate, he commissioned the construction of a massive dock system and a fleet of sailing ships. Between the years of 2E 882 and 2E 911, Viscount Bartrop-Celere sent couriers and delegates across the Kingdom of Wridol, making trade agreements and contracts with dozens of other counts and lords. This allowed Celere to prosper where it would have otherwise failed.
Author's Note
It is said that shortly before his appointment to lordship over the vassal state, Frederick had been caught in an affair with Queen Anne Laurits, wife of King Augustus Gadsden. Allegedly, one of the Queen's handmaidens had caught the pair in the act, and reported the affair to the King. Unable to take action against his wife, and unwilling to make public the knowledge of her infidelity, King Augustus chose instead to appoint Frederick to the position of lord and bestow upon him a tract of land that was unsuitable for farming, in the hopes that Frederick would die as a result of famine or disease.
Many of the merchants who came to the county were as much in search of "personal care" as they were commercial business. Taverns and inns near the docks soon became hubs for those looking to solicit "care" from the locals, and there were those who were happy to oblige. While many other port cities and counties often discouraged the practice, Viscount Bartrop-Celere wanted to establish the practice as an additional revenue stream, establishing "rest houses" for those looking to receive more hands-on care during their time in the city. Critics were appalled at the alleged moral depravity on display in Celere, though admittedly the increase in word-of-mouth regarding what occurred in the county only helped to increase travel to the area.
The county of Celere would remain a major economic hub for decades, allowing its leadership to usurp the throne of Wridol and establish their own rule in 2E 1049. The Celere family would rule over Wridol until its collapse in 2E 1107, though the county itself was able to survive as its own independent nation-state until the establishment of the Qineian Caliphate in 3E 45. The Caliphate emphasized strict adherence to a moral philosophy during their reign, and was so dedicated to these moral reforms that many of them would end up outlasting the Caliphate after its collapse in 3E 591. In particular, the Caliphate had worked to aggressively criminalize and outlaw sex work in any of its forms, as they believed it promoted "degeneracy and depravity" that would "erode the moral fibre that sustains all civilization".
Unsurprisingly, a prime target of this effort was the county of Celere. During the reign of the Qineian Caliphate, the city was renamed to Keulaukhus, a portmanteau of the Qinei words Keulastum (degenerate) and Ukhus (hole). The Caliphate regularly raided the city, burning down suspected brothels and publicly executing those accused of "sexual deviancy". Trade with those outside of the Caliphate stopped, for fear of execution. The once prosperous region became as barren as it had been prior to the county's establishment, and the few who remained struggled to get by. While not directly responsible for the Caliphate's collapse, many historians have considered the discovery of what had occurred in Celere to be the final nail in the coffin for the Qinei. The county of Celere was one of the first liberated during
The Second Theocratic War, and significant effort was made to revitalize the region and its economy.
The county would be re-established as the city of Celere in 4E 18, as part of post-war revitalization efforts by the newly-formed Xaeyan Empire. By 4E 73, the city had largely returned to its pre-Qinei state, allowing it to separate from the Xaeyan Empire the following year. In doing so, the people of Celere established the Celeri Republic, which would last until 4E 303, when it was conquered by the Sanumic Combine. Due to the Combine's revisionist approach to historical accuracy, the true history of the Celeri Republic is difficult to discern, and as such has been omitted.
Following the end of the Lithos War, the city of Celere would once again organize into its own independent power, the New Celeri Republic (NCR). Within the city of Celere, the NCR had hoped to revitalize its economy to how it had been at the height of their power. To do so, the NCR adopted many of the policies put in place by Viscount Bartrop-Celere that had helped usher in that earlier success.
The NCR would also adopt many of the policies introduced during the Qinei Caliphate, though for much different reasons. During the Caliphate, as part of their crusade against "sexual deviancy", settlements were strictly forbidden from establishing "pleasure districts", or districts solely designed to cater towards sex work and drug use. The New Celeri Republic had implemented a similar measure within the city of Celere, barring brothels from being constructed within two blocks of another existing brothel. This measure was not designed to prevent their establishment, but instead was meant to encourage the establishment of brothels across the city. This "pleasure around every corner" approach was key to the city's return, and cemented Celere's economy firmly in the business of pleasure.
