Aren
Aren is a city on the northermost coast of Sayaffallah and also the home of the ballistic nuclear submarine program. The total population of Aren is 125,000.
History
Early Years & Founding
Aren started out as a small fishing village and gradually grew as the shipbuilding industry came to Aren in the late 1500s. During the Islamic invasion Aren joined several other towns in creating a common defence force to fight for the cities and to protect it from invasion. Incidentally the Islamic tribes never made it over the mountains to the south of the towns and thus these towns were never affected by the Islamic invasion.
The Sayaffallan Navy began construction on a major naval base project in 1892 and completed construction on the project by 1915 creating several shipbuilding industries within the base and also slips for both submarines and surface warships. The naval base in its original years survived as the headquarters of Northern Naval Command (NNC)and was the primary area of instruction for winter survival for naval personnel. As such it had a rotating population of 20,000 personnel never dropping below 11,000 personnel at any given time. The naval base was designed to provide projection capabilities into the northern hemisphere of the oceans and to allow for quick access by naval vessels into potential conflict areas.
Civilian Shipyards
In 1930 to compete with demand by the naval base several industrialists constructed large scale civilian shipyards to accommodate an increase in military orders for vessels and to create ice-breaker class vessels for civilian cargo and passenger transit. The demand was enormous and the shipyards employed over 30,000 in its busiest years however in 1940 an economic slowdown forced the yards to be sold off and soon a shopping mall was built over much of the yard.
In 1962 the shipyards were reconverted to their original purpose and shipyards were opened back up and production began in the summer of 1964. These civilian shipyards to this day are a valuable source of employment for the people of Aren.
Environment of Aren
Climate
In spite of the extreme northern location, there is no permafrost, as the mean annual temperature is approximately 2 °C (36 °F), about the same as other places located at a latitude of 61° North. Monthly 24-hr averages range from −5 °C (23 °F) in January to 11 °C (52 °F) in July. Mean annual precipitation is 820 millimetres (32.3 in). The driest months are May, June, and July; with on average of 50 millimetres (2.0 in) of rainfall each month. The wettest period is October through December.[15]
Aren often experiences heavy snowfall in winter typically extending for several hours into the evenings and lasting for weeks on end during the major blizzards that come during the first few months of the year. Snowfall begins to end around mid-April however the cold lasts typically until late May.
Geography
Aren exists on the extreme northermost coast of Sayaffallah beyond the northernmost mountains. Large forests and extensive tiaga are characteristics of the land in and around Aren specifically near to the shoreline. During the winter the small river flowing through Aren to the sea hardens into ice strong enough to support the weight of vehicles and during rush hour traffic many vehicles will drive on the river itself getting out of the river on access ramps located in intervals along the riverbanks. The terrain is generally flat although the farther one gets to the southernmost edges of the city some minor rolling hills can be found.
Marine Wildlife
Aren is well known for the humpback whales that can be seen breaching just outside the harbor and sometimes within spitting distance of the shoreline itself. Beyond this there have been sightings of harbor seals and penguins during key months of reproduction and migration. Marine mammals are protected in Aren with penalties ranging from 5 years in prison for killing a humpback whale to over 600,000 in fines for harming a penguin.
Notable Landmarks/Things to See
The Old City
The main attraction for many is the historic old city which dates back to the founding of the city as a fishing village. Each of the northernmost villages had a city center ringed by walls with either one or two ways in and out allowing the villagers to stay safe and secure from any enemies or raiders seeking plunder. These walls are still in excellent condition and the gates close each evening promptly at dusk making entry or exit impossible after night has fallen on the old city.
The old city of Aren is still inhabited by close to 2,000 residents and the town church is within the walled confines as well. The old city has many shops and bakeries that tourists can buy goods from during the hours that the old city is open to the public. After hours the old city reverts back to its heritage and a night watchman with a candle lit lantern patrols the streets of Aren making sure all are inside after the fall of night and on the walls to this day are watchmen who stand 2 hour posts in intervals monitoring the sea and today looking for vessels in distress.
Royal Winter Retreat
The Royal Winter Retreat is a simple home by the standards of palaces with only 20 bedrooms and 20 baths making this home relatively small and quiet for its regal occupants. However this was exactly the design of the estate making it a simple yet relaxing home that the royal family could retire to without much attention. The home was built in 1820 and was finished in 1844 and first used the winter of 1850 by the Sayaffallah Royal Family and formally named "Royal Winter Retreat" by the Sultan in 1850. The home is most known for its major focal point that being the library and the chapel both of which were custom designed to the exact specifications of the Sultan himself as a later addition in 1905.
The library has over 3.2 million books on a wide range of subjects ranging from fictional literature to the classics to physics and engineering to history and politics on a global scale. The library is built with 14 floors and extends downwards in a spiral fashion into the basement rather than elevating itself upwards as most palatial libraries are apt to do. And once on the 14th floor down it straightens out and extends underneath the palace with enormous domed roofs and beautiful frescoes designed and painstakingly installed by hand tiny square by square. But the one area that is a surprise for most is the Throne Library which is the Sultan's private study and in reality is a bedroom surrounded by books on all sides only accessible by a revolving bookcase.
The revolving bookcase leads the user through a guard chamber and then a revolving painting leads the person into an enormous room with a large fireplace and a gold framed bed with the royal seal and canopy above it and nothing but row after row of books extending upwards in glorious fashion for several levels. This room is only open twice a year to the general public to see and typically is a major event for the public to go through the secret panels and emerge into the hidden bedroom of the Sultan. Incidentally the room is also connected via a staircase to the kitchen allowing the Sultan if he so desired to live out of this room with meals brought down to him as he studied the books and manuscripts contained within.
