Eliria
- See also City and County of Eliria, Greater Eliria
Worshipful Municipal Corporation of Aldermen of the City and Bailiwick of Eliria, Guarantors of its Ancient Liberties | |
| Nation: | Elwynn |
| Population: | 2,971,748 (1680) |
| Predominant language: | Elw, Babkhi (official) |
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| Main roads: | Avenue of the Workers' Revolution |
| Major districts: | 25 |
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| Current mayor: | Ahmed Ghoslani |
| [[Image:{{{image_map}}}|250px]] | |
| Map versions: | 6.7.1– |
Eliria (Elw: Елирия, Elirija, more historically ену Елирион, enu Elirion; Babkhi: Елирияшаҳр, Eliriashahr) is the ruined capital of Elwynn. It was by nuclear bombing during the Second Elwynnese Civil War on 20.XIV.1695 AN, leaving millions of death souls in its wake.
It is the namesake of the Greater Eliria metropolitan area and the traditional counties known as the City and County of Eliria and the defunct County of Eliria and Utasia. Chartered during the first ducal reign of Scott of Alexander (1452–1470), it is the oldest city in Elwynn. It is the third-most populous bailiwick in Elwynn. The official languages of the bailiwick are Elw, Babkhi and Istvanistani.
Eliria is situated along the northern beginning of the White Elwynn, along the western shore of the White Lake. Around Eliria, several rivers feed into the White Elwynn, among these the Aiomedean and Elirian Elwynn being the most important. This has given Eliria fertile grounds throughout the centuries, as well as good communications, allowing for Eliria's development as a commercial and political centre of Elwynn and the former northern Shireroth.
History
Early history
Eliria was settled around the year 500 by Elw nomads. As such, it was not until the 1390s when the first buildings were erected in the Eliria vicinity . These were a Treesian monastery and cathedral (the oldest buildings currently in Eliria), Saint Utas's Cathedral and Monastery. Once the Elfinshi took power in Elwynn in the 1470s, an Elfinshi temple was erected too (which later was brought to ruin by Baron Ardashir and turned into Eliria Castle). Eliria was chartered as a city by the first Elwynnese duke, Scott of Alexander (reigned 1452–1470), thought to have occurred in the latter part of his reign, though no actual charters have been found by historians.
The temples brought the nomads to the Eliria region often for religious ceremonies – the Elw people were under the Elfinshi era heavily subjugated by Duchesses Sirithil and Mari, and were indentured servants to the anti-technological hedonistic Elfinshi elite. As such, they dug roads with spades, built buildings with simple tools. But this also turned Eliria to an important market place in the area, bringing various ethnicities together. As such, Eliria became an informal centre of power in Elwynn. By the early 1490s, it was considered Elwynn's capital under the name of Eliriashahr when Duchess Mari Greenwood was replaced by Baron Ardashir Khan Osmani. His ascension to the demoted Elwynnese throne was followed by a large-scale immigration of Ardashirians and other Babkhis, causing Eliria to have a sizeable Babkhi-speaking minority to this day. The political and commercial cadres of Elwynn were gradually drawn more and more to Eliria, with Ardashirshahr as the only real rival to Eliria's power in Elwynnese society, both commercial and political. In 1493, Eliria Castle was completed, built on the foundations of an Elfinshi temple, becoming the home of the Baron of Elwynn and the Elwynnese government for almost a hundred years until the Senate siege of 1589 which destroyed the castle.
After the end of the Babkhi era, the Ode to Multiculture was erected outside Eliria Castle. It is a statue of the Elfinshi duchess Mari Greenwood joininig raised hands with Baron Ardashir.
The Great Famine of Elwynn (1512–1533) laid waste to the city. By the time Harald of Froyalan became duke in 1533, Eliria had a population of less than 4,000 people. Harald centralized power in Elwynn more and ensured a reconstruction of Elwynn. He established a legislature, called the løgting, of high nobles who met at Eliria Castle. During this time, several institutional buildings were constructed throughout Eliria in a Norse style. Among these, Eliria's Court House and Treasury House. By pouring Storish money into Elwynn and Eliria, Eliria was once more the cultural, commercial and political capital of Elwynn.
Early modern era
The following decades saw Eliria grow very little but somewhat steadily nonetheless. With the Elwynnese legislature, now termed the Council of Eliria, taking on more political power, Eliria remained a place of commerce, art, culture and political and military power. The culture of the city was during the 1650s marked with optimism. The pan-Elwynnese People's Academy of Elwynn, established in 1550, set up the Eliria University College two years later in 1552, which made Eliria a centre for learning, research and culture the following decades. In 1563, the Krull Opera House was inaugurated.
In 1560, the Kaiser temporarily moved his government to Eliria. Eliria was for a few months that year the temporary war capital of Shireroth. This brought a sense of patriotism in Elwynn. Although the Elwynnese nation did not really consider itself a great part of Shireroth, having the political centre of Shireroth in Elwynn's capital, led large parts of the Elwynnese nation to consider the Elwynnese civilization to be on par with the Shirerithian one. Elwynnese institutions, ways of doing things, commerce, art, education – the Elwynnese nation – was, even as an exaggerated view, a catalyst for more Elwynnese nationalism. Once the Kaiser made the fatal mistake of abolishing the duchies in 1562, Elwynnese nationalism grew exponentially, culminating in the declaration of Elwynnese independence in early 1667.
In 1550 the Grand Canal was cut around Eliria Castle, transforming the seat of government into an artificial island. The Grand Canal would serve as the hub for the dramatic expansion of a network of fifty kilometres of canals, a feature for which the city would eventually become famous, forming concentric belts containing forty-five islands and seven hundred and fifty bridges laid down during the Elwynnese Golden Age (1550 – 1600 AN).
First independence era
After the independence of Elwynn was declared, Elwynnese authorities had only scattered control over the former Duchy of Elwynn territories. Among the territories actually held by the Elwynnese independentists was Eliria. Independentist delegates met in the first Elwynnese congress. The Congress's physical building was in central Eliria, in an auditorium lent to the independence movement by the People's Academy of Elwynn. However, in 1568, the Congress was subjected to a terrorist bombing by Babkhi extremists. Although no congressmen were injured, the entire building was damaged beyond repair. With Elwynnese independence being recognized by Shireroth in 1569, Eliria found peace and began growing exponentially. In the 1670s, Eliria was a centre for optimism. Favourable trade agreements, as well as the inclusion of the agricultural paradise of Amokolia, brought quick money to the Elwynnese capital. The population of Eliria doubled each new decade until the end of independence in 1600.
Most of Eliria as we know it today comes from the 1570–1600 construction boom. The architecture of this era was based on the ideal of "Elwynnese nationalism and majesty" (as architectists have described the period).
The Senate building, newly built, was notably destroyed in the Senate siege of 1589, after which the Elwynnese government appropriated Krull Opera House and transformed it to government headquarters. Krull has been the seat of Elwynnese government ever since.
Coordinated State
In 1600, optimism died in Elwynn and Eliria when Elwynn was forced to reintegrate with Shireroth. Eliria was no longer a national capital, only a state capital of an imperial state of a larger Shirerithian empire. Although Elwynn's institutions remained, largely centred in Eliria, belief in Elwynnese politics suffered a serious blow. Already within the first five years in Shireroth, the Elwynnese capital saw two coups that toppled the power in Elwynn. In 1606, the new government under the so-called Coordinated State ended private corporate ownership. Eliria was at this time officially made a bailiwick with the same borders as today.
The Coordinated State divided up the population in five guilds, nominally equal in dignity to one another. It was a type of fascist socialist society in which one did one's part. As such, Elwynnese economy was crippled, and poverty increased. The former Elwynnese ideals of openness and liberalism were gone. The society was very much a surveilled one. The changes caused mass upheaval across Elwynn. The Icebear Church, before this time a small insignificant cult in Cimmeria, converted hundreds of thousands of people in northern Elwynn, with financial support from Verionists. They announced a Theocracy of Elwynn, ruled by the Icebear (a divine polar bear), and moved their now armed people towards the south. In 1609, the Icebearists briefly lay a siege on Eliria, narrowly missing out on entering the city. The following years were hard for the Elirian people. By 1612, the Elwynnese government banned money. People's savings were wiped out overnight. Large portions of Elirian society were disgruntled.
Eliria, now a bailiwick, had its government vested in the Worshipful Municipal Corporation of Dunporters, Artisans, Artificers, Factors and Aldermen of the Bailiwick of Eliria, Guarantors of its Ancient Liberties.
Communist Eliria
In 1613, a schismatic group from within the ruling Nationalist and Humanist Party, joined the Elwynnese Workers' Party, and undertook a coup d'état of the Elwynnese government in Krull Palace. They announced this as the Workers' Revolution, pledging that the new society would bring an end to the forced guild apartheid brought on by the Nationalist–Humanists, and that the new Elwynnese society would be a true socialist one. Despite the good words, Elwynnese society functioned largely the same with production quotas and mass surveillance. The Workers' Revolution ameliorated the workers' conditions only a little – the normal people in Eliria and Elwynn were not much better off, except for more annual leave from work and shorter working days.
Only five years later, the communist regime had to cede power to "democratic" elections in which they lost power. This was a blow to the communists who had engineered the election law to allow them to remain in power. But even by making the rules hugely in their favour, the communists lost the elections and had to cede power to a democratic government, which confirmed Nathaniel, the exiled prince, to be the Prince of Elwynn. The main architectural relics from the communist era can be found in the Old City of Eliria – called Old City despite being completely torn down by the communists. A main east–west twenty-metre avenue was dug out across Eliria (destroying large parts of the city). To this day, it bears the name Avenue of the Workers' Revolution. This architectural upheaval brought on some quickly residential buildings in the outskirts of Eliria where people were relocated. They were built in the style of socialist brutalism and remain a low-cost living area in Eliria to this day.
Froyalanization
The democratic nature of Elwynn remained only a few days. Prince Nathaniel instigated an auto-coup, caused the principate to be dynastic. Little did he know the effects of it. Nathaniel died "a first time" in 1618, and was succeeded to the Principate by his cousin Jonathan. Jonathan did not enjoy being prince and spent very little time there. At the same time, he was also Kaiser of Shireroth, and considered the duties to Shireroth more important than Elwynn. He abdicated, and his closest relative, his half-brother Noah, a Storishman born in Haraldsborg (grandson of High King Harald), was named Prince.
The new Storish-led regime brought on a massive transformation of Elwynnese society. Nowhere more than in Eliria was this more evident. Eliria's population doubled with Storish immigration. The Storish in Elwynn would now be called Froyalaners. Noah was proclaimed King of Elwynn and with Storish funding, attempted to retcon the entire Elwynnese history and culture to legitimize the Froyalanish takeover. Vanic temples were erected across Eliria, native Elwynnese people were forced out of the central parts of the city to the outskirts to allow for housing for the new elite. Buildings were plastered over with an over-the-top medieval style. Krull Palace, for example, was furnished with medieval towers, gargoyles and decorations. Former efficient roads were laid with cobblestone. Private automobile traffic was banned as it would cause upset to the medieval view of the Kingly City of Eliria, as the city now was known as.
