City of Sorom

Located on the northern shore of the Continent of Viuzhul, this city is a colony of the Neo-Karthian Empire and is situated at the edge of the known world. Few things are known about it or its people, and much less is known about what lies beyond its walls.

Demographics

The vast majority of the city's inhabitants are of Karthian origins. While the city is not particulary big, it still sits mostly empty as the original city used to have more than 100 000 people within its walls and was the most prosperous Karthian colony during the First Age.

Government

The city is ruled by the king of Sorom. He holds ultimate power over the city and its surrounding region. The King pays homage to the Emperor of Karthia in the form of annual payments, but he is free to govern the city however he and the council see fit. The council is a non-elected body made up of 7 members of the old nobility of the city.

Defences

The city is protected from land attacks by three stone walls that each form a semi circle around the city.

Industry & Trade

Tin extraction from the mines around the city account for most of its revenue.

Infrastructure

The city has a shipyard where the city's large fleet is constructed and maintained in.

History

Founding

Sorom was first established as an outpost on the northern shores of Viuzhul, for future inland expeditions. This was during the latter half of the first age, when the First Karthian Empire was aggressively expanding beyond their homeland on the island of Isqaloala, in Samaria.

Early History

Once the city was established, three expeditions, each composed of about 1000 men and carrying months of provisions, were sent into the interior about 3 month of delay in between expeditions. None, except one soldier, would ever see the gates of Sorom again. The only survivor, a member of the third expedition, came back with horrific tales, the details of which are now lost to time. However, they were bad enough for about half the city's inhabitants to flee back to Samaria, while the rest stayed, determined to make good of a seemingly bad situation.
Soon after, large deposits of of tin where discovered a couple of kilometers south of the city, in some nearby hills. Immediately, the city began to thrive again. In an age where iron smelting was not invented yet, Bronze was king. The Karthian Empire had large reserves of Copper, but tin was rare and valuable.

The Long Winter

By the End of the first age, Sorom was one of the largest Karthian Colony, only surpassed by Khadyrah, in southern Samaria. The city had reached a population of around 100 000 people and was growing. However, when the Long Winter came, Sorom found itself isolated and on the brink of destruction. Monsters, coming from the hinterlands, attacked the city. The Ruler sent plea after plea to the Emperor back in Karthia, but no aid ever came. The Empire was already dead, with its leadership toppled by the hungry and desperate populations they ruled over. 
When things finally stabilized in Samaria and the new Karthian Empire was strong enough to reclaim lost territory, they launched two expedition to reclaim their lost colonies of Khadyrah and Sorom. It had been more than 500 years at this point, so not much more than ruins and skeletons was expected. To the first fleet's surprise, when they arrived in Khadyrah, the city was still standing and even put up a brief fight to keep their independence before finally rejoining the fold.

Ghost Town

When the second fleet arrived in Sorom, they were not surprised by the state of the city. Rotting wooden roofs, collapsed stone buildings and an overbearing silence. But when the soldiers looked around, they could not see any remains of animals, or humans. The grain stores of the city looked to be somewhat low, but the city may have had food for a couple months still. The gate leading of the city was wide open, but with no sign of forced entry. The stone wall around the city showed signs of extensive fire damage, something a large group of firemages could have done, but the city did not have many magic wielders to begin with and they had been recalled to Samaria to put down rebellions sweeping the Empire. Even more puzzling, the buildings inside the city did not show any fire damage, as wel as any other non-natural damage. There was no sign of struggle inside the city. To this day, it is not known what happened to the original city of Sorom.

Rebirth of the city

Nonetheless, the city was repopulated and soon enough, would thrive again. It would even become a beacon of safety in the later parts of the Second age, as near endless wars raged on in Enask, Arros and Samaria. The city, by now, was already enjoying a large amount of autonomy from the empire and made a prized destination for Karthians escaping war in Samaria
The city survived The Fall. It was strong enough to resist against the onslaught of shadow monster attacks from the south. The citizen of Sorom believe to this day that these monsters where the same that attacked the city during the Long Winter. However, these Monsters did not wield fire, and left extensive damage to the city itself that took years to repair. Most importantly, they did not take the corpses of their victims with them or otherwise make them disappear. This has lead most scholars to believe that if the city was truly attacked, it wasn't by those monsters, but by something else. What that thing might be however, is unknown.

Modern day

Sorom, while having a much smaller population than during its glory days, remains prosperous during the Third Age, with trade blooming across the Karthian sea and demand for its tin metal remaining high. The city still retains its independence from the Karthian empire that they won during The Fall. However, they do still pay a yearly homage to Karth but maintain good relations since the start of the Third age.

Architecture

The city is small and densely populated. The streets of the city are narrow while the building are quite tall, most of them reaching 3 stories tall. Some are topped with Bow type roofs while others have flat roofs with terrasses. The walls of these buildings are beige while the roofs are painted white.

Geography

The city is located on the northern coast of Viuzhul, at the end of a large inlet that is surrounded by high hills on both sides.

Climate

Sorom enjoys hot temperature all year round. Rainfall is sparse during the fall, winter and spring. During the Sumer, cyclones can form in the Karthian sea and spin towards the continent, delivering large amounts of rain and wind.

Natural Resources

Tin, iron and gold can be found in the hills around the city. Hardwood trees are also present on the seaward side of the hills. Grazing animals feed on the tall grass around the city.

Founding Date

-2620

Alternative Name(s)

Sorom the empty

Type

City

Population

Around 40 000 inhabitants

Inhabitant Demonym

Soromish

Owning Organization

Neo-Khartian Empire