Free City of Riveraineville
The city of Riveraineville is a recently independent city that obtained its independence from the Kingdom of Losana via a violent revolution and ensuing treaty. The Princess Mayor, Magdalena Theriot, is incredibly popular among the population for her handling of the crisis, and she appears a well suited and able leader. Under her leadership, the population and prosperity of Riveraineville has thrived, and the city is clearly entering into a boom of wealth and international influence. It also includes several minor settlements and the resort town of Premcercle.
Structure
The city of Riveraineville is administered through the corporate business system of House Theriot. Previously the city had been run by the associated Houses Pourier and Matherne, but the last heirs to these houses were killed during the recent revolution. House Theriot now administers the entire city on its own, and most of the bureaucratic needs of the community and day to day administration is conducted through other private houses and businesses charted by House Theriot. House Theriot appoints various Commandants to bring to order the outposts, towns, and forts elsewhere through the Free City's administration.
History
There are two distinct periods in Riveraineville's recent history, before and after the Revolution. Prior to the Revolution, Riveraineville originally was founded as a safe refuge for sailors along the Circle Sea. With the Sypi River impassable at the time, it became a good stopping point for those who wanted trade with the fledgling kingdom of Losana. In time, as Losana grew, so did Riveraineville. Riveraineville became an obvious access point into Losana itself, and it was used as part of the staging post for the conquest of Losana by the Jakonian Empire in 267. The Jakonians ruled the city directly for hundreds of years, during which time the city's fates suffered, and the city began to decline and fall into great disrepair. Most trade was instead taking place along Jakonian built roads, rather than by sea. When the Jakonian Empire began to collapse after their defeat at the Battle of Conecuh Lake, the Kingdom of Losana was the first to be given its independence, as part of the treaty signed between the Jakonian and Shin Empires. Riveraineville was assigned as part of the Kingdom.
Three major families grew to control trade and shipping within Riveraineville: Theriot, Pourier, and Matherne. The families were constantly at odds with each other, and this was exploited first by the Jakonians and then later by the Losanans. Towards the beginning of the 11th century, however, the Losanans became distracted by border disputes with Forard and a growing civil war within the Sypi Confederacy. Direct rule over Riveraineville declined and the three families were allowed more control over affairs in the city. Power tilted towards the locals, and this did not go unnoticed by the Losanan kings.
Working together with the Church of the One Sun, the king of Losana in 1020 decided to finally reopen the direct shipping lanes along the Sypi River, providing a direct, non-overland route between Riveraineville and the rest of the Kingdom of Losana. Billed as a crusade against evil, crusaders from Jakonia bolstered the ranks of the Losanan armies as they prepared for an advance north. Fleets of all three houses were mustered, along with a large host of mercenaries and adventurers, all promised vast rewards by the Church and Losana. The resulting Battle of Spider Bend was fought between these forces and a surprising host of infested smaller ships run by spider-like creatures. During the course of the battle, as the tide was finally turned against the spiders, the main Church warship and the flagships of Houses Pourier and Matherne were destroyed in a volatile explosion. While House Theriot was never directly blamed, they definitely benefited from the chaos that emerged.
The main forces of Losana and the Church were involved in a brutal struggle to maintain a fort to keep open the Sypi River, leaving their interests in Riveraineville undefended. The governor of Riveraineville attempted to preserve order in the city, particularly with the decapitation of Houses Matherne and Pourier, but these attempts at martial law only exacerbated the situation. Starting in Old Town and Lizardtown, a rebellion began, as the Losanan guards were eventually overwhelmed by the rioters. The rebels secured some core sectors of the town, but the guards barely maintained control over the docks. With the mediation of a band of adventurers, a peace treaty was brokered, and the soldiers withdrew from the city. This was formalized in an official treaty between House Theriot and the Kingdom of Losana, granting the Free City of Riveraineville its independence in 1020.
Demography and Population
The majority population consists of Losanan humans that have since broken away from their homeland. The second largest segment of the population consists of the surprisingly large lizardfolk communities within Riveraineville and Premcercle, the only known community of these people residing within any major settlement in Emicara outside of their own civilizations. Premcercle and Riveraineville alike both host a sizable crowd of other races, usually hired specialists from other lands. They usually integrate into larger Losanan norms throughout the Free City's territory.
Military
The Free City of Riveraineville is vulnerable to blockades, and to counteract this, House Theriot employs their own military fleet of a collection of ships of both size and quality. Ramshackle in appearance, the Theriot fleet is one of the most experienced battle fleets in Emicara, and while small, is a skilled force at raiding and blockade running, many gaining experience through licensed privateering. Theriot's fireships are often used to break any attempts at blockades that are created. Land defenses are supplemented by a host of mercenary forces, all employed by House Theriot.
The mercenaries make up the bulk of Riveraineville's offensive forces, but the city's defense mostly remains under the city guard. They are an independent, self-financing, organization that despite appearances, has no direct loyalty to House Theriot. They have remained in function for centuries, and hold a proud tradition of protecting the city and enforcing its laws. This often puts them at odds with House Theriot, but the professionalism and expertise of the city guard are what mans the dock towers and keeps order in the city, among the people. They also can be charged with calling up a militia should one be required for defense against a determined threat.
Technological Level
The Free City of Riveraineville has ample access to many of the newest inventions and ideas in the Circle Sea area. Travelers from universities often bring their knowledge and ideas to the marketplaces of Riveraineville, and they sell technologies in the stalls. This has allowed the Free City to remain at the forefront of ideas and development, and they have even made substantial progress into the development of sail and ship technology out of experimentation of their own.
Religion
Under the Kingdom of Losana, the Church of the One Sun was enforced as the state religion upon the people of Riveraineville. The Church remains an influential force among the humans of the Free City, but they have begun to diminish as they look towards the following of the old Losanan gods and their animistic guardians. The Church was allowed to remain in the Free City on a very short leash by House Theriot, due to their active support against Riverainville's efforts to gain independence. Members of the Monastic Brotherhood and the Fellowship of the Palm are completed barred from access to the nation, and they must do so covertly if at all. The lizardfolk of course have their own beliefs, which have influenced the human animists, and many have seen what appears to be the foundation of a new faith emerging in the combined practices of human and lizardfolk.
Foreign Relations
The city of Riveraineville is home to the largest collection of embassies in Emicara. This is because, as a trading city dissociated with any of the major powers, it is an ideal neutral meeting place. Espionage between the great powers and nations are a constant here, and it is the site of the only embassies of the Shin Empire and Kingdom of Populres. The Free City takes a fully neutral approach in these affairs, and rarely gets involved, unless a mediator is requested, in which case one is typically hired from one of the banking houses. The neutral ground of Riveraineville has led to plenty of diplomatic arrangements that offer the city protection, and it is said the Free City has no shortage of allies as long as everyone stays wealthy.
The other key relationship for the Free City is with the Kingdom of Losana. The Free City spent a considerable amount of time under the rules of Losanan governors with occasionally abusive authority. The recent increase of trade with Losana as the Sypi River becomes navigable once more has increased pressure from the Kingdom to integrate Riveraineville once more, with their eyes on the great wealth House Theriot has brought. It would be fairly simply to stop supporting the key fortification at Castle Araignee, which would likely cause the closure of the river once more. For the time being the Kingdom of Losana would face condemnation from all of the other nations of the Circle Sea if they made such a move, but Riveraineville is well aware that they could always play this card if the Free City becomes too aggressive in negotiations.
Agriculture & Industry
There are few natural resources in the area surrounding Riveraineville, being built upon a marsh. The local population does grow a large amount of rice in the fields around the city and several herds of cattle in the few grassy areas of the marsh. There is rarely enough rice and beef created locally to service the whole population, and the fishing fleets have grown exponentially with the city. Beyond that, the majority of industry in the Free City consists of producing the items required for the maintenance of ships of all sizes, and the refining of ocean-based oil. The shipyards of Riveraineville are also world renown, and many come seeking out the local shipwrights to build high quality vessels, sometimes importing hardwoods from as far away as Alsona to make the best and strongest ships possible.
Trade & Transport
The reopening of the Sypi River was a major boon for Riveraineville. Not only did it grant opportunity to gain independence, but it reopened the doors to river trade for the main industrial and agricultural centers of the Kingdom of Losana. Nearly all of these products must pass by the fleets of the Free City, and all must pay taxes and tariffs to do so. Similarly, even with these tariffs, it is substantially cheaper to ship products into Losana via the Sypi River, and the value of these items also make their ways into the Theriot coffers. The markets of Riveraineville offer goods of all types, and it is a popular place both to buy and sell goods for sale in other locations, as even with the Theriot cut, for some goods, it is significantly cheaper to buy and sell here than in the Kingdom of Forard or the Jakonian Empire. Only the illegalization of the slave trade in Riveraineville has prevented them from gaining total dominion of Circle Sea trade.
Education
Education in the Free City of Riveraineville is mostly through the use of privately owned schools and tutors for the humans of the nation. The schools are rarely for profit, but they are typically owned and operated by House Theriot, helping to provide at least a basic level of literacy for most of the people. The lizardfolk were offered a similar arrangement, but the majority of them choose to educate within families, rather than at the sponsorship of the government. For higher education, however, people have to travel to universities in other lands, as none currently exist within Riveraineville itself.
Infrastructure
Transportation and infrastructure in the Free City of Riveraineville is mostly based on the predominance of sea craft. Travel between the capital and other towns and villages takes place almost solely by ship and ferries owned by House Theriot. Within the city of Riveraineville and the town of Premcercle there are a handful of paved roads and paths, but outside of the urban centers, most roads are dirt and often flooded during storms. The shape of the paved roads allow for drainage into the Sypi River, but other than that, there is little sponsored public infrastructure.
We Live Free Upon the Sea
Founding Date
Riftwatch 5, 1020
Type
Geopolitical, City-state
Capital
Demonym
Riverainevillan
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Corporatocracy
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
Copper/Silver/Gold
Major Exports
Fish, petroleum, ships
Major Imports
Iron ore, construction materials, foodstuffs
Legislative Body
House Theriot
Judicial Body
House Theriot
Subsidiary Organizations
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Comments