Founding
The founding of Capita Emporio is intrinsically tied to the formation of the first
The Founder's Council of Ithosia. Which was formed, initially due to the emerging threat of an encroaching horde of violent humanoids from the northern territories that would eventually become Estrua and Bastion. The council, which consisted of sixteen representatives of the small villages, farms, and communities of pre-Ithosia, was able to coordinate and beat back the forces of the horde.
Afterwards, the council and people of the various communities decided it was a much better course of action to stay unified. And as such made the first Founder’s Council a permanent fixture, whose first decree was the formation of the Republic of Ithosia, the founding of the new country's capital Capita Emporio, and the building in which the current, and all future councils would hold court, the
The Imperium Inpero Amphitheatre.
The name Ithosia comes from the ridge in which the last battle between the soon-to-be citizens of the republic and the horde took place. Ithosia, being the name of a farming family was killed mercilessly by the horde in the early days of the attacks. The name was chosen to honour forever, some of the first lives lost in the battle.
The name Capita Emporio has a much less romantic origin, for its name simply translates to mean the Trade Capital. As the new Ithosians wished to tell the world, we are open to trade and willing to do business.
You can read a more in-depth description of the founding story of Ithosia here.
Demographics
The permanent population of the city primarily consists of naturally born Ithosians. While immigrating to Ithosia is not impossible, it is very difficult, as each person applying to immigrate officially must go throw a long and arduous approval process. And the local Council of Community must discuss each and every immigration application in order to ensure the applying citizen is an appropriate fit and will be useful to Ithosia. As such, these applications can take months or years as the council has limited time to review each case, and a long waiting list has developed.
Out of the few immigrated citizens, the most common are those coming from either Estrua from the north or merchants that are plying their trade along the southern coasts via the Vilanto Sea. Estrua is a trusted trade and military ally, and applications from Estrau natives are bumped to the top. Merchants are often treated much the same, being put at the head of the list as well because it is good for the economy to have more citizens with access to international trade networks coming to live in the city.
If an immigrant is granted permanent resident status, they officially become an Ithosian citizen with all the related perks and benefits. Including the ability to run for either branch of the Founder's Council. However, they must also follow all rules and regulations now that they are citizens and will be expected to adopt the Ithosian culture as their own. Though they are allowed to continue practicing their native culture and beliefs, but it might garner them some odd glances. But as long as the new citizen pays their taxes and contributes to the community local governance will leave them be.
Capita Emporio, and Ithosia as a whole, also harbour a culture of deep distrust for any person of humanoid ancestry due to their founding history. Unfortunately due to the actions of one violent humanoid horde, it has painted all humanoids in a poor light ever since in the eyes of Ithosia.
Because of this, there are no official citizens of Ithosia that are of humanoid ancestry, and none have ever been granted citizenship in the country's long history. Nearly twenty years ago a large-scale battle nearly erupted because a peaceful party of humanoids requested passage by the city's borders on their trek towards Raum'alur. The worst-case scenario was narrowly avoided thanks in part to two leaders, one from each side that kept level heads and were able to parlay safe passage without incident.
Government
All governance for Ithosia and all of its cities and communities are handled by the overarching authority of the Founder’s Council. The council is split into two distinct entities, the Council of Community, which handles all matters of local governance, and the Republic’s Council, which handles all matters of national importance.
Capita Emporio is unique in that not only are they the home of the first-ever Founder’s Council (which initially handled all governance before breaking up into the two branches about a hundred years after its formation) but it is also the only city in Ithosia that has two residing councils.
As the city is home to both their local governing body, the Council of Community. And is the residing city in which the Republic’s Council holds court. No other city is home to the Republic’s Council, and all other cities have their own residing Council of Community.
Capita Emporio’s Council of Community is also the largest in all the republic, due to its size and population, with 36 active councillors seated on its Council of Communities, and 24 active councillors seated on the Republic's Council. The closest to this size is the northern city of Porysis which has 24, and 16, active councillors seated respectively.
Appius Claudius Caecus is led into the Curia Hostilia by his sons. by Cesare Maccari
Trade and Industry
The Capita Emporio leads the world in several things due to their equal access to land and sea trade routes. They have a heavy investment in the fishing industry, the merchants trade both by land and sea and in the production of a unique spice called Iko.
Merchant Trade
Capita Emporio is the largest trade city in Ithosia and is one of the largest port cities on the southern coast. The only other country that rivals than in active merchant trade is the port city of Roseport along the western coast of central Heldrin. But due to the rough waters and long travel between the western and southern coasts, Roseport has lagged behind somewhat when compared to Capita Emporio, which deals with more favourable circumstances.
Capita Emporio has the benefit of a better climate, better-built sailing boats, and easier access to close trading partners. All of this gives them various advantages, including the ability to travel more efficiently for longer stretches of time, making shorter trips between itself and their close-by neighbours like Mijhail and the Island Frontier of the Vilanto Sea, and the benefits of not having to worry about shifting seasons.
The merchant sailors of Ithosia do make longer trips to the western coast towards Casarei and Heldrin. But are very selective with what they ship and when; choosing specific times of the year where the currents of the Vilanto Sea are more favourable, and help to slingshot ships up towards the western coast much faster than is possible with merchant ships travelling in the opposite direction. And even though the trip back may be arduous, at least they don't have to worry about product spoiling and only need to concern themselves with where to secure their money.
Fishing Industry
Ithosia, Capita Emporio specifically, is the leading provider of mass-market fish in the entire world. With various private fishing entities sailing the shallow water regions of the Vilanto Sea catching, transporting, and selling a massive amount of fresh and dried fish to Mijhail, Casarei, Estrua, and even the occasional trade with the Gnomish Lands and Baizair.
Estrua to the north is a surprisingly frequent customer for the fishing industry, as they are completely land locked but still have a taste for the sea-dwelling fish of the Vilanto Sea. It is not an infrequent site to see large Estruan merchant carts trundling down the long trade route that snakes down the central corridor of the continent heading towards the gates of Capita Emporio to trade valuables and gold for cart fulls of dried and salted sea fish.
One of Capita Emporio’s largest fishing companies is the Ithosian Boating and Fishing company, a private entity that has become the leader in custom-built sailing ships and the fishing of highly valued, hard-to-find fish like the
Deep-Sea Vilanto Torwin. Which has become quite the sought-after delicacy in recent years.
Iko Spice - Ikorys Tree
The Ikorys Tree is a symbol in Ithosia, it symbolizes strength in the face of adversity and endurance over long stretches of time. An Ikorys Tree lies in the center of the Imperium Inpero Amphitheatre, where all governing for the city and the nation occurs. It is said the tree has stood there since before the founding of the city, and that if it were to ever fall the city and the nation would soon follow.
But the Ikorys Tree is also the source of the popular spice, Iko, which can only be grown and produced in an Ithosian climate. The surrounding areas to the north of Capita Emporia are full of Ikorys Tree groves. And much of the Iko spice produced is packaged and sent south for trade across the southern coast. Iko spice has become especially popular in Casarei cuisine, and since the country lies on the western coast it sells at a premium.
Iko spice is produced via the bark of an adult Ikorys Tree, which is ground into a fine powder and packaged into either thick burlap sacks or clay wax topped containers. The Ikorys Tree takes three to five years to grow to maturity, and the stripping of the bark must be done carefully and infrequently so that it doesn’t damage or kill the tree in any way. The tree’s bark does grow back quite well, but it takes nearly a year for an adult tree to fully regrow its bark, making it only harvestable once annually.
Iko spice has a somewhat sour and fruity taste to it and has become a popular addition to many things including various Ithosian beverages like Neos Bootch, and desserts like Creamed Fruit.
Geography and Weather
The city is located along the southern coast of Fyria alongside the Vilanto Sea. It has one of the largest ports on the continent, which runs for nearly twenty-four kilometres across the city's coastal border, including a large tributary that runs a short distance deeper into central Capita Emporio. Used for easier merchant business conducted between the sailor merchants and the inner-city market and land-trade route merchants.
The southern region of Capita Emporio has many sandy beaches of warm coarse sand, followed by gently rolling hills of short grass and bleached white rock. It is common to find short tropical trees with broad frilled leaves and stocky bushes of a variety of herbs that can be used in cuisine and medicine.
Outside of the main city, but still within its territory, to the north are sprawling groves of Ikorys Tree. Along with a growing number of other fruit trees and farmland used to feed the citizens of the capital of the republic. The land to the north of the main city is less sandy and most crops grow better in the more loamy soil there.
Capita Emporio lies in a tropical climate and typically experiences warm to hot weather year-round and does not experience a traditional winter or fall. They get a lot of rainfall, and even the occasional tropical storm, but overall the weather is quite nice and favourable for farming a variety of fruits and vegetables year-round. Outside of Capita Emporio, in northern Ithosia, the weather mellows out a bit and becomes more temperate.
City Infrastructure
The city is broken up into five primary sections, the port in the south along the coast, the trade and business section that follows it directly afterwards, the political quarter in the west where all governance happens, and the primary housing region which sits along the north and east region of the main city. And lastly, the farming territory resides outside of the main city to the north. Though some special farms of certain crop varieties do exist to the east and west closer to the coast.
All of the buildings in these sections are primarily made of limestone quarried from nearby in the east, and timber is either sourced from the forests of northern Ithosia or imported from Estrua when a greater need is required. Many of the buildings associated with politics and entertainment are grand in nature, having tall pillars and grand facades with art carvings and colourful paintings being prominent.
Common homes and businesses are more straightforward in construction, being made of similar materials but with fewer frivolities and grandeur. Being more mundane in nature. However, all buildings, both common and grand often have some sort of water feature and at least one living crop-bearing plant (either a tree, bush, or other fruit or vegetable-bearing plant) within the building. Both of these are considered symbolic and to bring good fortune. With the living plant carrying a similar symbolism as the Ikoyrs Tree of the nearby amphitheatre. If the plant dies, the household or business may find bad luck imminent but if the plant thrives so too will your home and those within it.
The city itself appears as almost stacked, with many squared limestone and wooden homes appearing as if they are piled upon each other due to the slight hilled incline between the southern and northern regions of the city.
Capita Emporio is one of the few modern cities on the continent, especially the southern coastal ones, to include both water and sewage systems. Several large stone aqueducts run throughout the city, giving access to fresh water, running up from deep wells in the north, to almost all homes and businesses in the city.
Their sewer system consists of large public dumping spots accessible throughout the city. They are designed similar in appearance to a large well, with each leading deep underground to a vast network of sewage tunnels. Each tunnel congregates to one of half a dozen deposits along the coast where the waste is flushed out into the sea. Most of the population is completely oblivious as to how bad this could be for future wildlife and the health of the area in general along the coast.
Comments