Cyrene (/kairi:n/)
ⲔⲒⲢⲜⲚⲜ
Cyrene Colosseum by Nathan Wong
As you step into the city of Cyrene, you can't help but feel impressed by its construction. The inner wall you pass next to is almost perfectly smooth, and you stand on a beautifully paved road lined with magic lights, and well maintained houses. As you look further into the city, bright as day even deep underground, you see a sprawling expanse of buildings leading to a central shaft filled with another hollow cylinder of wrought iron. A large platform moves down this pillar hissing steam all the way.The city of Cyrene is capital of the Regnum Cyrenica, and is the heart of an industrial revolution in southern Galisea. Built entirely within the expansive caverns of a mountain, it is a heavily fortified wonder to behold. The city historically went into several periods of expansion and decline, but has recently, thanks to the rapid development of its economy become, once again, an economic powerhouse. Unique even among Dwarven cities is that, at least on the fully completed layers, the city is a near perfect cylinder, with transit provided by stairs lining the sides of the city's walls, or via the Great Elevator constructed from a shaft down the city's center.
Districts of Cyrene
As it was formed underground, Cyrene's Districts are layered on top of each other with generally wealthier districts being carved into the rock at higher points in the mountain closer to the sky, and with the homes of the working class being lower.The 1st District: Built up during the early days of the Regnum Cyrenica, the 1st District is the oldest of the formally assigned districts of the city, and is home to the Mithral Palace, the Temple to Silus, and the Grand Library, and is home to the city's wealthy and elite.
The 2nd District: Another older district, the 2nd was carved directly out of the caves at ground level. Here most of the Forum Cyrena is located, and is a place where traders from far and wide can be found plying their wares, much of the merchant classes live here.
The 3rd District: The last of the "Old" Districts, the third was created after the foundation of the city as it expanded during the middle Forging Period, formerly a mining district, now home to much of the city's working population, the Colosseum, many of the city's lesser temples, and base of the gas vents.
The 4th District: A newer district, the 4th is home to most of the city's industries, particularly the largest of its forges, and was until recently, still actively being mined.
The 5th District: Still being hewn out of the mountain, the 5th District is where the city's mines are located, and where it will expand in the future. As the deepest tunnels are being carved away, many new dangers are discovered, and an adventurer could make a fair amount of coin cleaning out the more dangerous denizens of the underdark.
Important Locations
The Mithral Palace: Seat of government for the Regnum Cyrenica, the Mithral Palace doubles as a meeting place for the city's ruling council, and a residence for the reigning Cyrus Rex. It is quite difficult to enter the building as one needs a formal invitation to even be allowed in. Many of the more dangerous quests can be taken up by employers from here however.The Temple to Silus: Home to the resident priesthood of the Cult of Silus, the most powerful in Cyrenica today, the Temple of Silus is probably the best place to go in search of magical healing.
The Grand Library: One of the oldest libraries in all of Galisea, the Grand Library of Cyrenica is the best place to go searching for arcane, or forbidden lore.
The Forum Cyrena: The city's main marketplace, trades come from far and wide to trade wares here, and it is one of the few places one can obtain "off the rack" magic items, courtesy of the city's more skilled forgemasters.
The Colosseum: A place for the city's working class to unwind the Colosseum is a grand amphitheater where sporting competitions from races to blood sport are held.
The Mines: The mines of Cyrene are its most dangerous locale, still being mined out, and host to a number of foul creatures that skulk in the dark, many mine foremen will gladly pay for an adventurer to protect operations here.
The Great Elevator: Constructed along the central shaft of Cyrene, the Great Elevator is a massive construction that enables large amounts of personnel and cargo to transit the wards of the city easily, currently it relies on magically enhanced clockwork to power itself, though a Gnomish artificer by the name of Illia Bedonia has concieved of a motor powered by boiling water that they hope could perform the task.
Demographics
Cyrene is a huge city, with a population, as recorded by the most recent house records, of 124,589 persons. All of the free population of Cyrene are considered citizens thanks to the Edict of Aurelius. There are slaves in the city, though the population has been on a steady decline for a few hundred years. As of the most recent recording, there are 3,517 enslaved persons living in the city. Most of the city's population consists of Cyrenic, though there is a sizable Grecci minority, Aarumites are a minority in the city, and most of them are of the enslaved class.
Government
The city of Cyrene is nominally ruled directly by the Cyrus Rex as part of their royal domain. However, on a functional level, Cyrene's real center of power is the house council composed of the most influential houses who pass most of the city's ordinances and oversee the local civil service, which manages the day to day operations of the city, such as tax collection, law enforcement, and construction and maintenance of the extensive infrastructure necessary to keep Cyrene operating.
Defences
The primary defense of the city is its highly defensible location literally buried under Mount Enricus and having only four major entrances. These entrances are made to be easily fortified in the event of a siege. The city can rely on, for its defense, the might of the 3rd Cyrenic Legion, which is permanently garrisoned in the city, as well as the Cyrus Rex's own Mithral Guard, and the city watch which can count on an additional 782 full time, and 351 part time City Watch members.
Industry & Trade
Cyrene is the heart of Galisea's earliest industrial revolution, and is as a result the home of the most highly developed industries in the world. The first and largest of these are the city's forges, which take ore, transported in from the nearby mountains and using it to craft a great many forged projects. The forges provide many of the machine parts for manufactories and mills that are used to produce a number of consumer goods. Some of the city's industries have even developed parts standardization, though this is largely the purview of tool and weapon mills than of consumer goods manufacturers.
Infrastructure
As it is underground, the city of Cyrene requires an extensive infrastructure network to even function properly. Water is supplied to the city via an extensive plumbing and aqueduct network that lead from the mountaintop glaciers into the city. Food is supplied via a primitive magically supported, hydroponic system wherein specialized magic lanterns supply the equivalent of sunlight to plants. Outside there are great magically powered lights that hang over every layer of the city providing daylight equivalent light for those who can't see in the dark, and a dense network of smaller nights emulating a starry night during off hours. An underground conveyer network, also powered by magic, transports mined ore from nearby mines into the city's forges. Great vents were hewn from the mountain that allow the noxious gases of the city to flow outside, and prevent the suffocation of the city's residents. The centerpiece of Cyrenic transit is the Great Elevator which moves crowds of dwarves, and bulk cargo up and down the city's districts.
Guilds and Factions
The city is home to a number of powerful craft guilds that have even established a level of influence in local politics. The largest and most important of theses is the smith's guild, representing skilled blacksmiths, silversmiths, jewelers, and armorers, as well as semiskilled and unskilled manufactory workers. The second largest is the miners guild, which of course, represents the city's miners as well as those who maintain the conveyer network. The melter's guild is also quite influential, being in control of the waterworks. Lastly there are a number of other minor guilds representing niche interests, though there is talk of uniting various textile worker's guilds into a single large one.
History
Cyrene was first settled during the later years of the Yulani Period as dwarves were made to flee from their lower lying homelands in Northern Aeilla during the expansionary phases of the Yulan-Tai Empire. These settlers, better accustomed to the darkness of caves adapted readily to their new living situation, carving homes out of the solid rock. Over time this small band of refugees established a small village that steadily grew into a modest city throughout the later Yulani Period.
Cyrene really began to grow after the collapse of the Yulan-Tai Empire, and as the dwarven familial groups increasingly concentrated power in Cyrene and other mountain-cities. This culminated in the establishment of the Regnum Cyrenica, and the naming of Cyrene as the capital of this state. With the political clout of being a national capital, Cyrene ballooned in size, as people moved close to the centers of power. As the heart of a burgeoning empire Cyrene entered its Golden Age. Fallout from the Brother's War however saw an end to this Golden Age as the expansionary phase of the Cyrenic Regnum ended, and the state turned in on itself, with the Feloran Invasions a few generations later hastening this decline.
Cyrene would have something of a renaissance however, when the House of Davius refined the smithing process and radically transformed the rate of production for worked goods. This discovery caused a rapid expansion in the city's economic output and once again. In the past century, even as Cyrenica itself has stabilized under a much lesser state than its former glories, Cyrenica has developed into the beating heart of an economic sea change.
Geography
Cyrene has been carved out of Mount Enricus over successive centuries, and indeed this mountain is the dominating geographic feature of the city, as well as providing a great many resources for the use of the city's inhabitants. The glaciers on the top of the mountain provide fresh water for the city, extensive iron ore is used by the city's forges, and even enabled its expansion through the ages, and the mountain itself provides for the city's greatest defense.
Founding Date
EY 510
Type
Large city
Population
124,589
Inhabitant Demonym
Cyrenian
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
