This riverside city sits mainly on the east bank of the Avan river, with a canal/mote that covers it's eastern flank with some development on the west bank and is also surrounded by an ancient and historical stone wall maintained through the centuries. The city itself is dense, full of old apartments and family homes with the majority of buildings done in the classical Arenian-Illaguan style. Juxtaposed in complete contrast to these buildings, are four apartment mid rises near the city center done in the Apian-Brutalist style that are unique in having a 50 degree slope at the top of the buildings. Under one of these buildings a few hundred feet away the Palace of the Concejo can be seen from most angles in the city, with its three spires emerging from it's relatively low height of two floors that go up about 50ft to mark its presence. The city is unique amongst Arenian settlements for having more numerous and smaller plaza's, as opposed to larger plaza's associated with grand works of architecture because of the city's history with Arenian theocracy and as a result has no Ziggurauts in sight. At the rise of Cicloism, the inhabitants of Rio Avan enthusiastically embraced the new religion and dismantled their ziggurats repurposing the stone and bricks into constructing the Palace of the Concejo which would host a council of representatives elected from a body of affluent and educated systems by other educated citizens, not too dissimilar to Conión though with the exception of lacking a powerful head of state.
The city's geographic position has naturally lended to Rio Avan being contested over, with rivaling influences from the Nations of the Cape, Conión and the Khozra's that a culture of self determination and independence was cultivated from the struggle of existing in all of these factions spheres of influence. Famously, during Khozra's campaign to conquer the peninsula at around 950 BAI, the defenders of the city repelled her approaching army with a daring night time attack buying the Alianza time to make their way up north. Although the Alianza would eventually be defeated, and Rio Avan punitively sacked for giving the clan the bloodiest nose during the campaign, it remains a proud moment for Avanos to the present day. After the Apian Empires collapse, Rio Avan resumed juggling between being absorbed by the influence of Conión and protecting itself from its neighbors until it joined the Commonwealth of Arenia. Eventually the city would be pressed into the Imperial order, but not after resisting for a number of years until reaching a more amenable deal.
During the Industrial Revolution and the modern Pre-War Era, Rio Avan was an important logistics center for Northern Arenia as it moved product to and from Hoinito and Khozra and played an important role in the construction of Puerto Esperanza. It also had a number of different chemical plants for producing chemicals like ammonia for fertilizer, among others, and with all of this economic activity it was also the center for finance in Northern Arenia. However, this was also the same time as anarchist emerged with greater power in the 1960's and 70's that took up the banner of independence and resistance that the city was famous for. A revolt had to be put down at the same time the Empire was fighting the 4th Alianza War, and if it weren't for the Alliance's sudden defeat in 1971 ISC it may have succeeded at least in a limited sense but was quickly put down.
In the post-war era, the city was partially depopulated with the creation of the CMP and electrical grid collapse, and was used by the CMP regime as a frontier settlement to launch operations against the nomads that emerged from the Great War, and project their influence in the surrounding area. Although the residents then may have seen the CMP using their powers to form a military district as practical in the past, their despotic policies and insistence on conscripting Avano's has made them grow very unpopular and were kicked out by the 5th Alianza Coalition headed by the Republic of the Arediana and the Royal Karieban Federation in 2419 ISC upon the request of surviving former councilors of the city who avoided being purged the year previous. It was a momentous event, as it was the first time Arenia has been successfully invaded in multiple millennia, and the foreign Coalition was seen as a welcome change by the people of the city. Currently, Rio Avan is trying to establish itself as a Free City, like Puerto Esperanza, within the fold of the Coalition so that it may preserve it's independent status, and it has a long and hard road ahead of it. OVN TRAVEL ADVISORY: The Expeditionary Fleet is currently locked in combat with CMP forces and the conflict remains unresolved in the east, and clan warfare is ongoing to the west in the Hoinito Cape. Traveling outside the city and the T-1 highway is highly discouraged.
In the post-war era, the city was partially depopulated with the creation of the CMP and electrical grid collapse, and was used by the CMP regime as a frontier settlement to launch operations against the nomads that emerged from the Great War, and project their influence in the surrounding area. Although the residents then may have seen the CMP using their powers to form a military district as practical in the past, their despotic policies and insistence on conscripting Avano's has made them grow very unpopular and were kicked out by the 5th Alianza Coalition headed by the Republic of the Arediana and the Royal Karieban Federation in 2419 ISC upon the request of surviving former councilors of the city who avoided being purged the year previous. It was a momentous event, as it was the first time Arenia has been successfully invaded in multiple millennia, and the foreign Coalition was seen as a welcome change by the people of the city. Currently, Rio Avan is trying to establish itself as a Free City, like Puerto Esperanza, within the fold of the Coalition so that it may preserve it's independent status, and it has a long and hard road ahead of it. OVN TRAVEL ADVISORY: The Expeditionary Fleet is currently locked in combat with CMP forces and the conflict remains unresolved in the east, and clan warfare is ongoing to the west in the Hoinito Cape. Traveling outside the city and the T-1 highway is highly discouraged.
Founding Date
2500 BAI
Type
City
Population
Approximately 50,000-100,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Avano(a)
