Bareniai

Bareniai is a city originally founded by human settlers from Oneraga before Terios was it current size. After the fall of the Avaronian Empire the current lands of Terios were still mainly uncolonized. This led to rise of some smaller kingdoms and city states of which Bereniai was one. The first settlement appeared in 123 AE and was build along the Gelor river.

Appearance

The general look of Bareniai is vastly different from the rest of Terios in some parts of the city. While the majority of settlements at that time were by previous slaves from the Avaronian Empire Bareniai was build by settlers from Oneraga a continent that had mainly kept to itself. For this reason the city itself largely resembles cities from that continent. A traditional building is constructed mainly out of wood in combination with woven bamboo and white plaster. What most people will notice on first sight is the style of roofs that are used. Instead of going straight down, the roofs in Bareniai are curved with the endings pointing upwards. However over the years more and more people from around the country settled within the city resulting in a more mixed culture in some parts of the city. The merchant and temple district exist solely out of traditional building styles. The other parts of the city however tend to have a mixture of buildings with many being build completely in stone. Elements that stay the same in the entire city however are the use of white walls and curved roofs.

Economy and politics

Bareniai has been a major trading city state since the beginning of the Middle Era. Since it is the only city in the region that originally traded with the continent of Oneraga it quickly became the source of all exotic goods in the area. To this day Bareniai is still the most likely place to find exotic weapons, armor, technology and other goods. Besides the material goods one can find educations from the schools from Oneraga that settled in the city. Aspiring monks travel to Bareniai to study martial arts in one of the monasteries inside or outside the city.
Although the city is part of Terios it has it’s own rule in most local matters. The city is controlled by several trading families, guilds, prominent clergy and headmasters of the monasteries. From this council a mayor is elected every 4 years but most of the time power remains within the same family for several decades.

History

After its founding by Oneragan settlers in 122 AE Bareniai quickly rose to fulfill a major part in the local trade. Since most of the region was still uncolonized the expansion was fast when more and more colonists arrived. Several smaller settlements were constructed in the region around the main city and several prosperous decades followed. In 189 AE the southern regions of current Terios were plagued by Goblinoid raids which forced Bareniai to band together with several neighboring states. Once peace had once again been achieved the city managed to expand it’s influence over it’s neighbors that eventually joined it’s territories. The largest town constructed in that period of time was Avemtaria which people today still consider a smaller version of Bareniai. For several centuries the region remained moderately quiet with the occasional small scale dispute over territory between Labos and Bareniai.
In 426 AE Terios started it’s expansion from it’s capital Golandon and by 435 AE it controlled most areas around the Oronia Basin. From the city of Ostend a large fleet was created under orders of the king of Terios. This was a wise move since in 466 AE an invasion attempt was made by the Pavan Empire which was quickly stopped by the powerful fleet of Terios. Seeing that they couldn’t win against Terios, the fleet from the Pavan Empire sailed south towards Gareshi Island on which some settlements of Bareniai were located. The fleet managed to raid and sack several settlements before returning to their continent. This event led to the construction of Bareniai Fortress now know as Bareniai Prison.
When in 678 AE another invasion attempt was made, this time by the Elevir Isles, Bareniai managed to stop the fleet at Gareshi Island at a cost of most of it’s own navy. The neighboring country of Varena made use of the weakened state of the city to send it’s own army. Bareniai asked for the aid of Terios, which had been a good trading partner since several decades. This alliance allowed them to stop the army of Varena and force them back towards Hadris. Several years later Bareniai helped Terios in return with the conquest of Labos. Since both the army and fleet of Terios were much larger than Bareniai’s own forces it agreed to become a protectorate under Terios while keeping it’s own rule.

Founding Date

122 AE

Type

City