Hi Ba

Sitting on the Cape of Fair Wind, Hi Ba currently is the seat of the Union of Free Cities Convention of Union and the headquarters of the Harwick Trade Company. While the influence the city holds is a relatively recent development, it has existed for over 9000 years with a rich culture of maritime tradition, industriousness, and mercantile practice. Currently the largest city in Pillarin, it is believed to even rival Throne in Sinderlan in population. Its dual nature as a major port and agricultural hub has contributed to a diverse and evolving history that has benefitted from many cultures passing through. The city's leader, or Sebastos, spearheaded the creation of the Union of Free Cities in 9032.
While many in Pillarin view it as a cultural hub, it has also earned a reputation amongst citizens of Plentius as an interloping power as the Harwick Trade Company, with the city's blessing and resources, has settled many company towns in the wilds.

Demographics

The city, being a major gateway port, is filled with virtually every race on Perradin. As census data is not made public beyond nominal numbers, it is impossible to say with any certainty what the breakdown is. However, it is predominantly inhabited by humans, elves, and Yuan Ti, believe to be the oldest inhabitants of the region.

History

While much of the history of Hi Ba is shrouded in mystery before the era of the First Free City, it has made a significant influence over the development of culture in Pilalrin over the ages.
Archaeology posits that the first settlement was constructed of mud huts known as Bulbonas on a small outcropping in the otherwise flat landscape of the Cape of Fair Winds. The agreeable climate apparently led to a boom in agriculture and population. The first written records of Hi Ba appear in the form of ancient trade documents, dating from around the 5th century. They mainly complained about the fact that Hi Ba had been funding bandits along the roads to the north and funneling their funds to the city. This is believed to be the origin of the common saying, "To be Hi Ba'd" into an unfortunate situation. Additional ancient documents make mention of the city being a respectable trade hub by the first millennium.

Starfall Response Ingenuity

When the Starfall occured in 1507, the farmlands of the Hi Ba Lowlands suffered immensely. The dust that filled the atmosphere killed most of the crops of the region, creating one of the first major food shortages in the city's history. The region, like most of Pillarin was plunged into a sudden and unforeseen ecological collapse. Hi Ba rallied with nearby Stapseave to care for refugees incoming from the ruined lowland plains. Together, they devised an artificial method of providing crops with sunlight: a large contingency of magic users casting light-emitting spells across vast areas to grow crops.
Impact craters from Velnor's falling debris impacted and destroyed large swaths of farmland in the ensuing decades. However, due to the techniques developed early in the Starfall, the recovery of the land was quick and effective.

The Bigton Wars

In the late 61st century, the Free City of Bigton formed the Bigton League, a coalition of a dozen Free Cities from the Ammar Midlands intended to gain control over neutral territory along the ancient Imperial Highway to further their economic superiority. The Bigton Wars began in earnest in 6100 as the joint militaries declared war on their neighbors. While they did not conquer other Free Cities, they would force them into submissive states in which they were required to join the Bigton League, contributing massive amounts of indemnity and membership dues. As the armies of the League advanced south to the Hi Ba Lowlands, Hi Ba prepared for war.
In 6112, Sebastos Gar Stantus commissioned the great walls of Hi Ba. These walls were constructed from the natural clay deposits of the region combined with stone ripped from the ancient Starfall impact craters to the north of the city. The great walls were built around the entire perimeter of the sprawling city, and became known as the Velnor Barrier due to its composition of lunar debris. As the Bigton League armies approached in 6118, they surrounded the city and claimed the majority of the farmland. They demanded Hi Ba surrender their merchant fleet to the League, but were rebuffed. This led to the Siege of Hi Ba, which lasted three years. During this time, the city was assaulted by siege engines and magical attacks. In 6121, a segment of the Velnor Barrier collapsed and the city was forced to surrender.
The merchant fleet was officially handed over to the Bigton League in 6122. While the cost was immense, the Bigton League elected to not require Hi Ba's membership. Intended as a show of generosity, the League instead chose to dismantle the Velnor Barrier and take its pieces north to Bigton where they were incorporated into the city's walls. The new Bigton League merchant fleet was sunk the next year in a massive storm when attempting to cross the Bay of Wik.
After the devastation brought on by the war with the Bigton League in 6121, Hi Ba was relegated to a rump state controlling just the farmland in the immediate surroundings of the city. While it still maintained some trade relationships with the Bigton League members, it was relegated to a role of relative obscurity for over 1000 years as a small Free City dealing mostly in agricultural trade.

Return to Power

In 7402 following the collapse of the Bigton League alliance, the Sebastos Gideon Bekk began an expansion campaign to regain control over some of the neutral territory of the Hi Ba Lowlands by courting the local farmers into their allegiance through offers of gold. Additionally, the city began to re-establish its merchant fleet. Trade was reopened, and Hi Ba became the premier coastal trade hub in the south due to immense tax cuts it allowed for trade corporations, which began to flock to the city. By the end of the century, the city had regained a great deal of its strength, which it maintained for centuries afterward. 
In 8892, the Harwick Trade Company, a corporation based in Hi Ba petitioned for permission to settle company towns in Plentius. The owner, Heim Harwick, convinced Sebatos Glem Bertold that immense monetary value could be extracted from the region. The initiative was approved, resulting in the next century being characterized by the greatest influx of resources and wealth a Free City had seen in eons. 
As the Harwick Trade Company grew in power, so too did the city of Hi Ba. The city's culture spread to every corner of Plentius through the Harwick Company Towns, even being named in words from the ancient Hi Ba language. The entirety of the Hi Ba Lowlands became a unified economic zone as surrounding cities became interested in the lucrative resources flowing from the city. A population boom struck the city, catapulting its population to over 9 million by the end of the 90th century. 
HTC established gargantuan factories and workhouses in Hi Ba, constructing immense smokestacks that now characterize the city's skyline. The streets were illuminated with new technologies created by the company, all sold at discount to the Hi Ba government. Due to the increased size of the company, workers' rights began to be repressed. Union meetings were illegalized inside the city limits and child labor was legalized. 

The Union of Free Cities

Early in the Fen expansion in the east of Pillarin, Hi Ba was content to trade with the new power. However, by the 91st century, it became clear that the power was intent on taking all Free Cities in Pillarin. In 9032 during an emergency summit of leaders from Free Cities not under Fen control, Sebastos Carson Kierman proposed the remaining cities unite in a confederation to oppose the Fen advance. In a rare show of solidarity, the leaders of the summit agreed and laid out the Writ of Union, forming the Union of Free Cities. 
The Union charter stipulated that the capital of the confederation rotate every year to avoid the optics of one city controlling the others. However, in the time since its formation, Hi Ba has been selected as capital 12 of the 15 times. This has risen alerts of potential corruption, instigated by the power of Harwick Trade.

Architecture

The architecture of Hi Ba is unique amongst the southern Free Cities. While neighboring cities focus on far more angular construction, the culture of Hi Ba has evolved to center around sharp acute angles, tapering into voluminous curves. The most ancient buildings in Hi Ba are believed to be based off a traditional clay "kiss hut" which are believed to have been the building of choice of the original settlers before the age of the First Free City. The kiss huts, known locally as Bulbonas, are bulb-shaped domed structures with a sharp point at their apex. The name kiss hut comes as a direct translation of Bulbonas, an apparent allusion to the shape a humanoid makes with their mouth when kissing.
The Bulbonas' design have influenced a great deal of the architectural development of the city, as many large municipal and public buildings are capped with enormous domes in the same shape. The sharp points of the tip also are considered popular, and are a

Geography

Hi Ba is settled on the southern coast of Pillarin's Hi Ba Lowlands on the Cape of Fair Wind. The inner bend of the cape has been fully converted into an enormous shipping dock complex while the outer bend is purely residential in nature. Natural clay deposits on the cape are the main source of building material for the lower class, capable of creating sturdy and cheap housing.
The waters around the cape are dredged monthly to ensure heavy pollutants and litter do not impede ships, thus making the waters a brilliant golden brown for the first half of each month. The city itself is very slightly elevated on a mild incline due to an ancient rocky outcropping in the center of the cape. 
The lands surrounding the city are primarily lowland grassland with few hills or major features. As such, much has been converted into farmland or is part of the urban sprawl that houses the nearly 10 million inhabitants of the city. Much like the Hi Ba Lowlands as a whole, the land to the north is grassland with sparse thin forests and farms.

Climate

Hi Ba sits in a uniquely temperate environment just south of Perradin's equator. The wind and water currents in the region create a unique environment for the city and the Hi Ba Lowlands where the winters and summers are mild compared to its neighboring regions. This has made the region capable of year round farming capable of sustaining the city's expanding population.

"Pillarin's gem of the south and Plentius' bane of the north"

-Common sailor's saying

Founding Date

Before the Era of the First Free City

Type

Large city

Population

9,841,013 (9045 census)

Inhabitant Demonym

Hiba'ns

Location under

Hi Ba Lowlands

Owner/Ruler

Caslinna Tren

Ruling/Owning Rank

Sebastos

Characters in Location

• Koloth