Yuva
Yuva is a small city in Arduli. It is located in East Khidiana, on the western coast of Lake Vaphula. The settlement is marked by its fishing and dyer’s industry, as well as its marked economic disparity. Yuva is also known as the most fervently pro-Arduli town in East Khidiana.
Government and Defences
The ruler of Yuva is the tiefling male Praetor Silver Appastola. He is a bold and proud man, known for his love of wealth. Seven allagia of the Dicarian Legions guard the settlement, along with Yuva’s Asteramlioi. Yuva is surrounded by Andram’s Wall, named after the Praetor that helped build it. The Dividing Walls separate each district within the city.Commerce
Much of Yuva’s commerce comes from fishing. As well, the dyes and inks extracted from flora and fauna within Lake Vaphula have made Yuva a famous location for those industries.Geography
Yuva is in the Arduli Dynasty, in southeastern East Khidiana. It is on the north bank of the western coast of Lake Vaphula. Yuva has a sort of crescent shape to it; all of its wards have docks on the lake. The city is the capital of the Praetorate of Melantho-Vaphula.Districts
Yuva has three districts: Appastolako, Fisherman’s Ward, and Dyer’s Quarter.Appastolako
Appastolako is the newest district of Yuva, located on the western side of the city. All of its residents come from the upper class, being either nobility or wealthy merchants. It is named after the House of Appastola, being the ones to have constructed it. Landmarks in Appastolako include:- Appastola Manor - the residence of the ruling House of Appastola. It was constructed in 1363 MT, when the family wished to move out of Scarredwood Keep.
- The Slaying of the Dragon - a monument dedicated to the Yuvanite Rebellion. It depicts Zhalita and Hadyanos slaying a dragon ontop of its horde. The dragon bears a remarkable resemblance to Etharnabali, the dragon that ruled over Ahagwuena during the Arcane Age. The monument is built atop the ruins of a Congregationalist temple that was destroyed during the revolt.
- Dawn’s Light Bathhouse - an expensive bathhouse run by the female Pitiquan human Kuenalik Lonebreath. She is known for putting on heavy makeup and perfume. It basically only caters to the residents of Appastolako.
Dyer's Quarters
Dyer’s Quarter is located between Appastolako and Fisherman’s Ward. While originally partitioned for the purpose of the dyeing, the Dyer’s Quarter acts as a sort of shopping district for Yuva. Landmarks in the Dyer’s Quarter include:- The Careful Quill - a bookstore and scribe run by the reliable Edelhein dwarf female Redna Steelmoor. Originally from Dornaut, Redna also has a hobby as a painter, but refuses to sell any of her works.
- Naciri Dyers - a family-run dyeing business well known as one of the best dyers in Yuva. The House of Naciri originated as the Adlawan family from Pelavayan, but has resided in Yuva for many generations. The patriarch of the family is the tiefling male Mutrexis Adlawan Naciri.
- Conquered Coals Blacksmith - a weapons and armour forge run by the eager non-binary Earth Genasi dwarf Rydur Vargraud. The smithy is located on the coast of the water, and it uses a waterwheel to power its forge.
- Nightfall Amphitheatre - the colosseum of Yuva. It was only very recently finished, having completed its construction in 1365 MT. The announcer is the charming male tiefling Paymon Ingerinus.
- Scarredwood Keep - the stone castle of Yuva. Named after the wood it was originally built from, it was built by the Ahagweunans when they ruled over Yuva. During the time of Arduli, the ruling house of Yuva occupied it, until the House of Appastola moved into the newly-constructed Appastola Manor.
Fisherman's Ward
Fisherman’s Ward is the oldest district of Yuva, and the poorest. The district is centred around the settlement’s fishing industry. It is also where Yuva’s ink industry is located. Landmarks in Fisherman’s Ward include:- The Screaming Jester Pub - a dive bar run by the inventive male hobgoblin Forum. Forum creates experiments with many of his own “cocktails”, some of which turn out to be alchemical creations. The Screaming Jester Pub is located on the docks of Fisherman’s Ward, and the tavern is a bit infamous for many drunks falling into the lake after stumbling out of it.
- Greenmist Inn - a tavern and inn owned by the reclusive Kenku wizard Koppai Noval. He does not run the establishment, as the inn and bar is run by the pretty Plasmoid Sitara. There is a pool underneath the tavern that Koppai sometimes opens up to patrons. There are rumours that the Greenmist Inn is actually a great wizard tower, hidden by either illusion or extradimensional magic.
- Cathedral of St. Tarumo the Defiant - a Niranist church, currently being rennovated into a grand cathedral. The cathedral is dedicated to the male halfling Tarumo Fogwillow, later canonized as St. Tarumo the Defiant, a patron saint of justice and revolutionaries. Tarumo fought in the Algenos War, and later became a core part of the Yuvanite Rebellion. He died during that revolt. The parish priest of the cathedral is the impulsive Nimadu human woman Archimandrite Hemu Fekrezit Qunmonn. A key part of the monument-building initiative of Yuva, the Court is looking to make her a Sibyl of the area after the construction of the cathedral is finished.
- Temple of the Charcoal Tree - a Congregationalist temple dedicated to Melora. In the center of the temple is a charred tree. According to the temple’s history, an anti-Ahagweunan mob tried to burn the temple down. The sacred tree at the centre caught fire, but did not fall, turning the tree into its charcoaled form. The attendants of the temple took this as a miracle. While Yuva is certainly less anti-Ahagwuenan than it once was, many of the congregants who attend the temple still feel uneasy about those who do not follow their beliefs. The parish priest of the temple is the modest male Anwyn elf Narkaris Summersong.
History
Yuva began as a tiny hamlet in the Kingdom of Khidiana known as Yuva’s Wharf. The species and full name of the “Yuva” the settlement was named after has been lost to history. The nearby town of Metsaurel was much more prosperous, but when it was burned to the ground during the Elhyseian Conquest, Yuva’s Wharf began to fill its economical niche. Eventually, the settlement grew and became known as just “Yuva”. Yuva was one of the primary battlegrounds of the War of the Western Wensuas. Ahagwuena initially captured Yuva, but Tyfilion then recaptured the city after the Empire refused Ahagwuena’s first round of peace terms. However, during the Treaty of Uneipo that ended the war, Tyfilion agreed to hand control over the town to the Old Empire. Under Ahagwuenan control, the Yuvans still very much considered themselves as Tyfilian - they felt no loyalty towards the Emperor, but still tried to keep much of their culture. As a result of this, Yuva was heavily mistreated during the Epoch of the Iron Fist. This loosened once the dynasty was overthrown. In the early days of the Arduli Dynasty, the shahs began proselytizing their new religion of the Court of Niran. This faith became very popular amongst the Yuvans, and, eventually, in 1200 MT, they revolted, looking to join with the Arduli Dynasty. This revolt, known as the Yuvanite Rebellion, became the catalyst of the Khidianan War. Yuva, like the rest of East Khidiana, became part of Arduli at the conclusion of the conflict. In 1254 MT, a waterborne disease known as the Gloomelian Fever infected Lake Vaphula. The wealthy members of the city, who had easy access to magical treatment, were shielded from much of the horrors of the disease. The disease’s cause, a fiend poisoning the waters, was eventually found and banished. However, Yuva remained changed by the event, causing a loss of life and wealth so great that the settlement didn’t recover its population and economy until the declaration of the Qamenkas Dungeoneering Society. The royal cadet branch of the House of Phrantzes ruled over Yuva during the Crisis of the Chains, and after the House of Seiriqine lost their conflict with the House of Mormori, they declared their claim to the throne. They lost, and the Phrantzes line became extinct in the female line with the intermarriage of Shahzade Qemuel Phrantzes and Exarch Semyaza Appastola. In the 1360s MT, Shah Jezebeth I declared the Qamenkas Dungeoneering Initiative. This caused a stream of adventurers to pass through Yuva, allowing the city’s economy to recover. However, instead of affecting the city as a whole, the wealth of the settlement remained within the coffers of the upper class, and the most charitable work that they used it for was constructing great monuments, such as the renovation of the Church of St. Tarumo the Defiant into a cathedral, and the construction of Nightfall Amphitheatre.
Founding Date
620 MT
Founders
Type
Large town
Inhabitant Demonym
Yuvan, Yuvanite
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
