Danmen-Horomoto

Danmen and Horomoto are the same city, yet to many, they are two entirely different worlds, each one the border between one way of life and another. Danmen is the easternmost settlement of the Jihdi Empire of Humans, while Horomoto is the westernmost settlement and only permanent mainland city of the turtlefolk known as the Kamejin and their Abral Empire.

Names and Claims

The name Horomoto comes from the initial founding of the city, a name decided upon by the founding clan. Danmen, however, was a deliberate attempt to uproot Kamejin culture in the city, named when it was captured.
An overwhelming amount of western citizens view the Jihdi and Abral lands as too distant from their version of "civilization" so they do not acknowledge its struggles.
Most scholars acknowledge Kamejin sovreignty on the land, but the majority of World Leaders recognize the Jihdi Empire as the sole and rightful owners of it. This is due to their strategic placement in Elone and the fact that the Abral Empire isolates themselves from the world, so most do not care for their opinions.
However, the Kamejin opinion matters more than most think, as the Kamejin control the entire Abral Archipelago and therefore can gut trade between the East and West.
One Kamejin Emperor once stated:

"The Westerners think that we do not care for their thoughts. They are correct. We do not care for their ships in our waters either. If they intend to say that Horomoto is not our land, then perhaps we will remove the unsightly trade vessels from our land."

The Jihdi, on the other hand, believe that there is no doubt to their hold over Danmen, growing cocky over the support from the world despite the fact that it is likely that few foreign nations would support them in a war.

Two Districts, One City

While it is one city, they are autonomously run in two separate districts: Danmen to the west and Horomoto to the east. It is not perfectly split down the middle, with Horomot and Danmen spilling into each other and Jihdi and Kamejin living in either district, but the centers of each district and the governments of the nations that hold them are found in those cardinal directions.

Empress Hao Wanyan by Jarhed

The beaches are said to be beautiful, with views of the Abral Islands and their structures.
Aside from that, and its unique nature as one of the only multi-nation settlements in the world, there is little to make it any more special or unique than any other city in the world. Its unique culture is like anywhere else in its respective nations or the world itself.

Government

As a city controlled by two countries, it has two governments.
Each nation has a mayor appointed who reports to the Emperor/Empress of their respective Empires, but the people of the City also elect a mayor to bridge the gap between the two. Often it will not be a Human or a Kamejin, but instead one of the other species that reside here, as they have a less biased view of the conflict.
Visits from the Emperor or Empress of either nation often are met with backlash from their other side, but it is done because the Mayors have little power, since Danmen-Horomoto's very existence is a proxy-war.
However, neither side deploys troops here, as they do not want it destroyed. It is, after all, their land. Or at least that is what they claim.

Suzuki Shunsuke by Jarhed

The Founding

Initially founded by Kamejin adventurer Suzuki Shunsuke in the year -273, it served as an extension of land for a small clan in the Abral Islands. This clan, the Kodama Clan, had very little space on their home island, and rather than go to war with other clans, they instead decided to expand elsewhere.
The land was unclaimed, and Shunsuke took this as an opportunity for his clan. Thus, Horomoto was built.
It would be attacked by the distant Ophidians, as many other Kamejin settlements were, but ultimately it would stand better than any other mainland Kamejin settling attempts.

New Arrivals

As it was on the eastern edge of a peninsula, it would be discovered if someone else attempted to settle on the peninsula.
An offshoot of the Kingdom of Man would arrive on this peninsula, christening themselves the Jihdi and naming the peninsula and their empire after that.
They would slowly take the peninsula and, in 98, Empress Hao Wanyan would take over the city that now belonged to a unified Abral Empire of Kamejin.
War would ensue, ultimately ending in a stalemate that the World Court had to intervene in.
The Court forced the two to get along and said this would be a neutral land for both where they both would live.
They both agreed, deciding it would be great to stage wars against the other, which it would ultimately be used for.

Population

There are six species that can be found here in large enough amounts to constitute reporting in the census. First are the Humans, largely those born in the Jihdi Empire. Then, there are Kamejin, the ruling people of the Abral Empire.
Alongside them, however, are the Tainuki. These are Tanuki folk who also inhabit the Abral Islands, and are equal citizens in the Abral Empire.
Then, there are the Ophidians, snakefolk from the South. Their largest and only permanent city, Bang Kruthiwat, is prone to burning down, so Danmen-Horomoto being more accepting of others allows them to live here more freely.
The Eastern Nereids live in the waters around Danmen-Horomoto, therefore some reside on land nearby their old settlements, making the city perfect for them.
Finally, there is a sizable population of Verthica Draconians who abandoned their home of the Celestial Palace and moved to Danmen-Horomoto. They are exiles, or are descended from exiles and criminals.

Eastern Elone

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