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{{Haven}}{{Infobox Nation|title1=Yurette|caption1=The flag of Yurette|old_name(s)=*Yurette Village |
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*Kingdom of Yurette |
*Kingdom of Yurette |
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*The United Guilds of Yurette|official_name=The People's City of Yurette| |
*The United Guilds of Yurette|official_name=The People's City of Yurette|affiliation=[[Zazriel Res Publica]]|region=Northern Zazriel|system=Central Planning|planet=[[Haven]]|continent=Zazriel|area=City Proper: 500 square kilometers |
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Accumulated Territory: 350,000 square kilometers|founder(s)=*Conditor|established=*Original Village 12 YM |
Accumulated Territory: 350,000 square kilometers|founder(s)=*Conditor|established=*Original Village 12 YM |
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*Modern City 2,821 YM|denomination=Yurite|government=Democratic Centralism|governor(s)_or_rulers(s)=*People's Vanguard|famous_landmarks_and_attractions=*Rastolk Bay |
*Modern City 2,821 YM|denomination=Yurite|government=Democratic Centralism|governor(s)_or_rulers(s)=*People's Vanguard|famous_landmarks_and_attractions=*Rastolk Bay |
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*[[Champions of Haven|Champion of Haven]] [[Rhys Sanctra]]|economic_activities=*Trading Hub |
*[[Champions of Haven|Champion of Haven]] [[Rhys Sanctra]]|economic_activities=*Trading Hub |
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*Metallurgy Hub |
*Metallurgy Hub |
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*Magical Research|currency=Orose|corporations=Worker-owned guilds take the place of private businesses|quality_of_life=High|image1= |
*Magical Research|currency=Orose|corporations=Worker-owned guilds take the place of private businesses|quality_of_life=High|image1=Yurette.png|Banner|seat_of=De Facto seat of the Zazriel Res Publica|known_for= |
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*Conditor's Weapons |
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Yurette.png|Banner |
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*The Cooperative |
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Yurette Map.png|Territory (Borders not shown) |
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*Class Alchemy |
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</gallery>|seat_of=Zazriel Res Publica|known_for=*Yurite Steel}}'''Yurette''', officially known as the '''''"The People's City of Yurette,"''''' is a large city-state on the North-eastern coast of '''Zazriel''' that comprises much of the bay of '''Rastolk''' and surrounding lands. Much of the trade flowing from inland cities to the north flows through the city. Ruled by twelve elected individuals on a council called the [[Yurette#People's Vanguard|People's Vanguard]], Yurette is one of the few democracies on the continent. The city is the de facto capital of the [[Zazriel Res Publica]], a federation of city-states across northern Zazriel. |
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*Yurite Steel}}Northern Zazriel is a region dominated by a handful of cities separated by immense high altitude grasslands. The largest city in this region is Yurette, located in the heavily forested region found around '''Rastolk Bay'''. This city, while independent, has no municipal governance, is part of no kingdom, and declares no loyalty to any state. The seat of the [[Zazriel Res Publica]], a union of cities, cooperatives, and workers' councils, Yurette is at the epicenter of the anarchism that defines northern Zazriel. |
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The city proper is home to well over one million people, dwarfing its sister cities. At the center of a network of rail lines, roadways, and canals, Yurette imports a great deal of material for the purpose of further refinery or processing. The city maintains a reasonable standard of living compared to its neighbors, but its political instability causes somewhat regular spikes in violence. The city has moved slowly west along Rastolk Bay throughout history, leaving a trail of old buildings, monuments, and structures called '''Old Yurette''' which is a distinct city that has a population of over 500,000. |
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| ⚫ | The origins of Yurette's peculiar form of governance and trade is said to have originated with its founder, [[Conditor]]. In '''112 YM''', Conditor and his wife had one dozen children and, from these children, it is said that the entire population of Yurette is descended. The immortal Conditor lived long enough to see the population of Yurette rise to 120,000. To his horror, it was nothing like the small village he remembered where no one had needs and everyone cared for one another. In '''2, |
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| ⚫ | The origins of Yurette's peculiar form of governance and trade is said to have originated with its founder, [[Conditor]]. In '''2,112 YM''', Conditor and his wife had one dozen children and, from these children, it is said that the entire population of Yurette is descended. The immortal Conditor lived long enough to see the population of Yurette rise to 120,000, forming the '''Kingdom of Yurette'''. To his horror, it was nothing like the small village he remembered where no one had needs and everyone cared for one another. In '''2,721 YM''', Conditor went on a rampage through the kingdom, annihilating Yurette's government and replacing it with its current system. Conditor then died, having created twelve weapons to be wielded by chosen warriors to enforce the new state of affairs, that is, the lack of a state entirely. |
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== '''History''' == |
== '''History''' == |
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| ⚫ | Local legend says Yurette was a small village with a population of no more than one hundred. Given the climate and region, they lived mostly on fish, basic gardening, and small-game hunting. Despite the advantageous location for trade, the Akina river was sparsely populated with villages no larger than Yurette dotted along its length. Harsh winters always posed a threat to the village but their proximity to the sea spared them from the worst of it. The village had a peculiar system of running things akin to a democracy. These ancient Yurites decided how to run their village based on popular vote and had a democratically elected mayor who acted both as judge and the village elder. |
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| ⚫ | The elder was a regular villager like all the others. Usually too old to do much beyond the village, the elder spent most of their days watching over the children too young to help out. On a sunny autumn day, a cool ocean breeze brought with it a taste of the winter to come. The elder, whose name was lost to time, held an infant as she surveilled the fields around the village. Some of the children ran up to her talking about a "stranger." Probably some trader or someone from a more distant settlement. The source of the children's fright, however, was no mere stranger. A beast of a man, over three meters tall, bulky, and covered in wounds from which silver blood flowed, entered. At first, the elder was at a loss as she looked up at the huge intruder. |
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| ⚫ | The goliath said nothing as he continued through the village towards the bay. He walked directly into the water, unphased by the nearly dangerously cool water flowing from the north. After spending nearly an hour under water, the man reemerged, the tentacles of a squirming giant squid surfacing with him. He dragged the frantic creature out of the sea before consuming it on the beach. As most of the village came back from their daily tasks, they had all kinds of questions for the stranger. Seemingly unable to speak, they eventually just brought him a blanket as he fell asleep on the beach. His wounds had already healed, even the much more recent attacks from the giant squid. |
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| ⚫ | The elder was a regular villager like all the others. Usually too old to do much beyond the village, the elder spent most of their days watching over the children too young to help out. On a sunny autumn day, a cool ocean breeze brought with it a taste of the winter to come. The elder, whose name was lost to time, held an infant as |
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| ⚫ | The goliath said nothing as he continued through the village towards the bay. He walked directly into the water, unphased by the nearly dangerously cool water flowing from the north. After spending nearly an under water, the man reemerged, the tentacles of a squirming giant squid surfacing with him. He dragged the frantic creature out of the sea before consuming it on the beach. As most of the village came back from their daily tasks, they had all kinds of questions for the stranger. Seemingly unable to speak, they eventually just brought him a blanket as he fell asleep on the beach. His wounds had already healed, even the much more recent attacks from the giant squid. |
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Conditor would become a respected member of the village as he proved his usefulness. Sometimes he would wander around the village, helping with whatever tasks were needed by simply imitating others. While sometimes underestimating his strength, he would learn gentleness. No one, not even the stranger, knew where he came from. No one from the other villages new as well, leading the villagers to give him a name. While most certainly not the name they gave him, legend says that he was called "Conditor" from then on. |
Conditor would become a respected member of the village as he proved his usefulness. Sometimes he would wander around the village, helping with whatever tasks were needed by simply imitating others. While sometimes underestimating his strength, he would learn gentleness. No one, not even the stranger, knew where he came from. No one from the other villages new as well, leading the villagers to give him a name. While most certainly not the name they gave him, legend says that he was called "Conditor" from then on. |
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After some time, Conditor learned the language and customs of the village. He married an unknown woman whose name was also lost to time, and fathered ten children with her. These children had some of the strange attributes of their father. Their blood |
After some time, Conditor learned the language and customs of the village. He married an unknown woman whose name was also lost to time, and fathered ten children with her. These children had some of the strange attributes of their father. Their blood had a lustrous pink color, reminiscent of the rose gold the village would later mass-produce; they were quite strong; and, while not inheriting his impressive height, inherited much of his durability. Unlike their father, however, they did not have immortality. After a century, all of the people he met in the village were dead, as were his children and most of his grandchildren. Conditor became closed-off, residing in crags near to the village and only occasionally checking in on his descendants. |
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=== '''Kingdom of Yurette''' === |
=== '''Kingdom of Yurette''' === |
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Yurette eventually became a |
Yurette eventually became a monarchy just like its neighbors. By around '''2,312 YM''', it had become a formidable nation. The once friendly villages of centuries ago became bitter rivals as city-states began blossoming across Zazriel. The Kingdom had a fearsome reputation for barbarity and armies fled at the sight of Conditor who, with enough prodding, could be made to join the army in an attack on neighboring cities. Any soldier brave enough to attack the giant met a quick end, but Conditor would almost never attack of his own accord. |
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At the age of 7, every member of the population became subject to harsh training in schools. Boys and girls alike would, at first, be taught things such as gymnastics and calisthenics. Additionally, hand-to-hand combat and basic competency with a spear was taught in case of invasion. At 17, each would be subjected to a test of strength. For the strongest, they would move on to become soldiers in the army. For the average, it would mean becoming a laborer, fisherman, or farmer. The weakest were simply thrown onto the street and, if lucky, could find a job somewhere. |
At the age of 7, every member of the population became subject to harsh training in schools. Boys and girls alike would, at first, be taught things such as gymnastics and calisthenics. Additionally, hand-to-hand combat and basic competency with a spear was taught in case of invasion. At 17, each would be subjected to a test of strength. For the strongest, they would move on to become soldiers in the army. For the average, it would mean becoming a laborer, fisherman, or farmer. The weakest were simply thrown onto the street and, if lucky, could find a job somewhere. |
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The population of Yurette became fierce, strong-willed, and difficult to defeat. Never once was Yurette captured thanks to this system. Upon age 30, those in the military received citizenship and could vote. The King himself was an elected official that, if incompetent, would be voted out of office. |
The population of Yurette became fierce, strong-willed, and difficult to defeat. Never once was Yurette captured thanks to this system. Upon age 30, those in the military received citizenship and could vote. The King himself was an elected official that, if incompetent, would be voted out of office. |
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The Kingdom of Yurette became feared across northern Zazriel, most known for their brutal subjugation of the nearby kingdoms. They took pride in not relying on Conditor for every military victory, later making a point to never take him with the armies. By ''' |
The Kingdom of Yurette became feared across northern Zazriel, most known for their brutal subjugation of the nearby kingdoms. They took pride in not relying on Conditor for every military victory, later making a point to never take him with the armies. By '''2,405 YM,''' it had captured a massive slave population from nearby kingdoms. It was the first kingdom to institute chattel slavery based on race, the difference easy to find based on a simple test of blood. Yurites retained their pink blood, despite losing all of the other traits that came with being a descendant of Conditor. |
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| ⚫ | The Kingdom carried on until ''' |
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| ⚫ | Conditor brought with him a pouch of coins, too heavy for the average person to carry. The pink coins, made up mostly of gold, copper, and silver, were the standard currency. Gold was hard to come by and the mines in the northern mountains were nearly impossible to maintain. At first meant to spread out the supply, the pink coins soon became a symbol of Yurette's people. They were about half the value of most coins on Zazriel, but they were backed by its strongest power. They were for the usual purpose, buying a reindeer. They were the principle food source of the kingdom |
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| ⚫ | Conditor grabbed the rope around the reindeer. This daily purchase, the sheer amount of food needed to keep his body going, was always met with fanfare. He was essentially a local deity |
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| ⚫ | A plague struck in |
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| ⚫ | As he searched through the city, he saw many of the slaves escape. They stole whatever coverings they could find, often from the piled bodies, and ran for the hills. This was likely a death sentence, either from cold or plague-carrying clothes, but the opportunity would never come again. A small |
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| ⚫ | He looked around in a sort of horrid awe; it was nothing like the small village he once knew. His eyes began to weep tears of his |
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| ⚫ | After several hours of rampage, dozens of destroyed buildings, and thousands of deaths. Conditor began giving a speech to the poor, the enslaved, and the disabled. To those brutalized by the system they had no choice but to participate in. He gave a vision for society, a vision |
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After forming what is known as a "guild," a democratically operated organization, called "The Vanguard Guild," the people began to reshape society. It was not good enough that only citizens could vote for the leader, everyone could. It was not enough that the government was democratic, all institutions had to be. Everything, from farms to bakeries and fisheries to mines would be ran by those who worked there. After declaring that the Vanguard Guild would be the ones tasked with maintaining this newly created society, Conditor returned to his home in the crags, unable to work up the courage to look at the city even after what he did to fix it. |
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The United Guilds of Yurette's first goal, as the first republic in the region, was expansion. While the city of Yurette had democratized, the surrounding towns, villages, and colonies of the Kingdom retained their local leadership. As soon as word got out that Conditor destroyed the kingdoms' capital, the various local rulers declared independence. Wary of the new power that took its place, they began increasing military spending. The guild was essentially a political party made up of the people most vehemently in support of Conditor's message. They were put in place to act as exemplars and authorities who would maintain the people's position. |
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In 916 YM, the Vanguard Guild held its first elections. '''Vin Sanctra''' became its leader. What was meant to be an administration of conquest became mired in internal instability as Yurites squabbled over the remains of the kingdom with the freed slaves. As the fighting grew violent, what remained of the military was either participating or otherwise unable to keep the peace. Sanctra promised the slaves that they will get first pick in the nearby conquered cities if they fought for the republic. While reluctant, even if they ended up with nothing they would still have their freedom, so the slaves agreed and donned the armor of their former oppressors. |
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After a few weeks of training, the remaining soldiers, monitored by members of the guild, and the slaves made their way across the snowy landscape. In the weeks before spring, the snow was at its deepest. Even the most well-maintained roads were impassible except by sled. It was in these conditions that the Guild's army met with the coalition forces, blocking the path to the city of '''Dareum'''. Unlike the quite-heavily-forested areas surrounding Yurette, the flat plains around Dareum were a sea of snow banks. Neither side's cavalry were particularly fast in the deep snow, forcing a snow-top engagement. The resulting battle had been bloody; traps were set in the snow, forcing Yurette's troops through narrow gaps that were hard to defend. |
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With enough numbers, however, they were able to push back the coalition forces. While there were not many freed-men left, Sanctra would arrive a week later to enforce their right to the city. As the pink blood of the ruling class covered the streets, the non-Yurites chose the best dwellings for themselves. The soldiers, while angry that they could not loot as they pleased, were instead each given a share of Conditor's large treasure hoard, their founder having abandoned it in the fields some time ago. |
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After this largest battle, every village was forcibly collectivized, often with great death tolls. Peasants using stone-age methods for farming were gathered into one place, given modern [[Yurite Steel|Yurite steel]] plows created by the state, and forced to produce food. After gathering this food, Yurette would export the crops to neighboring regions. Using the money accumulated, Yurette expanded its army, navy, and began investing heavily in the study of magic. Many of the peasants starved, forcing the UGY to maintain secrecy. The Vanguard invested everything into the large cities, building up the required infrastructure to be a player on the world stage. |
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=== '''Magocratic Era''' === |
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With the introduction of magic to Yurette, a two-tiered society quickly formed. Those who could not use magic simply continued living their lives as workers while those who could had far more prospects. The Vanguard Guild gradually became filled with magic-users. By the time the last founding member of the Guild died in 987 YM, the United Guilds of Yurette was entirely controlled by mages. |
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At this point, northern Zazriel was mostly devoid of strong cities to rival Yurette. The UGYs population, including its outlying possessions of over 500 square kilometers and the main city, was over 500,000. Of these 500,000 souls, roughly one percent could use magic. After a census divulged this data in 989 YM, the government began an initiative to solidify its rule over the region. Every city, town, and even village would have a mage act as "Chancellor." This mage, if need be, could suppress rebellion long enough for the military or, later, other members of the Vanguard Party itself, to arrive. |
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To prevent mages from rebelling, a genius system was devised. Magic research was a time-consuming process that required hundreds of workers to create expensive scrolls, often yielding no results for months at a time. As such, it could only be conducted in the capital or, later, other large cities within the UGY. All magic research was done under the watchful eye of the most loyal of the party officials. Random villages could never produce magical research of any kind which, under normal circumstances, would cause mages stationed there to fall behind their peers. Mages receive new spells in exchange for loyalty, which were staggered to be released four times per year. Were a mage to rebel, they would quickly fall behind and end up easily defeated by the retaliating army. |
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=== '''Yurite Ascension''' === |
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There were two mountain cities who had been obstructive to the Guild's goals for centuries. The cave-city of Yuopolis and the high-elevation city of Masmov. Yuopolis charged a premium for the resources they mined, greatly restricting the amount of capital the guild had at its disposal. Invasion was nearly impossible as any attempt to enter the caves just caused them to close the door and subsist on underground mushroom farming. Masmov was no matter, the elevation was so high that soldiers from the sea-level Yurette passed out after intense fighting. It took too long for them to acclimate as their temporary settlements on the side of the mountain were always destroyed. Worse, every winter ski-wearing Masmov raiders descended from the mountains and raided villages and sometimes even cities. |
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It was the discovery of a cheap method of Yurite Steel production that changed everything. In the past, the ultra-strong material, while useful for armor, was the only thing able to cut through the tough grasslands around Dareum. As such, nearly all of it was allocated to plow production. Yurette traded with the [[Rabuka]], many of whom lived within Rastolk Bay, for the shiny red metal they called '''[[Orichalcum|Yuressence]]'''. In return, Yurette would give them metal implements they could use in their own aquatic farming methods. It was this material that, once a steady supply was found, allowed for Yurite Steel to become the primary steel used. They spread a few nuggets of Yuressence over hundreds of pounds of steel, lowering its melting point and increasing strength. |
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| ⚫ | The Kingdom carried on until '''2,412 YM''' when Conditor finally looked around his city. It was a typical morning; Conditor trudged out of the nearby hills through the half a meter of snow covering the area. His walks to the city grew shorter every year as it expanded. He passed by a field where soldiers trained in the snowy conditions, their breath clouded the air as they practiced moving around on skis. One of their ski poles was their main spear, the other a side arm. Some of them waved at Conditor as he passed while their commander gave a proper salute. Conditor nodded as he continued. |
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| ⚫ | Conditor brought with him a pouch of coins, too heavy for the average person to carry. The pink coins, made up mostly of gold, copper, and silver, were the standard currency. Gold was hard to come by and the mines in the northern mountains were nearly impossible to maintain. At first meant to spread out the supply, the pink coins soon became a symbol of Yurette's people. They were about half the value of most coins on Zazriel, but they were backed by its strongest power. They were for the usual purpose, buying a reindeer. They were the principle food source of the kingdom. Cattle from the nearby islands had a difficult time during the long winters and brutal nightly lows. |
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Soldiers clad in Yurite Steel were a terrifying thing for those in Masmov. Too heavy to ski, they waited until summer before beginning an assault with one hundred of these expensive troops. All of them were members of the United Guilds of Yurette. Minor magical attacks proved to do little as the armor-clad mages warded off their attackers. The mages were only able to partially acclimate in the high-plains of Dareum, but their presence was enough to distract from the main force. There were ten thousand soldiers a kilometer below in elevation, preparing for the invasion. As the mages fled, making sure to take the expensive bodies of their fallen comrades, the main force bounded up the mountain. The city was conquered within a week and the raids had finally stopped. The collectivization of Masmov resulted in it being renamed to [[Shiinette]]. |
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| ⚫ | Conditor grabbed the rope around the reindeer. This daily purchase, the sheer amount of food needed to keep his body going, was always met with fanfare. He was essentially a local deity; the Kingdom had no official religion otherwise. People donated to him, handed their children to him for blessing, and even began believing he could heal the sick. The lame and beggars sometimes followed him for kilometers into the wilderness, the former usually receiving help from the latter. After some time he would shoo them away with a small bribe, but when word got out that he did this, he was overwhelmed. For the sake of peace, Conditor began giving the money donated to him to whomever he saw. |
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In 1,006 YM, the Vanguard set their sights on Yuopolis. Wealthy and prolific traders, they had several professional armies at their disposal and dozens of mercenary corps. They greatly increased military spending as Masmov fell, suspicious of the UGY. Even so, trade kept flowing between the two as it was tremendously productive. The UGY could do nothing to properly invade the caves, Masmov warriors a century ago tried and were unable to inflict even a single casualty. Instead, the UGY began funding propaganda operations, stirred civil unrest, and cut down on agriculture exports to force them back to mushrooms. All of these efforts were designed to cause as much chaos as possible. |
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| ⚫ | A plague struck in 2,412, meaning he was crowded more than usual. Once they figured out he was immune, the people would not leave him alone. After a few more weeks of the plague ravaging the city, the people stopped showing up. Conditor's usual reindeer salesman had died. His hunger forced him to look for another. Civic order had begun breaking down, making finding food harder. Dead in the middle of winter, the bay was frozen as it would be for about a month. Finding a fish in there was uncomfortable even for Conditor. If he spent too long searching, he could risk freezing. One time he spent over two years stuck on the bottom of the bay, the water not warm enough for two summers before he could move again. |
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After several years, there were a handful of niche revolutionary groups forming. With guidance from agents from Yurette, non-Yurites to make detection impossible, they were able to form a coalition against the government. Yuopolis was a plutocracy, ruled by a council of wealthy merchant families that each controlled certain resources. They gained their vast wealth by enforcing contracts, creating a business-friendly environment that allowed for high-trust dealings. While great for the merchants, the commoners had little to do but work for the wealthy. Yurette encouraged the formation of "worker guilds" to negotiate higher wages. Of course, the guilds were immediately suppressed, creating large amounts of internal turmoil as the workers began demanding increased compensation. Many riots began across the city. |
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| ⚫ | As he searched through the city, he saw many of the slaves escape. They stole whatever coverings they could find, often from the piled bodies, and ran for the hills. This was likely a death sentence, either from cold or plague-carrying clothes, but the opportunity would never come again. A small woman, a foreigner from the northern isles who was most certainly a slave, sat against the wall in an ally. Conditor walked past, his shadow startling her as she put up a pitiful attempt at self-defense. Conditor stared at the small form; legend says that she reminded him of his wife from so long ago. |
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During the chaos, Yurette was able to sneak in several hundred soldiers. Spies from Yurette suppressed any word of the army amassing on the hills below the entrance to the caves. As the rioting heated up, Yurette's army stormed the gates, the spies keeping the normal guards busy. Much of the army remained in the entrance to allow for escape and even more were left behind to prevent encirclement. The workers guilds, given all kinds of propaganda about Yurette's devotion to the common people, welcomed the soldiers while the ruling class panicked. A joint Yurite-worker attack on the capital lead to the fall of Yuopolis. It was more gently collectivized and renamed to [[Yoatte]] in 1,007 YM. |
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| ⚫ | He looked around in a sort of horrid awe; it was nothing like the small village he once knew. His eyes began to weep tears of his silver blood. At once, all of his descendants wept similar tears. Conditor, in his rage, began to kill those with significant power in the city. Generals, business owners that treated slaves poorly, wealthy individuals, and the king all died. Covered in the lustrous pink blood of his descendants, Conditor continued his rampage through the military. Not even their strongest soldiers lasted a minute against his fury. |
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=== '''The Middle Calamity''' === |
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This period of prosperity would not last, however. After about 500 years of this Yurite Ascension, a period known as '''''"The Middle Calamity"''''' began. It began with the [[Rabuka War]], a war between the Yurites and the underwater species called the [[Rabuka]]. For decades, The UGY had been raiding Rabukan shallow-water farms for crops and materials. Eventually, the Rabukan monarchy would declare war on the UGY. Using various magics unknown to the Yurite mags, Rabukan soldiers were able to enchant themselves to breath in the air, allowing for an invasion onto land. Over ten thousand soldiers flowed out of the bay into the capital city. The conflict claimed the lives of thousands and caused over a fifth of Yurette to burn. The other cities within the UGY managed to push the Rabuka out of Yurette, only narrowly defeating their mages. |
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| ⚫ | After several hours of rampage, dozens of destroyed buildings, and thousands of deaths. Conditor began giving a speech to the poor, the enslaved, and the disabled. To those brutalized by the system they had no choice but to participate in. He gave a vision for society, a vision that would return Yurette to its days as a village. No one went hungry, all cared for one another, and all were free to live as they saw fit. People fished, worked, and farmed not just for their survival but for the survival of the whole village. After stating his vision, a large portion of Yurette began following Conditor in his quest to restore Yurette to its former glory. He departed for the mountains once more, satisfied with the work he had done. The people were free from the kingdom and slavery was abolished. While checking in every so often, his mind began clouding once more. The duldrum returned him to his trance state. |
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For the next decade, Yurette was cut off from ocean-based trade as the bay of Rastolk was rendered unusable. With this, Yurette's economic power dried up. The other major cities, Shiinette in particular, were entirely capable of self-sufficiency, causing a rift between them and Yurette. Eventually, the war would end as Yurette unlocked the ability to give its soldiers water-breathing but only after sustaining heavy losses. Even after these losses, Yurette attempted to annex the Kingdom of the Rabuka, collectivizing as they went. Obviously, its inhabitants were not fine with this and they soon rebelled, causing even more resources to be sunk into the conflict. |
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The merchant class represented the only remaining power structure. Since they controlled nearly all of the funds needed to feed the population, they formed a temporary noble class. As summer came and the people returned to the fields, foreigners from the north saw their chance to conquer the city. Without much of a military left, the '''City of Dareum's''' forces had an overwhelming advantage. Yurette had finally fallen after centuries of hegemony. The feckless merchants, using their connections in Dareum, almost immediately defected. |
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Yurette fell behind as its sister cities, by this point just as Yurite as Yurette, gained influence. By '''1,800 YM''', the majority of people lived outside of Yurette's limits, a first for the UGY and a huge blow to its stability. Even so, the Vanguard Guild's officials would continue behaving with impunity. In '''1,809 YM''', Yurette rallied the forces of the entirety of the UGY to lay siege to the island of [[Ado]]. Ado was a very strategic location that could be used to mount an effective offense onto northern Zazriel or blockade it. The Vanguard Guild decided that this island was too important to leave in the hands of its hostile inhabitants. |
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In '''2,120 YM''', the UGY began its conquest of Ado. Facing stiff resistance from the native inhabitants, Yurette would end up facing numerous raids from [[Corvus]]-riding raiders from Ado. Even so, in '''2,134 YM''', the last of the island was conquered and colonists were sent to establish proper cities on Ado. The native nomads' numbers continued declining until almost everyone on the island was ethnic Yurite only a few hundred years later. Before then, however, the UGY faced a debt crisis. They had borrowed large amounts of gold and electrum from the [[Eastern Union]] to finance the conflict. The Vanguard Guild was forced to massively cut back on spending, allowing numerous villages on the peripheries to end up falling to outside raiders and tribes. |
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Dareum's first goal was to enrich itself; it imported tens of thousands of Yurites as slaves. Its palaces raided and its monuments ruined, Yurette's population rapidly decreased. The only thing keeping Dareum from completely subjugating the city was Conditor, who still entered every day. Desperate to stay in the good graces of the dazed giant, the city remained a colony. Somewhat self-governing, Yurette was never fully exploited. However, Dareum had no incentive to treat surrounding villages with the same respect. Many fled to Yurette to escape persecution. |
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During a protracted conflict with '''Sorenano''', Dareum burned through its currency reserves and soldiers. With no choice but to augment their army with the Yurites, Dareum's military became increasingly dominated by the more populous Yurites. Populists who remembered the old days sprung up throughout the military. Revolutionaries that romanticized the past when Yurette ruled itself. |
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==='''Outside Influence'''=== |
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As Haven became more globalized and international trade increased dramatically, Yurette became a center of economic action in the UGY. Trade flowing down the Akina river for other places, usually the Eastern Union, had to pass through Yurette. The small tariffs from this added up and in the, at first moneyless economy, made the tariffs impractical as they were simply portions of goods being taken. Money, called "Libras," would eventually be phased in. Official state doctrine said that they only existed to facilitate trade and that the UGY was still a socialist nation. In 2,202 YM, Yurette began exalting the merchant class. The Vanguard Guild stated that the merchant class was the ''"distributor of essential goods"'' and ''"necessary for any state to function."'' |
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On the eve of battle, the first snow filled the air. Two armies lined up in anticipation of a conflict. The Yurite-dominated Darean army faced off against Sorenano's mercenary forces. Representatives from the kings of Dareum and Sorenano could not find an agreement. Dareum's representative solemnly returned to the horse-riding commander. Sorenano's representative eagerly ran back, gleefully returning the news of an impending battle. Sorenano's soldiers beheld the Yurite soldiers murder their commanding officers. Their expensive golden armor pieces were the first to be stolen, but the decorated horses made great prizes as well. |
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Shortly thereafter, the first "Dictator" came into power. The ongoing debt crisis technically qualified as an emergency, allowing for the Guild's leader to declare themself Dictator indefinitely. In an even more unprecedented move, the Dictator, named Ivus Ophiuchus, stated that his son, Ivus II, would be the next Dictator, effectively creating a monarchy. The rest of the guilds would become a sort of aristocracy in which the aristocrats did not control land, but industries. |
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Sorenano's army nearly attacked the Yurites, but this attack would be unnecessary. The mercenary army had a far superior target behind them, the undefended city of Dareum. The Yurites returned home to a liberated city, forming the '''Kingdom of Rastolk''' in '''2,464'''. With Yurette and a handful of outlands comprising the bulk of its territory, the Kingdom was beset by internal instability from the beginning. The first ruler, King Archytas I, could not cement his power. |
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=== '''Ideological Shift''' === |
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== Economy == |
== Economy == |
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Latest revision as of 13:11, March 16, 2025
Yurette
City Proper: 500 square kilometers
Accumulated Territory: 350,000 square kilometers
City Proper: 400,000
Extremities: ~1,000,000
- Conditor
Northern Zazriel is a region dominated by a handful of cities separated by immense high altitude grasslands. The largest city in this region is Yurette, located in the heavily forested region found around Rastolk Bay. This city, while independent, has no municipal governance, is part of no kingdom, and declares no loyalty to any state. The seat of the Zazriel Res Publica, a union of cities, cooperatives, and workers' councils, Yurette is at the epicenter of the anarchism that defines northern Zazriel.
The city proper is home to well over one million people, dwarfing its sister cities. At the center of a network of rail lines, roadways, and canals, Yurette imports a great deal of material for the purpose of further refinery or processing. The city maintains a reasonable standard of living compared to its neighbors, but its political instability causes somewhat regular spikes in violence. The city has moved slowly west along Rastolk Bay throughout history, leaving a trail of old buildings, monuments, and structures called Old Yurette which is a distinct city that has a population of over 500,000.
The origins of Yurette's peculiar form of governance and trade is said to have originated with its founder, Conditor. In 2,112 YM, Conditor and his wife had one dozen children and, from these children, it is said that the entire population of Yurette is descended. The immortal Conditor lived long enough to see the population of Yurette rise to 120,000, forming the Kingdom of Yurette. To his horror, it was nothing like the small village he remembered where no one had needs and everyone cared for one another. In 2,721 YM, Conditor went on a rampage through the kingdom, annihilating Yurette's government and replacing it with its current system. Conditor then died, having created twelve weapons to be wielded by chosen warriors to enforce the new state of affairs, that is, the lack of a state entirely.
History
Ancient Yurette
Local legend says Yurette was a small village with a population of no more than one hundred. Given the climate and region, they lived mostly on fish, basic gardening, and small-game hunting. Despite the advantageous location for trade, the Akina river was sparsely populated with villages no larger than Yurette dotted along its length. Harsh winters always posed a threat to the village but their proximity to the sea spared them from the worst of it. The village had a peculiar system of running things akin to a democracy. These ancient Yurites decided how to run their village based on popular vote and had a democratically elected mayor who acted both as judge and the village elder.
The elder was a regular villager like all the others. Usually too old to do much beyond the village, the elder spent most of their days watching over the children too young to help out. On a sunny autumn day, a cool ocean breeze brought with it a taste of the winter to come. The elder, whose name was lost to time, held an infant as she surveilled the fields around the village. Some of the children ran up to her talking about a "stranger." Probably some trader or someone from a more distant settlement. The source of the children's fright, however, was no mere stranger. A beast of a man, over three meters tall, bulky, and covered in wounds from which silver blood flowed, entered. At first, the elder was at a loss as she looked up at the huge intruder.
The goliath said nothing as he continued through the village towards the bay. He walked directly into the water, unphased by the nearly dangerously cool water flowing from the north. After spending nearly an hour under water, the man reemerged, the tentacles of a squirming giant squid surfacing with him. He dragged the frantic creature out of the sea before consuming it on the beach. As most of the village came back from their daily tasks, they had all kinds of questions for the stranger. Seemingly unable to speak, they eventually just brought him a blanket as he fell asleep on the beach. His wounds had already healed, even the much more recent attacks from the giant squid.
Conditor would become a respected member of the village as he proved his usefulness. Sometimes he would wander around the village, helping with whatever tasks were needed by simply imitating others. While sometimes underestimating his strength, he would learn gentleness. No one, not even the stranger, knew where he came from. No one from the other villages new as well, leading the villagers to give him a name. While most certainly not the name they gave him, legend says that he was called "Conditor" from then on.
After some time, Conditor learned the language and customs of the village. He married an unknown woman whose name was also lost to time, and fathered ten children with her. These children had some of the strange attributes of their father. Their blood had a lustrous pink color, reminiscent of the rose gold the village would later mass-produce; they were quite strong; and, while not inheriting his impressive height, inherited much of his durability. Unlike their father, however, they did not have immortality. After a century, all of the people he met in the village were dead, as were his children and most of his grandchildren. Conditor became closed-off, residing in crags near to the village and only occasionally checking in on his descendants.
Kingdom of Yurette
Yurette eventually became a monarchy just like its neighbors. By around 2,312 YM, it had become a formidable nation. The once friendly villages of centuries ago became bitter rivals as city-states began blossoming across Zazriel. The Kingdom had a fearsome reputation for barbarity and armies fled at the sight of Conditor who, with enough prodding, could be made to join the army in an attack on neighboring cities. Any soldier brave enough to attack the giant met a quick end, but Conditor would almost never attack of his own accord.
At the age of 7, every member of the population became subject to harsh training in schools. Boys and girls alike would, at first, be taught things such as gymnastics and calisthenics. Additionally, hand-to-hand combat and basic competency with a spear was taught in case of invasion. At 17, each would be subjected to a test of strength. For the strongest, they would move on to become soldiers in the army. For the average, it would mean becoming a laborer, fisherman, or farmer. The weakest were simply thrown onto the street and, if lucky, could find a job somewhere.
The population of Yurette became fierce, strong-willed, and difficult to defeat. Never once was Yurette captured thanks to this system. Upon age 30, those in the military received citizenship and could vote. The King himself was an elected official that, if incompetent, would be voted out of office.
The Kingdom of Yurette became feared across northern Zazriel, most known for their brutal subjugation of the nearby kingdoms. They took pride in not relying on Conditor for every military victory, later making a point to never take him with the armies. By 2,405 YM, it had captured a massive slave population from nearby kingdoms. It was the first kingdom to institute chattel slavery based on race, the difference easy to find based on a simple test of blood. Yurites retained their pink blood, despite losing all of the other traits that came with being a descendant of Conditor.
The Kingdom of Yurette
The Kingdom carried on until 2,412 YM when Conditor finally looked around his city. It was a typical morning; Conditor trudged out of the nearby hills through the half a meter of snow covering the area. His walks to the city grew shorter every year as it expanded. He passed by a field where soldiers trained in the snowy conditions, their breath clouded the air as they practiced moving around on skis. One of their ski poles was their main spear, the other a side arm. Some of them waved at Conditor as he passed while their commander gave a proper salute. Conditor nodded as he continued.
Conditor brought with him a pouch of coins, too heavy for the average person to carry. The pink coins, made up mostly of gold, copper, and silver, were the standard currency. Gold was hard to come by and the mines in the northern mountains were nearly impossible to maintain. At first meant to spread out the supply, the pink coins soon became a symbol of Yurette's people. They were about half the value of most coins on Zazriel, but they were backed by its strongest power. They were for the usual purpose, buying a reindeer. They were the principle food source of the kingdom. Cattle from the nearby islands had a difficult time during the long winters and brutal nightly lows.
Conditor grabbed the rope around the reindeer. This daily purchase, the sheer amount of food needed to keep his body going, was always met with fanfare. He was essentially a local deity; the Kingdom had no official religion otherwise. People donated to him, handed their children to him for blessing, and even began believing he could heal the sick. The lame and beggars sometimes followed him for kilometers into the wilderness, the former usually receiving help from the latter. After some time he would shoo them away with a small bribe, but when word got out that he did this, he was overwhelmed. For the sake of peace, Conditor began giving the money donated to him to whomever he saw.
A plague struck in 2,412, meaning he was crowded more than usual. Once they figured out he was immune, the people would not leave him alone. After a few more weeks of the plague ravaging the city, the people stopped showing up. Conditor's usual reindeer salesman had died. His hunger forced him to look for another. Civic order had begun breaking down, making finding food harder. Dead in the middle of winter, the bay was frozen as it would be for about a month. Finding a fish in there was uncomfortable even for Conditor. If he spent too long searching, he could risk freezing. One time he spent over two years stuck on the bottom of the bay, the water not warm enough for two summers before he could move again.
As he searched through the city, he saw many of the slaves escape. They stole whatever coverings they could find, often from the piled bodies, and ran for the hills. This was likely a death sentence, either from cold or plague-carrying clothes, but the opportunity would never come again. A small woman, a foreigner from the northern isles who was most certainly a slave, sat against the wall in an ally. Conditor walked past, his shadow startling her as she put up a pitiful attempt at self-defense. Conditor stared at the small form; legend says that she reminded him of his wife from so long ago.
He looked around in a sort of horrid awe; it was nothing like the small village he once knew. His eyes began to weep tears of his silver blood. At once, all of his descendants wept similar tears. Conditor, in his rage, began to kill those with significant power in the city. Generals, business owners that treated slaves poorly, wealthy individuals, and the king all died. Covered in the lustrous pink blood of his descendants, Conditor continued his rampage through the military. Not even their strongest soldiers lasted a minute against his fury.
After several hours of rampage, dozens of destroyed buildings, and thousands of deaths. Conditor began giving a speech to the poor, the enslaved, and the disabled. To those brutalized by the system they had no choice but to participate in. He gave a vision for society, a vision that would return Yurette to its days as a village. No one went hungry, all cared for one another, and all were free to live as they saw fit. People fished, worked, and farmed not just for their survival but for the survival of the whole village. After stating his vision, a large portion of Yurette began following Conditor in his quest to restore Yurette to its former glory. He departed for the mountains once more, satisfied with the work he had done. The people were free from the kingdom and slavery was abolished. While checking in every so often, his mind began clouding once more. The duldrum returned him to his trance state.
The merchant class represented the only remaining power structure. Since they controlled nearly all of the funds needed to feed the population, they formed a temporary noble class. As summer came and the people returned to the fields, foreigners from the north saw their chance to conquer the city. Without much of a military left, the City of Dareum's forces had an overwhelming advantage. Yurette had finally fallen after centuries of hegemony. The feckless merchants, using their connections in Dareum, almost immediately defected.
Kingdom of Rastolk
Dareum's first goal was to enrich itself; it imported tens of thousands of Yurites as slaves. Its palaces raided and its monuments ruined, Yurette's population rapidly decreased. The only thing keeping Dareum from completely subjugating the city was Conditor, who still entered every day. Desperate to stay in the good graces of the dazed giant, the city remained a colony. Somewhat self-governing, Yurette was never fully exploited. However, Dareum had no incentive to treat surrounding villages with the same respect. Many fled to Yurette to escape persecution.
During a protracted conflict with Sorenano, Dareum burned through its currency reserves and soldiers. With no choice but to augment their army with the Yurites, Dareum's military became increasingly dominated by the more populous Yurites. Populists who remembered the old days sprung up throughout the military. Revolutionaries that romanticized the past when Yurette ruled itself.
On the eve of battle, the first snow filled the air. Two armies lined up in anticipation of a conflict. The Yurite-dominated Darean army faced off against Sorenano's mercenary forces. Representatives from the kings of Dareum and Sorenano could not find an agreement. Dareum's representative solemnly returned to the horse-riding commander. Sorenano's representative eagerly ran back, gleefully returning the news of an impending battle. Sorenano's soldiers beheld the Yurite soldiers murder their commanding officers. Their expensive golden armor pieces were the first to be stolen, but the decorated horses made great prizes as well.
Sorenano's army nearly attacked the Yurites, but this attack would be unnecessary. The mercenary army had a far superior target behind them, the undefended city of Dareum. The Yurites returned home to a liberated city, forming the Kingdom of Rastolk in 2,464. With Yurette and a handful of outlands comprising the bulk of its territory, the Kingdom was beset by internal instability from the beginning. The first ruler, King Archytas I, could not cement his power.
Economy
Yurette has a centrally-planned economy in which the official ownership of all assets within the nation are owned by the state. Unlike feudal societies, where the king officially owns all land in the society, sovereignty is vested in the government itself. Since Yurette has no king, the state, of which everyone in Yurette is a part, owns everything. The economy is characterized by state-control of investment; however, different departments are often allocated resources based on how well their products do in foreign markets. Yurette has a very low rate of unemployment and very high job security.
Since the founding of Yurette, its economy was guided by not only the demand for its goods in other cities, but demand for its goods across Zazriel and beyond. It transformed from a highly agrarian society to a more industrial economy as time went on. Metal refining is the largest industry, with large amounts of iron, bronze, and aluminum exported to neighboring cities. Other industries include lumber, glass production, porcelain and other ceramics, agriculture and fishing.
Central Planning
All information about the economy flows from the top down with little room for input from the market. There are four main bureaus which each contribute to the planning of Yurette.
- Central Argentaria
The Central Argentaria is responsible for the monetary policy of Yurette. It is the only bank in not just Yurette but the Zazriel Res Publica. This bank mints the various currencies of Yurette.
Currencies
Yurette has four major currencies used for a number of different purposes. For payment for its workers, it issues an "Orose," for a daily wage. By definition, a daily wage for manual labor is an Orose. Coins which represent a single Orose are uncommon throughout Yurette's modern history. Prices for goods are usually given in fractions of Orose, whether regular or irregular.
Subdivisions of these currencies, while not made out of the substance they represent, are redeemable throughout Yurette for the metal they represent. Silver-based coins are used for external trade. Internally, they can only be exchanged for their official value, regardless of the real value of silver in comparison to gold.
| Coin | Value | Composition |
|---|---|---|
| Xirose | 4/3 | 24K Gold |
| Orose | 1/1 | 18K Rose Gold |
| Semirose | 1/2 | 9K Red Gold |
| Rinrose | 1/3 | 6K Copper Gold |
| Onrose | 1/4 | 4.5K Copper Gold |
| Inrose | 1/6 | 3K Copper Gold |
| Lirose | 1/12 | Electrum |
| Azarose | 1/24 | 100% Silver |
| Ararose | 1/32 | 75% Silver |
| Arose | 1/48 | 50% Silver |
Factories
Geography
Yurette is the largest city in northern Zazriel and its second largest over the whole continent. It is one hundred kilometers north of the island of Ado and the nearest major population center to the city is the city of Yuyurum, a smaller port city on the other side of the bay. The Akina River, flowing northward from the Starmiin Mountains, provides nearly all of the water for the city and the agriculture around it. Yurette exists mostly on arable land with the exception being sandy soil on the northern end of the city as one approaches its beaches. Consequently, the largest structures of Yurette are located in-land where strong foundations can be built.
Rastolk bay is a deep water bay with a small atoll near the center, forcing ships to use the sides of the bay as they make their way to Yurette's port. The atoll is a part of the City of Yurette and hosts a monument called Conditor's Fist built to recognize the city's founder. The project required accelerating the growth of the coral around the island using alchemy to support the impressive weight of the structure.
The originally somewhat hilly area of Yurette has been largely flattened over the 2,000 years that the city has been very large. Much of the earth excavated was used for land reclamation in the bay. Today, much of the city lies on land that did not originally exist. Due to the fairly common storms that can ravage southern Zazriel, there exist several dykes protecting Yurette from storm surges. These dykes took over three centuries to complete, are reinforced using hardened Yurite Steel, and are consistently patrolled in case of attack. Many of them are still being repaired from damage sustained in the All's Rule War.
Buildings
Most of the tallest buildings in Yurette, those over 10 meters tall, are reinforced with Yurite Steel, allowing for heights of up to 100 meters. The tallest building in Yurette is known simply as "The Commons," a 100-meter tall tower housing 8 of the 12 elected leaders of Yurette at a time. On four sides of the hexagonal tower, there are steam-powered crossbows with range just large enough to strike outside of the city. Called "The Batteries," these four colossal apparatuses have been essential for warding off unwelcome ships in the bay or invaders on land. Atop The Commons is a meeting place for the leaders of every city in the Zazriel Res Publica.
Other notable structures include the "Stadia," a series of large structures used for public debate, events, and elections. The largest of which, called "Stadium Primum," can hold over 10,000 people and is the site of numerous speeches, events, games, and even public executions. Accompanying the Stadia are large market-places where goods are distributed and luxury items are traded.
One of the most important buildings in Yurette is the Institute of Magical Research which, despite the name, is also used for the studying of science. The scientific method, while scorned in many places on the continent, was accepted in Yurette relatively early on, allowing this institution to be one of the first of its kind on Zazriel. From this building came most of Yurette's recent advancements in science, magic, and especially alchemy, in which the institute specializes. The building, the largest by volume in all of the Res Publica, is also the site of the first large-scale factory, which was specialized in steal production. Numerous other factories have since popped up, collectively owned and modeled like all other forms of production in the city.