Wessia
Wessia
History
Wessia, like all the Emperor's Pearls, is a old city having existed for easily 4000 years. Being central to historical Ubrekt in geography, it has avoided any change of government by military means, though this is not to say it has avoided military actions. Conflict is a regular feature of Wessia's history, particularly during the time of Alexandria and during the various civil wars. But generally the history of Wessia is that of Ubrekt itself, riding the rise and fall of the nation's fortunes over the millennium. More locally, it has a merchantile and political friendly rivalry with the other Emperor's Pearls, particularly Tecria's Reach - which has similar trade goods and is close geographically - as well as the Seat of the Ubrekt itself due to its influence over politics in the Ubrekti west.
Government and Politics
The current sitting governor is Malik Zythym, the patriarch of what is perhaps the second oldest Ubrekti aristocratic family in Wessia. The governor of the region including Wessia and much of the surrounding region is, like other regions in Ubrekt, elected by the Senate and confirmed or vetoed by King Luther Megual. Like many of the Old Ubrekti families, Governor Malik maintains polite and formal, though certainly not warm, relations with the Hakani King. As one of the more distant Emperor's Pearls, and due to its own significant size, Wessia is given great discretion by the crown to chart it's own course in most respects so long as it's taxes are delivered regularly and in full and civil insurrection or open rebellion does not break out - promises Wessia has a good-to-respectable track record of keeping.
As a relic of one of those past insurrections, Wessia maintains an unusual method of Senatorial investiture. The city itself maintains claims four Senatorial Seats elected by the regional aristocracy every four years in staggered terms, the most of any single city except the six claimed by the capital. Of course, the capital also essentially controls or wields a significant influence over the Senate seats of Sadril Island and the University, the capital's outsized influence being another source of tension with Wessia.
In 1391 Governor Malik of course occupies one seat. Another is occupied by Ryan Ullaster, the oldest son of the oldest and most entrenched aristocratic family. While wildly popular amoung the the land-owning aristocracy, he has not proven the ability to publicly restrain his scorn for the Hakani ruling family, and as a result his prospective governorship was cut just short by a rare veto from King Luther. The most recently elected Senator is Lorien Crowdale, a rising young Ubrekti merchant and representative of the growing influence of the some of the new money. Lorien with his dynamic personality and public reputation for hosting the trendiest parties at the most exclusive venues in the city, narrowly defeated Zane Swire, the white-haired feeble patriarch of third oldest family in Wessia. This sets up some of the younger Swire aristocrats to eye the seat of the fourth senator, due for election this year, that of Byron Phist. Byron also a merchant, could also be considered new money, though he has held his seat for going on his 20th year now. As he finds his business fortunes waning, he is looking increasing vulnerable as he may struggle to draw the votes of the younger new money and aristocratic crowd and host the type of extravagant events it seems to take to win their favor.
The church in Wessia is significantly weaker than many places in civilized world, which is to say it is a major player in the political sphere rather than the player. It is the major outlet of power and prestige for the Hakani humans of the western Provinces. The local head is Priestess Bethany Peel serves as a moral balance to some of the excesses of the aristocrats and merchant classes.
Local Culture
Wessia is fairly typical of Ubrekt as a whole with a privileged contingent of Ubrekti aristocrats and merchants socializing and seeing to their business interests while the predominately Hakani laborers and field-hands work to support them. If anything this contrast is even more in evidence in Wessia with the huge surrounding area of fertile farmlands concentrated in only a few hundred rich landowners. As a result the city is known for gaudy excesses, perhaps overshadowing those in the capital itself by most accounts.
Wessia sees quite a few different races which they tolerate like most Ubrekti society. The skills of dwarven craftsmen are much in demand and they're perhaps the most respected non-humans and can occasionally be found even in Wessian high society. The city also sees more thanks share of road halflings due to the surrounding flat grasslands that offer ready grazing. Gnomes are a bit scarce as the embittered Hakani human population has made them less than welcome over the centuries. As one of the more northern cities on the Stormchalice, it's possible to also encounter an occasional Lizardfolk from the lakes to the north here for trade as some of the occasional low-lying areas nearby that are unsuitable for farming host a few Lizardfolk settlements.
Economy
Like the other Emperor's Pearls on the Stormchalice, Wessia gets by on trade. Agricultural goods makeup much of the trade volume, and the harbor boasts huge numbers of warehouses for grain and the like to support this commerce. It also serves as a hub for lumber, ore and metal work the small mining mountain and foresty-based villages on the western edge of the Stormchalice sending there goods to Wessia to be aggregated, smelted and crafted into finished metal goods. Likewise it's not difficult to find a gem merchant in Wessia, and precious, semi precious stones, and freshwater peals are common in much of the local fashions. Indeed if there's a fashion center of Ubrekt, Wessia is surely it due to the neverending calendar of social events.
The disparity of wealth is ripe ground for thievery, and a local thieves guild is known to thrive over the years despite more than once a decade purges and a relatively robust city guard.
Wessia Noteable Institutions and Businesses
Layout
Wessia has been built-up and built-over many times over the millennia. As a result the buildings at the surface have a wide mixture of ages creating an eclectic, borderline irrational, mix of durable old buildings and fashionable new ones. A somewhat more heavy use of stone has prevented any major cleansing city-wide fire for several centuries. The intermingling of buildings creates some of the most winding roads, alleys and accessways anywhere in the empire, so it's easy for non-locals to get lost. Also the constant building-up has allowed an extensive and multi-level sewer system to underpin the city, sometimes the sewer channels and accessways wind through nothing other than built-over former buildings until the main channels are reached at the lowest level. The locals refer to all theses places collectively and disdainfully as the Undergrounds. Like muck of Ubrekt, there are also several canals which wind their narrow way through the Wessian alleys as well and include interconnections with the sewer system.
A fine deep water harbor sporting over thirty wharves of various types and semi-modern lifting equipment of gnomish design adorn the west side of the city. The channel mouth to the Stormchalice is reasonably wide and is not easily defended, but twin towers on opposite sides with some of the longest range siege equipment in the world try to do a decent job of it. Still in the cover of darkness, bold smugglers in small ships could find their way among the patrol ships and into the harbor itself and ultimately to any of several obscured portals into the Undergrounds or canal system.
The rest of the inland west side hosts the numerous warehouses and lower quality inns and taverns typical of a major port. These are split by the only sizable road in the city that only connects the wharves and the central market area. North of the Market holds some of the intermediate housing where craftsmen make their living. While south of the market, the more upscale homes, businesses, and the church dominate. The city walls kept in reasonably good repair enclose perhaps only half of the city, and the lowest class homes and businesses are all pushed outside the walls. Indeed younger aristocrats are fond of slumming outside the walls for nights of seedier carousing. City security is generally controlled at checkpoints at the two main roads out of the outer city, while the three main gates into the city serve mainly as points of taxation for goods coming or leaving the marketplace and harbor within. Interesting the Undergrounds do extend beyond the city walls in numerous places. The city guard makes periodic attempts to stop smuggling and close off these channels, but it's beyond their numbers and priories to strictly shut these access ways off, creating a bit of cat and mouse game for thieves and smugglers going between the two districts.
Population
Around 100,000 regular inhabitants plus several thousand visitors at any time.