Sedia

Sedia the Lime City (Euluska: Sediä eön Felnot /sɛ.ˈðɪʌ ɛ.ɔn ˈfɛl.not/, Boreal Euluska pronunciation: [seɪ̯ʔ.jæ n̩ fɛˀ.ønt͡s]) was a small free city home to just over a million people, located on the furthest northwestern point of mainland Indratera, on the south side of the Northern Passage. It was the capital and sole city of its eponymous nation. It lay due north of Halcyon by about 500 miles. Sedia was a very important city, despite its small size and isolation, because it was the key producer of mineral lime, which was used in worldwide engineering for concrete, mortar, water treatment, and sugar refining.
== Brief History ==
There was very little human activity in the area prehistorically. The people of the Fen archipelago, which lay 700 miles northwest over the ocean, probably visited the coast a few times to fish, but never settled. 
=== The Empire Discovers Limestone ===
The Euluskan Empire settled and expanded their empire to the Danderillon by the year 300. However, Sedia itself, and its area, was only settled much later. A seaborne expedition out of Felonil in 842 led by Admiral Rastha Dolmynka, looking for further suitable places for coastal limestone mines to support the expansion of the empire's engineering works, sighted the peninsula. She wrote in her log of its promise and returned. Dolmynka named the area the Tova Lmina, meaning "chalk-stone cliffs" - whilst it later turned out she wasn't precisely right because the cliffs weren't pure chalk, they were just limestone, the name stuck. The Empire was delighted that there was this mineral-rich, uninhabited, warm coastline just to the north! A further surveying expedition was raised, and another, and after a few years of making sure, the Empire was confident that the area would be its best bet. 
=== Incentivised Settling ===
In 859, the Empire officially began settling Sedia, which at the time was called Tova Lminaiön (Chalk Cliff City). The Empire offered various incentives to people in the Western Danderillon and even down in the Fallo to help settle - promises (which they kept, for once!) of land, jobs, titles, rewards, and the like. The Empire entrusted the rule and organisation of the Colony of Sedia to the wealthy de'Seditus noble family, who were already well-versed in maritime trade. The city was officially chartered as the Duchy of Sedia in 899 when it reached ten thousand inhabitants - the city was named in honour of the de'Seditus noble family. It grew over the years rapidly into a burgeoning city, experiencing population booms in the mid-1000s, late 1200s, and early 1300s too as new Imperial colonies in Lakay and elsewhere demanded more lime for their development.
=== As a Free City ===
At the time of the fall of the Empire in the early 1500s, Sedia was home to 0.87 million people. When the Empire fell, the independent city-state of Felonil was keen to snap up the world leading producers of limestone as fast as possible, so they brokered a peaceful trade agreement with them. Since then, Sedia was considered its own small city-state, but voluntarily part of the Felonil-led city-state of Scarossar, despite being much further north than its borders. It could possibly be considered an exclave out in the wilderness, and it maintained this relationship when Felonil became Halcyon, under the governance of the Lakayan Federation in the 1560s - Sedia's official status was Autonomous City-State in Free Association with Halcyon and the Lakayan Federation. Its population reached a pre-God Wars maximum of 1.02 million at the turn of the 17th century, after rapid growth throughout the mid-late 1500s (the golden industrial age of Indratera).
=== In the Modern Era ===
During the God-Wars, which primarily kicked off in Northwest Rakkimar, Sedia was subject to a few nasty sieges, battles in open-cast mines, disasters, and embargoes from Rakkimar trying to stop Halcyon. It suffered, its industry foundered, and its population was hurt. But since the end of the God Wars in 1694 TE / 0 C, the city repaired quite fast, maintained its independent sovereignty, and officially stated itself as a politically neutral city that provided crucial goods. It traded freely with Halcyon, with the Free City of Bracken, with the city of Datria and its subjects, with Carmogan and Accipiter, with Lakay, and with Rakkimar, to name a few. Sedia's population by the 250s C was about 1.381 million, and it consisted of the main town clustered around a valley by the port comprised of numerous large suburbs (Calyra Sands, Aeölia, Euïsta, Little Emvys, Great Emvys, Port Towne, Valley Towne, High Towne, The Steps, Onthos, Sieta Rock, and The Headland).
== Geography and Ecology ==
The most important thing to note about Sedia and its environs was that it was very, very warm, fair, and balmy for its latitude. The whole area was fed by warm currents from the southwest, as well as - and this was under much conspiracy and hush-hush - possible traces of ancient, several-thousand-millennia-old magic in the area which kept the climate much, much more agreeable despite its latitude. The area should, theoretically, have been on the edge of the tree line with summer averages of about 0°C and winter averages of about -20°, but instead it was forested, covered in grasses, and had warm summers of up to 20°C with winters averaging -5°C. Sedia's peninsula had sandy beaches, warm water, and fair currents. It was rainy in the spring and autumn, but rarely too stormy. 
=== Perfect for the Lime Industry ===
Sedia's cliffs and hills were massively comprised of limestone, with high proportions of calcium and magnesium oxides. There was rather a lot of quarrying and open-cast mining inland, just up the peninsula. (There were also a few tin mines further inland, but they never grew to such a booming industry compared to limestone). With the presence of lots of limestone, lots of trees for wood for fire fuel, and lots of fresh seawater for hydration reactions, the area was practically perfect for making lime. Within a few decades of the industry being set up, Sedia rose- and stayed ever since- as the largest producer of lime worldwide. It was used for building and engineering mainly. Euluskan concrete, which was made using Sedian Lime, composed most of the large buildings, structures, bridges and tunnels in Halcyon, Datria, and even down in the Horn & Fallo. 
=== Flora and Fauna ===
Lots of trees, shrubs and grasses grew round Sedia and the peninsula, due to the warmth. These included a lot of ash, fir, birch, beech, oak, hawthorn, chestnut, and box pine, as well as rarely some yews, savrin, and even a few Datrian pears. The coasts were covered in sedges and rushes, as well as barley, hair-grass, ryegrass, and, most notably, Sedian Beachgrass which was native to the dunes of the beaches, and found in ornamental gardens around the Euluskan diaspora for its appearance. The area had a lot of interesting seagrasses and kelps, some coral which had become bleached, and a lot of colourful wildflowers in the hills. Lots of barley and wheat were grown in the Aeölia suburb, which was the food-producing district. Lastly, the land, coast, sea, and air were home to a lot of typical northern Danderillon and southwest Rakkimarran animals - countless seabirds, rodents, innumerable fish, crabs, rare sharks, lobsters and prawns, some migratory whale pods, timber wolves, and boars.
== Culture and Demographics ==
The Sedians had a culture that developed on its own for quite a while. The town got most its settlers in the 9th and late 13th centuries from the Western Danderillon and Fallo, so it was predominantly part of the Euluskan diaspora despite physically being located more in Southwest Rakkimar. The locals, called Sedians (or, sometimes jokingly Limers or Seddies) were generally thought to be quite a cheerful, resilient, resourceful, and hard-working people when compared to the complacent urban socialites of their major trading partner and closest city, Halcyon. There was a strong sense of community in Sedia, almost comparable to the Rakkimarran Way (the Rakkimarran social ideal of collectivism) - oftentimes, Sedians would repair one another's boats or work on their neighbour's houses for free, because they knew it would probably be their boat/roof to break down next winter. Despite this, Sedians were relatively rich - the city made a lot of money off its limestone industry (in which most of the people were employed directly or indirectly) as well as its tourism industry. Sedians had a nice quality of living therefore. (Hell, it was just like back in the 9th-12th centuries, when the Empire paid people to move there, and built houses for them!)
Despite how close it was to Halcyon, Sedia was fairly tolerant of magic, and the city employed large numbers of weather mages to monitor and balance the climate. These mages worked in stations and lighthouses, having been trained at the city's Consortium, a weather magic academy. Magic was regulated robustly, but relatively accepted. That meant the guards knew how to counteract it, though. The city was also home to a branch of the Skiptracers Detective Agency. 
Sedia's population, of 1.381 million in the 250s Collapse Era, was 85% Euluskan (two thirds of which were from the Danderillon, the rest from the Fallo). The remaining 15% were West Rakkimarrans and Gildegrans. The overwhelming majority (96%) of the population spoke the Euluska language (77% of them as a first language, 19% as a second language). The second-largest language was the Southern dialect of Rakki, which about 10% of the population could hold a conversation in. Tarkas was also spoken by some residents and labourers who came westward from Empress Grima VII Land. 
The Euluskan speakers in and around Sedia generally spoke the Boreal dialect. The Danderillonian (Halcyian) dialect of Euluska was considered to be the acrolect (most prestigious or 'proper' form, used in an official capacity), whereas the Boreal dialect was the everyday basilect most people grew up speaking. Boreal Euluska showed similar features to Southern Rakki - frequent glottalisation, stød/creaky voice, and considerable reduction of unstressed syllables. Halcyian Euluska speakers often joked that Sedians who spoke the Boreal dialect sounded like they were 'swallowing every other syllable' clearing their throat, or speaking with 'a fish in their mouth'.
In the 250s, the ruler was Princess Elector Zevereäta de'Seditus. The rulers of Sedia were historically Euluskan Electors, but the name stuck after the fall of the Empire in 1519.
== Notable Locations ==
* The Weather Wall, a dome of force that protected the city from the frequent surrounding storms
* The whole city and its outskirt districts were situated upon the northwest-reaching Tova Lmina peninsula.
* Euïsta Castle was a large, 12th century Euluskan Empire noble fortress that stood upon Mirah Hill overlooking the town. It was once the seat of the Duchy of Sedia. It was home to some of the de'Seditus nobility from the early days of the Empire to its fall in the 1500s. Since then, the ruling nobility (no longer part of the Empire per se of course) lived there. 
* Aeölia Mill, a large wooden 14th century windmill which stood a few miles from Sedia town, with several other farms and mills nearby. It produced most the town's grain. The area around the mill was known as the suburb-town of Aeölia, and it was the food-producing district, surrounded by barley and wheat fields.
* Calyra Sands, the beaches of the town and surrounding areas, beyond which the waters gave way to the strait of the Northern Passage. Calyra Sands was mostly wet at high tide, so it was covered in boats usually. It was also the name of a suburb near the dockfront.
* Port-Towne, the part of Sedia closest to the waterfront. It consisted of cottages, shops, and warehouses.
* The Steps, the smaller half of the port town, home to a lot of the financial and economic institutes, atop the Alvir Embankment, a white stone stair-shaped breakwater
* Valley-Towne, the district that spanned the base of the smaller of the two hills considered the 'entrance' to Sedia from inland, which were named the Great Emvys and Little Emvys. There was also a district up that hill called Little Emvys
* Sedia Observatory, a celestial observatory on the waterfront
* High-Towne, the higher reaches of the city near the castle, more home to farms and residential areas
* Onthos Tor, a very large cairn-tor several miles back out of town, which dominated the skyline in one direction
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* The Wharves, the part of the docks with piers, boatyards and loading cranes.
* Euïsta Head, the headland of rock on one side of the bay, home to the Euista Head Lighthouse
* Sedia Customs House, the largest waterfront building
* The Great Emvys Woods, deciduous woodland on Great Emvys Hill.
* Sedia Light Head Office, the office of the world-famous lighthouse building company, which was founded here
* Ljurut Bay, the natural harbour and wider bay area of the town, which was also bounded by the Véria Breakwater, a stone sea wall to protect the harbour. The harbour therein was known as the Véria Marina. The bay was full of 3 main types of craft: Small rowboats for bay fishing or travel, red-and-white trawlers for fishing off the coast, and larger square-rigged wooden sailing ships for goods and commerce. 
* Sedecimus Cathedral, a large 10th century gothic cathedral
* Sieta Rock, a large rock stack on the beach home to the city's oldest church from the 6th century: Vežtukolen Abbey
* Eulmin Rock, a large arch-shaped sea stack that stood just out of the path of the harbour.
* The Sedia Consortium of Aeomance Academies, or just 'The Consortium' or 'The Academy', a weather mage college. Mages here worked to keep the climate balanced and the weather fair. It also trained the local military. 
 
Category:Places