Cidaris (city)

Cidaris is an old seaside city and the capital of the Northern Kingdom of the same name. Built on elven ruins in the 8th century, Cidaris is a cultural center and home to the Cidarian Dynasty.
The city boasts a bustling hub of maritime trade with famous bazaars where, as the adage goes, one can buy anything. Such wealth attracts attention, so a powerful navy stands vigilant.
==History==
===Foundation===
Satisfied with the surroundings, the Aen Seidhe founded a settlement in this location. Centuries later, in the s, the Nordlings landed. Faced with an expansive new foe, the elves decided to retreat further inland and abandoned the settlement.
A human warlord with a small retinue swept in almost immediately, raising his standards atop abandoned towers. That day, on the ruins of ancient buildings, the northern city of Cidaris was born. 
===Defending interests===
Given their proximity to Skellige, Cidarian mariners often have to ward off raids. One heroic tale tells of Caroline, a fierce woman whose husband, Geoff of Bremervoord, got killed by Skelligers on a way back from Novigrad. Full of desire for vengeance, Caroline drowned her sword in Skelligan blood and proceeded to claim their ship. Having rallied a crew of sailors and mercenaries, she patrolled the Cidarian waters and hunted daring Islanders.
The end of the 12th century brought the Great Tariff War - meant to tear down the mercantile hegemony of Kovir and Poviss - on Cidaris' doorstep. Its monarch refused to join the blockade, prompting Coram II of Cintra to send warships to bar Kovirian goods from entering the city's port. The effort was doomed from the start, as even Temerian agents helped create gaps in that barricade through bribes. Esteril Thyssen, the Kovirian ruler, ultimately had enough and his fearsome armada annihilated the Cintrans in a series of naval battles.
===Heart of a sea power===
Summers herald profit for port cities, but King Mathen's final year suffered a bad one. A colossal kraken appeared in Cidaris, smashing numerous vessels. Not long after, the waves washed up an odd girl named Sha. Superstitious to the core, the king believed she must have been sent by the kraken who would cease with assaults if Prince Ethain married her. A wedding was staged, but the attacks went on. Enraged, Mathen wanted to sacrifice Sha to the kraken but was halted by his son in full armor. As the two argued, the kraken struck again. In the ensuing chaos, Sha threw herself willingly into the water and the kraken vanished in an instant. Alas, the injured king perished in Ethain's arms.
Resurgence of the Cidarian trade happened quite briskly under the new king. The navy wasn't left behind either. Reborn as one of the mightiest on the Continent, it was capable of shielding the Four Kingdoms from the Nilfgaardian Empire. With enlightened Ethain on the throne, many artists flocked to the city.
==Geography==
Like many cities in the lush valley of Dol Adalatte, Cidaris lies on the shores of the Great Sea. A road south links it with Kerack. Another important highway leads from Novigrad and Gors Velen, continuing from Cidaris to Verden, Brugge, Cintra and further south.
==Economy==
Much like the rest of the kingdom, Cidarians live predominantly from fishing, with another part of revenue coming from its markets, exporting wines, and shipyards. Never the ones to remain pure consumers, Cidarian craftsmen forge kords, their trademark type of sword which enjoys widespread use among sailors.
==Notable residents==
* Fiametta
* Mathen
* Valdo Marx
* Ethain
* Fercart
==Locations==
The city is seen as pretty, with its charming streets and white houses adorned with sloping roofs, satin canopies, overhangs, bay windows, galleries and other ornaments. From above, Cidaris resembles an abandoned carcass of a huge whale. Its air smells overwhelmingly of fish and the ornate streets are full of people from the world over. The capital of a kingdom known for good wine, Cidaris has considerable underground to store it.
No place lures as many people to Cidaris as the spacious Seaside Bazaar, celebrated for its rich supply of various goods brought in from across the globe. There's also the Hraki Bazaar for artifacts. The Royal Palace sits right next to the Seaside Bazaar.
In order to carry out exploration plans, defend the markets and make profit in shipbuilding, Cidaris has extensive docks with shipyards launching and overhauling several hundred ships per year. One of the local taverns called Sonatina is said to offer unequaled seafood. 
== Notes ==
* While the kingdom's colors are blue, white, and aquamarine, the royal guards in the city wear red cloaks. This might suggest that the city's coat of arms uses the color red.
==References==
cs:Cidaris (město)
de:Cidaris (Stadt)
es:Cidaris (ciudad)
fr:Cidaris (ville)
it:Cidaris (città)
pl:Cidaris (miasto)
ru:Цидарис (город)
uk:Цідаріс (місто)
Category:Settlements