Szasgiper

"The Gateway to Vardhem"

"The Gateway to Vardhem". Szasgiper, the beautiful Capital and Trade hub of the Vardhem Commonwealth. It is the residence of the Konungen as well as the parliament of Vardhem.

## Location

Szasgiper is located on the tip of the northern peninsula of Vardhem. It's surrounded by the Sunset Sea and the Mara Calma Sea to the east and west, and is only separated to the main Vardhem continent, as well as the opposing castle of Leszdhemm, by a small strait. To the north, it's protected by the tall mountains which divide Vardhem and Ashos, as well as the fortress-town of Gaskavard.

Thanks to it's strategic location, as well as the largest natural harbor in Vardhem, it has become a key point of commerce, diplomacy, and culture, thus being known as the "Gateway to Vardhem".

## History

Due to Szasgiper's pivotal location, it has been the site of many battles and wars.

In 651, under administration by the 22nd king of Vardhem, ***Drinþer*** defended the city from foreign forces and built the ***Drinþerin Walls*** which still surround the city to this day.

In 690, it was the location of ***Merski II's*** invasion, who subsequently claimed the throne and established the Þarverda dynasty.

During the warring states period, it was the final site of the battle between ***Sven Ivårmirsk*** and ***Moridik,*** where his forces were defeated.

Following the warring states period, Szasgiper stood tall as the bastion of the Ivårmirsk dynasty. Under **Konungen Sven**'s leadership, his cousin, as well as head architect of Vardhem, ***Yekar Ivårmirsk***, started a project to rebuild the city from the destruction caused upon it by warring armies.

After Sven Ivarmirisk's inaction late into his reign, ***Årasve I***, lawspeaker of Vardhem, seized the throne from his half-brother and took action against the war with the Ashosi. ***Arasve I*** continued to employ ***Yekar Ivårmirsk*** as head architect, who continued to rebuild the city through the new Konungen's reign.

Following the end of the Vardhem-Ashos War, ***Yekar Ivårmirsk*** was promoted and made Lord of Szasgiper, which he assumes the role to this day. A large focus was made into revitalizing the capital, to truly display Vardhem's prosperity to the world. Nearly all of the city, as it stands to this day, was built by him.

## Architecture

The architecture of Vardhem utilizes a lot of various materials. The city's architecture is the apotheosis of an example of its trade power. Colorful dyed terracotta imported from the cliffs of the Jalvrasz Mesa, the stone mined from the depths of the Szamleszic quarries, as well as the wood felled from the Vardhem forests all have contributed to the houses and buildings.

Yekar's style of architecture emphasizes color and stability. All of the houses are built with extremely tough materials such as stone and terracotta in an effort to keep it standing for longer, to prevent future destruction from opposing armies, as Szasgiper once suffered. A decorative wooden V is built onto the peak of every roof as a nod to the antique houses that used that building style before Szasgiper was destroyed.

Government buildings utilize a similar style. Color is a key element of government-building architecture, with magenta onion-domes adorning the sparkling white walls of the parliament building being a key example. The onion-shaped domes are a symbol of the "fruit of the tree", a reminder of Vardhem's affinity for it's Tree within symbolism.