Rietavas

Rietavas is the sixth-largest city in Liotain, and one of the oldest.

## History

Rietavas was founded by Reman colonists as the city of Colonia Flavia Retavia Secundus in the 1st Century BCE, with the objective of securing a region freshly-conquered by the IV Legion. The colonia was a popular place for legionnaires to retire, and the city, its name simplified to Retavia, grew to a population of twenty thousand by 400 CE. It was one of the first cities visited by the Theophanite missionary Rufus, and an early church flourished here.

Misfortune attended Retavia during the fall of the first Reman Empire, as it was sacked and burned multiple times, first by pirates, and then twice by the Canstori. In the 900s, the Saulian Chronicle referred to it as a place "of little importance." Sometime in the 1200s, during the fall of the Second Reman Empire, the city adopted the current name Rietavas, and declared itself a republic. This lasted until 1312, when the city was seized by a coalition of pirates.

City government changed hands with alarming regularity until 1384, when the Hospitaller Knights of Svent Mykolas, with a mere six hundred men, captured the city and drove out the pirates. The Knights named one of their number as ruler of the city, built a major fortress and hostel for travellers, and established a small shipyard to build galleys to patrol the Encircled Sea. By 1410, Rietavas served as the eastern base of the Order, while Kernave in Breizh served as the western base.

In 1498, the Knights transferred control of the city to the Kingdom of Liotain, although they retained sovereignty of the fortress and the traveler's hostel. The city enthusiastically maintained its relationship with the Order, however. Between 1499 and 1684, Rietavas voted to maintain a local tax for the purpose of supporting the Order's operations.

During the 1600s, the Liotainian government spent over a hundred thousand florins to expand the capacity of the port, build local defensive works, and improve the roads in the region. The government wanted to build up Rietavas as a rival to Firoccan-owned Svyturys, just a short distance down the coast.

During the Firoccan War, Rietavas found itself on the front lines of the conflict. In December 1701, the Firoccan Armada attacked Rietavas, landing four thousand mercenaries with the objective of seizing, plundering, and burning the city. The initial landings caught the defenders unprepared, but the Firoccan mercenaries rapidly got out of control. The defenders rallied, retook the harbor fortifications, and cut off the retreat of nine hundred and eighty mercenaries, who were abandoned by the Firoccan naval commander.

One of the most controversial events in Liotainian history then followed. As at Telsai earlier in the year, the mercenaries plundered, raped, and indiscriminately murdered in the defenseless town, an act which enraged the locals. On the morning following the raid, the mercenary officers were executed by quartering and their bodies displayed on a hill overlooking the harbor entrance. Eight hundred and seventy the remaining soldiers were forcibly castrated, with one in six dying afterward from blood loss or other complications. Although many Liotainians disavowed this action, the Liotainian crown published a statement saying that any further mercenaries fighting against Liotain would receive the same penalty.

A second raid on Rietavas was launched in 1704. Unlike the prior case, the defenders were alert and the coastal defenses fully-manned. After an initial exchange of fire, the Firoccans realized they had insufficient force to bombard the port, and retired after doing minimal damage.

The Battle of Rietavas took place just off the harbor entrance in April 1707.

However, once Svyturys was reincorporated into Liotain, the government saw relatively little need to continue funding the development of Rietavas; they instead switched their priorities to Svyturys. This left a great deal of bitterness in the city.

## Economy

Along with Svyturys, Rietavas is one of the two shipbuilding ports on the eastern coast.

## Demographics

The majority of inhabitants of Rietavas are ethnic Liotines.

Rietavas natives have the reputation of being more devout than average.

## Main sights

The Orthodox Basilica of Sventa Léja du Rietavas is possibly the oldest Theophanite basilica in Liotain.

## In popular culture

The Rietavas is the setting of four operas written by Vincentas Laukaitis, most famously *Orazia* (1764).

### Family Feud

*Main article: Rimsa-Pozela feud*

Rietavas is the site of a famous, potentially even infamous, family feud, between the Rimsas and Pozelas. The long-running feud dates back to the late 1300s. The Rimsa family participated in Rietavas's piracy trade, while the Pozela family arrived with the Knights of Svent Mykolas. The feud reached its peak in the early 1700s, and was featured in Mykolas Pisula's tragic opera *Valdas and Ausra* (1859).