Furt

Entering the free state of Furt

Furt, Geographically

## Origins

Outside of the coast, Furt is a generally hilly and forested land. This, combined with its poor soil quality made Furt a hard land to settle into. As time went on, and other countries were reforged and once again found their foothold, however, The prime location of Furt could no longer be ignored. Starting in 221 A.E, a war had erupted over the colonization of Furt between the superpowers of the lands of La’Sithen, Brieze and Freimonsia. Lasting only 3 years, the war was swiftly ended by Brieze’s vast naval prowess, and the territory became theirs. Although it was hard to start up, with enough aid, the new colony of Furt began to show its worth. For the next 500 years, with a surge of imports coming from the west, Furt would find itself growing at an exponential rate.

## Independence

Although Brieze’s rule of Furt was nothing but fair and just, the rapidly advancing colony began to feel restrained under it. With an economy that rivalled even its mother country, Furt would be more than capable of keeping themselves afloat. On the 7th of Mesta, 766 A.E, Jesryn Balmoira, the current head representative of Furt, met with Driolkuz, emporer of Brieze, to discuss this matter. For months Jesryn and Driolkuz clashed with words and intrigue. This period of intense debate between Driolkuz and Jesryn (and Furt and Brieze by extension) is referred to as “The Grand Furtian Discourse” within historical texts.

## Agreements Reached

On the 34th of Anuar, 767 AE, Emporer Driolkuz and Jesryn had reached an agreement. Brieze would allow Furt to rule themselves with their own government, only if they would still agree to receive taxation on their trade operation for the next 15 years. Many would say that Furt had gotten independence quite easily, possibly through bits of luck; however, those within Furt know they have themselves to thank. If Brieze was to deny Furt’s independence, it would not only damage relations, but also incite thoughts of revolution. With Brieze receiving vast amounts of wealth thanks to trade coming in and out of their colony, cutting off Furt would be equivalent to cutting off their own arm. Jesryn Balmoira, with her shrewd tactics and this knowledge, was able to get the mighty land of Brieze to agree to her modified terms.

Every year, on the 34th of Anuar, Furt celebrates its independence, as well as their very first ruler, Jesryn the Wise.

## Present Day

Without the guidance of Brieze, Furt has been mostly left on its own to develop ever since their independence. This has been both a blessing and a curse. On one side, the country of Furt has been able to  solidify its place as the iconic port town of all of La’Sithen, but this has been at the cost of its people. The Wharfs and alleyways of Furt have since become a cesspool of crime, poverty and disease without the strict moral guidelines the guards of Brieze used to enforce. With the an even larger influx of foreign imports coming through since their independence (due to the lack of meddling from Brieze), the denizens of Furt have begun to lose their sense of cultural identity. Yet, at the same time, the upper echelons of Furt have become rich with a mix of cultural identities, and by embracing it, the nobles have begun to live lives of lavish and exotic extravagance. The poor, although, do not share this sentiment. They despise foreigners and exotic merchants and blame them for the slow decline of Furt’s social identity. If not in a nicer part of a city, a foreigner must always travel in a group of at least 4 or more so as to avoid harassment, burglary or even murder.

## Overview

* No censuses have been conducted in Furt as it is much too chaotic to get an accurate number, but there have been estimations on the current population racial split. Unlike most of La’Sithen, Humans are barely in the majority at around 40 to 50% of the population.
* One part of Furtian culture that has been preserved; however, is its obsession with salt. Almost anything that is ordered in Furt has some kind of salt in it… even some drinks.
* Furt lacks the manpower to reform the city’s streets; however, they do not place any restrictions on generally illegal practices such as black market trade so as to deepen their own pockets. Anything and everything can be bought and sold, for the right price that is, inside of Furt.
* Surprisingly, Furt is not home to any thieves guilds, reason being is that the place is overrun with them in general. Mini ‘thieves guilds’ do pop up here and there in Furt, but none are connected to the actual thieves guild network.
* The current reigning official is Yomur Goldweave. Being a dwarf and not originally from Furt, his reign has been fraught with controversy among the lower rungs of society.