Buroovasha

Buroovasha (BUH-roo-VAH-shah), originally Brioovushlia, is an important city in Ializa located in the Meroureida river valley. It was founded in 231 NE by ethnically Carasalic migrants to the region and became the capital of a regional kingdom and eventually capital of the entire Kingdom of Ializa. The city sits on a hilly plateau above the river. Both the city and the surrounding Meroureida Valley are heavily fortified with stone walls and other defenses and the city has only been successfully captured once in its history, by the First Noulaenic Empire in 593 NE. The city is renowned for its university, libraries, and theaters, where many of the great works of classic Ialiani theater were first performed. The current population of the city is 178,000

## Etymology

The original name of the city derives from Ousilic Rigini *brioovu* (stone) and a shortened form of *shliaedrai* (gorge), a reference to the steep stone walls of the Meroreida gorge near the city. The modern name is a corruption of the ancient one and does not reflect the modern form of the word for gorge, which would be "Shiliae" not "sha"

## Geography

Buroovasha occupies a hilly, rocky plateau named the Lonomiae plateau, which is separated from the surrounding Meroureida Valley plain by cliffs ranging from 3-6 meters in height. The original settlement was built in a hollow at the top of the plateau, where two spring-fed waterfalls drop from the cliffs above into a narrow rocky gorge, from which the city drew its name. The city's original footprint in the gorge is now entirely taken up by the palace complex and the city has expanded to fill the entirety of the plateau. There are additionally defensive fortresses, walls, and temples located in the peaks and cliffs directly above the city, which are accessible by narrow stone paths and ladders.

## History

Buroovasha was founded by Peburi migrants who had settled in the Meroureida river valley in 231 NE. The city was built in a gorge at the top of the Lonomiae plateau, a hilly bluff between the high and steeply-sloped granite walls of the Meroureida gorge and a smaller set of cliffs above the river. The plateau provided good pasture land to early settlers and had secure year-round water from several spring-fed waterfalls that flowed from the cliffs above the plateau. The settlement was initially built by herders of the Zoutodiae tribe as a community of straw homes. A wooden wall was erected around the community in 241 NE as a defense against raids from native Ializa groups who still inhabited the rough highlands above the city.

By the late the third century Buroovasha was the largest community in the Meroureida Valley by a wide margin as the increasingly sedentary Peburi peoples of the region abandoned their traditional semi-nomadic herding ways for plantation agriculture and city based life. Buroovasha's relative security and access to fertile farmland made it an attractive destination. As the city's population grew, the strength of forces it could command grew as well and the city soon came to dominate the valley. In 295 NE, Chief Poulouviriae mia Zoutodiae proclaimed himself the *nitai*, or king, of Buroovasha, creating a feudal state in the model of the then-contemporary kingdom of Tevlaistu in Ousilia. In accordance with this model, he demanded oaths of fealty from the eight Peburi tribes of the Meroureida valley. Also in accordance with Tevlaistu tradition, he relinquished the role of Chief of the Zoutodiae, which he passed to a cousin.

Several tribes refused to recognize his title and mounted armed resistance. This effort was led by the Ditiroosha tribe but included the Meipolie tribe and the Bireiburia tribe, as well as volunteers from other tribes. Buroovasha forces defeated the rebels in a series of battles, and the surviving rebels surrendered and swore allegiance to the king in 297 NE. The Ditiroosha tribe suffered heavily during the war and was disbanded as part of the peace agreement.

The traditional Tevlaistu feudal system was originally designed around a central population center ruling over a mobile, fluid, and at least partially semi-nomadic population and maintained the concept of tribes as hereditary groups, such that the tribal chiefs of Tevlaistu ruled over family groups rather than territories. This system was cumbersome for the largely sedentary Meroureida society due to confusion about jurisdiction over resources, Ializa natives, and persons residing outside of their tribe's land. This led to inter-tribal conflicts on several occasions, so in 308 NE King Buretoo I of Buroovasha called the chiefs to the capital to negotiate fixed boundaries for their territories, creating the concept of the *Bishouza*, or Chiefdom, as an administrative subdivision of a kingdom. Each of the seven chiefs was granted a chiefdom and full legal control over the residents and resources contained therein. While not entirely eliminated, inter-tribal conflict was considerably reduced by this measure. Other Peburi kingdoms in the region admired and subsequently copied the system in subsequent years.

Rival kingdoms formed in the Loomia and Leivilei regions concurrently with the rise of Buroovasha and the Piamiaebureza region was briefly an independent kingdom based in Biroreida during the fourth century as well. Buroovasha fought frequently with these neighboring kingdoms during this period, though few decisive battles occurred.

Following a failed assault on Biroreida in 333 NE, the generals of Buroovasha were so impressed with the fortifications of the city that they recommended to the king that the kingdom should completely reconstruct its entire defensive fortification infrastructure following the heavy stone wall model of Biroreida, which itself was inspired by older Haraklina fortification techniques. This began a long period of increasing fortification of Buroovasha and its territories.

During the fourth century, the kingdoms of Buroovasha and Loushiraziae became the two dominant forces in the region and the two became locked in near perpetual warfare. The war ended in 394 NE when Buroovasha forces defeated and killed king Viaebu II of Loushiraziae in a battle along the Zitobiriae ridge. Viaebu had a single legal heir, his daughter Reibidi, who had been married to King Buretoo II of Buroovasha as part of an earlier failed attempt to broker peace between the kingdom. Its forces defeated and lacking a legitimate king, Loushiraziae effectively surrendered and recognized Buretoo II as king of Loushiraziae. He installed his brother in Loushiraziae under the invented title Prince of Loushiraziae and declared himself the king of all of Ializa.

Buroovasha was still largely a wooden city at this point, aside from stone walls around the city, but a great deal of stone and brick construction was erected during the following century. The city built its first library, the original Mobiakiloo Buroovasha, in 388 NE and its first theater in 395 NE. The royal palace and surrounding governmental complex were considerably built up during this period as well.

Construction efforts in the kingdom turned primarily towards defense once more in the second half of the 5th century, however, due to fear of Noulaenic invasion. The walls of Buroovasha were improved and extended into the mountains, a low wall was built around the entire Lonomiae plateau and the nearby city of Nelouzizoo, which controlled the deeper Meroureida gorge below Buroovasha, was walled and fortified. Heavy stone artillery installations were also constructed around the city.

The defensive efforts proved prescient as Noulian invaded the Meroureida valley in 517 NE. The force was decisively beaten by Ializa forces before it reached Buroovasha at the Battle of Nelouzizoo in 519 NE and subsequently captured, ending the invasion threat. Noulian refused to ransom most of the captives and they subsequently became slaves of the Ializa state. Most of these slaves were subsequently worked to death constructing further defenses.

Further military build-up proved inadequate despite the efforts, however, as Noulian invaded the valley again with greater success in 591 and successfully stormed Buroovasha in 593. The city's defenses were badly damaged in the siege and the city was occupied by Noulaenic forces for over two years. The King of Ializa, Poulouviriae IV, continued to resist from strongholds higher in the valley and was able to harass Noulaenic supply attempts and stop the Noulaenic advance until a rebellion against Noulian in in Nadaria forced the Noulaenic forces to withdraw from Ializa entirely. Buroovasha was looted for valuables by the departing forces but the collection of the Mobiakiloo Buroovasha was left intact. This invasion marked the only time in its history that the city of Buroovasha has been taken by force.

The city's defenses were rebuilt and improved upon and the kingdom further fortified the valley through the construction of strong, Noulaenic-style fortresses that commanded travel routes. Subsequent kings attempted to restore the pride and prestige of the city by restoring and enhancing bronze adornments and improving on the city's cultural centers. King Loomiadiae III founded the city's principal center for higher education, the Ziopeinakiloo, as a center for study of religion in 625 NE, to commemorate his victory over Noulaenic forces in 622 NE. Though modeled on older Noulaenic theological institutes, the Ziopeinakiloo subsequently became a general center for study and learning of all subjects and the global model for institutes of higher education.

Rebel forces in the Chieftain Revolt of 734 briefly reached the walls of Buroovasha in 734 but were quickly dispersed by reinforcements. The war ended with the king making some concessions but retaining control of the kingdom.

After the first Noulaenic Empire collapsed in the 8th century and Imaria became divided by civil war at the beginning of the 10th century, Ializa briefly became the strongest and most influential state in the region. The kingdom enjoyed a cultural golden age that lasted from the 9th century through the 13th, much of which was centered on Buroovasha. The city was the center of artistic and literary achievements and the city's university, the Ziopeinakiloo, became the world's premier center of learning and higher education studies. The city improved and expanded upon its theaters and opera houses and its libraries became the southern hemisphere's greatest center for ancient history and eastern literature.

Excessive military expenditure led to the decline of the kingdom in the 14th century and the kingdom lost half of its traditional territory to a resurgent Imaria in 1340 and was forced to cede all of its territory in the historical Carasala region to the re-formed Noulaenic empire in 1351 in exchange for assistance in stopping Imaria from conquering the entirety of Ializa. Buroovasha remained the royal capital but of a greatly reduced kingdom once more surrounded by greater imperial powers. The kingdom abandoned its patronage of the arts and once more focused its efforts primarily on defense.

A major fire destroyed over half of Buroovasha in 1562, with the damage concentrated in older sections of town which were poorer and built up more densely. The Mobiakiloo Buroovasha was saved by heroic efforts from its librarians, but many other important structures were damaged or destroyed, including temples, opera houses, and the city's two largest theatres. The city was rebuilt over the following decade in a better planned and less crowded way, with significant fire breaks built into the plan, but the newer construction lacked much of the decoration and architectural splendor of the older city.

The city suffered from internal strife during the 17th century as royal authority declined and political violence and assassinations became common. In the period from 1612-1698 fifty three different monarchs or regents sat on the throne in Buroovasha while an additional 20 serious claimants tried and failed to claim it as well. This includes 1656, the infamous Year of Six Kings, when four men sat on the throne in short succession and two additional claimants claimed the title of king and were recognized in at least part of the kingdom. Parts of the city became functionally ruled by gangs loyal to various noble houses who jockeyed for power and influence at the court while weak and short lived monarchs failed to command authority over even their own courtiers.

Niamonotoo VII (ruled 1698-1721) and his grandson Bireivi III (ruled 1721-1730) ended the string of short lived, weak kings and restored royal authority and order in the kingdom. Niamonotoo led several purges of courtiers and other Buroovasha noblemen, starting with a string of executions of men he accused of conspiring in the assassination of his father. Several prominent Buroovasha noble families were essentially wiped out during these purges, as were the families that ruled the nearby chiefdoms of Zoutodiaeza and Eduriza. Niamonotoo eliminated several tiers of official aristocratic titles from the city and replaced the court with civil servants who served at the discretion of the king. Bireivi III, meanwhile worked to reduce the influence and power of the valley chieftains both before and after taking the throne, executing several chiefs for treason and sacking Zizootoona as punishment for insubordination.

The neighboring Kingdom of Loushiraziae continued to deteriorate and fell into deep debt to Buroovasha creditors, among others. Buroovasha invaded the kingdom in order to recoup its debts and eventually the entire kingdom was returned to Buroovasha control in 1777, leading to the second period of full control over Ializa for the court in Buroovasha.

In 1925 an earthquake centered near Zizootoona damaged a number of structures around Buroovasha, including several apartment structures which collapsed. The city's population swelled with refugees who had lost their homes in the area around Zizootoona, placing considerable strain on the city's infrastructure, food, and water supply. The damage to the city was relatively minor but the cost of rebuilding the surrounding countryside emptied the royal treasury and forced the kingdom to implement a policy of fiscal austerity and high taxes.

Poverty and tax contributed to a widespread peasant rebellion in Ializa in 1942, which led briefly to the overthrow of several smaller cities, including the city of Nelouzizoo just outside of the boundaries of Buroovasha. Some fighting broke out inside the city and peasants briefly tried, without success, to breach the walls. The court retained control of the city and eventually regained control of the entire kingdom in 1945. Buroovasha's internal and external walls were improved after the rebellion, but the kingdom and city suffered from growing poverty.

An earthquake and rockslide in the hills above Buroovasha killed the king, Ziaoumei III, along with his entire family, leaving the throne vacant and without an heir. Rival nobles with some claim of royal blood jockeyed for the throne within the city while several unrelated chieftains attempted to claim it from outside. There was a brief period of near anarchy and gang rule in the city as mobs loyal to various claimants fought in the streets for control. The royal courtiers restored order by assassinating all of the claimants except for their favored one, whom they crowned Miaburomei XIII. Miaburomei restored Buroovasha command over the Meroureida Valley and Loomia region but failed to regain other territories.

Buroovasha has continued to struggle economically and the cost of several subsequent wars with the Loushiraziae based Ializa Kingdom and with the Imariani Empire has strained the city's finances to nearly their breaking point. The current government relies heavily on appeals to Ializa nationality and continues to patronize plays and operas in the city, which it considers to be a point of national pride. The city's population remains fairly high as many residents of the region have sought the safety of its walls during conflicts. The current population is 178,000, which is nearly half the population of the kingdom.