Svyturys

Svyturys is a major city and port in the Kingdom of Liotain.

## History

Due to the large natural harbor formed by the outflow of the Virvycia River, Svyturys was the site of a number of settlements possibly dating back to 1500 BCE. It is believed to be the site of Iska, a prehistoric maritime city that was wiped out by the Ancient Erisian Empire in the 400s BCE. The Remans also built a port named Diadumeniania and a major aquaduct in order to supply it with fresh water. Diadumeniania was sacked in the 600s by the Canstori, and the inhabitants sold to Fir traders.

The region remained relatively abandoned for several hundred years. During the late Second Reman Empire, there were plans to build a major new port at the mouth of the Virvycia River, but the Empire's collapse ended these plans before they got underway. The only structure substantially complete at that time was a large stone lighthouse (*svyturio* in Liotainian).

In 1332, the maritime city of Sventoji planted a colony in the area, calling it 'Svyturys' after the Reman lighthouse. The colony struggled due to plague and war, but would never be entirely abandoned. When Sventoji joined the reunified Kingdom of Liotain, Svyturys similarly became part of the kingdom.

By 1600, the town had a population of nearly fourteen thousand, but remained quite poor. In 1603, the city would be bartered to Firocco as part of the marriage contract for King Markas II. The exact terms of the agreement were poorly-defined, with two competing documents later identified, one of which identified a ninety-year lease, and the other specifying a more permanent transfer.

With Firoccan governance, which opened in 1605, came an unparalleled rise in population and wealth. In 1614, the Firoccan census logged thirty thousand people in the city, which continued to grow dramatically, reaching sixty thousand by 1684, with more living in nearby villages that sprang up nearby. The city's population featured a blend of Firoccan traders and Liotainian natives, and a blending of populations followed.

The two rival agreements concerning ownership of the city came to a head in the late 1600s, when Firocco, holding to the terms of the permanent transfer, refused to hand Svyturys back to Liotain, which held to the ninety-year lease. The Firoccan government built several star-forts and an artificial watercourse, the Escudo do Rei (Shield of the King) to provide the city with enhanced defenses against landward attack.

Between 1701 and 1707, the two countries fought the Firocco-Liotain War; control of Svyturys was one of the major war aims of both combatants. The Liotainian Army conducted an ineffectual siege of Svyturys for most of this time, unable to overcome the sophisticated Firoccan defenses. In 1707, the Liotainians successfully breached the Escudo do Rei and seized the star-fort of Zarasai, compromising but not breaking the defensive line. With the army preventing supply from the surrounding countryside, the Firoccans fed the city by sea until 1707, when the Liotainian Navy won the Battle of Rietavas. Shortly thereafter, with supplies dwindling, the Firoccan governor surrendered Svyturys.

The war deeply divided the population of Svyturys, and serious riots took place before, during, and after the war as various partisans voiced their claims. The disturbances pitted the pro-Liotainian "Clog" faction against the pro-Firoccan "Boot" faction. In the final peace treaty, the Liotainians vowed to respect the property rights of Svyturys' Firoccan minority, which was usually (although not universally) respected.

Back in Liotainian control after 1707, the city continued its rapid growth, eventually stabilizing during the 1780s, when it became the third most populous Liotainian city. In 1763, the Great Svyturys Fire destroyed a large portion of the city's oldest neighborhoods, causing a housing crisis.

## Culture

Svyturys retains a number of traditions established during the Firoccan era, with the most noteworthy being the carnival, which takes place for three days every April.

## Economics

Svyturys became a major shipbuilding center in Liotain, rivaling Sventoji and Laizuva.

## Landmarks

* The Reman Lighthouse (~1220) which gave the town its name was torn down and replaced in 1674; a modern lighthouse replaced this structure in 1869.
* An artificial watercourse called the Escudo do Rei, completed in 1692, was partially reconstructed in the mid 1800s as a municipal nature preserve. A number of small steam-powered paddleboats carry tourists on the remaining sections of the canal.
* The eastern half of "Old Svyturys" is composed of buildings constructed between 1605 and 1700 in Firoccan architectural styles. The western portion of the city, destroyed in the Great Fire, is significantly more modern.

## Trivia

* It remains a longstanding tradition, dating back to the early 1700s, for guests to remove their footwear upon entering a private home. This tradition dates back to the political divide between the pro-Firoccan and pro-Liotainian parties, which identified themselves by their footwear; it symbolizes a person prioritizing friendship over politics.
* Svyturys has an ongoing rivalry with the city of Rietavas, located up the coast. During the 1600s, the Liotainian government attempted to build up Rietavas as a competitor to Firoccan-occupied Svyturys. This rivalry is largely expressed in modern sports.
* In the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1763, Svyturys became the first city in Liotain to hire a full-time fire department.
* The city's official flag is based off the Firoccan flag.