Azurial

A map showing Azurial's thirty wards.

Azurial is the capital city of Blue, and the most important city in all of Flairia. It is located in West Azurial, in the center north-east, it sits in no duchy, and is instead its own federal district with its own autonomy and self-governance. It sits on the Azurial River.
It is a planned complex, with the exception of the Old City of Sevalkem, which predates the cities ascension to capital status and is preserved. The city sits on the Bay of Estazul to its north. It has a large road and rail network which is highly connected and integrated into the rest of Blue.
Its population is estimated to be around 41.75 million, however, the outer cities and suburbs contain millions more people which approximates to around 62,000,000 people.

## History

The city was founded in the year 260 AB, then known as the town of Savalkam, which occupied most of modern day Manag Island, a small island that sat in the delta of the Azurial River Valley. Three wards are named after Savalkam, which has morphed in of itself to refer to the old city center of Azurial.

The town grew over time, slowly establishing itself as a wealthy trading port city in the middle of the bustling river valley. In 431 AB, a Selenite Temple was constructed directly west of Manag Island, which still stands to this day. A lighthouse south of the city, constructed during the Fourth Vasigala made Savalkam a notable stop for those venturing through the river valley. The lighthouse too still stands, although its tower was reused to be the East Tower of Ka Gal Shelanam.

In 688 AB, the United Blue Republic began building its capitol south of the city, designating the site as the new capital for the fledgling republic. A few years later, Savalkam was incorporated with many surrounding areas to be the new city of Azurial. The city would then grow rapidly, becoming the largest city in Blue by the eleventh census (held in 790 AB)

## Geography

The city of Azurial sits on a river delta, occupying a series of islands and rivers. There are around 2,500 bridges in the city. The city of Azurial is divided into thirty different wards. The Capitol of Blue, which houses both houses of the Blue parliament, sits on the west side of the Azurial river near the center. The city is known for its beautiful gardens, many of which are filled by the rare and elusive Kingflower. Many of the streets and gardens are lined with the Sapphire trees - of which the city has grown well-known for. The city is known for being a cosmopolitan and diverse metropolis, and having some of the highest standards of living within all of Flairia.

The area around The Capitol is lined with axonometric streets and various midrise buildings of multiple architectural styles, most of which were constructed under the early United Blue Republic. The city sits in a valley, with the Liquid Mountains to the west, and the Mânakon Mountains to the east. The city sits in a temperate climate, with mild, wet summers and cold winters, the city can expect to see frequent rainfall in the summer and spring and snow in the winter and fall.

## Architecture

The city has developed its own architectural style, developed out of the intertwining of the native Azurite architecture as well as incorporating several other styles. The most influential of these styles being the Nunnshirean architectural style. Nunnshirean stone and masonry was very influential in the construction of many of the cities most prominent buildings.

Azurial architecture emphasizes shape and depth over things like color and pattern. Much of this can be attributed to the works of Cato Natola, chief architect and structural engineer of the city in the early days of the United Blue Republic. Cato Natola had a condition named achromatopsia, which confined his vision solely to grayscale. As such, nearly all of his works, which in of itself defined the architectural genre, were not built with color in mind.

## Government

The city elects a mayor which serves a three year term, with a term limit of two. The city also has a council consisting of 92 members. The two bodies work together for the city to function. Each of the thirty wards also have various local councils which handle secondary matters -- which are insubordinate to the higher city council. The current mayor of the city is named Yehannia Illas, who is currently serving her second term.