Ritbach

Ritbach (REET-BACH) is a historically significant major city in the Seitdout region of the Tütouzor Republic. It's currently the capital and largest city of the Sikshouph State, the most populous state in the republic. The city was historically the capital of several kingdoms, including several large empires, most notably the Sikshouph Empire that ruled the Seitdout and Roboureis regions from the mid eighth century through the late fifteenth. The city has undergone several major reconstructions throughout its history as it has been largely razed on several occasions, most recently in 1475, and suffered from a major structure fire in 2103. Despite these events, many stone structures survive from the Sikshouph Empire and the imperial archives have survived and been meticulously maintained and reproduced by the city's civil service. The city was taken from Aiscwepheiph invaders by the Tütobrüz Republic in 1960 and subsequently integrated into the modern Tütouzor Republic that grew from the Tütobrüz. The modern city is the Tütouzor Republic's largest producer of clockworks, lumber, and processed meats. It also houses the second largest library and largest institution for learning in the republic. The modern population of 833 thousand residents makes Ritbach the fourth most populous city on Opelyx.

## Etymology

The name of the city on its foundation was Ritzbakiofs, derived from Old Derheizh *Ritz* ('ten thousand') and *bakiofs* ('beaver'). Literally, this translates as "ten thousand beavers," but idiomatically would better translate as "many beavers." The exact meaning of this name is not well known but may have simply been a reference to the fact that there were many beavers in the area at the time the city was founded, beavers being considered a sign of good fortune in ancient Derheizh culture. The modern name is heavily corrupted and has no meaning in any modern language.

## History

The traditional date for the foundation of Ritbach is 400 BNE, though this predates the existence of standardized writing in the region and is not a well attested date. Various popular legends of the city's foundation have been popular at different times but little is known about the actual, historical early days of the settlement.

The oldest well-documented reference to Ritbach, under the name Ritzbakiofs, is from a Sevoob Kingdom era census of settlements and farms from 283 BNE. The census list the population of the settlement at 15,000, which was large for the area at the time, and lists significant tracts of wheat and bean farms in the surrounding valleys of the Sik River. This indicates that the area was already heavily settled and the city urbanized by this time.

Ritbach was a city-prefecture under the Sevoob Kingdom, with the city prefect controlling the city and some of the surrounding fields in the name of the Sevoub Kings. The prefects styled themselves as kings during the later Sevoob period and the kingdom expanded to rule most of the Sik Valley as far as the Kabrou River confluence after the collapse of the Sevoob Kingdom.

The area was subsequently invaded by the Gakrit Kingdom and the city was sacked by Gakrit forces in 212 NE. The city was considerably damaged during the attack but rebuilt shortly after. The Gakrit Dynasty established large administrative states and made Ritbach the capital of the Sikshouph State which covered the Sik Valley.

Ritbach was instrumental in leading a rebellion that expelled the Gakrit Dynasty from the Seitdout in 483 NE and the city resumed its role as a royal capital of a Kingdom, now known as the Sikshouph Kingdom. The Sikshouph Kingdom came to be one of the major powers of the Seitdout during several centuries of conflict in the region. Sikshouph was eventually victorious over all of its Seitdout rivals, claiming hegemony over the region after the capture of Tuizoubs in 747 NE. For the following seven centuries, Ritbach was the regions main power center as the capital of the Sikshouph Empire.

Ritbach grew considerably during this period and became a major global center for history and culture. The population exceeded 1 million from the 9th century through the 15th. Many important institutions, such as the imperial university (the