Galaziakti

**Galaziakti** /gɑlɑziɑkti/ is a major city in Oldfoundland. It is home to the coldest temperatures on the island of West Azurial, often reaching as low as -60 degrees Fahrenheit. It has its own city government which can impose laws independently of the Tratudi central authority, and often stays out of duchy politics.

## Geography

### Terrain

Galaziakti is often called The Fortress of Nature due to its near-impenetrable geographic location. It rests between the southern part of the Liquid Mountains and the Pasacos Ocean, giving it a slight variance in altitude between its docks and higher reaches. It finds itself bearing the direct brunt of the Deep Current from the mysterious Deep Continent, which blasts the city with incredibly cold temperatures constantly. As such, the city is packed very closely together in order to conserve vital energy and warmth. The waters surrounding the area are frozen-over year-round, requiring constant icebreaker patrols to allow ships into the city's ports. Several tunnels connect the city through the Liquids to the rest of Oldfoundland and parts of Cor Cardia.

### Landmarks and Locations

Galaziakti's unfathomably cold temperatures make it a strangely popular tourist destination. A massive, 20-meter thick stone wall, known as Valtteri's Bastion, surrounds the city's land borders. These walls were primarily made to keep out Hyatin raids, but also served to repel many invasions by other states throughout history. After the Riverian Highlander Teajskate completely obliterated them during his capture of the city in 225 AB, the walls were soon reconstructed with further metal reinforcement.

Furthermore, just outside the city's bounds lies the Deep Continent, an entirely underwater landmass steeped in mystery, said to be home to troves of treasure to any who dare venture into it. However, very few records exist of people successfully returning from voyages here- and those who do are often never the same again. Officially, Blue scholars recognize its existence, but dispute the reality of the myths surrounding it.

Not many other sites exist within the city, as the temperature dissuades most people from establishing museums and other similar buildings. The Library of Galaziakti, one of the only libraries found in the city, acts as an archive for the general history and culture of the area. Notably, this library also contains the original copy of The Concordance, a letter written in both Hyatin and Azurite which provided linguists a framework for translating between both languages.

### Architecture

Like most other places in Oldfoundland, the majority of buildings in Galaziakti are made out of stone, but not for the same reason. Historically, all the wood which Galaziakti collected was burnt as firewood to supply heating to all of its residents. Building homes using wood would be incredibly wasteful for this purpose, and though the city no longer uses wood for this purpose today, the style has lingered as a part of its architectural culture. In addition, all of its buildings are tightly packed along thin, winding streets, in order to keep people as close together as possible and conserve warmth. Instead of streetlights, powerful warming lamps dot the sides of each and every road, making travelling the streets on foot feasible. The city is also home to a sprawling underground subway, which allows citizens to circumnavigate the otherwise maze-like streets.

## History

### Establishment and Hyatin Wars

Galaziakti was originally settled around 1500 BB by a group of about 120 Hyatin exiles. To stay warm in the freezing cold environment, the Galaziakti would rest together in small caves during the night by massive campfires, before going out to gather resources in thick fur coats when the sun was high. Over time, the Galaziakti began to build houses and learned to till the soil despite the permafrost, becoming very unlike their nomadic ancestors. Their ability to survive in this climate can be heavily attributed to the Snowtato, a nutritious root vegetable which could resist the extreme cold and grow in permafrost due to its ability to maintain its own internal heat. Their population expanded, and soon grew to a surprisingly large size for the time.

However, they soon came into conflict with some of their old relatives, as the Hyatins soon discovered and began raiding their town. The Galaziakti and the Hyatins would clash throughout much of Blue history, but neither could ever truly get the leg up on the other. Even the creation of Valterri's Bastion could not stem the tide of the conflict, as the Hyatins invented new ways to scale and circumvent it. Being in a constant arms race, the Galaziakti came up with a number of novel inventions, including the development of siege weapons, metallurgy, and even some attempts at creating explosives. Eventually, the conflict between the two groups would fizzle out, as the Hyatins focused more on raiding their other neighbors, who were much easier targets for them.

### Conflicts with the River People

The River People, a group of settlers from the defunct Kingdom of Ven (nowadays a part of the Purple Imperium), did not encounter the Galaziakti until 394 BB, when the first expedition to cross the Liquids was made. The Riverians, who were renowned for being racist warmongers, had a relatively peaceful attitude towards their new discovery, mostly staying away and limiting contact. This was likely done out of logistical concerns, since the Riverians would soon attack Galaziakti in 319 BB once they could mobilize a sufficient army from the city of Ypsilipoli. However, due to Galaziakti's advanced military technology and the presence of Valterri's Bastion, the Riverians could not capture the city. They would make two more unsuccessful attempts in 286 and 255 BB, before Highlander Teajskate successfully took down the city. However, the River People would soon collapse from internal pressures, leaving the Galaziakti free once more. They would carry out raids on the cities of Ypsilipoli and Elpidoforos, though not much came of this.

The River People's occupation, despite its short length, brought major changes to the city. The first tunnel through the Liquid Mountains began construction, eventually being completed during the Gaminud rag Nakta's reign. Shipbuilding technology was also brought to the region, though the icy waters made any expedition beyond fishing boats infeasible. Most significantly, the Riverians brought Theianism over to the city, which would become its main religion. Galaziakti is the largest hub for Destructivist Theianism in Oldfoundland today.

### Post-Riverian Era

Following the collapse of the River People, Galaziakti more-or-less returned to its isolationism, fighting off invaders as they came. In a strange meeting of cultures, they would battle the Aquelians from Auuvsia during this period, eventually beating them back with help from the extreme cold. They would seize many new technologies from marooned Aquelian ships, mainly those used for navigation and new weapons. Though the Lotanus Union would be established around 25 BB, it would be conquered by Balderlane before Galaziakti got a formal invitation to join. Once Balderlane came to Galaziakti, with the city being already weakened from constant fighting and the devastation wrought by the River People, they joined Ravacuse without much resistance.

After Balderlane's empire fell, Galaziakti was invited as a Gamina of the Gaminud rag Nakta, a union of city states lead by the former capital of the Riverians, Amelia. For the first time in its history, it loosely cooperated with a foreign entity, trading out its excess food for vital resources like coal. However, it remained generally uninvolved in the greater politics of the Gaminud, resisting assimilation by Fatalist Theianism in the prelude to The Grand Incursions and being one of the first Gamina to secede once the Gaminud began to decline.