Merve Ceren (City State)

## Merve Ceren

The Grand Feline Statue within Feline Square

Location of Merve Ceren

Merve Ceren is the wealthiest City State of the Lateral Continent located within two islands on the Bay of Adora. It is also known as the city of Adoria, named after its **Cat Goddess**. Called Merve Ceren due to the **Baby Pebbles** found in the region, which are used to create the iconic blue homes and illuminating streets found within the city.

People from Merve Ceren are called Adorians.

To some, Merve Ceren is the most beautiful city in the world.

### City

#### Location

Merve Ceren is located in the Bay of Adora, located in the Superolateral Sea, but the inhabitants of Merve Ceren call it the Sea of the Felines, due to the presence of **Sea Cats** in the area. The enterence into the city can only be achieved by water. The first way is by a narrow inlet between the two arms of Adora. The narrow inlet streches only 4km, which makes it a very easily defendable point. There is a large iron chain, embroided with feline animals on them, that protect the inlet and is lowered when an authorised vessel is requesting entry. On either side of the iron chain, there are towers in the shape of a lion on the eastern arm and one in the shape of a tiger on the western arm. Both towers communicate with each other with their own iconic roars. The Lion Tower is guarded by Male members of the **Feline Guard** while the Tiger Tower is guarded by Female members of the **Feline Guard**. The roars can be heard by the city, as it is important because three roars by either tower suggest an unauthorised vessel.

The second way to enter is through the mainland of the Father Continent, where multiple harbours and small ferries can ship people to and from the city.

Contary to popular belief, the island is actually split into two. There is a larger island of Merve and the smaller island of Ceren. They are only narrowly seperated by a small bit of water and connected by a bridge.

During summers, the temperatures become quite warm but the area remains humid through the summer. During winter, snow is rare but can occur. Snow is seen as a sign of romance and is a day of national romance between couples.

There is a small bit of territory on the mainland claimed by Merve Ceren, but only a small portion of the citizenry live here. Most of them are fammers and villagers, which are guarded by the 26 forts of the Feline.

#### Nature

There are not many forrests found within the city itself, but trees are planted on the streets and flowers can be found in various alleyways. There is a large forrest constructed within the city that only cats and authorised persons are permitted entry into. The forrest is called the **Dubravnak** of the Cats, meaning sanctuary of the Cats.

The streets are carved in blue **Baby Pebble** which is said to illuminate at night. The island city has no outer walls, but the inner Feline Palace as well as the **Dubravnak** are indeed walled and guarded day and night by the City's **Feline Guard**. Villages are walled due to past attacks by the Tangarani Horselords.

The surrounding woodlands on the arms of Adora shield the city from heavy winds, and therefore it is illegal to cut those trees down. **Feline guard** constantly patrol the woodlands to ensure this law is being followed. Wood is instead either imported or cut down in the mainland of the Father Continent, but due to Tangarani Horselord raids on vulnerable peoples, importing is a preferred choice.

The Adorians recieve clean water through a series of four aqueducts that flow in from the mainland of the Father Continent. The more richer folk of the city have the water pumped directly into their homes, where as poorer folk have to travel to the public pump sites and collect barrels and buckets of the water. The Bay itself is not considered drinkable water as it is salty, although the salt contents are not as high as it is in other waters. Thus, the water of the Bay of Adora is only drinkable if boiled and filtered. Many poor folk tend to do this instead.

#### Grand Citadel of the Feline Conclave

The Grand Citadel of the Feline Conclave is the official palace of the governor of Merve Ceren. It is towered by a mighty 200 meter tall Baby Pebble Statue of **Adora**, flanked on either side by magnificent towers and bed chambers, halls, and gardens. Many rooms in the palace are occupied by the native breed of blue cats, called Adoran Curls. How many cats are inside the palace is not known, but Emperor Ulio I had noticed that there were more cats than humans inside the palace, and some cats were of extraordinary size and almost human like.

The palace is located on the larger Merve island at the very centre and beating heart of the city. It is considered to be one of the great wonders of the world, with the fantastic crystal blue **Adora** cat able to be seen across all parts of the city in a clear sky.

#### Ports and Harbours

The main city has a total of four harbours and ports. One is for military usage while the remaining three are for commerece and trade. The Leonine Harbour is called as such as it was the original harbour where the lions were brought into the city. The Archeye harbour is the harbour for Adorian vessels and foreign emissaries only. It is the cleanest harbour and the most well maintained of them all. The Rosquet Harbour is the final civilian harbour located in the south portion of the city and is the only harbour located on the smaller Ceren island. It is used to connect ferries between Merve Ceren and its holdings on the main land and is an important port for food.

The military port is known as the Lynx, where War Ships are constructed. Each warship has a feline head on them, but it varies depending on the branch of the navy that they are part of. The Lynx is located right next to the Archeye Harbour.

#### Establishments

The city of Merve Ceren has a multitude of guest houses and cat cafes where members of the city and foreigners visiting the city may enter. The vast majority of these are located in the Leonine and Archeye Harbours. The cafes more inside the city are not permitted to foreigners as the city has small tolerence for outside tourism. Other establishments include the Central Inn, where tea and herbal drinks are often served but also Adorian wine is also served. However, all inns in the city are permitted to serve only one cup of wine per guest, and public drunkards are heavily condemned and shuned by society.

There is a music house and play theatre on the smaller Ceren island, which can hold 2,000 people in one go. Musicians, actors and actresses, and other showers perform daily in the theatres.

There is the **Aroma** located in the larger Merve island, which contains some of the world's best fragrances. The shop's smell could be picked up on the streets that surround it. The Aroma has the most expensive perfumes in the known world. Some perfumes cost up to 4,000 Denars, a fragerence that even the richest in the city could seldom afford. It is located 100 meters away from the Leonine Harbour.

### Culture

#### People

Adoran people are known to be kind and generous, with great manners. Swearing and cursing is shuned in the city. Adorians are famous for their short stature, which also includes the men. They have been mocked as dwarves and hobbits, and some of the small folk in the Vidin Empire still believe Merve Ceren to be a home of hobbits. Adorians dress modestly, with both women and men covering their bodies and wearing clothing that cover below their knees. Blue dresses are most common for the females of the city to wear, but red, white, and black are also worn. The males of the city wear bland colours typically seen in black and white clothing.

Despite being known for their short stature, Adorians are said to have the most beautiful women in the world. Adorian women have long straight and shiny dark hair. Some women tie their hair while other women wear their hair down. However, foreign traders and visitors, no matter how low or high born, are forbidden from interacting with Adorian women.

The Adorian people are famous for being multilingual, able to speak their native Adorian, Atazanian, the language of the City States, the common Tongue of Vidin, and also even Fanahrian. Adorians pick up these languages thanks to their massive trading, and have even created a new langauge within their merchant class known as "the talk of the traders," which is simply a mix of all the languages known in Adoria.

Adorian people tend to live up to the age of 100, living comfortably even as they age.

Both their males and females are famous for their slow aging and young looks even at an older age. Some of their elders are confused to be young adults at time.

#### Animals

Adorians are vegetarian and do not eat meat. They see meat eating as a form of animal cruelty and punish such actions heavily. Foreigners are allowed to eat meat however. Adorian people view horse riding as a form of animal slavery, and are against such practices of using animals as labour and beasts of burden.

Cats are worshipped in Merve Ceren. They are seen as sacred animals as well as other felines. Adorians have mastered the art of domesticating felines, including the infamous **Sea Cats**, that strike terror and fear into traders of the Vidin Empire. Adorians are called half feline and half human, thanks to their abilities to bond and interact with feline animals.

On the streets of Adora, felines of all kinds can be found and are not dangerous, even lions and tigers. Foreigners who first visit Adora tend to be scared, but quickly get used to the nature of the animals who have been well trained and kept by the Adorian people.

Adorian people are known to feed their felines before themselves. During the Prolonged Winter of 137 AL, 3,000 Adorians died of starvation while only 700 Felines did.

In Merve Ceren, nobody owns an animal, just how nobody may own another person. Cats were members of society and treated as equals.

#### Conduct

Adorians expect people to be quiet and respectful of their surroundings. At night time, quiet is demanded to allow people to sleep and only dedicated parts of the city maintain a night life, particularly by the harbours. Public inebriation and swearing is shunned and is punishable. Shouting at any time of the day is frowned upon.

Homosexuality is not forbidden in Merve Ceren, however they are expected to follow the same norms as heterosexual couples.

Ill treatment of any animal and of nature is frowned upon and against the law. Animal cruelty is punishable harsher than murder of a human, and remains the only crime punishable by death in Merve Ceren.

### Politics

#### Rule

The Feline Conclave are the rulers of the city of Merve Ceren. Simply known as the Conclave, it is a body of 58 people, and both males and females are permitted into the conclave. Its leader is called the First Lord (or Lady), who holds the representative, symbolic, and religious authority in the city, but all decision making is put to a vote in the conclave. The First Lord/Lady of Merve Ceren serves for a maximum of 3 years, before having to step down and go for a re-election, able to serve a maximum of three terms in a row. The conclave are elected by the inhabitants of the city, but not of the villagers and soldiers. Soldiers are forbidden from expressing their political views as they must serve whomever the First Lord/Lady is.

Village duties are predominantly handled by the village elder. The old way of male primogeniture is still practiced in the villages which are not expected to follow similar cultures and customs to the city itself.

For the past century, Merve Ceren has been ruled by women. Their current ruler is First Lady Roxana the Wise, who has been serving for 4 years. Females make up the vast majority of the Conclave.

#### Economy

Merve Ceren is a prospering city and is the wealthiest City State in the whole of the Lateral Continent, only lagging behind the Atazan Empire. It has the lowest poverty in the world. Its economy is ran by an extensive trading network.

Merve Ceren export **Baby Pebble**, perfumes, food, soaps, flowers, and beverages. They are only known nation to be able to rework Aurberium thanks to their mines on the arms of Adora. However, Merve Ceren use Aurberium to forge civilian infrastructure rather than using it soley for military purposes like Vidin and Pedranier do. For example, the Bridge of the Lioness of Adora that connects Merve and Ceren islands together is constructed by Aurberium. Adorians call the metal Yaldayrim, and believe that it was sent to the World by their Feline Cat Goddess to promote peace and harmony and not war. Although, weapon smiths in Merve Ceren do construct Aurberium swords, axes, spears, and arrow heads for their military.

Merve Ceren also export Adorian wine.

### Military

Merve Ceren does not claim to have a standing military but rather a City Defence Force that they term the **Feline Guard.**

The **Feline Guard** numbers anywhere from a couple hundred to multiple thousands of men and women, who are both permitted to joining the guard. Merve Ceren also has a force of felines, such as **Sea Cats** and Ligers that come to the aid of the city in times of war.

In extreme situations, Merve Ceren would hire mercenaries to help fight its wars.

### History

#### Foundation

Legend surrounds the mysterious founding of Merve Ceren. The story is told that in 750 BL, a woman named Cher was prosecuted in the Great Empire of Tangarani for being a witch due to her unusual affection for cats. While hunted by the Tangarani, she had used felines to protect herself and also other women who were accussed of being witches. The Tangarani describe witches to be ugly and rotten, but it is believed that the Tangarani were jealous of the beauty and charm of the women they accussed of being witches, and prosecuted them for this reason.

In a revered vision, Cher had seen a **cat**, blue and larger than any creature she had ever seen, unleash a pur that was both mighty and beautiful, both ferocious and innocent, and both powerful and weak. It sent a ghast of wind against the trees and reshifted the mountains to create new passages that were now safe for travel. The leaves of the trees had turned into feline paws which all pointed to one direction, what is now known as the Bay of Adora. The Tangarani Horselords could not sail nor swim, therefore they could not reach the witches if they had lived on an island. Cher had declared herself Queen of the Felines and mounted on **Sea Cats**, transferring the witches to the islands of Merve and Ceren.

There were natives living on the island at the time. Numbering a few hundred to one thousand. The natives had welcomed the witches with open arms, as they were in awe at their abilities to control felines, whom they saw as sacred creatures. The natives and the witches lived together and formed the faith of Adora and called themselves Adorians.

#### The Age of all Ages

The **volanic eruption** that had destroyed the Great Tangarani Empire in 417-411 BL was seen as a sign of **Adora's** intervention. The volanic erupiton however did cover the lands of Adoria as well, and for weeks debris flew into the Bay of Adora and almost wiped out the **Sea Cats** and land Felines. The people of Adoria had preserved the felines and grew an increased bond with them, and the felines that survived would be the children of the people of Adoria. Not only would the humans die for their felines, but the felines would also die for their human companions.

Not harming animals and always helping them to prosper became the first law of Adoria.

It was then decided a new conclave and rulers would be needed to enforce the protection of the felines and people of Adoria. Thus, the Conclave of the Feline was founded in 405 BL.

#### The development of Merve Ceren

Merve Ceren's construction is surrounded in fewer mystery and more facts. It began after a group of Adorians had found an underground abandoned tunnel system that led to a series of mines and caves. Inside of these caves were **Baby Pebbles**, known at the time of the Old Adorian language as Merve Ceren. The pebbles were small, blue, and illuminated in the darkness. It was seen as another sign by **Adora**. A blue pebble, a blue Cat Goddess. It was decided by the Conclave at the time to construct the new homes and buildings using **Baby Pebble,** and eventually the streets would also be constructed with this material.

It was also during the time of this Conclave that the decision was taken to migrate some of the population over to the Ceren island and that a need for new lands and farmers would be needed.

Merve Ceren expanded to the smaller Ceren island and completed its annexation by the year 390 BL. It had then expanded into the mainland of the Lateral Continent and subdued the tribes and villages of the area by 380 BL. The Conclave allowed the tribesmen to keep to their old ways.

#### Wars

Merve Ceren involved itself in the Tangarani Ressurection of 317 BL to 290 BL. The Tangarani led by Kuthan Hakan attempted to reconquer the former Tangarani Empire lands and assert is dominence. He had managed to sack the cities of Kylos and Civin, and then moved his way to conquer Costin and Srolis.

Costin and Srolis had asked Merve Ceren for help. and Merve Ceren accepted in order to halt the Tangarani advances. Merve Ceren sent their **Feline Guard** alongisde lions and tigers to help aid the City States. The Tangarani were defeated outside the walls of Costin and were forced to retreat.

Some of the Adorian soldiers who fought in that war eventually settled in Costin and formed the mercenary army called the Liger Brotherhood.

In 285 BL, the Tangarani again attempted another invasion, and this time had used the knowledge of the conquered subjects of Civin and Kylos to construct a fleet to invade Merve Ceren itself. Merve Ceren repelled the attack but at a huge cost of their **Sea Cats**. It was after this event that Merve Ceren invested into a Naval Fleet, which was able to defend its shores and seas without having to sacrifice any **Sea Cat**. The event that once again almost wiped out the Sea Cats prompted the Adorians to invest heavily into Naval research, and they had eventually constructed the most powerful fleet of the Lateral Continent, today numbering 80 ships, but all constructed of Aurberium, making it impossible to ram them. They had also been larger than ordinary war galleys.

In 6BL, Empress Eyvarin had requested the aid of the Adorian fleet in return for trading colonies. However, this request was rejected.

#### Recent History

Emperor Ulio the Magnficient personally visited Merve Ceren to negotiate new trade deals and also express interest in the political and economic policies of Merve Ceren. He had expressed his amazement at how prosperous the city had become without slaves, and this inspired him to eventually ban slavery in the Vidin Empire later his in reign.

In 137 AL, there was a prolonged winter that caused food supply to run extremely low. This resulted in the deaths of 3,000 people and 700 felines.

**Ayken Lovewater** was advised to attack Jelvadin after his victory at the battle of Yanhay, but Ayken noted that Jelvadin was the major trading port of Merve Ceren's exports destined for the Vidin Empire and if it was attacked, Merve Ceren could support the Vidin Empire against Pedranier.