City of Hurys

Founded in the year 4121 bc, the city of Hurys is one of, if not the oldest settlement in the world, being nearly 4500 years old. In fact, it predates the birth of the kingdom of Darnia by a few centuries, as it first arose as a city-state.   During the early First Age, the city grew in power and eventualy expanded its region of control up and down the Nyos river, becoming the capital of the Kingdom of Darnia, in 4034 bc.   Hurys continued to grow in the next 500 years, becoming a trading hub and a religious centre for not just the kingdom of Darnia, but for the whole region. During this time, Hurys may have been the largest city outside of the Continent of Osian. It is during that time that the world famous Mh'ra of Hurys would be built.   This would change in the later half of the 4th millenia bc, as foreign invasions, mainly from the continent of Samyria across the Darnian Sea, as well as from the Enaskian region of Syrkiania. The Samyrians would, after saking Hurys and deposing the Darnian dynasty, take control of the city and the southern half of the country.   Hurys would spend the next 1000 years constantly exchanging hands between various local and foreign dynasties. This period of relentless turbulance, which includes the devastating seige of 2889, where most of the city was destroyed, would greatly affect Hurys's growth and its inhabitants. Nonetheless, the city would pass 200k in population during that time, making it still one of thr largest cities in Hysal.   In the year 2675 bc, the Khartians would win against the kingdom of Darnia, and annex most of the country. Hurys was once again, greatly damaged by the war, but manages to rebuilt fairly quickly, as its intergration into the Kharthian Mepire brought huge amounts of wealth.   This period of great prosperity would be cut short by The Long Winter. This event would destroy the Kharthian empire, as well as its newly independant provinces, which included Darnia. However, unlike many most other cities in Enaskia, Hurys would remain inhabited throughout the period. Thanks to its more southerly position, along the river and near the delta, it escaped the worse effects of the cataclysm and became a refuge for other Darnians in the region.   As the long winter subsided and the world entered the Second Age, the kingdom of Darnia transformed into the Darnian Empire, absorbing weaker states around itself. Hurys, being the capital, benefited greatly from this, and It is during this time that Hurys would reach its peak in both population, reaching nearly half a million inhabitants by 1200 bc.   In spring of 1191 bc, Hurys would suffer its worse sack yet, which would bearly kill off the city completly. A few years prior, war erupted between the Darnian Empire and the Valcoren Empire, and after a series of Darnian defeats, the Valcoren army reached Hurys, breached its walls, and sacked it. As much as 30% of the city's population was killed or sold off to slavery. A large chunk of the remaining population fled to other nearby cities, plunging Hurys's population to around 50k.   As the Valcoren Empire's new capital, the City of Kalosanthar, was founded just to its south, Hurys continued to bleed out its population. The city that once hosted up to 500k inhabitants was now a husk containing no more than 10k residents by the year 1000bc, who were mostly elemental mages and clergy for the M'rah.   Things stabilized somewhat during the next few centuries. While Kalosanthar would quickly surge to hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, the city of Hurys's population would grow slightly and stabilize to around 30k inhabitants. Some merchants from Kalosanthar revitalised the city's nearly abandoned port in the 700s bc, and a small ship yard was built to accomodate a surplus of boats from Kalosanthar as well in the late 600s bc, attracting a few thousand more workers.   However, it was round this time that The Esnian Empire, after failling to beat Darnia for 3 centuries, would finaly win and annex the Kingdom. Kalosanthar, being the capital, would see frequent occupation, but the Esnians largely overlooked Hurys, allowing the city to begin growing again from an influx of refugies and dissidents, albeit slowly.   The rise of the cult of sokral in Darnia would greaty affect the city of Hurys, who's inhabitants and especialy its mage population, which represented nearly a quarter of its population, would suffer half a dozen massacres, before the cult members would be killed or chased out of the city.   Between the years of 47 to 45 bc, the city would welcome a large amount of refugies from the cities of Kalosanthar and Goranthar, who are fleeing outbreaks of The Blight. For a time, Hurys once again managed to reach a population of over 100k, at least temporarely.   A few decades later, as a new wave of the blight affect the region, Hurys would be besieged by a horde of Rekyans monsters in both 19 bc, and 17 bc. That same year of 17 bc, the Kingdom of Darnia would collapse. Thanks to Hury's formidable double walls, constructed in the early Second Age, it once again is able to become a refuge for the surrounding population as the blighted hordes ravage the countryside.   During the Third Age, Hurys would continue to grow modestly, going from a population of 40k in the year 20bc, to 70k in the year 350 Ac. In recent decades, the city has started growing at a faster rate thanks to the resurgent popularity of its religious institution, most notably, the M'rah.