Aleath
Includes the original Aleath article from Cities of Hârn, the expansion from Son of Cities and some of the content from Web of the Widow. The city has been divided into 4 neighborhoods and the buildings numbered accordingly. The 12 Aleathian aldermen have been identified and the 4 villages located outside town have been described. There is also some new artwork and a new readable layout.
Realm: Kanday Status: Freetown Population: 5000 Charter: King of Kanday
Aleath is the fifth-largest settlement of Hârn and the largest in the Kingdom of Kanday. A seaport at the mouth of the River Eryn, Aleath is somewhat isolated from the rest of western Hârn. Aleath's hinterland is only moderately fertile but still possesses a fairly dense population. Boat-building and fishing are significant. The townsfolk pride themselves on their high standards of architecture and civic cleanliness, although Aleath is outstanding only by Hârnic standards. The streets are regularly patrolled and the city is regarded as one of the safest spots on Hârn. Aleathians tend to regard outsiders as morally bankrupt; they themselves are often deemed self-righteous, prudish snobs.
The city is a freetown, governed under royal charter by a mayor and 12 aldermen proposed by the Mangai and appointed by the king. Military authority is shared by a royal constable and the Sheriff of Eryna (see Kedis). There is also a town militia that is theoretically commanded by the mayor, but the custom has been to surrender this authority to the constable. The city charter includes 8000 acres of adjacent cropland, a legacy of the old Republic of Aleath. This land is farmed by approximately 140 freeholders who pay taxes to the city.
Aleath has a troubled past. The city was founded in 356 by Alash, a chieftain of the Aleta. For a century, the city prospered as the capital of the Kingdom of Aleathia, its wealth second only to that of Coranan. In 453, the Kingdom was incorporated into the Corani Empire and Aleath continued to prosper. Its port was expanded and a paved road was built, linking it with the north. The city became known throughout the empire as the "fairest city of man." Between 551 and 559, the entire empire suffered a series of plagues and famines that fostered the Balshan Jihad. With the fall of Coranan to the armies of the jihad in 565, Aleath, the only untaken city, declared itself a republic and gathered the surviving loyalists to its bosom. This First Aleathian Republic lasted for seven years before the city fell to the Balshans after a bitter three-year siege in 572. Some Aleathians fled by sea, undertaking the Aleathian Odyssey (see Thay), and many others slew themselves rather than witness the "Agony of Aleath," the terrible bloodbath that was to follow the city's fall.
The city reluctantly became a part of the Theocracy of Tekhos in 572 and suffered its share of religious purges and spectacles. Following the collapse of the Theocracy in 588, Aleath suffered from the chaos, along with everyone else, but gradually gathered power to establish a second republic in 612. Slowly extending the city's benign influence over the nearby petty states, the republic hoped for a new liberal age. Weakened by decades of war, however, Aleath's strength was inadequate to the task. With rumors of barbarian invasions in the north, the Aleathian senate chose the least of several evils. In 633, the republic voted its crown to the ascendant King of Kanday, Andasin II, in return for a liberal charter recognizing its rights as a freetown.
The following temples are found in Aleath: Halea: Order ofthe Silken Voice Larani: Order of Hyvrik * Peoni: Order ofthe Balm of Joy Peoni: The Irreproachable Order * Save-K'nor: The Hyn-Aelori
* Headquarters of the Order.
Realm: Kanday Status: Freetown Population: 5000 Charter: King of Kanday
Aleath is the fifth-largest settlement of Hârn and the largest in the Kingdom of Kanday. A seaport at the mouth of the River Eryn, Aleath is somewhat isolated from the rest of western Hârn. Aleath's hinterland is only moderately fertile but still possesses a fairly dense population. Boat-building and fishing are significant. The townsfolk pride themselves on their high standards of architecture and civic cleanliness, although Aleath is outstanding only by Hârnic standards. The streets are regularly patrolled and the city is regarded as one of the safest spots on Hârn. Aleathians tend to regard outsiders as morally bankrupt; they themselves are often deemed self-righteous, prudish snobs.
The city is a freetown, governed under royal charter by a mayor and 12 aldermen proposed by the Mangai and appointed by the king. Military authority is shared by a royal constable and the Sheriff of Eryna (see Kedis). There is also a town militia that is theoretically commanded by the mayor, but the custom has been to surrender this authority to the constable. The city charter includes 8000 acres of adjacent cropland, a legacy of the old Republic of Aleath. This land is farmed by approximately 140 freeholders who pay taxes to the city.
Aleath has a troubled past. The city was founded in 356 by Alash, a chieftain of the Aleta. For a century, the city prospered as the capital of the Kingdom of Aleathia, its wealth second only to that of Coranan. In 453, the Kingdom was incorporated into the Corani Empire and Aleath continued to prosper. Its port was expanded and a paved road was built, linking it with the north. The city became known throughout the empire as the "fairest city of man." Between 551 and 559, the entire empire suffered a series of plagues and famines that fostered the Balshan Jihad. With the fall of Coranan to the armies of the jihad in 565, Aleath, the only untaken city, declared itself a republic and gathered the surviving loyalists to its bosom. This First Aleathian Republic lasted for seven years before the city fell to the Balshans after a bitter three-year siege in 572. Some Aleathians fled by sea, undertaking the Aleathian Odyssey (see Thay), and many others slew themselves rather than witness the "Agony of Aleath," the terrible bloodbath that was to follow the city's fall.
The city reluctantly became a part of the Theocracy of Tekhos in 572 and suffered its share of religious purges and spectacles. Following the collapse of the Theocracy in 588, Aleath suffered from the chaos, along with everyone else, but gradually gathered power to establish a second republic in 612. Slowly extending the city's benign influence over the nearby petty states, the republic hoped for a new liberal age. Weakened by decades of war, however, Aleath's strength was inadequate to the task. With rumors of barbarian invasions in the north, the Aleathian senate chose the least of several evils. In 633, the republic voted its crown to the ascendant King of Kanday, Andasin II, in return for a liberal charter recognizing its rights as a freetown.
The following temples are found in Aleath: Halea: Order ofthe Silken Voice Larani: Order of Hyvrik * Peoni: Order ofthe Balm of Joy Peoni: The Irreproachable Order * Save-K'nor: The Hyn-Aelori
* Headquarters of the Order.
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