Republic of Rovadium

Rovadium was initially a major fortress at the mouth of the Collint river, and shortly after the collapse of the elven Empire of Oleandron would join the Costtorali League. Rovadium would only rarely come under threat from Erleting raids thanks to its defensible location, and consequentially saw little use in its collective defense by the 11th century. This resulted in an erosion of democratic principles and eventually the establishment of a Gens Tyranui in 1090. In order to shore up support for his son, the first Tyranid declared the city an independent republic in 1108, before dying in 1112 and leaving the city to this son. The Tyrani would use the funds gained from no longer being part of the collective defense agreement to finance a set of forts in the hills surrounding the Rovadium basin, protecting their agricultural base and leading to prosperity.

This brief golden age would end within the century, however, as despite Rovadium's extensive grain exports, the city would see a decline in profitability following the devastating Clesentian Wars. During this period, Rovadium was surpassed by other Alcediner city-states in revenue and trade networks, and to bolster the economy its Gens Tyrani began the practice of renting out their fleet to assist others in their wars. The nearby island of Ebri, a nominal but largely unsettled territory of Rovadium would become the site of this endeavor, and before long it would be home to a substantial population. All three parts of the nation- city, farmlands, and island, worked in tandem to help with prosperity.

Rovadium's new prosperity would be shattered in 1316 by the advent of religious conflict. While the ruling Gens Tyrani continued to support old traditions, the Blazeological faith was beginning to spread. Supersition amongst the lower classes, a shrewed conversion or two to obtain alliances amongst the upper classes; soon, Rovadium began to see violence arise. Rovadium would see its government and Gens Tyrani toppled in 1328, while a government of Blazelogical peasants invited ministers to lead the nation. This government of ministers would rule from 1333-1341, and tried to get the city into the Blazennian Empire. This move failed, however, as forces of the old order aligned with dissatisfied peasants to overthrow the ministers. This prompted an intervention Tembodar I Ollomar (one of his few actual expansion attempts), whereupon a large fleet was amassed outside of Rovadium and would prepare to invade. However, Tembodar would die in 1344, before the fleet ever saw battle (it took 2 years for the fleet to amass), and the new emperor proposed a compromise- Rovadium could remain independent but must accept the Blazelogical faith freely into their republic. While this compromise saved the nation, it did mean Blazeology continued to spread and the nation would finally convert fully in 1408.

With internal tensions dealt with after 1344, Rovadium would join other cities in expanding inland. In fact, they were very successful in these attempts overall, but their new lands lacked effective defenses and would see frequent raids from the valley Erleting just north of their lands. Despite some cooperation with Salumnia, Rovadium never succeeded in pushing into these rich valleys, and had to be content with a stretch of land fit for little besides herding. Due to their focus on these inland conquests, Rovadium was late to colonization of Ifyrial, but did manage to secure a portion of land on the northwestern coast of this continent, which served mainly as a slave entrepot.

Rovadium itself came under threat once more during the invasion of Dragan Ivar's Army. At first assuming the man was a mere raider, Rovadium's elite quickly panicked after seeing the sack of Salumnia's mainland territories. Their unpreparedness led to the seizure of the main gatehouse into their plains, and what followed was a devastating blow to the city and its people. While Rovadium itself (and Ebri) held, almost 70% of the population outside the walls was either killed, enslaved, or assaulted. This stoked the anger of the city, and the long-lasting Gens Tyrani were overthrown for only the second time, resulting in a new republic. In Rovadium however, the navy would take the reigns of government; the Gens were idiots, the army devastated by their failures, and the populace unready. This began the new Republic of Rovadium, unique among the various Alcediner states in that it is a military dictatorship.

Rovadium would be forced to cower in their city for the remaining years of Dragn Ivar's invasion, and suffered in raids after his army collapsed upon his death. Weathering these raids, the city finally sent out a force to reclaim their fortifications, only to meet the forces of Sarbarve's Kingdom. After fierce skirmishing, Rovadine soldiers prevailed, and secured the highlands, but only the portion along the riverbanks. The city has been locked in a stalemate with Sarbarve's Kingdom ever since, both sides hoping to take the upper hand and secure their position in the region for good. Despite this stalemate, Rovadium came out of the Dennonian Wars with more land than any other eastern city, and stads poised to reclaim their status as a breadbasket.