Serenade

Although not as much as Vale-Harbour's, Serenade's population is quite eclectic. Its core is mainly composed if first citizens, descendants from federated mountain tribes, who decided to go and settle in unknown lands, north of the mystical Archonic mountains. Most share, in spite of their ancestors's adventurous spirit, a taste for what reminds them of these adventures : songs, plays, poems and litterature.

The rest of the population is a bit more volatile, as they don't often remain for more than one or two years in the city. Indeed, the nomadic people who live in the Zrenne Steppes, north of the city and south of the Elder Ices, tend to go and settle in the city for the particularly cold and difficult years, as the alternative refuge are the Ruinic Towers, and rare are those who would find comfort in such places.

At last, most rarely, because of the very strict emigration policies of the Towers, a Ryriakki or two passes through the town, usually fleeing, and even more rarely hiding out permanently. If there were Ryriakki hiding in Serenade, most would not ever notice their presence.

As with most of the First Cities, Serenade is governed by a Knight-Governor, currently Kormak Suren, elected by the King himself, under council of the Universalis Militarius. As the city has always existed under harsh conditions, between its dangerous surroundings, threats from the Ryriakki in the north, and the now-confirmed rumors of the presence of a dragon, the military is more than a simple militia. The serenians Knight-Governors have always been given priority over recruitment in the Militarius academy, as the city is constantly in danger. Together they form an elite city guard, best than most others.

This elite exists not only to defend the city but also to enforce its laws, which are harsher than in most other First Cities. Serenade has received a derogation from the king when it was founded to bend the First Laws, as long as they helped protect the inhabitants of the city. As such, curfews were established, a permission is required to come and go from the city, no children are to circulate alone, and a heavy taxation on every foreign merchants is exercised.

Serenade is known for two things in the world of finance. The first one is as the best clients for weapon dealers and weapon smiths in the first kingdom. Indeed, as the most defended and most vulnerable city in the First Kingdom, it can never get enough military gear. In fact, this type of trades are the only ones not submitted to heavy taxation, no matter the provenance of the merchant.

The second most important trading aspect of the city is that of the arts. Painters, actors, musicians, and even more artists come to exercise their art in the City of Songs. Most foreign artists tend to see the taxation as membership fee, which only the most prominent artists can access. Of course, that conception is fallacious, but it doesn't seem to quite want to disappear.

Serenade was established as a first city in 75 UA following the advice of Melkion, then newly inducted Universalis Militarius, in response to the rising tension between the Ultherian Kingdom and the Ryriakki in the north. A group of volunteers were sent in the north, escorted by some of the academy's finest under the command of the Knight Governor Iriak Suren. They were to go through the highly feared Archonic pass, explore the northern crescent further than it already was, and establish a settlement there.

However, when the first group of colonists did cross the pass, they arrived on the Zrenne Steppes tired, hungry, and for some, wounded. They had to stop and rest outside of the pass. The first people to make contact with them were the nomadic tribes who already inhabited the tribes. The contact was rather civilized, trades and exchanges were made, and on the first night of the days of Fruit, a great feast happened to celebrate the newfound friendship between the people, and many songs were sung. This night was the birth of Serenade as a permanent city, and of a tradition : The Night of Serenade.

For a month, the people of the young Serenade worked on making their dwellings more comfortable, and explored the Zrenne Steppes with the help of the Zrennic Tribes. However, it wasn't long before reports of Ultherian presence reached the ears of the Ryriakki leaders, who sent an armed force to negotiate with the Knight Governor. The negotiations were short and misunderstanding and deception led to the First Battle of Serenade, which will be detailed elsewhere. In short, the forces of Serenade and that of the Ryriakki fought for a night and a day, until the losses were so heavy on both sides that the fighting had to stop.

From the 75UA Days of Hunt to those of the next year, an unofficial guerrilla war was waged between the Ryriakki and the Ultherians, aided by the Zrennic nomads. A meeting between the king and the leaders of the military Tower of Czeneraz put an end to those open conflicts, but tensions remained high, and from then on, the city of Serenade took its identity as a highly defended one.

In 101 UA, to add to the Ryriakki threat, rumors started running around the city of the shadow of one of the ancient predators flying around the city : that of a Dragon. Almost simultaneously, mysterious disappearances happened, mostly among the poorest and criminals. Not much, but enough to be noticed by the authority. This reinforced even further the climate of fear that reigned in the city.

Things remained under this status quo for a long time, until the War-Hunt began, and the killing of the Elder-Dragon was accomplished, in a volcano near the city. However, the beast defended itself, and burned down a part of the city, inflicting many deaths to the already thin population of Serenade. Now, It is worth noting that despite all the hardships endured by the Serenians, their taste for the arts never faltered, most probably as a way of coping.