Overview

Located in the Northeast of Ashriya, Kirria largely exists on the coast, with the capital city perched atop a rocky stone outcropping that thrusts above the waters of Kirrin’s Bay. The city is built on and around seven hills, each named for a different family that once led the guilds that comprise their government. To the south on the mouth of the bay is a large interconnected network of decks and ships that make a shanty town and trading port. On the northern side is a great stone wall that contains the city proper. Farther outside the walls, farms extend around the wood on the fertile peninsula. Hundreds of small villages, with populations in some “settlements'' being no more than 40, dot the coastline of the Bay.

Kirria has formal relations really only with the Kingdom of Burcima. In an effort to promote more free trade along the channel at the mouth of the Bay, Kirria and Burcima agreed to not levy taxes between their respective shipments. This has promoted a competitive spirit in Kirria towards Burcima, seeing them as useful allies. Kirria has often supported Rodbar, trading precious metals for grain and preserved fish. Recently after the last Surge Rodbar lost a majority of its own farmland, and there was a noticeable increase of purchases in Kirria. While the population of Kirria can fend for itself for food, it lacks critical resources for its other industries, such as metals and hides. These it gets from all over Ashriya, through trade with Burcima. Kirria itself has become renowned throughout the world for their finely crafted garments and strong wines.

The Concord of Kirria is the name given to the governing body, made up of the most successful and skillful tradesmen of the existing guilds. They are replaced via internal elections every year, while the Seven Concord of Kirria exist both as a deliberative body, as well as primary points of contact for foreign trade. Kirria has no set document guiding its laws or actions per se, merely a “political normal” that guides individuals actions in public. The only laws followed extensively in Kirria are that only other Merchants can challenge the decision of a Merchant. Each Guild determines the laws that are adhered to in their own guilds, and by extension smaller settlements on the Bay. Dollan Garibaldi is Guild Master of Kirria Aberro, the Alchemists, this human is considered to be the most powerful of the Concord of Kirria, and has been more or less the face of the nation for the past 10 years. He is known for his friendly demeanor, and quick wit.

The Seven Guilds that dominate life in Kirria are:

• The Diviners atop Cartagno
• The Builders atop Mordir
• The Ritualists atop Derrio
• The Rangers atop Noruk
• The Weavers atop Cedonia
• The Alchemists atop Aberro
• The Blacksmiths atop Bengran

Culture

Each guild has its own headquarters within Kirria the city, and families from the guilds in the last 40 years have gone away from the city to set up areas along the coast of the Bay to gather components and resources for the city. It is often you’ll find one settlement of predominantly members of one guild, all working together.

The only notable settlement where multiple guilds reside together outside of the capital is The Mouth, in the north at the Channel of Dunmoray. Here a contingent of the Guilds Mordir, Derrio, Noruk, and Cartagno stay to provide protection to the traders rolling through, and various other services. Cartagno members may offer divination on the weather during travel, while Mordir men examine watercraft for leaks and damage.

What had been the Ranger’s Guild in the past, or Noruk Hill as it’s known today, are both the military arm, and the policing force for the city. They are not a large group, and are not particularly influential or powerful outside the city proper. The real force of Kirria lies in its many ships and boats that traverse the Bay. Not organized into any professional force, the irregular volunteers that can be called for service by the city are more familiar with the sand bars and tides along the bay than any other force, and can use that to their advantage and defense, should the situation ever arise.

The Lucky Wave is a popular tavern in Kirria proper, located near the waterline. The owner, Sar Torona, is a known Jarro worshiper, who says that the city was blessed by Jarro when the waters rose just below the city walls. Located within a separate room within the Lucky Wave is a gambling room. Workers from almost all the guilds come to enjoy themselves and try their luck at dice or cards. The threshold that leads into this space has a single Gold Drake that was punched through and nailed to the wall, that many consider a good luck charm, and a small shrine to the god of Luck and Chance. Nestled within the Hills Mordir, Cedonia, and Bengran are small shrines to Meserias where families there pray to the god for inspiration or help in their crafts. Bengran have an anvil where they offer precious metals as sacrifice for Meserias’ help in their forges.

The largest hill, Cartagno, where the Diviners reside and meet, has a main hall that is a large shrine to Sarik, with many mattresses and pillows nestled around incense burners. There you will find diviners of differing techniques discussing findings and prophecy.

It is common for people from Kirria to add the hill they were born on, or which guild their family hails from, when saying where they are from. For example, “I am from Kirria Cartagno” or “I am from Kirria Cedonia”. The people of Kirria feel the best on small watercraft sailing the Bay, and a majority of Kirria, no matter the class or faith, enjoy fishing in the high summer. Fishing competitions have been known to take in a high amount of Drake on bets for who catches the largest.

History

Kirria began as "Kirrin's Alleys," sometime during Fiddus Flanstrom's domination of Pindust and Lachindor in the East, as a reward to Flanstrom's spymaster: Kirrin. Because of lack of information, it is not fully known when Kirrin started laying claim to the Northeast; he amassed control over the region slowly, vying different local warlords against one another until they were too weak to oppose him. Kirrin in his lifetime ran the Alleys like a kingdom: he was the king, and he surrounded himself with skilled Artisans, Alchemists, Diviners and Ritualists. These individuals not only served as advisors, but ran guilds that employed the kingdom to whatever end Kirrin had. Individuals did not like Kirrin, and the integrity of the region was never fully sound as long as he lived.

The exact date is unknown, but it is believed that Kirrin died sometime in 67AR. After his death, his top advisors hid the knowledge of his death, and ruled as a council using their former master’s seals and signatures for a time before announcing his death to the population. This council was made of the heads of the various guilds Kirrin cared for the most: Alchemists, Blacksmiths, Diviners, Ritualists, Rangers, Weavers, and Builders. These guilds would remain influential amongst the people of the Alleys for many generations.

In 75AR Syrranak began to amass soldiers on its border near Kirrin's Alleys. By 76AR they had taken several villages, and Northshire and Rodbar sent soldiers to The Alleys. The Midlands, led by Derrickham, joined the war and brought it to an end, returning the lands taken by Syrranak. The stability that Derrickham provided the East during their golden age led to advancements and Kirria flourished during this time. Furthermore, the internal stability that was established opened the way for solid trade with the Midlands. Kirria became known for powerful toxins, and small weapons hidden in fashionable clothing.

The seven original guilds had done well, growing to organizations of several hundred families apiece, all training in their guild's craft. They elected amongst themselves Guild Masters, who would speak for them on a council of Seven. These councilors would then negotiate larger contracts as merchants on behalf of Kirria, and maintain peaceful trade within the nation’s borders. This council came to be known as The Concord.

After the first Surge sent refugees from Pindust and Syrranak into parts of Kirria, the Merchants thought it best to accept the refugees and put them to use for the guilds. As the population expanded, so too did the number of families vying for influence in their respective professions. Kirria expanded quickly to accommodate, and their internal politics strained under the pressure of these newcomers.

The second Surge in a day decimated years of ramshackle homes and crops that had been built and planted quickly during the aftermath of the first Surge. The huge growth of woods in the northeast of Ashriya destroyed the original site of Kirrin’s Alleys, leaving many displaced and in shock. Shortly after the second Surge, one of the Diviners, Roberto Albono, had a vision of a network of caves on the rocky coastline to the east that would provide shelter and a new fresh start. The Cave was nestled at the bottom of one of seven large rocky hills that jut out of the ground. It was he, Albono, at 76 who led the other Merchants into the largest cave. Kirria rebuilt around this rocky outcropping, and for the next generation the organization skills of the guilds working at the direction of the Merchants led to an intricate settlement, carved from the rock, and built upon it. Each of the seven Guilds of the past took one of the Seven Hills for themselves.

Carving great halls and rooms, the Builders created space suitable for multiple families to live independently within the hills, and designed working spaces for each of the guilds specifications. The hills quickly took names associated with the original guild leaders: Cartagno for the Diviners, Mordir for the Builders, Derrio for the Ritualists, Noruk for the Rangers, Cedonia for the Weavers, Aberro for the Alchemists, and Bengran for the Blacksmiths.

These Surges changed and influenced Kirria to be sure, but none changed it more than the Third. A month after celebrating the completion of a stone wall around the settlement, the waters from Kirrin's Bay rose to an unsustainable level. The river to the north flooded, and sent water rushing over the open plains southwest to the Bay. The bay's waves running up the side of the cliff face, wiping away earth with each crash. When the floods ended, the water had risen to the top edge of the newly completed wall, and no higher. In the following years, the people of Kirria sailed out from their new position, and settled in pockets up and down the Bay, traveling back to the main city of Kirria for trading supplies, seeing relatives, and visiting shrines.