Nekoshire

Nekoshire is located on the outskirts of Maddrak on the island known as Mřau Isle in the Clucify Canal. The town's name had not always been the same however; Nekoshire was originally known as the Kyař ah Ma'u, (Fortress of Cats in Traveller's Tongue) having only relatively recently changed due to the formation of Lutum & the "Shire Standardization" in order to more easily unite the cultures within the country. The town is primarily made up of Mřau, with other Catfolk minorities, mostly due to it being one of the safe refuges for Catfolk all across Eldham & Rathnir.

Early History
The Kyař ah Ma’u was founded out of sheer necessity. As the Gnome invasion & domination of Maddrak began, many of the native Mřau fled Nyuwu (The largest country of Catfolk pre-invasion) in favor of somewhere safer. Many of these Mřau however didn't fully want to abandon their home, and decided to instead settle on a nearby island city established & being led by Křayna Fynx, the original leader of Nyuwu & in essence, father of House Fynx. The Kyař ah Ma’u was kept safe mostly via the distance & difficulty of combat in water, but also in no small part thanks to the massive stone walls of the city.

Oftentimes, The Ranaivř (modern day Nyavashire) & the Kyař ah Ma’u are called the "twin cities," as they were the last two prominent remnants of Mřau culture during the Gnomish Empire's rule; however, their histories are near opposite. While The Ranaivř's people focused on the destruction of the Gnomish Empire & the freedom of their slaves, the government of the Kyař ah Ma’u was more focused on defense & self-preservation. Because of this, the Kyař ah Ma’u became isolated, and didn't involve themselves too greatly in the war against the Gnomes. They did of course still lend The Ranaivř some of their soldiers on occasion, but that was rare, and the soldiers were often few.

Post-War
Because of their safety during the war, the Nekoyans were fairly open to new cultures & traditions. When Nyuwu was re-established, not much changed in the average lifestyle of the Nekoyan people; change came only much later, when the merger between Nyuwu & the Gnomish-Human state of Lötirum was established. Lyötum changed much in the ways of governance, establishing nobility & more familial-focused systems all over the lands, as well as a closer tie between federal government & local government. It was when Lyötum was established that the Kyař ah Ma’u --along with almost every other town in the country-- was renamed. Now known as Nekoshire, the grand city attracted not only many Catfolk peoples all across Eldham and even Rathnir, but also non-Catfolk in some cases. It was during this era of mass visiting that Nekoshire diverged from their traditional Mřau culture the most. New trends in clothing, music, architecture, and everything in between were popping up everywhere, and the city prospered greatly.

Another notable occasion of this time was the transfer of power. When Křayna Fynx died, he established the law of merit, passing on the title to those who most deserved it, but it was not his bloodline that continued to control Nekoshire; at least, not until Lyötum. When the Lyötumite government established their nobility systems, it lead to the government of Nekoshire handing over the reigns to the descendent of Křayna, effectively leading to the proper establishment of House Fynx in the modern sense.

Modern History
Lyötum, temporarily being under Phoenia, was reformed into what is known as Lutum today. During this period, and even shortly after the reformation, Nekoshire was in a decline. Their economy wasn't great, and poverty was pretty high. Because of these and a couple other factors, crime also began to rise. House Fynx tried to remedy this slightly, but they were busier with other affairs primarily in Fynxshire. Years, even decades passed, and some began to see Nekoshire as more of a backwater town that wasn't really worth investing their time into, but hope was not entirely lost for the glory days of the city. The noble Emelia Fynx was born in the city out of an affair between the Fynx House Head Nyava, and a foreign Anglunian noble, Aryen.