Norvat

Norvat, officially "Eana du Nordawasté", is a southern Alteniquian town located in northwestern Lirgal.It is home to Arwast harbour and the headquarters of the Lirgalyn fishing guild.

Etymology
The official name of Norvat comes from the Aréte tongue.

The name comes from the words Nordu, meaning north, and Arwast, meaning west, being shortend to Nordawast for ease of pronunciation. The etymological origin of the final é is unknown, although it is thought that it is a short form of the Aréte word Ré, meaning land. If this hypothesis is true, Eana du Nordawasté means "City of North-West land".

It was shortened in the Travellers tongue, due to the lack of some of the sounds in several languages around the world.

History
The history of the lands where Norvat now stands is relatively sparsely documented. It is thought that the Sagaviri inhabited the region, as maps show Ardatian influence in the lands that one day would become Norvat.

It is likely that the Sagaviri and Ardatians engaged in trade in thus region.

Sometime after this, the Geshimi people migrated through this region, an event that sparked the creation of a new (and the oldest know) name for this region: Geshmark.

After the Geshimi had migrated away, it is believed this area continued to be wooded as it was before then.

The next time this region was inhabited was by the Lapidoviri. A town was founded during those days, called Solisea. The town seems to have been a farming and fishing town, inhabited during the days of the Lapidoviri Republic. It seems to have dwindled and eventually abandoned by the end of the Lapidoviri Republic, leaving this area depopulation again.

During this or a later date, it seems that the majority of the wooded area of Norvat was destroyed, leaving only a few scattered trees troughout the region.

Some time after this, a fort was built in the peninsula, inhabited by a small number of people. By this time, only 3 birch trees remained in the entire region, with Solisea remaining in ruins.

Gaius would come to own the Fort, reclaiming the ruins of Solisea and renaming the city to Norvat. After this, the old houses that remained of Solisea started to be rebuilt, an effort that continue to this day. Alongside this rebuilding effort, Arwast harbour was built, and construction has started on the Northguard District.

Culture
Norvat's culture is a mixture of Lirgalyn and Auroran elements, with an emphasis on the values of community, knowledge and general well-being.

The largest religion in Norvat is Asitir, with the Patron God of the city being Réaltaí, he of the Stars and Knowledge. Despite this, there is a minority of followers of other religions, mainly Pavlovists.

Norvat also has a sea-ferring and fishing traditions, due to its location near the ocean and its natural harbours.