Aroforn

Aroforn a.k.a. "The Imperial Seat" is the capital city of the Vulperium and is also one of the largest metropolitan areas in the continent of Serrona aswell as in Eldham itself. The new city was formed in January of 2022 from the twin-cities of Sparport in the north and Tildivul in the south (Tildivul having been the former capitol). This was done to commemorate the creation of a new empire, the Vulperium, with a historical precedent from Vulpur history being the old Vulpinian empire of the Grand Valar Aroforn I, namesake for the new city which would represent the greatest culmination yet of Vul culture.

Aroforn's jurisdiction is split between the two historic duchies that controlled Tildivul and Sparport: The duchy of Rynwood in the north, and the duchy of Mournalor in the south. There are also many smaller county communities and villages that contribute to the population of the metropolitan area.

History
''An account of the long history of Aroforn by Head Archivist Akko Soleth, inspired greatly by the works and research of Westeros Durradayne II, Grand Duke of Tildivul.

First Great Wander
The history of the Aroforn region goes back to the very origins of the Vulpur people in ages past. Archaeological findings of cave paintings & other cultural goods by modern scholars suggests that the fox race originated in the snowy taiga forests surrounding the Tilwater river, spreading out nomadically in all directions across the continent of Serrona from there. The glacial waters and springs that came down from the surrounding mountains provided for a rich vertile valley in the region which led itself well towards agricultural development, and it was so that the first vulpur River Kingdom was born.

The Vulpur capital in it's infancy would consist of wooden longhouses and clan villages all united under 1 king, or "Valar", in the Vulpin tongue. The early kingdom inhabited by the Vulpur "Panoori" culture would ocasionally clash swords with the Linusians, a human tribe settled in the lands located northwest of the Tilwater river. The early Panoori kingdom served as the source of many historical stone tablets.

Early though in the Serronan continent's history, a massive climate change warming event would change the course for many peoples within the region. As crop failures plagued the southlands, temperatures in the cold north would become more temperate leading to a shifting in the balance of power as more peoples moved north and helped to populate the Aroforn region.

Even with this boon, the main population and cultural center for the vulpur remained further north in the tundra city of Noravula. After many years of dominance over the other kingdoms, Noravula would eventually produce one king more famed than any other: Aroforn the Great.

Imperial reign
Aroforn would institute many wise policies enriching the wealth and prospects of the northern kingdom, but his goals were larger than the consolidation of his backyard. He wanted to unite all the disparate Vulpur cultures of the world. In a historically decisive move, he would orchestrate the annexation of the southern Panoori kingdoms and transfer his court to the more rural but still vastly-populated Tilwater river valley, turning it into an administrative capital for his empire while Noravula remained up north as the cultural capital. From this strategic position within Serrona he would use great amounts of intrigue to bring the other Vulpur kingdoms under his thumb, though this task would not be complete by his death.

Throughout the reign of Aroforn's descendents, they would build many monuments and work hard to achieve their ancestor's generation after generation until finally all the river kingdoms in West Serrona had been united. The only barrier left standing in the way of empire was a coalition of eastern Serronan kings, with their lines finally being broken in what is known in Vulpinian history as "King Ellewyn's Last Stand", the ancient battlefield of which can now be found in the modern-day U.S.S.E.

Vulpur culture was advancing steadily with Aroforn's empire having obtained consideral international influence with Vul travellers and traders reaching into the lands of every other corner of Eldham. During the reign of Aroforn's descendents, the famed prophet Vor'tha was born aswell. Vor'tha would accomplish his greatest work in adapting and uniting the polytheistic beliefs of the disparate Vulpur peoples into 1 great Nabu faith.

The wars had greatly enriched the capitols with great works built from the tribute that had been extracted and allowing for the construction of the largest temple yet to the Vulpur Nabu faith, but all the same the crypts zigzagging underneath the city would be host to the thousands of bodies of those citizens and soldiers who had lost their lives in the wars of unification, with these underground catacombs still being explorable today.

For all the successes Aroforn's empire and the Vulpur people at-large had gained by blood, they would be taken by surprise by one of the greatest enemies to lay claim to their shores: Mankind.

Second Great Wander
The human tribes of Northwest Serrona remained disunited and isolated from one another thanks in large part to the careful politicking of Aroforn's descendants. This would change however with the eventual birth of the Linusian king Jorrah. Though in the early years of his reign he would put up a front of supporting Aroforn's empire, he would do much to undermine it in secret. In response to the Vulpur cultural dominance of Serronan life he would work to build a quid-pro-quo relationship with the independently developing tribal peoples of the northern tundras (Today known as the Batuans) descended from the larger old Linusian state. Alongside this burgeoning human alliance in North Serrona, Jorrah would also look north across the sea to the powerful Aldoric kingdom of Othmyrr, with talks stalling until finally an alliance between the two was secured with a marriage.

The Vulpur emperor at the time, Thaenore, thought nothing of these dealings as he himself had struggled to maintain the empire's foreign and domestic relations and was assured that these actions were one of a loyal vassal helping to shore up military support for his empire now struggling from overextension to keep a hold of all it gained through conquest. The stage was set for a brutal betrayal as Jorrah's ambition was to supplant Thaenore and install himself as emperor over Serrona.

One summer season as Thaenore was hosting a ball for the lesser kings in Noravula to celebrate the hard-fought final pacification of the southern Pikes, it was at this same moment though that Aldoric and Linusian armies loyal to Jorrah would converge on Noravula from the north and west of the city.

Survivors who fled south to the second capital on the Tilwater river would later testify that it was a bloodbath with Thaenore, his family, and much of his supporters being slain. Not only that, but anyone who was of the Vulpur species was being targeted by Jorrah's army aswell as he would seek to wipe out their culture and influence in the region.

The rest of the empire was in a panic as the imperial military's resistance, spread thin and now without it's leadership from the capital, would fall as kingdom after kingdom would fall to Jorrah's forces.

Jorrah's forces would eventually break through the lines defending the second capital and would ransack the city, destroying many cultural monuments including the great Nabu temple.

Their homeland left in cinders and their people targeted by genocide, the Vulpur would flee from Serrona en-masse in a series of voyages taking them far into the other corners of Eldham and even far off Rathnir, holding on to only their faith and stories left to tell. The second Great Wander had thus begun.

In the aftermath, Jorrah's descendents would rule the land and hunt the remaining Vul populations for their furs but his kingdom would eventually fall aswell into the obscurity of history. Very few vuls still populated the Tilwater region by the modern age save for a few itinerant and reclusive farming communities.

The Great Return
The Vulpur people lived scattered across the world for many ages after, but it was in Rathnir under the protections of the Najer state that a new kingdom for their people would be carved out under the first reunited Vulpur High Council. With news of the opening of new trade routes back to the eastern lands of Eldham by the explorer Athaz, the newly united Vulpur populace, whose culture had changed from centuries of being under foreign kings, found it's opportunity for their people to return to their lost homeland that had previously existed only in song and legend.

With much preparation of their ships, the council-vul Nuncio Yolcotl was chosen as the chief of their expedition into these old lands undocumented by Rathnir's most learned scholars but very much familiar to the hearts and ancestries of every Vulpur. With the help of the navigator Westeros and the sails in their fast ships said to be pushed forth by the god Lycandeus himself, their people would in several months' time land upon Serrona's verdant shores.

Upon their arrival to the land their forefathers and mothers had supposedly described to them, they came across small nomadic Vulpur communities still living in the tundra river valleys. After establishing communication and obtaining confirmation that this was the land of the ancient River Kings, there was much celebration and a festival of happy reunion was celebrated with these villager groups under the graces of the god Zerdeus. Though they were of the same race though, their clothes could not be more different, and so it was decided by those of the council that after this first meeting and the reunion of the old culture with the new that a new fusion culture would be developed with respect to the old ways and traditions of the Vulpur but also with all the affectations of culture and modern technological gains that they had come to know back in Rathnir.

The nomadic Vulpur in coordination with the Rathniran-colonist Vulpur would begin to locate prime spots for and settle in agricultural villages across the taiga river valleys, the largest of these settlements being located on a conflux the Tilwater river that would come to be known by the name of Tildivul, Vulpinian Capital. Challenges would arise and threaten the capital of Tildivul in the coming months with border incursions by the newly-founded Serronan states of Batu, Jabal, Bai, and the Campfire Society, and with their capital having become more and more crowded with settlers, it was decided upon that new expeditions would be sent out to found new settlements and secure the Vulpur people's state control over their reclaimed homeland.

The 5 Vulpur who made up the original High Council would also eventually part ways as this need for new cities arose, with Westeros Durradayne staying as leader of his Tildivul settlement where he would continue to delve into the archeological history of his people. Nuncio, the original chief of the colonists, would head west across the Tilwater river to establish his own estate lands on the site of Vetervul. Xen Theros would head further west past the Aquinterran sea to found the region of Vulmire. Specter Red would go north to found the city of Sparport on the Aeneum sound, and Pigeon with their fellow town leader Burin would head to the farthest north lands settling the island-town of Zerdea.

Word of a new growing safe haven for the Vulpur people would also spread across the lands of both Rathnir and Eldham, and many more Vulpur would find themselves migrating to Vulpinia in the coming years, Tildivul garnering the most in terms of population numbers.

City Districts


The city of Aroforn can be said to be divided into 12 different areas, each with their own unique flavors and style to be found.

Sparport
Sparport is a historic wooden city on the Aeneum sound known for having held the largest population within the nation of Vulpinia before the merger with Tildivul in the south to form Aroforn. Many great builders, statesmen, and entrepreneurs have contributed to it’s prosperity including Roland, Brock, Shib, Jolly, AwesoomeJ, and Blake.

In the far north was once an old town hall and amenities district paved over by Roland16 during the late Vulperium period to build a new residential neighborhood.

In the middle is the main residential core of the city with the homes of many vulpur citizens, the Shibrock Estate and it’s berry pit (with the underground train station entry just outside), the Gaian lodge, a tomb & church to Zerdeus, and a gate to the western docks where small fishing ships are known to harbor. Standing tall over this entire part of the city is a gargantuan hollow tree trunk, brought on by some sort of natural phenomenon once under investigation by the Gaians.

In the southwest is the industrial heart of the city. The V.O.S.C. office headquarters where the CEO of the company AwesoomeJ is known to work stands tall in the corner. To the east of that building stands the clock tower, meeting hall, postal service, and court house: all once buildings that found extensive use in Sparport’s heyday but have since been neglected as a result of government centralization in core Aroforn. To the east still is a bridge spanning a small lake and leading to the Staghorn tavern, which was once the main business within the city owned by Blake and known for selling many different special kinds of alcohol.

Anthari
Anthari is a historic small town founded by Gate14 that once lay between Sparport and Tildivul and that was eventually annexed by Sparport’s leaders. Anyone going to Sparport would have to walk through here. It once held a small residential district in its western half where the main business was within the Rynwood Tavern. This western half in the late Vulperium era has since been developed and its walls upgraded by builder SpecialFXO. In the gate area between Sparport and Anthari lies the VTVN media corporation tower and Jolly’s “Spectre Inspectors” business, built to signify the growing urbanism and expansion of Sparport’s borders.

Within eastern Anthari lies an island home to estates housing what were Sparport’s wealthiest citizens besides the royal family. Blakebrock brewery, a collaborative business, is also located here. A stable and a port here also mark this area as a major inter-city transportation route.

Within the southeast, where once was the old burnt husk of the Celestial Federation meeting hall, is now built the Grand Valar’s palace, although it has gone unused as a residence owing to the greater amenities in other royal family homes around the city.

Industrial & Upper Residential Districts
The Upper Residential district has been undergoing renovations for the longest time making it one of the more unsightly parts of the city. It was once home to a large Gaian farming estate, its fields being a food source for the capital’s hundreds of citizens, but it has since now been cleared.

The Industrial district, the main exit-route west from Sparport, also remains under heavy construction. Entrepreneurs like the blacksmith SpiderXO and the honey-seller Miles have made their home here. An underground power plant by their businesses was also set up by the startup Vulp power company but has since fallen into disrepair. The VOSC dry docks, main feature of the area, are a large structure built early on in the Vulperium’s history to send a ship out in commemoration of the nation’s new identity, but this ship, the SS Beastlybrock, tragically sunk in a disaster in the northern Aeneum sound, where its remains underwater can still be seen today.

Entertainment District (Arena)
The entertainment district is one undergoing heavy construction. The few buildings that have been constructed, the Combat Arena and the LGBT Club (both structures designed by Blackleaf) have been host to many events throughout the time of the Vulperium.

Merchant District (Mall)
The Merchant district is the heart of new Aroforn. The Grand Mall in the center is rumored to have been host to monthly royal court meetings in the higher echelons of the building aswell as holding great granary storages in its basement held in trust for times of national famine. The Mall is also host to most of the shops located in the city including: ####

Outside the mall, many businesses have yet to pop up but the few that have are Blackleaf and Duskamitas’ building material stores aswell as Marblefox’s “Candea’s Gift Bakery” with imported bread made from the wheatfields of his home of New Brownwich.

Central District (Library)
The central district is the most developed yet still under construction area around the main Mall development. Being the main thoroughfare in the middle of the gigantic city, one is most likely to run into citizens in this area. Owing to this fact, the old Friendly Fox Inn owned by the dwarf scholar Azalith has been the main business here, selling unique brews and being a common hangout spot for traveling Vulpur. North of this inn is also the Town Hall, built so that government functions, offices, and document storages could be moved away from the mall to a more official location. The Grand Valar palace built by the royal architects Blake & Jolly was once located in this area taking up much of the space but was moved further east as a part of Minister Akko Soleth’s planning for the city.

To the south is the Aroforn Archives, a timber construction library built as a joint effort between the city architects Blackleaf and Akko Soleth. Soleth would go on to claim the role of Head Archivist of the Vulperium and immediately set to work building up its collection, soliciting book donations from all the major cities in the Vulperium aswell as from other prestigious libraries throughout Eldham and Rathnir. The library's central location in the city also made it a spot frequented by travelers.

The library itself has many floors, with the first being home to books, encyclopedias, and a continental map all containing information on the various states in Serrona. The second floor has famous Eldham poems and fictional stories on display alongside study area desks. The basement hosts the majority of the library’s collection, with the eastern wing being home to a cubism selection, employee offices, and a bookstore / gift shop sponsoring local authors. The western wing is home to a newspaper room, crafting tutorial halls, and book selections on Eldham/Rathnir history, biographies of important leaders, self-help guides, and political treatises. Many rooms that would host the other books in the library's full collection have still yet to be dug out.

A categorized list of all the 400+ books found within the library's selection can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GvwG_GTxwcWOvDsvYMpetkiwe8gmkiROugrk0XlzOt0/edit?usp=sharing



Church District
-St. Nuncio Cathedral+Offices, Celestial Shipping Depot, Fynde Society, Vulp-Wolf Winery.

(Plots under construction)

Economic, Embassy, & Northgate Residential Districts
-Northgate houses, Varn Torum embassy, Bank

(Plots under construction)

Palace District
-Vetervul, Adventurer's Guild

(Under development)

Westgate District
-Wedding event hall, small arena

(Under development)

Tildivul
-Westerosi Castle, Foxy Tavern, Nabu Temple, Bakery lane

Port District
-Wall Market, V.P.S. Yolcotl

(Plots under construction)

Satellite Towns
-New Brownwich, Undervul, Nea-Captainia, Adnan, Fropsia

Population
In late January of 2022, Aroforn had a population of 77.

By the end of 2022, the population of the city would be 162, one of the largest for any city in Eldham.