Lirgal

The Lunar City-State of Lirgal (Seraani: Lyremé Lirgal Edailarum) is a country to the West of the Aldovir Peninsula, in Southern Alteniquia. It is a semi-hegemonical country, with one City-State, Lirgal, having control over several territories, namely Kaithrat, Boreavir, and Altís. It borders the Kingdom of Sironia to the North, the Caeronate of Carn to the East, and the Kingdom of Adavia to the South.

Lirgal is currently the religious centre of the Asitir religion. As such, it is a holy place for those who follow the faith, holding the only recognized Siralua (Temple) in the world, as well as one of the world's two Aluor (Skyshrines).

Though no language is official in Lirgal, the Seraani language is conventionally used by those who can speak it, as it is the holy tongue of the Asitir faith and therefore seen as the most appropriate choice.

Lore Backstory
The city of Lirgal is said to be founded by what is known to the Seraan as "The Great Caravan". Due to Almadorian expansion and the fall of the Kingdom of Olarã, many Seraan were displaced. Some of them, in order to protect their artefacts, books, and other objects, having also the intent of fleeing Lhûren persecution, formed a caravan migrating East and South. After either securing their relics, or throwing them to the sea so they could be lost in their own terms, the bulk of the Great Caravan dispersed, giving birth to an early form of the current system of clans in which the Seraan live.

A number of Seraan, though, continued in the Great Caravan. Marching for an inordinate amount of time, several of them fell to sickness or fatigue, especially during the first times of their wandering, as they were fleeing Almadorian armies going after them. It is written that their journey was perilous, and that during the period of their voyage the sky was always covered with dark clouds, rain and storm falling upon them at points. When they arrived at the plains that at that point did not yet belong to any country, though, the sky opened above them, and the moonlight washed the land. It was as such that they named the city "Lirauagal", or City Under the Sky.

The city was not known to many, as the region in which it was located found itself underdeveloped. Although some were aware, they mostly ignored its existence, only going there at points in order to reuse the quartz and terracotta from the walls, or scavenge for resources. It was Aldara Ellan who discovered the city, while wandering around the Carn-Sironia border. Though she did not know of any still standing Asitir temples, she immediately recognised the central building as one.

With the support of Ljukkti Vafúðr and the architectural abilities of Ellira Accero, they started rebuilding and expanding the city of Lirgal. Doing some basic upkeep to the temple, as not much was needed, the group focused on rebuilding the houses and repurposing the structure. As no information on how old Seraan architecture was, and the temple being the only intact example of its style, the creation of a new Lirgalyn architecture style was needed. During this period of reconstruction, Aldara found documents in Seraani which identified the city as "Lirauagal". As such, she named the city Lirgal, find it would be easier for foreign pronunciation.

History
The land claim of Lirgal was created the 2021/10/10 by Aldara Ellan (Ewatomi). It was after diplomatic negotations involving Bowph, Ljukkti, and Jabberdrake that Lirgal was given permission to settle in the land. In under a month, the bulk of the central city was built. The temple was the first structure to be built, as Lirgal started out to be primarily the religious center and holy city of the Asitir religion. [After much interaction, though, the vision of the city changed, as most noticed that the world could benefit of another RP community, and that Astyllea could as such become a center of roleplay.]

The 2021/11/14, Lirgal was voted to become an Imperial Territory by the Aldoviri Small Council, and the following day its autonomy was ratified by the government of Sironvir and the goverment of Aldovir. Thus was founded the Lunar City-State of Lirgal. The growth of this City-State was rapid, as many people, be it folks needing homes and land to settle on, refugees from faraway lands fleeing their precarious situations, or tired politicians looking for a place to be at while they rested, populated the city.

After the end of the Brother's War, a conflict between Yimmu-Audal and Aldovir, which resulted in the formation of the Empire of Astyllea, Lirgal played a key role in trying to reconcile the Audaladae and the Aldoviri. As the government of the City-State was since the beginning opposed to that war, the Lirgalyn worked towards trying to calm the conflicting sentiments between the two groups, as well as try to oppose any form of domination from either side in the government. The efforts of the Lirgalyn earned the City-State the status of Electorate in Astyllea, meaning that it had finally a voice on whom should take the Emperorship of Astyllea.

Aldara Ellan, at the time Lunar Councillor of the Lunar City-State of Lirgal, was eventually chosen to be the ruling Empress of Astyllea with an almost overwhelming support for her candidacy. She ruled for seven days, being coronated after five of them, and stepping down two days after her election. Her resignation was mostly due to her general loss of hope on the future of Astyllea, and pressure coming from States of Astyllea. [IRL situations also caused Ewatomi to feel the need to take a step back at the time.]

Coup in Astyllea and Independence
Unrest in the Lunar City-State of Lirgal grew in the weeks preceding the collapse of Astyllea, as the Electorate's population felt increasingly disconnected from the Imperial Government and the Lirgalyn leadership felt dissatisfied with the High Council. Though it was where the realm's holiday of Unity Day would be hosted, Lirgal felt increasingly more dissociated from the Imperial Realm and Government.

The Lunar City-State of Lirgal became an independent country on the 2022/04/04, after the Empire of Astyllea collapsed due to a failed coup attempt by a self-proclaimed leader with little internal support. With the independence of Lirgal declared, the neighbouring State of Lapidovir left the Empire and then pledged allegiance to the City-State, reorganizing itself as a union of territories under the hegemonic control of the Lunar Council of Lirgal.

Government
During a period of time, the Lunar City-State of Lirgal was headed by a provisional government with no defined organisation, mostly because of its unofficial and undecided status within the Empire. Even after the declaration of the Lunar City-State, this informal government continued, with only an idea of the internal organization existing.

With the growth of the city, the government was forced to formalize itself, and thus was formed the Lunar Council of Lirgal, which functions as the de facto governing power of Lirgal, and the Astral Council of Lirgal, a body involved with certain legislative decisions and as an advisor to the Lunar Council. Nitlovis Tliavan and then-retired Uzair Elernel were both immediately appointed as members of the Astral Council, while Ellira Accero and Aldara Ellan became the two first Lunar Councillors of Lirgal.

Lirgal is, in fact, a theocratic oligarchy. Though in the Seraani manner the people has a say, the Lunar Council is not an elected body, but rather an oligarchical organization which takes the criticism and suggestions of the populace into account. At the end, all power of decision falls within the hands of the Lunar Council, whose members are appointed by itself.

The Astral Council is composed of Advisors and Representatives. Whereas advisors are appointed members of the community, believed by the Lunar Council to be important individuals in the construction and culture of Lirgal, Representatives are elected people that advise the Lunar Council of the popular wishes and opinion. Though all power of decision falls ultimately in the hands of the Lunar Council, the Astral Council still exerts certain influence over it, and thus the representatives serve as the bridge between the population and the high governing body of Lirgal.

Architecture
Lirgal possesses a unique building style, named by its citizens the Lirgalyn Building Style. It heavily utilizes quartz and terracotta for the core buildings, though wood is also used in certain cases, especially in that which is called the "Lirgalyn neo-Carnian" and "Gracious Lirgalyn" styles. It is characterized by regular houses with depth, decorated with an abundance of greenery, and possessing blackstone trims.

The Lirgalyn neo-Carnian style was an architectural movement born out of the mixing of the reconstructed Lirgalyn Style with the design used by the architecture of the Carnian Renaissance, as it was much more efficient in saving space and creating more densely populated regions for the ever-growing Lirgalyn population.

The Lirgalyn neo-Carnian style, though an improvement in terms of practicality, quickly evolved in a more decorated and extravagant building style, Gracious Lirgalyn, which first arose mostly around the Little Alfheim district of the City-State of Lirgal.