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. During this era, many from & outside of Nekoshire nicknamed the town Abyss, because it was supposedly where hope & wealth went to die; however, hope was not entirely lost for the glory days of the city. The noble known as Emelia Nyava-Fynx was born in the city out of an affair between the Fynx House Head Nyava, and a foreign Anglunian noble, Aryen. Having grown up in the city without any noble or royal recognition, she saw the worst parts of it, and made it a goal for herself to repair her home city. Once grown, Emelia blackmailed Nyava into making her mayor & recognizing her nobility, threatening to release the truth about her origins if he didn't. Nyava complied, and Emelia officially became mayor. For the rest of her life, Emelia would dedicate almost all her time towards her city; She oversaw many changes like the replacement of old & dilapidated buildings, the cheapening & alternative methods for house-purchasing, and generally, a better quality of life for her citizens. The city might not've seen great wealth like it once did, but it was significantly better than the "Abyss" it was before Emelia's mayorship, and After her death, she was nicknamed the "Mother of Nekoshire" by the city's people. Before she died, Emelia had 3 children with her husband, Bog Yolcotl, but only one of them was to be the next mayor. Asvař Nyava-Yolcotl [Fynx] had a fairly tame upbringing, and lived in relative wealth due to his status as a noble. He got along fairly well with his two siblings, but they both moved elsewhere when they came of age. Asvař's mayorship wasn't anything spectacular, but it wasn't bad at all --at least, in the beginning. he continued all of his mother's programs well enough, but he didn't really have the connection to the people that his mother did. He spent most of his time in his own home, often times reading, studying history, or otherwise. He had two children with his wife, Menořa, a soldier he met when she was stationed to the island. Asvař II Fynx & Alice Fynx had fairly normal lives at first, but shortly after Alice's birth, Asvař & Menořa got divorced. The divorce made Asvař retreat further into his studies, and he neglected his two kids, leaving their care to the HLMM, (House Lutum Maid Militia) a program started by Nyava made to protect and literally serve Lutum's royalty & nobility. The soldiers did an alright job at raising the two kids, and trained them both lightly in combat, but nothing can replace the love of a parent. Asvař II would often find his father's old books or visit the library to pass the time, and his head would be filled with wild tales of great kings, mobsters, businessmen, and more; these tales would eventually become his aspirations.

Rise of the Cat's Paw
When Asvař II was only 16, he would witness a crisis. When the world of Kylorne stopped spinning and the fog consumed the planet, a grand number of immigrants arrived in both Rathnir & Eldham. One of these immigrant groups was called the Nyařuřu. The Nyařuřu came to Nekoshire asking for housing and protection, as they had lost their only home; they had gone to Nyavashire first, but they were denied, and so, Asvař hesitantly allowed the group to call Nekoshire their home. This mass migration caused a housing crisis in Nekoshire, there weren't enough homes and Inequality in wealth grew fairly high. Asvař was simply not prepared to face a crisis like his mother did, so he retreated even further into his studies, only leaving his room when necessary. Asvař II saw an opportunity, with his father ignoring the crisis & overpopulation, Asvar II would strike. He had found out about a not so far-off town called Idraenya in a couple of the nooks he read; Idraenya was a colony full of slavery, but more importantly for Asvař II, business. He formed a group known as the Cat's Paw by convincing a couple of those close to him, and a few members of the HLMM. With their help, he would drive his father to the brink of insanity, making him believe that Emilia was attempting to contact him through death. This led to Asvař messing with the dark arts and necromancy, ending up as vampire in attempts to communicate with his mother. He was then confronted by Asvař II, just outside the city gates. This confrontation would end with Asvař being thrown off of Nekoshire's walls and straight into the Clucify Canal. His father's "sudden disappearance" led to Asvař II being proclaimed mayor, and the very same week, he would establish the Cat's Paw as an official government entiry, and converted all of the HLMM & official Lutumite soldiers stationed at Nekoshire into Cat's Paw soldiers. Soon after is when he would sail to Idraenya, and set up a horrifying trade deal with them; Asvař II would supply Idraenya with Catfolk slaves, and in return, Idraenya would give Asvař II heaps of money. This deal solved two of Asvař II's problems, overpopulation, and lack of funds.

On the outside, Nekoshire seemed to be prospering due to Asvař II, and to a lot of Mřau citizens, he was a pretty good mayor, doubling down on his grandmother's programs & helping make Nekoshire more beautiful & orderly, even keeping the city up to date with technological advancements. Many Nyařuřu however, felt uneasy, because much of their population began disappearing when Asvař II took power. The disappearances of the Nyařuřu was because Asvař II chose them as his main target for his corrupt slavery operation, preferring to take them instead of the native inhabitants of the city. There was however, the odd Mřau that went missing; anyone who tried to publicize any negative things about Asvař II or articles trying to shed light on the matter were immediately silenced and sent away. He had effectively replaced or bribed any news outlets to only publish articles that showed Asvař II in a good light, censoring all else --Asvař II had removed the freedom of press, and had begun a propaganda campaign.

The Resistance
Years passed and not much changed. The citizens who weren't shipped off to Idraenya lived fairly comfortable lives and had learned not to badmouth Asvař II or his government, but there was a small resistance group who wanted him out of government. Asvař II had been able to keep some tabs on them, but they were hard to fully track down, even with the force of the Cat's Paw, who basically functioned as his personal police force & paramlitary. Asvař II wasn't worried about this much though, he had bigger ambitions than just Nekoshire, so he didn't pay much mind to them.

The following is from a column in a Nekoyan newspaper:

''Bang, Bang, Bang! Shots have rung out in the local pub! The group known as the "Anti-Cat's Paw Alliance" have escalated in their extremist views and attacked Mayor Asvař II directly. Luckily for the young mayor, the Cat's Paw Police were quick to respond and drew their muskets in mere moments of the terrorist group's attack, striking them down immediately. Asvař II's current condition is unknown, but he was immediately rushed to the medical center to receive urgent treatment & care.''

The attack left Asvař II heavily injured. The man could barely walk without assistance, and he needed to take dozens of medications daily just to stay alive. He ordered the entire Cat's Paw to focus their attention on the terrorist group, and they were finally cleared out during a shootout in the city. Asvař II didn't care much. his doctors had informed him that he had at most a few weeks to live, and that he would need constant care. He had never been much of a religious man, but he turned to the Berrist church during this time in his life, as he had nowhere else left to turn. In a miracle Asvař II, the week was supposed to die, heard a voice. He had heard the voice of Da Berry in his mind telling him what he had to do, but more importantly, it gave him a time limit of when it had to be done. This miracle reignited Asvař II's ambition, and his hope that he would live. But first, he had to find Zsunia, a distant family member, daughter of Nyava, and technically the House Head of Erikku.

After finding the man known as Halin Durakmalin, the last person to have seen Zsunia and the previous mayor of Lutumshire, Asvař II had to endure a tediously long travel. He faced some hardships and close calls along the way, but Asvař II managed to eventually find Zsunia. He told her about his visions, and Zsunia was relieved in a sense, as she had been having visions regarding Da Berry recently as well; and so, she granted Asvař II what he sought, an extension to his life. She granted him not only this however, as she also passed on her title of Erikku House head. Asvař II now had all he needed, and sailed back to his home.

Asvař II's Rise & Fall
After the incident, Asvař II decided that now was the time; he declared himself a holy prophet of Da Berry, and claimed that he was destined to be King of Lutum. This caused tensions to rise between the Cat's Paw/House Erikku and Lutum's other mayors & nobles. He had appointed one of his soldiers as a "Lesser Mayor" to serve in office temporarily, while he began his work. He quickly moved to the mainland with his Cat's Paw force and began taking over towns. Most of the time, this process was done through threat & intimidation, but on occasion, force was necessary. The now far-off mayor eventually managed to secure the capital of Lutum through an event known as the Great Auction of Lutumshire; it was an auction held by Yonamu, the mayor after Halin who had grown tired of his position. Even though Asvař II was not the highest bidder for the city, he had paid off an assassin to kill off those who rivaled him. Asvař II's grasp on the city was strenuous at best, and his Cat's Paw had been spread thin, but he was managing to keep his grip. His expansion might have gone through fully, and he might've been crowned the new king of Lutum, were it not for a fatal mistake.

Not so far into the past, Lutum technically belonged to Anglunia, and the country managed to get only through very heavy pushback, diplomacy, and a very large fine. After they were free, a Berrist extremist known as Paiwa took control of one of their cities and claimed it to be the Berry State (originally Devrya.) The strained relation between the two countries, and a new weak spot in their capital led to Anglunia declaring war on Lutumshire. The invading Lutumite forces backed by Anglunia forced many government officials out of office, but Asvař II was one of the very unlucky few who was deemed a terrorist and was to be completely exiled. He returned to Nekoshire with his remaining forces and was left in a panic, not knowing what to do; so, temporarily, he would simply hide in his home city, as his appointed lesser mayor took charge.