Haegiel

Haegiel is a city on the Phagosian Sea in Syltör, and the capital of the Aurlûnor-Ryzani Empire. It was formerly and briefly the capital of Malyan Province of the Aurlûnor Velande. It is a part of the Deutzan region, which is home to the Deutzani people, and is the second largest settlement of Deutzani in the world. Since its promotion to capital of the ARE, it has seen an influx of immigrants from across the empire, making it one of the largest and most diverse cities on the continent.

Names
The name Haegiel comes from the local Deutzani language, though its exact origin is unknown. Historically, the city has been called Deutzmar (Deutzani Home) or Hróncendë (Eastern Point) in Aurlûnoren, Oogsburg (after the old Ryzani leader Oogway) and also Deutzan City.

Early History
The city itself began its first iteration as a penal colony named Oogsburg. Funded by the Ryzani, it had Ryzani architecture and most spoke the primary Ryzani dialect of the day. The name changed to Deutzan City with the immigration and merging of the Sazani (a Ryzani sub-group) with the local Deutali peoples. The resulting culture is now known as Deutzani.

Deutzan City did well as a city under Governor GermanGingerGeneral, at least at first. However, as German neglected his duties, Anstolis Lykeris stepped up and offered to replace him. German agreed, and with Anstolis in charge the city changed names once again to Haegiel. Anstolis believed the city needed a proper name of its own, and not to simply adopt the name of the surrounding region.

As a Ryzani City
During the Ryzani Period, Haegiel would have major trouble with its population, with the migrations from mainland Ryzan ending and the Deutzani population dwindling, especially as the city was briefly under Aurlûnoren occupation for a period after the breakup of the First A.R.E. This would be brought up as a topic multiple times in the Ryzani government, and eventually builders were called to renovate Haegiel. This would be successful for the most part, but afterwards the town began to get neglected again- especially with Bardonian occupation lowering morale nationwide after the West March War.

Following the Allium-Coalition War and specifically the Bardonian Spring, Ryzan was once again an independent realm. However, the city remained stagnant, simply maintaining itself as it did once before.

Second Velande Occupation, the Republic of Deutzan and Annexation
During the Ryzani Civil War, Aurlûnor would come along and occupy Haegiel with the rest of Deutzan and Old Balreska, hence ending Haegiel's time as a Ryzani city for months.

As a Velande City
The city remained somewhat stagnant under Velande rule, despite wishes from the government in Lhûmar. Anstolis was promoted to the rank of Imperial Governor of Malyan Province for the time being.

Return to Ryzan
Ryzan, now acting as an autonomous state within the Bardonian Empire, pressed its claim on the territory of Malyan/Deutzan in December of 2021. Despite a land dispute that lasted for days, Aurlûnor accepted the deal and ceded mainland Deutzan back to Ryzan in exchange for keeping Duck Island. Thusly, Anstolis was dismissed from the Imperial Court and returned to Ryzan with his city.

Gaining its independence as the Ryvenate of Ryzan, Haegiel in an independent Ryzan slowly had itself rebuilt. This rebuilding started to accelerate massively in the aftermath of the Red Sun Campaign, and the city was renowned in both Aurlûnor and Ryzan as a boom town.

Under the A.R.E.
The city of Haegiel was chosen by popular vote to become the capital of the Aurlûnor-Ryzani Empire in 961 ACA. The city has since continued to grow.

Economy
As the city has grown in recent years, it has taken a role in trade around the Deutzan area and Upper Ashura. Roads connect the city to Syros to the north and many Ashuran oasis towns like Kahulwahah and Magrivune in the south. Many merchants have begun setting up shop in Haegiel, selling wares to traders and the growing local populace.

The surrounding region, being somewhat arid but coastal, basks in warm sun, and many sick and elderly come to Haegiel for health purposes. The climate allows for the growing of many crops such as hemp, olives, alfalfa, and grapes. The limited local agriculture is nonetheless supportive of southern Deutzan's ranchers and goat herders. Goats play a major role in local industry, taking the place of dairy cattle elsewhere in the more temperate regions of Ryzan. As such, Haegiel's largest export is goat cheese, earning it the title of "Goat Cheese Capital of the World". Deutzani beef and leather are also processed in the town for export, to a lesser extent.

Government administration, on the municipal, freehold, and national levels makes up the remainder of the economy.