Coroa

Coroa (Elven: Kóroa) is one of the most populous cities in the Aurelian Empire and, by extension, all of the Known World. Coroa is an economic and cultural center in the Empire second only to the Imperial Capital of Aura. Coroa is located on the Arauros river at the southern end of the Spine Mountains.

In the modern day, Coroa is possibly the wealthiest and most populous city in the Empire, though it has proportionally little representation in the Aurelian Senate due to its historic status as an independent city. This wealth is fueled by Coroa's strategic position on the Gold Road, the main trade route from central Vedar to the nations east of the Spine Mountains, including Old Kanzah, Ursus and Moloch. Coroa also occupies an important position as a trading point for sea routes to both the east and south.

The city is famed for its marketplaces, including the Grand Bazaar, as well as its architectural masterpieces, such as the great Temple of Oa, the High Citadel where the ancient Elven High Kings lived, and the Silver Bridge, the main crossing of the Arauros, which connects the two sides of the city and the island of Arta.

Coroa is a city of two halves, in more ways than one. The most obvious is the division by the river Arauros. The eastern side of the city is larger, and tends to have the poorer districts, but is also home to the Coroan Arena, the Great Bazaar and many other marketplaces. The docks of Kirrus (Elven: Kirros) are also on the eatern shore. This results in the eastern side of the city being a place of trade, commerce, diversity and of rich merchants and poor workers living side by side.

The western bank is home to the colleges and universities, including the Coroan Institute of the Aurelian College of the Arcane, odeons and theatres, as well as the Imperial Shipyards and the Legion headquarters for Regio Coroa. The west is also home to the Agorá, or Imperial Forum, the center of day to day life in this side of the city and a counterpoint to the Great Bazaar on the east bank. The western side of the city tends to have a higher proportion of humans and dwarves than the east, and accordingly lower populations of elves, gnomes and orcs. Orcs specifically are almost unwelcome in certain areas in the western side of the city, especially the more traditionally affluent wards.

Coroa is not just divided by east and west, but also by inner and outer city. The inner districts, including the island of Arta, comprise the original city and are still mostly encircled by the original Elders' walls. These districts, usually referred to simply as 'the city', tend to be significantly wealthier than the outer districts, with large mansions, open green spaces, wide roads and many temples.

Early History
Coroa was founded early in the Age of Awakening by Elders of an unknown Pride. Much of Coroa's early history is unrecorded, though it is likely it served mainly as a trading post and rest stop for journeys from central Vedar to the east.

Some of the first records of the town of Kóroa are found in early tablets from the Old Library of Melothos where around roughly 4,000 PR it is recorded as belonging to the Mantea Pride, who were known to be members of the Thalassian League. The League was a collection of explorer and seafaring Prides and were a major power in the Lords' Council that governed Elder society. Less centralised than the other major political powers, the Thalassians were more of a collection of independent interests. This meant that though they had great power and wealth stemming from their overseas holdings, they were generally slower to act than the other great powers.

Coroa in this time was primarily a seafaring village, with its prime incomes being fishing and ferrying across the Arauros to the hamlet of Kirros on the east bank. There existed a bridge where the river narrowed many days' journey to the north, though on the eastern bank this necessitated travel either through the Mistmoors, a wild and dangerous place, or along a difficult road south along the river to the Coroan Lowlands.

Around roughly 3,000 PR, the Great Bridge of Coroa was constructed (now known as the Silver Bridge). This was a great enterprise, spanning the entire width of the Arauros and crossing over the island of Arta in the middle. The bridge was funded by both the Thalassian League, who saw it as a way to funnel trade and therefore income through one of their main prides, and the Drukherine, to whom it was a valuable connection between the east and west. The bridge was hailed as a triumph of Elder society and of political factions working together despite their differences to improve the Dominion. The bridge was promoted as an icon of togetherness when Elder leadership was becoming increasingly divided.

There had existed an ancient temple to the chief god Oa on the island of Arta, accessible only by boat, for as long as recorded, possibly outdating the town of Coroa itself. The construction of the Silver Bridge meant that this temple became suddenly accessible to many, and it became inundated with preachers and pilgrims. Coroa itself grew considerably, becoming the primary through point for trade, riches and goods flowing from east to west or vice-versa.

The Schism
See full page: Aelderi Schism

With the outbreak of civil war amongst the Elders, Coroa's position occupying the main land route from central Vedar to the east, where the main holdings of the Drukherine were located, meant that it was of prime strategic importance.

When the Drukherine burned the Great Forest, the continental Thalassian prides pushed the League to intervene on the side of the Silvans. Seeing what was to happen, the Lord Drow led a host to capture Coroa in XXXX PR, ensuring that the Drukherine controlled access from the important lands of central Vedar to the Drukherines' main holdings east of the Dawnshield mountains. It was during this siege that the old Temple of Oa on the isle of Arta was destroyed. The Thalassians claimed that this was carried out by the Drukherine invaders, while the Drukherine themselves claimed that it was burned by the Thalassians during their retreat.

Coroa continued to be held by the Drukherine for much of the war, until a relief force led by the Thalassian League in XXXX PR freed the city. The Thalassian control of the seas and the impassability of the Mistmoors to large hosts meant that the Drukherine in central Vedar were effectively cut off from their main power base east of the Dawnshield Mountains. Numerous unsuccessful raids were launched against Coroa in the following years. The most successful raid, due to the actions of Drukherine players in the city opening the Moor-Gate from the inside, managed to penetrate as far as the Silver Bridge and even gain a toehold on Arta before being repulsed by reinforcements.

The persistent defence of Coroa and the blockade of the Imathian coast eventually forced the Drukherine to resort to the Long March. The Drukherine led their forces along the northern coast of Vedar and over the Dawnshields to assault Melothos from the north, a desperate gambit whose failure resulted in the death of the Lord Drow and end of the majority of the fighting.

After the war, the collapse of the Oceanic Empire and Thalassian trade resulted in the fragmentation of the League. By the end of the Age of Awakening, the Elders that inhabited Coroa were mostly aligned with the Thossolians, and the Thalassians had become a minor player in Elder politics. It was also during this period that the present-day Temple of Oa was constructed on the isle of Arta. The new temple was designed and begun by the Thalassian League as a unifying symbol of the end of the war, though due to the collapse of overseas trade and the League's resultant financial difficulties, the Temple was finished through the funding of the Thossolian prides.

Age of Heroes
When the Elders were finally overthrown and Melothos sacked, Coroa, further south than much of the fighting, escaped mostly unscathed. The city became a refuge for many of the Elders and eventually became one of the major cities of the Elves, as they came to be known in this Age. The Elves of Coroa, descended mostly from the Thossolian Elders, were known as the High Elves by the other races of Vedar, viewed as more sophisticated, haughty and arrogant relative to their Wood Elf brethren, who descended mostly from the Silvan Elders.

With the fall of Melothos, during the Age of Heroes Coroa became the main seat of the High King. Though the High King claimed the right of dominion over all elves, in reality their influence was mostly limited to those now known as the High Elves, with those away from cities and towns such as Coroa and Aerlion paying little heed to their requests.

The High Elves in this time pursued a philosophy of isolationism, interacting little with the wider world. Non-Elves were not welcome in Coroa or its surrounding lands, though some trade did occur with neighbouring realms for food or other items. Trade also occurred with other Elven realms such as Lithaethel and Aerlion, and travelling elven merchants were a common sight, especially in the lands around present-day Regio Coroa.

The isolationism of Coroa meant that the Silver Bridge, and therefore the main crossing point over the Arauros was closed to all but the elves. This effectively meant a severing of the continent between central Vedar and the east. Many credit this with the resulting state of Vedar during the Age of Heroes, with many competing city-states, roaming adventurers and dangerous monsters multiplying in the absence of a strong unifying power such as the Elders or another empire. The lands of central Vedar were isolated (or protected, depending on the viewpoint) from the great powers to the east such as the Kanzah Empire, resulting in the unique circumstances that gave the Age its name.

This isolationism also resulted in the separation of the orc tribes of Imathia from the large numbers of orcs present in central Vedar, a key contributing factor in the rise of Xandar the Great and eventual battle of Coroa in the closing of the Age

The Battle of Coroa
See full article: Battle of Coroa

The Battle of Coroa is often held by Aurelian scholars as a key defining moment in the end of the Age of Heroes and beginning of the Age of Empires. In Imathia, Xandar the Great had unified the various disparate orc tribes and declared himself King. To the west, Tullus Iulius had recently reformed the Auran Republic into the Aurelian Empire.

Xandar led his army to besiege and take Coroa, killing the Elven High King Emladril at the Battle of Eastbridge. When Coroa fell, Xandar declared that it would become the capital of his new empire, uniting both east and west, and the stepping stone into his conquest of the lands of central Vedar. However, the surviving Coroan High Elves joined together with their Wood Elf cousins and, in a surprise move, petitioned the young Aurelian Empire for aid. In return for the help of the Legions, the high elves agreed that Coroa would become open to humans and dwarves for trade and residence, with Aurelian merchants having ownership of all trade through the city not directly relating to providing for the city itself (e.g. foodstuff for the populace), and even allowed to compete for this trade.

The resulting Battle of Coroa therefore pitted a unified Aurelian and Elven force against Xandar's armies. Many scholars attribute this battle as deciding the fate of Vedar for centuries to come, as far as the present day. Brother Dalrim of the Order of Ostmallen related that:

After bitter fighting in the city streets, Xandar's forces were forced to retreat over the Arauros, and the allied Aurelian-Elven coalition laid siege to the Citadel on Arta. Some orcs took refuge in the Temple of Oa, but the doors were broken down and the orcs inside dragged out and executed in the streets or thrown into the river. Many of the soldiers were unwilling to desecrate the temple with bloodshed, viewed as a heinous crime that would risk the wrath of the Lord of the Gods.

Xandar was presumed killed in the battle, though his body was never found. The coalition eventually succeeded in driving the remaining orc forces out of Coroa when word arrived of a fresh high elf force from Aerlion approaching from the east. With Xandar's supposed death, his empire split into parts, led by tribal chiefs or Xandar's generals.

In the city itself, tensions rose with the impending arrival of the Aerlion force. Many of Iulius' advisors were concerned that the elves would seek to betray the Aurelians now that the orc threat to Coroa had been dealt with and the city secured. The elves, likewise, were concerned that the humans may want to take control of the city themselves. Iulius even recalled his legion back over the Arauros and settled them in on the more defensible western side of the city. Ultimately, cooler heads prevailed, and the Aurelians left the city to return west with no bloodshed besides a few minor scuffles between celebrating soldiers. However, to ensure that the elves did not renege on their deal, a contingent of trusted soldiers remained in the city to 'assist in reconstruction and security', while also acting as protection for the merchants that began to filter in with the opening of the city to trade. Iulius left his nephew, a legionary captain, in charge of these soldiers. This is considered to have been done for two reasons: Firstly as a clear message to the elves that any attack on the remaining soldiers would constitute a direct assault on the personage of Iulius himself, and secondly because as a minor member of Iulius' family, his nephew could not be held for great ransom or as a means of blackmail. This had the additional benefit that his nephew gained experience in commanding a body of soldiers in complex circumstances, and an appreciation of trade, logistics and diplomacy from their role in Coroa.

Independent City
Over the years following the Battle, Coroa remained as a nominally elven city but with a growing population of humans and dwarves, many of whom were affiliated with or even direct citizens of the Aurelian Empire. As the Empire grew, its borders slowly approached the city itself. Meanwhile, the population of elves dwindled as the empathic race struggled to live in the city where so many of their kin had been slaughtered. Many elves had died in both the battle and the preceding orc siege, and many refugees that had escaped never returned.

These factors meant that over the years, Coroa gradually shifted more and more into the sphere of the Empire. During the reign of Tullus Augustus, Coroa's council even accepted its first human members, both of whom were Aurelian citizens and served to push Imperial interests. Also during this time, the population of elves was overtaken by the combined human and dwarven population. Before the end of his reign, Augustus signed a pact with the Coroa council that gave the Empire sole rights to provide trade both to and via the city, in return for the Legions pledging to defend the city, effectively making it, though still technically independent, a part of the Empire. A Legion headquarters was constructed outside the city walls to provide for this defence.

The city was not formally ceded to the overarching control of the empire until the reign of Iuliua Atius many years later, finally ending Coroa's status as an independent city within the empire, and positioning it as the capital city of the newly named Regio Coroa.

Present day
In the present day, Coroa is one of the largest cities of the Aurelian Empire, and is generally recognized as the most important after the Imperial Capital of Aura. A great deal of trade passes through along the Silver Bridge, and the docks of Kirrus receive ships from as far away as Mek'ele and Moloch. This trade means that Coroa is possibly the richest city in the empire, and is a dynamic melting pot of people, cultures and traditions, standing in contrast to the more traditional, venerable city of Aura. Many nobles, or scions of noble houses, have relocated from the capital to Coroa to seek their fortune

The city itself is, according to differing reports, either the most populous or second most populous city in the Empire

Politics
Despite Coroa's official status as the second most populous city in the Empire behind only Aura herself (though even this is disputed as some claim Coroa has many more undocumented citizens), the city has relatively little representation in the Imperial Senate. The current sitting Senators are Lady Mona Chorrol, for East Coroa, and Lord Caius Vasil, for West Coroa.