Yayyyyy, it's a topic I don't have to be vague about!!! It's actually kind of helpful to set up the first novella here because, despite the entire series spanning the entire continent, it's the first place the readers visit that just happens to be my favorite location.
TORCH.
Maybe it's because I spent so much time developing the people that live in the city-state of Torch, or maybe it's because of my adoration of Viji, who lives there - tt's anybody's guess, really - but what is undeniable is my love for Torch. It's modeled, in part, after Tangier in Morocco and Bangkok in Thailand, but since it's set in a time that's more akin to something out of Assassin's Creed, it's obviously not as modern as those two cities are today. It's one of the longest-inhabited city-states on the Continent and has survived the annihilation of all three of the major empires, including the most recent nearly two thousand years prior to the beginning of The Legion. So there's a lot of preserved history there that doesn't exist outside its walls.
Torch started out as a multicultural trading post across the Annamarti Sea, just outside the First Empire's reach, and was more or less left to its own devices. The population was a mixture of humans, Fortulans, and other native races that inhabited the surrounding areas. Its proximity to the then-affluent Estoire islands made it even more valuable a location, but both the Empire and the formidable Fortulans, who controlled the entire southeastern portion of the Continent, were content to simply profit from the free trade that occurred there.
After the fall of the First Empire, Torch was a haven from the chaos, which only added to its growing numbers. The lack of a large, strong governing body merely a stone's throw away - the Fortulans became even more insular after the Empire's demise - allows for the small port to expand and eventually be considered a city-state around the same time the Second Empire had risen from the ashes of its predecessor. The Second Empire only lasted a few centuries before crumbling due to a major civil war, and even Torch had to close its doors to those affected by it. It could not sustain a much larger population, so smaller settlements popped up around the Southeast in the remains of the Lillimayan kingdom - Lillimay had supported the established royals in the civil war and much of their territory had been ransacked, leaving them very little infrastructure to maintain any control over land even a few kilometers away from their main city-state - laying the foundation for future city-states like Bekame, Havierne, and Tsarkor. Torch established and kept good trade relations with these city-states, allowing them to prosper and grow, as well.
After a few hundred years of complete anarchy, the main city-states that were formerly major seats in the previous empires rejoined to create the Third Empire, which was initially much more cautious in its actions. The newly named emperor consulted with the Torchi and Fortulans, building embassies and sending diplomats often to each to discuss past mistakes and to take advantage of the knowledge that these two long-lasting powers had to offer. Ultimately, this only lasted a few centuries before each successive ruler became even more hungry for conquest and proceeded to spread even further than the First Empire, only stopped in the West by the unforgiving wilderness, the Garunzaht, and in the north by the Dremmin Mountains. Of course, they began looking southward to the Fortulans. The Torchi sent a diplomatic committee to advise against what they assumed the Empire was considering, but they were summarily dismissed.
Despite verbally opposing the war and refusing to involve itself militarily, Torch secretly sent aid to the Fortulans, but when the Fortulans summoned a demon army to fight for them, the city-state closed itself off yet again. Once the demons turned on their masters, the entire Continent was set ablaze, ultimately leading to the inexplicable introduction of the Legions. After the dust settled, both the Third Empire and the Fortulans were all but wiped out, leaving only a handful of city-states to maintain order. Being the one city-state with the most seniority, Torchi politicians exiled the Fortulans and retreated into an isolationist policy, only trading with the battered southeastern city-states and settlements, which they felt were unfairly caught in a war that nearly destroyed them.
Two millennia after the Third Empire's destruction, Torch still stands and has become a hub for tourism, trade, and culture, boasting the only symphony house outside of the East and some of the oldest buildings on the Continent. Education is also a healthy industry, as well, with all sorts making a pilgrimage to the vast library of ancient texts that the Torchi preserve. While not taking part in Continent-wide politics as it had before, Torch is still highly respected by the majority of city-states, particularly by the citizens of the Southeast.
The government is highly democratic, with monthly public meetings to discuss and vote on issues. Officials, appointed by lottery for year-long terms, serve on various committees, but any decisions they make can be overruled by the general public. Every full citizen of Torch is allowed to take part in the government, required that he or she is twenty years of age, but one cannot become an official until reaching thirty years of age.
Torch does not have a large military force, but its soldiers are highly trained, and they have a small fleet of both seafaring and air ships. Every person entering the military starts as enlisted and can enroll in office training, although they must serve a minimum of five years in order to do so. In wartime, it takes significantly less time, as it is assumed a soldier has gain valuable experience in combat, but since Torch has not involved itself in any major wars in recent times, this exception is not currently in use.
The city-state is laid out on an easily navigated grid with two main natural borders: the Annamarti Sea, which almost completely surrounds it, and the Pasquo River in the southeast. Old Town, the original location of the trading post right on the bay, is the decidedly antique cultural area with museums, high end restaurants, and the symphony house - it also contains the Suanluz district, which contains the seedy nightlife found in almost every city - and it ends at the remains at the old fortress' walls, where the city-state then sprouts off into the residential, government, and industrial areas. Because the Torchi do not like the idea of expansion, they tend to build upward and incorporate old buildings into to new ones, so much of the city-state has a patchwork look to it that only adds to its charm.
Seriously, everything about Torch just makes me happy, and I could write about it all day. But I won't. Because I have work and other shit to do. So I guess you'll just have to read the first novella when it comes out because Torch definitely plays a major part in it. See everybody tomorrow!
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