In the previous lore post, we saw the origins of Stallia and its actual state, but we skipped its heyday because it is deeply intertwined with the history of Arrakans.
You know Stallia as "The Cultured City of Stallia" because of the generally polite, if dry, but humanities-minded population. This is generally true of a relatively large percentage of the population, but it is also an overstatement originated in Arrakans.
Arrakans is a chaotic city, currently counting with some 80.000 inhabitants, that undergoes steep economic ups downs tied to maritime commerce.
The city was built further east of Stallia in the sandy delta of the Arrakans river, which is as bad an idea as it sounds. The exact date in which the first camp or settlement that could properly be considered Arrakans was founded is unknown, but it happened sometime during the second migration wave into Stallia during one of the few organized beastfolk attempts to overtake the city.
The plan called for a huge confederation of pirates descending the Arrakans river in order to strike the defenceless tenant refugees east of Stallia. It was supposed to be a short journey yielding plenty of booty, assuming that the Emial river that crosses Stallia was connected to the Arrakans river, which it wasn't. Those in charge of the expedition, however, stubbornly refused to acknowledge their mistake until the delta and consequently the sea were reached, leaving them with little room for further argument. By that time patience and supplies were all but exhausted, so the ruthlessly conscripted and underpaid crews mutinied and cast their leaders into the sea. The crew then chose to settle there, fully aware that they'd be executed if they returned empty-handed.
Meanwhile, the stallians remained blissfully unaware of the destruction they barely avoided.
It was years later, once the frequency and violence of the beastfolk attacks on Stallia started to diminish, that Arrakans was discovered by the expeditions sent into The Steppes to locate potential new settlement areas for the tenant refugees. Stallians were shocked to find beastfolk and unchanged humans cohabiting together in relative harmony and heated argument ensued at all levels of the stallian society.
Some argued, inspired by the lack of aggressiveness in these initial, cautious contacts and the idea that other settlements might be found in the area, that Arrakans could be turned into an ally and become an example for others to follow. On the other hand, those still wary of beastfolk wanted to use the presently overblown military prowess of the city to wipe this settlement off and, in fact, start a massive counterattack on the beastfolk as a whole. After months of arguing, The Court of All Humans opted for the diplomatic approach and started talks with Arrakans.
Meanwhile, the arrakensis remained blissfully unaware of the destruction they barely avoided.
Arrakensis people proved to be extremely easy going and easily enticed, so in less than a year their city was fully integrated into The Court and had developed a representative aristocracy of its own. To accommodate Arrakans and other future settlements, The Steppes as a whole stopped being called Stallia and the first court building was erected in the city of Stallia as the first permanent seat of power.
This is known as the Stallian Enlightenment, when the city, while still markedly austere, became considerably demilitarized and embraced those intellectual endeavours they considered practical.
Arrakans, true to its passionate nature, has ever since gone through phases of keen enthusiasm and deep disillusionment towards The Court.
When Arrakans is undergoing a phase of enthusiasm, aggressive raids and punitive expeditions are carried upriver into beastfolk territory so arrakensis can prove themselves to be the most stalwart. This was specially true during the city's first decades with the The Court. On the other hand, when they feel The Court is not benefiting them enough, the citizens vent their frustrations on the aristocracy of the city, sometimes violently. Because of this tendency, the arrakensis aristocracy is forced to rule through subterfuge and more subtle, indirect means, often giving outsiders the (only slightly) wrong image of being a lawless city.
Curiously, violence in Arrakans is almost exclusively feud-based and therefore targeted mostly towards other native arrakensis. As long as they don't have a reason to hate somebody, arrakensis citizens and even soldiers tend to simply live and let live, which is nice, but makes them unreliable allies on the battlefield.
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