Bayvic (a Gerudian corruption of the Old Castanorian Baywic, meaning Settlement by the Bay) is a major city in the Alenic Reach. Following the Greentide, it took in a significant quantity of goblin refugees, which eventually led to its revival.
History[]
Origin[]
Bayvic gained independence from the Kingdom of Adshaw in 1001 during the Blue Reachmen Wars of Independence.
Goblin Immigration and Integration[]
Beginning in 1463, Bayvic began to receive an influx of goblins refugees fleeing death and persecution in Escann. While many Reachmen viewed them as monsters, Bayvic accepted them into its society and permitted them to settle in the city, albeit sometimes begrudgingly. Over time, the goblin element within Bayvic grew until they comprised a sizable minority within the Republic. Yet, their efforts to defend the city alongside their human counterparts and their overall contribution to Bayvic's prosperity were largely left unanswered: many humans considered normal to maintain goblins in subordinate positions. The discontent among goblins erupted in full-blown protests in 1584, after a human judge sent a young goblin to jail with little-to-no proof in what was widely percieved as a rigged trial. Negociations between the protestors and the Lord Mayor's Council resulted in the goblins gaining full citizenship and equality of rights, taking the form of an equality before justice, the right to vote and the right to be elected.
One of the goblin negociators, Reb of the Westflowers, embodied the collective advancement of goblins in the following years. Son of Escanni refugees and born in Bayvic, he became an incredibly sucessful businessman. His fight for goblin political rights made him a very popular figure, among goblins and humans alike. He won the 1602 elections in a landslide and became the first-ever goblin Lord Mayor of Bayvic. Under Reb of the Westflowers and his successors, Bayvic - known to the goblins as "Bayvek" - grew considerably, both as a mercantile power and as a centre of goblin artificery. During the 17th century, the goblins of Bayvic gradually assumed control over the city via repeated victories in its elections, forming a powerful upper-class.
Bayvek[]
Under the goblins, Bayvek became one of the richest cities in the Giant's Grave Sea and served as a critical obstacle to the ambitions of the rising Gawedi Empire and its successor, the Northern League. Bayveki industrialists clashed both in battle and business against the magnates of the league, who were predominantly human purists.
For later formatting[]
Goblins soon became a part of the city as would any other Reachman, and many had shown their resilience and business acumen, not to mention their fervour in defense of the city against its many enemies. By the 17th century, the city was dominated by goblins, who slowly took power in the elections of the republic. This new type of goblin, called the City Goblin, went on to represent a civilized and mercantile type of goblin that assimilated into Cannorian culture.
Bayvic has long been a centre for traders and the leader of one of the most influential trade leagues in the Reach. With the recent orcish invasion of the eastern Reach many refugees have fled from their homes and are moving into Bayvic, creating for us a large workforce, and allowing our city ensure its place as the largest in the Reach. After all, if we are truly the example of what a true Reachman city aspires to be, we must open our brethren with open arms.
The process of making paper in Bayvic is no simple one, without any form of press or other tool each page must be hand crafted, and the process is long and laborious. Despite this the profession of paper-making has caught on in Bayvic, and thanks to the difficulty of the process we hold a monopoly on the paper production in the Reach, and our reams can be seen from the Alen to Gerudia.
The Gawedi, famed for the endless armies and their great bravery, and the Grombari, famed for their ferocity and iron discipline, have both tried their hand at invading Bayvic, and both have been repelled.
The Gawedi found them themselves harassed at every step by men all over the Reach (by our guidance, naturally!), and while their soldiers outnumbered ours 10-ti-1, they were far from home and their resolve did not match our own. They were bled out slowly, but certainly, with each passing day their forces dwindling until finally, unable to sustain, their losses they were forced to withdraw.
The Grombari did not fare much better, with the brunt of their invasion force coming from the sea, our elite oarsmen were able to sink much of their fleet by outmaneuvering them in the Drowned Giant Isles sending their great host to a certain demise in the icy depths. A scarce few of the Grombari army made it to our shores, and those who did found themselves outnumbered and peppered by Bayvic crossbowmen.
Much of the Reach is windswept and Stormy leading to a poor growing climate, to remedy this we take to the seas and return with well earned bounties.
We are a people hardened by our surroundings and will never let man nor nature get the better of us, whatever the cost may be.