This page describes the City of Tianlou. For the republic, see Republic of Tianlou.
Tianlou is a city on the mouth of the Yanhe and the eastern shore of Yanshen. It is one of the largest cities in Haless, known as the "Jewel of Yanshen" for its vast riches due to its prime spot for trade, its multitude of schools of philosophy, and its countless temples. The city is known for being a capital for empires such as Harimar's and Jaher's, though some call it cursed for both conquerors met their ends in the city. The centerpiece of the city, and its key landmark, is the largest high temple in Haless that towers above the rest of the city, though various other massive towers dot the Tianlou skyline.
History[]
Beginnings[]
An ancient city, it is unclear when Tianlou was founded but it was likely always one of the greatest cities in Yanshen as it is centered around the great high temple that reaches the sky. It would truly begin to exponentially grow in 21, when the first treasure fleet arrived from Zurankrek and began the decennial trade relations, making Tianlou only richer.
The city would become a key target for Harimar due to its high temple, he would even go so far as to make the city his new capital. While overseeing the city he would upend the social systems greatly, giving rise to a powerful eunuch caste that would maintain its strength for over a thousand years, along with becoming a key product of Tianlou. In the end, Harimar would go missing in Tianlou's temple in 79, with no trace of him to be found.
Other nations would try to conquer Tianlou, such as Jiantsiang in 721, but it would remain resistant what with its access to wealth and powerful fortifications.
In 872 Zurkranreki descended merchants would be expelled from the city, after tensions flared between them and the native eunuchs and traders, giving birth to the cities long-time rivalry with Beikdugang. By 881 the city of Beikdugang would nearly rival Tianlou, as Tianlou had banned the Treasure Fleets.
The Phoenix Empire[]
The city's rivalry with Jaher would Beikdugang would prove their undoing, as in 1094 Beikdugang surrendered to Jaher and aided him in their conquest of Tianlou. From 1094 to 1096 Tianlou was besieged by Jaher's army, ultimately falling.
Jaher would declare this eastern port his new capital, calling for the construction of the Hall of the Rising Sun. The city would continue to prosper under Jaher's rule, until his death in the city in the year 1127. With his death, a destructive war broke out between Beikdugang and Tianlou, weaking both cities, though Beikdugang would suffer more-so due to spending decades under blockade.
The Command[]
Propersering by trading with Cannorians since they first arrived in Tianlou in 1574, the republic of Tianlou which had been independent since Jaher's fall would come under threat in 1617. With the republic, and the rest of the Tianlou Concord, at war with the Command in the First War of Yansheni Liberation, the Dragon Command had marched to the city of Tianlou and laid siege to it in 1617. Despite the Dragon Command's artillery, the Concord managed to push the Command back from the city.
This victory would only last 33 years as in 1650, in the Tianlou Campaign, also known as the War of Yansheni Dominion, the Command laid siege to the city again. The Command was forced to withdraw to due the Concord's troops, yet again in 1655 the Command laid siege against an exhausted Concord. Tianlou fell in 1658,
Under the administration of the Dragon Command, Tianlou would prosper under "The Dragon's Peace", a long period of growth and peace from 1662-1704. Seeing the city as its future capital, the Dragon Command would invest heavily into rebuilding Tianlou, improving fortifications with minor artifice.
Despite the Command initially allowing the establishment of Gommo offices in their land in 1667, the Gommo would be exiled from Tianlou and elsewhere in the Command in 1678 following conflict with the Dragon Command. Their offices in Tianlou were seized with military force and cause a souring of relations with the Gommo of the city, leading them to covertly make an agreement with the eunuchs. The Gommo agreed to provide funding and support for the eunuch rebellion in exchange for the reopening of the Gommo office as an autonomous entity with limited (no looting) access to the high temple.
Fight for Independence[]
In 1705 came the bloodless coup of Tianlou, the eunuchs of Tianlou had plotted in secret for decades in order to catch the Dragon Command’s officials in a moment of unreadiness. They played cooperative in order to lull the Dragon Command into a false sense of security priming their rebellion. The eunuch rebellion, which would come to be known as the bloodless coup began with a series of poisonings that caused the chain of command within the city to collapse. Seizing on this confusion, eunuch loyal guards and militiamen captured or drove off the disorganized hobgoblin garrison. Despite the deaths that occurred the coup was referred to as bloodless due to the few deaths on both sides. The Dragon’s Breath and some river admirals manage to flee upstream and attempt to organize a retaliation to retake the city.
Warfare would breakout back and forth for decades, leading up to the Third Yansheni Liberation War where an intense battle broke out at Tianlou's Gate in 1744. The Concord launched a surprise attack with the goal of killing the Dragon Marshal and succeeded, the new marshal, Noriko Dragonborn, would attempt to outsmart the Concord forces but would make slow progress. In 1751 peace talks would finally be carried out, though during negotiations the great temple of Tianlou was looted causing the rending. It turns out that a local rich man's son who had gambled away his money had hired a party and a korashi drill to raid the temple for money.
The Rending of Realms[]
During the Rending of Realms the threat turned from the Dragon Command to Lingyuk, as the new power tried to breach the walls of Tianlou. The new fortifications repelled the Lingyuk forces, partly also due to the efforts of the Triarchy and the Gnomish Hierarchy.