One of the only two cities The Firebird Atolls alongside Kho'deir, Ga'liiri is significantly larger, and more fortified, than her sister city. The city is not aligned with any of the three nations that border the Atolls, and is considered a free city for traders, privateers, and assorted travellers to come and go as they please, to buy or sell whatever goods or services they will.
The city was until recently the seat of power of the great dragon Gakhelith, and it is unclear who should fill the power vacuum after her disappearance.
Description
Ga'liiri is built on a cluster of sandy
atolls surrounded by half a dozen volcanic islands. The mountains serve
as a barrier against storms and invaders alike, and are a major factor
in the city's continued independence.The city is governed by a council called The Circle, made up of officials from the various guilds and companies that operate in the city, and The Circle elects from themselves a leader called the Prime Regent. Officially, the Prime Regent controls the city in Gakhelith's name and is beholden to her and her cult, though no one has seen them in almost a decade, leaving The Circle to rule with impunity.
History
Founded almost three centuries ago, Ga'liiri was originally a forward outpost of the Taanan people, valued for its relative proximity to the northern shores of the Siyaril peninsula, home of The Radiant Empire's capital city of Luah Mirai. As the wars died down between the two nations, fewer and fewer travellers ventured to the city, preferring to the take more direct sailing routes that avoided the island. Eventually, the Taanan tribes tasked with maintaining the outpost chose to abandon it, and it fell into disrepair.
Years later, groups of smugglers and privateers began using the island, first as a hideout, then an outpost, and finally a home.
As citizens of the surrounding nations saw the burgeoning city take form, some elected to sever ties with their homeland and moved to the island, brining their skills and trades with them, accelerating its growth. Eventually, the city was a de-facto city state, trading with all three nations and growing richer by the year.
Once the city grew large enough her rulers decided to establish proper borders, claiming a large portion of the Central Atolls as their territorial waters, and began demanding tariffs on any goods sailed through them. This earned the wrath of all three neighbouring nations, who all immediately declared war on the city-state.
The war lasted 4 years, with the Ga'liiri people using guerilla tactics and sabotage to protect their city from the onslaught of three armies.
The end of the war came when one of the dragon kings of the north, the drake known as Tyanllanyr, personally led his army to storm the city. Half the city was reduced to ashes by the dragonfire and her surrender was imminent, when the then-unknown dragon Gakhelith revealed herself and engaged Tyanllaln in a fierce duel. It's said that two dragons fought over the city and armadas for three days, before Gakhelith struck down her foe and sent him beneath the waves.
That same day Gakhelith declared herself guardian and ruler of Ga'liiri, and within a week all hostilities had ceased.