The City of Afgurla
*Executive summary from book*
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The city of Afgurla was founded in 2632* on the tidal island of Ruslisna in the Narase Sea. Originally founded as a fishing port the city soon became a center for commerce and trade with Selene due to its unique location and access to international shipping lanes. With their prosperity growing rapidly the ruler of the city, Lady Momi, began to invest heavily into creating a city of science. Using tariff money gleaned from Selene imports she built Procellia's (then) biggest university and a library that rivaled that of Procellia City's Royal Library.
From this tradition of education came a boom of progress, as advancements in math and physics became a normal occurrence. During winter, when the port was frozen solid, Afgurla's scientists would without fail be out on the ice conducting experiments about everything from friction to testing the human body's endurance.
However, tragedy struck in when in the year 2986 the Selenian Navy launched a surprise attack on the city. The navy arrived at high tide and completely surrounded the city, which at that time did not have walls. While the mainland launched the "burn and evacuate plan" Afgurla was under siege with no escape. The initial siege lasted for a week before Selene's head admiral lost his patience after finding out about what the mainlanders were doing. In a fit of rage he ordered the city attacked with Greek Fire, and set ablaze. The inferno raged for weeks inside of the city, fueled by the city's many elaborate wooden buildings for which it had been famed. Trapped by the blockade the city's citizens died, either from the fire or at the hands of the ruthless navy.
By the end of summer Selene had taken control not only of the ruins of Afgurla, but the whole province. However, because of the "burn and evacuate" plan the admiral found himself in control of a region that had abandoned their homes and burned the crop fields as they ran into the mountains. With winter fast approaching he knew he couldn't try and follow the Procellians into the mountains, and he couldn't leave because they lacked the provisions. Stranded in the barren low lands the Admiral did not even have access to forests for wood to make fire and they had burned down the only place that could have housed all of them (Afgurla).
Although no Procellian records of what transpired afterwards exist, since there were no Procellians to record it, an abundance of evidence shows that the winter was hard on Selene's navy. Many villagers, returning after the spring frost reported that the temples and shrines had been completely destroyed and many had stale blood and skeletons within the stone walls. Many experts suggest that the navy must have taken over the temples and shrines because they were often the largest structures in a town, and the troops sleeping inside got trapped by blizzard snows tried to claw their way out.
According to the diary of a returning Lord of a large town that had been abandoned, the town's grave yard had been dug up and the bodies exhumed. He also referenced many other towns having the same gruesome scene play out in their villages and towns.
Surrounding Afgurla its self were the remains of all but one of the ships that had originally sailed to Procellia. A local priest who inspected the wrecks noted that they were permanently marooned because the ice sheets that had covered the harbor had ruptured their hulls. It appeared that everything above the frozen water line had been stripped for fire wood.
After the devastation caused by the invasion the Dras at the time, Dras Nachu, ordered the borders closed and all outside communication ended. She also ordered the nation prepare for the potential of another invasion.
With the city of Afgurla was rebuilt in the centuries following, becoming a megalithic fortress designed to fight a whole armada. Procellian engineers designed the whole city to be completely impregnable, with thick walls that towered three hundred feet above the water and traps that would kill anyone trying to scale the walls.
In the eras following the city once again has become a center of knowledge, and a testing ground for experimental architecture of all varieties. The city now boasts many skyscrapers of unique design, such as one that resembles a spiral and another that features golden glass. Although very little in the modern city is older than a century, due to constant rebuilding to accommodate its growing population, it has never forgotten its roots as a center of learning.
*Dates are in Procellian Calendar. Year 0 is 3,000 BCE