Other names: The City, Melza City, The Old Metropolis, The Heart of Aporue, The Dented Jewel, The Beauty on the Melza River, etc.
Full name: The Sovereign Barony and City State of Melza
Type: City state. A combination of a parliamentary monarchy and an oligarchic republic. (More here.)
Demonym: Melzan, “City Dweller”, “Cittan”
Description: The primary gameplay setting of the Thick as Thieves roleplay. Melza has been a settled location for a very, very long time. Described in feminine terms, “she” was apparently named by her first settlers after the eponymous major river that flows through the city and its surrounding territory (hence one of the city's more poetic nicknames). Though some artefacts and vague written records have survived from its earliest days, much of the city's ancient history remains shrouded in mystery. Naturally, over the many centuries, this has led to the creation of a rich local folkloric tradition, full of tales and legends about various eras of Melza's bygone past. Whatever the truth, historians, archaeologists and commoners alike agree that the city has some deep and manifold foundations, both literal and figurative, running innumerable generations back. Some say it might even be one of the oldest still standing cities in the entirety of Aporue. (There are certainly rumours that Melza's deepest foundations reach back all the way to the Archontia/Precursor era.) Daydreaming and flights of fancy aside, Melza is nowadays one of Aporue's largest and most populous cities (exceeding one million souls as of the latest census). It's a metropolis of many contrasts, of fancy high streets and lowbrow slums, of old towering architecture and modern transport and information networks, a city of many colourful individuals and groups, from nearly every imaginable species, nationality, religion, ideology and profession. Melza is a cosmopolitan place, even by the standards of other Aporuean city states, and yet has her own hard to describe quaint charm. Due to its status as one of the most impressive and influential cities of Aporue (and even the wider world), it's no surprise that the locals tend to commonly refer to their mostly-urban homeland simply as “The City”, “The Old Metropolis”, and by other similar genericisms. Melzans themselves (a.k.a. Cittans) are, like many of the Aporuean nations based around city states, something of an ethnic motley crew. “A fine blend”, as many of them cheekily say. “There is no such thing as a 'true, pure-blooded Melzan' - because a true Melzan is a happy-go-lucky mongrel by his very nature, one who does not fit in neatly into any expectations that people make of him based on experiences with neighbouring nations… And he or she is always proud to be such a mongrel !”, the locals often elaborate. Modern day Melza is certainly no sleepy showcase town. Trade and commerce, both legal and illegal, are the lifeblood of The City, and ample road, rail, river and air links make it a crucially important transport hub in this part of the continent. Add to that a vibrant social and cultural scene and the equally amusing and mystifying world of domestic Melzan politics, and you soon get an idea of why The City has plenty of quirks to explore. In addition, The Sovereign Barony and City State of Melza, as its full name stands, is one of the member states of the The Urban League.
Real world frame of reference: Melza is inspired by many European cities throughout history, but its cultural and architectural trappings are mostly central European and southeastern European in tone, with an alien, alternate world touch here and there…
City NPCs of Melzan origins: Obviously, most of the local NPCs you'll meet in The City during the roleplay.
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