The city of Sirasona lies on a broad stretch of land on a southern promontory of Gallat, and is the the most prominent city in the economic, political and religious life of that country.
History[]
Sirasona has been among the foremost cities of Gallat since the beginning of recorded history. Its early growth was driven by extraction from the salt flats lying just to its north, but it quickly became more important as a trade hub, thanks to its superb deep-water harbour and strategic location. For many centuries it was overshadowed despite its wealth by the city of Gallasa to the north, owing to the latter's age-old status as certain of Maninism and capital of Gallat. On various occasions this led Sirasona to contemplate striking out on its own, most notably following the collapse of the Gallatene empire, when the city initially refused to join the League of Gallasa and set up an independent state. This proved short-lived, as Sirasona was unable to resist the aggressive military expansion of the Farubaida in the north of the world, and was forced to shelter under the League.
Almost alone of the great cities of Gallasa, Sirasona was spared destruction in the Great Ordeal. The High Ward and Halyr both moved their bases of operations there in the aftermath of the Immolation, the city's size was swelled by refugees, and Sirasona attained at last the status of preeminent city of Gallat that it had coveted so long. It has retained that position down to the present day.
Sirasona Today[]
At the present time Sirasona is likely the largest, richest and most important city in the Halyrate, and one of the most important on Athis. It owes much of this prosperity to the continued presence of the High Ward, who still resides at the Seniar Palace. The city has since the Fifth Synod of Sirasona been established as the exclusive domain of the High Ward. In theory everything in the city is in the gift of the High Ward, but that long ago ceased to hold any weight. The High Ward and his chosen representatives simply act as the city's municipal government, and all other Orders are prohibited from establishing branches or exercising judicial functions within the city. This lets it act as neutral ground, a necessity for the continued functioning of the Concourse. This status as something of a grey area extends beyond Order politics: the High Ward's officials are notably less vigilant in commercial matters than are their counterparts in the Orders, not to mention less numerous, and so Sirasona is something of a hot-spot for those seeking to engage in business of questionable probity. The city consequently has the largest population of Accans of any city outside of the Vellari Exatai itself.