Cities of Urcea

This article is an overview of several cities of Urcea, sorted by province, state, or crownland. For the purposes of this article, only locations within metropolitan Urcea are listed.

Cálfeld
Cálfeld is the cathedral city of Harren and is located on the western shores of the Magnag within site of the southern terminus of the Ionian Mountains. The city, which is the seat of power in the second of the two primary constituent parts of Urcea (Harren) according to the Golden Bull of 1098, is often considered the "second city" of Urcea and its inland cultural capital. It is the largest city in Urcea outside of the main part of the Valley, although it is sometimes considered to be the terminus point of that cultural region. Cálfeld sits at the base of the Ionian Plateau.

Cálfeld is viewed by many to be a cultural crossroads of Urcea and southern Levantia in general, as its position between the Valley and the Ionian Plateau with general proximity to both Gassavelia and Dericania provide for a unique local culture with divergent mores than that of most cities in the Valley. The city's rich culture is centered on the Magnag, and the dozen or so blocks radiating out from it are considered the cultural downtown of the city. Cálfeld is known, cuisine-wise, as the "inland heart of seafood", with freshwater seafood forming the backbone of traditional Cálfeldic cuisine. This traditionally incorporates Gaelic and Gassavelian spices and methods into seafood, creating a unique blend. The city was also an important waystation in the "Eastern Via", an alternative route through the Urcean frontier during the 19th century, and some cultural traditions associated with the frontier became popular in the city during the 20th century.

Cálfeld is considered by many west-coast Urceans to be the most "Levantine city" in the country, with Levantine meaning similarities to both Dericania and Burgundie. Historically, the city was the main place, rather than Urceopolis, from which the Apostolic Kings conducted foreign policy inside the Holy Levantine Empire, and today the city retains some consulates. Cálfeld is often contrasted with Urceopolis with regard to its history; as Urceopolis was established as a city of the Latin Adonerii, Cálfeld was built as a city of the Gaelic people. Although continuous human settlement is documented on the site for thousands of years, the area did not become a major urban center until around 500 BC. Much of its pre-Levantine history comes from Great Levantine sources, and these 400s BC Latin contemporaries believed it to be the "great city of the Gaels". Unlike the grid-like Latin cities of Levantia, ancient Cálfeld appears to have been built in concentric circles, each with its own defenses. Latin legends suggest that two attempts to take the city occurred in the 400s BC both failed as the besiegers only took the outermost ring and were lost in the maze-like interior of the city, though historians are unsure of the historicity of these sieges. The city became the major urban Gaelic power by 450 BC, and for the next century and a half it resisted the Latins' eastward spread. It was finally captured by Great Levantia in around 300 BC, after which time it was heavily colonized by both Latins and some nearby Ancient Istroyans, though over the next few centuries the city was gradually re-Gaelicized as laborers and slaves arrived from the Ionian Plateau.

During the Latin sack, it appears the innermost rings of the city burnt down but the outermost rings survived during the siege, suggesting that the residents of each ring held a degree of political autonomy which allowed the outermost rings to surrender to the Latins. The innermost rings were replaced with traditional Latin grid layout while the outer rings survived, creating a mixed urban design. Cálfeld, now known as Calivaldium, became a major city in Great Levantia as its port allowed for easy traversal of the Magnag. The city thrived until about 300 AD, when trade and economic activity in the peripheral parts of Great Levantia began to decline, closing warehouses and causing merchants to leave the city. Despite its downturn, its design ensured the city remained relevant as its supply of freshwater and defensive perimeter made it a viable place to live in increasingly dangerous times. Calivaldium was the administrative center of the province of Hortia, which became independent from Great Levantia in 486 under an elected local Dux. The Duchy of Hortia existed as an independent part of the Latin League and sometimes rival of the Duchy of Urceopolis until its conquest by Conchobar and incorporated into the Levantine Empire as the Duchy of Harren under a member of the Julian dynasty. The Harrenic branch of the Julian dynasty would later inherit the Archduchy of Urceopolis. During this early medieval period, Cálfeld flourished as an important political center.

During the medieval and renaissance periods, Cálfeld remained an important political center in the new Urcean Kingdom, though it was overshadowed for a time by Ardricampus during the Saint's War. It was the primary diplomatic center of the Apostolic Kings with the rest of the Holy Levantine Empire. During and after the Great Confessional War, the city's stature declined considerably as diplomatic and political functions were centralized in Urceopolis. Despite this, it remained an important economic center and retained some prestige as the Hermitage became a main Royal residence. The city was heavily industrialized in the early 19th century, losing much of its historic urban design. It suffered as a result of the '97 Rising and began to lose population until after the Second Great War, when many veterans relocated to the city from the Valley as irrigation and government spending allowed for the construction of large suburbs in the area. By 1980, it regained the status as the largest city outside the Valley, and beginning in around 2005 it became the center of significant real estate investment and new construction. Today, it is an important hub of culture and the technology industry, and it remains one of Urcea's fastest growing cities.

Coria
Coria is a city in the province of the Cape. The city is situated on the small Selaforta River which feeds into the southern inlet of the Creagmer; the city center itself sits about a half mile inland from the Creagmer, making Coria a relatively important port city. The city is one of the oldest continually settled urban areas in Urcea, and was established as a colony of Adonerum in around the year 920 BC, predating the establishment of Urceopolis by about 40 years. The urban core of Coria is similar to that of Urceopolis's "Old City", retaining some of the basic, three-milennia-old urban layout of its foundation. Unlike Urceopolis, Coria never became a nation-leading urban area, instead remaining a slow-but-steadily growing Creagmer port city for most of its existence. The city was an early adopter of industrialization due to its favorable location.

Among other industries, the city is well known for its historic association with the industrial processing of, giving it the nickname "Birdtown". The long association between chicken and Coria is perhaps best known from the fast food chain Coria Clux, which began in Coria. Though most of the industrial slaughter houses closed by the 1950s, the nickname and "bird culture" remain. The Coria Hens are a CBC minor league team in a league associated with the Urceopolis Imperials. Many bars and restaurants in Coria have a chicken-based visual theme, including the "Dirty Chick", a bar which opened in 1962 and became famous after being featured in several television programs.

Coria is a moderately popular domestic tourist location. Most Coria tourists visit from Urceopolis. Besides several famous bird-related restaurants, the city's close proximity to the Creagmer makes it a desirable location for beach-goers. The Creagmer beaches in the area are gentle and mostly sheltered, making it a favorable swimming locale. The city's population allows tourists to have access to a wide variety of amenities, but it is much less densely populated than much of Urcea's western coast, contributing to its reputation as a reasonable getaway for dwellers of the Valley.

In 1954, Coria hosted the second Istroyan Games - the Coria 1954 Summer Games. The city was selected due to its favorable waters and accessible port facilities. The 42,000 seat Istroyan Stadium was built for the games. In 1972, the stadium was downsized significantly to 28,000 by demolishing one of the stands as part of a plan to make it economically viable. The facility today hosts both the minor league baseball Coria Hens as well as football and baseball for the local university, the University of Coria.