Hireno

Hireno (Tilennan: ; : Irène ) is a free in Central Tilenno, located within the Federal Area on the river delta between Gantes and Atriva. It functions as the region of the Federation of Tilenno. With a population of almost 5 million in 2018, it is the second-most populous city-state within the federation. It is home to the second-largest metropolitan area, which is called Hireno as well. It mainly consists of the central island Hireno Island and two river banks East and West Bank. The city-state also includes multiple smaller islands. The region is sometimes referred to as the Pural State, since it is the home of the Pural Family. It borders Tèsares in the south, Sirenes in the east, and Kertae in the west.

The name of the city-state comes from the city of Hireno, the second largest metropolitan area in Tilenno, which itself derived its name from the first king of Hireno, Hirenes I Nàteicho. Hireno is in contrast to other Tilennan city-states not divided up into smaller municipalities but rather opts for districts, which themselves are grouped into 5 cantons. The center of Hireno, where the Pural Palace is located, is district I, the other districts spiral out from there.

Hireno is mainly known for being the capital of Tilenno and therefore has a lot of federal and cultural institutions located within its borders. Some notable sites within the city-state are the Pural Palace, the Twin Pillars, Modesty Temple, Museum of the Eternal Sun, Stadae Enesho Nerates, and Parliament. Hireno is a cultural hot-spot and home to many of Tilenno's finest museums and landmarks.

History

 * see also: History of Tilenno



Ancient History
Hireno was founded by Daemo Kires around 1200 BCE following anecdotes from the state archive. The original names of the region and city have been lost although there have been accounts of a large city named Xaese in the Gantian Delta from around 900 BCE and onwards. But there is no archaeological evidence that Xaese and Hireno were the same city. The popular theory is that Xaese was wiped away in a flood and the people then migrated towards Hireno, making it the more powerful state. Some even claim Xaese is actually where the city of Ganteso now is located.

Hireno can be described as the most stubborn and independent city-state of Tilenno History. It was never afraid to use its strategic position on the only passageway from the lake of Gantes to the sea of Atriva as a leverage point to advance its own goals. This tactic led to a lot of strife within the region with the other city-states often trying to overthrow them, which mostly failed. Most notably Hireno was successful in cutting off trade to Glikaero in the War of Seas even to the states that weren't hostile to the islands. This forced Atriva as a whole into a disadvantaged position and led to the eventual triumph of the Gantian-Làmosan Axis.

In 1121 The Hirenean Dynasty was established with the first king of Hireno Hirenes I Nàteicho claiming the throne. The Nàteicho dynasty is still the ruling dynasty of Tilenno and is celebrating its 900th anniversary soon.

During most of its ancient history, Hireno managed to stay independent from the other large powers like the three dynasties, using their struggles to their advantage. The only few times Hireno was subjugated to the rule of others was during the brief occupation of the Làgorians and during the first Purity. For this exact reason, Hireno was the most reluctant to join the Confederacy put in place to resist the colonial advances of Vallis. The Confederacy knew they'd be weak without Hireno on their side and therefore needed them to join. But Hireno, coming from a long line of independence and self-rule was not willing to give up its identity and royal dynasty that easily. The Confederacy knew that a war against Hireno would be a bad move as it would leave everyone in a weaker position and open the doors for Vallisian conquest. So on 3 March 1556, a deal was struck between Hireno and the Confederacy. Hireno would join but as the de facto capital and always staying its own entity within the union, it was also allowed to keep its royal dynasty as the symbolic rulers of the entire Confederacy. This marked the start of the Royal Confederacy of Tilenno and is often seen as the starting point for the modern Tilennan state.

Other states weren't particularly happy with their dynasties becoming subjugated under the Hirenean one, but with the Vallisians approaching they didn't really have a choice and were forced to accept it. As long as the Vallisians were on Tilenno's doorstep the rule of the Hirenean dynasty was never really challenged as it would probably cause an internal war. When almost 2 centuries later the Confederacy reunited with the colonised part, the discussion slowly started to climb up again. But at this point, the Hirenean monarchs were already cemented in Tilennan culture and the movement to remove the Hirenean dynasty never gained much traction.



Modern History
It was only when Pures Seinae II declared the Second Purity of Tilenno on 1 May 1857 that people wanted to get rid of the Hirenean Dynasty once again. This combined with large social inequality and a general wave of modernization hitting the region of Perela, with Osorra starting its process of Yarovafication, made it so that the populous wanted to overthrow the old regime and start a modern state. Most islands and speaking regions as well as Umia positioned themselves as Liberalists and Anti-Royalist, while most of the mainland didn't want change and were on the side of Hireno. This conflict eventually erupted in the Civil War of Tilenno. The Royalists came out victorious and so the Hirenean dynasty could continue on. In the process however, all the children of Pures Hirenes V were killed, leaving him with no heirs. This was solved by him adopting Lisaero Pèreino, renamed to Àreino II.

The years after the Civil War were quite prosperous for the city of Hireno and the population grew significantly. This however changed with the start of the Osorra-Tilenno War. The goal of the Osorrans was to march to the capital and occupy it. The region of Sirenes became the battleground of the war for this reason. The government of Xàreisae Couraede decided to evacuate out of the capital early on and go towards Ennia in the northern mountains. While the capital was never captured it underwent heavy bombing and damage. The nearby city of Bores also got nuked. Hireno in contrast to Sirenes was one of the regions to be quickly rebuilt after the war, especially with the funds received from the North-South Concordant.

Nowadays Hireno remains the second largest city of Tilenno not far behind Glikaero. It is predicted Hireno will surpass 5 million inhabitants in the next few years as well. In contrast to Glikaero, the economic center, Hireno is more seen as the cultural center of Tilenno with a plethora of museums, monuments, temples, and palaces to visit.

Geography


Hireno is the second smallest city-state in Tilenno at just over 1100 square kilometers, only being beaten out by Laudes. Nevertheless it still has quite a varied geographical landscape. The city-state is located on the neck of the Gantian delta, between the lake of Gantes and the sea of Atriva. At the center of the state lies Hireno Island, where the center of Hireno city is located. The island is almost completely urbanised, safe from a couple of parks at the shores of the island. The island is connected to the two banks via a lot of bridges and tunnels, 8 to 13 depending on how you count. Most of these bridges were built recently as the distance between the island and the mainland can be quite significant, with some bridges spanning almost two kilometres. The oldest bridges are the Daemo Bridge, between the Pural Palace and the Twin Pillars, together with the Twin Bridges, connecting the Pillars with the mainland. The most famous bridge however is Lena's Wall that runs parallel to the island across the water. While presumably first serving as a divider of incoming and outgoing ships, it now serves as a railway and connects to the g=Great Water Lily Interchange, a railway interchange located completely above water. Nobody really knows why such a massive project was built in the first place, as it has very little practical use.

Surrounding the main island, some smaller islands are scattered as well. In the north there are Xires and Lisauro Island, probably the most expensive areas in Hireno to live. In the west there are Lena's and Kae's island, belonging to district V. The are informally also called the pillar and gay island respectively, or hipster islands as a whole. The east has Gòmeibo Island where the Stadae Enesho Nerates is located, the island is sometimes referred to as the sports island. The smallest island, Hope Island, is located just in front of the Harbor area and is home to the Lighthouse of Dreams. This was often the first sight of Tilenno when arriving by ship.

In the canton of West Bank you can find Vartaene Hill on which the Temple of Modesty is located. It is the highest point in the city of Hireno, but only second in the entire state. The southern part is very urbanised and one of the densest areas of the state. It is also home to the lowest income families and therefore referred to as the ghetto district. In the North Pèlaga Beach is located. This is however not a natural beach as the sand was imported from elsewhere and has to be replenished often. Even then it is a popular destination for Hirenean inhabitants to relax. Near the Qares Estae (Grand Station), Runala Park is found in which the House of Swimming arts lies. Swimming competitions are often held in the waters between the Twin Bridges.

The region behind West Bank, known as the canton of West Hireno is the most rural area of the state. While less densely populated than the other parts it is still quite urbanised. Near district XII lies XVIII, which is the worse version of the ghetto district and has received the nickname murder districts. It suffers under a lot of gang violence. The other parts of West Hireno are less intense. In the north the international airport, Hireno International, is located, the busiest airport in Tilenno. In the center of the canton lies the lake district, often described as the most beautiful district and the scret garden of Hireno. It has a quite distinct feel from the rest of the state with its clear blue waters and lush vegetation making it look like a holiday resort. The geographic highest point is also located here with Modesty Hill in the west at 302 meters

East Bank is the richer area of Hireno and it shows in its geography. While the north is still a more popular area, the centre and the southern portion are the most chique areas within the city. The centre part which district XVI has quite a low population and is mainly defined by Pèrela park, the largest park within Hireno City, not counting the outskirts. The park features two big lakes, one in the north and the other in the south, with a handful of smaller lakes dispersed in-between. The park borders the Fèrano estate, a cultural center owned by the Fèrano family one of the richest families in the Federation. This is the main reason the park has been able to remain so large for so long. The southern part also known as district XVII, the theme park district or Laedene used to be a separate village from Hireno before it got incorporated into the larger metropolis. Can can still clearly distinguish the city center of Laedene. Further west lies the Aená Rosei Theme Park, the most important reason people travel to the district.

Lastly there is the canton of East Hireno, which is also known as the Bourgeoisie Backyard due to its high amount of palaces and high society sport venues like tennis and golf clubs. The area is however still quite densely populated with richer families often with kids. Lots of the best schools can also be found in this area. The Riva River also flows through the southern portion of the region giving it the nickname river district.

Population
The population of Hireno has steadily increased over the years. There were only two times the population took a major hit. The first time around the Civil War of Tilenno which came in tandem with a famine. The second time was the Osorra-Tilenno War where large parts of the city got bombed and many also fled out of fear.

Language
Hireno is one of the most language diverse cities in Tilenno. With only around 70% of the city speaking Tilennnan as a first language, it has one of the lowest amounts of native Tilennan speakers compared to neighbouring regions like Gantes and Atriva. ranks second at 14% of the inhabitants speaking it as a first language. While Tilennan remains the most popular language, most people in the city are able to speak both languages because of the international importance of. Most native speakers are found in the western part of the city as well as in the southern part of Hireno Island in district VII, also known as the Vallisian District. Hireno has official status as bilingual city within Tilenno.

Notably speakers make up the largest foreign language speaking group in Hireno. This is mainly due to a Akitei immigration wave in the early 20th century from people fleeing from the Grand Campaigns and Great Kesh War. Other people groups like Kodeshians arrived too but in smaller quantities. Most speakers have settled in District X, also known as Akitown, Little Kikyo or the Akitei District.

Zeshan only takes in the fourth place in Hireno. These are mainly businessmen from the Ennia region trying to further their careers in Hireno. The Zeshans have built up a small community in different parts around town.

Other languages are mainly from immigrants from other Avalonian nation living within the capital. Individually they make up a small percentage, but together they are almost 10% of the population.

State
Hireno features a different political system than the other city-states within the federation. It is subdivided into 30 cantons who all get to send 1 representative to the city-state council. The official head of the city-state is the Pures, currently Hirenes VI Nàteicho. Just like in the federation the Pures only fulfills a symbolic role. It is the council leader who acts as de facto head of state, who appoints a assistant to run the City-State Council. Currently the council leader is Saves Kesaumera from the Lonàkean Federalist Party. Hireno is classified as a free city-state as it doesn't fall under the government of a higher region, only being subjugated under federal law. This makes it so Hireno has more jurisdiction and responsibilities than the other city-states and is therefore a very important institution for the Hirenean citizens.



Federal
Hireno is the second largest city-state within the federaton and therefore gets to send a large amount of representatives to the chamber. In total Hireno gets to send 26 representatives. In 2018 teh Lonàkean Federalist Party won Hireno with 39% of the vote and obtained 10 setas in tthe chamber. It won every canton except for West Bank. The party that won West Bank and got 32% of the vote, reeling in 8 representatives, was the liberalist pary Glaechedé. The confederal party GLL got 5 seats, followed by the environmentalist party LTS with 2 and right-wing party TLK with 1.

Hireno has two Senators from the Lonàkean Federalist party in the senate. These are Disa Saleves and Kaemo Laurese. In addition to the elected senators, two Pural senators are also originally from Hireno. The first one is Vaeres Nesires, a famous writer and activist who came up for better federal infrastructure in the 2000's. The second one is former prime-minister Xàreisae Couraede, while not born in Hireno, he has studied and lived there ever since he first moved out. He is famous for being prime-minister during the Osorra-Tilenno War and for being a very outspoken individual in the Senate.

As Hireno sends about 9% of all representatives in Tilenno, the region is very important for election campaigns and a lot of money is therefore spent each cycle on the Pural capital. Most of the debates are also held in Hireno and draw huge crowds. The biggest debate, the Grand Federal Debate, is even held in the Stadae Enesho Nerates, the second biggest stadium in the nation. Most of the offical ceremonies like the inauguration and winning speeches are also held in Hireno.



Cantons and Districts
The City-State of Hireno has a different political structure than the other city-states due to its special status as capital region of the federation. It is subdivided into 30 districts marked with Tilenno-Roman numerals. The count starts in the traditional city center, where the imperial palace is located and the districts spiral out from there. Each district belongs also to one of the five cantons: Hireno Island, West Bank, East Bank, West Hireno or East Hireno. The cantons carry a low amount of political weight, only being really important during the election season for the reporting of result. Nevertheless theey serve as a important indicator of the different subregions within Hireno. Hireno Island is seen as the true city as it was the founding place and also the location of most landmarks and cultural sites. Especially District I to VII are seen as the real city center. West Bank is seen as the sketchy and more poor region of Hireno. District XII in particular is reffered to as the Ghetto District. East Bank on the other hand is the rich area of Hireno and where one can find a lot of parks, palaces and high society cultural activities. West BAnk is the more rural area of Hireno, even though it is still quite urbanised, the airport is also located here. Lastly East Bank is often called the Bourgeoisie Backyard as it is home to a lot of sport parks and beautiful scenery close-by to the rich areas.

List of Districts
Here follows a list of all 30 districts grouped by canton. Next to the official numbered name, the colloquial name is given as well.

Canton of Hireno Island
 * District I - The Imperial District


 * District II - The Commercial District


 * District III - The Political District


 * District IIV - The Spiritual District


 * District IV - The Cultural District


 * District V - The Alternative District


 * District VI - The Garden District


 * District VII - The Student District


 * District VIII - The Vallisian District


 * District IIX - The Christian District


 * District IX - The Business District


 * District X - The Akitei District


 * District XI - The Harbor District

Canton of West Bank
 * District XII - The Ghetto District


 * District XIII - The Grand Station District


 * District XIIV - The Vartaene Hill District


 * District XIV - The Beach District

Canton of East Bank
 * District XV - The Popular District


 * District XVI - The Rich District


 * District XVII - The Theme Park District

Canton of West Hireno
 * District XVIII - The Murder District


 * District XIIX - The Quiet District


 * District XIX - The Sculptor's District


 * District XX - The Party District


 * District XXIIV - The Lake District


 * District XXIV - The Farm District


 * District XXV - The Airport District

Canton of East Hireno
 * District XXI - The Palace District


 * District XXII - The Sports District


 * District XXIII - The River District