Nesnoma

Nesnoma is a city in Risevne, and the capital of Ostema Province, situated along its southern coast. It has a population of 2,813,290, which makes it the third largest city in Risevne, and it forms a political and economic centre for the historical region known as Rarena.

Geography

The city is sited in a broad, mostly flat plain that slopes gently north-south; to the west of the city are hills, known locally as the Hinekone or Eastern Hills, where the ancient stone and brick walls of Nesnoma can still be seen, including a large gatehouse at a gap in the hills where an old road once led to the even older city of Erisaromac.

Along the coast Nesnoma possesses one of the best natural harbours of the Raretoya Peninsula, and recent reclamation works to deepen the harbour while bolstering its defences against storms from the south are still ongoing. The port, along with the industrial districts on the southwest coast around the port, form the economic centre of modern Nesnoma.

History

Nesnoma is an old city with a long history; its excellent natural harbour, and the availability of trees from the Hinekone forests and beyond, meant it was one of the main centres of Risevan civilisation during the years of the Hesgarigani. Indeed, several of the kingdoms founded on Osonde during that period explicitly trace their ancestry to rulers and warriors in Nesnoma, which was then called Salgehadun or "Docks of the Salge plant", and the city was greatly enriched by the loot, and later the trade, of its inhabitants with the kingdoms from far afield.

In later years, as overseas trade declined and warring powers consolidated inland, the city allied with its eastern neighbour, and became the core port of the state that would later become the Kingdom of Rarena, expanding its territory over much of modern day Ostema. The city was also named Nesnoma around this time.

Nesnoma retained some of its trading glory, but also developed its agriculture during this period; in 931 two irrigation canals and a reservoir, meant for the fields north of the city, were completed. In this era, the city was ruled for nearly 370 years by the Oudugan family, and then for another five centuries by the powerful family of the Nuyetona, many of whom also held high posts in the Rarena government; their wealth, and that of the city, was well-recorded in the Rarena ta Keinoser: The Hayani (a feudal rank equivalent to Duke) of Nesnoma, in response to the war to the north, offered to send 60,000 Usak (an old unit of mass corresponding to around 18 kg) of grain, as well as to buy 2,000 horses and 10,000 bows to contribute to the armies.

Economy

Modern day Nesnoma is a major port, as well as a centre of industry; major products include chemicals, electronics, and avionics. At the same time it is a centre of services, and has a thriving cottage industry for local handicrafts.

The port, as in historical times, remains the linchpin of the economy; even as the port of Bresnga farther north is the main international port, Nesnoma remains an important terminal especially southwards; at the same time many huge merchandise and wholesale markets are still based in Nesnoma, mostly used as a node for goods to be shipped either around the region or northwards towards Agalmare.