Bincaraelaen

Bincaraelaen (BEEN-cahr-AEL-AEN) is a walled fortress city in Ousilia that sits directly to the north of the Bincaraelmaec Bridge over the Doucusa River. The city was built as a planned city completed in 572 NE by the first Noulaenic Empire. It commands control of the Bincaraelmaec Bridge, the only bridge over the Doucusa in the region, and of transit along the river as well. It has been a Noulaenic county seat (of Doucusada County) or a royal capital since its construction. It is currently the capital of the independent Kingdom of Bincaraelaen which controls the city, the region around the Filou Road to the north, and a stretch of farmland south of the Doucusa between the Losalu River in the west and the Sousau River in the east. The modern population is 122,000, making it the largest city in Ousilia.

Etymology
The name derives from middle-Noulaenic bincarael ("bridge" lit. "high road") and the suffix -aen for city, literally "bridge city". It is named after the Bincaraelmaec (lit. "long bridge"), which it was initially built to defend.

History
The site of Bincaraelaen had been used as pasture land in ancient times and farmland during the early Noulaenic imperial period. The site was chosen for the construction of a massive bridge across the Doucusa due to the relative shallowness of the river and the relative proximity to the Filou pass, which served as the main route over the Daua Hills into Ousilia from Dersialdara. The goal was the creation of a straightforward over-land route from the rich mines of the Silaria Hills to the south to the port city of Carasilaen in Dersialdara. Construction on the bridge began in 558 NE and construction camps were built on both sides of the river which developed into semi-permanent settlements during the 12 year construction of the bridge.

In 566 NE the imperial government decided to build a fortress city following the model of Laduaen in Falea to defend the bridge and control travel through the region. The city was designed with octagonal outer walls, the southernmost of which bounded the river. The northern terminus of the bridge was thus moved inside the city walls. Given the height of the bridge, this rendered it inaccessible from the north without passing through the city. Filou Road passed into the city through the north gate and the main east-west thoroughfare through the valley, Sadu Road, was re-routed to pass through the eastern and western gates of the city as well. The smaller southeast gate of the city led to the river port, which was outside the main octagonal wall of the city but protected by secondary fortifications.

The city was designed to hold a population of 250,000, through it remained more than half empty for decades after its construction. Trade and the county government enriched the city, however, and led to gradual migration to the city from both the surrounding area and Dersialdara. The city exceeded its designed population in 705 NE and grew to over 334,000 by the time of the crisis of the eighth century. Expanding the city was challenging due to its walled design so over-population led to crowding in apartment complexes and hasty construction of additional housing on roofs and in alleys around the city.

The city was besieged by Ousilic rebels in 776 NE but the walls withheld the assault and the Count of Doucusada, Thusthios Narnial Curfal, signed a treaty with the rival rebel leaders that recognized Daradaela and Faesdaela as independent kingdoms and left Bincaraelaen as an independent city state with control over farmland to the south of the river.

Travel and trade plummeted during the inter-imperial region due to political division and frequent warfare and the economy and population of Bincaraelaen declined considerably during this time. The government in Bincaraelaen invested heavily in maintaining the walls of the city and the bridge, which was its principle access to its farmland. The population declined to under 100,000 by the end of the 12th century NE.

In 1215 the King of Bincaraelaen, King Susis IV, negotiated a treaty with the Duke of Carasala that formally ceded control of Bincaraelaen and its territories to the Noulaenic Empire. Under the terms of the treaty, the king assumed the title of Count of Doucusada, received preferential trade agreements for goods moved to Dersialdara along the Filou Road, and received promises of assistance with expanding his control over the former territory of Doucusada County, which included the entire Ousilic Valley. He remained largely autonomous over his territories but owed taxes and and duties to the Duke of Carasala and the Noulaenic Empire under the arrangement.

The rest of the Ousilic valley submitted to imperial lordship, nominally under the Count of Doucusada in Bincaraelaen, by 1251. In practice, the Count only had de facto authority over the former territories of the Kingdoms of Bincaraelaen and Faesdaela, as the Viscounts of Daradaela and Caliabisia continued to functionally rule over their former kingdoms.

Bincaraelaen grew populous and prosperous during the so-called golden age of the second Noulaenic empire and grew to its all time largest population, 366,000, in 1740. The city's population fell below 290,000 the following year during the Plague of 1741, which caused great loss of life and a significant disruption of trade throughout the Ousilic region. The city fell into decline following this plague, from which it has not recovered.

A conflict broke out between the Count of Bincaraelaen and the Viscount of Daradaela that closed down trade along both the Filou Road and Doucusa River in 1812 NE. The Viscount attempted to embargo the city to gain concessions from the count by seizing control of the road north of the city, and the Count responded by closing the river to deprive Daradaela of trade revenue. A force was sent from Dersialdara to restore order but was repulsed at the Battle of Bincaraelaen in 1814 NE by a joint force of Bincaraelaenic and Daradaelic forces, who agreed to an armistice to prevent the empire from asserting greater control over the valley.

The situation was resolved by the Treaty of Bincaraelaen in 1817 which partially restored trade and travel through the region but formally recognized the autonomy of the lords of Ousilia and forbade further imperial incursions into the valley. Duties and tariffs between regions reduced trade and tensions between rival lords led to frequent conflicts, further dampening the travel and trade that Bincaraelaen relied on to fuel its economy.

The region fell into open warfare once more when the Kingdom of Daradaela declared independence from the empire in 2057 and the Count of Doucusada attempted to re-assert control of the region. Frustrated with the refusal of aid from the imperial government, the Count in Bincaraelaen declared himself King Soulsis of Doucusada in 2060. The count was unable to assert authority over Daradaela, however, and faced a second front in 2065 when Caliabisa declared independence as well. King Soulsis ordered his Fasdaelic nobles to recapture Caliabisia, but this backfired when these nobles signed an armistice with Caliabisia and declared independence as the Kingdom of Fasdaela in 2066.

The King signed a treaty with his rivals in 2069 that required him to renounce his title as King of Doucusada and reclaim the historical title of King of Bincaraelaen, an office that continues today. The kingdom has retained control of the farmlands south of the Doucusa between the Losalu River in the west and the Sousau River in the east. It currently controls the Filou Road as far as Filou Pass, although the Kingdom of Faerdaua has captured the pass on several occasions since its foundation in 2083.

Modern Bincaraelaen sits largely empty with a population of 122,000. It continues to collect duties for goods passing through the valley but much of the revenue is directed towards maintaining the city walls and the bridge, which requires constant repairs to remain in service.