Harlon

Harlon is the largest and most prosperous city in the world. Sitting at the mouth of River Velun, it is the greatest city in Harthera, a vast metropolis of docks, shipyards, markets, with a multiplicity of languages and communities which make it the foremost trade and shipping port in the world.

It is home port to the powerful Hartheran Navy, and therefore its sprawling waterfront is also the most strongly defended harbour in the world. The northern suburb is the resort of Salt Rock City.

Harlon is sited on flat, marshy Velun Delta at the mouth of the River Velun. It is an important strategic location for access to the hinterland of Hartheraplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigHarthera

The Hartheran Union, commonly named Harthera, is an imperialist maritime nation state dominating the northeast of Anásthias. It is one of the two great powers of the modern epoch, arguably the most technologically and militarily powerful nation in the world, only matched by the vast size and wealth of its neighbour, viridOrorrMEOrorrOrorrOrorrOrorr, and consequently Harlon Bay is the most militarised and heavily defended port in the world. The docks are centred around a lagoon lake which was once part of the river estuary, but silted up and became disconnected, the new river channel shifting to the west. The lagoon is regularly dredged to deepen the port as well as to shore up the levees protecting the city from flooding. Flood and military defences are a big part of the city's infrastructure, necessary to protect it from storm tidesplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigStorm tides

Storm tides are particularly high tides, often accompanied by storm surges and dangerous flooding, which occur on Helevos every 1.3 solar years when Helevos comes into conjunction with the giant planet Kwato'or. Storm tides are at their peak within a two week period, and at their most severe when accompanied by natural storms. as well as regular river flooding. The city centre lies on a loop of the river, but to the west lies the Great Naval Canal, which serves to drain excess water from the river during floods, and provides a significant short cut for ships travelling upriver.

The marshy mouth of the River Velun has been a place of human settlement for many millennia. The modern city of Harlon was first founded by the Empire of Dor-en-Sann, named Alonorr. The city was assaulted numerous times by Junda raiders in the 1st century BME, finally coming under early Junda-Hartheran control in 12 ME.

In 60 ME Therist missionaries arrived and impressed many of the former-imperial population, converting many. Eleven years later in 71 MEplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigModern Epoch (ME)

The Modern Calendar is a dating system acknowledged throughout the Civilised World. It numbers years from the Modern Epoch, abbreviated ME and BME (Before Modern Epoch). It is also called the Modern Era.

Calendar

This is in a series of articles about calendars and dating systems.OrorrHartheraHMOrorrHartheraOrorrOrorrHMHartheraHMHartheraOrorr, the city was entirely destroyed in series of violent storm tides. The Junda Elders declared to be a holy sign of the degeneracy of the new religion, and Theristplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigMother Church of Ororr (Therism)

The Mother Church is the state religion of Ororr, which combines both religion and government in one institution. It is based on the teachings of the Great Prophet Therion, who in the early decades of the modern era raised an army that conquered much of northwestern OrorrOrorrOrorrOrorrOrorrMEMEOrorrMEMEOrorrOrorrHerHerHerHerHerHerHerHerHerher worship was banned in Harthera from this point onwards.

The city was gradually rebuilt, and was a vital trade and cultural conduit for the new nation.