the City of Wayrest

On Wayrest:

Its greatest rival; Daggerfall, was already a well-established city when Wayrest was founded, presumably around 1E 800. The fishing village was located in a perilous position, seeing the Kingdom of Orsinium in the North and a constant threat from the Akavari who congested the Western Isles. It is to this unfortunate situation that the city thanks its name, being the resting place for many travelers who had endured the two terrorizations.

It was after Orsinium was demolished that Wayrest began crawling up the ladder of trade and riches. The famed Masconian Trade Way reduced the pirate activity in the bay, and a shrewd family, the Gardners, began investing in the city, building a walled palace and allowing bankers and traders to make their home inside. One of them, Farangel Gardner would be later proclaimed king after the acceptance of Imperial Ambassadors and Wayrest was granted the right to call itself an independent kingdom in the 1100th year of the First Era.

Although some might believe that the Gardners held absolute power after this, this is not true. Wealthy merchants wielded incredible power, and Wayrest’s success was a result of their good relationship with the Royals. Not only with the Gardners, but also their successors the Cumberlands, Horleys and eventually, in 3E, the Septims. It is to be noted that this Royal-Merchant alliance is impossible to underestimate in relation to the city’s success, as stated in these paragraphs from the book “Wayrest, Jewel of the Bay”:

> Although Wayrest became a kingdom under the command of one family, the merchants continued to wield incredible power. Many economists have alleged that Wayrest's eternal wealth, despite all her hardships, comes from this rare relationship between the merchants and the crown. The Gardner Dynasty fell, followed by the Cumberland Dynasty, which was followed by the Horley Dynasty, and finally, in the Third Era, the Septim Dynasty. No citizen of another kingdom of comparable age can, with one hand, name all the families who have ever ruled. Never has a king of Wayrest been deposed by revolution or assassination. Except for those of the Septim family, every king of Wayrest can trace his line back to a merchant prince of Wayrest. The merchants and king respect one another, and this relationship strengthens both.

>One need only walk down the great boulevard of Wayrest to see physical proof of this unique alliance. Going north to south, Wayrest Boulevard suddenly divides, one half going west and the other going east. Both halfs end in identical squares: one at Castle Wayrest, the original palace of Aphren Gardner, and the other at Cumberland Square, where the oldest and wealthiest marketplace in Wayrest. The message here is clear: the king and the merchants are joined and equal.

The many draughts, pests, raids and other catastrophes have made the city a strong one, always ready for such happenings. A Wayrester never gives up, ensuring the success and immense wealth of the city and its people. Often seen as the cultural capital of High Rock, if not Tamriel, it attracts many visitors that the people gladly suck empty of gold.

Relatively recent, the city was sacked by corsairs, but as always the people fought back, driving the scum out of their precious city.