The City of Fozia, situated on the western border of the Rama Republic has existed for some time. Now that the war is over, its military importance will lessen but its importance for trade will increase. It is for that reason that we must understand more about its place and origin.
History
At the beginning of the war, 834 years ago, the Enemy situated himself just east of our Lovelo Kingdom, in the foothills of the mountain and not too close to our forests. It is assumed that he chose The Crevasse as his stronghold both because it would be easy to defend and because his Amut creatures considered it sacred.
On his eastern border, the small town of Garcia supported grain farmers from the region. The city had been named for the farmer who founded it, Frederico Garcia. Simple roads led out in four directions to ease access from the regional farmers. The largest road headed northeast toward the Republic's capital city, Rama Proper.
As the Enemy settled, the Amuts raided farms and settlements around their new boundaries. They killed many of the Rama citizens and burned the crops. The town of Garcia stood as the exception.
The town sat on the eastern bank of the Boundary River, as it is called now. This made it more difficult for the Amuts to approach. The oldest part of the town sat within a wood palisade which was easier to defend. The locals fended off several large attacks and sent for help from the Republic's army.
The Republic already planned to build a series of defensive forts along the front line. Since Garcia was already well situated, they chose to build a stronger fortification on that site. They called the location Fort Garcia.
They built a tall, hexagonal stone wall all around the town. Great towers stood at the corners. Only two gates allowed access, one to the east and one to the west. The east gate connected to the road leading to Rama Proper. The west gate was for military operations.
Outside of the west gate, they built a series of smaller walls to make it easier for the soldiers to exit safely. There, soldiers could use ranged weapons, mostly bows these days, from behind these walls. The paths from the west gate led to a new stone bridge over the Boundary River. The bridge stood wide enough for cavalry to easily charge across. Towers at each end defended against invaders from the west.
The Name
The earliest writings give the name as Garcia and then Fort Garcia. Writings from only two centuries later showed that the two words had been merged and the "t" had been dropped from "Fort". This produced a new name as "Forgarcia". Three centuries later, the middle hard consonants had dropped and the "r" sounds were gone as well. This leaves us with the current name of "Fozia".
Name shifts like this are expected over time. You can read more about it in the Royal Lovelo Library under the topic "language changes".
Military Importance
During the centuries of war, Fozia was the Republic fort closest to the Lovelo Kingdom. This meant that we often coordinated with Republic forces there when fighting with the Enemy.
In the earlier days of the fort's existence, they provided a small set of offices for Lovelo representatives. Relations between the humans of the Republic and the Lovelos were always tense, but we had a common foe. Still, many humans are uncomfortable around us, often calling us "spotties" and believing strange tales. To read more about this, see Royal Lovelo Intelligence, Volume 4: Lovelo-Human Relations.
Now that the war is over, the military importance has diminished, but still exists. There are still occasional raids by roving bands of Amuts. Additionally, there are now attacks by human bandits on trade caravans, so the Republic army provides protective escort services.
The Lovelo Kingdom still maintains a diplomatic presence in Fozia.
Commercial Importance
During the war, the Enemy occupied all the land between the Lovelo Kingdom and Rama. Any trade would need to either go through the mountains and dense forest to the north, or take the southern sea route.
Transport of goods by water was the easiest and safest route. The Amuts did not have a naval presence. Many goods could be shipped around the Enemy's territory in large quantities. The Rama Republic provided grains and textiles. The Lovelo Kingdom provided tree fruits and lumber.
This monopoly on transportation meant that the human boat handlers could charge large fees. The Republic enacted laws to curb extremely high costs, but with limited effect.
Fozia is not on the coast, so it was not involved in trade between the Lovelos and the Republic at that time. With the war over, some are looking to open overland trade routes between Rama and the Lovelo Kingdom. Given existing land routes on the Republic side, Fozia is the logical connecting point. New roads through former Enemy lands can lead directly to the Kingdom.
It is important to note that the creation of these land routes will be very profitable for those who use them, but will not be welcomed by the seafarers. Royal Lovelo Intelligence is observing to find any potential threats.
Analysis
The peoples of the Rama Republic and the Lovelo Kingdom have been mostly isolated from each other by eight centuries of war. With the peace comes the opportunity for greater intermingling. While some on both sides are excited by this, others are apprehensive.
Humans are physically larger than us and are prone to brash displays. We Lovelos make up for our smaller size by being at one with our surroundings, a trait the humans call, "sneaky". With our different physiologies and cultures, there is opportunity for conflict to arise.
At the same time, getting better acquainted may help alleviate the discomfort that some feel in the presence of other "kinds". Our leadership, and that of the Republic, must take steps to assure a healthy integration to an appropriate degree. So far, the information gathered by Royal Lovelo Intelligence suggests that there are upper-level persons on both sides who oppose this.
Regardless of whether we work well together or don't, the city of Fozia will be a fulcrum on which everything balances.