With victory over the Ishen States in the Day of Reckoning, and amidst the civil unrest that followed the “Founder’s Day” assassinations, the jails of the Asmonian Union rapidly came to face the issue of overcrowding as democratic rebels and prisoners of war filled cells alongside murders, thieves, and the rest of their ilk. It was clear that something needed to be done, however the mass execution of prisoners, while certainly effective in instilling fear, would have done little towards efforts to stabilize the nation in the long run. Instead, in a grand showing of supposed magnanimity, an announcement was made that prisoners across the lands had been granted the opportunity to benefit the Union in return for their freedom. A penal colony, in which those men and women who had been deemed worthy of a second chance were shipped off to work away their sentences.
The colony was to be established on an island within the Alseamerton Channel, chosen for its potential as a forward staging point in the event of war with the Democracy of Sery inspite of its inhospitable environment. Poor soil, a lack of vegetation, and sparse wildlife meant that from its inception the island colony was entirely reliant on imported goods from the mainland in order to support any hope of sustainability. Seeing as the majority of those present on the island were prisoners however, there was little interest in providing adequate resources to the penal colony by the Asmonian government. While the success of the colony may have provided a military advantage in the future, truthfully that was only a pretense to its primary purpose as a convenient dumping ground for unwanted prisoners.
Conflict was inevitable over what meager supplies were provided to the colony, and the soldiers present to watch over the penal colonists did little to deter things from turning violent. In fact, starved for entertainment as they were, it was entirely in the soldiers interests to further fan the flames of conflict. This reality was not lost amongst the myriad of fraudsters and small time crime lords present, and within it many saw the glimmer of opportunity. A deal was brokered with the soldiers by those who sought to capitalize on their boredom: a more favourable distribution of supplies was to be given to them, and in return a circle was drawn in the dirt at the very center of the settlement. Within this circle, organized fights would take place amongst those desperate for their own portion of supplies, all for the viewing pleasure of the soldiers present.
A proper arena was established around the battleground with time, complete with covered seating and a betting shop where soldiers and colonists both could wager what they had. With support provided by the captain of the soldiers present, who too had gained a keen interest in the games put on within the arena, training weapons and old armor were granted to combatants in order to increase variety in fights. At the same time, he sent out requests for further supplies and prisoners for the colony, as well as invitations to some of the high ranking officials with whom he was close to come and join in the spectacle.
Things only continued to snowball from there, as higher ranking officials within the Asmonian government gained an interest in sponsoring the arena as their own private battleground with which they could enjoy the fervor of true blood sports in absolute comfort. As the military presence within the colony increased in order to ensure the prisoners would remain in check, so too did the business that surrounded the arena that sought to take advantage of them. Gambling halls, brothels, and bars kept even the lowliest footman entertained during their stay and provided a lucrative stream of income for those who chose to remain even after having served their sentences. Through those who did return to the mainland, word spread of an island in which you could fully indulge yourself in vice.
Merchants were the next to display a keen interest in the island, though not for the sake of blood sports, but rather in the potential profits to be made in supplying the business that surrounded the arena. Up until this point, the colony had still been entirely reliant on that Asmonian government to provide resources, exchanging what money they made off soldiers in return for greater shipments of necessities. With the introduction of willing merchants however, suddenly that same gold could be exchanged for proper luxuries with which to line the shelves of their bar. And with liquor of a quality far greater than the cheap swill they could brew themselves, the kind of clientele they could attract and the prices they could charge them were soon bolstered.
Seeking further independence, and as the population of the colony was increasingly becoming those who had entirely worked off the sentences that had landed them there, the figureheads behind both the arena and the establishments that surrounded it worked with merchants to attract more people to the colony. Naming themselves Aurenae, they advertised themselves as an island paradise where one could let their inhibitions free without fears of judgement and turn even a meagre salary into a king’s ransom. Unsurprisingly, such a promise did wonders in attracting both those who had more money than sense and those desperate for a chance to win it big. In order to keep the peace with government officials who were growing concerned over the prospect of losing their private playground, much of the money earned off of these new visitors was invested right into the arena. Stone was shipped at great expense to construct grand revisions in its design, a dominating amphitheater at the very heart of the island, with simple seating available for the common man and opulent private booths at its highest levels for the most prestigious of guests.
Over time the Aurenae continued to grow until it earned the right to no longer be considered just a colony, but as a proper city where men and women of Asmon sought to make their fortunes. The arena, now granted the vaunted title of “The Gilded Grounds”, which was once nothing more than a dirt circle in which desperate prisoners fought over scraps of bread and water, now stood as a grand battlefield in which the nation's finest warriors aspired to prove their worth before crowds deeply invested in their wins and losses. The merchant fleets that supplied the island with its extravagances were bought outright in order to secure a steady supply line at lower cost, as well as proper passenger ships with which they could continue to offer transportation at a fraction of the true cost.
Aurenae was largely spared from the Ashieran revolution thanks to its distance from the mainland, but with the uprooting of the previous Asmonian administration came a loss of many high profile connections that had been built throughout the city's long history. Not content with the potential loss in influence, the upper echelons of the city worked tirelessly to establish ties with the new government that was forming, sparing little expense in offering their support to stabilize the realm.
Aurenae has a culture that is eternally bound to its economy. With casinos, hotels, and entertainment venues dominating both the landscape and history of the island, it should come as no surprise that those who have chosen to live their lives upon its sands have had to structure their way of life around them. Luck is romanticized to a religious degree, with shrines to gods of fortune dotting the island and offering charms and fortune telling services. Parents often hand down their own personal rituals and superstitions in regards to luck to their children, from things as simple as avoiding a certain colour to more complex rituals like drinking from a specific cup at the same time every day. Strength is held in an almost as high regard as luck, the Asmonian influence of the cities past carrying through to the modern day thanks in no small part to the existence of the Gilded Grounds who’s greatest champions enjoy the treatment of a celebrity on par with Named Adventurers among the island populace.
More than anything though, wealth is treated with the greatest respect in Aurenae. Among the hushed circles of the truly wealthy, the city has garnered itself a reputation as the one place where with enough money, anything can be acquired. Rooms filled with the grandest luxuries, a night with the most beautiful men and women in Axia, a taste of the darkest taboos the mind can conjure; for the right price, it can be found on offer in Aurenae. Money is the true lifeblood that keeps the city alive, it keeps the goods they depend upon to survive flowing seamlessly into their harbours and its promise is the siren song that draws in so many with whom they can replenish their coffers. To be rich in Aurenae is to be treated as the king himself, and by the same extension, to be poor is to be utterly shunned for one's dismal lack of luck. A great deal of wealth inequality lingers behind the gilded streets, bright lights, and fantastical displays. For every big winner in a casino, there needs to be a number of even bigger losers to ensure its growth after all.
Tucked away from view, on the farthest outstretches of the island, lie the slums. Within the slums live those who have no choice but to stay in Aurenae, primarily those who have built up a debt to one establishment or another that they now find themselves needing to work off. While conditions in the slums aren’t so dismal as to be likened to the life of a Criluxian slave, they are still far from comfortable. With a care towards the accidental discovery by adventurous tourists, many of the buildings in the slums are well built if dreary, however the rooms inside are often tiny, designed to pack as many people into the structure as feasible. Many establishments pull from these people as their primary source for cheap, or sometimes even free, low-skill labour. A carefully crafted narrative has been constructed around them, that they are woefully unlucky souls granted a second chance by the magnanimous to earn back everything they lost through just a little hard work, all in the spirit of dampening discontent and ensuring a compliant workforce.
Aurenae’s influence extends beyond its beaches, in fact they have a foothold in just about every city in the kingdom. Catering to the desires of the kingdom's wealthiest denizens has established a web of contacts and favours that can be called upon when needed, and many establishments have opened their own low-stake branches with which they can generate some additional income while advertising the city as a whole. Efforts have likewise been made to maintain a positive relationship with their neighbors, with a portion of the island's profits being invested into acts of philanthropy across the kingdom, or finding itself within the pockets of those who appreciated more direct investment into their provinces. The Gilded Grounds have also proved to be a boon to the Ashieran military, with mock battles regularly offered as a means of both training their men and promoting the strength of their forces to the populace at large. Generals are likewise regularly invited to attend the standard games, where they may scout out some of the hidden gems who have come seeking fame and fortune. Despite lacking in raw resources, Aurenae has been able to comfortably sit itself among some of the top cities in the kingdom, officially earning its place as an S-Tier city.