However, such prosperity could hardly be overlooked by other powers with strong naval capabilites, particularly due to Runaji’s own diminutive size. Thirty years after the fall of the great Gates and eighty three years before the fae-Runaji merger the capital was seized after a four day struggle for possession of the city during which half the harbor was set ablaze. The emperor, along with greater part of the nobility, fled to a more centralized location in the heart of the country.

For several years the governing body of Runaji dwelt on the high reaches in a centralized, decently populated town called Iire as the battle to retake the port raged in the south. Eventually, with the help of Ranpunan’s civilians, the Runaji drove out the occupying forces. However, by that time, the majority of the nobility and, more importantly, the emperor had no desire to return to an easily assaulted location and as such remained in Iire which over time grew into the bustling city it is today.

Runaji’s capital was never officially changed from Ranpunan to Iire. However, by Runaji law, the capital exists wherever the emperor presides. Thus a dual capital started to take shape- with Ranpunan remaining the official capital and the real deciding power held in Iire. Ranpunan, though lacking in tangible administrative power, never faded from mention over the decades due to its enormous wealth and relevance in trade routes, which generated the city its own form of power and sway in national affairs. By the time of the fae-Runaji merger, some eighty three years later, the steadily expanding Iire and the established port of Ranpunan were equally considered to be ruling capitals.

Amongst themselves they often do not consider themselves to be in any way related to each other, while to most human cultures they all fall under the umbrella term “fae” and are considered more or less one group.

As human society has evolved and people have grown further apart from nature the fae have retreated from within the sphere of human life until in some places they have become the stuff of stories.

Runaji is unique in that centuries ago the Emperor Aadi formed a treaty with the fae in the region. Within the region that Runaji occupies, the fae had organized themselves into a Court, with a queen and its own version of nobility. Emperor Aadi recognized how much his country had to gain from a political alliance with the fae and approached the queen with a proposal. Since then, the Runaji empress has always been of fae descent, returning to the court after her husband has died to live out the remainder of her usually considerably longer lifespan.

In exchange Runaji and the Court, as it has come to be known, do not take actions detrimental to the other and are allies in war or other endeavors.

While humans are still barred form the Court (rumors cite that the fae lifestyle is inhospitable to humans, although human children are still known to dissapear from villages occasioanlly), the fae have since actively moved into Runaji cities. A large portion of the population of densely populated areas is partially fae, at times even full-blooded fae. The offspring of fae and human unions often take on some of the characteristics of their fae parent and can be indentified as not fully human. Not all of these offspring are fertile. Even among the RUnaji noblity, many are not completely human. However, those who exhibit heavily non-human characteristics will usually glamor themselves to appear more human.

Runaji is not without a deree of racism. While it is impossible to seperate Runaji from fae after centuries of intermingeling, there are still sentiments that one race is better than the other on both sides. This became especially prevalent after the more powerful country of Ciereaux annexed Runaji and brought its own brand of racism and lack of understanding of the fae into the country. Since then tensions have been high between humans and fae.

Runaji is the only known place in the world where humans and fae openly live together and interact.