Isn Deslen

Isn Deslen is the capital of Belfras, a status governed both by the constitution and by royal decree. With an urban population of 10,429,523 and a total of 32,582,941 including suburban and provincial inhabitants, Isn Deslen is the largest city in Belfras. Located in the Deslen province, it also serves as the capital of this province.

Located along the Fanwerth River, Isn Deslen consists of four districts, each of which is a registered county in the Ulmanni state. The four districts are Kingsvale, Yoker, Merchants, and Caledon. With a census-estimated 2009 population of 32,582,941 distributed over the area of the city and the suburban area, Isn Deslen is the most densely populated major city in Belfras. As many as 800 languages are spoken in Isn Deslen, making it one of the most linguistically diverse cities in Pardes.

History

Main article: History of Isn Deslen

Toponymy

The etymology of Isn Deslen is Old Belfrasian in origin. 'Isn' is a prefix that means "Royal City", with Deslen being two words combined. Des, meaning 'His', and 'Len', meaning 'field'. The literal translation from this is "Royal City of His Field", referring back to the conquest of the area by the founder of the city in 583 BCE.

Antiquity

Discoveries made over the past century have indicated that the area in which Isn Deslen was originally founded may have been inhabited prior to 583 BCE when remnants of a bridge was located and dated back at early as 1500 BCE, roughly 1,450 years before the march of King Kiso. Evidence of earlier colonization in the form of huts along the Fanwerth shore indicate a high probability that the people of whom King Kiso was marching against inhabitated the area, thus explaining his advance.

Prior to 583, King Kiso of Kullstone had been courting the high lords of Utorik but was spurned when suggesting that the highest of such - Lord Bancumbe should marry his sister, Princess Laimu. When the hands of his messengers were returned to Kullstone, King Kiso responded by mustering the Host of Kullstone, which numbered around 50,000 at best guess. This sparked the Kullstone-Utorik war that ended up spanning from 575 to 604. During King Kiso's original march against Utorik, he established Deslen as both a waypoint for his forces and as a food town to send food on to support his host. While King Kiso was eventually defeated, he kept Isn Deslen as part of his territory as it lay on the narrowest part of the Fanwerth River, which meant any sizable force either had to cross here or be forced to circle the Throat, mountainous terrain where the river begins. The Throat earned it's name after an army seemingly vanished from the face of the earth in 900 BCE whilst passing through it.

Law and government

Crime

Further information: Crime in Isn Deslen and Law enforcement in Isn Deslen

Since 2005, the city has had the third highest crime rate among the 25 largest Belfrasian cities, having become significantly safer than the late eighties-early nineties when it had the highest crime rate in the country. Considered a direct result of its overpopulation, Isn Deslens violent crime rate increased more than 20% from 1970 to 2009 and has since begun decreasing after budget increases for the Isn Deslen Police Department in 2010. In 2012 the city recorded fewer than 900 homicides for the first time ever since crime statistics were first published in 1972. Isn Deslen experienced a record low homicide rate in 2012 and a far lower murder rate than other major Belfrasian cities.

Sociologists and criminologists have mutually reached consensus that the crime rate in Isn Deslen is directly attributed to the overpopulation of the city. Isn Deslen was originally built to house just over 12,000,000 citizens and as of 2009 some 32,582,941 people live within the state boundaries. As another direct result, the Isn Deslen Police Department is the highest funded police department in the country.

Organized crime has long been associated with Isn Deslen, beginning with the Toad Moles and the Black Rabbits in the Fingers in the 1810s. The 20th century saw a rise in the Mafia dominated by the Circle and they are still the largest and most powerful criminal organization in the city. Gangs including the Red Kings grew in the late 20th century. The most prominent organized crime groups in Isn Deslen today are the Metbaldons, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, and TEN.