Government: Autocracy, with a Human Senate to advise and consent
Her Majesty the Autocrat, Scion of Faenar, Ayiti Faenar Great Cacique (Prime Minister) Karaya, the Speaker of The Yarana Chancellor of the Purse, Liana Ginaran Lord of the Admiralty Ralay, Sailor of the Baral
Species: Merfolk (Formerly Cethosi; see History), Human, Imperial Fae
(A "Merfolk" warrior, circa 1608)
The Sea Peoples of Faenaria are an exiled clan of Cethosi, fleeing the isles in the face of what they viewed as a senseless waste of life. The normally insular Cethosi were confronted with cultures that viewed them as almost mythical beings called "merfolk". Rather than correct the humans, the Sea Peoples decided to accept this rechristening of their species. For three-hundred years now, they have presented themselves as Merfolk to other races.
A small community of Fae from the Kratorian Empire call Loa Nota home. While they are Imperial Citizens, they enjoy a protected status within Faenaria so long as they posses proper documentation.
Culture: Faenarian culture is that of two peoples that have joined as one. Having abandoned the madness of the Cethosi homeland, the Merfolk were adopted by the human tribes of the Sunrise Isles. This is both literally and metaphorically- the Rahuri tribal law allow any fit adult to adopt an individual into their family. As part of the price for their settlement, the Merfolk had to consent to being joined as family with their new hosts. This Great Joining of peoples gave the Merfolk hope and purpose by adopting the ways of their new hosts.
Rahuri art and culture reflects struggle against the sea- its storms, its monsters, and its deprivations. The worship two deities. Mama Tortue, the Great Turtle, She who Shepherds and Protects. And Tiburon, The Protector, The Shark Whose Maw Consumes. They also practice a form of ancestor worship, seeking guidance from those who came before.
Rahuri hold hospitality sacred. Denying shelter to one who means no harm is a grave taboo, but it is acceptable to shut one's door in the face of danger. They also place special emphasis on curiosity and exploration. The normally insular, isolationist Cethosi were content to shut themselves off from the world. The Merfolk have gone a full one-hundred-eighty degrees in the opposite direction.
Households are made up of a mixture of humans and the adopted Merfolk. The heads of the household can be either male or female, and same-sex couples do exist within these households as a legal holdover from the Rahuri.
(A Rahuri seafarer, circa 1658)
Rahuri surnames are tied to location and profession. Rather than Joe Smith, a Rahuri would be titled "Joseph, Car Mechanic from New York."
While the Faenarians have maintained the culture of hospitality among themselves, their Golden Fleet has brought wealth and splendor unheard of in the past hundred years. The Merfolk arrived as beggars, desperate for a homeland. Within a century they began to build the Sunrise Isles into a nation-state. The Rahuri and the Merfolk chafe at these rapid changes, but so far the Rahuri have not repudiated their Hospitality. The Caciques have formed a Council of Rulers to interact with the Merfolk Autocrat, the direct descendant of Loanast Faenarie who holds the sacred pact of adoption.
(A Faenarian Water Shaper at work during High Tide)
"If we all must die for Cethos to survive, Cethos does not deserve to live." ~ Loanast Faenar
History: In the early 1600s, the Cethosi nation was embroiled in a bloody, hopeless battle for survival. The Faenarian clan answered the initial call to bring every ship to bear and defend the mother isles. Loanast Faenarie, the clan's Autarch, held his ships in place during the climactic battle and watched as clan after clan was thrown into combat, men, women, and children being sent to bloody the waves in neverending battle. When the signal came for Loanast to send his ships into battle, he refused. If freedom meant the genocide of their people and culture, then it would be better to let it die.
The clan turned their sails and fled the waves, sailing into the wild oceans for months until they came upon the Sunrise Isles.
Many vessels had sunk from storm damage, others turned and left the exodus to return home, never to be seen again. Hundreds had died from exposure and starvation. The leadership of Faenarie was in question. When the clan sighted the Sunrise Isles there was extended debate over whether this was a suitable place to settle. The presence of human villages and sailors made the situation more perilous and more intriguing. If these islands could support these inhabitants, then the well being of the clan could be assured.
The human tribes and Faenarians met on the beaches of Loa Nota, the Heart Island, and began discussing the plight of the Sea Folk and their need for a new homeland. The Humans, expert hunters of sea monsters and powerful shamans, had the power to drive off the tribe if they so desired. Generosity prevailed, however, and the great Cacique of Loa Nota allowed the Faenarians to make landfall and establish themselves.
The Faenarians took to calling themselves "Merfolk" in the parlance of the land-dwellers, to better separate themselves from their Cethosi roots. For three hundred years they were able to settle, build, and thrive on the Sunrise Isles. After turning their backs on their home culture, the humans of Loa Nota provided a new one to guide their people forward.
Within a decade, the beached vessels of the Merfolk were repaired and reused to begin trading ventures. The Merfolk had discovered an abundance of Magic-infused ores beneath the sands of Loa Nota and began trading trinkets and luxury goods with the mainland.
During the Kratorian Civil War, the newly formed Glass Bank was contacted by the mainland's Marble Bank. While their Mad Queen was winning the Civil War, Faenaria's merchant houses were losing more and more of their profits from the chaos of war. Their chief market for silk and tobacco was too busy fighting for its life to buy any such luxuries. With the Empire descending into anarchy and the Empress on the verge of bankruptcy, a rebel faction of Primarchs pooled their material wealth to provide to Faenaria as collateral for war loans. The normally calculating and neutral Faenarians looked at what was offered (and their balance sheets- deeply in the red from the chaos of the war) and decided to support the rebel faction. The Mad Queen's opponents were suddenly flush with hard coin and their ranks filled with new recruits. The Queen was confronted with a stark reality- ideology may start wars, but the power to pay for food and weapons would win them.
When the Mad Queen seized the Faenarian customs houses along the coast in retribution (as both the Primarchs and the Faenarians expected she would) the Golden Fleet took to sail and blockaded her ports, landed troops, and occupied the coastal regions until the Primarchs and their Princess could reclaim their territory. The Mad Queen was deposed and the Princess succeeded her, beginning what would be a long and mutually beneficial relationship.
The Sidara, another oceangoing people, had been occasional trade partners with Faenaria until their relationship blossomed in the 18th Century. The Clan-Companies found they could achieve satisfactory financial support from the Glass Bank to continue operating in the Depression of 1790 and offset this downturn by selling modern technology to the Faenarians along with beef and uisge. Faenarian continues to sell tobacco and magical objects (Coral blades and Stormshields) to the Highlands. The two have no formal alliance, but the financial entanglements with the Clan Companies made the need for one a moot point.
In the past half century, Faenaria's culture of unprecedented wealth and splendor was completely upended with the return of the Cethosi to the world stage. Normally isolated and insular, the Merfolk gave their Cethosi cousins a wide berth out of a cultural taboo more than any fear. When they became international players again it was clear their ancestors had neither forgotten nor forgiven Loanast Faenar's decision to flee the battle for the Cethos Isles. Multiple Faenarian vessels were seized by "pirates" in international waters, their crews ransomed, tortured, or killed. When it became equally clear that the Cethos Isles had built an armada to outmatch even Faenaria's, the Autarchs had to make hard political decisions. Longstanding trade routes with the Sidarid Isles were disrupted when merchant compacts began taking longer, safer routes to their destinations. The mainland of Etresna, normally an acknowledged trade partner, are now treated with suspicion and hostility since they began courting the Cethosi...
A Timeline of the Faenarian Peoples and Nation
~3000 BCE: The Rahuri human tribes are first mentioned in the histories of Kera-Bijan's ancient city state of Neo-Giranal. A clay tablet from an excavation contains a writing from King Ashurnazziban issuing a royal decree, noting the presence of a "Rahurana Prince" attending a religious festival.
1090 CE: The Clan of Faenar rises to prominence in the Cethosi isles when their original clan leader, Giran Fonola, perishes without heir or issue. The Faenar establish themselves as rulers on the isle of Ishanadar, building a powerful but aloof clan.
1510 CE: The Cethos of Faenar are called to the Wars of the Empyreum on behalf of the Cethosi Royal Family. Tirana Faenar, Clan Mother, receives the call and answers with her clanguard setting sail to war.
1511 CE: The Clanguard of Faenar are decimated in naval battles with the Imperial forces. Cethosi numbers and skill does not win out against Imperial discipline and coordination. The Cethosi Royal Family immediately demands a new flotilla be raised by the Faenar to replace their losses in battle. Tirana agrees to begin building new ships.
1512 CE: Tirana Faenar's eldest son, Yisan, is killed in battle with Imperial forces.
1517 CE: Tirana Faenar's second son, Hasal, is killed in battle with Imperial forces.
1519 CE: Tirana Faenar makes her displeasure known when an entire warband of Faenari are lost in battle while ambushing the Empire's second fleet. The battle should have been easily won, but conflicting orders, quests for recognition by the Cethosi King, and poor logistics ensure the warband is nothing but shark food by the end of the engagement. Tirana is summoned before the Cethosi King and answers for her complaints. She is locked in his dungeons on charges of disloyalty to the Cethosi people and crown. Like-minded nobility is cowed and continues to support the war. Her youngest son, Loanost Faenar, is empowered over the clan, though a regent loyal to the crown reigns during his young life.
1520-1522 CE: Tirana Faenar perishes in the dungeons of the Cethosi Crown. Historians debate the year of her passing to this day, though her remains indicate a death from blunt force trauma to the skull and ribcage.
1535 CE:Loanost Faenar succeeds the regent to rule Ishanadar. The war with the Empire begins to intensify beyond skirmishes and pirate actions. Faenar petitions the crown for a pardon from the Conscription to war, arguing that Ishanadar has the wealth and resources to build a great armada, capable of defending the isles from invasion. The King of Cethos accepts this proposal.
1543 CE: The Great Armada is completed. One-third the size of the entire Cethosi fleet- from the greatest warship to the lowliest fishing vessel. Loanost Faenar presents the fleet to King Cethos as a token of his loyalty. King Cethos accepts the fleet and orders Loanost Faenar to crew the vessels himself.
Loanost is taken aback by this request. To crew the fleet will require every man, woman, and child aboard Ishanadar to answer a call to the waves. Ishandar would be left empty and they may still not have enough hands to set sail. Moreover, it gives credence to rumors that King Cethos will soon attempt to invade the Empire.
1544 CE: King Cethos commissions a great invasion of the Imperial City of Ilium. Forces from every island answer the call to battle. A war that began as little more than a coordinated campaign of piracy begins to resemble a true barbarian invasion. The Faenarians use their great fleet to move many soldiers to the mainland and support the attack on the city.
1546 CE: Ilium withstands the siege under the leadership of Princess Dissaria and the Cethosi are forced back to the isles. The noble families are left weakened. King Cethos conducts a purge of the nobility to ensure he will not face rebellion for the disaster. Loanost Faenar is recalled to the Home Isles to face the same purge. He refuses the call, citing the impending birth of his child. King Cethos is openly defied by his most powerful vassal and he does not have the soldiers to bring him to heel, fueling harsher crackdowns on those families that did answer the call.
1548 CE: Emperor Hektor of Kratoris prepares a punitive invasion of the Cethos Isles. Those legions not actively engaged on the Empire's frontier are summoned to Ilium. Princess Dissaria is given command as a test of her ability. King Cethos calls the banners of the nobility to resist impending invasion and slavery. The noble houses are decimated from decades of intermittent warfare and the purges after the attack on Ilium but answer the call, conscripting their remaining peasants.
King Cethos orders Loanost Faenar to put the Great Armada to sail in defense of the isles. Loanost Faenar recognizes that he commands the largest assembly of warships in the isles by far, and that the entire nation is being mobilized to fight. His clan will be thrown into battle first, but the ships will not be crewed by soldiers but by his peasants. If he fights, his people will die. If he refuses the call, the Cethos will be conquered. He answers the call, but continues to slowly mobilize.
June, 1548 CE: King Cethos leads the Cethosi armada into battle with the Imperial Expeditionary force. Every seaworthy vessel takes to the waves in defense of the homeland. Imperial Marines land on the island of Gonala to establish a base of operations and supply depot. A palisade is erected and command center built. Cethosi conscripts will battle legionaries on the shores here until the battle's end.
King Cethos continues battling the Imperial ships daily. Loanost Faenar arrives to battle with his entire people in arms, anchoring behind the King's flotilla. King Cethos demands Faenar lead the armada in a great charge toward the heart of the Imperial navy. Faenar responds he will lead his people to battle at his own pace, challenging King Cethos to attack with his remaining professional soldiers. King Cethos promises to raze the isle of Ishanadar, leaving none of his subjects or family alive on its shores if Faenar does not immediately enter the battle to save Cethos. Faenar's reply is disputed, but apocyrpha holds his reply to the King's messenger to be "The King's threat has already been carried out. There are no Cethos left alive on Ishanadar. They are all here with me." Faenar gives the order to take sail and leave. The clan of Faenar never again returns to the Cethosi isles.
July, 1548 CE: The Battle of the Isles is ultimately inconclusive. Cethos maintains its independence when the Imperial fleet abandons the campaign due to lack of sufficient fresh water supplies. The number of dead Cethosi is incalculable- modern scholars debate whether it may be classified as a genocide. The Cethos do not attempt to attack the Empire for generations. Princess Dissaria is hailed as a hero for her defense of the Gonala palisade and she cites the weakness of the Imperial Navy for preventing the ultimate victory. While she is lauded publicly, Imperial histories claim she begins to suspect there is a whisper campaign to smear her reputation in secret. From this point onward, she begins to demonstrate questionable mental stability in private.
1549 CE: The Faenarian flotilla island-hops for months, searching for a land capable of supporting the many thousands of Cethosi aboard the ships. Hundreds are lost to storm, disease, battle with pirates, and deprivation. A portion of the flotilla disputes the leadership of Faenar and breaks off from the fleet under Tirala Yinan, striking out to the east.
1550 CE:Loanost Faenar encounters the Rahuri in their Outer Isles while his peoples' ships begin to founder and wreck within the Great Mithril Reef. Rahuri ships guide the fleet safely though the reef and to landfall in the Outer Isles. The Isles cannot support the many thousands of Faenarians on the waves, but an effort is made to repair the ships, nurse the worst of the Faenarians back to health, and spirit them onward to the Great Island, Loa Nota, where they can find some succor.
A Council of Caciques is called by the Rahuri to discuss the appearance of these visitors while the exiles are permitted to disembark and tend to their sick and wounded. Loanost Faenar orders his people to remain within their vessels while the council deliberates the fate of the Rahuri. The Council of Caciques debates for days, listens to the story of the Faenarians, and considers their own position on the waves and how such a great fleet may challenge them. Faenar, his children, and his captains are summoned and interrogated by the council regarding their ultimate intentions and what would be expected of the Faenarians in order to find succor and homes in the isles.
An accord is struck, called The Great Compact. This Compact will become the basis of the Faenarian Constitution, and its opening declarations are as follows:
- The Faenarians must swear never to raise arms against the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians must swear never to abuse the hospitality of the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians must pledge to be accepted into a household of the Rahuri, binding them to the people of the isles as family.
- The Faenarians must pledge to share their catches, spoils, and discoveries with the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians must hold no kings or claim of rulership over the Rahuri people. The Scions of Faenar may hold a place of privilege as the living embodiment of this pact and command their own ships and people in battle.
- This list of pledges may be added to by the Council of Caciques as they please, so long as a Council is called to the Home Island where its additions may be added to by the Council in full view of the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians shall hold a place of brotherhood within the tribes, and shall be accepted as equals among them.
- The Faenarians shall be entitled to hold all property they brought with them on their exodus as their own.
Loanost Faenar consents to this arrangement. His family is given the title of Autocrat by the Caciques, a living embodiment of this pact among the tribes and his people. He formally titles his people "Merfolk" after creatures of Rahuri mythology to cut ties completely with the Cethosi isles and as a sign of his willingness to integrate with their new hosts. The fleet disperses to the rest of the isles, though the majority of the Merfolk remain on Loa Nota and begin to construct The Coral City. The first Merfolk artisans discover the orichalcum deposits within the volcanoes of Loa Nota and begin experimenting with its use, creating what is now known as "Water Glass." Sheets of crystal forged in the pressures beneath the waves, the glass holds the appearance of shifting waves. Baubles- from liquor decanters to mirrors- are forged using this technique and begin to be sold elsewhere.
1551 CE: The Breakaway Fleet limps to the shores of Luminaria. Tirala Yinan and her followers are accepted among the Luminarians and establish Yinan Province, integrating with the nation over the next ten years.
1558 CE: The Rahuri Isles are stricken with famine, with many believing the Merfolk are to blame for the scarcity. Loanost Faenar approaches the Caciques with a proposal: His people will crew their vessels again and launch a trade mission to the Shah of Kera-Bijan to bring back food and crops. The Caciques consent to this and the fleet is launched to the mainland.
The Merfolk come to the court of the Shah with Rahuri tobacco and Merfolk Water Glass to trade for grain, fruits, and meat. The trade is established and the people of the isles return to a time of plenty and building.
1560 CE: The Shah and his wealthiest Satraps increase their demand for Water Glass, and begin to trade gold and luxury goods for it rather than just food. The Merfolk are invited to establish a settlement in the north of Kera-Bijan, Locha Noa. The colony helps to ease the burden of feeding the Rahuri in the home isles while enriching the Merfolk. The wealth is brought back to the home isles.
1565: The Linana Clan of the Rahuri announces that they are dissatisfied with the changes brought by the Merfolk and the rapid growth of the Coral City. The Rahuri Civil War begins. Loanost Faenar decrees that no Merfolk should fight in the war, holding to the decree of the Caciques not to bear arms against the Rahuri- if the Rahuri decide to expel their people, it will be honored. He secretly orders his lieutenants to fortify Locha Noa as a new homeland. Merfolk quietly evacuate the isles and settle in the new city in greater numbers.
1568 CE: The Steppe Tribes of Kera-Bijan attack Locha Noa, hoping to pillage its wealth. In cooperation with the levies of the Shah, the attack is repelled. The Merfolk replace the crude palisades with shaped coral walls in a great undertaking. The work will not be complete until 1574. The Glass Bank is founded in Locha Noa to handle and take account of the material wealth of the Merfolk in this time of upheaval. The bank is so named because the bank charter is signed within a Water Glass workshop, and the wealth of the people stored in its Warehouses.
1569 CE:The Rahuri Civil War ends in defeat for the Liana clan. They are welcomed back into the family of the Caciques as wayward brothers rather than rebelling tribes, and the Merfolk are invited back to live in the Coral City in safety.
1573 CE: The Rahuri and Merfolk launch joint trading expeditions to establish relations with the old world. One fleet heads far to the East, another West to make contact with the Kratorian Empire. Their holds are filled with Water Glass, tobacco, pepper, silks, and sugar, along with soldiers and marines to defend the ships.
1574 CE: The Westerly Fleet makes contact with the Kratorian Empyreum. The vessels surrender their cargo in a sign of goodwill, and a diplomatic conference is held with the Admiral of the fleet, Ritana Faenar, daughter of Loanast. Guarantees are made toward good intent and customs houses are established in the coastal cities of the Empire. Sugar, Tobacco, Water Glass, and Silk flows freely into Imperial ports. Rum soon follows (much to the dismay of captains of all stripes in the Empire).
1578 CE: The Easterly Fleet makes contact with the Merfolk of Yinan Province in Luminaria. The Admiral is overjoyed to find their wayward brothers and sisters, but troubled by their peaceful, almost fanatical subservience to the Luminarian way. Suspicion of a magical compulsion breaks out amongst the crews. Persuasion fails to bring the merfolk home to the Isles. Armed attacks and kidnappings take place, but the Merfolk of Yinan resist. The Easterly fleet splits in two- one half returning to the Isles to report what has been discovered, one half remaining off the coast of Luminaria, operating as pirates to try and "liberate" their kinsman.
1589 CE:Loanost Faenar perishes on a shark hunt. He is entombed within the great vaults of the volcano beneath Loa Nota, along with other Rahuri Caciques. Ritana Faenar succeeds her father as Autarch of the Isles.
The Easterly Fleet is subjugated by the Luminarian Navy. Its Admiral taken prisoner and their ships beached. Diplomatic envoys leave for Faenaria seeking reparation for his acts of piracy and kidnapping, but also peace.
1590 CE:The Bank of Glass moves its headquarters and Wealth to the Coral City. Representatives of the Imperial Marble Bank begin making the voyage to the home isles to assess the true wealth and capability of the institution. The two begin sharing theories on practices of wealth management and record keeping, leading to an informal friendly (if competitive) relationship between the two. The Marble Bank introduces wealthy imperials to the Glass Bank, contacts that the Faenarians would otherwise never interact with. The Glass Bank opens an official vault for the Emperor and Empress. Sentimental items are stored here, but the security of the vaults compared to those tainted by the bitter politics and corruption in the Empire leads to greater cooperation.
The Luminarian delegation arrives. The Caciques and Ritana Faenar accept their requests for peace and pledge to discipline those who remained in the trade fleet, claiming no knowledge of the extent of their actions. Historians dispute this, citing the return of half of the fleet years earlier. Some argue that Ritana was unaware of the extent of the piracy and attacks, other that she hoped to extend Faenarian control to the isles off the coast of Luminaria.
Ritana consents to allow the Merfolk in the fleet to be subjected to Luminarian justice, though the Rahuri ask that their people be returned to the isles. The Luminarians consent to this request.
1600 CE: Princess Dissaria becomes Empress of Kratoria. She begins her reign by announcing grand expansions to Imperial art, architecture, and armies- paid for by taxes on the Senate and Primarch households.
1604 CE: Members of the Imperial Senate open accounts in the Glass Bank to secretly stow wealth for their families out of reach of the Mad Queen's tax increases. Back channel communications are established between the Marble Bank, the Faenarian Customs Houses, and the Glass Bank to facilitate the transfer of wealth outside the view of the Mad Queen.
1611 CE: Princess Athena of Kratoria is born.
1632 CE: 1632 CE: The Bank of Glass begins to finance regular trade fleets. Enormous treasure armadas begin to set sail monthly, banding together to share supplies and fight off pirates and sea monsters. Many of these treasure ships head to tried and tested ports, like those of Kratoria, but others exhibit an adventuring spirit and head into the great unknown.
In late summer, one such treasure fleet makes first contact with Sidarid fishermen. The clansfolk are stunned by the creatures of myth aboard the ships. Despite the language barrier, the fishermen manage to lead the fleet towards Glenmagar, from where the young Bhaenrhig Parhaigen ruled Sidara. The language barriers were soon traversed, for an Arwyndyn who knew the Cethosi tongue was quickly found. The young Bhaenrhig and many Sidarids were stunned by the craftsmanship and luxury items that the Faenarians brought. This would mark the beginning of the first phase in Faenaro-Sidarid trade. The Faenarians enjoy a near-monopoly on imports and exports (limited in nature as those naturally were at the time) for some time. Despite Anvegadian attempts to disrupt this trade and newly-forged relationship, trade and commerce between Sidara and Faenaria would continue uninterrupted until the Faenarian Banking Crisis in the Isles decades later.
The initial encounter, short-lived though it was, would have a lasting impact on Sidarid approaches to business and trade, and would contribute to the the Sidarid Enlightenment of the eighteenth century and the eventual creation of Clan-Companies.
1641 CE: Princess Athena rises to a formal position within the Imperial Court. She accompanies a goodwill delegation to the Isles of Faenaria, renewing vows of friendship between the two nations. Ritana Faenar and the Caciques receive her on the Home Isles. Formal discussions about trade policy and taxation are secondary to the relationship established between the two. Ritana and Athena begin a long written correspondence, some of which survive to this day- many have been transcribed, most notably those by the Imperial historian Horus under the title "On the power of Queens and the State." Topics range from monetary and military policy to cuisine critiques and political maneuvering.
1651 CE: The Kratorian Civil War begins in the outer provinces. Primarchs and Senators rally around Princess Athena as a figurehead to resist the actions of the Mad Queen. Alliances, territory and allegiances change regularly. Only the increasing brutalities of the Mad Queen keep the war raging.
1662 CE: Wealth from trade to Kratoria dries up as the civil war drags on. The Bank of Glass releases more and more wealth from the vaults in an attempt to alleviate the economic downturn. This triggers runaway inflation in the isles that affects Kera-Bijan. Faenarian gold and silver from this recession has been traced to Etresna, the Sidarid Isles, Luminaria, and even as far away as Uruk.
1663 CE: The Caciques call a council to deal with the continued economic fallout of the opening of the Vaults. Citing the original pledge of "Sharing Spoils" established by the original council of Caciques and Faenar, they demand an input on monetary policy and ownership of the Bank of Glass- it becomes plain for all to see that the Caciques will attempt to seize the bank outright. Ritana Faenar rallies her own supporters and prepares a counter offer. The Isles have been held together for a century under an informal policy of "two races, one family." She proposes the creation of a nation state akin to Kratoria, Kera-Bijan, and Luminaria.
The wealth of the Bank of Glass will be managed directly by this new Nation rather than any one race or people. The merfolk will continue to build and crew warships in defense of the waves and their trade, while the Rahuri will raise armies to defend the islands and administer justice themselves. The Merchant Compacts of the trade fleets petition for a second, private institution to manage risk to their own personal ventures- establishing the original Coral Exchange in a beachside rum tavern. Ritana asks that the new nation be formally titled Faenaria, as a pledge from the Caciques toward their own good faith. The Caciques consent to these arrangements.
The Caciques assemble in the great hall of the Palace of Faenar to hold debates, counsel one another, and give consent to actions by the Autarch on the waves. The Rahuri 'Vanata, Banker from Coral City' is elected the first Cacique of the Vault to manage the wealth of the Glass Bank and set monetary policy. Vanata counsels that taxes should be raised to remove coins from circulation and employ citizenry with a program to build a new fleet for the nation's navy, replacing the original Coral Shaped vessels the Merfolk took to sea on.
1670 CE: Monetary records mark a downturn of inflation; scholars mark this as the end of the Faenarian Banking Crisis in the Isles.
1691 CE: The Kratorian Civil War grinds to a halt with the threat of Etresnan intervention. Kratoria lies in ruin, the Mad Queen still commands the heart of the Empire while Athena's core army remains intact. Neither side can feed or pay its soldiers in adequate numbers. A delegation of Senators and Primarchs smuggle the remaining wealth of their households out of the Empire aboard a Faenarian trade fleet and makes their way to the isles. They offer up the wealth of ancient Imperial Households as collateral. They request formal loans from the Glass Bank to finance the war effort and purchase arms, supplies, and mercenary companies.
The Caciques call a council as there are fears that the money requested could trigger another Banking Crisis, much less war and invasion of the isles. The debate is settled by rules of the Glass Bank's charter. The Primarchs agree to accept a reduced loan from the bank "for personal use" while the remainder of their funding is secured through the Coral Exchange. The loans appear as nothing more than a refinancing of properties and investments in Kratorian Villas. The Primarchs return home with a treasure fleet to carry their funds to Princess Athena, along with an aged banker Vanata, First Cacique of the Treasury, long since retired from her position at the head of the Glass Bank. Vanata assists in the disbursal of funds alongside members of the Marble Bank to prevent rampant inflation.
Mercenary companies and merchant caravans begin to converge on the Rebel encampments, hearing that there is coin to be had. By the turn of the year, the IVth Legion finds itself being paid in barter goods. They will desert their post and declare allegiance to the Princess.
1692 CE: The Mad Queen continues to lose soldiers as the rebel provinces enjoy a return to prosperity. Ilium falls to the rebellion after a popular uprising.
During the summer campaign, rumors circulate in Loyalist cities that Faenarian Customs houses are actually great repositories of gold and silver, hidden from public view. There is debate among historians whether the Mad Queen actually believes these rumors or used them as a pretext to punish the Faenarian Glass Bank for aiding the Rebellion. Loyalist troops seize the Faenarian customs houses and confiscate their goods and coin. Merfolk and Rahuri are killed in anti-Faenarian pogroms while the Summer Trade Fleet is attacked by the Imperial Navy- nine of the twenty-seven ships are sunk, five are captured, and thirteen are forced to retreat, eventually finding their way to the Sidarid Isles for aid and reconstruction.
The Anvegadian Military-Governor Whiteforge, known as the Cannon-Forged Governor, was by this time old and ailing, not entirely in control of Sidara. The more politically intuitive and fiercely intelligent young Rhig Aenfys had managed to run rings around the old man, while deluding him into thinking of Aenfys as a pliable and loyal puppet. The Faenarian fleet is welcomed at Baena's Bay and every help and luxury that could be afforded them is provided. This proved an excellent opportunity for Sidara to re-establish relations with an old friend and secretly study Faenarian ship designs to improve upon the fleet they were building right under Anvegad's nose. Once the Faenarian vessels were repaired and their sick and injured had been cared for (those that were not beyond saving, of course), they are sent home laden with gifts and messages of friendship and goodwill. Due to the events that followed, the newly rekindled relationship could not, unfortunately, be maintained.
By Autumn, the Summer Fleet returns to Loa Nota. The Caciques call a council of war. All signs point to an eventual victory for Princess Athena, though there is a debate about how long that victory will take to win. An aged Ritana, nearly one-hundred years old, asks for permission to sail the Golden Fleet in defense of the Merfolk and Rahuri. The Caciques vote 17 to 8 for war. A messenger departs for rebel territory, carrying a message of intent:
- Faenaria will soon enact a blockade of the Mad Queen's coastline. Any ship flying her banner will be boarded and their cargo taken as a prize. - The Faenarian fleet will engage the Mad Queen's ships where practical and attempt to sink the Imperial Fleet. - The Faenarians will attempt an invasion of two coastal cities, opening up a new front. - Any territory, prisoners, or ships seized by the Faenarians will be administered under Rahuri Law, but will be returned to Princess Athena or one of her loyal Primarchs.
The Golden Fleet embarks on a punitive expedition at the start of winter, lead by the Rahuri Gidall, Warleader of Loa Cana. Gidall engages the merchant compacts to arm their own ships and harass Loyalist vessels. This marks the first sailing of the Privateer Fleet.
1693 CE: The Golden Fleet arrives off the coast of Kratoria and begins its campaign in support of Princess Athena.
1699 CE: The Mad Queen is deposed by Princess Athena. Popular legend in Faenaria has it the Queen died after drinking a draught of mercury and orichalcum in an effort to attain otherworldly power. The Faenarian occupation of the Imperial coast ends.
---
1865 CE: Etresna and Kratoria enter a conflict with global ramifications. Kratorian Senators approach Faenaria with requests to join the war on the waves. Yarana Faenar, knowing that he does not have the support of the Caciques to enter the conflict, offers mercantile contacts to help fund the Kratorian Empyreum.
1867 CE: Etresna engages in a program of land seizures, infrastructural development, and population transfer on the Nine Isles it conquered from Sidara. These 'undeveloped' lands that Etresna seizes are in fact clan lands. The Etremaden do not understand this, and the subsequent outrage from the local population as well as the Sidarid government is not given much notice. Sidara begins aligning itself with Kratoria, contacting Faenaria for support in its efforts to build-up for a liberation war, and attempts to woo Uruk's favour by investing in its arms and heavy industry.
1868 CE: Yarana Faenar again approaches the Caciques behind closed doors to woo them for the votes to war. The Coral Exchange, normally his chief political sword and shield, has been much diminished by the war on the waves. The Glass Bank and trade with Kera-Bijan is singlehandedly buoying the Faenarian economy. The peril of Sidarid being conquered and the Clan Companies being wiped out with their debts unpaid causes no end of stress among the bureaucrats and politicians.
The Caciques vote 14-11 to abstain from war. However, a clandestine money-funneling program begins unloading Guilders into the Sidarid Isles, helping them to finance the creation of a modernized military. At the same time, the Coral Exchange merchants begin cashing in their Etresnan government bonds and private stocks in a mass selloff. Loans are called in. Credit is constrained on the mainland. The initial effect of this on Etresna is negligible. Etresnan hard currency makes up for this loss.
1873 CE: Sidara's navy and armies are fully prepared to join Kratoria in its war against Etresna, and Sidarid technological support and economic investment means the Uruk military has developed rifled weaponry and more modern war tactics.
The Faenarian Caciques are carried to war in a 13-12 vote in the Assembly. The Golden Armada sails to the coast and begins a policy of containment of the Etresnan fleet. Etresnan industry begins experiencing a Credit Crunch as more and more businesses cannot obtain secure loans from the Glass Bank or the Coral Exchange. Etresna experiences stagflation. Despite the fact that their military is fighting off no less than four superpower-class nations (and winning on several fronts), popular support for the war begins to erode.
1876 CE: The Kera-Bijan trade route experiences a downturn in demand. The Faenarian Coral Exchange experiences a collapse. At the same time, Etresna goes from a Recession economy to a Depression. Preliminary peace talks begin behind the scenes as the financial contagion spreads beyond Faenaria and Etresna.
1877 CE: The Etresnan political class sues for peace with the Fourth Coalition. The Etresnan military is deployed to quell bread riots in several cities, while in others they are greeted as heroes with great parades and celebrations.
The Sidarid Isles are reunited and whole once again.
Territorial Claims: Faenaria Holds dominion over the oceans to the east. They have forsaken the Cethosi islands, believing them to be backward and bloodthirsty, but the Merchant Class is lobbying for dominion over the isles west of Segon and Arcanain to expand their financial empire.
Economy: The Faenarian Economy was once driven by the Privateer Fleet. Its ships move cargo between nations for a modest markup, protected by the Golden Fleet. The Privateers no longer rule the seas unchallenged, but their influence is still felt in the Coral Market. When the convoys of Merchants began returning from long voyages unchallenged during the Age of Piracy, their wealth was jealously guarded by Faenarians and re-invested. Banks and vaults in Faenaria hold accounts for major corporations, rulers, politicians and oligarchs from across the world. The Faenarian Guilder is one of the primary trade currencies against which other forms of cash are measured against- most Government Ministers of the Economy have direct lines to a Faenarian Banking house.
The two primary entities of the Faenarian Finance industry are the Glass Bank and the Coral Exchange. The Coral Exchange is a stock and bond market that is managed by private corporations, though interest rates and trade taxes are managed by Faenaria.
The Glass Bank is a government run institution. It provides loans to nations and corporations alike (the latter is overseen by the Minister of Finance, the former by bureaucrats), and hold enormous wealth in underground vaults. Bouillon from nations, kings, emperors and private individuals are stored on the remote island under intense scrutiny. While it is not readily available, nations and leaders sleep soundly knowing part of their nation's gold supply is secure deep within the Sunrise Sea.
Finally, the Sunset Isles provide a route for luxury goods that back up the Faenarian Guilder. Silks, tobacco, sugar and precious stones are shipped out from their colony regularly.
Technology: Faenarian technology relies heavily on their magical innovations. Rather than producing explosive gunpowders, their Water Shapers fire pressurized blasts of water from their Water Cannons, striking with the force of wrecking balls against concrete when they strike their targets. When they must rely on technology, they import it from trade partners.
Army: The Faenarian Army is entirely staffed by Human Auxiliaries. Going back to the beginning of the nation, the Human tribes were recognized as being better able to attack and defend deeper inland than their Merfolk comrades. Today the regular army is a modest size. The few Faenarian cities maintain garrisons to help maintain order with gendarmes, while smaller islands host outposts to defend against pirate attacks. All tolled, these garrisons host 60,000 individuals in Five Divisions. Each has limited towed modern artillery, medical support, and engineer battalions. Faenarian Army divisions tend to appear much more colorful than threatening,
Navy: The Golden Fleet and the Privateer Fleet are a mixed force of modern and turn-of-the-century vessels. One-hundred make up the Golden Fleet, combat worthy vessels always flying a military flag. - 11 Battleships - 18 Cruisers - 53 Destroyers - 18 Supply and Logistical Vessels The Privateer Fleet is a force of roughly 300 private merchant ships. Registering as a Merchant Vessel under the Republic carries the caveat that at any point, in the event of a national emergency, they must return to the capital for armament by and for the Faenarian Navy. These vessels then take to the waves as Destroyers and Logistical Vessels with Letters of Marque issued.
Air Force: *laughter* No.
Territory:8 (+4) Faenaria is decently sized island nation, with room for cities and lots of farmland to support its population and mercantile imperialism. Much of this comes from recently acquired colonies in the Sea of Segon and the Sunlands far to the east. While the islands are few and far between, Faenaria claims the seas around them as dominion.
Tech:8 (-2) Faenaria is still antiquated in its methods of production and machinery, but modernization is about to begin or in its beginning stages. Due to the needs of the Merfolk for clean waters, the nation has opted to lean into magical innovation rather than industrialization. Most modern technology is imported from the Empire or the Sidarid.
Army Size:5 (+4) The citizens of Faenaria are unofficially divided into two castes- the Cethos outcasts and the human tribes. The humans of Faenaria, being the only peoples suitable for extended land-based combat, make up the core of its armies. Most are adequately trained in modern combat tactics but their small division sizes mean they cannot hope to invade a land-based nation without the concerted efforts of the Navy to support them or the help of an allied power.
Economy:20 The wealth of Faenaria has been steadily built since the exile from Cethos in the 1650s. Exile from Cethos saw them turn from their culture's more insular ways to more worldly concerns, and they took to integration with the modern world like... well, fish to water. While they began as a trade empire, the rapid buildup of wealth quickly required the development of a competent banking system to prevent inflation and financial ruin. Faenarian ports are cosmopolitan centers of commerce, and their Coral Exchange is synonymous with banking and investment in the east; many newspapers run summaries of the day's trading to keep the wealthy appraised of their investments. Additionally, the Glass Bank, founded in 1682, is a contender for the oldest bank in the world. An official government lending institution, the bank's vaults extend deep under the island of Loa Nota, in waterlogged chambers and dry ones as well. Nations and royals alike can store their wealth within and feel safe knowing that their enemies cannot touch their previous gold, silver, or mithril bouillon. Not the smallest source of this wealth has been their Colony of Locha Noa in the Sunlands. Exclusive trade rights with this province of the continent continent has produced vast amounts of coinage as they sell silk, nutmeg, peppers, rice, and half a hundred other exotic substances on the international markets.
Population:12 Faenaria boasts between 60-61,000,000 living souls. The most recent census, four years prior to present day, had a population documented of 60,157,891 citizens. Of those, 28,402,081 were sea dwellers, while 31,755,810 were human. There is a small but prosperous enclave of Fae creatures from the Kratorian Empyrium that call the islands home.
Production:6 (+1) Faenaria is still a largely untouched island empire. Many cities are devoted to Agrarian pursuits with its industry (and major shipbuilding operations) all headquartered in the city of Locha Ele. This has suited them well for three centuries, but now it has become clear that they are falling behind most other industrialized nations in the area of production. They move raw materials and luxury items across the waves. Factories have a tendency to pollute, something which they cannot abide when they have so little acreage to call their own.
Navy Size:(18) The Faenarian navy is perhaps the largest merchant fleet afloat- if it is not now, it most certainly once was less than a century ago. Were the Autocrat to order all ships to return to the home port, it could trigger a recession in most small nations dependent on some form of international trade. Their army, with its small divisions and recent equipment acquisitions from Etresna's mainland, still cannot hold a candle compared to the ships of the Golden Fleet. Every Lightning and Water cannon, every Magus Boiler, every armor plate, is built to defend the islands from invasion and project power abroad. Faenarian Marines, armed with Magic-forged coral blades and small arms, are capable of limited land based operations when called upon to supplement the army.
While the Golden Fleet is comprised of cruisers, battleships, and a handful of dreadnoughts, it is supplemented by the Privateer Fleet. Building regulations for Faenarian merchant ships, especially those which want to carry cargo of sufficient value, must be built with the speed and armor of a modern Destroyer to have their voyages insured by the Glass Bank. The Autarch of Faenaria holds the right to nationalize these merchant ships, ordering all vessels currently trading with a belligerent power to return to port for armament in service to the nation. All agreed upon trade contracts with the belligerent nations are forfeited, their cargoes seized, their wealth in the Coral Exchange and Glass Bank frozen. Cargo being moved to these nations by third parties can expect to be attacked by the Privateer Fleet, as their goods can be seized by enterprising captains as booty, protected by the might of the state. This is an economic weapon that holds disastrous foreign policy implications, but also acts as a deterrent in place of a fearsome army.
Airforce Size: (2) "You fly like a Faenarian." A common insult from one pilot to another. There are literally a handful of planes in Faenaria, all trinkets of the idle rich. None of them is owned by the military.
Magic:(16) While Faenaria is lacking in modern technical power, it still competes with most superpower nations in the realm of Magical development. Their time integrating with the human tribes, coupled with impressive deposits of magical ore and ley energy, means they have developed tools and production facilities that lend their cities and ships an air of opulence and arrogance. A Faenarian frigate is shaped through these naturally occurring magical forces- not built. From the outside, it resembles a gaudy trading vessel with the texture of a seashell- sharpened coral railings to help repel boarders, cannons that can fire pressurized spheres of water striking with the force of wrecking balls rather than explosive shells, and a hull that cuts through waves and shoals with ease. Cities are likewise built with an attention to the use of magics- streetlight is provided by powered crystals rather than gas lamps, steel is forged with magical applications rather than chemical, and waste burned with smokeless fires.
Mobilization:(7; -2) Mobilization efforts in Faenaria have fallen behind their prior abilities during the age of sails. The army has fallen to the wayside in favor of naval modernization, and even then, the navy is at its peak when supplemented by the Privateer Fleet. Most cities have active garrisons of professional soldiers on alert to assist in search and rescue operations after storms strike, but to call the people to arms is a lengthy and expensive affair.
Traits:
(Mixed Perk) Power of the Purse: There is something crude and childlike about Faenarian diplomacy. Where other nations may seek cooperation with others through appealing to pure idealism or hard realpolitik, Faenarians are known to simply bust open a checkbook and begin bidding. The fact that their vaults are deep and filled with the wealth of the waves mean they have more luck influencing unaligned nations to see their way. But other major powers look down on them as little better than rich fools who can be bought by hard coin- unable or unwilling to believe in hard ideals. What good is an Alliance in ink when it may be overruled by another nation writing a large check?
(Positive Perk) Super Maria Ingrata: Many rulers and governments think twice about aggressive actions against Faenaria. Not out of fear of invasion, but out of fear of economic danger. Their merchant vessels will be sunk or taken as prizes by the Privateer Fleet, and their wealth in the Coral Markets seized. The safety of their seagoing vessels will not be guaranteed.
(Mixed Perk) They Came From the Sea: Faenarian Marines specialize in amphibious landings. When deployed with the support of the Golden Fleet's water cannons, they can subdue and occupy many coastal regions in a matter of weeks. Pushing inland is another problem entirely, and Faenarian marines cannot occupy more than a few miles inland without access to constant sources of fresh or salt water like rivers or lakes. Otherwise, they will hold their ground until counterattacked and driven off by their enemies.
Foreign Relations: Faenaria currently maintains exclusive trading rights with a single province of Kera-Bijan. The Shah allowed the Faenarians to establish a single port city on the northern coast of their domain, Locha Noa. Locha Noa is the most jealously guarded colonial possession of the Faenarians and perhaps the most fortified. The Golden Fleet's Second Flotilla is based here, protecting merchant ships from pirates and enemy warships.
Faenaria's first diplomatic interactions came when they aided the Kratorian Empire's overthrow of the Mad Queen. Since then, the two have enjoyed a lucrative and mutually beneficial relationship. The Empire supplies raw materials that Faenaria would normally not be able to secure like iron, lumber, and other resources. In exchange, Faenaria exports luxury goods like sugar and tobacco, while also financing Imperial industries at home. The mass production of their Air Corps was thanks to financing provided by the Glass Bank, and the Imperial Air Corps will soon be stationed on bases throughout the coral sea to help "stop the spread of piracy."
Sidara and Faenaria have an extensive trading history. Faenarian Magic is swapped for Sidaran Technology daily, and the Bank of Glass has financed the Sidaran Clan-companies' operations. Sidarans build wonderful technology while Faenarians cut checks to allow the clan companies to operate without significant fear of disruption. The two have never been formally hostile or allied, but the return of the Cethos to the world stage in recent decades has disrupted longstanding trade routes and caused no end of heartburn for their nations' accountants. They don't need a defensive alliance to expect Faenarian support. If you owe the bank a lot of money, the bank has a vested interest in keeping you alive...
During the Anvegad Civil War, the Valorgardes arranged for the nation's gold reserves to be moved from the mainland to the vaults of the Glass Bank. This kept the national currency afloat even through the war and a portion of the gold remains in the Glass Bank to this day. While Etresna invests in Anvegad's reconstruction, the Faenarians saw an opportunity to invest in their Alchemical industries, helping to rebuild their private sector as a bulwark against Collectivist thought and influence.
Yabisi, Diplomat at Glenmagar, and Cynghyrd of Foreign Affairs Vercin Gator Discuss Various Matters; Tymhoris 16, 1910 (Mon 17 Jan, 1910)
The formal, full name of the Rahuri Ambassador to Sidara was "Yabisi, Diplomat at Glenmagar." When in the presence of Vercin Gator, he dropped the formalities and opted to simply go by "Yabisi" or even "ya daft, seabrained cockel" when the situation called for it. Vercin was likewise simply "Vercin" or "skirt-scampering bone brain." Oftentimes work between the two was done at the Foreign Affairs office as much as it was done at Vercin's ranch when more sensitive discussions were being had. As was the case today.
Highland cattle had an especially good taste at the dinner table, but as the dusk-skinned Rahuri human carefully stepped among the fields, he had to remind himself that raising such animals came with an unfortunate smell. And he'd only just bought these Kera-Bijan leather shoes.
"Vercin," he said, trying to choose his words with about as much care as was normal for his interactions with the tough-skinned Sidaran, "this document I received last night, your Aeronauts want to request a loan from the Glass Bank when the entire continent is arming for war, calling up their reserves, and we haven't a clue when the first shots will be fired- all with the Cethosi poised to take advantage of the chaos to launch a war of conquest that will turn the seas to blood. And this loan will divert enough funds for a dozen dreadnoughts to build what amounts to flying boats? The Bank of Glass is a government institution. A loan of this size requires substantial oversight from the Caciques."
Yabisi couldn't tell what stunk more- the bull shit or the bullshit of the proposal. He removed his cigarette case from a back pocket and struck a match, trying to mask the smell of what was likely be their dinners' final leavings on this mortal plane.
"Have you gone completely mad?"
Leaning on his shepherding stick, a pipe smoking gently in his mouth, the Cynghyrd of Foreign Affairs gestured for his Faenarian counterpart to hand him the letter. In the distance a prancing border collie barked frantically as it now dashed to keep a flock of sheep together and now paused and sat down to watch their next move. Scanning the relatively short and nigh indecipherable letter, Vercin Gator frowned. ‘Well now ye brine-chewing rascal, how’d ye get yer hands on this eh? Those gold-sucking bankers passing everything onto you now are they?’ he paused for some moments, releasing a few puffs of smoke as his pale eyes read the letter more carefully. ‘And I can see why they would on this occasion - does seem to be a tad mistimed this venture of the Aeroflight Society’s. But look here now - this may be Her Grace’s Aeroflight Society, but it has little to do with the government or with me. It’s a civilian organisation - sure it has some links with the Aerial Warfare Corps, but neither I nor anyone in government has much of a say in its activities. And to be completely honest, maybe this venture isn’t too bad - the Cethosi presence on the sea is a real thorn in Faenaria’s side, perhaps looking heavenward would rid us of that thorn once and for all. Imagine that - flying boats. The Cethosi naval presence would never trouble us again.’ Vercin passed the letter back to Yabisi and began to stroll towards the rather simple farmhouse and the waiting dinner table.
Yabisi took a long draw on his cigarette, willing the tobacco to overcome the stink of the farmlands, following behind Vercin. The place had a rustic charm to it, as only a wealthy farmholder in this cold and rocky place would. For his part, Yabisi preferred the warmth of his own home in Loa Ghara, overlooking the sugar fields and ocean waves from the high hills.
“You know how this game works, Vercin. Your people- government, clan company, or private club- send a letter to the Bank, the Bank sends it to the Autocrat for consideration, she sends it back to me and asks me if you’re out of your damned minds before she cuts a check. That’s her decision to make, not mine. But I’m very closely aligned with her on this. Flying ships. Ha!”
Yabisi took a moment on the porch to draw on the cigarette again, measuring how to phrase his proposal with the literal builders of the modern Faenarian navy. In the end, as he flicked the spent cigarette onto the lawn, he opted for blunt honesty.
“The proposal requires a vote from the Caciques, and I must inform you that our government has been put into a difficult position by the escalating tensions on the mainland. Even if things were all rainbows and griffons, the Caciques would make inquiries, the bureaucrats would demand a working prototype, and the whole thing would flounder for years. The likelihood that we can run this through the Caciques without endangering the stability of the Autocrat’s government is next to zero.
“However, there may be a way around this.” Yabisi opened his own jacket, producing a folded note and offering it to Vercin. “Just came in from the embassy wire from Coral City. The real reason we can’t accept the proposal is we’ve just rammed a budget cut through with our party’s Caciques. Final vote was yesterday. 18 tribes for, 7 against. Spent a lot of political capital to get this vote as fast as we did, but we now have a nest egg for a war chest set aside. And as part of the use of that war chest, I’m to formally request an increase in our arms agreement by at least 40%. And let’s just say we do expect a markup in price for the last minute request. The Clan Companies may bid for the contract increases under the oversight of the Bhaenrhig and the clans, but we’ll make special clause for this ‘Aeroflight Society’ to be contracted to move some of the product to the isles with a working prototype. If they can get us the guns in a timely manner ahead of shipping by boat, it would go a long way to approving full funding of the project and setting up the factories.”
Vercin considered the note that had been handed to him as the two walked into the house and made themselves comfortable around the table. Laid before them was a homely meal of freshly baked bread, soup, cheese, and two pieces of Highland cattle steak. Vercin’s was well-done as meat was meant to be. Placing the note down Vercin looked away for a few moments, his eyes thoughtful.
‘What you propose involves a far more serious commitment from our government than the Aeroflight Society’s letter entails. The Society’s letter comes across as no more than a call for financial investment into research and development by a private group - there are certainly both professionals and amateurs involved in it, and it is no doubt connected to various clan-companies, but it is ultimately its own organisation. It is one thing for it to go about its theoretical research with investment from the Glass Bank, as the letter implies... but attempting to involve it in the active development and production of aircraft, in active and direct collaboration with clan-companies and investors, is something else entirely. I do not say that it cannot happen,’ Vercin tore some bread and dipped it into his bowl of soup before placing the moist morsel into his mouth, ‘I am just saying it will require a greater degree of attention, commitment, and support from the government, as well as the clan-companies involved. We are speaking of making all kinds of resources available to the Society so that it may not only develop theories and experiment on a small scale, but also actually produce functional prototypes which then may be used for transportation purposes and be produced on a massive scale - if, and ‘tis a big if, the Society succeeds. It is a great gamble for so untested an organisation as the Aeroflight Society.’ He paused as he cut into his steak, ‘but then again. no great thing ever happened without a great gamble. If you are still of the view that this can work, I will write to the Society on the matter, and I will make known to the clan-companies Faenaria’s desire for increased supply of arms. I am sure they will leap at the prospect.’
Yabisis spoke. “Still, if I handed them the keys to the vaults tomorrow, there is the question of ‘when’ they will have a prototype. Money makes things possible but not always inevitable.” Yabisi considered this over dinner, trying to come to a decision that could be reasonably promised. He saw the potential in what was being proposed. But the problem was that there would be other needs in the coming war. Bombs, bullets and bandages would take precedence over toys. But the shooting hadn’t started yet…
“I have some friends in the Bank. Arms I can twist and levers I can pull without the Caciques getting involved. I can get them approval for a conditional loan. Roughly one-tenth the requested amount. Hear me out- low interest and paid in full upon receipt and approval of the application. The other nine-tenths can be pushed through with the Caciques once that prototype lands at Coral City and offloads cargo for all the gods and newspapers to see. They’ll owe a working prototype within 12 months, and the bank will implement a penny tax on cargo flights made between Sidara and Faenaria. If they fail, the bank will demand its money and all blueprints and theories produced by the Society for the project.”
Yabisi drummed his fingers on the table, trying to come up with the best way to follow the proposal.
“It’s a steep price to pay in the event of failure. It may shutter the society if they fail. And the deadline won’t be forgiving. But it’s what I can promise without muddying the process up with politicians.”
Leaning back in his chair Vercin Gator rubbed his forehead gently, his eyebrows furrowed. Aeroflight in Sidara was considered a pleasurable pastime, nothing more. Aircraft could generally carry one or two people in his experience. Some clansfolk he was in constant contact with declared to him that there were planes now that could fly nonstop for over a thousand miles. If that was true - and he had no reason to doubt it - then that was in itself an encouraging milestone. But it remained the case that such planes were built for a driver and, at most, one passenger. They were not built to carry cargo.
And yet the fact could not be ignored that long-distance flight was in every way possible. Surely increased capacity on such long-distance flights was a natural next step - surely even now some innovative Sidarid mind was contemplating it and charting the possibilities… he allowed his eyes to wander to the window and out to the rolling hills and fields which were bathed in the glow of a wintry sunset. Glenmagar was not so far off from here, yet the hills and fields ran uninterrupted for miles. No factories here, no smoke and darkness...
And the Rahuri at his table. It was funny to think that one of the only foreigners permitted to set foot on the island proper was sat under his roof. All the ambassadors and diplomats and foreign dignitaries had to stay on Isle Taobh-Amuigh, except for Faenarians. It was an honour bestowed on that nation as a monument to the special relationship it shared with Sidara. That Yabisi was more of a friend to Vercin Gator than Sidarid diplomatic procedure strictly instructed was a testament to that also. It was only a shame that he did not share Vercin’s love for the earthy Sidarid ways; no matter how high in government or business they happened to be Sidarids were Sidarid still. Your cattle ‘n’ sheep, your family, your clan, and the big old rolling earth.
‘You strike a hard deal, but a fair one. I will have it conveyed to the Society at the soonest possible opportunity and relay their response to you.’ The Cynghyrd said at last. ‘If something comes of this… well, think of the possibilities. We will be paving the path ahead in aeroflight technology, no doubt about it.’ And he called out for Maehra, whom he employed to care for the ranch during his long absences, and told her to bring them some dessert. One of her boys, barely four or five years old, ran in after her and she attempted to shoo him away. He dodged his mother and dashed for the door to the great outdoors, but Vercin only laughed and caught the boy before he could realise an escape. ‘Yaeh l’il wee rascal ye.’ He muttered as he rubbed the little one’s head and, kicking him lightly on the bottom, sent him back the way he came. Maehra went after him, scolding and berating, and was soon back with two small plates of Carrageen Moss Pudding. ‘Cheers lassie. Hae th' wee ones sloch some tae.’
Yabisi carefully stirred his pudding, toying with the dessert to pass the time while waiting for the children and Maehra to leave the dinner table. Even then, knowing that they were surrounded by friends, family, and common cattle, he shifted his chair closer to Vercin, leaned in close, and lowered his voice many octaves to a whisper.
“There is one additional thing, Vercin. Something of a sensitive nature, but related to this proposal of your Society. The Kratorian Empyreum has long proposed the establishment of air bases within the isles to protect their shipping interests from piracy. The Caciques have resisted these proposals, fearing encroachment on our sovereignty. They’re not wrong. The Empire wanted a twenty-year lease on the land and we can’t just foreclose on a military base if the nation doesn’t want to leave. Recent events have forced a re-evaluation of this thinking.
“We’ll be accepting the Empire’s proposal in the coming weeks. If my sources are correct, air bases are already being built in the Outer Isles. A destroyer flotilla is also steaming there to lend its support to the effort. The Society’s prototype will have a landing pad roughly two-thirds the way across the ocean. If it can get that far, they’ll be home free.
“I know I don’t need to tell you this, but I must say it for my own peace of mind. This cannot be communicated to the Society before it becomes public knowledge. I don’t know if that’ll be in two days or ten months. But if the Cethosi find out before those bases are crewed, the ramifications will be upsetting to the balance of power on the seas. It may even be enough for them to start shooting.”
Sighing, Vercin nodded in understanding and thanked the other man for his trust. ‘But remember this always: the Krators are an imperialistic folk. They do not see other nations as sovereign equals, only upstart states that - if they had the power they wielded of old - they would subjugate and rule once more. Let your people be wary that, in their fear of the Cethosi shark, they do not let into their home the Kratori basiliskos.’ Vercin paused and, reaching for his pipe, began to fill the bowl with a mixture of quality Faenarian tobacco and various herbs long used in Sidara for their medicinal and relaxing qualities. Bringing the bit to his mouth he took a few test draws. Satisfied that air was flowing smoothly, he struck a match and applied it to the chamber. The aroma immediately filled the space around the two of them as he sat back. Striking another match, he applied it to the chamber once more.
‘I have been discussing a certain matter with my colleagues in the Priyetcyn for some time now, and it appears that it has begun to enjoy enough approval to warrant proposing it. This matter of the Cethosis targeting your shipping will not be offset - certainly not in the short-term at least - by aircraft. Their piracy against your ships has to be addressed. I have of late been in close communications with our Cethosi counterpart and it seems like some kind of reconciliation is on the table - but I cannot say when. Until then, however, it is our view that Faenarian trading vessels should be permitted to fly the Sidarid flag. Our clan-company ships making their way to and from Faenarian ports have never been targeted. And so we think this an intelligent way of counteracting this issue for the time being. What do you think?’
Yabisi was a bit taken aback by this offer, but it made a certain amount of sense. The modern Faenarian navy was built in the dockyards of the Sidarids, then armed and crewed by the Merfolk. At a distance it would be impossible to tell the difference between their two crews. It was an open secret that the Cethos was attempting to crack the relationship between Faenaria and the Sdarid Isles. He wouldn’t dare start sinking Sidarid ships though- especially if he couldn’t prove conclusively they were not Faenarians.
“I think the Autarch is a fool to accept the proposal from Kratoria without so much as a counter-offer. I also think that if Cethos went to war with us tomorrow, they’d win the war and plunge the global economy into depression and ruin- they can shoot better than any of us, but they can’t figure out heads or tails of a copper, much less international monetary policy. But I don’t make the decisions- I advise and communicate on behalf of my people. Be that as it may, we can make your proposal work… though there may need to be some representation from the clans aboard the ships that fly the flag. A fig leaf to provide some cover for the papers. I’m sure the merchant compacts in the Coral Exchange would happily provide hazard pay to any clan-company workers that consent to travel on these ships.” Vercin nodded in agreement, his pale eyes betraying his excitement at the prospect that a strategy he had had thought up and now engineered would come to see fruition.
Yabisi smiled and picked up his glass of uisge which had sat untouched for most of the dinner. “Vercin, I think we’re about to begin a wonderful new chapter in world history together.” The Sidarid grinned and reached for his own. ‘Ah kin aye 'n' dram tae that!’
The fire burned strong and bright in the hearth, and outside the sun disappeared beyond the hills and skies.
Sidara and Faenaria strike a few deals -
1. Faenaria desires a 40% increase in arms and ammunition, and the contract is offered to any of Sidara’s clan-companies willing to bid for it. Part of the money involved in this is to go towards Her Grace’s Aeroflight Society. 2. Her Grace’s Aeroflight Society is to be supplied with additional funds to research and develop a prototype plane that can travel from Sidara to Faenaria carrying some kind of light cargo. The deadline for the prototype is 12 months, after which greater funding will be made available. 3. It is revealed that Kratoria is building air bases in Faenaria, though this is top secret information. 4. Sidara strikes a deal with Faenaria, allowing Faenarian trading vessels to fly the Sidarid flag, along with that of the relevant clan-company. It is hoped this will counteract Cethosi predation on Faenarian vessels. Clan-company personnel would be present on these vessels to give even greater cover.
~3000 BCE: The Rahuri human tribes are first mentioned in the histories of Kera-Bijan's ancient city state of Neo-Giranal. A clay tablet from an excavation contains a writing from King Ashurnazziban issuing a royal decree, noting the presence of a "Rahurana Prince" attending a religious festival.
1090 CE: The Clan of Faenar rises to prominence in the Cethosi isles when their original clan leader, Giran Fonola, perishes without heir or issue. The Faenar establish themselves as rulers on the isle of Ishanadar, building a powerful but aloof clan.
1510 CE: The Cethos of Faenar are called to the Wars of the Empyreum on behalf of the Cethosi Royal Family. Tirana Faenar, Clan Mother, receives the call and answers with her clanguard setting sail to war.
1511 CE: The Clanguard of Faenar are decimated in naval battles with the Imperial forces. Cethosi numbers and skill does not win out against Imperial discipline and coordination. The Cethosi Royal Family immediately demands a new flotilla be raised by the Faenar to replace their losses in battle. Tirana agrees to begin building new ships.
1512 CE: Tirana Faenar's eldest son, Yisan, is killed in battle with Imperial forces.
1517 CE: Tirana Faenar's second son, Hasal, is killed in battle with Imperial forces.
1519 CE: Tirana Faenar makes her displeasure known when an entire warband of Faenari are lost in battle while ambushing the Empire's second fleet. The battle should have been easily won, but conflicting orders, quests for recognition by the Cethosi King, and poor logistics ensure the warband is nothing but shark food by the end of the engagement. Tirana is summoned before the Cethosi King and answers for her complaints. She is locked in his dungeons on charges of disloyalty to the Cethosi people and crown. Like-minded nobility is cowed and continues to support the war. Her youngest son, Loanost Faenar, is empowered over the clan, though a regent loyal to the crown reigns during his young life.
1520-1522 CE: Tirana Faenar perishes in the dungeons of the Cethosi Crown. Historians debate the year of her passing to this day, though her remains indicate a death from blunt force trauma to the skull and ribcage.
1535 CE:Loanost Faenar succeeds the regent to rule Ishanadar. The war with the Empire begins to intensify beyond skirmishes and pirate actions. Faenar petitions the crown for a pardon from the Conscription to war, arguing that Ishanadar has the wealth and resources to build a great armada, capable of defending the isles from invasion. The King of Cethos accepts this proposal.
1543 CE: The Great Armada is completed. One-third the size of the entire Cethosi fleet- from the greatest warship to the lowliest fishing vessel. Loanost Faenar presents the fleet to King Cethos as a token of his loyalty. King Cethos accepts the fleet and orders Loanost Faenar to crew the vessels himself.
Loanost is taken aback by this request. To crew the fleet will require every man, woman, and child aboard Ishanadar to answer a call to the waves. Ishandar would be left empty and they may still not have enough hands to set sail. Moreover, it gives credence to rumors that King Cethos will soon attempt to invade the Empire.
1544 CE: King Cethos commissions a great invasion of the Imperial City of Ilium. Forces from every island answer the call to battle. A war that began as little more than a coordinated campaign of piracy begins to resemble a true barbarian invasion. The Faenarians use their great fleet to move many soldiers to the mainland and support the attack on the city.
1546 CE: Ilium withstands the siege under the leadership of Princess Dissaria and the Cethosi are forced back to the isles. The noble families are left weakened. King Cethos conducts a purge of the nobility to ensure he will not face rebellion for the disaster. Loanost Faenar is recalled to the Home Isles to face the same purge. He refuses the call, citing the impending birth of his child. King Cethos is openly defied by his most powerful vassal and he does not have the soldiers to bring him to heel, fueling harsher crackdowns on those families that did answer the call.
1548 CE: Emperor Hektor of Kratoris prepares a punitive invasion of the Cethos Isles. Those legions not actively engaged on the Empire's frontier are summoned to Ilium. Princess Dissaria is given command as a test of her ability. King Cethos calls the banners of the nobility to resist impending invasion and slavery. The noble houses are decimated from decades of intermittent warfare and the purges after the attack on Ilium but answer the call, conscripting their remaining peasants.
King Cethos orders Loanost Faenar to put the Great Armada to sail in defense of the isles. Loanost Faenar recognizes that he commands the largest assembly of warships in the isles by far, and that the entire nation is being mobilized to fight. His clan will be thrown into battle first, but the ships will not be crewed by soldiers but by his peasants. If he fights, his people will die. If he refuses the call, the Cethos will be conquered. He answers the call, but continues to slowly mobilize.
June, 1548 CE: King Cethos leads the Cethosi armada into battle with the Imperial Expeditionary force. Every seaworthy vessel takes to the waves in defense of the homeland. Imperial Marines land on the island of Gonala to establish a base of operations and supply depot. A palisade is erected and command center built. Cethosi conscripts will battle legionaries on the shores here until the battle's end.
King Cethos continues battling the Imperial ships daily. Loanost Faenar arrives to battle with his entire people in arms, anchoring behind the King's flotilla. King Cethos demands Faenar lead the armada in a great charge toward the heart of the Imperial navy. Faenar responds he will lead his people to battle at his own pace, challenging King Cethos to attack with his remaining professional soldiers. King Cethos promises to raze the isle of Ishanadar, leaving none of his subjects or family alive on its shores if Faenar does not immediately enter the battle to save Cethos. Faenar's reply is disputed, but apocyrpha holds his reply to the King's messenger to be "The King's threat has already been carried out. There are no Cethos left alive on Ishanadar. They are all here with me." Faenar gives the order to take sail and leave. The clan of Faenar never again returns to the Cethosi isles.
July, 1548 CE: The Battle of the Isles is ultimately inconclusive. Cethos maintains its independence when the Imperial fleet abandons the campaign due to lack of sufficient fresh water supplies. The number of dead Cethosi is incalculable- modern scholars debate whether it may be classified as a genocide. The Cethos do not attempt to attack the Empire for generations. Princess Dissaria is hailed as a hero for her defense of the Gonala palisade and she cites the weakness of the Imperial Navy for preventing the ultimate victory. While she is lauded publicly, Imperial histories claim she begins to suspect there is a whisper campaign to smear her reputation in secret. From this point onward, she begins to demonstrate questionable mental stability in private.
1549 CE: The Faenarian flotilla island-hops for months, searching for a land capable of supporting the many thousands of Cethosi aboard the ships. Hundreds are lost to storm, disease, battle with pirates, and deprivation. A portion of the flotilla disputes the leadership of Faenar and breaks off from the fleet under Tirala Yinan, striking out to the east.
1550 CE:Loanost Faenar encounters the Rahuri in their Outer Isles while his peoples' ships begin to founder and wreck within the Great Mithril Reef. Rahuri ships guide the fleet safely though the reef and to landfall in the Outer Isles. The Isles cannot support the many thousands of Faenarians on the waves, but an effort is made to repair the ships, nurse the worst of the Faenarians back to health, and spirit them onward to the Great Island, Loa Nota, where they can find some succor.
A Council of Caciques is called by the Rahuri to discuss the appearance of these visitors while the exiles are permitted to disembark and tend to their sick and wounded. Loanost Faenar orders his people to remain within their vessels while the council deliberates the fate of the Rahuri. The Council of Caciques debates for days, listens to the story of the Faenarians, and considers their own position on the waves and how such a great fleet may challenge them. Faenar, his children, and his captains are summoned and interrogated by the council regarding their ultimate intentions and what would be expected of the Faenarians in order to find succor and homes in the isles.
An accord is struck, called The Great Compact. This Compact will become the basis of the Faenarian Constitution, and its opening declarations are as follows:
- The Faenarians must swear never to raise arms against the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians must swear never to abuse the hospitality of the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians must pledge to be accepted into a household of the Rahuri, binding them to the people of the isles as family.
- The Faenarians must pledge to share their catches, spoils, and discoveries with the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians must hold no kings or claim of rulership over the Rahuri people. The Scions of Faenar may hold a place of privilege as the living embodiment of this pact and command their own ships and people in battle.
- This list of pledges may be added to by the Council of Caciques as they please, so long as a Council is called to the Home Island where its additions may be added to by the Council in full view of the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians shall hold a place of brotherhood within the tribes, and shall be accepted as equals among them.
- The Faenarians shall be entitled to hold all property they brought with them on their exodus as their own.
Loanost Faenar consents to this arrangement. His family is given the title of Autocrat by the Caciques, a living embodiment of this pact among the tribes and his people. He formally titles his people "Merfolk" after creatures of Rahuri mythology to cut ties completely with the Cethosi isles and as a sign of his willingness to integrate with their new hosts. The fleet disperses to the rest of the isles, though the majority of the Merfolk remain on Loa Nota and begin to construct The Coral City. The first Merfolk artisans discover the orichalcum deposits within the volcanoes of Loa Nota and begin experimenting with its use, creating what is now known as "Water Glass." Sheets of crystal forged in the pressures beneath the waves, the glass holds the appearance of shifting waves. Baubles- from liquor decanters to mirrors- are forged using this technique and begin to be sold elsewhere.
1551 CE: The Breakaway Fleet limps to the shores of Luminaria. Tirala Yinan and her followers are accepted among the Luminarians and establish Yinan Province, integrating with the nation over the next ten years.
1558 CE: The Rahuri Isles are stricken with famine, with many believing the Merfolk are to blame for the scarcity. Loanost Faenar approaches the Caciques with a proposal: His people will crew their vessels again and launch a trade mission to the Shah of Kera-Bijan to bring back food and crops. The Caciques consent to this and the fleet is launched to the mainland.
The Merfolk come to the court of the Shah with Rahuri tobacco and Merfolk Water Glass to trade for grain, fruits, and meat. The trade is established and the people of the isles return to a time of plenty and building.
1560 CE: The Shah and his wealthiest Satraps increase their demand for Water Glass, and begin to trade gold and luxury goods for it rather than just food. The Merfolk are invited to establish a settlement in the north of Kera-Bijan, Locha Noa. The colony helps to ease the burden of feeding the Rahuri in the home isles while enriching the Merfolk. The wealth is brought back to the home isles.
1565: The Linana Clan of the Rahuri announces that they are dissatisfied with the changes brought by the Merfolk and the rapid growth of the Coral City. The Rahuri Civil War begins. Loanost Faenar decrees that no Merfolk should fight in the war, holding to the decree of the Caciques not to bear arms against the Rahuri- if the Rahuri decide to expel their people, it will be honored. He secretly orders his lieutenants to fortify Locha Noa as a new homeland. Merfolk quietly evacuate the isles and settle in the new city in greater numbers.
1568 CE: The Steppe Tribes of Kera-Bijan attack Locha Noa, hoping to pillage its wealth. In cooperation with the levies of the Shah, the attack is repelled. The Merfolk replace the crude palisades with shaped coral walls in a great undertaking. The work will not be complete until 1574. The Glass Bank is founded in Locha Noa to handle and take account of the material wealth of the Merfolk in this time of upheaval. The bank is so named because the bank charter is signed within a Water Glass workshop, and the wealth of the people stored in its Warehouses.
1569 CE:The Rahuri Civil War ends in defeat for the Liana clan. They are welcomed back into the family of the Caciques as wayward brothers rather than rebelling tribes, and the Merfolk are invited back to live in the Coral City in safety.
1573 CE: The Rahuri and Merfolk launch joint trading expeditions to establish relations with the old world. One fleet heads far to the East, another West to make contact with the Kratorian Empire. Their holds are filled with Water Glass, tobacco, pepper, silks, and sugar, along with soldiers and marines to defend the ships.
1574 CE: The Westerly Fleet makes contact with the Kratorian Empyreum. The vessels surrender their cargo in a sign of goodwill, and a diplomatic conference is held with the Admiral of the fleet, Ritana Faenar, daughter of Loanast. Guarantees are made toward good intent and customs houses are established in the coastal cities of the Empire. Sugar, Tobacco, Water Glass, and Silk flows freely into Imperial ports. Rum soon follows (much to the dismay of captains of all stripes in the Empire).
1578 CE: The Easterly Fleet makes contact with the Merfolk of Yinan Province in Luminaria. The Admiral is overjoyed to find their wayward brothers and sisters, but troubled by their peaceful, almost fanatical subservience to the Luminarian way. Suspicion of a magical compulsion breaks out amongst the crews. Persuasion fails to bring the merfolk home to the Isles. Armed attacks and kidnappings take place, but the Merfolk of Yinan resist. The Easterly fleet splits in two- one half returning to the Isles to report what has been discovered, one half remaining off the coast of Luminaria, operating as pirates to try and "liberate" their kinsman.
1589 CE:Loanost Faenar perishes on a shark hunt. He is entombed within the great vaults of the volcano beneath Loa Nota, along with other Rahuri Caciques. Ritana Faenar succeeds her father as Autarch of the Isles.
The Easterly Fleet is subjugated by the Luminarian Navy. Its Admiral taken prisoner and their ships beached. Diplomatic envoys leave for Faenaria seeking reparation for his acts of piracy and kidnapping, but also peace.
1590 CE:The Bank of Glass moves its headquarters and Wealth to the Coral City. Representatives of the Imperial Marble Bank begin making the voyage to the home isles to assess the true wealth and capability of the institution. The two begin sharing theories on practices of wealth management and record keeping, leading to an informal friendly (if competitive) relationship between the two. The Marble Bank introduces wealthy imperials to the Glass Bank, contacts that the Faenarians would otherwise never interact with. The Glass Bank opens an official vault for the Emperor and Empress. Sentimental items are stored here, but the security of the vaults compared to those tainted by the bitter politics and corruption in the Empire leads to greater cooperation.
The Luminarian delegation arrives. The Caciques and Ritana Faenar accept their requests for peace and pledge to discipline those who remained in the trade fleet, claiming no knowledge of the extent of their actions. Historians dispute this, citing the return of half of the fleet years earlier. Some argue that Ritana was unaware of the extent of the piracy and attacks, other that she hoped to extend Faenarian control to the isles off the coast of Luminaria.
Ritana consents to allow the Merfolk in the fleet to be subjected to Luminarian justice, though the Rahuri ask that their people be returned to the isles. The Luminarians consent to this request.
1600 CE: Princess Dissaria becomes Empress of Kratoria. She begins her reign by announcing grand expansions to Imperial art, architecture, and armies- paid for by taxes on the Senate and Primarch households.
1604 CE: Members of the Imperial Senate open accounts in the Glass Bank to secretly stow wealth for their families out of reach of the Mad Queen's tax increases. Back channel communications are established between the Marble Bank, the Faenarian Customs Houses, and the Glass Bank to facilitate the transfer of wealth outside the view of the Mad Queen.
1611 CE: Princess Athena of Kratoria is born.
1632 CE: 1632 CE: The Bank of Glass begins to finance regular trade fleets. Enormous treasure armadas begin to set sail monthly, banding together to share supplies and fight off pirates and sea monsters. Many of these treasure ships head to tried and tested ports, like those of Kratoria, but others exhibit an adventuring spirit and head into the great unknown.
In late summer, one such treasure fleet makes first contact with Sidarid fishermen. The clansfolk are stunned by the creatures of myth aboard the ships. Despite the language barrier, the fishermen manage to lead the fleet towards Glenmagar, from where the young Bhaenrhig Parhaigen ruled Sidara. The language barriers were soon traversed, for an Arwyndyn who knew the Cethosi tongue was quickly found. The young Bhaenrhig and many Sidarids were stunned by the craftsmanship and luxury items that the Faenarians brought. This would mark the beginning of the first phase in Faenaro-Sidarid trade. The Faenarians enjoy a near-monopoly on imports and exports (limited in nature as those naturally were at the time) for some time. Despite Anvegadian attempts to disrupt this trade and newly-forged relationship, trade and commerce between Sidara and Faenaria would continue uninterrupted until the Faenarian Banking Crisis in the Isles decades later.
The initial encounter, short-lived though it was, would have a lasting impact on Sidarid approaches to business and trade, and would contribute to the the Sidarid Enlightenment of the eighteenth century and the eventual creation of Clan-Companies.
1641 CE: Princess Athena rises to a formal position within the Imperial Court. She accompanies a goodwill delegation to the Isles of Faenaria, renewing vows of friendship between the two nations. Ritana Faenar and the Caciques receive her on the Home Isles. Formal discussions about trade policy and taxation are secondary to the relationship established between the two. Ritana and Athena begin a long written correspondence, some of which survive to this day- many have been transcribed, most notably those by the Imperial historian Horus under the title "On the power of Queens and the State." Topics range from monetary and military policy to cuisine critiques and political maneuvering.
1651 CE: The Kratorian Civil War begins in the outer provinces. Primarchs and Senators rally around Princess Athena as a figurehead to resist the actions of the Mad Queen. Alliances, territory and allegiances change regularly. Only the increasing brutalities of the Mad Queen keep the war raging.
1662 CE: Wealth from trade to Kratoria dries up as the civil war drags on. The Bank of Glass releases more and more wealth from the vaults in an attempt to alleviate the economic downturn. This triggers runaway inflation in the isles that affects Kera-Bijan. Faenarian gold and silver from this recession has been traced to Etresna, the Sidarid Isles, Luminaria, and even as far away as Uruk.
1663 CE: The Caciques call a council to deal with the continued economic fallout of the opening of the Vaults. Citing the original pledge of "Sharing Spoils" established by the original council of Caciques and Faenar, they demand an input on monetary policy and ownership of the Bank of Glass- it becomes plain for all to see that the Caciques will attempt to seize the bank outright. Ritana Faenar rallies her own supporters and prepares a counter offer. The Isles have been held together for a century under an informal policy of "two races, one family." She proposes the creation of a nation state akin to Kratoria, Kera-Bijan, and Luminaria.
The wealth of the Bank of Glass will be managed directly by this new Nation rather than any one race or people. The merfolk will continue to build and crew warships in defense of the waves and their trade, while the Rahuri will raise armies to defend the islands and administer justice themselves. The Merchant Compacts of the trade fleets petition for a second, private institution to manage risk to their own personal ventures- establishing the original Coral Exchange in a beachside rum tavern. Ritana asks that the new nation be formally titled Faenaria, as a pledge from the Caciques toward their own good faith. The Caciques consent to these arrangements.
The Caciques assemble in the great hall of the Palace of Faenar to hold debates, counsel one another, and give consent to actions by the Autarch on the waves. The Rahuri 'Vanata, Banker from Coral City' is elected the first Cacique of the Vault to manage the wealth of the Glass Bank and set monetary policy. Vanata counsels that taxes should be raised to remove coins from circulation and employ citizenry with a program to build a new fleet for the nation's navy, replacing the original Coral Shaped vessels the Merfolk took to sea on.
1670 CE: Monetary records mark a downturn of inflation; scholars mark this as the end of the Faenarian Banking Crisis in the Isles.
1691 CE: The Kratorian Civil War grinds to a halt with the threat of Etresnan intervention. Kratoria lies in ruin, the Mad Queen still commands the heart of the Empire while Athena's core army remains intact. Neither side can feed or pay its soldiers in adequate numbers. A delegation of Senators and Primarchs smuggle the remaining wealth of their households out of the Empire aboard a Faenarian trade fleet and makes their way to the isles. They offer up the wealth of ancient Imperial Households as collateral. They request formal loans from the Glass Bank to finance the war effort and purchase arms, supplies, and mercenary companies.
The Caciques call a council as there are fears that the money requested could trigger another Banking Crisis, much less war and invasion of the isles. The debate is settled by rules of the Glass Bank's charter. The Primarchs agree to accept a reduced loan from the bank "for personal use" while the remainder of their funding is secured through the Coral Exchange. The loans appear as nothing more than a refinancing of properties and investments in Kratorian Villas. The Primarchs return home with a treasure fleet to carry their funds to Princess Athena, along with an aged banker Vanata, First Cacique of the Treasury, long since retired from her position at the head of the Glass Bank. Vanata assists in the disbursal of funds alongside members of the Marble Bank to prevent rampant inflation.
Mercenary companies and merchant caravans begin to converge on the Rebel encampments, hearing that there is coin to be had. By the turn of the year, the IVth Legion finds itself being paid in barter goods. They will desert their post and declare allegiance to the Princess.
1692 CE: The Mad Queen continues to lose soldiers as the rebel provinces enjoy a return to prosperity. Ilium falls to the rebellion after a popular uprising.
During the summer campaign, rumors circulate in Loyalist cities that Faenarian Customs houses are actually great repositories of gold and silver, hidden from public view. There is debate among historians whether the Mad Queen actually believes these rumors or used them as a pretext to punish the Faenarian Glass Bank for aiding the Rebellion. Loyalist troops seize the Faenarian customs houses and confiscate their goods and coin. Merfolk and Rahuri are killed in anti-Faenarian pogroms while the Summer Trade Fleet is attacked by the Imperial Navy- nine of the twenty-seven ships are sunk, five are captured, and thirteen are forced to retreat, eventually finding their way to the Sidarid Isles for aid and reconstruction.
The Anvegadian Military-Governor Whiteforge, known as the Cannon-Forged Governor, was by this time old and ailing, not entirely in control of Sidara. The more politically intuitive and fiercely intelligent young Rhig Aenfys had managed to run rings around the old man, while deluding him into thinking of Aenfys as a pliable and loyal puppet. The Faenarian fleet is welcomed at Baena's Bay and every help and luxury that could be afforded them is provided. This proved an excellent opportunity for Sidara to re-establish relations with an old friend and secretly study Faenarian ship designs to improve upon the fleet they were building right under Anvegad's nose. Once the Faenarian vessels were repaired and their sick and injured had been cared for (those that were not beyond saving, of course), they are sent home laden with gifts and messages of friendship and goodwill. Due to the events that followed, the newly rekindled relationship could not, unfortunately, be maintained.
By Autumn, the Summer Fleet returns to Loa Nota. The Caciques call a council of war. All signs point to an eventual victory for Princess Athena, though there is a debate about how long that victory will take to win. An aged Ritana, nearly one-hundred years old, asks for permission to sail the Golden Fleet in defense of the Merfolk and Rahuri. The Caciques vote 17 to 8 for war. A messenger departs for rebel territory, carrying a message of intent:
- Faenaria will soon enact a blockade of the Mad Queen's coastline. Any ship flying her banner will be boarded and their cargo taken as a prize. - The Faenarian fleet will engage the Mad Queen's ships where practical and attempt to sink the Imperial Fleet. - The Faenarians will attempt an invasion of two coastal cities, opening up a new front. - Any territory, prisoners, or ships seized by the Faenarians will be administered under Rahuri Law, but will be returned to Princess Athena or one of her loyal Primarchs.
The Golden Fleet embarks on a punitive expedition at the start of winter, lead by the Rahuri Gidall, Warleader of Loa Cana. Gidall engages the merchant compacts to arm their own ships and harass Loyalist vessels. This marks the first sailing of the Privateer Fleet.
1693 CE: The Golden Fleet arrives off the coast of Kratoria and begins its campaign in support of Princess Athena.
1699 CE: The Mad Queen is deposed by Princess Athena. Popular legend in Faenaria has it the Queen died after drinking a draught of mercury and orichalcum in an effort to attain otherworldly power. The Faenarian occupation of the Imperial coast ends.
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1865 CE: Etresna and Kratoria enter a conflict with global ramifications. Kratorian Senators approach Faenaria with requests to join the war on the waves. Yarana Faenar, knowing that he does not have the support of the Caciques to enter the conflict, offers mercantile contacts to help fund the Kratorian Empyreum.
1867 CE: Etresna engages in a program of land seizures, infrastructural development, and population transfer on the Nine Isles it conquered from Sidara. These 'undeveloped' lands that Etresna seizes are in fact clan lands. The Etremaden do not understand this, and the subsequent outrage from the local population as well as the Sidarid government is not given much notice. Sidara begins aligning itself with Kratoria, contacting Faenaria for support in its efforts to build-up for a liberation war, and attempts to woo Uruk's favour by investing in its arms and heavy industry.
1868 CE: Yarana Faenar again approaches the Caciques behind closed doors to woo them for the votes to war. The Coral Exchange, normally his chief political sword and shield, has been much diminished by the war on the waves. The Glass Bank and trade with Kera-Bijan is singlehandedly buoying the Faenarian economy. The peril of Sidarid being conquered and the Clan Companies being wiped out with their debts unpaid causes no end of stress among the bureaucrats and politicians.
The Caciques vote 14-11 to abstain from war. However, a clandestine money-funneling program begins unloading Guilders into the Sidarid Isles, helping them to finance the creation of a modernized military. At the same time, the Coral Exchange merchants begin cashing in their Etresnan government bonds and private stocks in a mass selloff. Loans are called in. Credit is constrained on the mainland. The initial effect of this on Etresna is negligible. Etresnan hard currency makes up for this loss.
1873 CE: Sidara's navy and armies are fully prepared to join Kratoria in its war against Etresna, and Sidarid technological support and economic investment means the Uruk military has developed rifled weaponry and more modern war tactics.
The Faenarian Caciques are carried to war in a 13-12 vote in the Assembly. The Golden Armada sails to the coast and begins a policy of containment of the Etresnan fleet. Etresnan industry begins experiencing a Credit Crunch as more and more businesses cannot obtain secure loans from the Glass Bank or the Coral Exchange. Etresna experiences stagflation. Despite the fact that their military is fighting off no less than four superpower-class nations (and winning on several fronts), popular support for the war begins to erode.
1876 CE: The Kera-Bijan trade route experiences a downturn in demand. The Faenarian Coral Exchange experiences a collapse. At the same time, Etresna goes from a Recession economy to a Depression. Preliminary peace talks begin behind the scenes as the financial contagion spreads beyond Faenaria and Etresna.
1877 CE: The Etresnan political class sues for peace with the Fourth Coalition. The Etresnan military is deployed to quell bread riots in several cities, while in others they are greeted as heroes with great parades and celebrations.
The Sidarid Isles are reunited and whole once again.
To add: - Faenarian interactions with the Sidarid. - Resolve the Luminarian Interactions with the Eastern Fleet. - Anvegad civil war: How did the gold find its way to Faenaria?
Those Present Her Majesty, Ayiti Faenar Prime Minister (Great Cacique) Karaya Chancellor of the Purse Liana Lord of the Admiralty Ralay
"The markets were up today on news of Kratorium Mobilization," Liana said, striking a match and lighting her cigar. She paused, taking a long drag of the Sunrise Isles Tobacco, savoring the dark taste before exhaling through her gills. "We saw a thirteen percent rise in the primary Mercantile houses. The Reich's bond value dropped thirty pence past closing. Not much, but it continues the trend. He's looking at a five-percent decrease across the board by month's end."
Great Cacique Karaya, Speaker for the Human Tribes, had to pause in lighting their own cigar, then thought better of it and handed it back to one of the serving staff on the Faenar's terrace. "That's ludicrous. A prince of the crown is dead and no war has been declared! If the Kaiser will not go to war now, he won't at all and the bond market will be the least of his concerns. He'd need to mobilize just to keep the throne."
Lady Ayiti, Scion of Faenar, had to interrupt at that point, pouring herself a dram of Sidaran whiskey into a crystal glass. "But can you blame him, Karaya?" She moved from the table, allowing her sea silk gown to trail behind her as she took a seat at the terrace's cabinet table. "The continent has spent so long backstabbing and politicking, they stand on a house of cards. He doesn't want to start up a general war if he can't be sure to win. Pride is cold comfort to a corpse, as we well understand."
At that, Chancellor Liana had to intercede. "The old windbag is as proud as he is militaristic. He's going to go to war. Just maneuvering his pieces first. The coral market may be up, but we've had a number of requests for gold and mithril bouillon withdrawals from the Bank of Glass. Non-government accounts for now, regional bank reserves, but if they're pulling gold then that means they believe the peace is going to break. They want something to back up their currency with. It's done fine sitting in our vaults for this long, but this is fight or flight instinct. Better to have it on hand."
Karaya eyed the Chancellor carefully. "What sort of danger are we in if we honor the withdrawal requests?"
"At the moment?" Liana asked, drawing another breath of smoke. "None. Like I said, these are accounts held by banks. Market jitters. But if any of the Uruks or the Etresnans or even the Kaiser puts in for a withdrawal, then we will have cause for concern. Everyone is looking for mobilization to be the sign that starts war. The real sign? Cutting a check to pay for post-mobilization. That check will be big. The puffer fish can make itself look ten times its size, but it will die if it stays that size for too long."
"And when they ask for that check, we're looking at a breakdown of global trade." Admiral Ralay waved off another servant's approach, opting to remain sober for the moment. "We'll need every brick in the vaults to weather the storm til' war's end."
"We either sell to everyone or no one."
"Can't do either of those things," Ayiti said bitterly. "Anyone we sell to, they'll publicly accuse us of double-dealing- even as they privately buy from us. Business as usual can continue if the war breaks out, but we'll have no friends. And that says nothing for what the Cethosi will do."
Ayiti eyed her Chancellor of the Purse carefully. Potentially the most powerful person at the table. Their sword and shield before the military could ever be called upon. "Tell me you have a method of recourse, Liani?"
Liani shook her head, her scales taking on a pale blue color. "If the Continent consumes itself, the Cethosi will be able to do as they please. No one will stop them from realizing their ambitions. Gharn knows they haven't a leg to stand on domestically- if there's an economic disruption from war on the mainland, then the Cethosi economy will fall out from under them. The easiest way to retain control would be to either join the war or start their own. Ever since they returned to the global stage, the Cethosi papers have been filled with stories of how Faenaria is the root of all their economic woes. But it's their own laws that bar Corporations from investing in the Coral Market- we can't bankrupt them or buy them out. We've got a number of their oligarchs keeping black book accounts under pseudonyms. The rich will do as they please, after all. The most we can do to hurt them is put the squeeze on his supporting industry titans. But if Gharn wants war, they can only whine while he locks them up and nationalizes their industry. You can't look to me to stop the Cethosi."
Ayiti began massaging her temples. "Then we're looking at a full fledged war of the waves. The Pirate Age again. But with Dreadnoughts. Admiral?"
"Invasion of the Outer Isles would be required for any serious military operation against us to succeed. We may be of the same blood, but the barrier reefs are still infused with mithril ore- they'll rip any hull to pieces unless navigated with care. The Cethosi ships would need to land marines and conquer them as staging grounds. If Gharn lands there, we know it's more than a power play to give his people a distraction from their recession. The Kratorian offer of basing the Air Corps on the islands is still a real one- it would require significant effort to build the air bases quickly. Effort that will be apparent to anyone with eyes, including the Cethosi. Speaker Karaya?"
"The Rahuri can and will fight to defend the outer isles. But I need the support of the Caciques to declare general mobilization. That will require Cethosi aggression first. Without it, we're looking at a split government. You'll be dealing with a Liberty Party cabinet, Ayiti. As it is, the regular garrisons can put up enough of a fight long enough to recall the Privateers and arm them for war."
Ayiti Faenar called one of the serving staff forward, requesting that dinner be called in from the palace kitchens. Her cabinet knew this was part of her rituals of government. Discussion, then dinner while she made up her mind about a next course of action. A seaweed salad was followed by lobster bisque, and finally a cut of pork seasoned with Sunrise spices.
It was as the serving staff was serving post-dinner brandy that she returned to the topic of politics.
"We have limited engagements with Sidara, due for renegotiation in a few months time. Liana, I want a five-percent domestic cut drafted into the budget. Close schools, issue more bonds, cut the welfare budget- whatever you have to do. That's to be our war nest-egg. Sidara will need the money to keep the war going, and we'll need more guns to defend ourselves from the Cethosi. Karaya, I will need support from the Caciques to keep us afloat when the shooting starts. A Neutrality act of some kind needs to be passed through the Senate, but frame it as a defensive measure. Anyone who moves to declare war with Faenaria, or sides with an aggressor of Faenaria, will have all their bouillon in the Glass Bank seized and nationalized. Same with gems, hard currency, stocks, bonds, everything. I'm going to use executive power to declare any national withdrawals void unless claimed by diplomatic staff, and withdrawn aboard ships. Anyone who wants to claim their wealth needs to come here and get it themselves and run the risk of being sunk by enemy vessels. Dress it up. Beg, borrow, steal votes. However you get it done, do it.
"Finally, I want the Cethosi black book accounts locked up. If they make noise, let them know their money will be returned once we have a public declaration from their government that they do not intend to declare war."
"What of the Merchant Fleet?" Ralay paused only long enough to take a draw from his cigar. "Our merchant ships have strict armor requirements to haul valuables. That's three-hundred destroyers carrying cargo. Enough to bloody the Cethosi if they come for us. Potentially enough to take the war to them if we move the Second Flotilla back to the home islands."
"I'm not issuing a general return order for them or the Flotilla." Ayiti could see the Admiral's bluster rising, his chance to get more toys dashed by a single declaration- but his request had merit. "But I won't stop any captain that seeks voluntary armament from doing so in the docks. I'll reach out to the Kratorians and see what it would take to get the deployment of their Air Corps accelerated."
Ralay nodded, his usual grim smile returning as he considered it. "Less than enough, but better than nothing. There are some patriots afloat. I can probably wrangle up a good thirty or so ships immediately. That'll allow the Third Flotilla to take position in the Outer Isles, supplement the garrisons with naval guns. They were hit by a typhoon a week ago. Small thing, but damaging to the locals. We can sell it to the papers as a relief effort for the Rahuri peoples there. But Gharn will get the message. We've got our eye on him."
"Do it. But I don't want a hothead leading them. No gunboat diplomacy with the Cethosi."
Ralay smiled, stood from the table and donned his cap. "Madam, I know just the person!"
---
Late at night, as Ayiti Faenar sat at her home desk, listening to the lapping of waves far below the Autarch's Palace, she opened her writing scroll and dipped her quill in Orichalcum ink, preparing a document that, depending on how it was worded, could stave off the Cethosi invasion or tip the waves into war...
Your proposal for the establishment of air bases in the Outer Isles has been received and considered by all parties. In light of recent events and our longstanding history, we have reason to believe the Cethosi may attempt to capitalize on an outbreak of war on the mainland and secure dominance of the waves. Efforts will begin immediately to clear and build sufficient facilities to house the Air Corps.
Consider this letter a formal acceptance of your proposal. Funding and recompense will be provided as outlined in your initial proposal, and a 20 year lease on the air bases will be approved by the Rahuri Caciques in the coming days.
Haste and discretion are appreciated with this matter, but haste most especially.
~ Ayiti Faenar.
Ayiti gave the letter some consideration, pausing over every sentence to read and re-read them. But she kept coming back to the ending.
Haste, most especially.
While the continent was beginning to unravel there would be considerable chance that any quick movement on any continental power's part would begin shooting- even as far away as Faenaria. Still, the continent was a world away and Ayiti had her own problem to consider. The Cethosi were capable of overwhelming the Faenarians in a straight battle. Ayiti's mother had been careful to craft a web of alliances across the waves that might be called upon to help shield Faenaria.
The Luminarians would not answer any call to war- most likely they'd demand the two sides come together in a grand peace session. But a truce at gunpoint was no truce at all. The Shah of Kera-Bijan would be willing to join the war, but would require a hefty payment to renew their defense pact. The amount of money required would generate considerable antagonism among the Caciques.
As it was, Ayiti knew their closest allies in Kratoria would be the fastest to respond to any call for help. The Sidarid might be willing to answer as well.
Come the morning, Ayiti knew the situation would be out of her hands as the letter she'd written would be speeding toward the Empyreum aboard the frigate R.F.S. Mama Yaya, hopefully arriving before the shooting started...
Public Knowledge - The Faenarian Senate will enact an "austerity" budget cut on the grounds of combating inflation. This represents a 5% savings in the budget. - The Merchant Fleet enters a period of "voluntary armament". They may accept letters of marque and pay in the service of the navy. This will represent a 10% drop in shipping capacity for any nations that trade with or through Faenaria. Not enough to harm, but definitely noticeable. - For the foreseeable future, Governments seeking loans from the Glass Bank must dispatch diplomatic personnel to make such a request. Movement of gold, cash, or other precious materials from the vaults must be done aboard ships flying their own flags. - Faenaria will soon approve the establishment of Imperial Air Corps bases in the Outer Isles on a 20 year lease. - The Faenarian Third Flotilla is dispatched to the Outer Isles (also called the Barrier Isles) to aid in the recovery from a small Typhoon.
Private Knowledge - The Great Cacique reaches out to Sidara to begin renegotiations for their armament treaty. Specifically, an enormous increase in guns purchased, with a promise of cash in hand. - Faenaria approves the establishment of Air Corps bases in the Outer Isles. Rapid deployment of assets is requested. - The Third Flotilla is dispatched to the Outer Isles (also called the Barrier Isles) of south-west Faenaria as an additional defense against the Cethosi. - Cethosi oligarchs with illegal, off-the-books accounts in the Coral Markets and Glass Bank will find themselves unable to access funds. Their complaints will be met with a response that they will have access to their funds again once the Cethosi make it clear they have no intention of attacking Faenaria in the event of a general war.
Government: Autocracy, with a Human Senate to advise and consent
Her Majesty the Autocrat, Scion of Faenar, Ayiti Faenar Great Cacique (Prime Minister) Karaya, the Speaker of The Yarana Chancellor of the Purse, Liana Ginaran Lord of the Admiralty Ralay, Sailor of the Baral
Species: Merfolk (Formerly Cethosi; see History), Human, Imperial Fae
(A "Merfolk" warrior, circa 1608)
The Sea Peoples of Faenaria are an exiled clan of Cethosi, fleeing the isles in the face of what they viewed as a senseless waste of life. The normally insular Cethosi were confronted with cultures that viewed them as almost mythical beings called "merfolk". Rather than correct the humans, the Sea Peoples decided to accept this rechristening of their species. For three-hundred years now, they have presented themselves as Merfolk to other races.
A small community of Fae from the Kratorian Empire call Loa Nota home. While they are Imperial Citizens, they enjoy a protected status within Faenaria so long as they posses proper documentation.
Culture: Faenarian culture is that of two peoples that have joined as one. Having abandoned the madness of the Cethosi homeland, the Merfolk were adopted by the human tribes of the Sunrise Isles. This is both literally and metaphorically- the Rahuri tribal law allow any fit adult to adopt an individual into their family. As part of the price for their settlement, the Merfolk had to consent to being joined as family with their new hosts. This Great Joining of peoples gave the Merfolk hope and purpose by adopting the ways of their new hosts.
Rahuri art and culture reflects struggle against the sea- its storms, its monsters, and its deprivations. The worship two deities. Mama Tortue, the Great Turtle, She who Shepherds and Protects. And Tiburon, The Protector, The Shark Whose Maw Consumes. They also practice a form of ancestor worship, seeking guidance from those who came before.
Rahuri hold hospitality sacred. Denying shelter to one who means no harm is a grave taboo, but it is acceptable to shut one's door in the face of danger. They also place special emphasis on curiosity and exploration. The normally insular, isolationist Cethosi were content to shut themselves off from the world. The Merfolk have gone a full one-hundred-eighty degrees in the opposite direction.
Households are made up of a mixture of humans and the adopted Merfolk. The heads of the household can be either male or female, and same-sex couples do exist within these households as a legal holdover from the Rahuri.
(A Rahuri seafarer, circa 1658)
Rahuri surnames are tied to location and profession. Rather than Joe Smith, a Rahuri would be titled "Joseph, Car Mechanic from New York."
While the Faenarians have maintained the culture of hospitality among themselves, their Golden Fleet has brought wealth and splendor unheard of in the past hundred years. The Merfolk arrived as beggars, desperate for a homeland. Within a century they began to build the Sunrise Isles into a nation-state. The Rahuri and the Merfolk chafe at these rapid changes, but so far the Rahuri have not repudiated their Hospitality. The Caciques have formed a Council of Rulers to interact with the Merfolk Autocrat, the direct descendant of Loanast Faenarie who holds the sacred pact of adoption.
(A Faenarian Water Shaper at work during High Tide)
"If we all must die for Cethos to survive, Cethos does not deserve to live." ~ Loanast Faenar
History: In the early 1600s, the Cethosi nation was embroiled in a bloody, hopeless battle for survival. The Faenarian clan answered the initial call to bring every ship to bear and defend the mother isles. Loanast Faenarie, the clan's Autarch, held his ships in place during the climactic battle and watched as clan after clan was thrown into combat, men, women, and children being sent to bloody the waves in neverending battle. When the signal came for Loanast to send his ships into battle, he refused. If freedom meant the genocide of their people and culture, then it would be better to let it die.
The clan turned their sails and fled the waves, sailing into the wild oceans for months until they came upon the Sunrise Isles.
Many vessels had sunk from storm damage, others turned and left the exodus to return home, never to be seen again. Hundreds had died from exposure and starvation. The leadership of Faenarie was in question. When the clan sighted the Sunrise Isles there was extended debate over whether this was a suitable place to settle. The presence of human villages and sailors made the situation more perilous and more intriguing. If these islands could support these inhabitants, then the well being of the clan could be assured.
The human tribes and Faenarians met on the beaches of Loa Nota, the Heart Island, and began discussing the plight of the Sea Folk and their need for a new homeland. The Humans, expert hunters of sea monsters and powerful shamans, had the power to drive off the tribe if they so desired. Generosity prevailed, however, and the great Cacique of Loa Nota allowed the Faenarians to make landfall and establish themselves.
The Faenarians took to calling themselves "Merfolk" in the parlance of the land-dwellers, to better separate themselves from their Cethosi roots. For three hundred years they were able to settle, build, and thrive on the Sunrise Isles. After turning their backs on their home culture, the humans of Loa Nota provided a new one to guide their people forward.
Within a decade, the beached vessels of the Merfolk were repaired and reused to begin trading ventures. The Merfolk had discovered an abundance of Magic-infused ores beneath the sands of Loa Nota and began trading trinkets and luxury goods with the mainland.
During the Kratorian Civil War, the newly formed Glass Bank was contacted by the mainland's Marble Bank. While their Mad Queen was winning the Civil War, Faenaria's merchant houses were losing more and more of their profits from the chaos of war. Their chief market for silk and tobacco was too busy fighting for its life to buy any such luxuries. With the Empire descending into anarchy and the Empress on the verge of bankruptcy, a rebel faction of Primarchs pooled their material wealth to provide to Faenaria as collateral for war loans. The normally calculating and neutral Faenarians looked at what was offered (and their balance sheets- deeply in the red from the chaos of the war) and decided to support the rebel faction. The Mad Queen's opponents were suddenly flush with hard coin and their ranks filled with new recruits. The Queen was confronted with a stark reality- ideology may start wars, but the power to pay for food and weapons would win them.
When the Mad Queen seized the Faenarian customs houses along the coast in retribution (as both the Primarchs and the Faenarians expected she would) the Golden Fleet took to sail and blockaded her ports, landed troops, and occupied the coastal regions until the Primarchs and their Princess could reclaim their territory. The Mad Queen was deposed and the Princess succeeded her, beginning what would be a long and mutually beneficial relationship.
The Sidara, another oceangoing people, had been occasional trade partners with Faenaria until their relationship blossomed in the 18th Century. The Clan-Companies found they could achieve satisfactory financial support from the Glass Bank to continue operating in the Depression of 1790 and offset this downturn by selling modern technology to the Faenarians along with beef and uisge. Faenarian continues to sell tobacco and magical objects (Coral blades and Stormshields) to the Highlands. The two have no formal alliance, but the financial entanglements with the Clan Companies made the need for one a moot point.
In the past half century, Faenaria's culture of unprecedented wealth and splendor was completely upended with the return of the Cethosi to the world stage. Normally isolated and insular, the Merfolk gave their Cethosi cousins a wide berth out of a cultural taboo more than any fear. When they became international players again it was clear their ancestors had neither forgotten nor forgiven Loanast Faenar's decision to flee the battle for the Cethos Isles. Multiple Faenarian vessels were seized by "pirates" in international waters, their crews ransomed, tortured, or killed. When it became equally clear that the Cethos Isles had built an armada to outmatch even Faenaria's, the Autarchs had to make hard political decisions. Longstanding trade routes with the Sidarid Isles were disrupted when merchant compacts began taking longer, safer routes to their destinations. The mainland of Etresna, normally an acknowledged trade partner, are now treated with suspicion and hostility since they began courting the Cethosi...
A Timeline of the Faenarian Peoples and Nation
~3000 BCE: The Rahuri human tribes are first mentioned in the histories of Kera-Bijan's ancient city state of Neo-Giranal. A clay tablet from an excavation contains a writing from King Ashurnazziban issuing a royal decree, noting the presence of a "Rahurana Prince" attending a religious festival.
1090 CE: The Clan of Faenar rises to prominence in the Cethosi isles when their original clan leader, Giran Fonola, perishes without heir or issue. The Faenar establish themselves as rulers on the isle of Ishanadar, building a powerful but aloof clan.
1510 CE: The Cethos of Faenar are called to the Wars of the Empyreum on behalf of the Cethosi Royal Family. Tirana Faenar, Clan Mother, receives the call and answers with her clanguard setting sail to war.
1511 CE: The Clanguard of Faenar are decimated in naval battles with the Imperial forces. Cethosi numbers and skill does not win out against Imperial discipline and coordination. The Cethosi Royal Family immediately demands a new flotilla be raised by the Faenar to replace their losses in battle. Tirana agrees to begin building new ships.
1512 CE: Tirana Faenar's eldest son, Yisan, is killed in battle with Imperial forces.
1517 CE: Tirana Faenar's second son, Hasal, is killed in battle with Imperial forces.
1519 CE: Tirana Faenar makes her displeasure known when an entire warband of Faenari are lost in battle while ambushing the Empire's second fleet. The battle should have been easily won, but conflicting orders, quests for recognition by the Cethosi King, and poor logistics ensure the warband is nothing but shark food by the end of the engagement. Tirana is summoned before the Cethosi King and answers for her complaints. She is locked in his dungeons on charges of disloyalty to the Cethosi people and crown. Like-minded nobility is cowed and continues to support the war. Her youngest son, Loanost Faenar, is empowered over the clan, though a regent loyal to the crown reigns during his young life.
1520-1522 CE: Tirana Faenar perishes in the dungeons of the Cethosi Crown. Historians debate the year of her passing to this day, though her remains indicate a death from blunt force trauma to the skull and ribcage.
1535 CE:Loanost Faenar succeeds the regent to rule Ishanadar. The war with the Empire begins to intensify beyond skirmishes and pirate actions. Faenar petitions the crown for a pardon from the Conscription to war, arguing that Ishanadar has the wealth and resources to build a great armada, capable of defending the isles from invasion. The King of Cethos accepts this proposal.
1543 CE: The Great Armada is completed. One-third the size of the entire Cethosi fleet- from the greatest warship to the lowliest fishing vessel. Loanost Faenar presents the fleet to King Cethos as a token of his loyalty. King Cethos accepts the fleet and orders Loanost Faenar to crew the vessels himself.
Loanost is taken aback by this request. To crew the fleet will require every man, woman, and child aboard Ishanadar to answer a call to the waves. Ishandar would be left empty and they may still not have enough hands to set sail. Moreover, it gives credence to rumors that King Cethos will soon attempt to invade the Empire.
1544 CE: King Cethos commissions a great invasion of the Imperial City of Ilium. Forces from every island answer the call to battle. A war that began as little more than a coordinated campaign of piracy begins to resemble a true barbarian invasion. The Faenarians use their great fleet to move many soldiers to the mainland and support the attack on the city.
1546 CE: Ilium withstands the siege under the leadership of Princess Dissaria and the Cethosi are forced back to the isles. The noble families are left weakened. King Cethos conducts a purge of the nobility to ensure he will not face rebellion for the disaster. Loanost Faenar is recalled to the Home Isles to face the same purge. He refuses the call, citing the impending birth of his child. King Cethos is openly defied by his most powerful vassal and he does not have the soldiers to bring him to heel, fueling harsher crackdowns on those families that did answer the call.
1548 CE: Emperor Hektor of Kratoris prepares a punitive invasion of the Cethos Isles. Those legions not actively engaged on the Empire's frontier are summoned to Ilium. Princess Dissaria is given command as a test of her ability. King Cethos calls the banners of the nobility to resist impending invasion and slavery. The noble houses are decimated from decades of intermittent warfare and the purges after the attack on Ilium but answer the call, conscripting their remaining peasants.
King Cethos orders Loanost Faenar to put the Great Armada to sail in defense of the isles. Loanost Faenar recognizes that he commands the largest assembly of warships in the isles by far, and that the entire nation is being mobilized to fight. His clan will be thrown into battle first, but the ships will not be crewed by soldiers but by his peasants. If he fights, his people will die. If he refuses the call, the Cethos will be conquered. He answers the call, but continues to slowly mobilize.
June, 1548 CE: King Cethos leads the Cethosi armada into battle with the Imperial Expeditionary force. Every seaworthy vessel takes to the waves in defense of the homeland. Imperial Marines land on the island of Gonala to establish a base of operations and supply depot. A palisade is erected and command center built. Cethosi conscripts will battle legionaries on the shores here until the battle's end.
King Cethos continues battling the Imperial ships daily. Loanost Faenar arrives to battle with his entire people in arms, anchoring behind the King's flotilla. King Cethos demands Faenar lead the armada in a great charge toward the heart of the Imperial navy. Faenar responds he will lead his people to battle at his own pace, challenging King Cethos to attack with his remaining professional soldiers. King Cethos promises to raze the isle of Ishanadar, leaving none of his subjects or family alive on its shores if Faenar does not immediately enter the battle to save Cethos. Faenar's reply is disputed, but apocyrpha holds his reply to the King's messenger to be "The King's threat has already been carried out. There are no Cethos left alive on Ishanadar. They are all here with me." Faenar gives the order to take sail and leave. The clan of Faenar never again returns to the Cethosi isles.
July, 1548 CE: The Battle of the Isles is ultimately inconclusive. Cethos maintains its independence when the Imperial fleet abandons the campaign due to lack of sufficient fresh water supplies. The number of dead Cethosi is incalculable- modern scholars debate whether it may be classified as a genocide. The Cethos do not attempt to attack the Empire for generations. Princess Dissaria is hailed as a hero for her defense of the Gonala palisade and she cites the weakness of the Imperial Navy for preventing the ultimate victory. While she is lauded publicly, Imperial histories claim she begins to suspect there is a whisper campaign to smear her reputation in secret. From this point onward, she begins to demonstrate questionable mental stability in private.
1549 CE: The Faenarian flotilla island-hops for months, searching for a land capable of supporting the many thousands of Cethosi aboard the ships. Hundreds are lost to storm, disease, battle with pirates, and deprivation. A portion of the flotilla disputes the leadership of Faenar and breaks off from the fleet under Tirala Yinan, striking out to the east.
1550 CE:Loanost Faenar encounters the Rahuri in their Outer Isles while his peoples' ships begin to founder and wreck within the Great Mithril Reef. Rahuri ships guide the fleet safely though the reef and to landfall in the Outer Isles. The Isles cannot support the many thousands of Faenarians on the waves, but an effort is made to repair the ships, nurse the worst of the Faenarians back to health, and spirit them onward to the Great Island, Loa Nota, where they can find some succor.
A Council of Caciques is called by the Rahuri to discuss the appearance of these visitors while the exiles are permitted to disembark and tend to their sick and wounded. Loanost Faenar orders his people to remain within their vessels while the council deliberates the fate of the Rahuri. The Council of Caciques debates for days, listens to the story of the Faenarians, and considers their own position on the waves and how such a great fleet may challenge them. Faenar, his children, and his captains are summoned and interrogated by the council regarding their ultimate intentions and what would be expected of the Faenarians in order to find succor and homes in the isles.
An accord is struck, called The Great Compact. This Compact will become the basis of the Faenarian Constitution, and its opening declarations are as follows:
- The Faenarians must swear never to raise arms against the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians must swear never to abuse the hospitality of the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians must pledge to be accepted into a household of the Rahuri, binding them to the people of the isles as family.
- The Faenarians must pledge to share their catches, spoils, and discoveries with the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians must hold no kings or claim of rulership over the Rahuri people. The Scions of Faenar may hold a place of privilege as the living embodiment of this pact and command their own ships and people in battle.
- This list of pledges may be added to by the Council of Caciques as they please, so long as a Council is called to the Home Island where its additions may be added to by the Council in full view of the Rahuri.
- The Faenarians shall hold a place of brotherhood within the tribes, and shall be accepted as equals among them.
- The Faenarians shall be entitled to hold all property they brought with them on their exodus as their own.
Loanost Faenar consents to this arrangement. His family is given the title of Autocrat by the Caciques, a living embodiment of this pact among the tribes and his people. He formally titles his people "Merfolk" after creatures of Rahuri mythology to cut ties completely with the Cethosi isles and as a sign of his willingness to integrate with their new hosts. The fleet disperses to the rest of the isles, though the majority of the Merfolk remain on Loa Nota and begin to construct The Coral City. The first Merfolk artisans discover the orichalcum deposits within the volcanoes of Loa Nota and begin experimenting with its use, creating what is now known as "Water Glass." Sheets of crystal forged in the pressures beneath the waves, the glass holds the appearance of shifting waves. Baubles- from liquor decanters to mirrors- are forged using this technique and begin to be sold elsewhere.
1551 CE: The Breakaway Fleet limps to the shores of Luminaria. Tirala Yinan and her followers are accepted among the Luminarians and establish Yinan Province, integrating with the nation over the next ten years.
1558 CE: The Rahuri Isles are stricken with famine, with many believing the Merfolk are to blame for the scarcity. Loanost Faenar approaches the Caciques with a proposal: His people will crew their vessels again and launch a trade mission to the Shah of Kera-Bijan to bring back food and crops. The Caciques consent to this and the fleet is launched to the mainland.
The Merfolk come to the court of the Shah with Rahuri tobacco and Merfolk Water Glass to trade for grain, fruits, and meat. The trade is established and the people of the isles return to a time of plenty and building.
1560 CE: The Shah and his wealthiest Satraps increase their demand for Water Glass, and begin to trade gold and luxury goods for it rather than just food. The Merfolk are invited to establish a settlement in the north of Kera-Bijan, Locha Noa. The colony helps to ease the burden of feeding the Rahuri in the home isles while enriching the Merfolk. The wealth is brought back to the home isles.
1565: The Linana Clan of the Rahuri announces that they are dissatisfied with the changes brought by the Merfolk and the rapid growth of the Coral City. The Rahuri Civil War begins. Loanost Faenar decrees that no Merfolk should fight in the war, holding to the decree of the Caciques not to bear arms against the Rahuri- if the Rahuri decide to expel their people, it will be honored. He secretly orders his lieutenants to fortify Locha Noa as a new homeland. Merfolk quietly evacuate the isles and settle in the new city in greater numbers.
1568 CE: The Steppe Tribes of Kera-Bijan attack Locha Noa, hoping to pillage its wealth. In cooperation with the levies of the Shah, the attack is repelled. The Merfolk replace the crude palisades with shaped coral walls in a great undertaking. The work will not be complete until 1574. The Glass Bank is founded in Locha Noa to handle and take account of the material wealth of the Merfolk in this time of upheaval. The bank is so named because the bank charter is signed within a Water Glass workshop, and the wealth of the people stored in its Warehouses.
1569 CE:The Rahuri Civil War ends in defeat for the Liana clan. They are welcomed back into the family of the Caciques as wayward brothers rather than rebelling tribes, and the Merfolk are invited back to live in the Coral City in safety.
1573 CE: The Rahuri and Merfolk launch joint trading expeditions to establish relations with the old world. One fleet heads far to the East, another West to make contact with the Kratorian Empire. Their holds are filled with Water Glass, tobacco, pepper, silks, and sugar, along with soldiers and marines to defend the ships.
1574 CE: The Westerly Fleet makes contact with the Kratorian Empyreum. The vessels surrender their cargo in a sign of goodwill, and a diplomatic conference is held with the Admiral of the fleet, Ritana Faenar, daughter of Loanast. Guarantees are made toward good intent and customs houses are established in the coastal cities of the Empire. Sugar, Tobacco, Water Glass, and Silk flows freely into Imperial ports. Rum soon follows (much to the dismay of captains of all stripes in the Empire).
1578 CE: The Easterly Fleet makes contact with the Merfolk of Yinan Province in Luminaria. The Admiral is overjoyed to find their wayward brothers and sisters, but troubled by their peaceful, almost fanatical subservience to the Luminarian way. Suspicion of a magical compulsion breaks out amongst the crews. Persuasion fails to bring the merfolk home to the Isles. Armed attacks and kidnappings take place, but the Merfolk of Yinan resist. The Easterly fleet splits in two- one half returning to the Isles to report what has been discovered, one half remaining off the coast of Luminaria, operating as pirates to try and "liberate" their kinsman.
1589 CE:Loanost Faenar perishes on a shark hunt. He is entombed within the great vaults of the volcano beneath Loa Nota, along with other Rahuri Caciques. Ritana Faenar succeeds her father as Autarch of the Isles.
The Easterly Fleet is subjugated by the Luminarian Navy. Its Admiral taken prisoner and their ships beached. Diplomatic envoys leave for Faenaria seeking reparation for his acts of piracy and kidnapping, but also peace.
1590 CE:The Bank of Glass moves its headquarters and Wealth to the Coral City. Representatives of the Imperial Marble Bank begin making the voyage to the home isles to assess the true wealth and capability of the institution. The two begin sharing theories on practices of wealth management and record keeping, leading to an informal friendly (if competitive) relationship between the two. The Marble Bank introduces wealthy imperials to the Glass Bank, contacts that the Faenarians would otherwise never interact with. The Glass Bank opens an official vault for the Emperor and Empress. Sentimental items are stored here, but the security of the vaults compared to those tainted by the bitter politics and corruption in the Empire leads to greater cooperation.
The Luminarian delegation arrives. The Caciques and Ritana Faenar accept their requests for peace and pledge to discipline those who remained in the trade fleet, claiming no knowledge of the extent of their actions. Historians dispute this, citing the return of half of the fleet years earlier. Some argue that Ritana was unaware of the extent of the piracy and attacks, other that she hoped to extend Faenarian control to the isles off the coast of Luminaria.
Ritana consents to allow the Merfolk in the fleet to be subjected to Luminarian justice, though the Rahuri ask that their people be returned to the isles. The Luminarians consent to this request.
1600 CE: Princess Dissaria becomes Empress of Kratoria. She begins her reign by announcing grand expansions to Imperial art, architecture, and armies- paid for by taxes on the Senate and Primarch households.
1604 CE: Members of the Imperial Senate open accounts in the Glass Bank to secretly stow wealth for their families out of reach of the Mad Queen's tax increases. Back channel communications are established between the Marble Bank, the Faenarian Customs Houses, and the Glass Bank to facilitate the transfer of wealth outside the view of the Mad Queen.
1611 CE: Princess Athena of Kratoria is born.
1632 CE: 1632 CE: The Bank of Glass begins to finance regular trade fleets. Enormous treasure armadas begin to set sail monthly, banding together to share supplies and fight off pirates and sea monsters. Many of these treasure ships head to tried and tested ports, like those of Kratoria, but others exhibit an adventuring spirit and head into the great unknown.
In late summer, one such treasure fleet makes first contact with Sidarid fishermen. The clansfolk are stunned by the creatures of myth aboard the ships. Despite the language barrier, the fishermen manage to lead the fleet towards Glenmagar, from where the young Bhaenrhig Parhaigen ruled Sidara. The language barriers were soon traversed, for an Arwyndyn who knew the Cethosi tongue was quickly found. The young Bhaenrhig and many Sidarids were stunned by the craftsmanship and luxury items that the Faenarians brought. This would mark the beginning of the first phase in Faenaro-Sidarid trade. The Faenarians enjoy a near-monopoly on imports and exports (limited in nature as those naturally were at the time) for some time. Despite Anvegadian attempts to disrupt this trade and newly-forged relationship, trade and commerce between Sidara and Faenaria would continue uninterrupted until the Faenarian Banking Crisis in the Isles decades later.
The initial encounter, short-lived though it was, would have a lasting impact on Sidarid approaches to business and trade, and would contribute to the the Sidarid Enlightenment of the eighteenth century and the eventual creation of Clan-Companies.
1641 CE: Princess Athena rises to a formal position within the Imperial Court. She accompanies a goodwill delegation to the Isles of Faenaria, renewing vows of friendship between the two nations. Ritana Faenar and the Caciques receive her on the Home Isles. Formal discussions about trade policy and taxation are secondary to the relationship established between the two. Ritana and Athena begin a long written correspondence, some of which survive to this day- many have been transcribed, most notably those by the Imperial historian Horus under the title "On the power of Queens and the State." Topics range from monetary and military policy to cuisine critiques and political maneuvering.
1651 CE: The Kratorian Civil War begins in the outer provinces. Primarchs and Senators rally around Princess Athena as a figurehead to resist the actions of the Mad Queen. Alliances, territory and allegiances change regularly. Only the increasing brutalities of the Mad Queen keep the war raging.
1662 CE: Wealth from trade to Kratoria dries up as the civil war drags on. The Bank of Glass releases more and more wealth from the vaults in an attempt to alleviate the economic downturn. This triggers runaway inflation in the isles that affects Kera-Bijan. Faenarian gold and silver from this recession has been traced to Etresna, the Sidarid Isles, Luminaria, and even as far away as Uruk.
1663 CE: The Caciques call a council to deal with the continued economic fallout of the opening of the Vaults. Citing the original pledge of "Sharing Spoils" established by the original council of Caciques and Faenar, they demand an input on monetary policy and ownership of the Bank of Glass- it becomes plain for all to see that the Caciques will attempt to seize the bank outright. Ritana Faenar rallies her own supporters and prepares a counter offer. The Isles have been held together for a century under an informal policy of "two races, one family." She proposes the creation of a nation state akin to Kratoria, Kera-Bijan, and Luminaria.
The wealth of the Bank of Glass will be managed directly by this new Nation rather than any one race or people. The merfolk will continue to build and crew warships in defense of the waves and their trade, while the Rahuri will raise armies to defend the islands and administer justice themselves. The Merchant Compacts of the trade fleets petition for a second, private institution to manage risk to their own personal ventures- establishing the original Coral Exchange in a beachside rum tavern. Ritana asks that the new nation be formally titled Faenaria, as a pledge from the Caciques toward their own good faith. The Caciques consent to these arrangements.
The Caciques assemble in the great hall of the Palace of Faenar to hold debates, counsel one another, and give consent to actions by the Autarch on the waves. The Rahuri 'Vanata, Banker from Coral City' is elected the first Cacique of the Vault to manage the wealth of the Glass Bank and set monetary policy. Vanata counsels that taxes should be raised to remove coins from circulation and employ citizenry with a program to build a new fleet for the nation's navy, replacing the original Coral Shaped vessels the Merfolk took to sea on.
1670 CE: Monetary records mark a downturn of inflation; scholars mark this as the end of the Faenarian Banking Crisis in the Isles.
1691 CE: The Kratorian Civil War grinds to a halt with the threat of Etresnan intervention. Kratoria lies in ruin, the Mad Queen still commands the heart of the Empire while Athena's core army remains intact. Neither side can feed or pay its soldiers in adequate numbers. A delegation of Senators and Primarchs smuggle the remaining wealth of their households out of the Empire aboard a Faenarian trade fleet and makes their way to the isles. They offer up the wealth of ancient Imperial Households as collateral. They request formal loans from the Glass Bank to finance the war effort and purchase arms, supplies, and mercenary companies.
The Caciques call a council as there are fears that the money requested could trigger another Banking Crisis, much less war and invasion of the isles. The debate is settled by rules of the Glass Bank's charter. The Primarchs agree to accept a reduced loan from the bank "for personal use" while the remainder of their funding is secured through the Coral Exchange. The loans appear as nothing more than a refinancing of properties and investments in Kratorian Villas. The Primarchs return home with a treasure fleet to carry their funds to Princess Athena, along with an aged banker Vanata, First Cacique of the Treasury, long since retired from her position at the head of the Glass Bank. Vanata assists in the disbursal of funds alongside members of the Marble Bank to prevent rampant inflation.
Mercenary companies and merchant caravans begin to converge on the Rebel encampments, hearing that there is coin to be had. By the turn of the year, the IVth Legion finds itself being paid in barter goods. They will desert their post and declare allegiance to the Princess.
1692 CE: The Mad Queen continues to lose soldiers as the rebel provinces enjoy a return to prosperity. Ilium falls to the rebellion after a popular uprising.
During the summer campaign, rumors circulate in Loyalist cities that Faenarian Customs houses are actually great repositories of gold and silver, hidden from public view. There is debate among historians whether the Mad Queen actually believes these rumors or used them as a pretext to punish the Faenarian Glass Bank for aiding the Rebellion. Loyalist troops seize the Faenarian customs houses and confiscate their goods and coin. Merfolk and Rahuri are killed in anti-Faenarian pogroms while the Summer Trade Fleet is attacked by the Imperial Navy- nine of the twenty-seven ships are sunk, five are captured, and thirteen are forced to retreat, eventually finding their way to the Sidarid Isles for aid and reconstruction.
The Anvegadian Military-Governor Whiteforge, known as the Cannon-Forged Governor, was by this time old and ailing, not entirely in control of Sidara. The more politically intuitive and fiercely intelligent young Rhig Aenfys had managed to run rings around the old man, while deluding him into thinking of Aenfys as a pliable and loyal puppet. The Faenarian fleet is welcomed at Baena's Bay and every help and luxury that could be afforded them is provided. This proved an excellent opportunity for Sidara to re-establish relations with an old friend and secretly study Faenarian ship designs to improve upon the fleet they were building right under Anvegad's nose. Once the Faenarian vessels were repaired and their sick and injured had been cared for (those that were not beyond saving, of course), they are sent home laden with gifts and messages of friendship and goodwill. Due to the events that followed, the newly rekindled relationship could not, unfortunately, be maintained.
By Autumn, the Summer Fleet returns to Loa Nota. The Caciques call a council of war. All signs point to an eventual victory for Princess Athena, though there is a debate about how long that victory will take to win. An aged Ritana, nearly one-hundred years old, asks for permission to sail the Golden Fleet in defense of the Merfolk and Rahuri. The Caciques vote 17 to 8 for war. A messenger departs for rebel territory, carrying a message of intent:
- Faenaria will soon enact a blockade of the Mad Queen's coastline. Any ship flying her banner will be boarded and their cargo taken as a prize. - The Faenarian fleet will engage the Mad Queen's ships where practical and attempt to sink the Imperial Fleet. - The Faenarians will attempt an invasion of two coastal cities, opening up a new front. - Any territory, prisoners, or ships seized by the Faenarians will be administered under Rahuri Law, but will be returned to Princess Athena or one of her loyal Primarchs.
The Golden Fleet embarks on a punitive expedition at the start of winter, lead by the Rahuri Gidall, Warleader of Loa Cana. Gidall engages the merchant compacts to arm their own ships and harass Loyalist vessels. This marks the first sailing of the Privateer Fleet.
1693 CE: The Golden Fleet arrives off the coast of Kratoria and begins its campaign in support of Princess Athena.
1699 CE: The Mad Queen is deposed by Princess Athena. Popular legend in Faenaria has it the Queen died after drinking a draught of mercury and orichalcum in an effort to attain otherworldly power. The Faenarian occupation of the Imperial coast ends.
---
1865 CE: Etresna and Kratoria enter a conflict with global ramifications. Kratorian Senators approach Faenaria with requests to join the war on the waves. Yarana Faenar, knowing that he does not have the support of the Caciques to enter the conflict, offers mercantile contacts to help fund the Kratorian Empyreum.
1867 CE: Etresna engages in a program of land seizures, infrastructural development, and population transfer on the Nine Isles it conquered from Sidara. These 'undeveloped' lands that Etresna seizes are in fact clan lands. The Etremaden do not understand this, and the subsequent outrage from the local population as well as the Sidarid government is not given much notice. Sidara begins aligning itself with Kratoria, contacting Faenaria for support in its efforts to build-up for a liberation war, and attempts to woo Uruk's favour by investing in its arms and heavy industry.
1868 CE: Yarana Faenar again approaches the Caciques behind closed doors to woo them for the votes to war. The Coral Exchange, normally his chief political sword and shield, has been much diminished by the war on the waves. The Glass Bank and trade with Kera-Bijan is singlehandedly buoying the Faenarian economy. The peril of Sidarid being conquered and the Clan Companies being wiped out with their debts unpaid causes no end of stress among the bureaucrats and politicians.
The Caciques vote 14-11 to abstain from war. However, a clandestine money-funneling program begins unloading Guilders into the Sidarid Isles, helping them to finance the creation of a modernized military. At the same time, the Coral Exchange merchants begin cashing in their Etresnan government bonds and private stocks in a mass selloff. Loans are called in. Credit is constrained on the mainland. The initial effect of this on Etresna is negligible. Etresnan hard currency makes up for this loss.
1873 CE: Sidara's navy and armies are fully prepared to join Kratoria in its war against Etresna, and Sidarid technological support and economic investment means the Uruk military has developed rifled weaponry and more modern war tactics.
The Faenarian Caciques are carried to war in a 13-12 vote in the Assembly. The Golden Armada sails to the coast and begins a policy of containment of the Etresnan fleet. Etresnan industry begins experiencing a Credit Crunch as more and more businesses cannot obtain secure loans from the Glass Bank or the Coral Exchange. Etresna experiences stagflation. Despite the fact that their military is fighting off no less than four superpower-class nations (and winning on several fronts), popular support for the war begins to erode.
1876 CE: The Kera-Bijan trade route experiences a downturn in demand. The Faenarian Coral Exchange experiences a collapse. At the same time, Etresna goes from a Recession economy to a Depression. Preliminary peace talks begin behind the scenes as the financial contagion spreads beyond Faenaria and Etresna.
1877 CE: The Etresnan political class sues for peace with the Fourth Coalition. The Etresnan military is deployed to quell bread riots in several cities, while in others they are greeted as heroes with great parades and celebrations.
The Sidarid Isles are reunited and whole once again.
Territorial Claims: Faenaria Holds dominion over the oceans to the east. They have forsaken the Cethosi islands, believing them to be backward and bloodthirsty, but the Merchant Class is lobbying for dominion over the isles west of Segon and Arcanain to expand their financial empire.
Economy: The Faenarian Economy was once driven by the Privateer Fleet. Its ships move cargo between nations for a modest markup, protected by the Golden Fleet. The Privateers no longer rule the seas unchallenged, but their influence is still felt in the Coral Market. When the convoys of Merchants began returning from long voyages unchallenged during the Age of Piracy, their wealth was jealously guarded by Faenarians and re-invested. Banks and vaults in Faenaria hold accounts for major corporations, rulers, politicians and oligarchs from across the world. The Faenarian Guilder is one of the primary trade currencies against which other forms of cash are measured against- most Government Ministers of the Economy have direct lines to a Faenarian Banking house.
The two primary entities of the Faenarian Finance industry are the Glass Bank and the Coral Exchange. The Coral Exchange is a stock and bond market that is managed by private corporations, though interest rates and trade taxes are managed by Faenaria.
The Glass Bank is a government run institution. It provides loans to nations and corporations alike (the latter is overseen by the Minister of Finance, the former by bureaucrats), and hold enormous wealth in underground vaults. Bouillon from nations, kings, emperors and private individuals are stored on the remote island under intense scrutiny. While it is not readily available, nations and leaders sleep soundly knowing part of their nation's gold supply is secure deep within the Sunrise Sea.
Finally, the Sunset Isles provide a route for luxury goods that back up the Faenarian Guilder. Silks, tobacco, sugar and precious stones are shipped out from their colony regularly.
Technology: Faenarian technology relies heavily on their magical innovations. Rather than producing explosive gunpowders, their Water Shapers fire pressurized blasts of water from their Water Cannons, striking with the force of wrecking balls against concrete when they strike their targets. When they must rely on technology, they import it from trade partners.
Army: The Faenarian Army is entirely staffed by Human Auxiliaries. Going back to the beginning of the nation, the Human tribes were recognized as being better able to attack and defend deeper inland than their Merfolk comrades. Today the regular army is a modest size. The few Faenarian cities maintain garrisons to help maintain order with gendarmes, while smaller islands host outposts to defend against pirate attacks. All tolled, these garrisons host 60,000 individuals in Five Divisions. Each has limited towed modern artillery, medical support, and engineer battalions. Faenarian Army divisions tend to appear much more colorful than threatening,
Navy: The Golden Fleet and the Privateer Fleet are a mixed force of modern and turn-of-the-century vessels. One-hundred make up the Golden Fleet, combat worthy vessels always flying a military flag. - 11 Battleships - 18 Cruisers - 53 Destroyers - 18 Supply and Logistical Vessels The Privateer Fleet is a force of roughly 300 private merchant ships. Registering as a Merchant Vessel under the Republic carries the caveat that at any point, in the event of a national emergency, they must return to the capital for armament by and for the Faenarian Navy. These vessels then take to the waves as Destroyers and Logistical Vessels with Letters of Marque issued.
Air Force: *laughter* No.
Territory:8 (+4) Faenaria is decently sized island nation, with room for cities and lots of farmland to support its population and mercantile imperialism. Much of this comes from recently acquired colonies in the Sea of Segon and the Sunlands far to the east. While the islands are few and far between, Faenaria claims the seas around them as dominion.
Tech:8 (-2) Faenaria is still antiquated in its methods of production and machinery, but modernization is about to begin or in its beginning stages. Due to the needs of the Merfolk for clean waters, the nation has opted to lean into magical innovation rather than industrialization. Most modern technology is imported from the Empire or the Sidarid.
Army Size:5 (+4) The citizens of Faenaria are unofficially divided into two castes- the Cethos outcasts and the human tribes. The humans of Faenaria, being the only peoples suitable for extended land-based combat, make up the core of its armies. Most are adequately trained in modern combat tactics but their small division sizes mean they cannot hope to invade a land-based nation without the concerted efforts of the Navy to support them or the help of an allied power.
Economy:20 The wealth of Faenaria has been steadily built since the exile from Cethos in the 1650s. Exile from Cethos saw them turn from their culture's more insular ways to more worldly concerns, and they took to integration with the modern world like... well, fish to water. While they began as a trade empire, the rapid buildup of wealth quickly required the development of a competent banking system to prevent inflation and financial ruin. Faenarian ports are cosmopolitan centers of commerce, and their Coral Exchange is synonymous with banking and investment in the east; many newspapers run summaries of the day's trading to keep the wealthy appraised of their investments. Additionally, the Glass Bank, founded in 1682, is a contender for the oldest bank in the world. An official government lending institution, the bank's vaults extend deep under the island of Loa Nota, in waterlogged chambers and dry ones as well. Nations and royals alike can store their wealth within and feel safe knowing that their enemies cannot touch their previous gold, silver, or mithril bouillon. Not the smallest source of this wealth has been their Colony of Locha Noa in the Sunlands. Exclusive trade rights with this province of the continent continent has produced vast amounts of coinage as they sell silk, nutmeg, peppers, rice, and half a hundred other exotic substances on the international markets.
Population:12 Faenaria boasts between 60-61,000,000 living souls. The most recent census, four years prior to present day, had a population documented of 60,157,891 citizens. Of those, 28,402,081 were sea dwellers, while 31,755,810 were human. There is a small but prosperous enclave of Fae creatures from the Kratorian Empyrium that call the islands home.
Production:6 (+1) Faenaria is still a largely untouched island empire. Many cities are devoted to Agrarian pursuits with its industry (and major shipbuilding operations) all headquartered in the city of Locha Ele. This has suited them well for three centuries, but now it has become clear that they are falling behind most other industrialized nations in the area of production. They move raw materials and luxury items across the waves. Factories have a tendency to pollute, something which they cannot abide when they have so little acreage to call their own.
Navy Size:(18) The Faenarian navy is perhaps the largest merchant fleet afloat- if it is not now, it most certainly once was less than a century ago. Were the Autocrat to order all ships to return to the home port, it could trigger a recession in most small nations dependent on some form of international trade. Their army, with its small divisions and recent equipment acquisitions from Etresna's mainland, still cannot hold a candle compared to the ships of the Golden Fleet. Every Lightning and Water cannon, every Magus Boiler, every armor plate, is built to defend the islands from invasion and project power abroad. Faenarian Marines, armed with Magic-forged coral blades and small arms, are capable of limited land based operations when called upon to supplement the army.
While the Golden Fleet is comprised of cruisers, battleships, and a handful of dreadnoughts, it is supplemented by the Privateer Fleet. Building regulations for Faenarian merchant ships, especially those which want to carry cargo of sufficient value, must be built with the speed and armor of a modern Destroyer to have their voyages insured by the Glass Bank. The Autarch of Faenaria holds the right to nationalize these merchant ships, ordering all vessels currently trading with a belligerent power to return to port for armament in service to the nation. All agreed upon trade contracts with the belligerent nations are forfeited, their cargoes seized, their wealth in the Coral Exchange and Glass Bank frozen. Cargo being moved to these nations by third parties can expect to be attacked by the Privateer Fleet, as their goods can be seized by enterprising captains as booty, protected by the might of the state. This is an economic weapon that holds disastrous foreign policy implications, but also acts as a deterrent in place of a fearsome army.
Airforce Size: (2) "You fly like a Faenarian." A common insult from one pilot to another. There are literally a handful of planes in Faenaria, all trinkets of the idle rich. None of them is owned by the military.
Magic:(16) While Faenaria is lacking in modern technical power, it still competes with most superpower nations in the realm of Magical development. Their time integrating with the human tribes, coupled with impressive deposits of magical ore and ley energy, means they have developed tools and production facilities that lend their cities and ships an air of opulence and arrogance. A Faenarian frigate is shaped through these naturally occurring magical forces- not built. From the outside, it resembles a gaudy trading vessel with the texture of a seashell- sharpened coral railings to help repel boarders, cannons that can fire pressurized spheres of water striking with the force of wrecking balls rather than explosive shells, and a hull that cuts through waves and shoals with ease. Cities are likewise built with an attention to the use of magics- streetlight is provided by powered crystals rather than gas lamps, steel is forged with magical applications rather than chemical, and waste burned with smokeless fires.
Mobilization:(7; -2) Mobilization efforts in Faenaria have fallen behind their prior abilities during the age of sails. The army has fallen to the wayside in favor of naval modernization, and even then, the navy is at its peak when supplemented by the Privateer Fleet. Most cities have active garrisons of professional soldiers on alert to assist in search and rescue operations after storms strike, but to call the people to arms is a lengthy and expensive affair.
Traits:
(Mixed Perk) Power of the Purse: There is something crude and childlike about Faenarian diplomacy. Where other nations may seek cooperation with others through appealing to pure idealism or hard realpolitik, Faenarians are known to simply bust open a checkbook and begin bidding. The fact that their vaults are deep and filled with the wealth of the waves mean they have more luck influencing unaligned nations to see their way. But other major powers look down on them as little better than rich fools who can be bought by hard coin- unable or unwilling to believe in hard ideals. What good is an Alliance in ink when it may be overruled by another nation writing a large check?
(Positive Perk) Super Maria Ingrata: Many rulers and governments think twice about aggressive actions against Faenaria. Not out of fear of invasion, but out of fear of economic danger. Their merchant vessels will be sunk or taken as prizes by the Privateer Fleet, and their wealth in the Coral Markets seized. The safety of their seagoing vessels will not be guaranteed.
(Mixed Perk) They Came From the Sea: Faenarian Marines specialize in amphibious landings. When deployed with the support of the Golden Fleet's water cannons, they can subdue and occupy many coastal regions in a matter of weeks. Pushing inland is another problem entirely, and Faenarian marines cannot occupy more than a few miles inland without access to constant sources of fresh or salt water like rivers or lakes. Otherwise, they will hold their ground until counterattacked and driven off by their enemies.
Foreign Relations: Faenaria currently maintains exclusive trading rights with a single province of Kera-Bijan. The Shah allowed the Faenarians to establish a single port city on the northern coast of their domain, Locha Noa. Locha Noa is the most jealously guarded colonial possession of the Faenarians and perhaps the most fortified. The Golden Fleet's Second Flotilla is based here, protecting merchant ships from pirates and enemy warships.
Faenaria's first diplomatic interactions came when they aided the Kratorian Empire's overthrow of the Mad Queen. Since then, the two have enjoyed a lucrative and mutually beneficial relationship. The Empire supplies raw materials that Faenaria would normally not be able to secure like iron, lumber, and other resources. In exchange, Faenaria exports luxury goods like sugar and tobacco, while also financing Imperial industries at home. The mass production of their Air Corps was thanks to financing provided by the Glass Bank, and the Imperial Air Corps will soon be stationed on bases throughout the coral sea to help "stop the spread of piracy."
Sidara and Faenaria have an extensive trading history. Faenarian Magic is swapped for Sidaran Technology daily, and the Bank of Glass has financed the Sidaran Clan-companies' operations. Sidarans build wonderful technology while Faenarians cut checks to allow the clan companies to operate without significant fear of disruption. The two have never been formally hostile or allied, but the return of the Cethos to the world stage in recent decades has disrupted longstanding trade routes and caused no end of heartburn for their nations' accountants. They don't need a defensive alliance to expect Faenarian support. If you owe the bank a lot of money, the bank has a vested interest in keeping you alive...
During the Anvegad Civil War, the Valorgardes arranged for the nation's gold reserves to be moved from the mainland to the vaults of the Glass Bank. This kept the national currency afloat even through the war and a portion of the gold remains in the Glass Bank to this day. While Etresna invests in Anvegad's reconstruction, the Faenarians saw an opportunity to invest in their Alchemical industries, helping to rebuild their private sector as a bulwark against Collectivist thought and influence.
Is there opening in this RP for a potential neutral-soon-to-be-not-neutral industrial bankroller of the conflict, with maybe a bone to pick one one particular belligerent nation?
