The Free Land of Battizia
Demonym: Battizian
Description: A century ago Battizia was a uniquely centralised nation, the king had very jealously gathered all the powers of the realm under himself and in effect become an absolute monarch. He had supplanted the need for feudalism with income from the export of porcelain and tea as well as a spartanic cutting down of crown expenses to fund a military loyal solely to him. With it, he was able to crush the nobility and divide the country between himself and the church that supported his divine right. In his small country, the very energetic and ambitious king had been able to make it work. But what followed him were a line of imbeciles, who completely lacked the merit to make up for the lack of the developed bureaucracy that is truly needed to control a centralised state.
His successors reversed his changes. The power and money they inherited was spent on vanity and luxury, neglecting the realm and the military. Criminality began to flourish. Theft, cattle raiding, kidnappings, extortion, brigandry, murder, etc. spread like wildfire. The local lords that had once maintained order with their retinues were gone and the king paid little attention to the problems of the common people. The criminals had no one to fear except each other. People had to turn to gangs for protection.
As the country was spiralling downwards it began to make itself felt in the purse of King Augusto Seneo. He ordered his military to restore order. Fighting broke out in the streets of the capital, Mestiada. He left the city for one of his countryside homes, but his escort had been bribed and he was captured by Juan Felipe, leader of the Mestiada gang. The king was declared a murderer for the killings that took place in the city and executed. The rest of his family was interned.
Fighting quickly stopped, the soldiers already felt little motivation to fight and now there was hardly anything left to fight for. Juan Felipe offered them to serve him instead, with wages manifold higher than their pitiful old ones and they were eager to accept. His next move unexpectedly aligned with that of the late king. He saw that the chaos that they were descending into was neither sustainable nor profitable. He came in contact with the major gangs and together they reached an accord, in part because they shared his view but also because he was greatly intimidating following the regicide and the addition of the former King's soldiers to his gang. To secure the loyalty of the peasants, who might have felt some religious obligation to their now murdered king, they promised the redistribution of royal and church lands. Many who were once little more than serfs now became free, land-owning farmers.
What followed was a month of bloodshed as those who would not join the new order willingly were swept aside. In the aftermath, a surprising amount of order had been restored. Taxation was replaced with paying protection money to the local gang. People were largely left alone as long as they were either gang members or able to pay. Those less fortunate however would often disappear off to the plantations or slave markets. Order between the gangs was largely kept by the overwhelming force that the rest of the accord members could bring down on anyone who grasped for more. In the coastal towns, trade and international exchange thrived. There were few limits to what you could do and literally anyone was welcome as long as they did not cause trouble on the island, any trouble they caused elsewhere was none of Battizia's concern. In the end what concerned the gangs that ruled the country was the bottom line, anyone who interfered with that was dealt with harshly and often cruelly. How long this system can sustain itself remains to be seen.
In the troubled times piracy and smuggling thrived around Battizia. Trade was badly damaged and the island increasingly became dotted with pirate outposts, drug plantations and smuggler's hideouts. Following the overthrow, they were allowed to drop all pretences and do their work freely. The situation that followed was chaotic, but inspiration was quickly gained from the accord of the gangs. There was little to be gained by cannibalising on each other and potentially ruining this haven while there was a whole world of wealth to plunder beyond. So the smugglers, pirates and other Battizian seafarers gathered and entered a brotherhood. Those who flew the red serpent on their ships would not be molested. Conversely, those who falsely flew the red serpent or disrespected it would suffer unimaginably. Battizia's popularity as a haven for criminals grew quickly. Many smugglers and pirates desired a place to safely spend gold, fence goods, repair ships, purchase illicit goods, etc. and Battizian merchants were happy to buy goods at a low price and sell them elsewhere, while the gangs profited from prostitution, rents, drug sales, etc.
In recent events the Pintado gang has launched a daring expedition to the new world, aiming to claim land for plantations, ports and potentially in-land raids to capture more slaves. The Brotherhood is expanding their reach through claiming islands between the new world and Albion. Those with foresight believe that there may be potentially huge profits in plundering future trade going between the two continents. The islands are also valuable outposts for raiding the traffic going along the coast of Albion.
Government: Battizia is essentially without a government. But gangs maintain order in their areas of control and provide a semblance of government. Isles and islands outside Battizia are under the control of the Brotherhood, housing pirate outposts, plantations and smuggler's nests.
Economy: Most of the population is engaged in agriculture and especially cattle ranching, producing food mainly for domestic consumption. Tea and "medicinal substances", such as opiates, are produced on plantations, often with slave labour, which are mostly exported. Battizia also has a unique porcelain industry in its towns that produces goods for export. Most of the money flowing into Battizia comes from the traffic using its ports and ships returning with plunder.
Suitable lumber for shipbuilding, cannons, iron and miscellaneous luxury goods are among Battizia's greatest imports.
Religion: Many in the brotherhood have come to worship a crude imitation of a foreign religion. A great mother of serpents is paid tribute to, praying for good winds, calm waters and not to be devoured by any of her children.
Among the land dwellers the king's faith has lost a lot of its credibility. In the coastal towns it has almost entirely been replaced with apathy and interest in foreign gods. In the rural population, always set in their ways, the old faith still holds some sway. But with most of the clergy killed or spirited away in the month of bloodshed, the people are left with a rather vague notion of their religion.
Geography:Battizian climate could be summarised as "hot". The heaviest rainfall falls around the mountains, where the greenest parts of the country are found and tea can be grown. Outside of the mountainous areas, the land is largely dry and flat.
Population: 2,200,000
DemographicsIn the bustling towns and among the plantation slaves there exists a diversity of races from all across Albion and its islands. But even in the towns the native humans are found to be in the majority and especially in the countryside among the free farmers and ranchers, who make up the larger part of the population, humans are by far the most dominant. Physically the Battizians can be described as olive-skinned or swarthy and otherwise very average.
Notable LocationsMestiada - Once a calm and beautiful merchant city, it has now turned into a labyrinth of taverns, brothels and other establishments seeking to make a profit off the unfiltered traffic the city is receiving. Strange foreigners, humans as well as other races, walk the streets day and night, under some form of intoxication more often than not. Despite the nominal protection from Juan Filipe's gang it is difficult for the poorer native labourers living in the city to feel safe or at home.
Personalities of Note'Caudillo' Juan Filipe Alonso - Leader of the Mestiada gang and effectively the ruler of the former capital city, which has made him obscenely wealthy. He fancies himself the title Caudillo, seeing himself as the strongman that saved Battizia from anarchy and the nation's effective leader. In reality, he has little power beyond the city limits except by the consent of the other gangs. Nevertheless he's a key person and his death could mean the demise of the accord.
Captain Guillermo Espejo - An accomplished pirate, smuggler and adventurer with several ships under his command. Popular within the brotherhood not only for his accomplishments but also his generosity.
Institutions:The Battizian Brotherhood - Union of smugglers, pirates, sea-going merchants, etc. based in Battizia.
Various gangs controlling different parts of the country, including the
-Mestiada gang in the capital city
-Campuzano gang controlling large swathes of the flatlands, extorting farmers and ranchers for protection money and running plantations of their own
-Pintado gang with influence stretching across the country's coasts, they cooperate closely with the brotherhood and control many of the smaller ports.
Some secret societies, foreign or domestic, may hide in the country.
Military:Organization: Battizia lacks a real army. The closest thing is the old royal army maintained by Juan Filipe, in response to which some of other, more powerful gangs have formed their own armies as a counterbalance. Most gangs however maintain only what would amount to disorganised rabble in times of actual war.
Army total: 8500 men
-Juan Filipe maintains the old army of
3500 soldiers, professional and disciplined plate-clad pikemen and crossbowmen with a siege corps and battery of siege cannons.
-The Campuzano gang maintains
2000 horsemen, lightly equipped with javelins, swords and shields. Capable riders with a history of brigandry, but no real military training or experience.
-The Pintado gang maintains
3000 'soldiers', all of them bloodied in vicious street fighting during the month of bloodshed. Perhaps the reason for their success, they are run with tighter, more military-like, discipline than most other gangs. Their equipment is an adaptable mix match, but the weapons used are mostly those suited for door to door and street fighting as well as subterfuge and less so for open field battle.
Navy: Battizia has no navy, but a myriad of ships, Battizian as well as foreign, have made the island their home and are part of the brotherhood. The brotherhood however does not require you to come to the island's defence or service. Most pirates operate on a ship level, but some have united into fleets to take on bigger targets.
Roughly
580 ships in total sail under the brotherhood flag, but only about
150 of those are battle ready, active pirate ships.
Other:Rogue and mercenary mages - More prosperous pirate crews and inland gangs employ mages. Their power over the elements can be indispensable on the open sea and they are always valued in combat.
Other:Complete lack of central leadership (Weakness): Battizia has no government and the brotherhood has no central leadership. The main motivation for loyalty is money and if for example Battizia was invaded, there are no guarantees that the gangs would come to each other's aid. Even then their soldiers could be difficult to motivate.
A haven for all (Strength): Battizia welcomes all and can potentially call on the strengths of a diversity of races and schools of magic.
A Motley Crew (Strength): Battazian crews include virtually every race. They can fly another nation's colors and easily fool one as to their identity.
Sail the Seven Seas (Strength): Smuggling and piracy across the known world has given Battizia an extensive information network. Information on trade and events is vital for the brotherhood's earnings, and information on troop movements could potentially save Battizia or individual outposts should foreign powers move to shut them down.
Slow development (Weakness): The pirate fleets are a great mix of different ships from different sources. There is nothing to ensure that the ships or their weaponry are kept up to speed with the latest developments. The best way they would have of catching up to anyone racing ahead technologically would be the capture of their ships or arsenals.
