[center][color=Gold][h1]NPC Nations[/h1][/color][/center]


[hider=Cyrenae Isles]
[b]Name:[/b] Sovereign Nation of Cyrene
[b]Demonym:[/b] Cyrenae
[b]Description:[/b] 

[b]Government:[/b]
For the past five decades Cyrene has been ruled under a military dictatorship. The ruler leads with absolute authority and is titled as the Tyrant, not as a pejorative but because of an old tradition of electing a single man to rule unilaterally and unchallenged under martial law. The idea had always been that this unrestricted power was temporary and that the tyrant would step down after the crisis had ended, and in many cases that happened. But under the current military dictatorship, the tyrant's powers have expanded into that of an utterly absolutist ruler and a tyrant rules for as long as he can hold power. In the case of Tyrant Velharus, that has been some twenty years or so.

[b]Economy:[/b]
Cyrene sits in the middle of the sea that separates Albion from the lands of the Commonwealth, and as such their ports steer a great deal of this trade. As such Cyrene can reap huge profit through resupplying and repairing merchant vessels that stop along their way.

In terms of resources the islands are devoid of anything truly noteworthy, having been occupied and exploited for thousands of years. The nearby seas do provide for a healthy fishing and whaling industry to compliment Cyrene's status as a trading hub.

[b]Religion:[/b]
Eastern Lindosianism dominates here, but as a major trade hub there are diverse populations and many other faiths are represented as minorites. The Tyrant has done little to enforce any particular religion, and has the unusual status of having never held a public appearance near any sort of temple or shrine nor had any clergy bless his rule.

[b]Geography and Notable Locations:[/b]
Cyrene controls three small clusters of islands in the sea between the Albion and the Commonwealth. All the islands are similar in appearance and clime: they are windswept, craggy rocks that seem to simply stick out of the ocean. Abundant sun provides for an uncomfortable heat, but the damp salty air and constant winds steal back just enough warmth to leave the islands at a relatively comfortable temperature. What flat, inland regions do exist on the larger islands are not especially wooded and have poor, infertile soil.
[hider=Map of Cyrene]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/fwJrlsQ.jpg[/img]
[/hider]

The northernmost two islands are referred to as Naxos: this is where the majority of the populace lives and this is the largest commercial hub. The Tyrant (and the Tyrants before him) have all made their strongholds here, both for practical purposes and in keeping with the old monarchy's tradition of having the capital in Naxos.

The southern groups of islands are called Mykonos (currently contested territory; occupied by the Confederation of Herater) and Ithaca.

[b]Population:[/b] 600,000

[b]Personalities of Note:[/b]
[hider=Tyrant Velharus] The latest in a series of multiple tyrants that have ruled since the monarchy was overthrown half a century ago. Velharus always wears a recognizable set of elaborate black and red robes with golden threading, as well as a mask (though it fully covers his head and is perhaps better caled a helmet) of a dull golden color.

Velharus is unique in that he has held power for twenty years now. His ascension was also strange: fleeing from the faroff land of Al-Arabus once it fell to the Commonwealth, he joined the Cyrenae military force and rapidly climbed through the ranks. His ambition caught the yes of the tyrant and his closest council, but by the time they sought to curtail the perceived threat to their power it was already too late. With almost unanimous support from the military and citizenry alike, Velharus marched through the streets of Naxos and into the tyrant's fortress. The guards opened the gates for Velharus and his supporters, and then that tyrant and his council were never seen again. Velharus assumed the position of tyrant immediately, and despite numerous assassination attempts he has remained in power ever since.

'Velharus' is not a name that one would assosciate with a man hailing from Al-Arabus. While few scholars in Albion would be knowledgeable about such an exotic and faroff land, those that are tend to suspect that 'Velharus' is not the tyrant's name at all and that it is some sort of alias. In any case, there are many more mysteries and dark rumors that shroud the Tyrant's name: some say that he does not eat, drink, or breathe; many also whisper that he has ties with the Black Circle and the mages of Oros.[/hider]

[b]Institutions:[/b]
Yet to be determined


[b]Military:[/b] 
WIP
[u]Organization:[/u] 
[u]Troop Total:[/u] 6,000
[u]Army:[/u]
[u]Navy:[/u]
[u]Other:[/u]

[b]Advantages and Disadvantages:[/b]
[i]A quiet land, a quiet people[/i]: Though rumors may abound, there are few things of any substance that one could point at to call the Tyrant truly tyrannical, cruel, or unjust. He is a quiet ruler, almost never seen or discussed by the public, but nonetheless he is there and always at the shadow. He is a shadowy and subtle ruler that controls his lands by indirect manipulation, not show of military force. As such, the land is stable, the people content, and neighboring nations tend to think nothing of Cyrene or its despot.

[i]Commercial hub:[/i] Cyrene's geographical location and neutral disposition lead to vast volumes of trade being channeled through its waters. Though most of this trade neither originates nor ends in Cyrene, they do manage to siphon quite a bit of wealth from the stream. This status as an important trade channel also gives Cyrene some leverage over the nearby nations that make use of her waters.

[i]The Tyrant:[/i] A very effective and ruthless leader to be sure, but there is also something...more to this man. He cultivates an aura of fear and awe to all those that see him in person.

[i]The plague of piracy:[/i] Attracted to Cyrene's active ports and many merchant vessels like flies to a corpse, pirates have always plagued Cyrene's waters. They make their bases both in other nations and even in the hidden coves of the many tiny and unoccupied islands in Cyrene's own waters. As a relatively small nation with a proportionately small navy, Cyrene has always struggled to deal with pirates. Their hatred of pirates is known across the world, though, and they are known to inflict incredibly cruel punishments upon any that they can capture.

[i]Dependence on foreign trade:[/i] Having long been at the heart of many trade routes, Cyrene has been exposed to all manner of foreign goods and the populace has grown to take them for granted and expect their continued abundance. In addition, the nation's domestic food production is lacking and it relies upon imported agricultural products. These two factors combine to mean that a large scale blockade or embargo would be a heavy blow and one that the small nation might struggle to recover from.
[/hider]