[center]Initial Application... --------------------------------------------------------------------[/center] [b][u]The Aegire Oligarchy[/u][/b] [b]Flag:[/b] [To Be Found] [i]A vestigial nation of survivors from an ancient empire decimated by the Akronites' homeland, the Aegiri are a nation consumed by wealth, posterity, and legacy. Their ships keep the trade lanes free of pirates and corsairs. The Aegiri neighbors question their loyalty and commitment. The Aegiri and Akronites both know that they are merely patient- but the Akronites seem to have forgotten this fact.[/i] The Aegiri did not raise forces to fight for the [b]Rebels[/b], but the Thassite Faction paid for food, weapons, and the material needs of the Third Rebellion. [center][b]Population/Races[/b] The Aegire are primarily descended from human tribes, but also have a number of Sea-Folk in their coastal cities. Sea-Folk are descended from the old Empire of Thassa, having fled a destructive war against the ancestors of the Akron to found the Oligarchy. Sea-Folk are often green or blue skinned, possess webbed feet and hands. Though it is a common misconception that they can breathe underwater, this is false- a sea-folk can hold their breath underwater for roughly an hour before suffocating. Humans within the Aegire nation are bronze-skinned, hardy folks who have traditionally lived in the isle's hills and small forests. While they were originally an insular, xenophobic people, their conquest by the Sea-Folk and the ensuing generations of living side-by-side with them has created a more-or-less intermingled society, separated only by the biological needs of their aquatic neighbors for sea water.[/center] [center][b]Culture/Society:[/b] The Aegiri occupy a precarious position within the struggle for the throne. The banking houses of Aegire are independent mercantile ventures and are the lifeblood of the isle. The ships entering and leaving the harbors of Aegire find safe ports and provisions, money-changers, and buyers and sellers of goods. A man with a little coin and a lot of patience can make a fortune in a few years if he is careful. Money is a central part of Aegiri society, but it is not the central part. Within Aegire, each citizen strives toward a [i]Nyleos[/i], a concept brought from the old Empire. A rough translation is "What survives me", though this misses the sense of obligation associated with the [i]Nyleos[/i]. The man who makes a fortune on the docks has an obligation to leave a legacy that survives him and his family- a public park, a shrine to the Sea. Most common folk are content to have something as simple as an addition to their home or a family garden for the [i]Nyleos[/i]. Though if it is within the means of the person to do more, it is expected that they should. Humans within the Isle originally held a closed off, xenophobic clan-based society. For generations, the Isle was a haven for piracy and runaway slaves, while the differing clans fought one another for supremacy. Today, humans have integrated into the Isle and while they do not hold the same wealth and status as the Sea Lords, they wield their power in other ways. By their nature, they can live longer in the island's center and thus hold a monopoly on land ownership. Likewise, they provide most of the levies when the Sea Lords call the Isle to arms in the face of the prior Rebellions. Most have adopted the concept of [i]Nyleos[/i] from their neighbors, but unlike their neighbors, the human clans do not feel a deep hunger for revenge against the Crown like the Thassites.[/center] [center][b]Religion[/b] The Aegiri worship the Sea as a dual deity, one of generous bounty and destructive wrath. Most towns have open air shrines where practitioners will offer gifts Her, while larger temples in the city are constructed for sailors to offer libations and Nyleos gifts in the event they do not return from their voyages.[/center] [hider=History of the Waves WIP] While the Kingdom of Akron was an offshoot of the great Overseas realms establishing its dominance, the Aegire isle was established by cousins to the sea-realm of Thassa. The sea-folk colonists fled a war of devastating proportions between Thassa and Akron's overseas realms, settling themselves in the hills and plains of Aegire. They brought with them their maritime skills, a hardy constitution, financial wisdom, but also a wariness for direct conflict. While Akron was re-establishing itself over its neighbors, Aegire subjugated the local human tribes and absorbed them into a new mercantile state. When Aegire and Akron were finally "reunited", there was little debate among the merchant houses- they quickly subjugated themselves, offered tributes of gold and silver, and pledged their support to the new throne if only their new lords would abandon the wars of their homelands. Akron, newly established and in need of both funds and legitimacy, accepted the coin and signed a pact of friendship. Even after the conquest of the mainland, Akron relied upon the Aegiri to keep commerce flowing- tribute and trade flowed west, bribes and edicts flowed east. The rebel nations of the continent often look upon the Aegire as cowards for refusing to take to the fields of battle in the Rebellions, but the Aegire are more evenly split in their support than would appear to outsiders. The Aegiri were already almost exterminated by the Akron's ancestors and barely escaped that fate. In the Second Rebellion, they called their levies to war on behalf of the Crown, but did not sail from the isle, arguing that they were at risk of invasion from the Yurevians. Rumors have been recorded in history books that this was a ruse to buy the Rebellion more time, avoiding an attack from the south- it succeeded, though the Second Rebellion failed. During the Third Rebellion, the Sea Lords were split between Neutrals and Thassites- those who supported a war of revenge against the Crown. Individual Thassite Houses provided arms, food and in some cases, transport to the Rebel factions. The Neutrals called the armies to muster once again to defend the homeland on behalf of the Crown, but the Thassites decided to try and seize command of the isle by force. A coup against the First Lord was launched as the island was hit by a typhoon. In the confusion of the storm, the First Lord escaped death, though her staff was murdered by coral knives. A purge was soon conducted of the Thassites, setting back their plans for revenge by an entire generation, bringing calm to the Aegiri and placating the throne while the Third Rebellion was crushed.[/hider] [center][b]Government[/b] The people of Aegire are ruled by the merchant princes, though none claims royal blood. The true titles are Thalassocrats- literally Sea-Emperors, but to the common folk, the vulgar title flows better. Most are simply the heads of the great Merchant Houses within the isle.[/center] [center][b]Economy[/b] The Aegire are supreme shipwrights and craftsmen of luxury goods. Sea-folk tend work in the ever busy dockyards, or making works of art from the glassworks or the coral-shaper houses. Pearl divers and underwater mines provide extravagant jewelry to royalty across the mainland. Humans on the isle are common laborers, soldiers, and farmers. Any ship docking in the Isle will be able to buy fresh fruits, olives, cheese, salted meat, and fresh wine and water to complete its journey.[/center] [center][b]Military[/b] The Aegiri have a standing force of several thousand Mariners, most of whom are at sea conducting patrols against pirates. Some even maintain small garrisons in the coastal regions of the other "nations" under the Akron Throne. The Sea-Lords have called their levies to war during each rebellion, but never sailed out to fight rebel or loyalist forces- the first two conflicts saw only a mass of conscripted farmers hastily gathered. After a series of reforms in the wake of the rebellion's failure, citizen levies are now expected to arrive on the field with the capability of fighting with pike and crossbow. The Third Rebellion saw less of a rabble and more of a battle-line formed, but never deployed. The Aegiri fleet does not possess the numbers to dominate the continent, but it remains a potent threat toward the disruption of shipping and commerce for the entire continent. A blockade of the east sea lane could cripple the ability of the loyalists to project power in the east, or block a rapid invasion of the west from rebel forces. Using this threat would bring the unmitigated hatred of half the realm upon the Aegiri and so it is a threat that is only whispered of in the halls of power, never spoken aloud.[/center] [center][b]Territory[/b] The Aegire Isle is the new homeland of the Thalassocracy. The lower banks and shorelines in the west are full of marshes and wetlands, while the east coast is dotted with coral reefs that are equal parts beautiful and dangerous- many ships lie at the bottom of the sea after falling off course. Though not official territory, many "embassy markets" can be found in ports along the south coast, representing the interests of the Merchant Houses of the the Sea Lords, and providing ports for the Marines- many will escort the trade ships of their home ports to and from the Isle in exchange for a negotiable fee- "insurance" against the hazardous reefs and pirates that infest the southern waters.[/center] [b]Factions:[/b] The Sea Lords are currently split into two factions: - The [u]Neutrals[/u] see themselves as arbiters of prosperity and stability on the continent. Conflict has broken out three times already and each Rebellion was more deadly and disruptive than the last. The Neutrals believe that if goods cross borders, then armies will not. Things like oaths, power politics, and border disputes will be resolved in the halls of rulers so long as the realm is stable. - The [u]Thassites[/u] have not forgotten that the seed of the Akron throne was watered in the blood of their ancestors. They view their [i]Nyleos[/i] to be a world without the bloody Akronites to continue their oppression of the world. From their shores, they seek to remake the true Thalassocracy from a gilded market into a dominion over the waves. It was they who funneled money, arms, and supplies to the rebels in the Third Uprising- though they attempted to launch a coup against the First Lord of the Waves Agnamakias and seize control of the army. This was unsuccessful and resulted in a purge of leadership to placate the Akronites. [b]Characters:[/b] - [i][u][b]First Lord Dekatia[/b][/u][/i], ruler of the Combined Houses. - [b]Faction:[/b] Uncommitted - First Lord Dekatia Jura, head of the Jura Merchant House, rose to prominence by re-establishing trade with Yuravia, one of the longest and most profitable routes open to the the Isle. Most concerning to outside politics, Dekatia has not openly professed her allegiance to the Neutral houses of Tyre, Phenax, and Iretis- the traditional power block of the Neutrals. A spate of bad luck as seen their power wane, while the Thassite houses of Hetos, Ketaphos, and Kelema have recovered from the purges in the wake of the Third Rebellion.