Meretgeban
Meretgeban
Religion
Traditions
+1 Land Leader Fire
+10% Trade Efficiency
A Land Of MarketsIn many Mengi kingdoms, the lesser-kings rule with impunity, only having to pay vassalage to the king himself. This is not so in Meretgeban, a land where the merchant clans have grown to be extremely powerful, able to contend not just with the nobility, but even the king. These merchant clans made their wealth primarily from the slave trade, but have diversified their incomes, wielding their influence far beyond Meretgeban’s borders. These merchant clans even started imitating the market processions of the Mengi kings, displaying all the power and wealth they had.
+1 Merchants
From Merchant To KingThe Abdi clan that now rules Meretgeban was once not even of noble rank, merely a family of wealthy commoners. While they had as much or even more material power than the nobles, they and their merchant peers were not afforded the same amount of respect. This led to much internal tension as the mages and nobles opposed the merchants on nearly every issue. This was the status quo in the kingdom for generations, as the royal family was forced to balance the two factions lest their kingdom fall apart.\n\nIn the 1420s, Kiros III ascended the throne of Meretgeban. The new king was a powerful mage in his own right, following in the tradition of Azmera the Unbreakable. The rise of a mage of such caliber to the throne of Meretgeban angered the merchant clans severely. The wealthy clans raised one of their own, Amadi of the Abdi clan, to become the new king, starting a civil war.\n\nThe conflict was bloody, but in the end the merchants proved victorious, forcing the royal faction to flee upstream to Wezinmesig. The new royals, the zor Zahera-Ajan, relied heavily upon the merchants to exert power, and it is with the merchants that the new Meretgeban was born.
+10% Burghers Loyalty Equilibrium
The Council OF 111The monarchs of the zor Zahera-Ajan proved far weaker than the royal house that came before. It was not long before the merchants forced Jadiku I in 1464 to establish a great council, in which the patriarchs of every merchant clan had a seat. This council, which became known as the council of one-one-one after the number of members that attended its first meeting, had the sole legal right to raise taxes in the kingdom. This body would only grow in power over time, forcing the king to make concession-after-concession, until by the 1500s the king was a mere figurehead, all real power being vested in the council, which many historians consider the first Mengi parliament.
-15% Stability Cost Modifier
Cannons Of KokebMany Mengi are distrustful of innovations not of Amilak’s land. We are different, for the world beyond the seas are full of wonderful inventions, especially of a military nature. How great was it when foreign ships sailed into our river harbor, carrying a black tube filled with an explosive powder that fired large stones at great distances. This incredible weapon was soon bought from the foreign ship at an exorbitant price, but the weapon itself was worth it. We set our engineers to work to replicate it, and then had our artisans build these "cannons" for our armies.\n\nThese cannons were put into practice in our armies under general Kokeb zor Mizan, who created the first Meretgeban artillery corps. It was the cannons under his direction that won Meretgeban many a victory. Kokeb would later write down his tactics involving cannons, passing his texts over to our officers. To this day every Meretgeban general studies Kokeb’s work in detail, ensuring our dominance in artillery warfare in East Sarhal.
+10% Artillery Combat Ability
Revenge Upon The Lords Of GoldIn 1472 the king of Werikgeta, Meretgeban’s main rival, finally met his end, without an official heir to succeed him. Immediately the kingdom fell into a succession war. Meretgeban and Shelokmengi immediately saw their chance, and invaded their common enemy.\n\nMeretgeban marched upon Weriksedar, the golden seat of the kings of Werikgeta. The defenders put up a fierce resistance, but after a month the defenses broke, and Meretgeban’s army swarmed into the city.\n\nThe following sack of Weriksedar was brutal, even by Mengi standards. As soldiers broke into the royal palace, the last surviving claimant to the throne, along with his family, were captured. As for the common citizens, Meretgeban’s commanders decreed that every Werikgetan commoner should be killed on sight, the women and children too. Meretgeban set an example that day, one that their enemies never forgot.
-25% Harsh Treatment Cost
Co-opting The MagesWith the annexation of Wezingoa through the treaty of Kwariketem, Meretgeban finally had access to the immense magical talent that the city of Wezinmesig possessed. In 1481, the council of 111 issued a new law that called for the integration of mages into the army. These mages would become officers, firmly integrated into the command structure. Every regiment had a mage, whose job was to create and maintain a strong ward around their local unit. These wards protected the kingdom’s armies from arrow and cannonfire in battle, and proved critical in any retreat Meretgeban’s armies may be forced to undertake.
-10% Morale Damage Received
The Tigers of MeregebanAs the power of the parliament increased, the king of Meretgeban tried in vain to regain their lost power. The parliament responded just as swiftly, and the king was promptly assassinated. However, in order to still be considered a just and honorable realm, they needed a king. The candidate they settled on was an unlikely one. The son of the former Senapti of Rabaghekhur, and leader of a mercenary company, the Harimari Adaraghir I.\n\nThus the house of the Crouching Shadow rose to rule the kingdom of Meretgeban. Having a distinctly foreign king turned out to be a surprising boon for the nation, as Adaraghir and his heirs easily adapted to Mengi customs, being supremely well versed in the bureaucratic politicking of the area from their experience in the raj, whilst maintaining an image as steadfast and dependable allies and partners. Soon the diplomatic prowess of the tiger kings became renowned across Madriamilak.
+1 Diplomatic Reputation
Ambition
+10% Global Trade Power
History
TBD
Strategy
TBD