Free City of Dreiton

**Allies** | Nova Aquila

**Dreiton**, formally the **Free City of Dreiton**, is a sovereign nation in Aphelion. A major continental power and ascendant global presence, Dreiton is of relatively moderate size but exhibits significant soft power across Aquila due to its large and diversified economy as well as its stable political system, especially in the wake of the Aether War which put much of the old world in a state of economic turmoil. Recent census initiatives estimate Dreiton's total population, including colonial holdings, at just under 10 million.

Its namesake capital is located at the far southeastern edge of Aphelion. In antiquity, the nomadic peoples of former Nglui relied upon the region’s extremely long rainy season to grow a variety of crops in great quantities nearly year-long - a natural benefit still enjoyed by the Dreiton of today which has only diversified its considerable crop yields via the introduction of foreign foodstuffs which acclimate well to the temperate southern climate. Much of Dreiton’s modern wealth derives from its unrivaled manufacturing sector; the nation produces nearly a quarter of the world’s weapons and ships due to its undisputed control over the incredibly resource-rich southern Aphelion, accounting for much of the world’s iron, redstone, lumber, and coal exports.

Much of Dreiton’s heartland is still dotted with ancient temples and shrines constructed by the Nglui people - a mysterious civilization of Shibboleth-speaking black mages whose blood rituals permanently altered the once arid climate of the southern Aphelion. The magicians were wiped out some time after the first Hundred Year Darkness, an era in which the Mad King, having consolidated rule over the old world, began to set his sights toward the uncharted regions of Aquila where the power of the Old Gods was rumored to be hidden. He sent his most trusted general, Ren Dreitonicus of the Nightmare Legion, along with a company of elite shocktroops, to explore and conquer the edge of Aphelion to act as a staging ground for future expeditions into the Rift beyond the charts. Ren annihilated the Nglui peoples and built a mighty fortress atop their bones on the shore of the South Dreitonese Straits; ensuing attempts to sail south and establish a base camp on Dark Continent were a disastrous failure, driving Ren and half his legion to madness. The general instead elected to build his own kingdom on Aphelion, taking advantage of the Mad King’s preoccupation with the Immortal Emperor of Khotan. Naming the new feudal state after his own likeness, Dreitonicus ruled with an iron fist alongside his remaining warriors, the Knights of Dreiton, for half a century before the brain rot he had been inflicted with after visiting the Rift finally turned fatal.

The humble kingdom of Dreiton fell into obscurity over the millennia, watched over by the reclusive monks of the Knights and almost fading into nothing over the many centuries of absolute silence; in the year 4712, however, an intrepid Occan conquistador and mercantilist by the name of Humberto Fletcher landed in Dreiton whilst on a crown-funded expedition to chart the coveted Sea of Altair. The Knights, strapped for cash and having all but forgotten the traditions of their violent founding, agreed to Fletcher’s proposition that Dreiton be built into a colonial town, inviting millions of emeralds in revenue from foreign investors to develop the bountiful natural resources of the region in exchange for a cut of the profits. Dreiton quickly flourished into a bustling city in its own right, becoming the shimmering jewel of the global south whilst under the total political and economic control over the Dreiton Exchange Mandate, whose board was stacked with industrialists from the old world.

The status quo continued for about a century until the colonists of Dreiton demanded further sovereignty from the Mandate, establishing a parliament of their own, albeit subservient to the upper legislative house known as the Council. Though their actual ability to legislate amounted to the mere rubber-stamping of initiatives set forth by the much more powerful Council, the establishment of the lower Citizens’ Assembly showed to the world that Dreiton was beginning to walk the path of mass democracy. Meanwhile, the Knights of Dreiton still survived, though their ability to influence the affairs of the city continued to dissipate, relegating them to the mere custodians of their once proud ancestral home of Castle Dreiton. Circumstances finally took a turn in the post-war era of the 4830s; in the Aether War, Dreiton mounted its own military force to combat the Ancient Fear and exited the conflict virtually unscathed by the ravages of the Final Incursion, putting them in an extremely advantageous position to negotiate further sovereignty from old world investors. In 4831, the Mandate was suddenly purged of all foreigners by order of the Council, and the Free City of Dreiton finally declared statehood. A President was elected internally by the Council to serve as the executive; the obvious choice was Arlo Jennings, a senior member of the upper house who was popular with both the aristocracy and the general population due to his development of the Little Barcelona project which brought thousands of jobs to the impoverished lower classes. Jennings and his cabinet still fill the executive branch, and it is unclear whether his inner circle or the Council are the true leaders of Dreiton.

By present day, the Free City’s economic interests have extended far beyond its relatively meager borders. The all-consuming financial beast that is the Mandate controls at least moderate portions of nearly every other nationstate’s economy, even building its own private martial force parallel to the Knights of Dreiton and the state’s Councilguard. Recent technological innovations in refining Codanium have also brought great wealth to the young nation, largely thanks to the Master of Military Science, Sutther Winslow, whose contributions to the emerging sectors of airbourne warships and redstone railguns have rapidly elevated Dreiton to among the foremost military powers in Aquila.

Despite recent prosperity, however, Dreiton is not without internal strife. Two guerrilla factions, the Dreiton Totalist Party and the Oathbreaker cult, are locked in a state of protracted warfare with both each other and the Free City, prompting a series of brief but violent conflicts known collectively as the Dirty Wars. Additionally, serious questions continue to be raised about the role of the Knights of Dreiton going forward, and talk of further reforms spurred by the Citizens Assembly have made the Council uncharacteristically nervous; the clandestine Children of Hades lurk in the shadows, and with the shadow of another war between Nova Aquila and Khotan looming on the horizon, the Free City’s role in global politics in the near future remains unclear.

*The continent of Aphelion with Dreiton's claims in yellow.*

The Mad KingGeneral DreitonicusHumberto FletcherPresident JenningsMaster Winslow