City-State Of Aram

The location of Aram on the western portion of Aegis.

The banner of Aram.

## **Summary**

Aram appears as a gleaming white city, surrounded by two layers of nigh-impenetrable walls, sitting safely in between the peaks of the Harriers Wake mountains.

The outer walls house Aram in its entirety, with the inner walls protecting the main city. Between these, are vast stretches of farmland that serve to feed the population within.

The main city of Aram is mostly made of marble and, to inexperienced travellers, portions may look at odds to other sections of the city. Those with some basic knowledge of Aramite culture realise that, over time, through research in architecture and the arts, the 'ideal' for these buildings has constantly changed, leading to many different building styles all of which culminate in the classical architectural themes of that style.

Clean, crisp structures can be found nearby rounded, curving motifs. Plain, stark materials are used on some buildings, whilst others are lavishly decorated with carvings and gilding. In short, almost every style has some form of representation within Aram.

## **Founding**

When a cataclysm of unknown origins resulted in the loss of countless homes and years of knowledge, a collection of **Elves**, **Humans** and **Deep Ones** emerged from their ruins and formed a single nation.

These refugees travelled far across wild, untamed lands, until they found a safe haven. Their isolation and safety allowed them to develop into a culture unlike any other in the known world; a democratic nation that holds knowledge, talent and culture above all else.

## **Location**

Aram lies on the western part of Aegis, nestled comfortably between the Harriers Wake mountains. To the south are treacherous straits that connect to the sea, to the east and west lie plains populated with smaller towns and cities.

On the north-western lies a sizeable forest with precious few age-old trees within. The Elven followers of **La Elini Lu Wirethi** defend this forest voraciously and have a long-established monopoly on supplying the city-state with wood from ethical logging practices.

## **Structure**

### **Leadership**

Aram is led by a council consisting of Magisters, collectively known as the Magistrate. This council is the head of all civil affairs in Aram, made up of elected Magisters who represent the people in the running of the City-State.

Each Magister is an expert in a specific field of knowledge or information, with only one Magister per field of study. There are at least 20 Magisters at any one time, with the full extent not being fully known. As such, not many are aware of the identities of all of them.

#### **Known Leaders Of Aram**

* **Magister Ennecus** - the current Polemarchos and Magister of War.
* **Magister Armadi** - Magister of Tactics.
* **Magister Amulius** - Magister of Engineering.
* **Magister Gallio** - Magister of Alchemy.
* **Magister Tomiar** - Magister of Law.
* **Magister Doloros** - disgraced, former Magister.
* **Magister Ostorious** - former Magister of Tactics.

### **Political**

Although Aram is led by a council, Magisters must be elected to their positions. However, those who wish to become one must first become a master in a chosen subject of study. Rigorous testing is involved, after which a successful applicant is considered a master in their field.

These studies are compulsory for anyone wishing to become a citizen of Aram, with many jobs requiring the completion of a subject.

With each subject also comes a guild, who will help their students advance their learning and also help with the tasks required of them for Aram, by the Magistrate. In some rare cases, guilds may finance a promising student, with the hopes of having a 'voice' on the council.

With pressure to study these subjects, financial obligations to backers and guilds, Magisters and otherwise often have the eyes of many organisations weighing down on them.

Certain subjects are looked upon favourably by others, often those that tend towards higher learning; tutors, scholars and broader topics that encompass lots of information, such as agriculture, warfare, architecture and otherwise. Some subjects are not seen as desirable, often those heavy on menial labour, for example; farmers and fishermen. Those with no subject are looked upon even worse, resulting in a divided society within Aramite culture.

###  **Military**

Originally only defended by a small militia, Aram came to develop a standing army purely for the use of defensive measures and, in extreme cases, devastating retaliation.

The standard units of the Aram military are trained to a very high degree, much higher than that of any other standing army in the known world, with many of them training their entire lives for their particular role. In single combat and smaller, confined areas, they are unparalleled.

With it's knowledge, Aram is able to bolster their soldiers with alchemical weaponry, siege equipment and otherwise. Each of these fields of warfare have dedicated groups and organisations related to them.

As Aram are only now looking beyond their own walls to establish further colonies, the military has so far stayed the same, but adapted a sort of 'parallel hierarchy' when installed in other settlements. This means that the ultimate commander of each locations military will share the same ranks, with the same ranked subordinates, but leadership will defer to whoever is on 'home ground', if commanders of the same rank should meet.

The standard infantry soldier is known as a Hoplite, who make up the bulk of the infantry. Their training emphasises close-quarters combat, due to the relatively cramped confines of the city, as opposed to large, open plains. The standard cavalry soldier in the military is known as a Hyparchos.

### **Geographical**

The City-State of Aram lies in the western portion of the known map. It is settled in a natural valley, surrounded by the Harrier's Wake Mountains. With possible, but treacherous access from the sea and the natural walls formed by the mountains, it is a perfect defensible location.

#### **Aram Owned Areas**

It is unknown whether Aram holds any other territory.

## **Timeline**

* **??? BE** - The Last Remembrance, the name given to the supposed cataclysm that wiped out Aram's early history.
* **??? BE** - The founding of the city of Aram.
* **50 AE** - A small vessel is **destroyed** by Aram, leading their researchers to reverse-engineer it, providing the first naval forces of the city-state.
* **??? AE** - The Bruira Massacre, in which the Duchy of Bruira is dug under and collapsed, with the remains set on fire.
* **234 AE** - The **first siege** of Aram, by the Caldanian Empire.
* **260 AE** - The second siege of Aram, by the Caldanian Empire.
* **273 AE** - Aram sends out colonists to establish **Silvara**.

## **Demographics**

Originally made up of Elves, Humans and Deep Ones, the population within Aram has a majority of these three races. **Dwarves** and **Corvus** can be found, but in much fewer numbers.