Merulos

This large superstructure is home to a number of trading races and cultures. It is within sailing distance of the Nulawan coast.

## History

Previously a monarchy, Merulos' last king decided to dissolve the throne and court as the nobility lost power, concerned about later rulers making a hash of things and preferring to let merchants handle the nation's development. After the monarchy disbanded, many former nobles received the cold shoulder from the newly empowered merchant and peasant classes, with the more cunning individuals marrying down to popular lower class merchants or workers, blending their business in with the commoners. It is currently a relatively egalitarian society with the various merchant guilds descended from the former noble houses and their retainers.

While mercenaries are commonly hired as extra muscle, the largest guilds also maintain their own private military forces.

## Merulos Guilds

The four largest merchant guilds are:

**The Goldtide Circle**: The wealthiest of the guilds by far, their ships are often large, sturdy, and fast. They're staffed with water based spellcasters of all kinds to protect the vessel from storms, fires, sea monsters, and myriad other threats. The Goldtide circle is generally well regarded in Merulos as being a reasonable business partner, but does not get along well with the Redmorn Merchantry due to the latter being accused of robbing and sinking rival vessels. There is no solid proof of this piracy as of yet, but tensions continue to rise. While the circle provides quality goods and services, it is sometimes accused of being overly controlling of its business partners and monopolizing many of the best local markets.

**The Dawnsail Company**: The longest distance traders, their ships are each staffed with two or three wind-based casters enabling them to comfortably sail to areas much further out than other companies, but with fewer supplies. Of all the major guilds, Dawnsail are the most likely to trade with Anuran, have occasional contact with the Rak'shari  or elves  in their own lands, and even travel further out to sea. Focus on distant travel with little support has encouraged their shipwrights to generally design around speed and maneuverability. Their crews and military emphasize those traits as well, though they prefer to be diplomatic when possible. They're the most likely to recruit new members during their voyages, with many of Merulos's non-human citizens the result of Dawnsail crews bringing back new faces. These non-humans eventually retire and settle down, creating a growing minority in the the castle-state, though it still remains overwhelmingly human.

**The Salnaut**: Commonly called "Salt Knights", this guild deals mostly in magical and historical research, trading information, old relics, and magical items. They have the smallest naval force of all guilds, but have the largest presence on Merulos itself, creating a boon to other guilds given the relatively neutral disposition of the group. The Salnaut supplement their smaller trading force with income from serving as the defacto peacekeeping force on Merulos itself. They do considerable study of the castle-state's ruins and excavations, with their magical study largely focused on the neutralization or preservation of other magics or beings. Their work has allowed them to disable magical artifacts in the ruins that they find without damaging them, or to capture strange creatures for study without injury...and to break up the occasional brawl between rival ship crews without deaths.

**The Redmorn Merchantry**: Originally named for their members skill at navigating stormy seas, in recent years they've earned the name 'Redmorn Raiders' due to their privateering and marauding. They are the most militant of the guilds and are looked down on as little better than pirates. Some do still maintain honest work in the guild, aiding communities by fighting off other pirates, providing escorts, or killing sea monsters. Their ships are usually a mix of small, fast vessels and a larger sturdier frigate or warship working in unison. They have equipped their vessels with fearful seaflame weapons, which are used to menace their foes into surrender of their cargo or to drive off enemies as they retreat.

## Structure

Merulos is so massive many sailors initially believed it to be an island, when in truth it is an ancient artificial structure.

Only the upper third of Merulos is above sea level, and much of this section has fallen apart over time, creating the 'coastal' access that many ships utilize to settle, as well as uneven 'mountainous' regions made up of rubble or areas where internal floors and buildings still stand. Several areas which might once have been gardens or forests have been connected through years of labor to create actual farmland within Merulos itself, helping the enormous castle-city to grow self sufficient.

The rest of Merulos is submerged beneath water level, and though many areas are occupied by aquatic races such as the Crusbach, others are still isolated or sealed deeper below, making them frequent targets of treasure hunters, archaeologists and explorers.