Calaes

The Calaen Republic, or more commonly simply Calaes, is a union of tribes that have long inhabited the Araal peninsula. The Republic occupies the western portion of the peninsula, pushed from the east during the Velian's expansionary wars. It is governed by a conclave of representatives from each of the 50 noble houses. These noble houses shape Calaen society with each having their own territory and customs giving the nation a diverse array of cultural beliefs all unified beneath a singular Calaen banner.

## History

### Origin

Calaes can trace it's history back thousands of years, before even the great cataclysm. It's inhabitants are said to originate from the peninsula and have lived there for the entirety of their history. The Calaens were a mostly tribal, nomadic people who roamed the peninsula and rarely settled in any one location for more than a few seasons. However as their population grew they became more and more stationary until burgeoning nations began to take shape.

The peninsula had been split amongst 51 tribes with skirmishes over land, resources, and hunting rights being a common occurrence. In the year 1367 the Caelia, the largest of the tribes, set forth on a campaign of conquest and subjugation, their leader desiring to unify the Calaens under his banner. By 1419 his son had completed the task of unifying the tribes and the nation of Calaes was formed with the Caelia's main settlement being the capitol of the new nation.

The Calaens experienced an age of relative peace for over 300 years but as they grew as a nation, so too did those beyond their shores. Conflicts erupted with neighboring islands and the Republic was tested. It wasn't until 2450 that the Calaens were truly tested as foreigners from the east came to their lands. Initial interactions were peaceful and the Calaens freely traded with the newcomers but as time went on the new inhabitants, named Velians, grew in scope and passively took more and more of Caelan lands. Bickering and infighting between the noble houses allowed the Velian expansion to go unchecked as more and more land was taken by the settlers.

Tensions finally broke in 2476 as the Caelan's marched an army to push the Velian's back. This war would be followed by two more wars that saw the Velian's push the Caelan's past the narrow, solidfying their claim over what is present-day Velhellyiah. Disdain for the Velians remained strong for generations and despite uneasy alliances, truces, and eventual peace, even today there is animosity between the two groups. Nevertheless the Calaens used their vast resources to keep stride with the Velian's in progression, relying more on traditional workings than magic. Even so the magical influence of the Velians could be felt strongly in Calaes with much of their society either using Velian technology and teachings, or emulating their progress.

## Government and politics

Calaes's government is composed of a Conclave of elected officials that debate the course of the nation. An elected representative is taken from each of the Noble houses. Each house has the ability to dictate how it's elections are handled with an overall ruling that the elected must be a blood member of the house. The leader of the Conclave is the Patriarch or Matriarch of the High House of Caelia. The founding house permanently holds the position of the Conclave's leader, ensuring the Conclave operates smoothly and within reason.

However, with so many voices from so many beliefs all vying for their voice to be heard, the Conclave is a rather inefficient forum of rule. Bickering and infighting is commonplace with various schemes and machinations common place amongst it's members and the noble houses in general. It is not uncommon for even assassination plots to take place. Though the High House of Caelia does not partake in the infighting, nor does it work to stop it. Caelia is regarded as being above the squabbles and in exchange for their non-interference they remain free of being the targets of any of the other house's schemes.

### Executive branch

The Conclave and it's Representatives is the highest body that can dictate the laws of the land and the path the nation must follow. Each representative is taken from one of the Noble Houses, though how they are chosen is up to said house. Some may opt for a tournament to decide the chosen while others may use an election of their entire lands. Once chosen the representative will serve for 7 years before the selection process begins anew. While some might think the pool of candidates to be rather small given the blood relations, the Noble Houses are large and sprawling affairs of branch houses and offshoots. Even a small house will have dozens of candidates to pull from with some of the larger houses having nearly a thousand eligible members.

The Conclave is convened for the final week of every month to debate and pass any legislation that is required. For the remaining three weeks the representatives are free to do as they please with most of them returning to their home territories.

### Judicial branch

The Calaens have no high court or Judicial branch. The enforcement of the law and interpretation of such things is left in the hands of the individual Houses. Should challenges come about between houses it is typically resolved by the Conclave as a whole, and barring that, the High House will step in. The highest court one could reasonably go to would be whatever their own House has established.

### The High Houses

The Calaen people are grouped into one of the 50 High Houses that make up the nation. Each High House can govern large swaths of territory and have millions of people as part of their house. While everyone is considered a member of the house, only those born into the direct family or otherwise directly related truly make up the House. The Immediate family overall controls the House and dictates how their territory is run while branch families support their endeavors. It is from these direct blood-relatives that members of the Conclave can be elected. One such example is House Belan, one of the most prominent houses in the country.

### Other Calaen organizations

Calaes' decentralized noble Houses affords it few nation-wide organizations. Most of the Houses hold their own groups and organizations to perform whatever functions are required within their territories. With the High House of Caelia retaining a neutral stance it avoids showing displays of direct power, but one of the few areas it deviates from this practice is it's secret police of the House Guard. A shadowy organization with few details they are the ones responsible for ensuring the rivalries of the noble Houses do not go too far. Beyond that there are no known records of the High House fielding any other organizations.

## Economy

The economy of Calaes is, as with most of the country, dependent on the region you are within. Some of the Noble Houses focus their efforts on agriculture while others focus on industry. For the most part Calaens are regarded as quality craftsman with artisans still trained in the ways of antiquity. Their most famous exports are custom-ordered swords or armor. Items that have been largely phased out of practical uses still find buyers in the wealthy of other nations. For domestic purposes the forges of industry churn out goods needed by the people. With a relatively high population for their territory their factories are many with their cities adorned with smokestacks of the factories producing everything from wheels for carriages to food.

The currency utilized by the Calaens is the Chunar. It comes in a variety of forms to denote denominations that include the small singular square-shaped coin that has a bronze interior with a gold exterior lining denoting a singular Chunar. A slightly largely square coin with a silvery interior that denotes 10 Chunar. Finally you have the solid gold coin, twice the size of the bronze one, which denotes 50 Chunar. Large purchases are usually handled through the local House's bank and as such it is believed you would never be in a situation to need so much money as to feel burdened by the coins.

## Society and culture

Calaen society can be best summarized as industrious and prideful. With their patron deity being that of expansion and wealth the Calaens put heavy stock on business and industry as well as expanding in those areas. Most Calaen families will have at least one member who started their own business and Calaens in general will labor extensively to accomplish their goals, be they personal or otherwise.

Their society is split between commoners and the high born, the high born being those with blood relation to the 51 original tribes. It is only from high born that senators are elected, as well the high born are also put in charge of national interests ranging from military endeavors to politics to economics. They also put great emphasis on honor and discipline, feeling that it is perfectly acceptable to sacrifice one's own happiness or even their life if it can benefit their people.

Calaen expansionist policies are not restricted to domestic endeavors and this has caused them to clash with neighboring states on numerous occasions. Due to their industrious nature they field a sizable military for their size and their emphasis on honor and discipline means their soldiers are fearsome in battle. Calaens, at their core, are a fairly social people and as such they tend to congregate in various locations. Due to this tendency much of their nation is uninhabited with pockets of civilization scattered about and the majority of the nation's population being centered around the capitol.

Pragmatism is also an important trait and as such Calaens tend to use whatever they deem best for the job, so while they have no preference for magic or magitek they will still field it if they feel the need. From the outside the Calaens seem like a highly unified people, however internally they are rife with rivalries between the noble houses and almost everyone in the nation finds themselves under the banner of one of these houses. While blatant violence is forbidden covert operations against one another are common-place with the sole exception being the ruling house of Caelia, which is neither the target nor the perpetrator of infighting.

### Slavery

Slavery is, technically, still legal within Calaes with it's legal status changing somewhat depending on which House's territory you are in. From it's most severe indentured servitude is allowed. Though this is relegated to only a few hold-out houses. For most of the nation it is reserved as a punishment for crimes. It is common within Calaes to see prisoners forced to do a variety of jobs without pay as penance for their crimes. A few of the more progressive houses have outlawed any form of slavery and it is a common debate within the Conclave as to whether Calaes should follow the footsteps of other powers and abolish the practice in it's entirety.

### Arts and media

Calaes is deeply rooted in the tribal cultures that formed their great Houses. Every house is steeped in artistic impressions and media based on honoring their past and keeping their ways alive despite the unified state of the country. As such it is rather difficult to find anything more than a surface-level commonality between the art displayed in one territory over another. With every tribe having it's own customs and it's own priorities, those have been carried on into modern times allowing for a wide array of artistic expression from the Calaen people.

### Religion

The primary religion of the Calaens is Airas, the belief that the world and everything that inhabits it was shaped by seven great deities, each utilizing their specialties to craft parts of the world until their combined work was finished and the world as we know it was born. With their great work completed each of the Gods took a section for themselves to govern and watch over. The region in which Araal exists is said to have been created and governed by Kyr, the god of bounty, wealth, and expansion. As such Kyr is viewed as the primary deity as it is believed he is directly responsible for the people.

## Military

The Calaen military is vast with each of the houses commanding a portion of it, the ruling house having direct command over the nation's fleet of airships. Calaen airships are fairly rudimentary being little more than armored plating surrounding a zeppelin and cannons. Their airships are fairly slow but sport decent armoring as well as numerous rapid-firing cannons along the dorsal and ventral sides.

The ground forces are divided into 51 chapters, each chapter sporting ten thousand personnel as the personal armies of the noble houses. Ground troops are trained thoroughly, spending years in the service and are ready and willing to lay down their lives for their country. Standard troops are typically equipped with conventional bolt-action rifles with special groups utilizing magic and magitek constructs.

The pride and joy of the military is the navy with the Calaens sporting a range of warships from small interceptors to massive dreadnoughts, each designed to fill a role on the high seas. Throughout their history Calaes has never been invaded by sea thanks to their emphasis on their navy. Unlike their neighbor the military has virtually no melee combatants, viewing the practice as archaic and inefficient. That said, special groups may follow after the Velians and utilize magic to bolster their might in close combat.

## Technology and Magic

### Magic

The Calaens, like most, are no strangers to Aether and it's uses. Calaen magic is rooted in the time of their nomadic tribes. The methods used by Calaens to manipulate Aether focus heavily on rituals and enchanted items. Calaen mages are often referred to as Shamans and Spellweavers and continue to pass down their methods from generation to generation. While foreign and more 'modern' interpretations of magic are not uncommon within Calaen society, their pride in their heritage ensures that their practices live on.

In practical terms, the rituals employed by the Shamans involve a variety of systems, from long incantations to specific ingredients arranged in a specific way. By altering these elements they can alter what the spell will do, who it will effect, and how powerful it can be. Rituals can be anything from a short few words and a sacrificed gem to long and elaborate affairs that allow for large and powerful spells to be brought forth.

### Transportation

Calaen transportation is still struggling to modernize. Trains run between the centralized major cities but it can be difficult reaching the far reaches of the country. Carriages remain the go-to for long distance travel as Calaen airships are too slow to offer any passenger services. Calaen airships are relegated exclusively to military and freight purposes. The only meaningful mass transit available is by ship, connecting the various coastal cities by a network of long-distance ferry lines.

### Weaponry

The weaponry employed by Calaes is on par with much of the world. Single-shot, bolt action rifles are the normal with semi-automatic firearms being prototype weapons who's cost and technical difficulties ensure they remain in the hands of only a select few. Fully automatic weapons are limited to large artillery gatling guns at best.

## Geography

The borders of Calaes encompass the entirety of the Araal peninsula up until the Narrows in the east where it meets the border of Velhellyiah. Their expanse of land ranges from the marshes of the central cities, the tropics of Criaport, the sprawling savannas of the north west, the deserts of Yento to the frigid mountain tip of Calaes' most southern reaches. Numerous islands dot it's coastline with varying degrees of civilization upon them. Many of the smaller islands are entirely uninhabited wilderness rarely ventured to with a few of the larger islands sporting huge cities owned by one of the Houses.

The Capital of Calaes is the home city of the High House, the final resting place where the nomadic tribe laid down a permanent settlement. Ayathe is a sprawling metropolis along the eastern coast of Lake Pirun. Center of all of Calaes it is the hub of life within the country. All roads lead to Ayathe with the communal people congregating in the central regions. Only the city of Jeles outshines Ayathe in terms of population with it's more integral positioning along major trade routes. In truth it is difficult to know where Ayathe truly begins as it is encased in towns and villages that ensure you must travel for a rather long time before finally seeing sprawling, untouched wilderness.