Oligarchic Republic of Hithlone

The **Oligarchic Republic of Hithlone** lies in the island of Terpsythea, with Hithlone being its largest and most important city. It's home to fair-skinned humans that are known for their political bickering, scheming and assassination plots orchestrated by their Elite.

## Society

### Demographics

Mostly human. Small amounts of dwarves, mountain hobbits, orcs...

## History

Terpsythea was first inhabited by a group of humans fleeing to the south, being slaves in the Drow Empire. They founded the canal city of Hithlone on the delta of the Fulenn River.

Thank to its location, Hithlone quickly became a prosperous city, trading with much of the western coast of Giantstep. However, after a series of wars, they were once again conquered by the Drow. Under their yoke they suffered for almost 20 years, until a series of internal political strifes cause the Drow Confederacy to split into multiple city-states, an opportunity many of the human city-states of the south used to gain their independence, Hithlone included.

## Government

The Republic is ruled from Hithlone, under a council of the city's wealthiest merchants and influential nobles. The laws of Hithlone are very lax concerning trade, so many foreign merchants have set up their businesses in Hithlone.

## Economy

The main export of Hithlone are colourful dyes (who cannot compare of those from the Triarchy, however), silk, pearls and wine produced from the vineyards towards the centre of Terspythea. Being their most produced product, the "Terpsythea Gold" - as their wine is called - is perhaps the most sought out wine in the West. Hithlone also trades with Azhar Nar, Azan and Furlaniya for steel and mercenaries, the Triarchy and Moreelese for slaves, as well as Belsire, mostly for wool and oils.

## Culture

Hithloneans place great importance on arts and music. Bards from Hithlone are known all over the courts of the West, playing a unique nine-stringed instrument by strumming its chords. Hithlone also holds one of the biggest art galleries in the world, with many Hithlonean artists painting the most most famous paintings in Azan and Changrila.

Maritime trade is also an important aspect of life in Hithlone. Many expeditions to the South have sailed from Hithlone in search of new lands or fortunes.

Bravos are young swordsmen who wander around the canals of Hithlone at night. They wear colourful hats, trying to either prove their skills as swordfighters among their peers to earn the love of the beautiful courtesans, or are employed by brothel and shipowners as guards.

One way to tell apart the nobility from the wealthy merchant class is through their garments. Merchants prefer more flamboyant, colourful clothes while often displaying their wealth, while nobles often wear dark and simpelr clothes.

## Cuisine

Seafood like calamari, oysters, clams and mussels dominate the cuisine of Hithlone. Lamb and mutton, as well as the occasional shark meat are also widely found in the markets.

## Religion

The faith of Hithlone is similar in many regards to the other faiths of the humans in Scimitaria. They worship three aspects of the same god.

Miruna is the patron of arts, music and learning. She is a beautiful woman with long, red hair. Axile is the patron of sailors, good winds and the sea. He takes the form of a man with a sea serpent's lower body. Sailors pray to him before long travels. Lastly, Audric is the patron of wine, hedonism and fertility. He is portrayed as a young, naked man whose statues can be found outside of brothels and bathhouses.

## Demographics

### Humans

Most Humans are native to the island, and most live in the capital city of Hithlone, which is the only real city in Terpsythea. Slavers from the Three Sisters and Hydra's Eyes smugglers have made their way into the markets and the underworld of Hithlone. Many humans from all over the west come to study in the Citadel.

### Dwarves

Many Dwarves from the Kinnog Jungle have made their way into the hills of Terpsythea in order to work in the mines, as they are the best workers suited for this kind of work.

### Non Humans

Mountain Hobbits only appear in Hithlone in the form of slaves. Same goes for the Orcs, although some do occupy mercenary jobs. Sea Elves are seldom seen, preferring to study magic in Arangea or in their own realm. Drow are more common, especially those from the southern states.

## Cities

### Hithlone

Hithlone is the biggest settlement of the Republic, from which it takes its name. It's the only city in Terpsythea in the proper sense of the world.

Hithlone sprawls across a hundred small islands in the delta of the Fulenn river. As such, hundreds of canals run through the city, both small and large, connected by picturesque bridges. Hithlone is a bigger city than other city states such as Arangea, Bumi, Nekiz, Tyr and Moreelse. Large shipyards and arsenals are built on the southern waterfront, in which large part of the Republic's navy.

Hithlone's buildings are mostly constructed from grey stone, though larger and richer buildings also use marble and other ornate decorations. There is little in the way of wooden construction in the city, as Terpsythea has few forests. Romantic music and evocative aromas flow in the beautiful cobblestone streets. Bathhouses and whrehouses are also common, where one might get to relieve his stress or participate in orgies.

#### Gildorph

The Bravoes of Gildolph are a brotherhood of swordsmen based around Gildorph, a run down district in the outskirts of Hithlone. These Bravoes are not like the ones usually found in the city, wearing their flamboyant hats and displaying their swordsmanship and courting skills whenever they can.

Gildorph is full of orchards, gardens and scattered hovels and shanty towns. It's the favourite place of ruffians and smugglers. Unlike your typical gang, which smuggles narcotics and has connections with the city watch, the Bravoes' main goal was primarily to demonstrate solidarity towards the whole, the neighborhood, defending the weak and protecting them from cutthroats, troublemakers and other thugs. This is the one and only quality of the Bravo, that is, the practical ideologue of dignity and altruism.

Nowadays, Bravo is a synonym of pride, dignity and bravery, although it's misused by other criminals, who proclaim themselves as "Bravoes" in order to justify their actions.

The Bravoes can usually be found in the cabarets, brothels and taverns of Gildorph, playing cards and engaging themselves with the other locals. As they are usually in conflict with other gangs of Hithlone, it's not unusual for many Bravoes to end up dead in the canals or in prisons.

The Bravoes developed their own street argo inside the Hithlonean prisons, combining many elements of the languages of Hithlone, the Three Sisters, Moreelse, Azan and the Drow. This creole is used by the Bravoes that wander around the docks and the streets of Hithlone, so they cannot be understood by the city watch or any of their enemies.

#### The Citadel

Large bell towers dot the landscape of Hithlone, but the largest one that trumps over them all is the Citadel, located in the Oxeye district (although technically not a a single building) It's the learning academical center of the West, pursuing many topics of research. It's governed by the Conclave of Scholars, the governing body of the Citadle.

The Citadel is funded by taxes from Hithlone. Many students and acolytes visit from all over the world to study in this institution. Graduating scholars from the Citadel are awarded with a certification parchment and small chains that hang around their necks, each made from a different metal and color, signifying the field in which the student graduated from. Each chain can have many links, all awarded specifically the Conclave of Scholars.

Some of the fields taught in the Citadel include history, medicine, surgery, botanology, economics, astronomy and alchemy. One of the most peculiar fields of the Citadel is the one that concerns the "Higher Mysteries" of the world. Although magic is not banned in Hithlone, the practice of necromancy and other dark arts is, and some have speculated that dark arts not unlike those in Avangar are practiced there.

It's said that many secret tomes regarding necromancy and the secrets of the outer cosmos reside in the forbidden section of the Citadel's library. One such secret tome is said to house the secrets of the fall of the Dragon Empire, as well as the Island of Lesandros. Many scholars, fortune hunters and other undesirables have searched for these tomes in the bowels of the Library, although with little success.

The Order of the Scholars is very concerned about the rising power of necromancy in the Okhost Islands, and particularly worrisome are the rumours of the conglomeration of dark wizards with less than pure intentions gathering in the city of Alga, practicing their wicked magic.

Some more cynical individuals would say that the Order of the Scholars despise magic and want it gone from this world, blaming them for the waning influence of magic throughout the world - or even worse- that they were the ones responsible of the sinking of the lost civilization of Lesandros. The Order categorically deny such "drivel", as they call it.

### Other settlements

Other cities in Terpsythea include Kioneta, a small mining town built on a small plain on a hillside, Ganima, a town to the north where House Doce holds heavy influence and Soran, a market town on the eastern shore of Terpsythea, famous for its brothels and cutthroats that patrol the streets.

#### Sycrone

Many plantations exist in Terpsythea, but the most famous one is actually located on the island of Sycrone to the southwest. Sycrone stands apart from the rest of the island chain it lies on, as it's the only one that is not technically under the rule of Hithlone. Once, it was home to a thriving population, but that was ages ago, before the Drow and their wars brought ruin upon the land, slaughtering its population.

But one house, the House Mutiris of Hithlone, saw in Sycrone an opportunity to expand their wealth and influence. They claimed the island for themselves and set to work building a great villa and a vast plantation, growing crops like saltrice, banana trees and sugar cane in the plains and marshes of the island. Even though slavery is banned in Hithlone, this island falls outside its jurisdiction, leading to them using non human slaves for the plantation, such as dwarves, hobbits and trolls.

The patriarch of House Mutiris is Koman Mutiris, a man of great wealth and influence, whose fortunes have doubled since his youth, when he traveled the coast of western Giantstep, opening enterprises in foreign lands. He is a fierce defender of traditional Hithlonean culture and harbors a deep hatred for the Drow.

But rumors swirl around Koman like a shadow, whispers of dark dealings with the Hydra's Eyes, Scimitaria's most infamous criminal syndicate. Some say he is both a user and a distributor of the deadly White Death, while others claim he practices sorcery and deals in the dark arts. Few have dared to investigate these rumors, for the House Mutiris is known for its ruthlessness in protecting its interests, and for its ability to bend the law to its will.

#### Cerato

Cerato, the largest and most populous island in the archipelago that's to the south of the Remnants, has been home to men for almost as long as Terpsythea itself. Its beauty has been a subject of praise for poets and artists alike. The Bronta, a grand river that snakes through the island, is lined with villas, estates, and mansions belonging to the noble families and wealthiest merchants of Hithlone.

While Cerato has long been associated with pleasure houses, courtesans, and casinos, even more so than Hithlone's Gildorf district, it has recently become a popular vacation spot for wealthy men (Hithlonean or not) seeking to satiate their desires. This surge in popularity has led to the island's eponymous city becoming the second-largest in the Republic, though it still pales in comparison to the capital of Hithlone.

In contrast to Hithlone, Cerato is a more tranquil place, with little gang activity. However, the wealthy brothel and casino owners and their armies of cutthroats and bravoes do clash from time to time, each vying to claim their own slice of the pie with ruthlessness.

## Millitary

The Hithloneans are proud of their naval power, where many war and merchant fleets are being constructed at the Arsenal and the other shipyards of Hithlone. So high is the number of constructed ships that Hithlone leases a large part of them to other nations that lack the necessary manpower or expertise to build them. However, there have been concerns of the large deforestation happening in Terpsythea, with many shipowners resorting to cutting trees from the Kinnog Jungle or other areas in order to meet their demands.

## Foreign Relations

### The Triarchy

Relations are good between the two nations, as the Three Sisters buy wine and pearls from Hithlone, while they supply them with slaves from all over.

### Moreelse

Another city that's descended from former Drow slaves. Relations between the two Republics is cordial, although they have been souring over the years thanks to Moreelse's inabillity to cleanse their city of the Hydra's Eyes filth, who spread their narcotics in Hithlone.

### The Last Remnants

Hithlone sympathizes with them, as they once too were under the yoke of the Drow. They plan on "liberating" them and incorporating them into the Republic, planning on sowing dissent between the humans and the drow first.

### Azan, Azhar Nar, Lorient, Nasr

Apart from being trade partners, they barely interact with them in any other way, although they are open to supporting Azan if another Drow-Azan war was to break out.

### Isle of Wizards and Arangea

Many wizards and alchemists from these places visit the Citadel, although almost all of them return to their main nations once they complete their studies.

### Terusia

Trade occurs between those two nations, although Hithlone greatly supports Azan's original plans of creating an isthmus, something that would open up a huge market towards the north of Giantstep, without needing to go around the Sea Elven states.

### Orc'Eire

Many Hithlone ships stop by Orc'Eire to resupply when heading for Kinnog. As such, trade is common between these two, although not in large quantities.

### Former Kingdom of Kinnog

Officially Kinnog is far too unimportant to be of interest to the elite in Hithlone, but unofficially some councilors are customers of its slaving operations (via the Triarchy) or in the pocket of the Hydra’s Eyes. Many shipowners buy lumber from the local communities there, or they land with their own workers, chopping down parts of the jungle by their own.

### Drow City-States

The dislike between those is mutual, and Hithlone wants to liberate the areas of the Drow that are majority human. Trade is not common between them, although many agents and spies are planted amongst the Drow's elite ever since Hithlone was just a vassal.