Neighbouring realms

Angleadd is not an isolated kingdom
existing in it's own, private part of the world. Over the years
relations have been established with several other cultures, varying
from peaceful trade to violent wars. Though not common in most
smaller settlements, foreigners can be regularly seen in the larger
cities and particularly in and around the trading-ports along the
coast.

Some foreigners have settled down
amongst the population of the kingdom, while others operate as either
merchants or mercenaries. Some tension exists between the different
cultures, but most kingdom lords eagerly try to attract foreigners to
their lands for the added trade they tend to bring.

## Agantar

Agantar is a collection of city-states
located far to the south of Angleadd. The Agans as they are called
amongst the people of the kingdom are easily recognized when amongst
their northern neighbours due to their much darker skin. With
colourations ranging from light brown to almost pitch black they tend
to draw quite a bit of attention to themselves, especially in rural
areas. They are known as shrewd and mostly honorable traders, though
some of them have been caught trying to bring exotic drugs and other
less than legal items into the kingdom.

The first contact with the Agans was
made by sheer chance when a kingdom warship came across a badly
damaged vessel outside the coast of the southern islands in 589.
Having fled from pirates the wounded sailors were terrified when
boarded by strange warriors, but luckily for them the captain of the
ship was a honorable man and simply escorted them back to Caer Faarn
for questioning. The jarl of Faarn was unsure what to do with the
strange men, and the fact that they spoke a language nothing like the
kingdom tongue made it very difficult to communicate. One of the
bards at his court however made an effort to get to know them, and as
time passed simple words were exchanged. As soon as the Agans
discovered that they would not be prisoners or killed they became
eager to learn about this new land. They chose to winter in Caer
Faarn, and during that time the language barrier slowly started to
diminish. Being traders at heart the sailors started bartering the
stock from their ship in return for provisions and shelter, noticing
with joy that the goods they offered brought great interest from the
locals. When spring came around the jarl sent parts of his own fleet
as escort to follow the Agans back to their homeland, bringing with
them offers of trade and safe passage. Within a few decades this
small offer of trade had turned into an extremely profitable venture
for both nations.

### Overview

The Agans tend to view the kingdom as a
somewhat crude and barbaric place. In their homeland the trading
guilds rule their cities, with extensive sets of laws made to protect
the people and the state. The concept of hereditary rule and all
judicial power residing with one person is completely alien to them,
and many Agan traders have been shocked when they discover that a
lord is in his full right to have them expelled from his land at a
whim. The Angleadd concept of honor in battle is also a strange
concept to them, and over the years scores of unfortunate envoys have
found themselves dragged into a honor duel from making a noble feel
slighted or insulted. This has led to the formation of the trade
academies now being a prominent feature in many of their larger
cities, with special attention being devoted to the strange customs
and laws of Angleadd in order to keep their citizens safe from the
barbarians.

Slavery is legal in some of the cities
of Agantar. It is not uncommon for poor families to sell relatives
into servitude to get by or for people who owe large debts to give up
their freedom. Criminals and enemies of the state are often sold off
at large guild auctions, fueling much of the industry in and around
the cities. Sadly this has resulted in a growing trend of illegal
slavery, with raiders kidnapping people and selling them at hidden
auctions. Slaves from Angleadd tend to be very popular. This has
proven to be very dangerous for both the sellers and buyers however,
since several punitive expeditions have been launched by the families
of kidnapped kingdom citizens.

The military of Agantar is little more
than a citizen militia, supported by the personal guard of the
guildmasters. The Agans tend to focus solely on their cities, leaving
the surrounding countryside to fend for themselves. This is also one
of the reasons why they fear the people of the kingdom, since even a
single jarl can field almost as large an army as most city-states.
This does not mean that the guilds are defenseless however, since
even though they are few in number the troops of the guilds tend to
be trained professionals with impressive discipline. Many former
guardsmen have made a fortune as mercenaries in Angleadd, with some
even managing to find a place in a noble's warband.

The main trade between Agantar and the
kingdom deals with weapons, metalwares and furs being shipped from
Angleadd in return for glasswares, papyrus, spices and silk. Angleadd
weaponry has become somewhat of a fashion item amongst the wealthy in
Agantar, mainly because they are somewhat intrigued by the barbaric
warrior nobles of the north, leading to the trend amongst kingdom
craftsmen to produce special «Agan-swords». These are usually made
more for show than use since the buyers would not know the proper way
to wield them anyway.

## The Marayirr republic

To the east of Angleadd lies the
Marayirr republic, a nation dating back to long before the founding
of the kingdom. The first contact between the two realms was rather
violent, with the Marayirr attempting to found a colony on the east
coast of the kingdom. The eastern lords responded with anger when it
became clear that the republic had plans on securing lands that had
been granted to one of their peers, demanding that the foreigners
abandon their project and leave kingdom soil. The newly appointed
governor of the colony refused to be ordered around by a group of
what he thought to be a disgruntled natives and ordered his troops to
chase them off. Seeing the ranks of legionaires march from the city
made the Angleadd troops retreat, resulting in the governor declaring
it a victory and celebrating their conquest of this new land. This
act had infuriated the kingdom lords however, and as word reached the
nearest jarls a massive army was raised. The Marayirr governor was
shocked as his city suddenly was besieged by a heavily armed army
numbering thousands of soldiers. Still refusing to believe the might
of the republic could be challenged by any outside force he once
again ordered his legion to sally forth and break the siege. What
followed was a brutal battle with heavy losses on both sides, but in
the end the kingdom troops pushed through the legion and laid waste
to the city. All the survivors were loaded on ships and sent back to
their homeland, bringing with them the news that Angleadd did not
look kindly upon anyone intruding on their lands.

In the following century the two realms
were at war with battles mostly being fought at sea between kingdom
raiders and republic warships. Several kingdom lords become extremely
wealthy raiding the waters outside Marayirr territory, but as the
years went by the number of raids grew fewer and fewer as new members
took seats in the Marayirr senate and began campaigning for an end to
the pointless hostilities. In the year 846 a treaty was finally
signed, followed by an uneasy peace settlement.

### Overview

Marayirr is ruled by an elected
chancellor who serves as leader of the senate for ten years. The
constant shift of power between the different chancellors and
political powers has led to politics being one of the main focuses
amongst the wealthy and powerful in Marayirr. Bribes, threats,
blackmail and even murder are common during every election, and the
great families of the republic are constantly fighting for position
within the senate. There has been situations where the imperial
legions have had to step in to restore order when the rivalry has
gotten out of hand.

The legions are the pride of the
republic and its main military force. Each legion consists of a
thousand soldiers supported by hundreds of auxilliaries and support
personell, and close to 50 legions are stationed throughout the
republic at all times. The best and the brightest amongst the legions
are placed in the Phoenix guard, the ten thousand soldiers who defend
the capital, the central provinces and the senate. Unlike the armies
of the kingdom who are under the command of the different lords, and
above them the king, the legions are commanded by the high command.
The high command is a special triumvirate of officers who are elected
from the various commanders in the republic, with each legion
commander having the right to vote. Though the final say rests with
the triumvirate, customs and tradition dictates that they follow the
senate's commands.

The republic has never been much of a
sea-faring nation. This was one of the reasons the kingdom managed to
fight them off during the war between the two realms, and has led to
some contempt from the legions since they view themselves as the
greatest fighting force in the known land. Being ever practical the
senate used the peace treaty as an opportunity to hire shipwrights
from the kingdom to work on improving the cumbersome galleys the
republic had been using up to that point. Still no match for the
deadly warships of the kingdom, later years have seen the republic
navy taking firm control over their own waters and also sending
expeditions in search of new lands to either claim or establish
contact with.

Marayirr is a huge country with many
different cultures all mashed up into what is known as the average
republic citizen. With climates ranging from almost tropical to near
subarctic, the people of the republic comes in all types of
colouration. The southern people of the republic are usually deeply
tanned and wear loose-fitting garments from light materials, while to
the north you find light-skinned and fair citizens very similar to
many of the kingdom inhabitants. The meltingpot of cultures has led
to some unrest between factions and families, and many of the inner
legions spend most of their time keeping the peace between them.

Republic craftsmen and engineers are
amongst the finest in the known world, with many who lack the backing
of wealthy patrons seeking their luck in the kingdom. Several of
these have made a fortune working for the more influental lords of
Angleadd, improving on the infrastructure and planning of their
cities. Where kingdom builders are more adept at constructing
battlements and fortifications, republic engineers build roads,
aqueducts, sewers and other forms of precision work and
beautifications.

The markets of the republic is by far
the largest in the entire region, with an unsatable need for goods
from all parts of the world. The trade with the republic has been a
massive boon to the eastern parts of the kingdom, helping with the
development of the somewhat scantily populated regions there. Raw
materials of all kinds are especially needed by the republic, with
fine products like art and luxuries being offered in return.