Merax

Located on the far eastern shore of Mideltos, Merax represents the remnants of an ancient dragonborn society. It keeps somewhat to itself amongst the developed nations, separated both by geography and by the sea, but nonetheless represents an advanced and enlightened civilization that values art, culture, theological and arcane studies.

## History

Long ago, in the second age, the dragonborn empire of Merax covered the entire the continent. Over-expansion weakened its hold on these territories, however, and over time the empire fractured into various states, officially meeting its end as the barbarian hordes rose up in an event now known as The Great Revolt. The dragonborn retreated to their peninsula and using their access to high magics, created a barrier to deter outside invasion, nestled among the mountains. This barrier has held strong over a thousand years, allowing the dragonborn to create a thriving and prosperous society steeped in arts and culture.

### Birthplace of a Pantheon

The population of Merax follows the primary religious pantheon of the continent. Over their long history they adopted gods worshipped by other cultures, interwove beliefs about their own draconic ancestors into the characteristics of these gods, and then assembled the gods into the pantheon that is commonly accepted today. This contribution is one reason they consider themselves as the birthplace of culture.

## Culture

### Government

The government in Merax is a plutocratic republic, i.e. there is a wealthy ruling class in this nation that are elected into office among their peers. The government of Merax maintains a high level of state control over sale and export of magical items. Some say that there is a level of paranoia within the government about what might befall Merax lest state secrets leak and the barrier that maintains the safety of the country become compromised.

### The High Art Form of Arcana

Arcane magic is considered a high art in this society. There are a number of different universities devoted to this study. Those who can develop their minds to comprehend the arcane mysteries are considered to be among the elite of this society.

Sorcerous magic is considered a lesser form of magic, available to common folks who don’t undergo rigorous training at a higher institution. It is an instinctual form of magic not linked to the essence of art.

Warlock magic is considered the magic of lazy men and cheats – those who want to take shortcuts to arcane enlightenment for the sale of a soul. Those who engage in warlock magic have betrayed the very core values that guide this society and are not to be trusted.

### The Traditional Art of War

War is considered a high art form in Merax. Although no war has been fought in almost a thousand years, schools continue to teach war theory and training in the traditional and elegant form of polearm use known as Pelaties. Many of those who train in polearm use become Pelites - a special militia division of the Merax army who have devoted themselves to the study of the art of war.

### Religious Basics

In Merax all of those in the good-neutral aligned pantheon are worshipped openly, with the Father and the Minstrel having the largest presence within the culture. There are temples devoted to the entire pantheon throughout the city, with the good-neutral gods left in a place of prominence while the shrines to the evil gods are kept hidden away, symbologically representing the darker urges that pull at the mortal soul from the shadows.

#### **Church of the Minstrel**

The church of the Minstrel here is a little less chaotic aligned than it would be in other places on the continent. The temples are called oratoriums where the divine oratorios performed. One of the highest divine callings in this church is that of the playwright. Many clerics function as playwrights, travelling throughout the nation and beyond to encode history into its holy form. Story is considered to be the source of divine inspiration that keeps a people and civilization grounded in their identity, in their culture and in their values. Religious lessons are often taught through the abstract lens of story rather than a strict theological system of rules.

The Minstrel herself is often represented in the form of a brass dragon bard. Rarer depictions also show her as a brass dragonborn, or as an elf.

#### **Church of the Father**

The church of the father is grounded in clear dogma and theological tradition. The church follows a hierarchical structure: led at the top by a triumvirate who are individually known as the Triochs. Beneath them are the Ministrex who manage the different geopolitical regions of the church. Finally, within each church is a Pateus, the head cleric. The values, doctrines and teachings of the church are all gathered in a sacred text known as the Ieros.

*An excerpt from the The Canticles of Virtue, located in the Ieros:*

> *"And with utmost willingness let these values be your guide. First honor, let your intentions be known and clear. Then courage, do not bow to the whims of cowardice or turn aback in fear. Hold to steadfastness, observe the laws of the nation and do not shirk your duty. Take on the common responsibility, through the actions of one are met the needs of the many."*
>
>

The Father is often represented in the form of a platinum dragon paladin. Rarer depictions show him as a silver dragonborn, or as a goliath.

#### **Cult of the Ancestors**

A small remnant of dragonborn still worship their ancestral dragons and shuns the more common pantheon. They believe the gods of the pantheon to be usurpers to the older gods, the dragons that gave birth to their race. Each dragon within this ancestral pantheon represents a different element and comes in both a chromatic and metallic form to represent the duality of good and evil that resides in every soul. These draconic ancestors are as follows:

* Aegeus: depicted as a gold and green dragon, Aegeus represents the element of the mountain: stability and growth but also upheaval and decay.
* Casimir: depicted as a copper and black dragon, Casimir represents the element of the sea: representing playfulness and abundance and but also regret and scarcity
* Bacchus: depicted as a brass and red dragon, Bacchus represents the element of the blaze: symbolizing warmth and connection but also excess and destruction.
* Eleheh: depicted as a silver and white dragon, Eleheh represents the element of the gale: liberty and enlightenment but also chaos and the baser instincts of mortality
* Thanesi: depicted as a bronze and blue dragon, Thanesi represents the element of the storm: holding the characteristics of both generosity and creativity but also obsession and greed

## Lifestyle

Despite its origins in dragonborn history, several races live in Merax today, including a significant population of elves, humans, half-elves, gnomes and goliaths. Merax has invested in shipping and has highly developed ports in order to bring in luxury items from other cultures. One of their major exports is magical items. Other peoples are drawn to Merax due to the peaceful and high-quality magic-assisted lifestyle, however it is very expensive to live there and difficult to find acceptance within the bourgeois.

* The arts are very important to this society and the people are highly invested in theatre, philosophy, the arcane magics and theology.
* Wine is considered the beverage of choice.
* Marble has great value within the culture.
* Common food exports include olives, dates, and fish.

## Races

### The Goliaths of Barricade Peaks

When the Great Revolt occurred nearly a thousand years ago, most of the barbarian tribes from the surrounding regions coordinated their strikes to force back all dragonborn influence back behind the mountain range that separates the Merax peninsula from the rest of the continent. One exception however, were the goliath tribes that lived in the mountains themselves. These tribes remained allied with the dragonborn and today are considered full citizens of Merax. Their tribal communities are dotted along the length of Barricade Peaks often guarding potential weak points in the barrier. Each communities retains links to their ancient customs and culture, while also integrating aspects from Merxian law.

The goliath tribal communities include Trubek, Chiples, Barker and Sajak.