Titani

Map of Titani

## Common Knowledge

Titani is primarily known for its coastal trade city Malin, a beacon of prosperity which is often overlooked in favor of the massively-successful Amerale. Inhabitants of the nation or anyone travelling it on foot would know that this image of Titani as a wealthy trade empire belies the state of the rest of the country at large.

## Topography and Climate

The majority of the land in Titani’s territory is a single, heavily-forested bog, dipping at times into mangrove forests or other times into normal woods. Along the coast, sparse sections of sand bars can be found along soft beaches, especially near Malin.

The country sees a temperate climate with a comfortable seasonal cycle, with the northern and western coasts seeing an usual amount of rain.

## Population

Titani’s population is mostly human, with a smattering of dwarves, elves, and the occasional beast-folk. The nation has an unevenly-distributed population of 60,000 people; Malin’s population hovers around 40,000, while other cities barely reach 1,000.

It should be noted that in the last twenty-five (25) years, Titani’s population has slowly but steadily declined. Economic collapse and political unrest in every province except Malin has led many people to immigrate to the Amrali Republic, Aiur, or even the wilds of Dahaan Havazh rather than continue suffering at home.

## Exports and Trades

Occupations and trade vary by province, but a general trend is that raw resources are sent to Malin from the other provinces and (maybe) they will purchase a manufactured good in exchange.

Malin has a great deal of merchants and mages, and exports a great deal of produce and ores. Alda and Flatril have mostly farmers, lumberjacks, hunters, and the occasional carpenter, and exports produce and lumber to the capital. Iten is much the same as Alda, though there are a few novitiate alchemists and herbalists trying to recreate the miracle crop. Devon has a great deal of miners and smithies, and exports ores, stone, and marble to the capital.

Knights and mercenaries can be found almost anywhere in Titani.

## Government

Titani is five provinces spread across the region which “Titani” occupies. Each province acts as a semi-autonomous city-state, all subservient to the main power of Titani in Malin.

Titani’s central government follows an absolute monarchy, with the wealthiest citizens holding political power beneath that monarch.

The current monarch of Titani is Queen Dunara, an old, stubborn traditionalist who insists that the nation maintain its internal structure even in the face of extreme political strife and numerous attempted secessions by other “member” cities.

## Military

Titani’s unorthodox military flies under the banner of the Knights of Malin, an all-encompassing force that acts as diplomats, envoys, bounty hunters, and police, in addition to their normal role as soldiers and mercenary commanders when called upon.

At its inception, the order accepted warriors from throughout the kingdom, giving each new recruit lodging in the city as well as training. This policy gave all citizens of Titani an equal chance to achieve knighthood, from the children of farmers to city dwellers. In its modern incarnation, the recrution works differently- current members of the order will actively seek out new recruits to serve as their squires. It is very rare for a knight to recruit anyone other than a citizen of Malin.

The Knights of Malin act as police, bounty hunters, diplomats and envoys. In the rare cases when the kingdom requires military force, the knights act as commanders to a mercenary army. The gender ratio is skewed towards males, however female knights are not unheard of. The position of knight is coveted and held in high esteem, and citizens of Malin respect knights greatly. Knights are addressed as "Sir Knight" or "Dame Knight."

Some knights have experience in wielding magic, but many don’t and it is not a requirement. The main purposes of the order do not require it and non casters can be just as respected as casters.

The training period for a knight ranges from person to person. Some squires might finish in about two years, but some, especially those that start when they're still young, might take as long as five years to complete it. The training consists mostly of combat and survival lessons, and at least a year must take place outside of the walls of Malin, preferably outside of the entire kingdom of Titani. The end of the training is determined by the knight master, at which point the two return to Malin where the squire goes through some tests (if they fail, which is rare but sometimes happens, then they are dismissed and may not repeat their training. It is considered a disgrace). Once they pass the tests, they go through a ceremony in which they swear loyalty to the royal family and to the best interests of Malin, and their knight master presents them with a crest for their shield.

## Social Hierarchy and Culture

The wealthiest and highest-class of people in Titani are merchants and mages, both bringing in the majority of outside interest in the area. Titani’s status as a trade city makes the power of merchants inevitable, but mages and aspiring spellcasters (especially wizards) gather in Malin to attend Zebarin’s Sorcery School, a magical academy founded by the famous mage Zebarin himself.

The tiny nature of the Titani government ensures that there are no noble families in the traditional sense. Generation-spanning merchant families who behave as nobles are not uncommon, but the royal family is quite small.

Just about anybody outside Malin is poor, lower-class, or even destitute. The inhabitants of Malin behave as though the struggles of the rest of their nation do not exist, or otherwise simply do not care.

### Celebrations and Holidays

Many cities celebrate past military victories, such as the Battle of Benen, but other than the overlap between these days there are no nationwide celebrations.

## Cities, Towns, and Villages

Each city in Titani acts as a city-state of its own, controlling both itself and the territory surrounding it.

### Malin

Formerly called Benen, Malin is a coastal city with thriving business connections. As the capital of Titani, and its crown jewel, it enjoys all the resources of its fellow provinces.

Malin is the only city in Titani which is not impoverished or otherwise economically struggling.

### Alda

A forested region whose economy relies on hunting and farming. Once a lush forest, constant demands for more food required further and further deforestation to accommodate the necessary farms.

#### Farice

A small, isolated village in Alda, led by a skilled warrior leader. One of its leaders founded the Knights of Malin.

### Iten

A farming town that once prospered due to an alchemically-fabricated miracle crop, but has been on the decline for all of Titani’s modern history since the crop’s secret was lost.

### Devon

A mining town on a single hill, which has been so hollowed out that it might as well be part of the town.

### Flatril

A farming town nestled between the other four cities. Once a trading hub, countless wars and extreme taxation have rendered it a shell of its former self. The town’s population is far smaller than the number of buildings might suggest.

## Alliances

Titani has no formal allies. Titani is not a member of the United Orelisian Council.

## Enemy Countries

Titani has no formal enemies, but strongly resents Amerale for past misdeeds.

## Historical Timeline

* Earliest Settlers Arrive - 6,800’s A.B.
* Devon founded - 7,149 A.B.
* Benen founded - 7, 179 A.B.
* Flatril founded - 7,248 A.B.
* Iten founded - 7, 300 A.B.
* Alda founded - 7,360 A.B.
* Amerale implants spies into nearby city-states and instigates wars, sells services of its own military - 7,545 A.B.
* Amerale withdraws agents from western swamp city-states - 8,196 A.B.
* Titani founded by political union between Iten and Devon - 9,813 A.B.
* Alda joins Titani by political union - 9,813 A.B.
* Flatril joins Titani by political union - 9,883 A.B.
* Benen taken over by pirates - 9,912 A.B.
* Benen pirates stage surprise attack on Titani royal family, kill all but Princess Elra - 9,913 A.B.
* Princess Elra brings Titani army to Benen to retake city - 9,914 A.B.
	+ Battle of Benen - 9,914 A.B. - 9,916 A.B.
* Elra crowned queen of Titani, renames Benen to Malin, makes Malin capital of Titani - 9,916 A.B.
* Flatril attempts to secede from Titani, fails - 9,988 A.B.
* Alda attempts to secede from Titani, fails 9,993 A.B.
* Iten attempts to secede from Titani, fails - 10,000 A.B.
* Malin attempts to secede from Titani, fails - 10,002 A.B.
* Flatril attempts to secede from Titani a second time, fails - 10,006 A.B.
* Devon attempts to secede from Titani, fails - 10,009 A.B.
* Flatril attempts to secede from Titani a third time, fails - 10,013 A.B.
* With Binturian aid, a Teleportation Pole is erected in Malin connecting it with Port Calla - 10,017 A.B.

## Founding and History

### Early History (6,800 A.B. - 7,360 A.B.)

The marsh that would become Titani remained uninhabited for a great long time, due to the difficulties inherent to the region. The earliest settlers to the region were tribes of humans, pushed eastward by violent expansion from Amerale in the late 6,800’s A.B.. It would take a great deal of time for the area to be fully colonized, as people trickled into the swamp for refuge from Amerale, military deserters, or any other litany of reasons.

By 7,360 A.B., the tiny groups of swamp squatters congealed into five small city-states: Benen, a coastal town with access to the ports of Aiur and Amerale; Alda, whose economy focused on pelting in the largest true forest in the area; Iten, a small town sustained by an artificial crop designed to grow in swamps; Devon, a mining town on a single hill that they would milk for every last morsel of ore and stone; and Flatril, a farming town nestled between the other four that quickly made it a trade hub for the region. Peace reigned in the region for centuries.

### Puppet States (7,545 A.B. - 8,196 A.B.)

In 7,543 A.B., Amerale conquered Hexahedron and formally brought the Tessellation War to a close. Its massive military had done all there was to do; climbed every peak, surveyed the scene, and found itself alone and bored. With nothing to challenge its career soldiers, the Council of Five worried (rightly) that they would turn on the civilians (or worse yet, merchant caravans). Their gaze turned towards the city-states of the western bog, who until now had been untouched simply due to the cost of such a potentially slow expansion.

Rather than simply storm west and conquer the lot of them, the Council’s Warmaster had a “better” idea. By instigating a war between the city-states themselves, Amerale could offer to sell the services of its antsiest warriors to those states. Amerale remains a “neutral” party, its soldiers get to fight or die, and this could be extended far longer than a standard invasion. Everybody wins! The Council of Five, seeing the logic and blatantly disregarding the wellbeing of the neighboring city-states, put the plan into motion. Bad actors were quickly installed into unsuspecting governments, and the states slowly drove to war in 7,545 A.B..

The five swamp cities would war amongst each other, pulled by the nose by Amrali agents into useless disputes and needless bloodshed, for centuries. Many people lost their lives, but Amerale was finally forced to stop in 8,196 A.B.. In addition to their nation-playthings being far too underpopulated to field a military of their own and too drained of resources to hire the Amrali military, and a burgeoning series of incursions from Dahaan Havazh, Benen had become a useful trade partner to many an Amrali merchant. Faced with potentially losing money, Amerale quietly withdrew or abandoned their spies in the swamp.

Each of the city-states had suffered massive casualties, been drained of food and finance, and were left shattered. Some states discovered the true culprit, but had no recourse against Amerale itself without incurring its ire once more. Over the next centuries, they would try to rebuild without re-igniting tensions between each other, and eventually they returned to some state of normalcy.

### Founding of Titani (9,813 A.B. - 9,883 A.B.)

Through the marriage of Iten’s King Nalsaf Titani and Devon’s Queen Larida in 9,813 A.B., the two cities formed a political union under the banner of Titani. Alda was quick to join the newborn nation, and together the three nations ruled exactly the same as they had before. In 9,883 A.B. Flatril joined Titani through another royal marriage, and some small amount of wealth from Benen began to circulate throughout the country.

### Annexing Benen (9,912 A.B. - 9,916 A.B.)

Originally, Benen was wholly uninterested in joining Titani. Its trade empire kept it afloat perfectly fine, there was no need to bother with further protecting itself by aligning with some peasant nation. In 9,912 A.B., however, they changed their tune when the city came under siege by pirates. Vast amounts of wealth were lost, and the royal family was cut down entirely. The pirates had not expected to actually conquer the city, however, and celebrated their victory at the expense of the captured treasury and captured populace alike. Suspecting the unlikely event of a coup against them from Titani, the pirates occupying Benen surged into the capital in a surprise attack, killing all but one of the Titani royal family before retreating to their party-city-hideout.

Meanwhile, the sole survivor and her band of allies planned their next move. Princess Elra, her husband Mali, the wizard Zebarin, and Zebarin’s friend and rival Faran departed their hiding place in Farice with the goal of reclaiming their home. Travelling in secret through Titani, the four visited homesteads and villages convincing people to fight alongside them. Soon they marched onto Benen with the backing of all Titani, and came to blows with the pirates. The battle raged for two years, and cost Mali’s life among many others, but at last Benen was free again. Elra was crowned queen, renamed Benen to Malin for her deceased husband, and established Malin as Titani’s new capital city.

### Attempted Secessions (9,988 A.B. - Present)

Just as it had before, wealth quickly accumulated in Malin, where the merchants and aspiring mages lived, and soon the other member cities of Titani were back at square one. The other provinces grew resentful of the disparity in wealth, but did not have the means to help themselves prosper. The lands were not bountiful enough to provide a trade surplus, and so their situation persisted. At various times, Alda, Devon, Flatril, Iten, and even the city of Malin itself have attempted to secede from the rule of Titani at large, for political and ethical reasons, but each time the queen crashes against them with the full might of Titani’s now well-developed military and crushes the insurgents before they can even get off the ground.

## Further Information

* Aiur
* Amrali Republic
* Magic
* Teleportation Pole