Prithus

*"Imagine you're in a tavern somewhere, like Codtown down in Bornea. There'll be plenty of people who're just there for a drink, but there will always be that one loudmouth tossing around money like it's nothing and telling grand lies about how he earned it. That'll be your Prithan: damnably charismatic, but about as honest as a whore telling you you're the best they've ever had." -* Admiral Nassied Azair, 1st Khivan Fleet, about fifty years after the Great Schism of Denthir.

## **Description**

Prithus is
the semi-plutocratic state of the North-Eastern Tatrian continent and is said to be
the richest state in the world. For centuries, it was under the oppressive rule
of the Denthiran Imperial aristocracy but has now been an independent state for
quite a while. In their time as an independent nation, the Prithans have
introduced a semi-democratic government where
citizens elect a president from the most prominent trade or naval business
families in the nation. The government is seated in the City of Prithus, an
enormous metropolis that may very well be the single largest city in the world.
While the people of the nation have grown very comfortable with their wealth, Prithans
are not to be underestimated: due to the wealth of the state, the Prithan
military and navy are ridiculously well-paid and therefore some of the best-equipped,
most well-disciplined and trained and incorrupt armed forces in the world.
Sadly for the Prithans, this led to them becoming the natural rivals of the
Varnian Empire, which most Prithans refer to as the “Silver Scourge” or the
“Scourgeouns”, terms that are now utilised across the board amongst non-Varnians.
The Prithans strive to (often successfully!) achieve everything the
Varnians have in terms of subsidised agricultural practises, educational
standards and care of their citizens, but they take extra care to appear to do so without any of the forceful means the
Varnians tend to apply. Many Prithans are friendly and charismatic
folk, something that works to their advantage when trading, and would much
rather offer you a smile, a mug of ale and a handful of coins in exchange for
your cooperation than to force your hand by the sword. That is not to say the
Prithans are all good, however; they’re notorious for resorting to bribes, have
a bad tendency to establish extensive intelligence networks within other
nations, be they friend or foe, and many are doing their best to ascend through the social ranks through underhanded means like organized crime, extortion, severe exploitation of workforces and more. In a land where charm can get you as far as coin, it is difficult to know who to trust.

## **Races**

Prithans are typically Humans, Halflings, Elves or Gnomes. Since the peaceful establishment of Prithan rule in Southern Xholoria, all of Prithus has also become home to a vast number of Centaurs, Genasi and Goliaths.

## **Culture**

Prithans are, on average, natural traders and are typically incredibly good at bartering. This stems from a general love for debate and discussion amongst Prithans, a trait that many foreigners tend to find annoying. They're generally seen as opportunistic, talkative and unusually cheery folks. If you find yourself in the company of a typical Prithan, prepare yourself for some serious bartering if you have something they want. Conversely, a Prithan friend may be very happy to pester and barter with whomsoever holds something you'd like until you acquire what you want. They are known for their silver tongues, which is both a blessing and a curse as some folk straight up refuse to trust them as a result.

As always, this does not define your character should they be from here - it is merely a description of how people around your character behave on average. Not all or even any people around your character need adhere to these norms, either - it is entirely up to you.

## **History**

Prithus,
before Denthiran conquest, was not actually a nation. For the most part, it was
just a densely settled area governed by no-one except whatever merchant was the
richest and could hire the most mercenaries in any given local area. Internal
conflict was scarce back then, as Prithan friendliness has been a constant for
centuries. Ironically, the unity of Prithans in the present is the result of
Denthiran oppression. Prithus did not truly have a national identity until
everyone experienced the harsh and exploitative treatment of Denthiran
nobility. Over the centuries, Prithans started banding together and settled what
is presently known as the City of Prithus. The Denthirans, in their ignorance,
simply saw the more consolidated settling habits of their subjects as a great
way to ease tax collection and levying of local troops. However, the Prithans
were playing the long game: by settling most of their population in a central
location, it was easy to establish an underground government capable of drawing
up preliminary plans of a rebellion aiming to launch an all-out war of independence.
In fact, it was the Prithan underground government that drafted the Free Tatrian Alliance treaty, organised the transport of Bornean and Synghgarthic officials
to the city a few months before the Great Schism of Denthir began, and created the
necessary infrastructure and supply lines between the three nations to wage an
effective war of independence against the Denthirans. Mere months after assembling
the Free Tatrian Alliance’s officials and signing the defensive pact, Bornea, Prithus
and Synghgarth declared independence. Prithus saw heavy fighting on their
western borders, but their population was very motivated to see the end of Denthiran
rule and all too eager to give their lives if only to see a few Denthiran
nobles dead. Eventually, Prithan forces pushed the Denthiran army back to the
Northern Mountains and the rivers just south of the mountains, thus
establishing a hard border that would have been difficult, if not outright
impossible, to cross. With their borders basically secure, they joined
Synghgarthic and Bornean forces, aided by the Varnians, on the Synghgarthic
front, eventually doubling the original Synghgarthic territorial landmass by
pushing its western border close to the Denthiran Imperial City. Three years
after the three nations had declared independence, Denthiran military finally
gave up: they had last much of their eastern holdings to Synghgarth and Prithus
had occupied every single profitable patch of land in the North-East. The
Denthiran military had little funding as much financial pull was required to save
the fleeing nobles from across the land. Thus, Denthir recognised the
independence of Bornea, Prithus and Synghgarth. Prithans wasted no time on
celebrating: they quickly fortified whatever parts of their border potentially
could be crossed without much trouble and established a massive navy, an incredible
mercantile presence across all of Kranos and an impressive standing army. Since
then, Prithus has only grown richer and more powerful, and have launched a ‘Counter-Varnian’
expedition into Southern Xholoria, trying to prove to the international community
that Xholoria does not need taming and that Varnia needs to be cut down to
size. However, while Prithus is better at making it appear like they are treating the Xholorians well than the Varnians are, those in the know are fully aware that Prithus can be just as tyrannical to Xholorians as they say the Varnians are.