Qandar

## Surroundings

### Settlements

Thelos, Melosi, Belhaven, Silverdale, Thaubard, Sessine, Caleah, Ennerin, Quilera, others

### Landscape

varies, mostly plains, grasslands and hills

## Population and government

### Known inhabitants

Hildebrand, Olivia and Victoria Vaine, Anastasia Pelletine, Desmond Arley, others

### Capital

Thelos

Located on a peninsula in the southern Heartlands, the **Merchant Republic of Qandar** is one of the major coreshti countries in the continent of Nova Core. This prosperous state is one of the richest stretches of land in the area, its people being exemplary capitalists who have been providing trade for the entire continent for thousands of years. As one of the most important trading hubs around, the port cities of Qandar are instrumental in the flow of trade between the many coreshti states. The Merchant Republic is also one of the most technologically advanced countries in Nova Core, possessing many industrial resources, machines and inventions that are alien to the rest of the continent. People from Qandar are called *Qandarese*.

## Description

### Location and international position

The Merchant Republic of Qandar owes much of its wealth and prestigious international position to its strategic location, being situated on the so-called Nydulean Peninsula in the southern parts of the Heartlands to the west of the Inner Sea. This geographic position gives Qandar access to important parts of Nova Core: the Islands to the west, the city-states of the Una Morsca to the northwest, the prosperous Heartlands to the north, and the distant Sunlands to the east. The Qandarese have made good use of their central location, and have been maintaining trade relations with many coreshti countries and settlements for many years. This includes the kingdom of Matan'jar and its fabulous port cities, the prosperous Shimmering Isles region, and formerly the city of Zenith. The Merchant Republic of Qandar serves as a sort of gateway between the Sunlands, Islands and Heartlands, being a location where trade flows converge and goods and services are often exchanged. Historically low taxes and other economically liberal measures have played a major role in securing this international position and keeping it intact.

### Surroundings

To the north, Qandar is bordered by the Old Country, a large area of unclaimed wildernesses that host a wide range of mysteries, crumbling ruins, relics of ancient civilizations, and other darker presences. The river Buina, originating in the Fel Mountains on the border with Arecama, flows through both the Old Country and Qandar, giving life to both regions. Being a Heartland state, Qandar has quite a mild, pleasant climate and landscape. The republic is divided into four distinct provinces, which each hold a certain amount of autonomy. The province of Torreveen in the northern part of the country mostly consist of grasslands and plains, its capital being beautiful Silverdale. The western province of Diralath is dominated by sparsely populated hills and highlands; the capital is shabby Thaubard, a heavily industrialized city. Alyssia, the most populous province in the country, is located in the southern parts of the peninsula, with its majestic capital of Caleah. The woodland province of Gwarlaine lies around the mouth of the Buina river in the eastern Nydulean Peninsula; the only large settlement is the capital of Quilera on the shores of the Inner Sea. The Merchant Republic of Qandar is ruled from its capital of Thelos, a large city sitting proudly on an island in the Resting Sea, a major inland body of water in the central parts of the peninsula. Other important settlements include the prosperous port city of Belhaven, the industrial city of Melosi, and southern Sessine.

### The Old Country-issue

Being situated on the Nydulean Peninsula, Qandar is bordered by only one region in the north: the Old Country. This vast swath of wilderness has as of yet not been claimed by any major country, mainly because the region is quite dangerous to traverse, being haunted by both mortal and supernatural threats that can lurk around any corner. The presence of Old Country, which has been largely uninhabited by civilized life since the fall of Sechoyin and the eruption of the Dragonmount thousands of years ago, partially restricts the Qandarese access to the Heartlands. Historically, the inhabitants of Qandar have mostly been using fortresses on the banks of the river Buina to safely traverse the wilderness and then go around the Fel Mountains, either in the west at Dwaire or in the east near Zenith. Since Zenith's disappearance from the international landscape, only the passes at Dwaire leading into Thaluin have been in use. However, as time passed the fortresses on the banks of the Buina slowly fell prey to bandits, monsters and darker influences, further restricting the Qandarese access to the Heartlands. To bypass this obstruction, the Qandarese government has recently been working together with Thaluin to build a large bridge connecting the cities of Illis and Ennerin, thereby creating a new trading route and largely solving the Old Country- issue. The bridge, dubbed the Duality Bridge, has been in the works for decades and is nearing completion.

## Inhabitants

### Government and political system

The government of Qandar is organized as a republic, meaning it has no monarch or hereditary head of state. This system distinguishes the country from other coreshti states, most of which are either absolute or parliamentary monarchies. The only other major republic in the Heartlands region is northern Meltumya; others include the Northcoast Alliance of Volantine and the Shimmering Isles of the Sunlands. Qandar's political system is characterised by the presence of a wide range of political parties, movements and institutions, which over time have fragmented the governmental situation more and more, sometimes causing the country to become so divided that it's practically impossible to rule over. To solve this problem, Qandar has adopted a presidential system, in which a central figure called a president is voted into office by the general populace and is consequentially given control of the executive power, while the legislative power remains in the hands of the also democratically elected parliament. However, since only the wealthy Qandarese have the right to vote, the democratic potential of the Merchant Republic is seen by many as limited. The conservative Traditionalist Party has been in power for most of recent history since the streamlining of Qandarese politics with the introduction of the presidential system, having allied itself with various smaller right-wing parties to form coalitions and political alliances through the years. The Traditionalists also deliver most of the presidents of the country, a position which is currently held by the conservative Hildebrand Vaine. The largest opposition party of Qandar is the left-wing General Party, which sets out to defend the interests of the large group of poor workers who do not have the right to vote. The General Party, currently led by Anastasia Pelletine, is a proponent of the introduction of universal suffrage, a reduction of the gap between poor and wealthy, and signing laws which give the state more power to create a just society. Despite never having been the dominant party, the progressive movement has quite a bit of following, and even provides some government officials. However, it is believed that for the General Party to really become a political force to be reckoned with, the right to vote will have to be extended to all citizens, regardless of wealth or societal position. The political system of Qandar exists without a standing army, which is unique in the Heartlands and is thanks to Eckard Hassel Scharff, who in 369 5E marched the army on Thelos and briefly established a military dictatorship; after the return of democratic rule, the state-led armed forces were abolished.

### Technology and industry

In recent years, the Merchant Republic of Qandar has developed to arguably the most technologically advanced nation on the continent. Having started a process of industrialization some decades ago, most parts of the country now enjoy early-industrial technology such as steam trains, a large transport system, and the means of mass production. It is even capable of producing guns, though the technology is quite expensive and the means of production are limited. For the higher societal classes, the various new inventions have made life much easier: for example, the developing infrastructure network has vastly decreased traveling times between cities and provinces, providing for faster trade and more income. Progress in the medical field is significantly extending the lifespans of the wealthy, who are more than willing to pay rising industrialists for their services. However, the industrial technology also has its disadvantages. The technological improvements have widened the already enormous gap between wealthy and poor, further enriching the higher class and impoverishing the lower class. While the wealthy have access to all kinds of high-quality technology, the common workers are too poor to afford such things, and are therefore dependent on charlatans and crooks to keep up with the industrial progress. Many of the technological inventions and machines are still quite primitive and crude, and can be dangerous to use, claiming the lives of hundreds and civilians of workers every year. The Thunderguard, historically respected law enforcers, are beginning to transform into an oppressive police force under Wolfgang Gillen, misusing merciless, emotionless machines for personal gain. Furthermore, the rapid industrialization has forced cities, organizations and people in Qandar to contribute to the building of hundreds of factories, which are more and more beginning to dominate the urban landscape of the peninsula. Cities like Thaubard and Melosi have been completely transformed because of this, now housing countless factories and industrial terrains which are seriously polluting their surroundings, making the cities unpleasant and dangerous places. Crime has also significantly increased, with all kinds of criminal industrialists, street gangs and crime lords claiming more and more territory in the cities. The ruling Traditionalist Party generally does not intervene in such matters out of their free-market views, leaving their country largely open to the sickness that forced industrialization brings.