Merilla

## Overview

Merilla is perhaps the greatest sea-faring nation on the surface of Verramar, though its reputation is far darker than the title would imply. A mighty trade and naval strong nation, Merilla’s cities are generally diverse, crowded and act as hives for underhanded dealings and violent acts. Pirates are drawn to the relative safety of Merilla’s shores, and often stay far too long to be pleasant.

That being said, certain Merillian territories do differ from this reputation, and any man with gold in his pocket can often find himself aboard the deck of a ship helmed by the best of the best.

Territories:

Merilla as a nation is divided into territories, regions conquered by the Mavallan’s of years passed. These territories tend to be small islands and coast regions, and some are lost and retaken like the tides. The only definite borders that Merilla has are the ones around their homeland, hemmed in by the Lijao Parsols to the north and the Milecho Plains to the west.

Still, though these territories do fluctuate from time to time, the primary few are listed below.

Hondella

The Territory of Hondella is the largest of the Merillan nation, and is by far the most important. Cut with mountains of salt and sandstone, with weertrees growing across its hilly landscape, it is certainly a vibrant land indeed. However, the Territory is most notorious for its port city, simply called Hondell.

The city of Hondell is a sprawling monster of rickety wooden buildings and sandstone towers. It is dominated by the Dockyard, perhaps the largest in the world, and ships arrive and embark on an hourly basis. Sailors speak of Hondell as the one place to find anything you need, legal or otherwise. These words ring true to those that know the secrets.

The Underdecks of Hondell, the city’s notorious black market, are spread thickly below the dockyards themselves. They are vast, terrifying and extremely profitable. Some Mavallan’s have tried to destroy the Underdecks, but none have succeeded. In fact, most enjoy the flow of coin that the markets bring, regardless of their product.

Hondell is also the residence of the reigning Mavallan, a ruler elected by a council of the richest merchants of the territories. They reside in the great fortress known as Oceans Wreath, a mighty construction of timber and stone that towers over the rat-driven streets of Hondell, surrounded by a collection of similar buildings of the cities richer class.

Slavery is also ripe throughout Hondell, despite being outlawed in most other cultures, and the Underdecks reek of captured men and women from distant lands or territories.

Morrne

In stark contrast to Hondella, the territory of Morrne, though tiny in comparison to the rest of Merilla, is renowned for the earnestness and reliability of its residents. The large, but uninhabited, island was conquered by early sailors of Hondell centuries ago, and an initial colony was made. However, the returning vessels were destroyed by storms and the young nation of Merilla thought all hands had been lost.

But the settlers survived, slowly building up their island home generation after generation; perfecting the art of sea travel as they continued to find their way back home. Eventually they did, but by that time Hondell had already been struck by the thorn of greed. The Morrnelanders were disgusted and vowed to keep the spirit of the Merilla they had been raised upon alive.

Morrne itself is the central island within a collection of smaller islands. Though they pay a tithe to Merilla’s current Mavallan,(officially joining them to the nation) they are self-governed and avoid most of Merilla’s corrupt politics. A haven to lost sailors, the people of Morrne are tough and hardy, but will not turn anyone away.

Morrne’s capital is a city built against a cliff face known as Eld-ston. The city is unorganised for the most part, but remarkably clean for a port city. At the top is a massive lighthouse that also acts as the residence and place of government for the Ten Knots of Morrne, the council that leads the island territory.

Tarkaven

The territory of Tarkaven resides to the north of Hondella, and shares many of its attributes. Its coastline is filled with ports, fishing villages and small shipyards, all contributing towards the greater Merilla navy. However, the land of Tarkhaven differs from its capital state in several ways. For a start, most of the territory is filled with cooler mountain peaks, uninhabited spare the odd village or tribe.

The coast is also far more dangerous, even by Merillian standards. Hondell itself is probably more lawless, but the structure does exist in order to maintain the various illegal operations that call the Underdecks their home. The coast of Tarkaven has no such structure. Often called the Blackened Beaches, the coast is a famous for the wealth of pirates that call it home. Some crews have commandeered entire villages and set up shop, whilst others merely use them as staging grounds for more ambitious ploys.

Seemingly, the only bastion of civilisation is the port city of Black Ridge, the unofficial capital of the territory. Black Ridge itself is ringed with vicious walls on all sides, and a mighty fleet of Merillan warships constantly on alert. However, the city does not exactly operate as most sailors claim it does. Rather than a spot of order in a realm of chaos, the Ridge acts as an intermediary between the Merillian nation and the hundreds of pirate crews that operate within the waters.

The Mavallan Seat has long since given up on the idea of exterminating the pirates. Rather, they now recognise many captains as local lords of a sort, organised and governed by the Black Ridge. This has led to much infighting between the crews themselves, but those loyal to the Ridge and Merilla as a whole tend to fair better than their roguish counterparts.

Dristarn

The large territory of Dristarn is the main agricultural and economic seat of the Merillian nation, supplementing the weaknesses of organisation rife within Tarkhaven and the more heavy-handed nature of Hondella. Dristarn is slightly mountainous to the south and more arid to the north, but much of the territory is filled to the brim with lumber, farming and fishing operations.

The people of Dristarn are a hardy folk, almost dismissive and as blunt as their shovels. Though Hondella is the nation’s capital, Dristarn is its population centre. The lands are filled with dense population clusters on both the coast and inland, growing the nation’s food. However, these cities are every bit as hostile as Hondell itself, though nowhere near as vast.

Dristarn’s primary city is a port town called Trake. Though a sprawl of wooden and sandstone buildings, it bears some resemblance to Hondell, though not quite as wild and slavery isn’t common. The Mavar and their court is of most importance to Merilla, especially when it comes to orchestrating shipments and manpower around the nation as a whole.

Landfirs

The oddly named territory of Landfirs is Merilla’s most established colony upon the eastern continent ----, and easily the most profitable. Landfirs was landed over a century ago, and the sheer wealth the territory holds in trade rights alone is perhaps the reason Merilla hasn’t yet fallen into an economic collapse.

Landfirs is beaches, sands and tropics, a perfect environment for the fruit and fibres that the region is known for. Some of these, such as muurabrane, have allowed Merilla a stranglehold on the greater trade economy, with only the Idion Isles as their primary contender.

Landfirs is loosely populated with farmers and settlers, but the bulk of its population resides in the trade city of Valum. The city is rife with fruits, colours and a jungle of wooden buildings. Though not unlike Hondell, the city is far safer and better organised, with a wise Mavar watching over the region.

Virata

Another of Merilla’s major colonies, the territory of Virata sits against the lands of Udn’aka. Because of this, the territory is extremely hot with a border that shifts with the sands. The residents of Virata are hardy and weather-beaten, but typically more straightforward rather than the stereotypical Merillian indifference. Their fleets are also some of the more advanced in the world, due to having to adapt to seas with little wind.

Virata’s borders are maintained by a series of temperate alliances, walls and patrols. The closer one draws to the border, the more militaristic the land becomes and skirmishes with the Udn’aka people are all too common.

There is no true capital of Virata, as each of the original Merillan expeditions founded cities of their own. The current Mavar resides within Spir, the closest city to the Udn’aka border and the most militaristic of the three main cities. Spir is built upon the mighty River Blare, and much of the Merillian naval fleet operates along these waters. Without this fleet, Virata would’ve fallen to Udn’aka spears long ago.

Other Isles.

Due to the trade based and naval economy of Merilla, the nation has accumulated a number of smaller islands under their belt. Apart from Morrne and the isles that fall under its sphere of influence, each of these islands is governed by a Mavar and a small counsel of merchants. Each island mostly consists of forested woods, farms and port towns, with many of their populations fuelling the sailing ships of Hondella, Virata and Landfirs.

The Average Merillan

Most native-born Merillans are burly folk, standing around 6 feet tall with lightly tan skin. Their hair colour is wild and varied, with auburn and blond being the most common. Beards and moustaches are also worn by most men, and their hair tends to be long. Another common Merillan appearance is dark green tattoos on the shoulders and upper arms, commonly depicting a familiar shipping legacy. However, as Merilla itself is a trading capital, much of their population is made up of other races and cultures.

Merillan fashion is incredibly diverse, though much of it centres around the shipping industry. The typical colours are cream, dark brown, dark and emerald green with splashes of burnt orange and sandy tan. Many Merillans wear sailing coats and tri-corned hats, and most clothes are practical/ functional in design.

Military:

The Merillan military is, unsurprisingly, naval based for the most part. Their sailors are trained mostly by experience and, though not the tidiest in general, they are very well versed in sea combat and land raiding. Their land soldiers, known as Shoremen, are decently trained in battle line tactics and wear mostly padded armour. However, they are less disciplined than a standard army, and tend to dominate their foes by strength, numbers and underhanded tactics.

The primary exception to this is the islanders of Morrne who, along with being some of Merilla’s best sailors, pride themselves on keeping their troops disciplined, well trained and organised.