Marlia

## Kingdom of Marlia

The Marlian flag was simplified and reversed during the Great Turning, but its symbolism remains the same. The triangle represents a mountain, symbol of endurance, the sun and moon represent nature, the red represents blood spilled in war and the white represents freedom.

### Adjective

Marlish

The Kingdom of Marlia is the wealthiest and most powerful of the Accord Lands, covering an area greater than all the other Accord Lands put together.

Marlia was the "wild west" of the Silent Empire. For a long time the Empire controlled only a thin strip of land along the western coast of Doom Bay centred on the city of Marlhaven. 'Marl' is an old Imperial word meaning an outcast or petty criminal, and there are rumours that Marlhaven began as a penal settlement for those cast out from Sudgewen for petty crimes. The Marlians vigorously dispute this, but they cannot deny that the western hinterlands of the Empire have long been a haven for those fleeing the legal structures of Imperial society, although the Marls emphasise that they are descended from hardy pioneers fleeing oppressive lords. Marlian society has always been much less aristocratic than the rest of the Accord Lands, which has led to it being known as the "Land of Freedom".

Marlia was always a difficult land for the Silent Empire to control, not least because of its vast, lightly populated expanses and modest infrastructure. When Basarab XV died, the Marlians supported an alternative claimant to Vortigern, and most of the largest battles of the war were between Marlia and Vortigern. When the war ended, Marlia took its place as an independent Kingdom and began the business of exploiting its vast natural resources and building up its military power.

Most of the changes of the last two centuries have favoured Marlia. The Church of the Inner Sea arose within its borders, and despite some initial conflict, the Kingdom eventually embraced the faith. In 97 AT the "Great Turning" came, as King Mercer III abdicated in favour of his younger sister, Princess Catherine, a follower of the Church. Catherine was the first follower of the Inner Sea to rule a major nation (Marklight was at the time not recognised), and she was the driving force behind the signing of the Second Treaty of the Accord, which forced the acceptance of the Church of the Inner Sea as a legitimate faith - a decision made possible by the implicit threat of Marlian military intervention.

Since then, Marlia has become a "crowned republic" where true sovereignty rests in the hand of its Parliament, a feuding and unruly collective of seven hundred representatives drawn from cities, granges, townships and marches across Marlia's vast expanse. The Parliament elects a Privy Council of ministers who get on with the business of actually governing. The royal family have a lot of wealth and influence but little power to actually change laws.

Marlia has the largest army in the Accord Lands and the second largest navy, second only to that of Othery. Marlian soldiers garrison several key coastal towns in the Land of a Thousand Swords, chiefly to keep coastal shipping safe and secure a few vital trade goods. The famed explorer Christopher Dove acts under the patronage of the King of Marlia, and Marls expect to take the lion's share of the wealth of the new lands of Tenebrae.

Most Marlians follow the Church of the Inner Sea, but there is a significant minority of Archon-worshippers, notably those who follow Toulou, whose Divine Forge lies within Marlia.

Marlia's capital is Marlhaven, the second largest city of the Accord Lands and trade rival of Othery. Other notable cities include Hoster, a major river port that trades with Suliaro; Hatford, the "western capital" and a centre of the forestry trade; and Gameskirk, a centre of the lucrative fur trade.

Marlians tend to be tall and rangy, with sandy blonde or strawberry blonde hair.