Tarrin

**Tarrin** or **The Grand Republic of Tarrin** is Arcadia's oldest Democracy. It is a Unitary Semi Presidential state with wide reaching powers for the executive. The history of Tarrin and Sirex spans centuries of alternating warfare and cooperation with several attempts at union or outright annexation from both sides. The establishment of The Protectorate in 1698 meant a new era for Tarrin-Sirex relations as both states ratified a formal union for the first time in recorded history. Despite this, relations are at an all time low as old grievances threaten to tear apart the seams of the new alliance.

## History

The Republic of Tarrin started as a trade hub city state. Combining mastery over navigating the great falls with strict policing of the inner sea, Tarrin was able to establish a near monopoly on trade from Nymeria and Sigil into inland Arcadia and the Outerlands. While nearby agriculturally based states formed systems of nobility and farmers councils, the Tarrin republic was founded on trade family meritocracy, naval supremacy, and democracy. This founding ethos has guided Tarrin, even as its relative share of trade has waned in the past century.

### 1st Republic of Greater Tarrin

The First Republic of Greater Tarrin started with the twin city accords, a union between Ashton and Mistport during the turn of the 13th Century. Although both had characteristics of the myriad trade stations and fishing villages along the Tarrin coast, the strategic location of both cities effectively bottlenecked trade on the inner sea. Ashton guarded the Twin straits and Lake Loria while Mistport became central to the Nymerian-Outerlands trade routes.

The Union of these two cities has been compared to the Protectorate accords as both faced existential threats that provided the basis for the formation of a contiguous state. Whereas Mistport had the natural defenses of the Great Falls, it's naval capacity was subdued from lack of raw materials which led to difficulty policing the inner sea from piracy and invasion. Meanwhile Ashton was in constant need of aid from hostile Orc raids and Outerland Invasions but had a sizeable armada so as to force hostile powers through the festering marshes and deny naval invasions through the Bay of the Serpent.

Following the union, a Tarrin golden age occurred. The Greater Tarrin Republic reached its apex in 1420 with trade posts from the Ariadic Ocean to the Syl'Zasha Straight.

### Kyber River Wars

Increasing hostility between Tarrin and Nymeria over trade disputes in the Inner Sea reached a tipping point in 1420. While at first the Arasaka company had acted as one of many corporations that Tarrin regularly traded with, the increasing market share that the company exerted along the inner sea rang alarm bells in Mistport. There were also several concerns about Arasaka ventures to find trade routes through the Anvil islands and their investments in overland trade with Ul'Gork City.

The Tarrin aligned kingdom of Auquiton had long flirted with the idea of federalizing into the first republic to reap trade privilages. Once King Ladaslow III died heirless in 1420, a soft coup took place as the Burgess Council of Trent declared President Karisky the new King. Karisky then pressed Auquiton land claims on Lumbery & Saxe-Lumberg using the Tarrin army to storm through any opposition. Though Karisky did abdicate the title of King in Auquiton, crownlands ceded to him were distributed among political allies of the Karisky regime and his family.

By annexing land up to the Kyber River, Tarrin blocked trade routes to Sirex west of the Valorian mountains and created a larger buffer between Nymeria and Mistport. The former kingdoms of Auquiton, Lumbery, and Saxe-Friedmont were quickly overrun by Tarrin's army, and forts were established from the mountains to the sea. While the war itself lasted barely two years, its geopolitical effects have been long lasting.

### The High Seas Period

The outrage sparked in Nymeria by Tarrin's annexation of Auquiton was a boon for the ascendant Arasaka company, which used the crisis to consolidated its position as a main power in Nymerian affairs. Mutual defense alliances and internal Tarrin exclusionary trade deals formed a backbone around Arasaka, which unified the nations of Nymeria.

After a short period of consolidation, the Arasaka company began a campaign of relentlessly harrying inner sea trade. Privateers and Pirates accounted for up to 35% of all ships in the Inner Sea by 1430. The trade war between Tarrin and Nymeria gutted both economies, but neither side buckled for the next 25 years, even as material conditions continued to diminish.

### The Inner Sea Accords

In 1455 President Lassé signed the Inner Sea accords in keeping with his mandate to relax relations with Nymeria. This de facto ended the trade war with Arasaka. Among other concessions, Tarrin was forced into making the Inner Sea into a free trade zone for all Nymerian and Sirex ships and was disallowed from charging docking fees for merchants staying less than two (2) days in any Tarrin port. This accord eased the economic distress that Tarrin felt from the trade war, but hurt Tarrin's share of Inner Sea trade in the long term.

### 2nd Constitution

The rapidly expanding Tarrin zones of influence during the 1st republic led to monumental amounts of corruption and profiteering. Trade monopolies became entwined with the state. Until the 1430s CE this status quo was seen as a biproduct of commercial success of the twin cities, but the squeeze on Tarrin trade routes by Arasaka caused massive economic issues for the average citizen. Meanwhile, corporate oligarchs, emboldened by state efforts to centralize trade away from Nymeria, continued commercialization pushes for staple goods such as grain and water. Rising prices and few worker guarantees led to the increased perception of a "racket economy." This in turn led to the formation of the *Populaires Party*, which became a dominant force for reform. The signing of the 1455 trade accords spelled disaster for the Lassé regime as his government fell to infighting and finger pointing over why there was no total victory over the Arasaka company. The 1458 Senate elections were the first indicator of *Populaire* consolidation as they won several key seats. President Lassé resigned in 1458 citing "health concerns." His vice president Julias Sanson, would replace him for the remainder of his term into 1465, and govern with the *Optimate Party* in a right wing coalition.

Meanwhile the Tarrin economy was in a tailspin due to the Inner Sea accords. Large state and corporate actors had bet on a full Tarrin victory over the trade war and quickly found their investments collapsing under them when this was not the case. Conditions for the average citizen worsened as well for the next 4 years.

The 1462 elections would remain a watershed moment in Tarrin history, where the new *Populaires Party* commanded an absolute majority in both the Ashton Senate and Mistport Congress. Before transferring the seats, the *Optimate Party* under Julias Sanson delayed elections for the presidency to 1470 and appointed loyalists to as many judicial as possible.

In response, The *Vox Populi,* a radical wing of the *Populaires* *Party,* forced a constitutional crisis by withholding acceptance of the state budget for the entirety of Sanson's presidential term, leading to Sanson's *Optimate Party* nearly bankrupting Tarrin with foreign loans and exorbitant tariffs.

In 1468, President Sanson died. His successor, Anton LeFevre immediately called a constitutional convention. By this point the Tarrin economy was running out of lenders and interest payments were outpacing revenue from the Sanson Tariffs. The economy was in dire straits.

The LeFevre Constitution of '69 is often invoked as a prime example of the "Tarrin Spirit" and deeply entwined in the cultural mythos of the Grand Tarrin Republic. The bickering parties pulled together to once again form a cohesive bloc between Ashton and Mistport, averting the very real chance of revolt and collapse.

In 1470 the *Populaires Party* once again achieved electoral victory, with many smaller parties splitting the vote of the ousted *Optimate Party*. All was not fixed for the republic by the new constitution; massive amounts of debt from the Sanson years haunted every budget of the *Populaire Party* and the budget cuts from the 1460s left an austerity government that was barely able to accomplish basic administrative tasks. In the face of this internal instability a new crisis arrived across the Festering Marshes.

### The Truceless War

Orc raids into Ashton were a perennial problem for the Republic. As the border between Tarrin, the Outerlands, and the Orc Khagnates grew, conflicts became less and less manageable. The Tarrin response was an increasing reliance on mercenary companies against these incursions. The debt crisis spurred by the Sanson Regime devalued Tarrin currency to the point that companies accepted payment only in rare earth metals such as Gold or Etherium.

In 1471 The Satune Khagnate launched a devastating offensive across the Festering Marshes. Tarrin defenses were set for a campaign to take Ashton, the usual target of raids. The Orc warbands instead flooded across undefended swaths of land, penetrating into the Lake Loria region and choking the Northern trade route. This was a huge blow to Ashton, as without being able to trade with Northern Arcadia the city could barely feed itself. The new government responded to this crisis through mass public subsidies for grain shipments to Ashton and a levy of Tarrin troops, alongside substantial investment in mercenary contracts.

On the Diplomatic front, overtures to Sirex for military aid were generally refused, as Sirex had much to gain from a weakened Tarrin and Revaan league. The playbook of unifying Arcadia against large Orc interventions is centuries old, yet the feuds of the old states made a project like the protectorate all but impossible for this period.

After an unsuccessful campaign to liberate Lake Loria in 1472, the Tarrin Army wintered in the Hollow Hills. Suffering massive attrition from one of the harshest winters of the century, the beleaguered forces retreated to Elder Oaks where the supply lines were easier to manage. In the North, the Revaan League launched an expeditionary campaign against the Satune Khagnate and occupied Orinh to reopen the Ashton-Outerlands trade route. While on the surface this was a victory for Tarrin forces since the trade route was reopened, the League continued to occupy this area before incorporating it into the Outerlands proper as a province. This severely cut into the trading margins of Ashton.

The Spring offensive of 1473 was a series of military successes by Baron La Roche which reopened land trade routes to Ashton once again. At this point Tarrin forces were too exhausted to mount any further reclamation of the distant provinces and began erecting static defenses along the new frontier. Although further campaigns would be launched into the 1480s, the Tarrin Armed forces were in no way sufficient to oust the Khagnate nor the Revaan League but were able to hold the new border.

The Satune Khagnate collapsed in 1484, allowing the static frontline to be reopened as the disorganized Orc army had largely turned into brigands and small cells. Clashes on the border with the Revaan League in the Lake Loria region almost led to a full war until the 1486 treaty of Orinh was signed, which ceded most of the land around Lake Loria to the league in return for preferential trade concessions for the city of Ashton. This was heralded as a monumental peace deal by Tarrin citizens which were war weary after the many years of economic stagnation and high taxes the war had wrought, Guillame La Roche was awarded the ceremonial role of *Praetor*, or "Protector of the People" for his time as commander of the armed forces and successes in reclaiming most of the land around Ashton after 1484.

### The Burning of Ashton

While the war had largely concluded after 1485, the government's monetary problems had not abated. With the successful reclamation of the area around Ashton, demobilization efforts started in mid 1485. The general demobilization of Tarrin armed forces was poorly handled with thousands never receiving back pay and mercenary company contracts fully abrogated without pay in some cases. Several contingents mutinied, most notably the Valatago Company which was en route to Ashton. After seizing the ships provided by Tarrin for their transport to the front, the Valtego company raided the entire Flitwick forest coast all the way up to Ashton. Hearing reports of roving pirates destroying the coast, Baron La Roche marched the majority of his forces down to Ashton from lake Loria but was delayed by the heavy rains of the spring season.

The Valtego company entered Ashton and immediately began pillaging the city. For five days the company sacked Ashton before being put under siege by La Roche's army. The Valtego Company unsuccessfully attempted to flee the city in their commandeered crafts but the ships were destroyed on the orders of La Roche by fort batteries that were still under loyalist control. This move trapped the Valtego company in Ashton, and is highly controversial among Tarrin historians.

La Roche ordered a general assault on Ashton which lasted for three days. Large sections of the city caught on fire during the third day, and although the Valtego company surrendered, nearly the entire city had burned down.

### The Crossing of the Far Water

Hearing news of the burning of Ashton, a panicked Mistport congress recalled General La Roche.

La Roche marched his remaining army to the capital, crossing the Far Water River with his forces, an act enshrined as illegal for any general to do. By this point the government had lost its ability to pay soldiers to defend the capital and La Roche was easily able to depose the government in 1486.

### Dictatorship of Guillame La Roche

Guillame La Roche is a controversial Tarrin figure. After deposing the 1st Republic, he instated the Rochian constitution which had a mix of autocratic and liberal amendments, including an emergency power clause that allowed La Roche to lead the 2nd Republic through decree for his first 5 year term as President. He won reelection for a second 5 year term in 1491. After his transitional government had hit its term limit, La Roche enacted a plebiscite in 1496 to elect him as *Praetor* for life and won with an 88.7% vote. The new *Praetor* position had powers akin to the president and allowed La Roche to circumvent term limits and maintain executive power. The President's seat was left vacant for the duration of a *Praetor's* term.

Most scholars agree that the 1496 plebiscite was not rigged as La Roche was one of the few popular political figures of this era because of his widely publicized victories in 1484 and onward. He also received credit for the 1486 peace treaty, despite the negotiations being held by envoys of the 1st Republic. *The Optimates* formed an alliance with La Roche, allowing his government greater access to capital from the merchant families.

One of the first acts of La Roche's regime was to resettle the refugees from Ashton into New Ashton which was in a far more defensible position behind the Hollow Hills. New Ashton was also less reliant on trade from Lake Oria, and had less exposure to pirates from Molak Jin. He also enacted a widespread censorship campaign regarding the burning of Ashton. This allowed him to get ahead of the narrative and be seen as a savior of the remaining civilians in the area.

New Ashton also gave the Tarrin military a newfound presence in the Northern Aurelian forest. Disputes quickly arose between Tarrin and Sirex over who owned this frontier.

La Roche ruled as *Praetor* for 22 years and balanced between both reformist and traditionalist policies. Although there was still a Mistport Congress and Ashton Senate, both of these institutions had their power severely limited by the Rochian constitution. Some of La Roche's policies are listed below:

* Established the Tarrin national bank.
* Redistributed land and encouraged settlement on the new Aurelian forest frontier.
* Sold state owned Etherium exploitation companies.
* Eased regulation on Patrician families on the Mistport frontier.
* Eliminated the limits on warship ownership by companies, introduced a new tax on said warships.
* Appropriated Ashton Patrician family assets.
* Enacted Press Censorship laws.
* Formed the Committee of Public Safety as a dedicated policing bureau.
* Reformed the Tarrin national army (TNA).
* Switched to Gold, Silver, & Bronze standard currency.
* Pressed Land Claims against Sirex and the Outerlands along the Northern Aurelian Forest Border.

#### The New Ashton Commune and Rochian Thaw

By the 1500s the Tarrin state had reconsolidated around La Roche's government in Mistport. Large patrician families, corporations, and the military all centralized around the La Roche regime. With a central bank to lend to the government, many of the debts incurred in the 1460s were paid down and the new standard currency had much lower volatility for the average Tarrin citizen.

Increasingly however, corruption was becoming more apparent and flagrant in La Roche's government. A series of cabinet reshuffles responded to some of the larger scandals, but his popularity was waning against the backdrop of large wealth inequality and an embattled middle class. La Roche liberalized some aspects of the country, and relaxed censorship laws in 1506.

Almost immediately after the 1506 censorship laws several newspapers and politicians invoked "The spirit of 1462" and demanded far reaching reforms. This all came into a head in 1508 when the New Ashton Senate unilaterally declared the abrogation the Twin city accords. Citing Mistport supremacy in the age of La Roche and the burning down of Ashton, they declared that the terms of the agreement were no longer binding to the New Ashton Senate.

The New Ashton Commune fended off the initial assault by loyalist forces recalled from the Aurelian Forest border and was put to siege. La Roche was hesitant to attack the city outright, fearing a repeat of Ashton, and called for reconciliation. Among the demands of the New Ashton Commune was the resignation of La Roche and a renegotiated union between Mistport and New Ashton. La Roche acceded to these demands and stepped down as Praetor in 1508, avoiding bloodshed in New Ashton.

#### The 3rd Republic

The 3rd Republic operated on the 1508 Acts of Union and the Rochian constitution, which had conflicting power sharing arrangements. The Communards from New Ashton pushed for a new constitution while Traditionalist politicians attempted to outmaneuver the Communards by establishing a 2nd Praetorship. *The* *Optimate* *Party* won the presidency but had to contend with a fiercely split senate and congress.

As the 1510s rolled on, it was clear the new acts of union hindered the function of the Government. New Ashton agitated for further reforms and claimed an unbalanced amount of power in the government system while the Optimates continued trying to reestablish the dictatorship with court challenges. In 1514 *The Optimate Party* failed to pass a budget for a third consecutive year. Fearing a repeat of Sanson's government, the Optimates declared a plebiscite to rewrite the national constitution. Although initially rejected by the New Ashton Senate, the threat of intervention from statements by the retired La Roche and loyalist military officials as well as widespread public support for a new constitution budged the Senate towards reform.

#### The 4th Republic

The 1518 constitution addressed the instability of the Third Republic by combining elements of both parliamentary and presidential systems, whilst greatly strengthening the authority of the executive relative to the legislature. The executive branch has two leaders. The President of the Republic is the head of state, elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a five-year term. The Prime Minister is the head of government, appointed by the President of the Republic from either the leading party of either the New Ashton Senate or the Mistport Congress to lead the Government of Tarrin. The President has the power to dissolve Parliament or circumvent it by submitting a plebiscite directly to the people; the President also appoints judges and civil servants, negotiates and ratifies international agreements, as well as serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Prime Minister determines public policy and oversees the civil service, with an emphasis on domestic matters.

This new government was successful at fixing many of the systemic issues of the 3rd republic, empowering the executive to quickly handle national crises, while also safeguarding the autonomy of the principalities of New Ashton and Mistport.

#### Settling the Frontier

The Tarrin Republic entered a period of relative stability with the founding of the 4th republic. During this period Tarrin expansion focused on the Northern Aurelian Forests and "Settling the Frontier." Although there were border clashes with Sirex, neither nation could risk severing trade with Sigil. The threat of a combined strike from Nymerian navies and Sirex's army were a common refrain among Tarrin politicians.

Controversially, President Lefèvre, in his last term of 1565, renounced Tarrin claims around the Festering Marshes in order to secure a mutual defense treaty with the Outerland Revaan League. This helped ease the pressure of encirclement from Sirex and Nymeria.

Domestically, the late 1500s were a boom time for the Tarrin economy, with a large emphasis on autarkic development. Government investments sought to exploit the magical resources of Tarrin by developing domestic etherium refineries as well as national projects connect urban centers with Sigil technology and incorporate magic into production within factories, mines, pastures, and farms. These investments paid vast dividends in the production and quality of life for the average Tarrin citizen. Specifically, etherium refineries were extremely valuable during this time of mass industrialization, and the Tarrin investments caught the tailwind of a continent wide demand for etherium. The increased interconnectivity of Tarrin lands spread a sense of national pride into large swaths of Tarrin's territory, where before there were two city states with zones of control, now there was a nation with several booming settlements across its territory.

#### Sirexian Détente

Neither Sirex nor Tarrin were willing to plunge Arcadia into a full continental war. Increased prosperity from new technologies ensured the stability and relative strength of each nation, allowing for a patchwork of diplomatic agreements to form a basis for limited cooperation. Though the border with Sirex remained contentious, rules were established for zones of control and recognition at the Silver Hearth Conference of 1580.

#### Grand Depression

The Tarrin economy, weighed down by state monopolies stood at the brink of collapse during the early 1600s. The last straw was a decrease in etherium prices due to new methods of Arasaka etherium transport which allowed Arasaka to circumvent Tarrin refining centers in favor of onsite refineries after extraction. The new technologies allowed the volatile etherium to be transported much further and much more safely in bulk.

Other state run businesses also shrank during this period since the government could no longer afford to subsidize large swaths of the economy. The resulting economic stagnation led to an increase in Tarrin nativists movements, further straining relations with Sirex and Nymeria.

#### The Sea Peoples

While the Grand Depression left Tarrin struggling, the beleagured republic faced a wave of marauding brigands on its northern shores. Not much is known about the sea peoples, although plenty of conjecture exists in Tarrin academies. They appear to have been an amalgamation of refugees and warriors fleeing from some unknown devastation. The groups were not uniform, save for their violent reactions to any overtures and unique magical warefare styles. Civilians in groups would kill themselves rather than being taken prisoner by Tarrin authorities.

This sudden influx of invaders laid siege to New Ashton for 4 months before Tarrin forces were able to repel them. Following scattered reports of magic use and several atrocities, the Archon of the Church of Dol Arrah issued a decree, urging the faithful to aid the Tarrin Republic in their holy struggle. The expulsion of the sea people would take nearly eleven years, with the Tarrin government on the backfoot for the first four. The last two years saw an unprecendented expansion of the Tarrin fleet.

A realignment of the Nymerian-Sirex axis took place during this period as the Sea peoples became a larger threat for the coastal nations. Several Nymerian kingdoms were aligned with Tarrin by the end of the conflict, although Arasaka itself still continued to be a competitor.

#### The South Sea Tripartite Pact

Tarrin diplomats were quick to double down on efforts to woo the Southern Kingdoms towards the Tarrin sphere of influence. The Tripartite pact of 1618 had several benefits for Tarrin including:

* Recognition of the Kyber River border.
* An overland buffer on the Southern border.
* Normalized relations with neighbors
* Further diplomatic channels in Arasaka

In return the Southern Kingdoms were awarded the following:

* Guaranteed independence
* Preferential access to the Tarrin internal market
* Etherium subsidies
* Naval recognition on Par with Tarrin vessels.

#### La Belle Époque

This period is sometimes in retrospect seen as a Tarrin golden age before the Total War that would subsume Arcadia in the next decade.

#### Admission into the Protectorate

By early 1690 it was clear that no one power could protect themselves fully against Orc incursions. An informal alliance before the protectorate was created to try to guard against probing attacks by Orc warbands but allied responses to these were largely insufficient and the area of control around New Ashton that Tarrin maintained on its northern borders shrank every year.

The Protectorate accords of 1698 were contentious in Tarrin, especially due to the nature of it being a Sirex led initiative, however there were several benefits to signing the alliance, namely recognition of the Northern border along the Aurelian Forest.

## Geography

### Borders and Administrative Divisions

Tarrin is split between administrative precincts based on population size. The splits form circles of control around major cities and are designed around the flow of food supplies for each major metropoles.

### Climate Zones and Etherium Prospecting

Tarrin has a robust, state sponsored Etherium enrichment and prospecting business. Etherium transportation in its purified form is difficult, so often Arasaka uses Tarrin as a stopping point in shipping usable Etherium to the rest of the continent. Both nations have made considerable efforts to divest from each other over their tumultuous history, with varying degrees of success. Southern Tarrin, especially near the Kyber river has sizeable etherium reserves, however many parts of it have remained unclaimed as strategic reserve in case Arasaka embarks on a trade war with Tarrin again (also because Arasaka shipping to Tarrin refineries is cheaper than scaling up mining operations).

In terms of climate zones, Tarrin is split between bogs (central Tarrin), productive farmland (north), and deciduous forests (north), . The boglands are often used by resistance fighters and internally displaced people as shelter during times of strife. There are also isolationist clans within the bogs as well as unknown and strange magic.

## Politics

### Protectorate Membership

The main political issue of the era. Protectorate membership is controversial and there are two main camps: 1) play into the Sirex made federation and beat Sirex at its own game, or 2) to leave the alliance and forge a new path, cutting ties with Sirex. This second option is seen as only feasible with the backing of the Outerlands and Sigil or of Arasaka.

### Trade with Sigil

Although Tarrin has historically focused on autarkic development for cultivating its naval and military powers, trade with Sigil has become a must. The increasing technological power of Arasaka and industrialization of Sirex has left Tarrin in a difficult strategic position. Thus far their policies have been a mix of Arasaka style modernization efforts and Sirex style industrialization efforts, flip-flopping between the strategies of the two other major powers. Trade with Sigil is high when the administration focuses on modernization as the assumption is that Arasaka gained its technology via trade and reverse engineering. As a result of this inconsistent policy, Tarrin is somewhat behind in overall development compared to the other two powers.

### Lake Loria Dispute

The lake and surrounding land is disputed between Sirex and Tarrin. Lake Loria is depended on for potable water for a large amount of people living nearby. Additionally, there are significant iron, coal, copper, and bauxite deposits surrounding the lake. As such land abutting the lake is highly valuable and contentiously disputed.

## Demographics

I think it's best if it's left open until players create characters from Tarrin. There is a significant human population, but also at least 2 other major races.

## Culture

The roleplay vibes are thus: Cities and Farmlands; British, especially in areas that are near Sirex (Sirex is British and German accents)

Southern Tarrin: French

Northern Bogs: Scottish or Irish

Southern Bogs/ Jungles: French and slight spanish accent depending on how far east you go.

Merchants are generally Scottish/ British city accent, low ranking seafarers are more cockney.

### Magic Use

Specific magics and mysticisms around the Boglands, mirroring polish mythology. These areas can be treacherous to those that do not know how to traverse them.