Sea Country

*"In searching for words to describe the Sea Country, that of 'Gilded' is the most striking to pick from. The very epitome of the word, the Sea Country is a prosperous and beautiful nation to the ignorant observer as intricate statues adorn squares flanked by complex fountains and public works, buildings are of dazzling beauty and construction, the populace adorn themselves in expensive clothes and are able to pay for the finest of luxuries. The ignorant observer however, does not tend to leave the coastal cities of the Sea Country and witness the true nature of common life within the country."*

## Government

### Government

Merchant Republic

- *Excerpt from Yoshiro Suzuhara's "Essays on Human Societies and Their Building Blocks"*

Located directly to the south of the Western Continent, the Sea Country consists of Kai, the single largest island and its smaller outlying islands of Kahakai, One, Wai, and Nalu. The Sea Country itself is a Merchant Republic, consisting of a ruling oligarchy that holds power over the country from their positions on The Greater Council of Kai and rule with absolute authority over all matters within the country. Built upon a strong trading industry similar to that of its closest neighbor the Aegean Republic, the state itself builds and fields hundreds of ships for the dual purpose of trade and defense in times of war and sustains itself almost entirely off of the income that this massive fleet brings in on a monthly basis.

## History

### Humble Beginnings

The beginning of the Sea Country was no more interesting then a settling of a handful of erudite explorers. An expedition of men and women hailing from the newly formed Water Country would set off to the South in search of a landmass they were sure was there from earlier exploration of the Southern Kanashi Ocean. The logs of this expedition are still held today in the capital city of Hajira and tell of this journey to a new land. They wrote of passing explainable floating islands, great tentacled monsters of the deep assaulting and destroying one of their vessels, and a storm so severe it has been speculated the world hasn't seen a storm of such magnitude since.

Finally making landfall on the main island of Kai, the expedition would settle down along the coast and begin construction of the first city upon the island of Kai. This city would go on to grow from a frontier settlement into the largest city in the Sea Country and eventually be named its capital. The city of Hajira.

### Trade and the Surge

After nearly thirty years of minor trading and expansion into the surrounding islands, the Sea Country would undertake what is now referred to as "The Surge". The government of the time, a locally elected council, decided to kick start the further growth of the nation by aggressively pursuing further trade with surrounding nations and expanding into the last of the islands not already claimed around it. Pouring large amounts of the states wealth into creating industries on the separate islands and into the construction of countless trade ships, the nation managed to pull itself from the dredges of a looming economic disaster and establish itself as a sizable trade power through this surge of resources into the future of the nation.

The Sea Country, with a modern and new established trade fleet and the cottage industries to supply goods for trading would branch out into the small islands and neighboring nations, establishing trade posts, agreements, and even partnerships with other countries and organizations in order to secure its position in the expanding global trade scene. Within the last fifty years the Sea Country has even expanded its trade with the Eastern Nations, gaining knowledge of their culture and trade goods not found on the Western Continent.

## Classes

### Lord Merchants

Lord Merchants are among the most wealthy families in the nation. Fifty One houses currently hold the ability to claim a "Lord Merchant" title and all of them do. This specific group of families are the true rulers of the nation, the ruling elite of the Sea Country. The heads of each of these families sit on the Greater Council of Kai, the ruling governmental body of the nation and are technically "elected" to their position by the Merchant Class. The Lord Merchant Families have remained the same for over fifty years now, and show no signs of losing or gaining any new families. As a result the Lord Merchants are content in their positions and do little to further the nation beyond things that directly benefit their astronomical wealth.

### Merchant Class

Among one of the largest classes in the nation, the Merchant Class makes up what would be considered as the upper class of the nation. Their astronomical wealth granting them the political and military power and influence they need to subjugate the commoners of the nation and continue to grow their wealth on the backs of the commoners labor. They live luxurious lives, live almost exclusively in the beautiful coastal cities of the Sea Country, manage trade companies, guilds, and shipping partnerships as their sole source of income. The level of a Merchant can be different from his kin, and is linked to their level of wealth. Lesser merchants are still among the upper class, but do not mix with the wealthiest or even those moderately more wealthy than they are. This is the voting class of the nation, and cast votes to elect families to the positions of Lord Merchants and a seat on the Greater Council of Kai.

### Commoners

The largest class of the Sea Country, the commoners, or middle class, enjoy a relatively simple life. They work in the manufactories and cottage industries of the nation or aboard the many trade vessels of the nation. They fill the gap in the workforce that the Merchant Class does not dare to work in and sits comfortably above the Peasant Class of the nation. This class enjoys freedoms, opportunities, and an income that keeps them comfortable and content in their daily lives.

### Peasants

The farmers, fishermen, and lowest of low workers within the Sea Country. The Peasant Class makes up the second largest population in the nation and are treated the worst. They live in squalor, barely scraping by as they run the fields and cottage industries that the merchant class becomes wealthy and plump off of while they manage to just barely make enough to buy bread and rice for a week. Talk of decent and rebellion is often heard within the Peasant Class, although none have yet tried for fear of the Merchant Classes ability to pay for some rather formidable mercenary groups to defend their positions.

## Military

The military of the Sea Country is composed of two very distinct parts. The Navy itself which is made up of many of the nations trade ships, and the army, which is entirely made up of mercenary groups.

### The Voluntary Army of the Sea Country

The Voluntary Army of the Sea Country is made up entirely of mercenary companies, hence its name. Each sport their own unique combat styles and equipment with the only similar thing between them being that they fight solely for the deepest pockets most willing to shell out coin for their services. As such it makes supplying them rather difficult even for a merchant republic like the Sea Country.

### The Trade Fleet

The Trade Fleet is the naval arm of the Sea Country. Almost every ship is able to serve a dual purpose as both a trade ship and a war ship if it is needed. The Trade Fleet is made up of citizens of the Sea Country instead of the mercenaries like in the army.

## Locations

### Kai - The Main Island

The island of Kai is the largest island among the Sea Countries holdings. The island is completely surrounded by a cliff face that stands at or around 110 meters in most places except for the trade cities of the coast and a few select naturally formed beaches. It boasts the largest population, highest amount of agriculture and industry, and the largest and most profitable of the trading ports of the Nation. Kai is the seat of power within the Sea Country, and Merchants that live and work on the island are considered to be of a higher status than those that live on the smaller outlying islands simply based on the principle fact they are on Kai and not due to how much either Merchant may be worth. The capital city of Hajira, nestled in a ravine that is cut into the side of the Sea Country is located on the Northern shore of Kai.

### Kahakai - The Second Island

Kahakai is the second largest of the islands, and is located to the North of Kai. It boasts a large amount of natural ores and is the nations main source of mineral riches. Kahakai is slowly turning into a barren waste as its resources are stripped bare for the benefit of the Sea Country and due to its small size it is very obvious as this process progresses.

### One - The Third Island

One, is the third island of the Sea Country and the smallest. It serves mainly as a fishing and farming island with the people of One being mainly peasant class. It is the most economically depressed area in the entire nation and a hotbed for dissidents.

### Wai - The Fourth Island

The third largest island of the Sea Country, Wai is renowned for its timber and shipbuilding industry. It's smooth sand beaches and abundant forests provide it with the perfect location to both source timber for ships and build and launch them in the entirety of the Sea Country. The people of Wai are almost entirely of the Commoner Class, skilled shipwrights and timber-men, invaluable to the wealth of their nation and as such are treated among the best of all the islanders.

### Nalu - The Fifth Island

Nalu is a small island that consists almost entirely of luxurious second homes for the Merchant Class. It is the second smallest island and the farthest South. Its black sand beaches are owed to its volcanic activity and this in turn has made it an extremely good candidate for farming. The on-island population is made up of mainly peasants, being supplement every summer by Merchants wishing to take a break at their expensive homes and have time to themselves from their work which tends to bring the population of the island to triple over night.

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