Remath

A small northern kingdom, its main accesses are a Cineran controlled highway from the south and a Iridine controlled trading port to the north. Over the past few decades, the rulers of Remath have witnessed Cinera's growing power as five equally small states have been annexed by their ambitious neighbor. The Remathen work ceaselessly to avoid such a fate at the hands of the Cineran warlords and therefore cultivate strong ties with the Republic of Iridine to maintain a balance of power. The resourcefulness of the Remathen and their capacity of adapting quickly to any changes in current affairs, have helped them in assuring a balance in the influence of Iridine and Cinera while maintaining their own independence.

Geography

TBC

Appearance

TBC

Culture

Remathens value resiliency and resourcefulness above all things. They have great respect and admiration for those who show a wide range of adaptability and creativity. The people of Remath have little skill or interest in feats of arms but make up for this with their great abilities in observing and analyzing. Remathens make accomplished foresters and herbalists but the national passion rests in their interest in diplomacy and trade. Indeed, Remath's wealth rests on the success of her merchants, while her continued freedom rest in her diplomats who are second to none. It is not rare to see a Remathen merchant act as a diplomat, while the contrary is most certainly true also. Many skills are greatly appreciated in Remath: they have promoted to the status of science the art of spycraft and many of her herbalists have specialized in poisons, sedatives, and charms. Although seeming upright and noble to outsiders, given their talent at dissimulation and deflection, they are not above using shadier means to gain their goals.

Remathen are patient and thoughtful, not given to rash judgement or actions. That is not to say they are slow, the people of Remath are confident and decisive, but they will not be pushed into foolish ventures. Of course what a Remathen considers foolish or unattainable might differ greatly from what their neighbors think. Remathens will bend and sway easily with the tides but they are broken only with difficulty.

The constant threat of being swallowed whole by Cinera or Iridine notwithstanding, Remath is among the more popular ports of Midlight. The people of Remath are very friendly to all strangers alike and have shown a great skill in languages through the years. It is not rare to meet a Remathen who speaks, to various degrees of fluency, four or even five languages. As stated before, they tend to follow careers in either woodslore, herbalism or trading. Diplomacy and intrigue is practiced by all and starting at a very young age. Indeed, to the people of Remath, the games of power are exactly that, a game. A great game that spans all lands and all people and whose only masters are these inhabitants of a small kingdom. Needless to say thieves thrive in this environment, but only the smartest survive. Any citizen of the kingdom or strangers caught in a crime (or some would say stupid enough to get caught) must face the very harsh and rigid Royal justice. The sentences are normally heavy fines but can be as high as exile or execution once the crime has been scrutinized. There are always ways to prevent ones actions from becoming public, but once they do, status and wealth no longer offer any protection.

Rumours & Word of Mouth

• "Remathens are famed for their secret of retalq smithing. But more importantly, they make the best tea."
• "Many Remathens are excellent scholars. I have heard the language spoken here numerous times."
• "A very patient people."
• "A particularly popular language among traders."
• "Many of Iridine's most famous locksmiths, or their parents, have immigrated from Remath."

+ Trade is an art

From Bactrian

A young man, hardly more than a boy, hurries down the cobblestone street in the dim light of early morning. He is late; the first day of his apprenticeship to the trading firm of House Hiforo.

The man finally arrives, hustling in through the small door in the modest facade that marks Hiforo's headquarters. The inside is far less modest; several rows of long marble-faced tables sit facing a board on which the prices of numerous commodities have been listed. The young man, Istelian, stops for a moment and stares at the massive board. It is his first time seeing it; he notes how the House tracks the most recent reported sale prices in each major population center for each commodity. Copper ore in Astraea, rose extract in Tuchea, canvas cloth in Cenath, down feathers in Remath itself.

Istelian is pulled from the reverie by a booming voice. Looking over, he sees the House Master, Peglos Ytran, with several of the other new apprentices. > Blushing, the boy hurries over to begin the instruction.

"You will serve," begins Peglos, "To earn our masters of House Hiforo money. Our lady counts on you, and I trust you will not let her down."

The apprentices murmur that no such thing could be possible.

Peglos continues. "The role of the merchant is not merely to make money, however. Trade is the lifeblood of this world, the web that serves to bind disparate countries together. There is no greater glue than greed, the opportunity to profit, and the merchant's noble purpose is to facilitate the connections between all peoples.

"You will begin here as a simple scribe. Your task will consist of adding to the historical record that House Hiforos keeps. These records are the lifeblood of our business, the way in which we determine what and when to buy or sell. There are over a century's worth of records, and by the grace of Ereal we shall add another century's worth.

"You may spend your entire career as a scribe. It is not shameful, but important. Some of you, however, will in the course of time move on to take a more analytical position. With over a hundred years of records, we can plot the movement of prices through the years. Sometimes, the shift in price is glacial, with a steady increase against the price of silver. Other times, there are sharp spikes in some areas. Most of those are caused by political activity."

One of Istelian's fellow scribes interjected rashly, "Price of silver?" Peglos' gaze fell heavily upon him for a moment.

"You must measure all prices upon something steady," Peglos finally responded. "Silver is good for almost nothing practical, but the supply is steady. When there is a bout of prosperity in a nation, people will seek to buy trinkets, driving the price of silver up. When money is scarce, there will be a glut of silver on the market. You can use gold for the same purpose, though the usual measurement is in the talent of silver."

The assorted apprentices nodded wisely, understanding very little.

"As I said before, there is over a hundred years' worth of records in the possession of House Hiforos. These are a tightly held secret. The penalty under the Serenissima's law is harsh for the disclosure of this information to any outside party, particularly another House. Is that clear?"

Heads wagged quickly. Idly, Istelian wondered how House Hiforos, while only conducting business for two decades, had managed to amass a century of data.

Peglos continues, "Some of you will learn to analyze the trends. You will no longer simply observe the trends, you will act on them. Your role, and the way to better your house, will be to recommend trades. The decisions will be made by the merchant staff—a group which you, too, may join at some point.

"The merchants of this House—of all the Houses, since this is the only way to do business in Remath - serve two functions. They make the choices of sales to make, and they accompany the trade caravans or ships. At times, they will be called upon to make split-second decisions in the course of their travel that will put at risk hundreds of talents of House Hiforo's money. A wrong decision may cost the House, and the merchant, dearly.

"To be successful, the Hiforo merchants travel often, even when not on a specific trade mission. Their livelihood depends on the personal relationships they craft in their markets. At times," Peglos' voice dropped slightly, "Our merchants are even called upon to act as emissaries of the Serenissima herself, carrying messages to or conducting diplomacy with foreigners.

"That, I suppose, is the extent of the work our House does. Are there any questions?"

> Babbling questions flood out of the apprentices. How did the merchants know where to go? What routes would they take? How long was a typical mission? How should one deal with the uncouth foreigners? Or the competition?

Peglos raises his hand in silence, "One question for today is all, gentlemen. You'll be learning quite a bit in the coming years, and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have—though I might make you get together to vote in the future rather than letting loose this barrage.

"Let me describe, in strictly general terms, how the winds of trade flow through Iridine. Most importantly, our city of Remath is the center from which all trade is spun. You might imagine the exchange of goods through the world to be a spider's web, with the state of Remath the spider herself. Certainly, there are other cities - Iridine and Coradon, in particular, are critical to the flow of trade. But without Remath, there would be no standard value of money, no brilliantly skilled merchant houses, and no central point of trade—the Market of Perillia."

Istelian's breath catches suddenly. The Market of Perillia was perhaps the most astonishing sight he had ever seen, even on his brief tour. The gilded walls, the board that dwarfed Hiforo's on the wall, and the horde of traders seeking to hawk their wares to other merchants all served to impress the young and impressionable. A common fantasy of his was to stand on that floor, yelling, cussing, and making deals to mint money in a way never before imagined.

Istelian misses Peglos' first few words. "…may very well rival Remath one day, but I doubt it. The problem Iridine and Cinera face is their incessant warmongering. War deters trade: it dampens the desire of all merchants to travel, creates an artificial demand for weapons and related goods, and raises patriotic bile in the mouths of the common citizens. Remath, you'll of course know, has fought no war while under the Condaian dynasty. We survive by our guile alone.

"House Hiforo allows its merchants to act with some degree of flexibility, within certain guidelines. For instance, on a recent commissioned trip to Tuchea - a patrician family in Iridine needed squid ink for some unfathomable reason, and Hiforo agreed to secure it - Galan Hestrian, the merchant in charge, was faced with an unexpected opportunity. He was traveling by ship… at least, the patrician family that had rented it called it a ship. It had one sail and the cargo space could barely fit the three barrels of squid ink he was purchasing. After finding the ink (apparently, squid ink has an attractive purplish hue that no plant-based ink can approximate) Galan took off for a well-deserved celebration. Halfway through his evening (and a bottle of mead), he overheard a sailor conversing with his mate about an entire catch of Yldanae.

"Yldanae, you should know," Peglos comments in response to the assorted puzzled looks, "are a rare pink fish, very slim and very tasty. They are hideously expensive, not only because they are caught so rarely but because they perish quickly and must be packed securely with ice in order to be moved around.

"Galan heard about the fish and sobered up instantly. A catch like that would be worth ten times a normal catch. If he acted before the sun came up, he would probably be able to secure the load and send it here, where he happened to know the Serenissima's oldest brother's wife's cousin was anxiously looking for something special with which to cater her second son's wedding. In under four hours, he had raised the stake to purchase the cargo, struck up a friendship with the sailor and the mate, convincedand paidthem to have the entre cargo moved onto another ship that he had managed to rent, pack the fish securely and correctly with ice, and enticed his new captain to get the ship underway immediately."

Peglos pauses with intense drama, "For his efforts, he made over a hundred and twenty talents with the one boatload. Of profit, for House Hiforo. All from a squid-ink mission.

"And that, boys, is trade. Now go."

Exports

The jewel of Remathan exports are the products from the SETSINE PINE. The Setsine pine grows nowhere else, and its care and harvesting is treated very carefully by the Remathan government. The tree is grown on small farms and its products are carefully harvested. Wild Setsine is held in a carefully preserved area, its products can only be taken by deadfall. The wild resin can only be gathered by hand, no metal is permitted near the trees. The harvesters of Wild Setsine must bear a charter from the monarch.

The resin is a critical ingredient in local wine making and in expensive perfumes. The needle tips can be ground and made into an incense of astounding pungency and reputed to be efficacious in assisting persons with breathing difficulties. The wood of the mature tree, when harvested and
properly dried does not succumb to dry-rot and can be used as a nearly permanent pier footing or in other conditions where it will be exposed to extremes of wet and dry.

Setsine products are exported in several forms, dried, purified resin sold by the grain or the half grain. 1 grain sells in Iridine for 20 gold cents. Setsinella (purified resin dissolved in alcohol) is sold by the ounce. One ounce of pure Setsinella cost 8 gold cents. All export of Setsine products
is strictly regulated by the government.

Sozat

SOZAT is a flowering bush with long deadly thorns. Rural Remathans often use the thorn as sewing needles. The flower has a strong, spicy scent,
characterized as both sweet and piercing. All parts of the plant are of use, the flowers can be made into a tea good for easing head-ache, or used to make
perfume. The fresh leaves are ground fine and mixed with first-pressed olive oil then spread thin on marble slabs to dry. The mix, when dried and powdered becomes a pale green pigment, used in both cosmetics and textiles. Sozat sap, when dried and powdered becomes a dark green pigment. The root can be used medicinally for breathing ailments. In the wild, this bush grows in close proximity to the Setsine pine and can be easily found by scent alone.

Roses

ROSES of all kinds are cultivated in Remath, and there is an annual rose competition to determine the most beautiful of the years crop. Even the humblest family can boast one or two rose bushes either in their yard, or one of the specially bred indoor varieties. Rose petals are used in both perfumery and in the manufacture of pigments. The Remathan Rose is a plant both beautiful and useful in all of its parts. In the wild it is a thorned and flowering bush, and is considered the sister plant to the Sozat. The blossom is a dark red verging on black.

Moonslight

THREE or MOONSLIGHT is a costly perfume produced only by House Tuvalis. Its exact recipe is secret, the only known ingredients are Setsine, Sozat, and Rose. The perfume is said to enhance the beauty and desirability of the wearer, and is sought after by the very richest of the rich. No more than six vials are ever exported in a year, and the cost to purchase is prohibitively expensive.

Religion

In matters of religion, Remath follows the faith of Ereal. In general they show no great aptitudes for the clerical callings, a Remathen priest is a rare sight, but they follow no other pagan faith. A peculiarity of Remathens is that they are among the most generous donors to the various cults of
Ereal, including the Soldiers. A venture in trade might warrant a gift to the Revealing Light sect, while a diplomatic mission to Cinera would see a gift being made to the sect of Nurturing Light. Upon their death bed it is not uncommon to make large donations to the Bright Hope sect in hopes they can intercede for them with the God and make ones transfer to the afterlife
smoother.

Politics

Once a struggling city-state, Remath has embraced the monarchy for over 300 years now and is still led by the same ruling family (the longest such period of uninterrupted sovereignty in all the known lands). The whole kingdom of Remath is little more than its city, an encircling forest, and a few fields. The length of her southern land border is occupied by Cinera, who also controls the only land access of importance. Remath's northern border is sea, this being controlled by the numerous Iridinian trading vessels and war galleys. Despite these two obvious powers on her doorstep,
the only true rulers of Remath are Remathens themselves. Currently sitting at the head of this small kingdom is Serenissima Alinissa Condaia.

Remath is a matriarchal state being ruled by a queen (referred to as Serenissima or Most Serene). It has only happened once in Remath's history that a king sat the throne, and he only did so until the majority of his eldest daughter. The ruler of Remath is arguably one of the most influential
individuals in all the lands, but she works equally hard at diffusing that belief as she does in maintaining Remathen independence from grasping powers.

Remathen Noble Houses

Remath is led by the great Condaia family. Under this dynasty, four other families struggle for power and influence among themselves. All Remathens offer allegiance to one or the other of these controlling powers, though that loyalty is by no means assured or constant. For this reason the citizens of Remath are often perceived, especially by Altenes, as flighty and untrustworthy. Their response to this is usually a good humored laugh.

House Condaia

The noblest family of the Kingdom and uninterrupted leader for 300 years from the time of Makissa in line down to Alinissa. They are rumored to have a web of intelligence spanning the whole known world, to which they add tremendous skills as diplomats and negotiators. The family is further recognized for the physical beauty of its leading members.

House Setarine

A very well-known family, especially in Iridine and the Aestivan League. Their caravans spiderweb most lands and all the important markets. They are the bankers of Remath and their wealth is beginning to be subject of legends in their own time.

House Metsin

A very ambitious family and currently third in Remathen hierarchy. They are the closest thing the Cinerans have as allies in Remath, a relationship both have found beneficial up to now. Other houses consider Metsins as the most arrogant of their members, and they are often found in the center of controversy. In the last 50 years, only three individuals have
been exiled from Remath, all three were from House Metsin.

House Orien

The seafarers of Remath. Slowly but surely they are building up Remathen presence on the wide blue sea. Their activities up until now have revolved around peaceful trading, as they attempt to counter the immense Iridine presence in the port. Because of the Oriens, Remathen are very slowly forging themselves a reputation as sailors.

House Tuvalis

The youngest and least important of the major houses. They have only risen to prominence in the past century. Unlike their counterparts in the other houses they have not specialized in some kind of trade or diplomacy. The specialty of House Tuvalis is the making of perfumes. Some of their perfumes are renowned to have quite unusual effects. For this reason
they are exported throughout the world for very high returns.

Remathen Personalities

Out of the five ascendant Remathen Noble Houses, a few individuals have established themselves as the leaders of this tiny nation.

ALINISSA Condaia

Third of the name, Queen of Remath. She has been ruling now for 35 years, and her political control has only increased over that time, as well as the respect she commands from foreigners and citizens alike. She is a skilled negotiator, blessed with tremendous charm. Her handling of the recent war between Iridine and Cinera was considered brilliant as she maintained order at home during the crisis, negotiating with the Cinerans to forestall an attack. She has two children, both of which have recently reached an age where they are called upon to start to make their mark in Remathen society.

MAKISSA Condaia

Youngest child of the Queen, but her eldest daughter; as such she is heir apparent. Named after the founder of this dynasty, much hope is placed in her. So far she is growing up to be her mother's equal.

JASSEN Setarine

Head of the house and one of the Queen's advisors. His greatest claim to fame is the rumor that he is the richest man alive, he of course deflects these suggestions by always appearing in modest attire. As the years accumulate for him, he appears less and less frequently in public, usually only when the Queen needs his assistance.

CULOS Tuvalis

Was trained in his youth to be an herbalist. For years now he is rumored to be responsible for the divine essences the House has produced in perfumes. In true Remathen fashion Culos has travelled the world and for this his wisdom is well respected by the Queen. Unfortunately the other Houses still consider him a minor player in Remathen politics.

ROGIAS AMERTON

Rogias is a Cineran and current consort of the Queen. The story goes that he was ordered to seize Remath once and for all by his brother, a warlord of Cinera. Fully confident in his might, he granted the trapped Remathen one last wish, this turned out to be a private audience with the Queen. What happened in those chambers, the story doesn't say, but Remath was never invaded and Rogias has since married Alinissa. He is said to be happy in his new position and entirely loyal to his wife. His heritage makes him an invaluable ally even though he is no longer in Cinera.