The Free City of Vellechia
Structure
The Free City of Vellechia is built upon faith and gold. The leader of the country is Pontiff Sixtus, who rules from his seat in the Palatium Aureum. He has four loyal servants, archangels that carry out his will: Archangel Darmael, Archangel Ranael, Archangel Perniel, and his Aide, Archangel Axikiel. Under them are the College of Cardinals, a elite collection of powerful clerics who oversee the many Archbishops, Bishops, Priests and Deacons of the church.
Together, these clerical figures make up the Church of Gold, the governing power of Vellechia. While originally of religious purpose, the Church of Gold as long intigrated itself into the city in many fields, such as banking, teaching and trading to name a few. As Pontiff Sixtus rarely interacts with his followers, much of the duties of governing are burdened by the College of Cardinals. All new decrees and laws are passed by a vote of majority.
Culture
To the Vellechians, power is everything. However, unlike the Battle-crazed Tzibalpans, Vellechians value invisible power. Economic sanctions, backroom politics, assassins in the dark; Vellechians practice war in all forms except for large-scale violence. This has made many to find Vellechians to be a cowardly sort, but that is an unfair summary. They are ruthless, brave, and powerful in their own way.
Therefore, Vellechians seek power to further their ambitions through the everyday acts of mundane nature. Many Vellechians see joining the Golden Clergy as a position of prestige, and many see it as way to leverage the power of the church to set them apart from the masses. Others see power in trading and banking, attaining power through the leveraging of debts and wealth. The paths to power are myriad in number.
Vellechians have a very strict outward attachment to punishment. Pickpockets are beaten half to death, vehicle-drivers going the wrong way on a bridge can be tossed into the canal, and those who are caught for greater crimes are often hung in Spidercages - large steel cages suspended over the air at great heights designed for their uncomfortable nature, until a certain time has elapsed. Many survivors of the Spidercages are left particularly traumatized after the event. Many of these punishments are enforced by the Gold-jackets, the Golden Clergy's state militia.
Vellechians also pride themselves as the Country that defeated war. Many travelers and traders of other states can be found here, trading and furthering their own nation's interests in peace. A key element to this Vellechian peace is the Golden Peace, a treaty drafted by the Golden Clergy with the help of Pontiff Sixtus himself. It states that no foreigner should willingly bring harm to another foreigner or member of the Church of Gold on pain on divine punishment. The few that break this rule find themselves smited in a pillar of Golden Light, leaving only a faint trail of dust. This has had an interesting effect on the people of Vellechia. Many seedy Vellechians have been found harassing and bringing harm to their countrymen and foreigners, while the Norn immigrants in the Norna Quarter treat each other with great respect and civility.
Assets
Vellechia is plenty in monetary wealth and assets. Having direct control over the Fonte de Rechezza, they are owners of the greatest reserve of precious gems and metals in the lands of Ahura Mazda. Paired with the Mandate of the Golden Throne and the Pontiff's decree of banning foreign mining operations through divine contract, Vellechia has a monopoly on these resources. However, Vellechia is lacking in many military assets, having the smallest standing army in the seven nations, with the Gold-jackets being more of a local policing militia than a national defense force.
Demography and Population
The lands of Vellechia are particularly small. Most of their citizens live in the City of Vellechia itself, and only a handful of people live outside the gated city, save for the miners and clergymen that are posted to the Fonte de Rechezza. The City's geography is of particular note, as due to lucrative deals set forward between the Vlitran God Sri Astram and Pontiff Sixtus, the Sudakh Bodhi sends filtered clean water through a singular river into the many canals of Vellechia.
Vellechia itself it divided into 8 regions, each with their own church designed to offer salvation and relief to the faithful who dwell in the specific quarter. There is the Domum Quarter, where most average folk reside, the Norna Quarter, where all Norn refugees are forced to live in relative squallor, the Genza Quarter, where the many legislative facilities of Vellechia are situated (including the barracks of the Gold-Jackets), the Medici Quarter, where the Medici Bank foundations are set, the Forum Quarter, where the many merchants and Guilds of Vellechia reside, the Portum Quarter, where many of the Taverns and Inns can be found, the Cetus Quarter, a dangerous and lawless slum, and finally the Aureum Palatium, the Golden Palace of Pontiff Sixtus himself.
Vellechians themselves also come in 3 varieties. They can be differentiated by the subtle hues of their metallic skin when they are in their true forms. The Platinaeum have Silver and Blue tinted skin, the Auri have Golden and Yellow tinted skins, and the Argentius have Silver and Grey tinted skin.
Military
The Vellechians posses no military of note, and instead rely on the Gold-Jackets of the Church of Gold. However, due to strict rules from other countries, their local militia cannot exceed more than a 1000 officers. In a rare act of appeasement, the Golden Clergy has adhered to this rule and strictly enforces it.
Religion
The main religion of Vellechia is the Church of Gold, practiced by all Vellchians.
Foreign Relations
Vellechian foreign relations are of particular note, as they leverage their monopoly on the Fonte de Rechezza to keep a stable peace going between them and the other nations. Of particular note are the Tzibalpans, Enali and Vlitrans, who are the closest situated to Vellechia. Due to this uneasy peace, Vellechia has prospered from the combined rewards of these three countires. Vellechian boats and enchanted items are second in the world compared to Enalios, their gem-crafting and handling of fragile obsidian shows deep craftsmanship, and they posses the only remaining freshwater tributary of the Sudakh Bodhi.
Agriculture & Industry
Vellchia produces very little in terms of food. Instead, they get most of their food from Vlitra are heavily discounted prices. However, they are of particular industrial might due to the many Guilds that fill the Forum District of the Free City. They are not the best in any singular way of production, but when it comes to craftsmanship, you can get anything in Vellechia as long as you have the Pieces for it.
Trade & Transport
Much of the transport is conducted on foot, on land-vehicles such as horse and ox-pulled carts, and canal-fairing gondolas. Gondolas are mainly used for the rich and wealthy however, as the permit and continued expensive of owning one is particularlyspecific
We Bring the Golden Peace
Founding Date
4000 Annus Paccis
Capital
Training Level
Trained
Veterancy Level
Trained
Demonym
Vellechian
Leader
Leader Title
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Democracy, Representative
Power Structure
Semi-autonomous area
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
The many transactions of Vellechia happen with Pieces minted by the Vellechian central bank in the Medici. These Pieces come in 5 denominations, copper, silver, electrum, gold and platinum.
Legislative Body
The main legislative body are the College of Cardinals, an order comprised of powerful clerics of the Church of Gold promoted to their current standing by Pontiff Sixtus himself. Each of the Archangels also has a seat in the College of Cardinals while not being a Cardinal themselves. Once a year, the College of Cardinals convenes to discuss and solve all matters of state, on behalf of Pontiff Sixtus. This ritual is called Concillium. The College can only go onto the next topic once a majority of 75% or more vote on a side. This has made some Concilliums last for many months.
Judicial Body
The many courts and lawrooms are handled and overseen by members of the Church of Gold. Most times, it is someone of Bishop to Archbishop ranking who carry out these trials, however in particularly serious cases, a member of the College of Cardinals can be appointed as the lead overseer. The laws of Vellechia are particularly strict however to those of no political standing.
Executive Body
The Gold-jackets are responsible for enforcing the many laws of Vellechia in a physical and brutal manner. However, deacons and priests are as often used to enforce non-violent variations of the law. This often-times includes the collection of collateral due to debts signed in the Medici Bank.
Official State Religion
Deities
Location
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
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