The Free Cities

The Free Cities are an eclectic collection of independent city states and principalities clustered around the Summer Coast and its outlying islands. They are mostly maritime trading societies that sustain themselves through a mix of commerce and piracy in the warm seas of southern Eridas.
Most of the free cities are very old, having been built millennia ago by the first men to settle on the Summer Coast. In ancient times, free cities could be found all over the Summer Coast. Many of the largest ruled small kingdoms of their own and commanded great influence abroad. The golden age of the Free Cities was brought to an end when the Valerosi came to Eridas in the 12th Century GR. Migrating Valerosi tribes laid waste to the free cities with fire and sword, carrying off their great stores of wealth and forging a kingdom for themselves amidst the ruins. Of the hundreds of Free Cities that once populated the Summer Coast, only about a dozen remain independent in the 16th Century GR. The destruction of their rivals has done wonders for eliminating business competition however, and the few Free Cities that survive are still as rich and influential as they were in ages past.
Though a few of them have hereditary kingships, most of the Free Cities are direct democracies wherein the whole citizen body participates in the political process, hence the term “free” cities. Their society is strongly egalitarian, paying no respect to hereditary honors or titles of nobility and expecting every man to earn his place in the community through merit alone. The men of the Free Cities are very proud of their unique system of government and the extensive personal rights and liberties that it guarantees. Despite their stubborn independence, the wealth of the free cities makes them valuable allies in the endless jockeying of the great powers. The kings of Valeros and Galaria frequently compete for their allegiance, and both monarchs claim the title of “protector of the free cities” among their laundry list of honorifics. Culturally, the Free Cities have a reputation for being open, freewheeling and lackadaisical. They possess all of the hard-partying panache and flamboyant swagger of their Valerosi cousins, with little of the bloodthirst and martial furry, and twice as much drinking to compensate.

Type

Alliance, Cultural