Republic of Caspia
The Republic of Caspia is a powerful maritime republic in the Sea of Riches, famed for its wealth, elegance, and quiet ruthlessness. Centered in the canal-bound city of Port Cristo, Caspia serves as the gatekeeper between east and west—a nexus of silk, silver, and secrets. What began centuries ago as a provincial duchy of the Ithean Empire grew into a haven for Tyrennian merchant houses and dissident nobles. In the aftermath of the Empire’s decline and the Dawnfather's Crusade that followed, Caspia seized its independence—not with armies, but with coin and cunning.
Though cloaked in the pageantry of republican virtue, Caspia is an oligarchy ruled by wealth. True authority lies with the Council of Twelve, a body of merchant princes, guildmasters, and patrician elites who hold executive power. These councilors are appointed for life, though subject to review every three years by the Grand Assembly—a larger body of registered nobles and merchants who hold limited legislative power and vote on major reforms. The Council elects the Grand Duke—a ceremonial figure who serves for life, hosts dignitaries, presides over rituals, and bears the burden of public adoration. Behind closed doors, it is the Twelve who command the treasury, the fleets, and the future.
Despite its layered institutions and stately rituals, Caspia’s politics are anything but still. Behind each mask lies a broker of influence. Merchant families vie for dominance through marriages, monopolies, and maneuvering in the Assembly; Councilors wage cold wars over tariffs and naval routes; and the Grand Duke smiles graciously through it all, the honored puppet of an ancient machine.
To the outside world, Caspia presents itself as a beacon of order and civility—a refined republic of scholars and shipwrights, of gilded theaters and enchanted contracts. But those who look closer know better: in Caspia, nothing is given freely, and even friendship comes with interest.
Goals
Caspia’s foremost aim is to maintain control over maritime trade in the Sea of Riches. By exploiting its geographic position at the sea’s heart, the republic seeks to levy tariffs, control shipping routes, and manipulate commodity flows to keep rival states dependent on its markets. Salt, ships, and glass are the lifeblood of Caspian exports, while luxury imports like silks, spices, and jewels grant the republic an aura of worldliness and sophistication unmatched by its neighbors. To secure this hegemony, the Council of Twelve engages in elaborate economic warfare, flooding rival ports with cheap goods, destabilizing currencies, and quietly financing rebel factions or rival guilds in foreign lands. The Council’s preferred weapons are blockade, bribe, and bureaucracy—tools that can strangle a city without ever drawing blood. Another central objective is the projection of soft power. Caspia exports its culture as fiercely as it does its goods: elven-accented theater, Caspian wine, architectural marvels, and sophisticated etiquette. Through this cultural diplomacy, the republic fosters admiration and dependence among lesser powers, encouraging emulation while obscuring its machinations behind a veil of refinement.Relationships
Caspia’s most essential trading partner is the Edessan League, whose moon elf merchants have long been a fixture in Caspian ports. Their presence has shaped not only the republic’s economy but its culture as well, with Caspian nobility adopting Edessan aesthetics, language, and etiquette as aspirational hallmarks. While Caspia guards its sovereignty, it readily courts Edessan chic. Caspia's most immediate geopolitical rival is the Kingdom of Cantabria, whose naval and colonial ambitions challenge its influence across the Sea of Riches. The two powers contest shipping lanes, trade partners, and cultural prestige with increasing boldness. While their ships rarely exchange fire, their merchant fleets often clash in the courts of foreign princes and the councils of neutral ports. Closer to home, the Marquisate of Savona and its House of Morello present a more complicated relationship. While nominally allies in trade, the Morellos have leveraged their financial reach to influence members of the Grand Assembly and shape internal policy. Not all in Caspia resent this influence—many acknowledge that Morello-backed loans and brokerage have been instrumental in securing the republic’s territorial acquisitions. Still, others warn that the price of such generosity may yet come due. Further afield, the Aloen Empire is watched with concern given that its recent control of the Artha Strait and nearby city-states poses a strategic threat to Caspia’s eastern trade routes. Caspia also keeps a wary eye on its own creation: the East Caspian Company, a far-ranging trade syndicate with ambiguous loyalties. Meanwhile, it maintains favorable ties with the Sultanate of Jur’am, hires mercenaries from Santa Luce, and eyes the city-state of Andalar as its next great acquisition.Figures of Interest
Grand Duke Vittorio Giordano
Male human Vittorio is the current Grand Duke of Caspia—a silver-tongued aesthete and master of ceremony, whose love of Edessan poetry and Caspian opera conceals a mind sharper than most suspect. Though beholden to the Council of Twelve and bound by tradition, he has deftly maneuvered through reshufflings, scandals, and shifting alliances with remarkable grace. Educated abroad and fluent in five languages, Vittorio is adored by the public and respected—if not feared—by the councilors he serves beside. Some say his greatest strength is knowing precisely when to yield and when to lean in, ensuring that while others scheme for power, he never loses his place at the center of the stage.
Founding Date
716 PD
Type
Geopolitical, Republic
Alternative Names
Caspian Republic, Caspia
Leader
Leader Title
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Thalassocracy
Economic System
Market economy
Comments