Mercadion’s Origin
It is said in the legends that the history of our grand city and the Empire that it created dates back to the final days of the God War. Though this cannot be determined, it is quite clear that our glorious city has been around since before written record.
Though most records of the era before the rise of the Great Aurelia Sabina were lost in the goblin horde wars of the end of the first era.
It is said that the cities foundations were laid around a great monument to the dead of the great war, and that it was laid on the site of one of the last great battles of that war. The city began as a small town full of holymen, pilgrims and travelers. The land was wild in those days, and the Ancient Empires whose names are lost, and only seen in the ruins that still exist in the untouched places of our world. The Mercadion passed under the control of many rulers, though none remained. The priests of the Shrines to the ancient warriors and their gods ruled the city from the central temple as the Ecclesiocrate. When the Goblin Migrations began Mercadion was left alone to face the hordes.
It was after a devastating raid by the Hurk Goblin Horde lead by a ruthless hobgoblin lord named Kulb, that the people called out for a savior, someone to reclaim their security and to return all those taken by the Goblins as slave. The Gods heard the pleas of the Mercadions, and saw fit to raise a hero from their ranks. They chose a hero for Mercadion. A devotee of Nathander, a noble woman who served the Ecclesiocrate. Aurelia Sabina was called upon by the council to become the first Comitive, to serve as master of Mercadion, and her resources for a period of half a year.
The great and magnificent Aurelia Sabina took control of the demoralized soldiers of Mercadion and lead them in a brilliant counter attack against the goblins. It is said that Aurelia herself defeated Kulb in single combat. All through the battle Aurelia’s Sword Bearer, Rakam Servus, stood by her side.
Aurelia returned to the city in triumph carried on the shields of her warriors by soldiers and freed slaves. She was hailed as a hero by both rich and poor, accepting the Ecclesiocrate, who now feared the new threat to their power base.
As the year ran out the Ecclesiocrate requested Aurelia step down from her position of power. Aurelia was willing, as she served at the discretion of the Ecclesiocrate, and the gods. In the final public ceremony that Aurelia performed before the end of the Comitive, the people called out for her to stay. At the sight of this public outcry, the craven Ecclesiocrate gave Aurelia a life term as Comitive, and hoped that they could ride out her reign. Aurelia, with the full support of the people, and backed by the arms of her veterans, created the Assembly of Notables. She gathered 140 of the best people of Mercadion, and put them into a body that would act as her advisors, and help her rule the city justly.
The year that Aurelia took power is the first year of the second era. Her glory lead Mercadion through some of its darkest hours.
One of Aurelia’s first moves after establishing the Assembly of Notables, she and her Sword Bearer Organized the citizen militia into the Mercadion Army, the greatest fighting force in the region, and one prepared to fight to the death for the honor of Mercadion. The army was made of the three types of soldiers that are in our army to this day. The poorest citizens made up the footmen, They used swords, spears, and slings, as that was all they could afford. The second class of soldiers was the Cavalry. This class was made up of the wealthiest citizens who could afford horses, the cavalry would later be divided between the lightly armoured Uhlans, and the heavily armored Cataphracts. The final and smallest group of soldiers were the Magi, who wielded magic of the Gods, and the Spirits, and the Elements. These divisions are still used by the Army to this time.
With the army establishes, and security secured, Aurelia set about her most ambitious use of her new power. She wanted the city to be organized, and knew that it was too large for her and the assembly to effectively control, and administer. So she established the Prefectures. The cities population was divided into Prefectures, and the surrounding countryside was given two Prefectures. The Prefectures of Mercadion established the governance that was possible. Each Prefecture was lead by a Prefect. The Prefectures were Citadelan, Fidane, Grane, Sanshe, Quarde, Brende, Phelle, Zunne, Pellane, Trinte,
After reforming the city, and the army, Aurelia continued to lead Mercadion into glory. She fought off another attack by Goblins. It is said that this came during her 34th year of rule as Comitive, and she was dealt a mortal blow by a stray arrow. Aurelia did not die though, she was not a mere mortal anymore. She was a holy woman, and then she became a god, lifted up by Nathader himself from where she fell on the battlefield. That was in the year 187E2.
After Aurelia ascent, her right hand man, and sword bearer lead the Army that she had lead so long to victory, and then returned home. Mercadion had fallen into chaos.
The clerics of the Ecclesiocrate, and the Notables of the Assembly had fallen to fighting for dominance, each asserting their role, as inheritor of the powers of the Comitive. By the time Rakam returned both sides were prepared to go to blows, and blood was going to run in the streets of Mercadion. Messengers from both sides called upon Rakam, and the army for support.
Hearing this news, Rakam refused to give support to either, but called on both groups to meet at the Main Forum. Rakam then snuck into the city under the cover of dark, and then, before the two sides came to blows he presented himself, and gave the following oration
“People of Mercadion, Two days ago our light, and hope, Comitive Aurelia Sabina, left our world. She died in service to her city, and her people. She did not die so priests, and notables could murder each other in the streets, and allow another horde of goblins to storm the wall, she did not die so that Mercadion would fall to the Veius. She died so that Mercadion could live, so that the city that she loved, and served could continue to thrive. I propose this, if the Assembly will accept, and the Ecclesiocrate would approve, I present myself as the new Comitive.”
With that he left the city and went to the Army camp outside the city and waited. The next morning messengers from both bodies arrived in camp. The Assembly voted Rakam Servus as Comitive, and the Ecclesiocrate accepted, Rakam then entered the city in triumph. In order to placate any concerns the Ecclesiocrate had, Rakam Servus chose Groth Minim, the son of a member of the Ecclesiocrate, and a respected officer in the army, as his Sword Bearer.
It was then that last parts of the Comitate were laid down. The Comitive would be elected by the Assembly of Notables, and accepted by the Ecclesiocrate, The Comitive would almost always be the former Sword Bearer, and the Sword Bearer would be chosen by the new Comitive.
The first expansion
Rakam was an able military commander, and a shrewd politician. He secured the Mercadion Region, and began to plot possible expansion. The first rival was the city of Veius.
Veius was a city of similar size to Mercadion. It was a part of the Kendan League. The League of cities of similar culture that had been a major power in the Isthmus since the collapse of the first Era. The Kendan League had the same mind about most matters. They controlled the trade from north to south, and the city of Veius, while one of its smaller members of the League, controlled a profitable iron mine, that fell on the side of Sirlov river that Mercadion was on. It was over a mining dispute that Mercadion would make its first real conflict.
In the second year of Rakam’s Reign and the year 189 E2 A Merchant attempted to take control of the mines from the Veites. The Merchant was a human man named Croth Sypel. When one of the Veites whom he was trying to push out attacked him his ear was cut off, and he was beaten. Croth Sypel returned to Mercadion, hobbled, and carrying his ear. He was brought before the Assembly, and holding his ear aloft the First Notable of Barrack Tyder Semp called for war saying. “We cannot let an offence of such magnitude as this go unanswered. It must be avenged with blood. Another Mercadionen cannot be harmed. I urge that the Assembly call to arms, and for the Comitive to lead our army to crush Veius.
The Assembly quickly voted for war, and Rakam accepted their decision, and called the city to war. The army formed up and moved to their side of the Sirlov. By this time the Veites had received the declaration of war from Mercadion, and their army of Mercenaries had formed up on the opposite banks. The Mercadion Army had 2 Jatha’s Present of 11,000 Footmen, 2,000 Cavalry, and 300 Magi total. The Veite force had 16,000 infantry, 6,000 Cavalry, and 250 Magi.
The battle happened this way.
Rakam quickly saw that they the enemy outnumbered them, and so he met with his Sword Bearer Groth Minim. Rakam split his force into parts. Minim’s Force stayed in camp, but kept the same spread out camp as when Rakam’s force was there. The Veites knew that they outnumbered Mercadion, and also that they held a defendable position. They planned on waiting until the Mercadions tried to cross the Sirlov and then falling upon them when their force was in the middle of the ford. Rakam knew that they couldn’t beat the Veites, and he knew that he should not cross the river.
Rakam took his half of the army away in the cover of dark and through the nearby woods to a lower ford that the Veites were not guarding. He crossed in the dark, and then moved silently into a forest near the enemy camp. At dawn Minim began to make movements like he was preparing to cross the ford and face the Veites. At this sight the Veites began to form up to face them. As soon as Minim’s force touched the water, and the Veites began to prepare their ranged spears and arrows, Rakam and his detachment charged out behind the enemy and through the mercenary army of the Veites into disarray. The broken Veite force ran from the field. The Veites who survived the battle of the Sirlov then holed up in their city safely behind their tall walls of stone.
The army of Mercadion surrounded Veius. They sat around Veius for two years. The army grew tired, and the Veius seemed as strong as ever. It was not receiving open aid from any other city in the league. The Kendan League was more tied by culture and economics then militarily, and they did not see the any benefit from helping Veius. They were alone in their fight.
As the army grew restless, some of the soldiers began to grumble, and whispers that Rakam was not Aurelia’s true successor, and that a new general, a Half-Elf named Gratius Nalltaur, should take control. Gratius was a charismatic officer under the command of Sword Bearer Minim, he had quickly run through the rank of the army, he was young, and a skilled swordsman. He began to talk to his fellow officers, about what a coward Rakam was for not winning the war. He then began to hint that Rakam and Minim were being paid off by the Veites to allow food shipments through.
It was then that the Nalltaur Conspiracy began its planning. Its members were army officers who felt that they had been slighted by the Higher up commanders, and soldiers who were tired of waiting outside an impregnable city while their farms lay in waste as the seasons came and went.
The grumblings among the men were heard by Rakam, and Minim. Rakam was disgusted by this treason planned by the Nalltaur, as he had put his own interests above that of the state.
Minim was visited in a dream one night by Sabina herself. She explained to Minim that which everside won would lose a leader. The next morning Minim discussed his dream with Rakam Servus. Rakam relayed that he had had a similar dream and it was decided that they would assault the walls tomorrow, and if it either side of the army appeared to falter the commander of that flank would sacrifice themselves for the nation.
The next day The Army of Mercadion Assaulted the walls of Veius. When Minim’s soldiers seemed to begin to rout, Groth Minim knew what must be done. He donned his ceremonial armour, grabbed his spear, and ran into the enemy lines. He was able to fell thirty Veiites that day, till he was felled after being pierced by 67 spears and arrows. With the furry of Minims charge his men were re invigorated , and pushed the Veiites to their gates, and over their walls , and into their city.
Then the years of frustration were vented on Veius, men were killed children and women were put into slavery and the greatest temples and palaces of that city were pillaged and burned, as was deemed by the Great Sabina.
The heroic death of Minim stopped any attempt by Nalltaur, as he had lost all his support after the victory at Veius. Comitive Servus returned to Mercadion at the head of a triumphal parade. Thousands of new slaves were given to enrich the land. Gold and Silver filled the city’s treasury, and the temples were adorned with intricate figurines. It was then though the decision of who would replace the Sword Bearer came up. The Ecclesiocrate was even weaker than it previously had been as it had taken less and less interest in Temporal affairs.
The Assembly planned on voting on a new Sword Bearer with no issue, but the veterans of the Veiite war shouted with great acclaim from all parts of the city that they should have a say in who would lead them to battle.
The Assembly was shocked by this, but fearing the the crowd passed this law, the law that made the comitive what it is. “The Sword Bearer will be chosen through elections of the Prefectures. Starting with the wealthiest and going down to the poorest the votes would be cast. Their was virtually no wealth difference bewteen the first 8 Prefectures that usually a sword bearer would have a majority by that they never passed the first 8 votes.
