United Clans of Midiiz

The United Clans of Midiiz is a large kingdom of primarily dragonborn on the western side of Vadovass, in  One of the older nations on Galledall, the United Clans of Midiiz is composed of various dragonborn clans that each serve a unique role within their federation. They are known for their fierce military, which is mostly comprised of mercenaries hailing from one of the nation's oldest clans. Midiiz also has one clan devoted to each school of magic, even before magic was restored, allowing the return of magic in the clans to be rapid. Each clan devotes themselves to their task, working tirelessly in a way that rivals the diligence of the dwarves. Because of this, Midiiz has one of the best economies in all of Galledall. Many here serve the Dragon Cult, where draconic deities are worshiped instead of the typical gods.

History

Post-Cataclysm

Centuries after the First Cataclysm, remnants of a kingdom of dragonborn sailed across the Margbreytinn Ocean, to the far west of Galledall. These were the once great people of Drakovaria, many of whom had fled seeking new homes and better lives than that which they had previously in Uth. The first records of these Dragonborn started around 1170 P.C. Before this, the only dragonborn on the continent were in the east, having been settled there by their former overlords during the early days of the Age of Mortals. As the dragonborn arrived, they soon settled into groups to better accomplish their needs. Some took to raiding up and down the western coast, others settled in cities with humans, while others acted as mercenaries, healers, and craftsmen. In 1354 P.C. some dragonborn returned to Uth to tell their kinsmen of the home they had found, and many more arrived, causing the area to become flooded with dragonborn. Different groups that had formed began to choose to ally with rival kingdoms, and soon fighting between them began, and would become normal for the next few hundred years.

The Second Cataclysm caused an even greater reliance on the dragonborn, who had become able mercenaries and warriors. Many of the clans lacked a reliance on magic, allowing them to continue to operate at their normal level of performance. Rather than adapt to the dying world, some kingdoms began to totally rely on the dragonborn for much more than fighting. This was especially true if the ruling family was rich and able to afford the many clans' services. Warriors, guards, craftsmen, hunters, healers and sages were all available to be hired from these clans, allowing a quick supplement for a kingdom's instability, with each kingdom often hiring different clans for the same services, serving as the first catalyst for uniting the dragonborn clans. Clans became so integrated in the every day lives for many of these Kingdoms that when war began to become common again, the loser would have its clans hunted down and wiped out, or absorbed into the winning side's corresponding clan.

Over the centuries, many clans were formed, only to fall apart, certain clans becoming known and respected as enemies and allies alike. The great reliance on the clans eventually turned into a dependence, with much of the money in treasuries flowing into those of the clans. Such prosperity meant that the clans flourished greatly, and the dragonborn that made them up multiplied. Eventually, the number of dragonborn far outnumbered the native races of the area. Some took this as a potential threat, and some began to blame the dragonborn on their kingdom's economic issues. Which may not be entirely inaccurate given that they were getting much of the wealth than the kingdoms ever did. One solution to this was to begin to cut funding for these clans, but others began to oppress clans and dragonborn as a whole, with some being treated as second class citizens. Some clans were hired to wipe out others, murdering clan members to extinction. There were even some clans who were formed to kill their own kind, not targeting specific clans but other dragonborn as a race.

Few of the clans had ambition beyond performing their duties as needed and as paid. However, the leader of a clan known as Clan Ravarax was both cunning and ambitious. Clan Ravarax was already one of the most powerful clans of mercenaries, serving one of the most prominent kingdoms in the area. This dragonborn, known as Ravarax Mettuzen decided he needed to do something about the killing of the dragonborn as well as the growing unpopularity of the use of clans. Even in the kingdom his clan was hired in, they were slowly being made more obsolescent. Not wishing for their way of life to be destroyed, Mettuzen put his plan into action. He began by paying the other mercenary clans to join his own. He then used his vast treasury to pay other clans to fight those that were his enemies, while others who wished to remain independent were paid to remain neutral in any conflicts. Later when the kingdom he was allied to was about to declare war on a neighbor, he announced a new policy for the clan: pay a fee, and Clan Ravarax would not attack you. The neighboring kingdom quickly paid this insurance, much to the anger of the kingdom hosting Ravarax, who tried to boot Ravarax out. However, with their contract torn to shreds, Ravarax quickly turned around and demolished their former host, who had few soldiers of their own. Unable to hire any of the other mercenary clans who had been bought off by Ravarax, the kingdom tried to surrender, but Mettuzen wasn't interested in sharing power and proceeded to conquer their entire territory.

Now other kingdoms were beginning to get worried with the sudden growth of Clan Ravarax. Though now having territory of their own, they still valued themselves as mercenaries. After consolidating their resources, Ravarax once again offered their services to anyone willing to pay, for cheaper than ever. Additionally, they offered the same insurance that had been given to their neighbor previously, but demanded far more for it. Now war was cheap, and peace was expensive. Kingdoms that wished to conquer or end conflict were more eager than ever to hire Ravarax, while those who did not have the military to repel such attacks were forced to pay dearly. Soon nearly every kingdom in the area was paying Ravarax to either fight, or do absolutely nothing. In the meantime, the way of life for many clans began to boom again. Mettuzen hired many of the other clans for the service of his own, and Ravarax became a patron to many of these, buying their loyalty as well as their crafts. As Ravarax prospered, more mercenary clans saw Ravarax as more prestigious as their own, and began to either leave to join Ravarax or allowed their own clans to be absorbed into it.

In 1631 P.C., Ravarax had been hired to fight another kingdom, which had not payed the insurance. This kingdom had called out Clan Ravarax, calling the insurance tribute, and that all kingdoms would soon be paying it if they did not get rid of them. It was a typical campaign for Ravarax, except that armies had been sent to the other Kingdoms that did not pay the insurance or hire their own mercenaries or guards. In the course of a month, Ravarax effectively betrayed all those who had hired it. Many of these kingdoms were small and their capitals taken in the course of weeks, leaving all others awestruck and worried. In months, the clan had quadrupled its territory, but it came at a cost. Now, those who had claimed that the dragonborn were taking over were justified and ready to fight back. Even other dragonborn were appalled at the dishonor of betraying those who had hired them. What resulted were years of constant fighting with insurgents, other kingdoms, and new clans formed to destroy Ravarax for their betrayal, nearly ruining them. However, Mettuzen had not squandered his wealth, and bribed half of the region into betraying their own allies, or allying with him. Those he could not bribe were destroyed by his veterans, who had the experience of fighting in wars for decades, and were equipped with the best armor and weapons money could buy. By 1632 P.R., all remaining kingdoms capitulated, leaving Ravarax in charge of almost all of the western Katawani peninsula.

Afterwards, Clan Ravarax was left with a massive section of land, with numerous cities and people, as well as all the clans that had once been part of the conquered kingdoms. With no one remaining to hire their services, Mettuzen could have made himself a king, but he realized that any clan could do to him what he had done to the other kingdoms before. Instead, he called for a council of all the clans. Each would present its best work before an assembly of judges in a grand contest to see what clan in each domain was best. Craftsmen would create their best wares, bards would perform their best songs, and warriors would fight in stadiums to the death. The clan who came out on top would be given power and the ability to rule. Losing clans of the same domain were to be either dissolved and absorbed into the winner, or forced out of the territory. In this way, no clans would be competing with each other for business or crafts, and most clans would rely on most of the others. No clan would be self-sufficient or able to horde gold as Ravarax had managed to do. By 1634 P.R., over four dozen clans had been selected to become leading clans, with the largest and most important given cities and towns to rule over. The final step was the formation of Clan Mettuzen, created by none other than Ravarax Mettuzen himself. Clan Mettuzen was created to professionalize the ruling of the new union, and each clan had to swear fealty to it. On the 2nd of Jondar, 1635 P.R. all leading clans had sworn the oath, and the United Clans of Midiiz was born.

Age of Restoration

The return of magic was excellent news for the clans, as there was a guild for each school of magic that, though unable to cast many spells, had dedicated their lives to studying it, mostly in Tilliden, Starguard, or Altan Khot. Because of this, the United Clans of Midiiz advanced much faster than most other nations in rediscovering magic. The Fall of Altan Khot was a shock to the clans, who had several mages located there and had cordial communications with Anthos' emissaries. Further issues arose during the War of the Warlocks, starting in 14 A.o.R., which cost the lives of many dragonborn, requiring the clans to invade and take over Kildran in 16 A.o.R.

Social

All aspects of life in the United Clans of Midiiz revolve around the clans, which can be found all over their country and beyond. By the age of sixteen a dragonborn must choose a clan to join, and must prove their worth by means of some kind of entrance test. Clan identity is so important that many of their familial names are typically dropped or simply left out, replaced with the name of their clan. The one exception is if one of their direct ancestor is well known, or brought such great honor to their families that casting it off would be disrespectful. Once someone joins a clan, it is typically for life, with many clans not accepting those who were previously members of another clan. Some never find a clan to join, or simply have no desire to join one. These few are often viewed as lazy or irresponsible deviants, and are looked down on by those who have clan status. Those who are banished from a clan face even greater shame and ostracism, some only going by their given name as not to bring more shame to either their clan or their family.

However, only half of the United Clans' population is dragonborn, so many of the clans have opened to allow other races to join. While some often preclude certain offices, such as the leader of the United Clans of Midiiz, others could be headed by non-dragonborn, though this is rare. Most of the time, non-dragonborn retain their own ways of life, working their own trade, but often times having to compete with the productivity of a clan. Certain clans not only won't let non-dragonborn in, but some are color specific, requiring a dragonborn of a certain scale color to apply. However such clans have become uncommon.

Different clans have different levels of influence and different levels of prestige. Joining Clan Rhogar or Clan Sivrowen, a clan of fisherman and farmers respectively, is doable by almost anyone and often has demand for many people. On the other hand, clans such as Onnex, a clan of conjuration mages, requires a lot of knowledge about magic, or at least that the applicant is literate and willing to learn. Because of this, there is a serious power and prestige difference among most clans. The more prestigious the clan, the more it has to lose and the more important it is. This often results in those who are part of more prestigious clans flaunting their position and believing that because their clan is more prestigious, they are above those of lesser clans. This can result in tensions between certain clans, though it has yet to cause any real problems besides lost tempers.

Political

The United Clans of Midiiz is a federation of the clans, meaning each has some political power, though this power is different among clans. Those who control whole territories for themselves often have great say in political matters, while those who are spread out and have no official home besides their guild hall have less. Each region of Midiiz is overseen by a governor from Clan Mettuzen that is voted in by those who control the area. These governors report back to Midiiz, the chain of command eventually working its way up to the king of the dragonborn, known as a rex. Only members from Mettuzen are allowed to become a rex, with each selected from a group of potential candidates by those underneath the rex. No clan is allowed to leave the federation once they have sworn the oath to Clan Mettuzen.

Economic

Each clan performs a service that is almost exclusive to it. For example, anyone can mine and work stone, but Clan Norloth are the only ones who do it professionally, meaning if you want a carving or stonework to be exquisite you'd obviously want to hire them. Because this opens the way for monopolization and potentially unfair prices, all prices are routinely set by Clan Cirthol. Cirthol's primary function is to make sure the economy continues to move forwards and not stagnate, watching prices to make sure that no service is being charged more than it is really worth. They do not have total power, as any clan can dispute the setting of a price. Additionally, Cirthol controls the operation of banks, the national treasury, and the collection of taxes. While one clan controlling all the nation's wealth is a dangerous proposition, they are frequently audited by Mettuzen, whose hired spies get a cut of any horded wealth should they find someone misappropriating funds. While honor and prestige alone are typically enough for most clans to keep loyal, more than one member of Clan Cirthol has been banished from the clan for lying about their wealth. Cirthol also technically does not have the ability to spend the money, only give it out to other administrative clans, such as Mettuzen.

Goods from the United Clans of Midiiz are highly sought after. Though not having enough time as dwarves to perfect their craft, clan crafted goods are seen as second only to the dwarven master craftsmen's goods, with most craftsmen from the clans devoting their entire life to their work, and using the knowledge from generations past to produce their works. If someone needs an excellent craft made, there are few who can do it better than those from the United Clans. The clan's control of the sea means those who have port cities often buy from Midiiz, while those who are further away or land locked typically buy goods from the dwarves instead. Clans that offer services are also highly valued, including their mercenaries or mages who are hired across all of Vadovass. Unlike services between clans, Cirthol does not set maximum prices for services or goods requested from outsiders.

Religious

The United Clans of Midiiz is fairly split as far as religious devotion goes. The predecessor to Midiiz, Drakovaria, was famous for its Dragon Cult, which venerated a pantheon of actual metallic dragons as gods. However, by the time of the cataclysms, many of these dragons had vanished, thought to have either fled or been killed. There are still those who venerate these dragons as gods, but the main focus of the Dragon Cult is Io, who created the dragons and is believed to have split off into Tiamat and Bahamut. However, there are those among the dragonborn who believe they were forsaken by their draconic gods and no longer venerate them. Instead, many of them turn to the Wizgaran Pantheon. Non-dragonborn are free to worship whoever they please, with most also venerating the Wizgaran Pantheon.

Military

The United Clans of Midiiz technically does not have a standing army, but instead spends a great deal of money on their mercenaries, apart from the honor guard of Clan Teldek who serve as guards for cities and bodyguards for officials of the union. The mercenaries of Clan Duruun, Lorrakas, and Ravarax get paid for their work, sometimes simply as guards or bounty hunters, other times helping nations fight wars with other empires. Coin can buy no better warriors in all of Galledall, and the sight of any of these mercenaries are enough to frighten the opposition. However, these clans also offer insurance to those willing to buy it, for the same price as fighting. This way the clans never fight each other, and get paid to risk nothing. When they do have to fight, they are getting valuable experience for whenever the clans need to fight in a real war. During times of war when all the clans are being attacked, all the mercenary clans are paid by the state to fight for them, acting as a coordinated army. Few can withstand this coordinated effort, save for their neighbor the Domuc Empire. No clan can be hired to fight against the United Clans of Midiiz.

Foreign Relations

Most of the interaction with the United Clans of Midiiz is limited to trade. The only ways to get to Midiiz are across the desert or around parts of the peninsula it lies on, or over ocean. Those who do travel there find that most are friendly to outsiders, who are seen as an interesting curiosity by most of the dragonborn and non-dragonborn who have grown up in a different culture. Many of the clans are eager to welcome outsiders or those migrating inwards, hoping to win loyalty or friendship for their clan. However each nation keeps a careful eye on the military power of the nation, which is much stronger than normal when mustered. The primary enemy of the United Clans of Midiiz is the Domuc Empire, who has been rivals with the union nearly since its inception. Both on land and sea, thousands of battles have been fought between the two, the clans having help from their ally the Republic of Viltanor, whom they share a defense pact with and parlay with often. Many other nations fluctuate between friendly and suspicious, often corresponding with if they recently allied with or fought against the mercenary clans.

Magic

The United Clans of Midiiz has one of the most developed understandings of magic in all of Galledall, and has been quick to integrate magic into their society, with a clan for each school of magic. Recently, this understanding has flared slightly with refuges fleeing from Salandi coming into the ranks of the clans. All of the clans studing a school of magic reside in the capital city of Midiiz within the Grand Hall for Arcane study. The hall has many stored artifacts, and novices are sent there to study spells. While some outsiders occasionally do hire these clan members for consultation or for the use of their spells, they are relatively rare as there are others who have just a deep an understanding of magic that are closer, and probably cheaper. The one exception is the crafting of magic items, which the clans have much experience with due to the crafting of their already superior goods.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom