Metaros
Metaros is a city of mostly minotaurs situated along the Melir River, near where it meets the sea. It is well-known throughout the region of Old Cyrdia, but its king is currently missing, having gone mad and been trapped beneath the city.
Government
Metaros is ruled by a monarchy. The king or queen is crowned when their predecessor dies or abdicates, and the city follows a primogeniture model of succession. If the ruler has no legitimate heirs, their successor will be their closest relative, starting from their generation and proceeding up the family tree as needed. The monarch has authority over all manners of state, but will usually delegate certain tasks to others. It is common for the ruler's younger siblings to be given prestigious positions in the military or bureaucracy to discourage them from trying to take the throne for themselves.
The laws of of Metaros primarily center around the handling of the economy, laying out the value of certain types of goods or, in the case of artisanal products, the methods for which those values can be determined. Punishments for crimes are generally defined in terms of how much the offender must pay to the victim. Execution is reserved only for treason, murder, and violation of serious cultural taboos, though the exact details for punishing such crimes are left for the government to decide on a case-by-case basis. The three major taboos that earn serious punishments are the mistreatment of guests, cannibalism, and killing family members.
Defences
The government handles protection of the city's territory through the use of a small professional army, which frequently patrols the land. The army is also responsible for law enforcement and other executive duties. When Metaros goes to war, it augments this army with conscripted soldiers as needed. Beyond pure manpower, the city also sports impressive fortifications and a large armory of weapons, courtesy of their metalworking prowess. Ironically, some of their elite troops are equipped with weapons made from pre-cataclysm steel as a result of trade.
Industry & Trade
Metaros relies on a centralized system of exchange to ensure all its citizens have what they need. Farmers, herders, and craftsmen bring their goods to the palace, where they are stored in warehouses, and trade them for what they need. This is made possible by an extensive bureaucracy that tracks which items are received and distributed. The system is a vast improvement over disorganized bartering, increasing efficiency and allowing the city to prosper.
The most notable industry in the region is metalworking, as the Metarans are some of the first to have rediscovered bronze after the Great Cataclysm. They have plentiful supplies of tin in the walls of their valley, but rely on down-the-river trade with surkis from the Cenekoth mountains in order to obtain the necessary copper.
History
The valley which Metaros now controls was settled by a clan of minotaurs several decades before the city was founded, when it became clear that it was a highly suitable location for agriculture. Soon, other groups in the area began to take notice of the minotaurs' success, and it grew increasingly necessary for them to defend their land from outsiders. This necessitated formal organization of their society, which was when the city was founded. The need to defend the city's territory is the reason Metaran culture has remained so militaristic.
The first ruler of Metaros was a legendary hero-queen known as Nibis the Dragonslayer, who led the Metarans in battle against the nomadic raiders threatening the valley. She later earned her epithet by single-handedly defeating a dragon who had decided to name himself the minotaurs' ruler, which was when the people crowned her as queen.
The next major event in Metaros's history was the discovery of bronze. This occurred over 200 years after the city was founded, in roughly 635 A.C., when surki explorers from the western Cenekoth Mountains sailed down the Melir River and made contact with the Metarans. They had a few copper items with them, which the Metarans were eager to trade for. Already having some metalworking skills, they began experimenting with the new material, creating bronze by combining it with their local tin. This discovery turned Metaros from a reasonably well-off agricultural region to an enormously wealthy economic center.
Metaros enjoyed this success, and dealt with the increased warfare that came with it, for more than 50 years without incident until King Aresius, who became king by deposing his incompetent older brother. As revenge, his father's ghost cursed Aresius to go mad, and the townspeople trapped him in the maze-like tunnels beneath the city, where he remains.
Points of interest
Royal Palace
More than just a home for the monarch, the palace in the center of the city serves as a hub for commerce. A massive complex of living spaces, offices, storage, and communal areas, it serves as the cultural and economic core of the entire valley.
Caverns
Beneath the city is an extensive network of natural tunnels that stretch down far enough to connect to the Darklands. Avoiding getting lost inside takes exceptional navigational skill, to the point that some believe the caverns to be supernaturally disorienting. The vast majority of the townsfolk never set foot inside, especially since there are dangerous monsters inside as well.
Geography
Metaros is situated in a valley in the cliffs along the end of the Melir River. The valley is large enough to support a large number of farms, but the terrain of the region is mountainous enough that attempting to control anything beyond the horizon is impractical.
Natural Resources
Crops, goats and sheep, and tin.
Level
3
Government
King/Queen (overlord)
Languages
Hellauric, Cyrdian
Religions
Askiriq, Nagushi, Raaldin, Yumos
Threats
Nomadic raiders, creatures from the tunnels (especially hryngar)
Aresius (mad male minotaur warrior-king) ruler of the city, currently mad and trapped in the caverns
Rengur (stern male ghost minotaur royal) Aresius's father, responsible for the curse that drove him mad
Perada (adequate female minotaur princess) de-facto ruler while Aresius is trapped in the caverns, once decadent like her father but changed after seeing his fate
Modrak (obsessive male minotaur craftsman) greatest smith in the city, fanatically devoted to creating ever greater tools and weapons
Wrisia (steadfast female minotaur warrior) Aresius's former second-in-command (and rumored lover), now general of the army
Very informative article. Giving a lot of death on how the city operates. I also enjoy the short descriptors of the royal line.
Thank you. The descriptions aren't just the royal line, they're just the most noteworthy inhabitants of the town. It's something that all settlement stat blocks in Pathfinder Second Edition have.