Gafutuo Republic
The Gafutuo Republic is a state ruled over by Telrai which exists along the coast of Northern Alcedina, quite close to the metropolis-city of Isileum. Although the state's ruling class is of Telrai stock, the majority of their population is actually composed of Erleting humans, with Eldritch, halfling, and Giriþiudan human minorities as well. Gafutuo is a thalassocratic state, primarily focused on trade and the seas, and has good trade ties with most of western Telgren, though certain groups of younger Telrai have begun advocating for expansionism or of colonization of far-off lands to spread their influence.
History
Gafutuo is a relatively young nation, at least when compared to most of the others in the region, though it is well over 500 years old. Forming in the wake of an alliance of several unrelated minor Telrai colonies, Gafutuo soon became poised to dominate the western seas of Telgren beginning in the 13th century. During this period the state was largely confined to small islands which had been either recently taken from the Tritons or tiny coastal enclaves for trading with locals. As an alliance of second-generation merchants (descended from the first generation of warrior-settlers) more than a state, Gafutuo was initially a very loose and fully optional trade confederation, relying on economic ties over governmental ones.
Although this loose association could have perhaps lasted longer, Gafutuo would begin to suffer from attacks against their shipping (predictably, by Triton pirates) in the late 13th century. These assaults soon escalated into full scale warfare in 1294, for which the Telrai were unready for. The war also had the side effect of causing the merchants to fall on hard times. Since most of them did not have significant reserves of capital, they were unable to weather the raids and forced out of business. This led to the collapse of Gafutuo's economy and the capitulation of the state in 1298. Most of the colonies would break off from the union and seek to integrate more closely with neighboring countries in order to secure their economic future, while the vast majority of the island colonies would instead be abandoned and overrun by Tritons.
Only three colonies remained allied. The island of Umoa'a was the largest the Telrai possessed in the region, and was big enough to weather the Tritons and survive the general disorder, while the two nearby coastal enclaves of Tei'ai and Oloanu were unwilling to integrate with the local Erleting warlords. Although Tei'ai was close enough to the halflings of Lonswool to seek protection from them instead, they decided to stick with the other nearby colonies. Leaders of the three colonies would soon gather to vote for a new leader, and reform was made to form a proper republic instead of simply an alliance of merchants. In order to assure that their trade would be protected, the Admiral Tanum Uelelaikai was selected as the new republican leader in 1299, beginning a period of militarization of the republic.
Although trade was down and a few abortive attempts were made to reincorporate some of the smaller islands, by and large the 14th century was a period of growth for the reformed republic, with a proper war fleet established and trade channels reborn. However, it was clear that Gafutuo lacked the economic power it had once possessed, and yet the defense of its two mainland colonies was increasingly problematic due to increased local wealth and therefore attractiveness to raiders. A major problem was the coastal city of Mililbaurg, which had been occupied by a series of Erleting warlords for over 300 years. Originally founded by the Kingdom of Sunþiruda, the city was a coastal fortress (albiet of outdated design), and had a formidable population base. Since the fall of the city in 1040, warlords had squabbled over and taken the city numerous times by utilizing large armies and taking advantage of poor tactics or factionalism in the ranks of those who held it. Though trade with locals was a constant opportunity, the sad reality was that the city's rulers cared little for commerce, with the current ones being especially harsh.
The rulers of the Caturum tribe had taken over the city in 1419, and were using it as a base to consolidate the rest of the countryside, harassing other cities as well as other tribes who lived in the area. Although this policy produced a significant amount of loot, and therefore attracted warriors to the cause, it also unified their foes against them, especially the Casyrian settlements just south of the Telrai colonies. These colonies, which had once been part of the Free City of Isileum, found common republican ground with Gafutuo, and agreed to join them in 1446 in exchange for protection from raids. This allowed Gafutuo to stage an ambush against the Caturum forces the next time they tried to raid the area, with Telrai Marines and Casyrian soldiers working in tandem to smash the raiders. Naturally, such an attack would provoke a larger response by Caturum, but the Telrai had a plan. instead of waiting for the Caturum attack, they would strike the capital via a naval assault, banking on the seaside walls being the least well-defended. With Caturum armies marching towards what they thought would be a large battle, the city should be lightly defended and easily taken.
The city was lightly defended, that much was true. However, the battle for it was anything but easy. With many civilians on the Caturum side, acting as bandits, or defecting mid-fight (including members the garrison), the streets became a chaotic melee and the Caturum forces were able to survive long enough for the raiding party to return. Thus ensued the bloodiest period of the war, known as the Five Red Dawns, in which the Telrai attempted to hold onto the walls they had recently captured while Caturum raiders repeatedly charged into the wall or attempted to infiltrate it, all while pockets of resistance continued in the city.
The battle was finally won with the death of Caturum's ruler on the fifth day as he led a charge after finally breaking the wall. This led to the dispersion of the Caturum forces- for a time. The war would continue for another two years in the vicinity and for almost a decade of skirmishes in outer lying territories, with the last recorded battles only happening after Telrai ships sailed up the Isidral River in 1458 and slaughtered the Caturum remnants which were attempting to cross thanks to the support of scrying. The remnants had been led by the brother of the late Caturum leader, but in the ensuing decade the ruler's son had grown to manhood and challenged his uncle for control of the tribe after the debacle. This led to a split into two factions, who were more focused on each other than Gafutuo and therefore posed little threat. Both would later be destroyed by another tribe which moved into the area in the 16th century.
As for Gafutuo, they were forced to rebuild. Although Mililbaurg was in ruins, it remained the largest city in the nation, and would eventually become the capital of Gafutuo, though this took almost 50 years to achieve. In the latter half of the 15th century, Gafutuo was preoccupied mostly with the rebuilding of Mililbaurg, but also of other settlements. The walls were rebuilt and a new naval arsenal made the best use of the city's ancient docks, repositioning the city to once more be a formidable naval and land fortress. Most of the modern coastline was brought under Gafutuo's wing during this time, and certain Erleting settlements acceded to Telrai authority, although the whole coast remained disputed with the remaining tribes of the region for decades to come.
Mililbaurg would eventually become a cosmopolitan city populated mostly by Giriþiudan and Casyrian humans, as well as the Telrai, with most of the Erleting population having fled during the war. Gafutuo would go on to have a mostly peaceful history after this date, with later rulers focused more on the economy and naval matters than warfare, although the nation would slowly expand into the hinterlands at the expense of the local tribes, having finished this expansion by around the 17th century.
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