Mount Maenad

Kingdom of the Seas

Those outsiders that have heard of Mount Maenad often describe it in a mystical fashion, fearful of the cruel Merfolk that make the place their home. Located in the warm waters of the Violet Reach, the submerged kingdom may hold up to some of their expectations. Colorful fish and coral reefs give a vibrancy and beauty to the region that seems to run in contrast to the cold behavior of its denizens. The merfolk take great pride in their ancestral home, however, and those willing and able to enter often find a warmer welcome than they might expect.

History

Let these beautiful isles mark the start of a glorious empire!

While the Age of Illusions was still nearing its end and the first mortal civilizations were only just gaining a foothold, the Merfolk arose upon a stretch of islands under a violet sky. Naming them the Maenad Isles, they quickly made an undisputed claim to not only the islands but the waters around them. With their lands giving them an advantage over any sea monsters that dared challenge them and their prowess in the water providing an advantage over the other mortal races they encountered, they quickly came to believe themselves rightful conquerors of the world. Taking the banner of the Traveler Across All, they sought to explore the world they had been born into and seize control over its entirety.
For a time, it seemed that this conquest would go relatively undisputed. Any island they found, they claimed without issues, reaching across the sea, but it was continental conquest that would stop them. Elementals of Earth and Fire were still in force upon the land, and for all their skill, the merfolk knew that they would need to bide their time before facing such a threat directly. Even so, they prepared themselves for such a conflict, making outposts beneath even the Empire of the Icemen. With the remaining elementals of Water concentrated there and those of Air having long since vanished, they were able to thrive and develop up from the sand to an advanced empire of their own.

Their collapse should have been the start of our own conquest; how could it have been its end?

... However, their ambitions would never come to pass. As the dwarves began their rebellion, the merfolk began to prepare for their own war against the Icemen at their weakest point, but this would never come to pass. The collapse was swift, and its effects were far beyond anything they could have imagined. All the way back in their home seas, storms began to rip across the waves, lasting for days and then weeks and months on end without cease. Their oracles began to believe that such devastation could only be a conflict of the Elemental Lords themselves, as their patron Traveler fought to defend them from The Lord of Water that sought to quell their warlike nature.
As such, all the merfolk could do was to hold out and pray. And for all their prayers, they only received more storms that razed their homes and rising waves that swallowed them without cease. Many lost their lives to the feeding frenzy of the sea monsters, wiping out entire towns, with only the heartland of the Maenad Isles holding out. Even these, however, were submerged, and they have remained this way ever since, the rising sea levels never fully abating. In their darkest hours, they found only solace in their own natural abilities and their own people as they fortified the remains of their kingdom.
With the Elemental Lords failing them, King Pescalo declared that this setback would not stop them from achieving their destiny, with the help of the gods or not. With this motivation in mind, the merfolk rebuilt their kingdom, now under the name of Mount Maenad. The sea monsters that once tried to seal their fates became the foundations upon which their new homes were raised and their armor and weapons were forged. The secrets of ki once held by a handful of the remaining clans became a more common military practice for their generals. Concealed by the sea, they prepared armies to conquer the lands that were still denied to them.
Unfortunately, Arrboth had been just as hardened by conflict, and its warbands were far more adept at fighting upon their homeland steppes. In the first of many wars, the merfolk found themselves driven back to the sea. Surely, their aquatic circumstances came with more issues that needed resolving. Without the luxury of land, they had to rely on mages to cook food and forge steel, and this drastically hampered production. But even when they seemingly found solutions in the volcanic vents of the depths, the landers improved as well, leaving them to curse their sunken fate.

An insult! Yet another insult, that these fragile elves would try to claim our waters even as our lands are denied to us!

With their bid for land a failure, the merfolk made the mistake of believing they at least had an undisputed claim to the seas. When they once again had the time and resources to explore the Cyan Reach again, this proved to no longer be the case. Elves had made domes of glass around their previous settlements, seemingly believing them to be little more than ruins from the Icemen. Their reasons did not matter to the incensed merfolk, who attacked by surprise to claim what is theirs. This unplanned conflict would be ill-fated as well, however, as a general and prince fell in the retaliation.
When news reached Mount Maenad, efforts were diverted away from land reclamation to the more popular effort to reclaim the seas and avenge their prince. Knowing they had the advantage in such a conflict, morale was at its height as the first raids began, and they were in fact a resounding success as they reclaimed the Middle Sea. It was the retaliation of the sea elves in force that stopped their advance, overwhelming them with magic, and even then they forced their invaders to pay for every inch. Many of the 'Cyan Guard' fell as their magic was exhausted against the military and personal might of merfolk generals, but ultimately the conflict was brought to the Middle Sea, at which point they could be pushed no further.
The War of Three Seas continues to the present day, but it has largely dwindled in intensity, only continued by occasional news of a distant skirmish. No one can truly say whether the merfolk still have the drive to conquer the world or if it is all pride and bluster, but war and conflict has been their backbone since those early days. Generations of kings have passed since Pescalo, but not a single one has denied the motivation that this pride can bring. One only needs to look at the vigor with which they practice their spears and tend their forges to see the echoes of that ancient strength.

Territories

Racial pride aside, the genuine territory claims held by Mount Maenad include a set of islands and seamounts in the Violet Reach and Middle Sea. Anything beyond that is beyond their manpower and mobility, though continued presence from landers anywhere in the Violet Reach is certain to eventually attract their attention without making 'proper arrangements' first.

Military

Constantly either fighting sea monsters or engrossing themselves in one war or another, merfolk are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. In mechanical terms, some of their most esteemed generals can reach levels between 5 and 7, and their rank and file can easily contend with knights in terms of raw skill. Their equipment, however, often leaves something to be desired, as only ki-proficient generals can be trusted with metal weapons without risking their destruction in the warm salty waters, and only so many sturdy monster bones are available. Tactics and organization can vary based on the conflict, and the merfolk of Mount Maenad are willing and able to reorganize their forces into small, stealthy squads or massive hordes as the need arises.

Technological Level

While their innovations are limited due to their relative lack of land, it has always been said that necessity is the mother of invention. Merfolk have learned to effectively cook and forge using volcanic vents, and have knowledge of how to waterproof anything from walls to weapons. This waterproofing is not perfect, of course, and without maintenance even a small nick in a blade can turn it into rusted junk. They rarely share these secrets, but they seem to have something to do with pastes and secretions from tropical sea creatures, which they carefully coat materials with.
They have also learned to make great use of buoyancy as a labor-saving measure. Supplies are often dropped in airtight crates from Mount Maenad's islands with weights attached, allowing them to be adjusted to easily raise or sink them. This is combined with their use of ocean currents to easily push crates to their destinations without the need of beasts of burden or vehicles. When they arrive, these crates are traditionally opened on the ceilings of shops and depots, a strange but effective practice that maximizes their remaining air supply so they can be easily returned to the surface.
The greatest advancements that the kingdom possesses, however, are clearly in the realm of recycling. Waterproofing being a temporary measure, the oceans will ruin almost anything of value eventually, but they lack the luxury of simply discarding the results. As a result, the merfolk have had to learn how to salvage and reuse anything from metal to bone and wood. Solvent treatments and reforging processes are used to restore rusted metal and compress wood pulp into usable containers. So great is their proficiency in revitalization and repairs that some sailors have compared them to dwarves in this regard, often to the skepticism of the aforementioned mountain-dwellers.

Religion

Since the end of the Age of Illusions, the merfolk have considered any praise for the Elemental Lords to be a liability and a sign of weakness. Those who openly worship are ostracized at best and outright exiled at worst, depending on their station. Respect is still given to some of the other gods, however, including Dominus and Alsvira for their reliance upon personal strength and the merits of physical supremacy. Many merfolk warriors will pray to one or both of these gods before battle to reaffirm their convictions and maintain morale.

Foreign Relations

While not formally at war with the Golden Empire of Arrboth, Mount Maenad is on far from civil terms with the nation. Any group of merfolk larger than half a dozen or so is considered cause for drawing weapons in the ports of the Varulosph. While Chale sailors certainly aren't ignorant of the threat merfolk can pose, Chal itself has no meaningful policy towards them, neither suspecting any attack in the near future nor seeing fit to impose any trade restrictions upon them. And of course, their relation to Sen'valsai is one of open hostility so long as the War of Three Seas continues.

Agriculture & Industry

The primary tactical reason that Mount Maenad holds firm to even the smallest spit of sand above the water line is the need for fire in both their forging and cooking. While volcanic vents can, to a point, serve these purposes, the results are often subpar, to the point where 'land-cooked' food can be an expensive delicacy. Underwater, they are capable of both farming fish and seagrasses and domesticating larger sea creatures as mounts, with certain species of shark being a popular choice for war. By contrast, giant seahorses tend to be reserved for generals and royalty, while dolphins and other 'soft' options are relegated to civilian use.
Much of their ore comes from the Serpent's Trail, a dangerously hot area to mine, or from raiding shipments across their waters. In fact, hunting and raiding supplements a significant portion of the kingdom's economy.

Trade & Transport

Due to its position and relations with most nations, little formal trade occurs, though some sailors have been known to make deals with the merfolk for trade or protection when crossing the Violet Reach. When presented the right way, food prepared on land can be a strong motivator, as can the ever-valuable metals they need for their war efforts.

Education

Much of Mount Maenad's teaching takes the form of training, though they are careful to keep their history intact for future generations as well. Learning other crafts is still typically a matter of apprenticeship, while the strongest martial secrets the nation possesses are imparted on one on one sessions behind closed doors.

Infrastructure

While roads would be of little use beneath the sea, the merfolk keep a firm hold on the strongest ocean currents in the Violet Reach, both to transport information and supplies to important strategic points quickly. Their buildings are typically built directly into seamounts so as not to disrupt the bountiful wildlife around them, which has the additional result of making them very hard to find without knowing that to look for. On top of this, it makes the buildings difficult to cause damage to as the wet, packed earth around them offers valuable cushioning. Lookout towers are a common and foreboding sight on any island that merfolk hold within their territory, giving an early warning both to their military forces and to sailors that would dare to get too close.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Economic System

Command/Planned economy

Location

Violet Reach

Neighboring Nations

• Golden Empire of Arrboth