Aresh Dominion
The Dominion of Aresh is a country comprised of more than a dozen large islands (greater than 25 square miles) and more than 60 small (25 square miles or less) islands in the extreme southern range of The Southern Isles. The country's population is mostly Human of native, ebonos peoples but with a significant population of non-native, non-ebonos refugees and exiles from the neighboring Empire of Sellenia. These Sellenian peoples are almost all escaped or freed slaves of the Empire, with some criminal elements looking to avoid a sure and certain execution at the hands of Imperial justice.
The Dominion is governed by a council of 15 elected leaders that represent the major population centers of the country, most of which are islands. In addition to the thirteen islands represented in the council there are councilors (called Decurios) from two colony cities on the continental mainland as well. At the head of this governing council (known as the Consilio Regendi) is the high councilor, whose title is Aresh'a Dominus. The current (and, to date, only) Aresh'a Dominus is Carr'a Rone.
Structure
A group of more than 70 islands governed by a council of elected officials with a single individual to exercise executive authority and military command. This ruling council governs the entire Aresh Islands and all its constituent populations, but the administration and rule of each individual island and its local populus is left to the residents of that island. The only island that is ruled directly by a council member is the large island of Aresh itself, which is governed by the Aresh'a Dominus, Carr'a Rone.
The Dominion has a governing council, officially known as the Concilio Regendi, that is comprised of selected individuals (each known as Decurios) that have the authority to speak for the islands or communities that they represent. The Concilio currently consists of 13 Decurios from each of the largest islands of the Dominion and two from the two colony cities located on the continental mainland that are aligned with the Dominion.
The bulk of executive authority in the Dominion is with the office of the Aresh'a Dominus. For the last 51 years, that office has been held by Carr'a Rone, who is also the elected governor (titled Prefect by Rone himself) of the Island of Aresh itself. As Dominus, Rone is responsible for the security and defense of the Dominion and as the primary singular decision maker in regard to civil administration, appointments and emergency response. As Prefect of the Island of Aresh, Rone is the chief administrator, judge and defender of the island and its inhabitants.
Culture
The Dominion is a fiercely independent population that has embraced thousands of former Sellenian slaves and tens of thousands of refugees of Sellenian conquest
Demography and Population
The Dominion does not have a recent census by which to measure its population, but conservative estimates put the number of subjects of the Dominion at more than 250,000. Most of these are Human, but there are several large communities of Halflings, Gnomes and even Elves living on the islands. Most non-Humans are escaped or freed slaves from the neighboring Empire of Sellenia.
One of the larger islands, the Island of Iblis, has a population of more than 18,000 Halflings, and the elected representative to the governing council is a Halfling named Brice Dejardin, an escaped slave originally from the Kingdom of Aria.
Military
While not quite the equivalent of some of the larger or more established navies of the world, the Dominion has the capacity to put a fleet of warships toward the defense of its people and territory that could (rather easily) number more than 500 capable hulls, all crewed by skilled sailors and commanded by savvy and experienced masters. One development in particular is rapidly changing the balance of sea power in the Dominion's favor, and it is the development and fitting of Dominion warships with the mechanisms that allow the use of Dragon's Breath in battle.
In addition, the vast majority of the populus are nearly always armed and most are even well-trained in the use of those arms. Nearly every subject of the Dominion is either a former slave, descended of a former slave or knows very well a former slave of the Empire of Sellenia. The specter of conquest and captivity by the Empire is a real and tangible threat to every single member of the Dominion, at any level of society, and is the supreme motivator for the entire population to take a personal and serious interest in the defense of the country.
Technological Level
The Dominion has repeated the benefit of having such a diverse cultural makeup that manages to work cooperatively with so much success. One very specific and important benefit has been the development and employment of a naval weapon system colloquially known as Dragon's Breath. The exact nature of the substance that is Dragon's Breath is a very closely guarded secret, but its effects are rapidly becoming known all across the vast Eastern Sea and beyond. This single military development has shifted the balance of power on the seas surrounding the Dominion so much that the full attention of the Ulan Emperor is now on the ships of the Dominion.
Foreign Relations
The Dominion has had numerous communications from countries and peoples from far beyond their borders looking to establish trade relations and possibly create alliances to counter the ever-present threat of Sellenian expansion and aggression. To date, nothing has been affirmed, but communiques from the Kingdom of Aria, the Principality of Fangort and even some of the petty sovereignties of the Arak Coast have all shown the growing influence and solid reputation that the Dominion is creating across the region.
Of particular concern is the security and protection of the secret behind Dragon's Breath and its creator, Rabia Boyal. There are rumors of the Ulan Emperor sending agents of his dreaded Aldammii assassins against Rabia's workshop, Picta Praedium, to either secure the formula for Dragon's Breath or kidnap Rabia herself so that the formula can become a Sellenian weapon. The security of this secret is paramount within the Dominion.
Agriculture & Industry
While all types of agriculture that can be utilized in the Dominion are utilized to some degree, by far the single largest (and most productive) form of agriculture exercised is the harvesting of the bounty of the sea. Fishing, whaling, and the hunting of predatory species such as Leviathan and Kraken produce thousands of tons of protein for the subjects of the Dominion each and every month. Harvesting of shellfish, trapping of crabs, lobsters, snails and fowls, the collection of mountains of kelp, seaweed and other marine plants also contribute greatly to the caloric requirements of the Aresh Dominion.
The next largest and most profitable industry is shipbuilding. While galleys and longships are used all across the Dominion, they are less common than what is found in the neighboring Empire of Sellenia. The most numerous types of vessels plying the waters of the Dominion are cogs, hulks and caravels of a staggering variety of sizes, lengths and tonnage.
Currently, there are no official mints within the Dominion. The most commonly used currency is the Sellenian dinam, but transactions can be made in almost any coin to be found. Markets and shops typically have the means with which to exchange small amounts of gold and silver at only a slight cost to the buyer, if dinams are not on hand.
