Zhathair Enclave
A fractious magocracy, the Zhathair Enclave is extremely powerful, but often too focused with its own internal politics to care much for the outside world.
Structure
The Enclave is a confederation of nine provinces, each ruled by a wizard-prince with several smaller dominions owing fealty to one of the princes. Its bureaucracy is notoriously a mess, with more contradictory laws and licences than nearly any other nation on Vuria. If someone wants something done quickly in the Enclave, it is next to impossible without stepping outside of the confines of the law.
Demography and Population
607,700; Human 74%, High Elf 10%, Half Elf 5%, Dragonborn 5%, Other 5%
Territories
Principality of Midalem: Midalem is a province of pastures and gently rolling hills. Despite this peaceful look, it is the most militaristic dominion of the Enclave. Warriors and mercenaries are plentiful in the area, and the locals are renown for their remarkable siege weapons and equipment. Ruled by Prince Adelhelm Drachmann.
Principality of Athawin: Athawin is a lightly forested area that serves as the home of the famous winemaking elves. Not only is their wine in high demand throughout the Enclave, but so is their metalwork, something unheard off for elves anywhere else on Vuria. Athawins are hot-tempered, easy to offend, and enjoy nothing better that a sword duel or two to try and prove their superiority. Ruled by Princess Ansaarra Hesora.
Principality of Chelrath: Chelrath is a word that causes many to shiver as that principality is often associated with rumors of powerful undead and necromancers. The local Ballarand, who live in small villages among the craggy bluffs and forested hills, are a superstitious lot and are accredited with all the undead legends of the area that spread through the Enclave. Ruled by Princess Sabilina Baudelaire.
Principality of Jolmeda: Jolmeda is a forested land where lycanthropes are fairly commonplace. In fact, it was Prince Ludovico du Malatesta who proposed and pushed the recent law that allowed lycanthropes to be formally recognized as Enclave citizens (provided they don't eat or maim anyone.)
Principality of Malanora: Malanora is home to many famous poets, scribes, and artists. The elves here sometimes call it "New Selna Dorei" and there is a pro-High Elf sentiment that permeates throughout the culture here.
Military
By parliamentary decree, dominions, baronies, and principalities alike may raise a militia of about 10% of their local population as (per the last census) to defend their borders. Nobles' holdings may have a personal guard of 20 to 60 soldiers remaining with the dominion.
The Grand Army of the Enclave follows a strict manual of how its forces operate and how the army is amassed. This manual may be changed at anytime by parliamentary vote, but at present requires that each province have a standing army of 860 soldiers at any given time. They are rightly feared for their use of mages and alchemists in warfare, as well as their griffon-mounted cavalry. During times of peace, the Grand Army is utilized by the princes of the provinces they hail from to protect their borders and maintain civil law.
Religion
Religious practices are considered a social taboo in the Zhathair Enclave, and the Houses of Zhathair look down upon divine magic with disdain and paranoia. As such, the Enclave's parliament had outlawed divine spellcasters under threat of death. However, following a vicious plague outbreak, the Enclave parliament opened up their borders to divine casters.
All temples in the Enclave are state-funded and operated. Only certain parliament-approved deities are deemed legal for public worship and worship of unapproved deities results in imprisonment.
Foreign Relations
The Enclave has rather friendly relations with Khavica, who both profit greatly from the trade between them and generally keep out of each other's affairs. The Enclave has a rather shaky relationship with Uthmar that has nearly ended in violence due to the Enclave's anti-divine magic views and refusal to permit clerics of Yalim to proselytize within their borders. The Enclave is tolerated (at best) everywhere else and reviled at worst.
Trade & Transport
The Enclave does not keep a national trade outfit, but sponsors a number of large trading companies, such as the North Frontier Trading Company or the mercantile houses of Khavica to move their goods overland to both their own port cities and farther destinations such as Emberfell to the north or Khavica to the south-east.
Education
While the Enclave has a strong bias towards arcane studies, it has many state-sponsored schools spread out among the provinces. These schools are by no means created equal, as it is up to the prince of each principality to determine how the schools in their province are run. The degree of literacy in the Enclave may vary widely from province to province, but as a whole the Enclave boasts some of the highest literacy rates on Vuria.
Founding Date
1331 CY
Type
Geopolitical, Magocracy
Capital
Demonym
Zhathairian
Government System
Democracy, Parliamentary
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Traditional
Currency
Orb (pp,) Ducat (gp,) Half Ducat (ep,) Sovereign (sp,) Judge (cp)
Major Exports
Magic items, siege weaponry, artwork, fruit, jewelry, timber, weapons, books, fine lace, silk
Major Imports
Horses, parchment, ore, magic items, mercenaries
Legislative Body
The Zhathair Enclave is ruled through its parliament, though its nine principalities are so at odds with each other little lawmaking ever gets done.
Judicial Body
The Zhathair Enclave has an extensive network of lawmages (GGR, page 228,) spellcasters trained to capture lawbreakers and bring them to justice. Tribunals are overseen by parliament-appointed judges. Criminals with dangerous spellcasting abilities are sent to a fortified prison on a small island to the north known simply as The Spire.
Subsidiary Organizations
Deities
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
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