Badon
Jun 11, 2017 22:55:50 GMT -6
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 11, 2017 22:55:50 GMT -6
Overview
Basically the fantasy equivalent of Switzerland, Badon is a mercantile superpower with absolutely zero interest in Lycian power dynamics and a significant amount of control on global merchant lanes. Best known for the major ports dotting their shore, especially the eponymous port of Badon, and the nearly lawless conditions within - everything from legitimate merchant ships to half the world's pirates draw anchor in Badon regularly, and while the port guard are quite competent, they ignore all but the largest disturbances - marketplace fights and tavern brawls are far too numerous and expected to bother with, so only a major invasion or rioting pirates getting REALLY out of hand will draw a massive reprisal. On the bright side, Badon's ports are the most diverse places on Elibe, full of sailors and sightseers of every nationality, mercenaries between jobs, even pirates refueling between raids. Some say that a man can buy anything - or anyone - in Badon, and there is more than a little truth to those words.
Further inland, Badon is an almost completely different territory - the unbelievable overall wealth of the march ensures that villages and towns inland tend to be dominated by the affluent who have little tolerance for chaos, and a strong domestic police force that is ruthless in its enforcement of law and order. The territory proper, outside of its ports, has among the highest living conditions in all of Elibe, but citizenship is extremely difficult to obtain and it does not deal with refugees at all, a stance that has raised some hackles from its neighbors. Mercenaries and the Guard ensure that Badon as a whole is nearly inured to the monsters and brigands ravaging Lycia... outside of the ports, anyways, which in turn are among the most dangerous places on the continent if you walk down the wrong street.
Overseeing all of this is a group that is typically only known as the Council - a group of Badon's five most powerful merchants and movers, at least one of which is a known pirate and another of which has rumored ties. They run nearly everything in the country, even deciding on their own successors, and as long as their steady hand continues to guide the territory to financial success the people are generally content to leave them to do so. The most powerful among them typically acts as standing Marquess for larger Lycian matters, but the Council as a whole often avoids what they view as meaningless politics.
Military
Badon's ground army is nearly nonexistent and used solely as a police force with zero force projection or supply line mastery. Badon's navy is fairly large, second only to Etruria, and often hired out as protection for merchant ships. However, Badon's TRUE military power is the ability to charter privateers, pirates, and private armies without limit - they could easily match or even exceed the Etrurian navy... but it would cost too much money, and getting into a war isn't good for business, so they don't.
Of note is the fact that their centralized location and a propensity for favorable deals ensures that Badon is typically on the forefront of most technologies and their ships are all top of the line, making extensive use of rifled ballistae and even pegasus/wyvern launching apparatuses for ghetto medieval 'aircraft carriers.' Some rumors speak of even more powerful weapons kept under wraps, even technology from Etruria; some go so far as to believe that the Council would betray Lycia for Etruria, though never out loud. Whatever the truth of that matter is, it is certain that Badon is home to many secrets.
They also possess Elibe's second and third largest shipyards, second only to the massive but secretive Etrurian shipyard that holds first place. While most are fairly open, one installation has a number of levels of clearance and a veil of secrecy over the heavily guarded areas containing their secrets.
Relationships
Basically the fantasy equivalent of Switzerland, Badon is a mercantile superpower with absolutely zero interest in Lycian power dynamics and a significant amount of control on global merchant lanes. Best known for the major ports dotting their shore, especially the eponymous port of Badon, and the nearly lawless conditions within - everything from legitimate merchant ships to half the world's pirates draw anchor in Badon regularly, and while the port guard are quite competent, they ignore all but the largest disturbances - marketplace fights and tavern brawls are far too numerous and expected to bother with, so only a major invasion or rioting pirates getting REALLY out of hand will draw a massive reprisal. On the bright side, Badon's ports are the most diverse places on Elibe, full of sailors and sightseers of every nationality, mercenaries between jobs, even pirates refueling between raids. Some say that a man can buy anything - or anyone - in Badon, and there is more than a little truth to those words.
Further inland, Badon is an almost completely different territory - the unbelievable overall wealth of the march ensures that villages and towns inland tend to be dominated by the affluent who have little tolerance for chaos, and a strong domestic police force that is ruthless in its enforcement of law and order. The territory proper, outside of its ports, has among the highest living conditions in all of Elibe, but citizenship is extremely difficult to obtain and it does not deal with refugees at all, a stance that has raised some hackles from its neighbors. Mercenaries and the Guard ensure that Badon as a whole is nearly inured to the monsters and brigands ravaging Lycia... outside of the ports, anyways, which in turn are among the most dangerous places on the continent if you walk down the wrong street.
Overseeing all of this is a group that is typically only known as the Council - a group of Badon's five most powerful merchants and movers, at least one of which is a known pirate and another of which has rumored ties. They run nearly everything in the country, even deciding on their own successors, and as long as their steady hand continues to guide the territory to financial success the people are generally content to leave them to do so. The most powerful among them typically acts as standing Marquess for larger Lycian matters, but the Council as a whole often avoids what they view as meaningless politics.
Military
Badon's ground army is nearly nonexistent and used solely as a police force with zero force projection or supply line mastery. Badon's navy is fairly large, second only to Etruria, and often hired out as protection for merchant ships. However, Badon's TRUE military power is the ability to charter privateers, pirates, and private armies without limit - they could easily match or even exceed the Etrurian navy... but it would cost too much money, and getting into a war isn't good for business, so they don't.
Of note is the fact that their centralized location and a propensity for favorable deals ensures that Badon is typically on the forefront of most technologies and their ships are all top of the line, making extensive use of rifled ballistae and even pegasus/wyvern launching apparatuses for ghetto medieval 'aircraft carriers.' Some rumors speak of even more powerful weapons kept under wraps, even technology from Etruria; some go so far as to believe that the Council would betray Lycia for Etruria, though never out loud. Whatever the truth of that matter is, it is certain that Badon is home to many secrets.
They also possess Elibe's second and third largest shipyards, second only to the massive but secretive Etrurian shipyard that holds first place. While most are fairly open, one installation has a number of levels of clearance and a veil of secrecy over the heavily guarded areas containing their secrets.
Relationships
- Due to its unbelievable economic power and policy of pleasant neutrality to everyone nearby, Badon has no real friends or enemies, but no shortage of powers trying to cozy up to it.
- Santaruz in particular tries to set themselves up as Badon's big brother, and offer excellent border security and the promise of absolute security from any other Lycian power in return for preferential treatment as trade partners. Badon has no actual loyalty to Santaruz and will not aid them militarily, but values safe borders highly enough to spend for it, and while they are not friendly, the two territories do share a strong and mutually beneficial relationship as a result.
- Badon and Ryerde have a complex series of agreement in regards to their mutual control of river trade that generally favor Badon, which has caused some recent tensions with the emergent Ryerden economy looking for a bigger slice of the pie.
- Khan Yunis of Nabata is a major trading partner, one that continues more and more to prioritize Badon as Etruria continues to travel down a dangerous path.
- Bernese trade is split between the one major Pheraen port and Badon's own; the Bernese war just so happened to almost entirely miss Badon, so there is little animosity there, only business.