Nadera

The Kingdom of Nadera is a sleek, shadow-cloaked maritime power whose influence far exceeds its size or resources. Governed by a constitutional monarchy under Rainha Velisara Izuel and the Chamber of Princes, Nadera thrives on information, espionage, and mercantile cunning, with its infamous spy network, the Saphracine Watch, deeply embedded in both foreign courts and the tradelanes of the Betshaban Ocean. Though its agrarian base remains weak, Nadera’s expertly crafted ships and neutral trade codes have made it a trusted courier and broker across the Betshaban Ocean. Quietly enriched by secrets sold and alliances balanced, Nadera walks a razor’s edge between indispensability and distrust, shaping the Fourth Age not with armies, but with whispers, ledgers, and sails.

Nadera

The Kingdom of Nadera

Geographic Info

Continent: Gallorea

Location: A peninsula jutting into the southeastern Betshaban Ocean just northwest of Adanar.

Government

Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy (Reinho/Rainha, Príncipe, Conde, Visconde, Barão, Fidalgo, Cavaleiro)

Ruler: Rainha Velisara Izuel of Trivena

Arms: A gray column with two green snakes intertwined under a broken gray chain on a white field.

Coinage: 2 Erdceitak = 1 copper Ceitu; 50 Ceitak = 1 silver Zilarin (1 BUC), 50 Zilarak = 1 silver-gold Erdiurrez; 5 Erdiurrek = 1 gold Urkron; 100 Urkroz = 1 platinum Izarotz

Capital: Garza (pop 30,500)

Alliances: Trade treaties with Adanar, some Aebasan city-states, Eeridia, Euboros, Kesh, Haleland, Halgard, Narisia, Neptaris, Oridal, Palerean and Zengara.

Hostilities: None, though Naderan privateers have caused no small tension with both Koramia and Cambrecia

Society

Population: 320,000 (95% human, 2% dwarven, 3% other)

Languages: Adan

Important Persons: Various members of the Chamber of Princes, including Prince Unax Arostegi of Talergo, Prince Zumar Etxeleku of Bastida, Prince Ibar Gainza of Gaenland, Princess Askoa Izuel of Trivena; the Masters of the Ayerbasca Shipwrights, the Mendarroiz Trading House and the Zabalviera Family brokerage houses; the Apezpikua (Bishop) Aitor Salvatxo Mendibide of Pavor

Religious Info

Pantheon: Aebasan Orthodoxy

Patron: None, though the clergy of Pavor Longshanks, god of Travel, have become an indispensible part of the national government

Geography

Nadera is a narrow peninsula jutting out from the northern shores of eastern Gallorea, the end of which splits into two narrow strips of land, forming two inland bays: Badia Iluntsu ("Bay of Gloom") and Itxaropeneko Badia ("Bay of Hope"). The land itself is low, rocky and coarse, given to frequent flooding and not agreeable to most forms of agriculture. Despite its small size, it has an extensive coastline and fishing and coastal husbandry is one of its few sources of food supplies.

History

Nadera in the Third Age

Once the frontier of the ancient Empire of Balguran, Nadera quietly gained autonomy after the rebellion of the first Adan King, Falgran, seven centuries ago. At that time, Nadera was primarily a fishing community, generally uninterested in the affairs of the world. After the removal of the Balguric bureaucracy, the Naderans made no real effort to create a centralized government and instead divided into numerous townships and city states, few of which were interested in conquering their neighbors.

In 7342 A.T., a Dregnosti mercenary lord by the name of Simão Gautaz was exiled from the Kingdom of Dregnost and sailed south into Nadera. When there, he claimed that he was descendant of the last Balguric ruler of the region and had come to reclaim his birthright. After several quick and decisive battles against the unprepared Naderans, Gaut took control of several key centers of commerce and was crowned King of Nadera by the local patriarch of Kratos the Steelhand, God of War. Though most Naderans hated the imposition of his rule, there were few armed rebellions again the new King. Though Gaut was often given to violent rages, he married a local woman and founded a dynasty that would last for three generations.

Under the Simaoide Dynasty, Nadera began to involve itself in international politics and economics. The Naderans soon realized that they had little to offer other nations in trade, but the merchants of the nation still tried to ply their trade wherever they could. A few major shipyards arose as some began to use local shipbuilding techniques to build larger merchant galleys, but nothing remarkable came out of the Naderan shipyards during the Simaoide Dynasty. Though Naderan ships were tough, oceangoing vessels, they were notoriously difficult to handle. Few knew that this lack of handling would result in the end of the Simaoide Dynasty and more than a century of foreign rule.

In the winter of 7450 A.T., during the reign of Berig, great-grandson of Simão Gautaz, a merchant vessel known as the Green Man was docking in Tivolko Bay in Lagorka when it struck a local merchant vessel and sank her. The local vessel, owned by the powerful Vazdid family, went down with most of her crew, including the patriarch of the Vazdid family himself. Not understanding the complex familial politics of Lagorka, King Berig sent several apologies and much gold from his coffers to the Mareil family, which he understood to be the royal family of Lagorka. The Vazdids, deadly enemies of the Mareils at the time, were incensed. Thinking that Nadera was in league with the Mareils, the Vazdids purchased several mercenary companies and launched their entire fleet across the Ygarlsed Sea, initiating what would come to be known as the Firestorm War.

Though not as defenseless as before, Nadera was unprepared for the cruel onslaught that followed. For six long years the Vazdids attacked Nadera, at first burning every city they captured. Eventually, they realized that conquering the nation was actually within their grasp and the Vazdid forces began to settle in the region. In the summer of 7457 A.T., King Berig was captured at the Battle of the Dusk Hills and forced to grant all of his lands to the Vazdid family. In turn, the Vazdid's rounded up the King's extended family and forced them onto the royal barge. Berig's ship was taken out to sea and lit aflame by the Vazdids, permanently ending the Simaoide Dynasty. It is said that Berig's Barge, ghostly flames still leaping from its masts, hunts the seas near Nadera searching for Lagorkan ships it can destroy.

The Vazdids did not replace the monarchy, but instead maintained the nation as a colony for family interests. Most of the mercenary companies that served the Vazdids retired to the region, often becoming part of the Saphracine Watch, named after Saphrax Vazdid, their first commander. The Saphracine Guard were organized to insure the compliance of the locals in supporting Vazdid interests in the region, but often were little more than bandits and thugs with an office of authority.

The rulership of the Vazdids was not only harsh and tyrannical, but also often completely arbitrary in its enforcement of local laws and traditions. Naderan lands were often confiscated for use by retired soldiers or members of the family and while huge estates began to appear in the rocky countryside, more and more natives fled to the cities to find work. This suited the Vazdid family nicely, as they needed cheap labor to work in the thousands of shipyards that littered the urban coast. The strait that connected the Betshaban Ocean to the Ygarlsed Sea was claimed by the family and constantly patrolled to insure a trade monopoly by the family with points north. Heady from their success in Nadera, the Vazdids even attacked Palerean, often paying privateers exorbitant sums for flags captured from Paleric ships. For two centuries, the corrupt Vazdid family held Nadera in a strangle-hold. During this time, various resistance movements rose and fell in opposition to the Vazdids; those who opposed the Vazdids directly often fell while those who acted more indirectly met with some success.

Eventually, the power of the Vazdids waned in Lagorka and they found it more and more difficult to sustain their interests in Nadera. In a treaty with the rising Valia family, they surrendered all their holdings in Nadera. Though some of the Vazdid supporters chose to stay in Nadera, those that returned to Lagorka stripped the Naderans for all they were worth. Ships laden with Naderan gold, wood and slaves fled to Vazdid-controlled lands in Lagorka. The Valias, uninterested in finding themselves in the same trap as the Vazdids had in Nadera, granted independence to the people there, but not before themselves picking over whatever the Vazdids had chosen to leave behind.

In the first decade of the 77th century A.T., Nadera was in ruins and anarchy was the only law. Though an attempt was made to return to the city-state existence of the pre-Simaoide era, the lack of an agrarian labor force made this all but impossible. In 7614 A.T., a woman by the name of Aishah Izuel, who had risen to power in the city of Trivena, swore to bring order to the nation. Desirous of organization and awed by her charisma, various cities flocked to her banner. Those that refused to recognize her as Queen of Nadera were besieged and defeated, their children executed and fed to her troops for their trouble. Within two years, all of Nadera had fallen under the rulership of Queen Aishah "the Bloody." Despite her violent rise to power, Aishah proved to be a wise and wily, if rarely merciful, ruler. She imposed harsh taxes on the urban centers, forcing many to return to the fields and coastal fishing villages and provide the nation with a food source. Most significantly, she gathered together the remaining members of the Saphracine Watch and reinstated their authority. This move was violently opposed by her regular army, most of which had nothing to do with the Saphracines, and Aishah faced the possibility of open rebellion within six months of gaining the throne. To diffuse the situation, Aishah directed the standing army to involve itself in the protection of the nation and enforcing the Queen's Law. The Saphracines, many of whom were already very experienced in court intrigue and underhanded operations, were given the directive of enforcing the Moral Code, which detailed precisely how a Naderan was supposed to interact with others, both in business and personal affairs.

The extreme order of the next sixty years was a stark contrast to the anarchy of the post-Lagorkan period. The Saphracine Watch, which became colloquially known as just the Watch, became a feared and highly organized enforcer of the Moral Code and were often left to interpret the Code how they pleased. Over the next few decades, the Royal Court gave over more and more power to the Watch, much to the consternation of the citizenry. In 7655 A.T., Queen Zebba expanded the jurisdiction of the Watch to include the nobility as well. This edict was met with much opposition, but those nobles who were too vocal in their criticism of the crown were silenced by the Watch, some even without the traditional trial by the Royal Court. This served to effectively silence those remaining nobles who opposed the Watch and the turmoil surrounding the expansion of power quickly dissipated.

This period of calm quickly disappeared in 7680 A.T. with the death of Queen Zebba. Her successor and niece, Innana, was assassinated minutes after her coronation and the Watch revealed that she had been quietly working against them for the last several years. Civil war immediately erupted as various factions began to vie for the throne. Most modern historians agree that the assassination of Innana was planned by a militant faction of the Watch, without the permission of its leaders. The civil war wasn't just a dissolution of the structure of the local nobility, but a war between various factions within the Watch as well.

For the next two decades, the Princes and greater nobility of Nadera fought against one another, with various factions of the Watch fighting in the shadows. Chaos reigned until two faction leaders, Prince Uan Arostegi of Talergo and Prince Gezer Gainza of Gaenland, signed the Treaty of Talergo. This treaty, which eventually evolved into the Naderan Royal Code, dictated that the Princes would form a governing body that would enact and enforce laws within the nation. The powerful Princes were able to convince many other nobles to sign on and the combined armies of the factions that supported the Treaty defeated those that refused. In the summer of 7700 A.T., the victorious Princes gathered and signed the Naderan Royal Code, a constitution based on the Treaty which gave much power to the local nobility, including the ability to elect one of their members to the Royal Seat.

The Chamber of Princes was established in Garza, a very defensible but insignificant town along the Interior Shore, and Prince Cyrus Etxeleku of Bastida was the first elected King and would serve for ten years before retiring (which became a tradition thereafter). Under the Code, the King was responsible mainly for foreign affairs, though he did have some influence on domestic policy as well, any domestic decision had to be ratified by the Chamber. In a coup for Royal power, authority over the Watch was given to the King. The absolute power of the Watch, however, had dissolved completely. The Treaty of Talergo had no real affect on the shadow war that the factions of the Watch were conducting and assassinations of various minor officials who were later revealed to be members of one faction or another continued for the duration of Cyrus' reign.

Upon Cyrus' retirement in 7710 A.T., Prince Salabus Arostegi of Talergo was elected to the Royal Seat and immediately set about reorganizing the Watch. Rumored to have been the leader of one of the major factions of the Watch, he quickly removed many officials who refused to acknowledge his leadership and those who were working against the Chamber of Princes. An ardent believer in the Code, Salabus' reorganization focused on turning the Watch into a means of gathering information on Nadera's neighbors. Though his reorganization solidified the power of the Chamber, it was not received well by foreign powers and trade tariffs increased.

Never a nation rife with resources, the Naderan economy began a slow decline in the 78th century A.T.. The agrarian population had lost many of its traditions during the Vazdid occupation and foodstuffs were not always readily available. This slow decline would continue for much of the century, until the election of Prince Myrsus Varuna of Relar to the throne in 7780 A.T.. A relatively weak member of the Chamber, as King, Myrsus closely examined his nation's resources and foreign policy. In 7782 A.T., he sent ambassadors to neighboring countries and struck lucrative trade bargains with most of them. What few realized at the time was that Prince Myrsus had discovered his nation's most powerful resources: the extensive information network of the Watch. The trade agreements he signed with his neighbors each included a secret clause that would funnel information to the various powers of the region, each feeling that they were the only benefactors of the Watch's information. As the money flowed into Nadera and the nation pulled itself out of poverty, spying became a way of life. Membership in the Watch expanded to include much of the population (modern estimates suggest that at least one out of every ten Naderan citizens are full members of the Watch, with many more at least periphery members).

By the end of the Third Age of Man, Nadera was a relatively wealthy nation who was viewed as a necessary evil by most of its neighbors. Naderan spies plied their trade as far away as Aebasa, selling and buying information as a commodity. Though few nations actually sanctioned Naderan spies, most have made no effort to uncover the network in their borders. Of the neighboring nations, only the rising dwarven nation of Valduran publicly denounced the spy network, though even still, many humans of the region still rely on Naderans for hard-to-find information on their enemies. Nadera had wormed its way into international politics and had become a necessary, and accepted, political expedient.

Nadera in the Dark Times

When the Crimson Plague struck eastern Gallorea in 7886 A.T., Nadera was aware of the virulence and mystical resistance of the Plague to cures well before its neighbors and quickly shut down its ports and restricted travel inland to limit contagion. Small fishing villages on the Interior Shore suffered terribly, particularly those dependent on sea trade, but inland cities, particularly Bastida and Taleria were largely spared through strict quarantine enforcement by the Watch. The Watch's extensive surveillance networks were quickly repurposed for plague control, with brutal efficiency. Suspected victims were executed or burned alive in their homes. It was a time of terror, but also survival. When the gods receded in 7887 A.T. and local clergy lost access to divine magic, it only solidified the control and focus of the mostly-secular Watch.

As other states collapsed into war and famine, King Goren of House Orzaiz and the Chamber of Princes adopted a strategy of cautious retreat and diplomatic isolation. Though his tenure legally expired in 7890 A.T., Goren chose not to step down, breaking with almost two centuries of tradition and legal precedent. The Chamber did not challenge him... a sign of the gravity of that moment in time. The Watch was expanded, allegedly executing dozens of nobles who had begun plotting independence or crafting secret alliances with foreign powers. Some Princes mysteriously disappeared, others were retired and replaced by younger family members seen as more loyal to the crown. Records from the period are contradictory, incomplete or very obviously absent, so few know which Princes succumbed to disease and which were assassinated by a Watch unhindered by law or propriety.

Abroad, the Watch continued to try to operate, selling secrets to this faction or another as various nations dissolved into war and chaos. Unfortunately, the Watch was much less successful in maintaining cohesion with its foreign cells and, slowly, the gold stopped flowing as those cells perished or dissolved. Even so, Nadera was one of the few nations who saw their treasury fill during this period, even if food was scarce and famine constantly loomed.

By 7934 A.T., Goren was an elderly old man, rarely in seen in public. Rumors spread that his mind was gone to senility and his day-to-day rulership responsibilities were being handled secretly by the Watch. When the Chamber of Princes decided to do something about it and held a closed session to vote on removing him, a fire ravaged the Chamber and destroyed part of Garza Citadel, leaving five Princes dead in the flames. The Watch claimed it to be the result of a kitchen accident, but few truly believed them. In 7936 A.T., Goren formally abdicated amidst mounting pressure. The remaining Chamber of Princes elected Prince Axil Varuna of Relar, who was seen as a compromise figure distant from the Watch's internal factions in Garza. Many say his election was the result of a secret treaty meant to curb internal infighting within the Watch.

When the gods abruptly returned in 7939 A.T., Nadera emerged from the Dark Times bruised but intact. Its government was still functioning, the Watch remained vigilant and its people, though weary, were united by a shared experience of tightly-controlled survival. Compared to the shattered kingdoms of eastern Gallorea and the burned-out husk of greatness of the Empire on Aurea, Nadera was attractively stable.

Nadera in the Fourth Age

King Axil Varuna began the Fourth Age in Nadera by reorganizing the Watch, reinterpreting the Moral Code into something more pragmatic, more focused on loyalty to the state and bureaucratic efficiency than guarding against disease and immigration. To the surprise of many, he then reinforced the old Naderan Royal Code and retired from the throne in 7940 A.T., despite having only ruled for the last five years of the decade. The Chamber of Princes, tempered by the shared trauma of the previous generation, avoided further internal conflict by quickly electing Prince Barand Gainza of Trivena as the new King. Without the Watch monitoring every aspect of Naderan life, many towns and cities experienced a slow urban revival, often funded by banking families or merchant syndicates that were making the first tentative contacts with neighboring peoples.

King Barand was a young, ambitious member of House Gainza who had married into Trivena's own House Izuel, inherited the rulership of the city and translated his rising popularity and wealth into an election to the royal seat. As King, Barand launched a deliberate policy of naval expansion and maritime commerce, inspired by the history of oppression from mainland peoples and the desire to command the very waters that once chained the nation. He spent heavily on port infrastructure, dredging harbors and rebuilding their dilapidated shipyards. He established the Royal Shipwrights' Guild and opened its membership to foreign shipwrights... promising full Naderan citizenship to the families of any shipwright who could prove his skill. Naderan shipyards began producing sturdy carrack to defend her shores, particularly oceanward, taking on the pirate vessels that had begun to rise in the Betshaban Ocean. Soon, newly-designed Naderan caravels began appearing in ports across northern Gallorea and eastern Aurea. These ships were smaller, faster and far more maneuverable than Naderan ships were in centuries past. Their primary drawback was the lack of cargo space, so they were of limited use for trade, but their primary objective was re-exploration of the post-Darkness world. These caravels were intended to deliver the Watch into foreign lands and bring back valuable economic, political and navigational intelligence to Garza. For many places that were cut off from trade during the Dark Times, Naderan caravels were the first contact they had with the outside world in a generation. Though Nadera still had little to export, it became indispensable as a carrier and courier around the Betshaban Ocean, ferrying goods, letters and even hostages for more powerful recovering states. As a result, the nation saw a sharp rise in the worship of Pavor Longshanks, god of travel, and Gyges the Herald, god of thunder.

In 7950 A.T., Princess Anborxe Etxeleku of Bastida was elected to the throne and Nadera experienced a commercial renaissance under her rule. Early in her reign, she established trade agreements with Adanar, Halgard and Haleland, which formed the basis of the Anborxan Mercantile Code. The Code standardized tariffs, shipping terms and neutral arbitration between shipping houses (always managed by a Naderan factor). She also sponsored Naderan counting houses, usually run by families connected to the Watch, across northern Gallorea, re-establishing international banking, handling sensitive cargo and, a new innovation, shipping insurance. As their influence grew, Queen Anborxe was able to develop diplomatic immunity status in some maritime courts... its ships were considered off-limits to search or seizure, partly because everyone fears the consequences of incurring the wrath of the Watch. In 7958 A.T., she established the Maritime Academy of Garza, training navigators, mapmakers and shipwrights. Though most of the students were of Naderan heritage, even those from foreign lands were often funneled into Naderan merchant houses and found more lucrative careers in Nadera than they would among their own people. Queen Anborxe was so successful that the Royal Code was amended to permit multiple terms of regency and she was unanimously elected back to the royal seat in 7960 A.T..

The grandson of King Goren, Prince Goren II of House Orzaiz, was elected to succeed the aging Queen Anborxe in 7970 A.T.. He built upon the success of his predecessors, launching major trading and exploration expeditions across the breadth of the Betshaban Ocean and even into the Eternal Ocean to the west and Endless Ocean to the east. Learning from these treacherous voyages, shipwrights in Trivena and Bastida started building long-range galleons and caravel-like fast traders known as galzeras, which now dominate coastal trade routes in northern Gallorea. Nadera also funded entire maritime fleets under the direct supervision of the Watch, often disguised as independent merchant companies or pirate hunter guilds. They also licensed privateers to operate in the Betshaban Ocean against nations and independent traders with which Nadera had no standing agreements. In 7979 A.T., an expeditionary fleet even reached legendary Kesh and returned with silks, gold-threaded brocades, new spices and other goods from unknown lands across the Endless Ocean. The master of that fleet, Captain Eko Elizondo became an instant national hero upon his return. In 7983 A.T., now-Royal Admiral Elizondo departed eastward with an even larger fleet of heavy galleons, dedicated to reaching the mysterious lands beyond Kesh.

Economy

The Naderan economy has boomed in the wake of the Dark Times and have become a maritime powerhouse in the Betshaban Ocean. While trade certainly keeps coin flowing into Naderan pockets, the agrarian population remains small and generally unskilled, so foodstuffs are a major import. There are some aged and respected vineyards that have found some success in the rocky Naderan interior and Naderan wines, particularly their port wines (fortified with brandy to help them survive long voyages) are quite prized abroad. Though not the international information brokers they once were, Naderan banks have become a staple in many of the nations of Gallorea and Naderan diplomats are renown for both their fairness and intellect... though some claim that reputed intellect is fueled by a Saphracine Watch just as pervasive and invasive as it ever was.

Religion

Pavor Longshanks, god of travel, has become the most popular deity in the Fourth Age and his clergy have even become a powerful, if symbolic part of the Chamber of Princes. Britomaris the Rogue, god of thievery, was once the most popular deity in Nadera, though her priests never held any official function in relation to the government and her worship has waned since the Dark Times. Pothos the Glutton, god of vice, still maintains a small clergy in some major urban centers, but his popularity has waned greatly since the purges of brothels and gambling halls by the Watch during Dark Times. Bellona the Collector, goddess of wealth, has a presence, as does Minos the Cockerel, god of commerce, particularly among the rising merchant houses. Themis the Child, god of mischief, once held open celebrations and revelries in Nadera, though his cult has gone into hiding in recent decades. The worship of Betshaba the Wavequeen, goddess of water, is also on the rise, often in support of and allied with the Church of Pavor. Vitulus the Architect, god of cities, has always had strong, stable clergy in Nadera and, though small, they still tend to exert quite a bit of political influence among the various noble houses.

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