Elricia

Elricia is a province on the Eastern coast of Narador, bordered by Chalois to the west, Cendall to the north and the Great Expanse to the south.

The province is not a unified entity, being made up of two distinct parts; the merchant city-state of Elricia and the quasi-independent duchies, counties and baronies known collectively as the Elrician Estates.

Geography
On the Eastern coast of the province lies the city of Elricia, surrounded by the various states that make up the Elrician Estates.

City of Elricia
The city of Elricia is the largest, richest and most populous city on the continent of Narador. It is an incredibly diverse city, home to humans of every nationality and even other races such as Elves and Dwarves, who are not uncommon in the city. Other races can also be found here, albeit more sparsely. The city is home to a large number of grand buildings, such as the Palace of the Prince-Mayor, the Elrician Senate and the Consortium Bank.

Elrician Estates
The Elrician Estates are fertile grassland, with a number of mines also scattered throughout, particularly around the northern border with Cendall. The Estates are all named after their ruling families. The most powerful of the Elrician Estates are: The duchies of Langbar, Exeley and Haselmere, the Counties of Dursley, Martock, Selborne, Lyneham and Skeffington, and the baronies of Domville, Rudgate and Kingsnorth.

City of Elricia
The city of Elricia is a republic governed by the Prince-Mayor and the Elrician Senate. The 150 members of the senate are elected by the populace of the city, albeit with tax-based restrictions on the right to vote. For a citizen of Elricia to qualify to vote, they must undergo a lengthy registration process to prove that they are of sound mind as well as pay a certain amount of tax per month.

Any citizen of Elricia is able to run for office – even those unable to vote, but the posts are unpaid and as a result, only the richest members of society can realistically hold office.

The Prince-Mayor is elected by the Elrician Senate, though there is no requirement to hold Senatorial office to run for the position of Prince-Mayor.

Both the Prince-Mayor and members of the Senate are elected for life with elections being held either on death or resignation of an incumbent.

Elrician Estates
The Elrician Esates are traditional feudal states based on inherited rule. Though the Estates are technically independent, they are tributaries of the Elrician city-state, required to provide tribute to the city on a yearly basis. More often than not, this takes the form of produce or raw materials.

History
The city of Elricia was originally founded by the Chalois Empire under the rule of Empress Elrissa. The city was built to serve as the primary trading hub of the Empire. Not long after the creation of the city, the Consortium was established to rule over the city, overseeing the trade on behalf of the Empire. As the Consortium grew in power, they established a bank, the Consortium Bank, to loan money to nobles and businesses around the Empire.

As part of the Chalois Empire, the province of Elricia was ruled by the Viceroy of Elricia, a noble who frequently was related to the Imperial family by marriage.

During the Sovrunian War for Independence, calls grew from within the province of Elricia for their own independence, having previously been denied it as part of Bishop Patriarch Rustem Plessis’ call for independence. The Viceroy, Duke Percival Exeley, who was brother-in-law to the Emperor, negotiated independence for the province and very briefly ruled over it as King.

As part of negotiations, the now independent Kingdom of Elricia joined the war on the side of Chalois, fighting back against the Sovrune rebels. The combined forces were initially successful in the war, until the intervention of Noxxara, who forced the Empire to surrender.

Following the war, chaos ensued within Elricia. When King Percival tried to take his place in Elricia, he found his way into the city blocked by mercenary armies hired by the richest merchants of the city, who were denying his right to rule. The royalist forces began to besiege the city, until King Percival himself was nearly assassinated in the night. He escaped the attempt alive, but severely injured.

Wary of having an un-allied rival region to the East, the Empire of Chalois threatened to invade to quell the rebellion on behalf of King Percival. The head of the merchants, Lykos the Skull, named after his gaunt appearance, opened negotiations with the Emperor behind the back of King Percival. Lykos was a Consortium member who sat on the Regulation Committee for the city.

Lykos was able to secure independence for Elricia by agreeing to dismantle the province as a political entity – the City would become it’s own state, and the territories surrounding it would become independent duchies, counties and baronies that now make up the Estates. Happy that this arrangement nullified the threat of a united province, the Emperor of Chalois arrested King Percival and handed him over to Lykos. Lykos then reformed the government of Elricia, turning it into its current form. He served as the original Prince-Mayor of the city and was important in the maintaining of strong ties between Elricia and Chalois.