Clovis Concord
Nearly four hundred years ago, an alliance of the Ki’Nau islanders and foreign Marquesian traders founded a new nation on the tropical Menagerie Coast. The Clovis Concord is a democratic nation that enforces law and order, and regulates commerce along the length of the coast. The nation is composed of eight independent city-states, each ruled by its own marquis, which operate as one union under the banner of the Clovis Concord. This arrangement ensures uniform laws, regulation of trade, and mutual protection between the city-states. These eight cities are Port Damali, Port Zoon, Gwardan, Tussoa, Othe, Feolinn, Nicodranas, and Brokenbank.
Open shipping lanes and inviting tropical scenery have made the domain of the Clovis Concord a cultural melting pot and a popular place to live or visit. Knowing this, the respective marquises uphold a long tradition of welcoming all weary travelers and providing an atmosphere of color and delight. If there is gold to be spent, the concord is eager for you to spend it within their cities. Between the venues for entertainment and vice, and the ample business opportunities, the concord hopes to convince those with wealth to spend it here, outside the gates of the Dwendalian Empire.
Internally, each marquis of the Clovis Concord keeps a tight grip on the shipping and trade that comes though their cities, overseeing all guilds that organize imports and exports and managing a handful of guildmasters that form the backbone of local commerce. When a marquis dies or is impeached by the other members of the concord, the remaining members choose a successor.
Warriors who prove their might through gladiatorial bouts during times of celebration and ceremony are asked to join the Zhelezo, a well-paid guard force that works for the governing marquis to enforce the laws. Cities have one or more magistrates that oversee judgment on legal matters and criminal punishment.
While the cities do work together for the good of the concord, they are also each in silent competition with each other, flaunting their affluence and clientele at every opportunity. When a prominent figure from the far reaches of Exandria finds their way to the Menagerie Coast, it’s not uncommon for them to be courted by multiple marquises in an attempt to convince the personage to stay as a guest of their city.
In recent times, the Myriad has subtly infiltrated the Clovis Concord, often with the unwitting aid of greedy local politicians. Rumors of criminal collusion have raised suspicion amid members of the concord. Sooner or later, the tension will have to break — and the fallout won’t be pretty.
Despite the concord’s cordial relationship with the Dwendalian Empire, their proximity to the imperial power is a lingering source of unease. Currently, the concord maintains a standing military of 7,800 Shore Warden soldiers across the coast, a nautical fleet of 370 ships, and 5,200 Zhelezo divided between the cities. Some of the Shore Wardens are posted inland, scattered around and within the Cyrios Mountains, where they maintain forts along the border with Western Wynandir and the Dwendalian Empire.