Upmarch
History and Government
The lands of the Upmarch have passed hands often throughout history, but they once stood proudly as the center of mining and weapons production for the empire of Delos'Nordan. It is in the lands of the Upmarch that Galeiria Emric herself, the fabled slayer of Bach'thal, was born. It is thus in these lands that the High Elves defeated the Thalgor and forged their nation's might. The Upmarch did not part from Delos'Nordan in peace. By the end of The Second Elven War, it was still primarily occupied by High Elves, but it had always had strains of Wyldfolk, Dark Elves, and Forest Elves within its bounds. During the war, these minorities saw significant repression. Many were expelled to the modern lands of the Lowmarch, where their populations boomed, to the point that even the other Clients of Delos'Nordan became concerned with such hostile policies. When the war concluded, the Dal'morai made it a point to protect the rightss of the Upmer minorities, and the region was singled out for patriation. With the secession of The Feral Lands already secured, the Upmarch was tactically indefensible, and the High Elves eagerly abandoned it to save face. What followed was a steady downfall. The Dal'morai decreed the Lowmarch stripped from Upmer leadership, and the nobility fled the nation to the Delos'Nordani heartland before the dust even began to settle, leaving a vacuum of power. The Upmers were largely abandoned by all participants in the war and left to their own accords, though no stable government would arise for many years, leaving the region diplomatically isolated. Unfortunately, while it was mineral-rich, it had few other resources, and poverty and famine swept the land. Centuries later, as The Third Elven War brewed, the Upmarch once again became a region of interest for Pharos' powers. The nation's instability up to this point had led to a mass exodus, and a small mixed population of Elves remained, largely subsisting on the land and ignoring its richer resources. The zone was rapidly annexed by the High Elves at the outbreak of the war, bringing back brutal repression and a destruction of the new farmlands. When the war concluded, Everaldimor recognized the pain that the Upmarch had suffered for many centuries and took a more active role in uplifting its state, establishing the Sapphire Concordat, a network of the Upmers' cities and towns which elected their leadership and loosely cooperated on national matters - especially trade. Over the years, small migrations from the desolate Lowmarch and the Feral Lands brought a population boom to the Upmarch, and the region began a march towards prosperity. The cities of the Sapphire Concordat grew in size and wealth, and the leadership of the Concordat took a turn towards the merchant elite. Gradually, this class entrenched itself in the Upmarch's politics, and the autonomy of the cities came to suffer under their plutocratic rule. For many years, the Concordat tread a fine line to keep Everaldimor - its foremost trade partner and gateway to the rest of the world - happy. With the rise of Revansgar, however, Upmarch turned its focus northward. A struggle for influence over the region erupted between the Revanese and Everaldimor; it still remains, to some extent, in the more minor of the Concordat's towns, but the Revanese have solid dominion over the march as a whole. Today, the Upmarch continues to grow under the leadership of its plutocratic merchant guilds, and it is the only Elven nation in the world to have begun to undergo industrialization.Cities
Glen Mischal
Glen Mischal is the capital of the Upmarch, with about 80000 permanent and temporary residents at any time. Many merchants come and go from Glen Mischal, and many Upmers flow between the various smaller towns and villages towards (and from) it. Glen Mischal houses the Glensbank, as well as the headquarters and marketplaces for the Concordat's guilds. It's said that everything which enters the Upmarch flows through Glen Mischal within its lifespan.Glen Coroval
Glen Coroval is a smaller city than Glen Mischal, with about 40000 residents, but it has historically competed to be the unofficial capital of the Upmarch. Glen Coroval used to be the home of some merchant houses, but Mischal has long won the so-called Capital War.Geography
The Upmarch is very hilly, surrounded by mountains on three-fourths of its border. In the east, these are the Summerpeaks, and in the west the Thal'Nore Mountains. The Thal'i River feeds the nation's farms, and its tributaties spread wide throughout the country as they flow from the peaks to feed the river. Officially, the border of the Upmarch ends where Lake Nore begins, but this only makes up part of the southern boundary with the Lowmarch. This has caused some friction along the border in recent years, especially as Upmer villages have started to arise near the line. For the moment, such claims often go in favor of the Upmers, who are far more established and prosperous as a society. The inverse can be said of the northern border with Revansgar, which is largely defined by the Thal'i River and "wherever the Revanese deem it to naturally extend westward."Resources
The Upmarch is rich in mineral wealth and gemstones. Its people subsist on their own agriculture, but they do not have any major agricultural exports, and tend to import the infrastructual resources necessary to keep their farms afloat. Revansgar and Everaldimor help to prop up the Upmer economy, but the Sapphire Concordat's agenda strives towards greater economic independence, even if this goal is still far-off. Upmers have earned some fame by way of the Glensbank, which mints currency from all around the world and serves as one of Pharos' greatest currency exchanges. This earns the ire of some nations (especially those who try to skirt gold standard rules so as to inflate their own wealth), but the Glensbank has avoided any serious reprimand by offering favorable rates and privileges for nobles and merchants from said nations.Ethnicities
The people of the Upmarch are diverse - but primarily Elven. The nation features an even mixture of High Elves and Forest Elves, with a significant minority of Spirit Elves and Dark Elves as well. Other races have also begun to migrate to the Upmarch for trade and to settle its lands, but they are outnumbered and not entirely welcome. Despite the relative harmony between the different Elven races who consider themselves Upmers, most Elven Upmers bear a disdain towards non-Elves, viewing them as opportunists coming to the region only after it has managed to crawl out of its desolation.Diplomacy
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"March of the Merchant Concordat"
Adjectives: Upmer
National Animal: Chuspiki
National Instrument: Glockenspiel
Ethnicities: Delos'Nordani, Everaldimese, Wyldfolk, Farenese
Languages: Delos'rithei, Human Common (Pharosian Gultic)
Capital: Glen Mischal
Ruler: The Sapphire Concordat
Government: Guild Rule
Hallmarks: Mixed Elven society, industrialization, political pawn, merchant dominance
Characteristics: Mercantile, distrusting, hopeful, non-violent
National Animal: Chuspiki
National Instrument: Glockenspiel
Ethnicities: Delos'Nordani, Everaldimese, Wyldfolk, Farenese
Languages: Delos'rithei, Human Common (Pharosian Gultic)
Capital: Glen Mischal
Ruler: The Sapphire Concordat
Government: Guild Rule
Hallmarks: Mixed Elven society, industrialization, political pawn, merchant dominance
Characteristics: Mercantile, distrusting, hopeful, non-violent