Free City of Capcora
The Free City of Capcora is a major trading city nestled in the southwest of Jakonia. A longtime bastion of Church support and fervor, the Free City of Capcora is best known for its great trading fleets and edge in commerce. They are known as strict enforcers of the Church of the One Sun, and despite the commerce that they are involved in, regularly discriminate against other races, often disallowing them access to the harbor. Capcorans have a reputation of being both devout and greedy, constantly looking for ways to expand their faith or wealth.
Structure
The Free City of Capcora is led by a hereditary succession of Lord Mayors, who are the official rulers of the city and surrounding lands. However, in addition to the Lord Mayor there are twelve Councilmen posts that make up the Ruby Council, the true legislative body of the city. The Ruby Council is headed by a Councillor Supreme, who acts as a tie-breaking vote and often steers the course of the rest of the Council. Each Council position is an elected position, with elections occurring every five years. Each seat represents one of the nine neighborhoods and districts, with the additional three seats representing the University of Capcora, the Foreign Quarter, and the Imperial Seat. The Imperial Seat and University Seat are currently considered "free" seats which anyone can run for, regardless of class or social standing. All city offices, bureaucracies, and judicial branches answer directly to the Council, which oversees any decisions made.
History
The Free City of Capcora was originally a minor trading port on an old river bay, and it was conquered by the Jakonian Empire during their rise to power. During the time of Jakonian rule, Capcorans embraced the teachings of the Church of the One Sun, and Capcora became a bastion of loyalist support for the Empire, in both good times and bad. This earned the favor of both emperors and the Church, allowing the nobles within Capcora to thrive and prosper, building trading ties that grew with Imperial fortunes. The Lord Mayors of Capcora were allowed substantial autonomy, growing in power and influence, with ample ties throughout the rest of the Empire. The decline of the Jakonians, however, led to the Lord Mayors seeking out alternative sources of revenue, while still remaining loyal to the Church.
In the wake of the Northern Rebellion, the coffers of the Jakonian Empire were emptied, but the Lord Mayor of Capcora was wealthier than ever, having embraced trade with some of the rebellious elements, and numerous free actors on the global stage. Seeing the likely continuity of the Jakonian Empire's fall, the Lord Mayor chose to make a powerful political movement of his own. With the support of his close friends in the Church of the One Sun, the Lord Mayor convinced the Emperor to allow him to purchase the independence of his city, thus freeing him from any personal taxation or oversight. The request was approved, and Capcora began to dominate the seas as the first Free City, well before Riveraineville or Augustin.
The Capcorans maintained one of the largest fleets in the world, and their treasuries were bursting with gold for decades, but in 1037 they suffered a severe reversal of their good luck. In an event known as the Warp of Seven, the entire city state seemed to shift. The event lasted exactly seven days, seven hours, and seven minutes, and in its wake, the city was left devastated. Some neighbors were left nearly completely destroyed, while their neighbors were unscathed. People went missing or aged rapidly, and confusion reigned within the city limits. The Lord Mayor had died, and his son, previously only eight years old, was suddenly in charge, having somehow gained thirty years and he claimed to have already ruled the city for twenty. Ships and caravans which entered the city limits during that week simply disappeared, although some vessels have been found abandoned and adrift hundreds of miles away. The mystery has baffled all of the greatest minds of the Jakonian Empire and Capcora.
The Warp of Seven has led to a marked decline in Capcora's capacities abroad. The Free Cities of Augustin and Riveraineville have been quick to step into the confusion created by the incident, and the Capcoran trading fleets are in a constant state of infighting as families and companies tear into each other. The Lord Mayor has been barely holding onto his seat, as he struggles to maintain order among the Council, of which there are over thirty different claimants to only the twelve seats. The political chaos has been ongoing for four years, and it seems unlikely to abate, though many are hoping the issue will settle with the upcoming elections.
Demography and Population
The majority of people within the Free City of Capcora are humans, scattered both within the metropolitan area itself and the surrounding farmland. The humans are recognized as the only true citizens of the Free City, with full rights under the government for matters of law. Numerous humans from other nations and cultures have also arrived in Capcora over the years, finding it a place to settle down, drawn by the wealth of trade and commerce. The establishment of the Foreign Quarter originally existed for the benefit of the non-native humans, but in time it became a place for other races to settle too. Although strict laws prohibit the other races from exiting the Quarter at night, Capcora has grown to include a surprising number of high elves and halflings in addition to the halfbreeds created by human and elf intermingling.
Military
The Capcoran Regiments are the official army and military force of the Free City. These regiments, once part of the Imperial Army, today consist of paid volunteers who serve as full time members of the army. Many are veterans of service with the Empire, but a goodly amount are local citizens who feel it to be their duty to provide service. The Army is strictly an ornamental role, providing security for the town walls, the Red Citadel, and border outposts with the Jakonian Empire. They are lavishly equipped with some of the finest weapons and equipment money can buy, but for the most part the Regiments rarely have received proper experience in battle, and are few in number for that purpose. That instead rests upon local militias that could be raised and the Capcoran Free Navy.
The Free Navy represents the bulk of the spending by the Lord Mayors and Councils of the Free City. The navy is a highly professional force of ships that rivals even the Imperial Navy in quality of training and equipment. The Navy is dedicated towards the protection of the sea lanes and commerce along the shores of Capcora and beyond. They regularly work and train with the Imperial Navy, and they have enforced tight standardization of practices and equipment, while retaining a surprisingly vast armory to replace any losses. The Free Marines act as the ground forces of the Navy, and provide a force even larger than the Regiments, consisting once again of paid volunteers from the city, looking for glory and a surprisingly large stipend.
Technological Level
Capcora remains on the cutting edge of most technologies, thanks to constant trade with the people of the Jakonian Empire. During the height of the University of Capcora's operations, many new innovations came from the city, mostly in relation to weaponry and naval construction. The invention of gunpowder is often credited to the University of Capcora, shortly after it opened in 856. Although the faculty at the University ultimately stagnated, they still managed to remain abreast of new advancements and ideas, many of which would be debated within. After the city's independence, many of these ideas turned towards philosophy and political thought, bringing the University consistently afoul of the Church of the One Sun, and preventing further innovation due to infighting.
Religion
The Church of the One Sun is the sole faith legal for worship in the Free City of Capcora. Even in the Foreign Quarter, the worship of other gods is strictly forbidden, and this regulation is strictly enforced. The Fellowship of the Palm is regularly invited into the Free City to enforce religious unity, and the elves are typically those who are investigated the harshest for any violations. Anyone entering the Free City who is of another race or faith can expect constant harassment from the city guards and clergy during their time in Capcora until they leave, assuming they are not arrested and imprisoned in the mean time.
Foreign Relations
The most important relationship the Free City has is with its only neighbor, the Jakonian Empire. The Jakonians account for over eighty percent of all trade relationships and partnerships held by the merchants of Capcora. Therefore, it is particularly vulnerable to any pressure placed upon the city by the Empire. Due to the rise in internal tensions and pressures, the Empire has been loathe to put these pressures upon the Free City, allowing it full autonomy over the past few decades. The Lord Mayors remain close to the Empire, however, due to the constant skirmishing and tensions with the other free cities of Riveraineville and Augustin. The occasionally violent rivalries with these two cities make it difficult for Capcora to step too far away from their imperial cousins.
The Free City also has faced constant fights on the high seas with the Kingdom of Populres and the Bahami Emirates. These two states have launched their own fleets and privateers which consistently threaten Capcoran trade. Having their own powerful navy and the support of the Imperial Navy, the Lord Mayors of Capcora have held steadfast against the payment of any protection money or ransoms. They therefore frequently engage in conflict with the ships of the emirs or any other privateers that threaten their trade. It has not escalated into a full scale war, as the threat of Imperial intervention has held back the Bahamis from engaging their full naval might against the Capcorans.
Agriculture & Industry
As a predominantly mercantile power, the Free City of Capcora is not known for its industrial or agricultural tradition. Today, however, Capcora possesses a sizable manufacturing community, producing their own weapons, armor, and warships. Although not as fine quality of gear as found among other races, the Capcoran arms industry is still the highest standard that human blacksmiths and workers can hope to obtain. Ships produced in the shipyards of Capcora are well renown for their standardization and easily replaceable parts should any break or wear out. The Capcoran shipyards are believed to be the busiest in Emicara, with most of their customers within the Jakonian Empire.
Education
Capcora has dozens of educational institutions, providing at least a basic education for all of its citizens. These are primarily sponsored by an operated by the Church of the One Sun. The Foreign Quarter is denied these facilities, and the elves and halflings within usually rely upon private tutors and a handful of for profit schools for those who can afford it. Capcora used to be home to a magnificent university and place of higher learning, but the Warp of Seven led to the closure of the site, as it had become devastated and burned in the aftermath of the event. Most of the professors were dead or missing, and the remaining buildings and campus has been closed by order of the Lord Mayor.
Infrastructure
Capcora features paved roads, and while they are not paved with gold as old rumors once suggested, some are in fact lined with it, namely the road to the Ruby Palace, center of wealth in Capcora and home to the Lord Mayors. The roads all the way to the Jakonian borders are paved, and facilities are kept well maintained. The city possesses an effective sewage system, and even running water and plumbing in some of the wealthier parts of the city. Small fortifications are built along the borders of the nation, but the most impressive of these is the Red Citadel, which stands watch over the passage of ships into Capcora's harbor.
Gold Glitters Under the Sun
Founding Date
Dustfall 9, 989
Type
Geopolitical, Free City
Capital
Demonym
Capcoran
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
Copper/Silver/Gold
Major Exports
Weapons, armor, ships
Major Imports
Foodstuffs, raw materials, iron ore
Legislative Body
Ruby Council
Judicial Body
Trade Courts
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Comments