Empire of Drax
"It was a bit of a surprise when we found Drax, that's for sure. Settlers were sure they were free to keep pushing the Great Road along, taking whatever land they wanted. Imagine what they thought when they encountered a city, already set-up and flourishing. No one knows how they managed it, but they don't like newcomers, unless you're selling slaves, I mean, indentured servitude. Some say they're up to something, me? I just think they're trying to make another Empire."One of the first colonist expeditions was led by a minor house from Keltas called Drax. Travelling further west by ship than any before, it was assumed the party had been lost. However, after colonists finally penetrated the western edge of the forests in what is now Hatan, they discovered that the Draxian colonists had survived. Establishing a city called Landing, at the mouth of a river where the coast became habitable, the house of Drax now claimed all land west of the river and showed itself to be hostile to any interference from outside. In the couple of hundred years since, the Empire of Drax has been taking any comers and pushing its boundaries west at an alarming rate. The city at Ending has become an important town, although it is rare any ships attempt to reach it from the east. However, ships are built here and sail west, settling more and more people on the now hospitable coast. Rumours also abound of a potential pass to the north, through the mountains.
Structure
Not much is known in the Empire of how Drax operates, but it is an absolute monarchy, with the Draxian Emperor wielding total control over all aspects of the how the nation is operated. Important positions are filled by appointment by the Draxian Emperor, and can be dismissed on a whim; fealty to the throne is more important that competency in the role. Despite this limited structure, the nation is functioning, largely because of two factors; it's relatively low population spread out over quite a wide area, and the large numbers of slaves (officially called hereditary indentured servants) that perform most of the menial work. For free people in Drax, life is relatively burden-free, although the number of ways the law can be infringed (with the penalty slavery), and the capricious nature of Draxian nobility, make life in Landing a bit more stressful.
Demography and Population
The exact population number for Drax are unknown, even to the authorities in Landing who supposedly monitor all comings and goings within the nation. Landing itself is a city of some thirty thousand people, but is by far the largest settlement in Drax, and probably on the whole northern continent. Estimates of the total population range from about fifty thousand, to over two hundred thousand, although the latter number is viewed with some doubt.
Of the population, perhaps 1% are nobility; individuals who have managed to retain wealth and influence with the Draxian court in Landing. It is a precarious position, and those nobles who spend a lot of time in Landing all know of other nobles who lost everything because of a slight towards the Emperor, either real or imagined. However, the rewards are great, so many nobles take the risk.
About 20% are freefolk who are either the descendants of those who have never been slaves, or a small minority who have paid off their servitude. They tend to be mostly small farm holders, owners of small businesses, or craftsmen with important skills, who have avoided the attention of the nobility. It is far too common for freefolk to have their lands and livelihoods confiscated for supposed crimes, and be cast into servitude once more.
The majority of the population are those in what is termed 'hereditary indentured servitude', or slavery. Conditions for these people does vary, but for most it is a hard life, doing whatever is expected of them. Even their overseers and guards are slaves of one form or another. Most work with the promise that, at some point in the future, they or their children will be free, but as some are now in their third generation of servitude, realists see this as optimism.
Territories
The Empire of Drax claims all land west of the city of Landing, which is the first point on the coast of the northern continent where ships travelling from the south and east can safely land. Due to the nature of the coast east of Drax, it is rare for a ship to make it that far, but they have been building ships in Landing, and sending them west. It's actual border is so far undefined, as the western extents of the continent are still being determined. In the north, the mountains make for a natural border, but exploration is taking place to find a pass though, and the Draxian Emperor has made no secret of coveting all lands beyond the mountains as well.
Foreign Relations
Drax is highly isolationist, and has so far refused to enter formal contact with any other nation, especially The Empire of Belyos in the south. Anyone suspected of being an agent for the Empire is killed on the spot, with no trial, and traders coming up the Great Road must conduct their trade at the border. The proto-nation of Hatan on its eastern border has the closest thing to formal relations, in that the border between the two nation has been agreed to, and is heavily patrolled on the Draxian side.
Maps
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The Empire of Drax
Founding Date
1772 IY
Capital
Demonym
Draxian
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Currency
1 Crown = 120 pennies
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
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