The Jeweled Cities
The Jeweled Cities stand proudly along the Gold Coast. These free cities do not bend the knee to the Iron Empire but that does not mean they are enemies of the Empress. Opal, Ruby, Jade, Beryl, Pearl, Garnet, and Moonstone are each fortresses in their own right, made wealthy by the rich and fertile lands of the Gold Coast. The Jeweled Cities often compete against one another as the Princes march their forces to battle for glory in a complicated game of alliances and treachery. Yet all the Princes are wary of ceding too much influence to the Iron Empire, even if they will freely deal with it should it give them an advantage over their rivals.
Structure
The Jeweled Cities are a group of seven independent poleis that were established on the Gold Coast nearly one hundred and fifty years ago, shortly after the rise of the Empress. Though people had been living in these settlements before Opal established itself and became the model for the other poleis, following the Storm, the people of the Gold Coast flocked to the walls of the seven remaining cities and they grew from there. Each of the Jeweled Cities is ruled by a Prince, the first among equals. Succession is often a messy and expensive affair, where the ruling Prince or their family must make deals and negotiate support for their successor lest their family lose influence and power to a rival.
Culture
Though they share bonds of culture and interests, the Jeweled Cities offer a loose confederation at best, with constant battles between princes and their armies. While many criticize the princes for these games of armies, in truth, they serve a secondary purpose. Due to these constant battles, the Jeweled Cities have some of the best field armies in Terraneus, through sheer experience. Many a modern mercenary company can trace their origins to one of the Jeweled Cities. Wealth and breeding is valued in the Jeweled Cities, where even the common folk take pride in being able to trace their family trees and the deeds of their ancestors. The Merchant Families dominate the Jeweled Cities and many of the people who hail from the Jeweled Cities have at one point or another served on the payroll of these cartels.
History
The Jeweled Cities had been established as colonies of the old Iron Empire to protect their interests on the Gold Coast at the height of its power. The Old Iron Empire had treated these colonies less as their direct ruler, granting them a good measure of self-governance in expectation for tribute and allegiance against the threats that they faced. Overtime, these colonies grew more and more independent as the people of the Iron Empire began to mix with the locals of the Gold Coast. By the time of the Final Storm, the Old Iron Empire's reach had grown so tenuous that it had been forced to withdraw even its soldiers back to protect its borders and put down rebellions. When the Storm swept across Terraneus, the Gold Coast had to fend for itself. Many of the people abandoned the settlements, taking on migratory lifestyles as they did what they could to endure the Storm.
It was not until the Empress broke the Storm that the Gold Coast found its reprieve from the ravages of the Mistwalkers. Many of its villages had been destroyed and its people changed by the Wyrdwinds, with the ancient roads in disrepair and not patrolled. With the threat of the Mistwalkers ended, the people started to return to the cities, seeking the safety of groups from bandits and monsters. Of the walled cities, seven remained, some having weathered the storm better than others. As the people returned, a new culture began to emerge as the people of the cities turned to the Sea for their sustenance, building ships to trade. Opal was the first to establish the model of what it means to be a polis of the Jeweled Cities, but in less than a century after, the six other cities followed, with Moonstone being the last to adopt the model.
Military
Mercenaries are common in the Jeweled Cities. Many of the companies that work in the Shimmering Sea can trace their origins back to a younger son who had started a mercenary band in the service of the Prince and nobility of their polis. However, each polis does also have its city guard that is garrisoned in the city proper, ensuring that order is kept.
Foreign Relations
Though each Jeweled City is an independent entity that nations may deal with individually, the spies that each Prince and Merchant Family maintains in each others cities means that there is very little that can be kept secret without actual effort. As such, there is a saying that "What happens in Opal, happened in Beryl." This makes it difficult to truly play the Cities against each other as an outsider without the most subtle of hands. The Jeweled Cities tend to prefer shorter term agreements and trade contracts. They rarely have treaties that are expected to last longer than ten years, and certainly no more than twenty.
Trade & Transport
The Merchant Families are masters of trade and if there is one thing that can unite them, it is a hatred for bandits and raiders. When those same bandits are not on their payrolls. The Jeweled Cities control access to the riches of the Gold Coast and the wealth that lies beyond the Fire Lands to the south. Spices, fine cloths that are beloved by the Iron Empire, colorful dyes that cannot be reproduced elsewhere in the Shimmering Sea, exotic foods and strange pets are but some of the unique goods that the Jeweled Cities bring to the Shimmering Sea.
Though they lack the number of warships of the Iron Navy, the Jeweled Cities maintain a fleet that is a mixture of heavy cargo ships and light sleek vessels that are dubbed as "Pirate Hunters." Most of these ships are owned by the Merchant Families, though there are some few folks who are fortunate enough to own a ship of their own and not need to pay the fees to ship their good upon the cartels' vessels.
Education
The Jeweled Cities value education, but they do not give it away freely. Those with the means to afford tutorship often brings in scholars from either the Iron Empire or the Convocation or pay to have their children apprenticed to one of the Merchant Families. Those among the lower class often go without education, only getting training if there is a need from one of the nobility to teach them a specific skill. Even reading and writing is seen as an advantage not to be given away freely.
Type
Political, Confederation
Official State Religion
Related Ethnicities
