Vendel
The cities of Vendel are very much independent. Their leaders sit on the council of the Vendel League, which binds them together by the ancient League's Accord. This old piece of paper tells the leaders and officials how to live their lives, conduct trade, make politics and war. The people of the nation are very diverse as the merchants do not see a need for racism or preference over race (unless it brings profit) thus the only thing important is how much you can make and how fast. The nation of Vendel has many "interesting" relationships with its neighbors, while the most hostile would be the Warrior-clans of Venland as they see themselves as natural enemies.
History
The nation of Vendel began its journey in the Third Age, Kingdoms, long before the rediscovery happened. Many sailors from the Old World ventured south, seeking new lands and found Venland. Many generations later, they built ports and became great shipwrights. This allowed them to be in the forefront of exploration and, of course, trade. When trading relations started with Azura or Arakhor, the people of Vendel were there to be a part of it. The competition was good but too much meant little work for many, thus there needed to be an alliance. Working with the first agreements the city-states of Venland had, they written the League's Accord, which was nearly twenty stipulations at the moment of writing and it grew to over a hundred of the millennia. The accord dictates how trade is to be made with other nations, how the nation of Vendel is to be ruled, and such. This foundation allowed them to become merchant-kings of Tethys, especially after the War of the Underworld, from which they were spared, thus allowing them to prosper in the war and rebuilding effort that much more. While ancient Vendel did not treat themselves as an empire, they were in all but the bureaucracy and name. They had branches of their Vendel League all around the world, in every port and major city, as well as production centers. Historians of that time believed that the politicians of the world underestimate the Vendel, which might be their downfall, for when two fight over world dominance (Divine Empire versus Jadeite Empire) a third would take the prize. They were right and wrong at the same time. Only because it wasn't up to Vendel to become the supreme empire but the Archadian Empire, which dominated its competitors by an unbelievable degree. Vendel still held merchant dominance but that would start to shrink, once the great Arcanetrain was revealed and more technology to help in this regard. The nation was almost destroyed in the Fourth Age, The Calamity, as their city-states being ports, were swallowed by the tsunamis. If that wasn't enough, the Post-Calamity Era struck a heavy blow to the merchants. Who needs gold, silver, or silk, when you are hungry? Vendel didn't have enough food to produce as a trade good, reducing their power not only in the global scene but also in their own continent. They had to sell their own lands to the Dragonborn of Draconia, give up lands to the dwarves of Limâr-ilir or shipwrights of Saxvallen, they were able to get something good out of the Duchy of Ven or Rokantar but overall they are at a loss. When trade activated, they started to grow in strength, rebuilding what was lost. Lack of the Archeron continent was a blow to their ancient trade routes, making them explorers once again. Thankfully, they were able to rekindle trade with Tailos, which unfortunately didn't' last long as The Second Divergence dawned and their major trade partner disappeared and a safe route to Sailan with it. Some city-states, however, see an opportunity - the Forgotten Lands, which the Vendel League jumped in before The Chronoplague happened. Nothing can stop a greedy merchant, thus just after a couple of years, they were in full swing of trade agreements and creating new trade routes.
Type
Geopolitical, Republic
Parent Organization
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