The Merchant Nation of Viasleto
When a child is born in Viasleto, it's said that it leaves it's mother clutching a coin in each hand.
One to pay the nursemaid for the trouble.
One to pay their mother for her efforts.
And a third within their mouth to give to the boatman when they reach the end of their river.
-Old Viasletic proverb
Viasleto's power comes from coin of all varieties. It is a nation of merchants, moneylenders, mints, and investors, each trying to hold as many coins in their grasp as they can. They're not devoid of their own industry and resources of course, but such enterprises often take on a slightly different form than one might expect.
The nation has its roots in the middle of the Dracanomachi during a time in the war where many logistical systems had been severely damaged or destroyed outright. Food, Crystals, and parts were at a premium, I'd imagine, and thus it was a fertile time for those who could provide such measures. Of course, no man was in any position to do so. All lands were ravaged equally, and the cities of the Empire of Man were razed or soon to be, their people scattered.
In comes Ebisu. A Great Wyrm now known as the 'Gold-Scaled', he was a comparatively young Broodling at the time when he started to try to piece together resources in the lands that would eventually become Viasleto. Sources don't mention an exact age, but the tone indicates that not many thought he could win in most stand-up fights against his brood siblings for reasons related to personal and magical strength. Ever so carefully, he gathered together small and scattered holders of power. Those with livable farmland, stockpiles of weapons, functioning drydocks, and many other commodities within a waring state. He cut deals with some, coerced others (while also rewarding them greatly later, if stories are to be told), and built a small ring of resources that could sustain itself.
What sets Ebisu apart during this time was his intent. He did not seek to gather banners to himself but instead wished to become a point of stability within a world that was tearing itself apart. He was no fool, and he knew that his more martially minded siblings would simply swoop in to take what he built if he did not couch his burgeoning network behind something more solid. He surmised that trying to defend himself with force would only paint a larger target upon his holdings, and thus a different strategy would be needed. He thought, looking around himself before he finally had an epiphany that the only way he could protect his efforts was if everyone else viewed his holdings as essential to their own.
He just had to prove it to them first.
Judging by now-ancient reports from many sources on several sides, he succeeded in his plot with ever-so-careful planning and maneuvering. He courted human generals, his own kin, pirates, mercenaries, and Beast Kin once they were on the battlefield. With his stable, and importantly neutral, holdings that churned out supplies and arms, he created a pin in the ever-churning fabric of war. Like a fish hook, Ebisu pushed his way into the war machines of the area, built himself into their infrastructure, and made it so that if they tried to distance themselves from his lines, they'd likely fall apart. Non-aligned soldiers and civilians flocked to his lands, looking for safety, and by the end of the war, Ebisu had gathered a mighty host and a vast stock of weapons that could compare to any of his siblings.
When the war started to wind down and eventually, Ebisu would have been perfectly positioned to be a major power, and yet Viasleto is an average nation in the current era. Nothing to scoff at, but not a leader. I can only assume that is also by Ebisu's design done hoping to avoid attention. His little piece of debris, which now kept thousands afloat, was pared down bit by bit. Never presenting too big a target which might cause fear and discomfort, but never relaxing in his drive to integrate his holdings and people into the very core of economic systems and trade pacts. As the advent of the Empire of the Sun became more evident across the Summerlands, Ebisu worked tirelessly to forge a nation that could be admitted to such a political group. Thankfully for his human form's hair, he didn't have to do much work to make that transition into a nation that would become known as Viasleto. Once it was done, the rest is history.
In the modern era, Ebisu's tireless merchantile efforts have led to a... particular outlook within the Human population of the country. They seek profit in all forms and at every opportunity. Ebisu's attempts to keep the nation perfectly neutral have led to its merchants being considered largely amoral, a judgment that is often self-fulfilling. They will sell and buy from anyone, for anything. Of course, this is a gross generalization, but I can very easily see what has led people to such judgment regularly in the morning paper.
It can easily be summed up in the Viasletic proverb: A merchant wringing his hands can hold no coin.
Ebisu still remains at the helm of the nation, playing his game of chess with a thousand boards, and Viasleto remains a notable player because of it, but his relation with the human ruling body of Viasleto is strained, to say the least. The Pearl Chairs, as they're known, is a collection of the wealthiest merchants of the nation. Their installment was not Ebisu's idea, and they regularly run afoul of each other, but largely they maintain their own respective places, simply due to the wealth that Ebisu will bring in eventually. Even so, it can be held as a certainty that some these board members will do anything for money, even if that means deposing their dragon overlord.
The price simply has to be right.
The nation itself has an absolutely massive pool of capital when all is accounted for, one that is continuously growing still, and slavers and philanthropists can find near equal chance to obtain the funds they need to build their enterprise. Being an actual nation now means that they have to be able to defend themselves, bringing many mercenary companies into the nation, and straining political tensions at times. That being said, they still maintain Ebisu's old overtures of neutrality whenever possible.
Currently, the nation is so engrained in the economies of ever nation that has gained admitance to the Empire of the Sun that it's considered the beating heart, for the whole operation would rapidly deteriorate should the funds of Viasleto dry up.
Where There is Profit, We Are
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Demonym
Viasletic
Ruling Organization
Government System
Banana Republic
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Market economy
Neighboring Nations
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