Ordania

Ordania boasts extravagant golden spires that tower above the surrounding grasslands. The city itself serves as a gateway from the Western half of the continent, and many caravans stop by before goods are transported to the rest of the continent. The city controls one of the largest territories in Praedor, and has specialized in the training of fast moving skirmisher groups to properly patrol it, though the spread out nature still makes travel fairly dangerous as many predators roam the grasslands and mountains in the region. 

Hunting the large creatures that roam the grasslands is a common profession in the city. Large herds of bison, towering elephants, and some more unusual creatures can all be found, and are frequently hunted. Somewhat less common are those who specialize in capturing various animals. This is usually a much more dangerous task, but the immense profits have resulted in Ordainia becoming somewhat of a central location for the trade of exotic beasts, with the Great Menagerie becoming a defining feature of the city.

Travel is a common occurrence for the people of Ordainia, and many take to the mercenary life as a natural extension of hunting and trapping. Many mercenaries capture exotic creatures with the purpose of selling them in the city, and that naturally gives the people of the city a lot of exposure to the mercenary lifestyle.

Demographics

45% Human, 25% Catfolk, 10% Centaur, 10% Elf 10% Other

Government

Ordania is ruled by the Aguiar family, but also has five Clans of Catfolk that are semi-autonomous, and five Warlord Houses that serve as the noble class. The exact territory each faction controls is determined by the great Hunt, a competition every fifteen years where each noble faction competes to hunt down the most impressive beast they can find. The judge of the competition is the current head of the Aguiar family, who will then award or retract territory from the various nobles under the explanation that the factions that demonstrate their ability to protect their lands and respect their traditions have proved themselves deserving of more.

Defences

Ordania organizes its military in to squads of ten soldiers called a Decade. Decades are usually assigned to smaller villages and individual outposts, and organized into larger regional groups known as Centuries, which usually include around one hundred soldiers. Ordania maintains five Centuries as their standard army, but is able to call upon five more in times of crisis to form what is known as the Millennium. Ordanian soldiers are most commonly equipped with spears and longbows, as much of their time is spent fending off wild beasts and keeping them away from villages. Ordanian soldiers are also trained to ride Axe Beaks, allowing them to cover large areas of land. Aside from the standard Ordanian army, the various Catfolk Prides also provide a number of tribesmen to assist with the defense in times of war. 

The City also maintains a merchant navy to protect its trade ships from raids as they travel around Noromarda.

Industry & Trade

Much of Ordania's economy is based on the hunting, trapping, breeding and selling of the wild creatures. Exotic meats, horns, elixirs and other goods are extracted from the plethora of creatures that roam the Grand Lion Savanah. Many nobles travel to Ordania for rare pets, or powerful beasts of war. Ordania also sits in the middle of the trade route that connects Port Limon to the rest of Eastern Odoris, which allows it to extract a decent amount of income from tolls and taxes.

History

The land surrounding Ordania was originally under the control of the Five Clans, five different tribes of Catfolk that roamed different areas of the Grand Lion Savanah. The Clans warred against each other on occasion, but largely kept to their own lands. The Marpovo people also lived in several bands ruled by Warlords that traded with the Catfolk, but largely left them alone. In the year 3082 or the Third Age of Elthar the Empire of Praedor invaded, conquering both the Marpovo Warlords, and the Catfolk Clans. The Empire organized the Warlords and Clans into units to hunt, capture, and train exotic creatures for the Empire's gladiatorial matches, and turned what was once merely a hunting tradition into an entire industry. 

When the Empire fell the land surrounding Ordania broke back into Clans and Warlords, but one Warlord Family, the Aguiars, was determined to unite the different factions. Over the course of several decades the Aguiar family managed to subjugate the other Warlord and Clans through a mixture of warfare and diplomacy. The Aguiars also developed a hunting competition every fifteen years in order to keep the other factions working against each other, where the other families compete to hunt the most impressive beast in order to gain influence and territory.

Founding Date

Year 1750 of the Fourth Age

Type

Large city

Population

23,000

Location under

Eastern Odoris