Republic of Kadho
| Capital | Kadhok |
|---|---|
| Head of State | Chancellor Wilhelm van der Eisenberg |
| Government Type | Grand Republic |
| Cultures | ~95% Kadhoki Menti |
| Religions | 65% Qinism, 30% Kozartism |
| Population Density | Very High |
| Population | 4 million |
Nested in a low basin in the southeast of Mentia, the Grand Duchy of Kadho was once the most far flung province of the Mentian Empire, and has a unique culture that distinguishes it from the rest of the Menti. The Republic became independent after the collapse of the Mentian Empire, and has a unique culture that some say are not truly Menti at all, blending elements of the Menti, Sebduanian, Siuian and Hombaxian culture. The city was - and still is an important economic artery of southeast Mentia and provides much needed wine and goods.
Terminology
The formal name of the country is “The Republic of Kadho”, the name of its capital city is “Kadhok”. When describing the people the correct term is “Kadhoki”. You can refer to a person from Kadho as a “Kadhoker” though this is more uncommon.
Demographics
Kadho is 95% Mentian, with a blend between all Macen types due to having received several waves of immigrants. The borderlands with its neighbours are inhabited almost exclusively by Macens, aside from its border with Ie where refugees fleeing the Siuian invasion have formed a few ramshackle communities, much to the ire of the local nobility. These Homboxians make up 1% of the population.
The city of Kadhok during the early days of republican rule had particularly bad relations with non-macen races, and there were several pogroms instigated against them. The city has grown more accepting over the years with a string of progressive councillors leading the country. The majority of non-macens in Kadhok are first generation immigrants arriving by boat, and already make up the last 4% of the country’s population.
Politics
The republic has 3 separate levels of governance. The lower chamber is referred to as the Senate, and any citizen can run for the office of senator. There are 200 seats in the senate and elections are every 2 years, where citizens can pick up to 3 candidates to vote for and the top 200 candidates are elected.
The upper chamber is referred to as the Council of 8 and is a lot more restrictive on who can run. There are 4 predefined factions in the council and 2 seats assigned for each faction. These are: The Nobility, The Merchants, The Conservatives and The Liberals. To become a councillor you must be a “Distinguished member of society” and “Provably a member of this political faction”. In reality only patricians, the wealthiest aristocrats and the best public speakers can ever become a councillor. The Council proposes laws and the Senate votes on them.
The Chancellor is the official head of government and state. Until recently Kadho didn't have a head of state, and the constitution actually limited the Chancellor’s ability to conduct any international relations. He rubber stamped laws, oversees the treasury and the judiciary. Whilst the position was designed to be quite weak, some of the Republic’s Chancellors have simply ignored the rules and done things their way. At the moment, there is no mechanism to remove them and no criminal punishments for abuse of power. With the rise of Wilhelm to the chancellorship, the position has been further empowered to be able to represent the country internationally.
List of Chancellors
Franz Wulfenberg 1013-1015
Stahl Vandermeer 1015-1035
Erik Bergmann 1035-1045
Maria de Vriesenheim 1045-1050
Wilhelm van der Eisenberg 1050-Present
Culture
Outside of Kadhok, the countryside is noticeably a variation of Mentian. It still has all the hallmarks of Mentian culture, its cuisine being no different than the rest of the empire. The rural folk are easily distinguished from Mentians primarily by their names and their class consciousness, much to the dismay of the nobility. Peasants in Kadho are constantly demanding rights and privileges and for the most part the nobility has conceded to many of their demands.
Kadho is notably the only state which has a form of public education, with children having mandatory public school on Sunday, paid for by the aristocracy outside of the city and the council inside the city. This makes Kadho the most literate state in the world, and has a very healthy culture of reading in its many libraries and coffee shops.
Typically all Kadhoki living in the capital will go out to drink every evening after work and it’s considered a family occasion. Different types of these places are associated with politics and people tend to exclusively visit one type of drinking establishment. Liberals almost exclusively drink in the city’s Coffee and Tea houses while the conservatives and aristocrats visit pubs and taverns. Some more moderate patricians are trying to break the mould and bridge the gap and appeal to all political factions. Most establishments around the time of elections will bring in candidates friendly to their viewpoints to try and gather votes for their campaigns. Many of them are also class segregated, with the wealthy typically rubbing shoulders in establishments located in the richer districts while the working men of the city go to rougher places, there’s even a coffee shop by the harbour catering to more liberal dockworkers offering brawling and gambling.
History
Kadho declared its independence from Mentia in the spring of 1012 during a time of rebellion across Mentia. Kadhok had at the time been a free city within the Empire and many of its dissidents and radicals had ended up there. A wave of republicanism swept the city and eventually boiled over into a full revolt. The original republicans were both anti-monarchist and also generally anti-aristocrats and frequently chanted about executing noblemen (also, non-macens). A few of the city’s wealthy families decided to support the initial agitators and pledged their support with both money and mercenaries.
The city's merchant class and the local nobility worked to put themselves at the head of the movement and quite tactfully removed the original agitators from positions of power within the movement. While there were skirmishes and sieges, there were no large scale battles during the war for independence, with the emperor only able to send in foreign mercenaries and try to keep paying loyal garrisons to squash the insurrection. Eventually the Kadhoki diplomats managed to secure peace after a harsh winter left most of Mentia in a weakened state and Kadho managed to leverage its status as a breadbasket and trading hub.
Kadho officially became an independent republic in 1016 after the breakup of the Mentian empire into pretender kingdoms, although due to the emperor never formally agreeing to a treaty there’s a constant fear that a reunited Mentia will try to reign in the republic. The constitution was swiftly drawn up, with a lot of concessions having to be made to avoid any further internal violence. The result of which was a mostly neutered state, with individual families being more powerful than the Chancellor.
The first elected Chancellor of the republic was Captain General Franz Wulfenberg, who had been the leader of Kadho’s military during the war for independence. He quickly fell out of favour with the public due to using the office to enrich himself, violated the constitution which he himself signed and is generally regarded as a disgrace. During a violent protest in 1015 he ended up being assaulted, dragged through the streets and executed in what now is the city’s Cultural square. After his death the new Chancellor, Stahl Vandermeer, had a decapitated statue built in his honour and declared the whole area around where he died as the city’s centre for art and theatre.
The republic increasingly became more liberal as years have gone by, with the previous chancellor even being a woman. Aside from the recent assassinations the republic has mostly been marching in the direction of progress, still diplomatically isolated but it’s merchants and aristocracy becoming fabulously wealthy. Before the assassination crisis the city had been engulfed in a constitutional crisis as protestors mostly acting under the direction of Markus Vandermeer have been destroying property and harassing Council members with the aim of abolishing the city’s slave trade.
The crisis
In the late summer of 1050, Chancellor Maria de Vriesenheim was assassinated by a mysterious group of Hombaxian assassins from the State of Ie. After a rapid series of further assassinations on the Republic's elite it was discovered that the assassins were acting under the direction of an agent of the Salvanian emperor. After mercenary contractors put a stop to the plot, Salvania persisted and continued to interfere with the Republic's upcoming Chancellor elections, having their own proxy and even attempting to annihilate the other candidates with a magical device. After their plots and proxies were foiled and arrested, Kadho under the direction of their new Chancellor waged a surprise attack against the Salvanians, crushing their much larger army and routing them at the battle of Dhuw river. The Crisis formally came to an end when Kadhoki levies and contractors were discharged and the republic returned to life as usual in early autumn.
Locations & Important Figures
Kadhok - The great city. With a huge deep water port, unusually lively nightlife, Coffee culture and vast markets containing goods from far and wide. Any mercenary with a sword and a few silvers in his pocket could strike it rich here with the vast array of potential contracts, and any trader seeking fortune need only join the city's extraordinarily powerful merchant's guild.
Shadun - The widest city, Shadun is a collection of over 30 villages that each expanded out. Uniquely easy to get lost in, and can't be too sure that you're actually in the city's centre. It's vast and never really feels like you're in an urban environment. Shadun is the capital of the Margraviate of Westmark and the city's guard patrol in large cavalry squads.
Chancellor Wilhelm van der Eisenberg - Current Chancellor of Kadho, Margrave of Shadun. He's an old, tough soldier, the veteran of many campaigns. He's an extreme meritocrat and a moderate conservative. Often accused of being tyrannical, he justifies most of his actions by wanting a strong Kadho and has disdain for the "useless". The city of Kadhok regards him as a political outsider and the liberals of the city have little good to say about him beyond his judicial reforms he aims to pass. His most ardent supporters point to him as the saviour of the republic during the crisis.
Grand Captain Friedrich van der Eisenberg - Wilhelm's brother, lauded as one of the greatest generals alive, vilified in Mentia for his actions while leading his mercenaries under the beastkins banner. A dangerous spellknight and strategic genius.
Otto Vandermeer - Patriarch of the Vandermeer family and Councillor for the Liberals. He owns the city's dyeworks and is a prolific activist for the republic's minority population and urban poor.
Janik Rohr - Patriarch of House Rohr, a noble Mentian family with a prestigious past. The Rohr's were the former Grand Dukes of Kadho during the empire, though now own little more than the land outside the city. Janik wishes for nothing more than his familial title back and reintegration with Mentia.