Anselm

The Oath-League of Anselm (Anselmian: Ⰵⰹⰴⰳⰵⱀⱁⱄⱄⰵⱀⱄⱌⱍⰰⱇⱅ ⰲⱁⱀ Ⰰⱀⱄⰵⰾⰿ, Eidgenossenschaft von Anselm), also known as the League of the Kraken (Ⰵⰹⰴⰳⰵⱀⱁⱄⱄⰵⱀⱄⱌⱍⰰⱇⱅ ⰴⰵⱃ Ⰽⱃⰰⰽⰵⱀ, Eidgenossenschaft der Kraken), is a confederation of various domains and city-states which occupies a large portion of the western coasts of the Silver Realms. Anselm is league united in liberty and equality, but besmirched by lawlessness and division. A brotherhood born through common ideals, but broken apart by greed.

The very existence of the Anselmian Oath-League is torn apart by the irreconcilable views of unity and individualism. The once strong and centralised military alliance that brought an end to the last dying remains of the empire it was once part of are now a weakened confederation, where the rule of law is weak, and where money can buy anything, even the life of others.

Anselm is a plutocratic confederation, officially led by an Archcouncil without much authority, but with most power vested within the Tagungskammer, the parliament which represents the interest of its many estates, and its capital lies in the merchant city of Arys.

History
The Oath-League of Anselm has its origins in the slow but certain decline of central authority in the Realm of Thorns. With the loss of the Crown of Thorns, the magical artifact that belonged to the line of Remigil, the power of the Thornlords was weakened. Calaria rebelled and won, Duivene defeated the Paladins in battle and took the territories they had claimed for centuries, and in the north, the Knights of the Hollow Sun made no effort to support their liege. The death of the last of Remigil’s successors broke the empire permanently, and as Velikiya also became independent, the Steward, the Grand Duke of Wyzkia, found it increasingly difficult to keep the remains of Tharnria together. The Apostle-Princess, who had fought at the side of Remigil himself could have given him legitimacy, but she remained locked in her castle, paying no heed to the unravelling of her friend’s greatest work.

Rebellion began to brew in what is today Anselm, led by the merchants of the coastal cities, who resented the taxes they had to pay to Wyzkia and the limitations on the slave trade. The peasants, filled with hate against their often Wyzkian lords, joined the conspiracy, and the aristocrats who opposed the Grand Duke did so too. The mercenary companies, in conflict with the Paladins, joined their banners with those of the rebels. In the city of Arys, the leaders of the rebels proclaimed their oath of rebellion and created the Oath-League of Anselm, beginning the War of the Dying Gryphon. Wyzkia’s forces, thinned and spread wide, were unable to resist. And in the final battle, when the Grand Duke placed all his hope in the Paladins, the battlefield was covered by the worst recorded storm in history, forcing their gryphons to fight in the mud down below. And with Anselm’s victory, the red-black banner of the Kraken flew from the coast to the mountains.

it was only after this defeat that the Apostolic Principality of Arghyo decided to join the Oath-League, in a move that surprised many, and convinced the remaining Tharnian loyalists that in the view of the betrayal of the last of Remigil’s living companions, the dream of the Realm of Thorns was truly dead. Arghyo’s negotiated entry into the Oath-League helped its various estates agree on an actually somewhat functioning system of government, and avoided the breaking of the league and the continuation of war, which had seemed highly likely in the months after the final battle. The agreement was functionally flawed however, and allowed each estate’s ruler freedom to do whatever they desired inside their own borders, weakening the state. In aristocratic domains, the rule of the nobles continued, but the peasants, unwilling to give up the freedom that they had just fought for, started to move out. In need of people to work the fields, the nobles resorted to slavery, and the reborn slave trade across the coast was perfect for them. With their pockets now filled with gold, the merchants and slave traders on the coast sought to gain control of their respective estates, but they clashed with the guilds, and this struggle for power weakened the laws and protections that the city-states once offered. The mercenaries, left without a purpose, continued to agitate for conflict, pushing for tensions with Calaria, Anselm’s new rival in trade, and the two republics clashed again and again, both at sea and on land, without any of them able to win.

During the War of the Deceitful Flame, an opportunistic Anselm decided to side with Achysia in hopes of making gains against Calaria, but the Kraken’s forces proved no match for those of the Holy Covenant, particularly once the Faith obtained its Champions. Instead of fighting a losing battle, Anselm switched sides, betraying the Mage-Emperor and supporting the war effort against him, in exchange for the Oath-League’s past transgressions being forgiven.

Today, Anselm continues to profit greatly from trade, competing closely with Calaria, having a small edge in terms of the slave trade, where Anselmian merchants focus on numbers, and Calarians, on quality. Tensions are rising everywhere in and around Anselm however. Anselm’s expansion along the northern coast is viewed with concern in Velikiya, and in the south, the merchants of the Kraken once again play a game of chess against those of the Trident, with Moriza as the playing board. And as its relationship with the Faith is souring, more and more reports speak of rituals of the Cult of Sins happening throughout Anselm, while rumors speak of even darker secrets.

Government
Anselm is a confederation of various domains, states, and city-states that are colloquially known as “estates”. The internal affairs of these estates are generally left to their own devices, as long as they respect the binding rules of the Oath-League, and they differ greatly in their internal administration. Some are still led by aristocrats, others are republic led by merchants, military borders manned by mercenaries or alliances of free villages, as diverse as the groups of people that came together to form Anselm and its rebellion. The only notable presence of the confederal government is in its reken, offices led by an alderman, appointed by the Oath-League and responsible solely for minting coinage and for protecting Anselm’s interests.

The estates are responsible for appointing the members of the Tagungskammer, the main ruling body of the Oath-League, but the way in which the members are actually designated happens in accordance with the tradition of each estate. Noble domains often send their sons and heirs to serve, cities elect their representatives, while others simply go to whomever pays the most. The Settlement of Arys has for decades unofficially designated specific number of seats that are ought to be occupied by the main factions of Anselm, the aristocrats, the merchants, the guildsmen, and the mercenaries, and such an agreement has been perhaps the sole rule in the country to be respected without exception, for fear of a civil war. This stops any one faction from becoming too powerful and forces them to cooperate, even if successful cooperation is rare.

The Tagungskammer in turn elects the Archcouncil. In name, it should be the leading body of the Oath-League, but in practice, it has little authority and its positions are sought more for prestige and for financial gains. The Marshal is the supreme commander of the League’s forces in case of war, the Bannerbearer, who grants titles and ensures that the borders of the various estates remain the same, the Treasurer, who manages the Oath-League’s funds, the Steward, who presides over the Oath-Council and coordinates its affairs, and the Cupbearer, an office without any official duties, kept only through tradition and occupied by a representative of the Apostle-Princess.

Culture
For those with money, life in Anselm is one free of restrictions, but for those without, danger lurks at every corner. Its cities are famous for their violence and for their crime life, with criminal organizations ruling over the bustling underground life. While in Calaria it is said that anything could be bought, as long as the rules of the divine allow it - in Anselm, the saying goes that even the divine could be bought, as long as you have the money for it. Pagan cults, Achsyian mages on the run, unscrupulous alchemists, they’ve all found a safe haven in the Oath-League’s borders.