Pax Icatia

The Pax Icatia
Population	11 million
Government	Republic
Imports	Corn, silk, ivory, spices
Exports	Manufactured goods
Language	Icatian Tongue

Icatia is one of the great kingdoms that rose out of the ashes of Acheron when it fell during the Age of Fire. Situated on the the southern coastline of the Cirric, The Pax Icatia has access to a coastline with natural sea-ports, and some of the best fishing waters in the world. The people of Icatia have become master sailors, crafty pirates and powerful merchants.

The sea-ports of the Pax Icatia are are cosmopolitan and liberal. In contrast, the inland provinces of are peopled with more traditional, conservative farmers, craftsmen and laborers. The roads of the Icatians, lined with trees, fields and villages, are generally peaceful and the inland folk are friendly toward strangers. Nearly every village has an inn for travelers.

With a command of the sea and the trade-routes, Icatia has become a wealthy kingdom. It is wealthy enough to be able to raise armies for war or to hire assassins, spies and diplomats for its own brand of intrigue and subterfuge involving the other kingdoms.

History

The history of the Pax Icatia starts with its capital city and namesake, Icatia. Founded by the magus Vaul and his twin brother Bori after the destruction of of the Acheronian city of Decaraba near the end of the Age of Fire. Originally, the twins had intended to build the city upon the Decaraban ruins, but Bori had fallen in love with the daughter of an Acheronian fisherman during the campaign season, and wanted to found the city closer to the sea, so that the two could be married. Because the move would allow him to capitalize on the strategic value of the Cirric, Vaul agreed.

The city was never intended to be anything other than a port city for the brothers' armies, but the climate and native people were son pleasant that the two stayed in Icatia for nearly seven years. By the time the magi resumed their campaign against Lagash, Icatia had become a powerful trade city and a gathering place for mercenaries and pirates. Vaul used these sell-swords and buccaneers to form a new army for his campaign north into the Cradle of the World. Bori remained behind for several additional years, establishing a government to rule the cities and their other territories while the war continued. It was only upon the death of his wife that the Sixth of the Magi left the city forever, heading south to the Land of the Young.

The brothers' conquests succeeded beyond what either of them ever hoped, with whole kingdoms conquered and brought under the command of the Fifth and Sixth of the Magi. At its peak, more than a quarter of the world's population was under their command. For more than a thousand years, the Pax Icatia was considered the most powerful empire in the world, even managing to command the respect and occasional obedience of Stygia.

The Height of Empire
The Pax Icatia was more than a mighty empire - it also ushered in an era of learning and culture. Citizens of the empire enjoyed a constant supply of clean water due to an extensive aqueduct system that brought water from the mountains into cities. The aqueduct system also made farming easier and produced greater yields. The legions were trained extensively and were easily the match for any three other warriors, which meant the empire could accomplish more with fewer troops. The citizens not in military service turned their attention to science, business, and the arts. New developments in the fields of architecture made it possible to create massive buildings and extensive underground earthworks. Sculptures in marble, bronze, and even glass began to become more elaborate and experimental, eventually leading to breathtaking works that could melt the heart of even the most cynical observer. The Adepti, the apprentices of Vaul (and his secret police force), began to investigate the mysteries of the human form, uncovering powers over the body that both excited and terrified the populace. At the height of the Pax Icatia (the last 100 years off the Time of Heroes), the empire was universally acknowledged as the greatest nation in the world.

The End of the Empire
After centuries of peaceful rule, the doom of the Pax Icatia came from the very magi that first created it. Bori had never returned from the Land of the Young, and there were rumors that he had been slain by Prometheia somewhere in the Broken Lands. Vaul had mourned his brother publicly after he had been missing for a decade, and then had returned his attention to ruling the empire. Without the influence of both brothers, the Pax Icatia became more and more authoritarian and militarized, as Vaul worked to consolidate his power. The Fifth of the Magi moved from the city of Icatia to the city of Valusia, as it was more centrally located. He left the Icatian senate behind in honor of tradition (and to make sure they stayed out of his way).

Then one day, smugglers from the city of Costra Batava found the Sixth of the Magi trapped in a fishing net. They brought him to the senate, who in turn sent him to his brother in Valusia. Vaul remained in his villa in the city for four days and three nights, questioning his brother. No feasts or celebrations were held, despite the fact that one of the founders of the empire has returned after being thought lost for centuries. When Vaul emerged from his villa on the fifth day, he ordered Bori banished and the armies across the empire mobilized for war in the south.

For twelve years, the armies of the Pax Icatia warred against the barbarians of the Land of the Young, yet despite their superior military, equipment, and training, they failed to conquer any significant territory. The war each year, the war became bloodier and more vicious, until finally the Icatian forces were routed and the Get of Crias tribe invaded the southern empire. Vaul demanded more forces, and for the first time in the history of the empire, the Senate refused. They declared the Fifth of the Magi incompetent to lead any military force, and demanded that he return to Icatia for trial. Furious, Vaul returned to confront the senate, only to be murdered by his own Adepti on the senate steps.

The Civil War
As rumors of Vaul's death made its way across the empire, things began to change quickly. The senate in Icatia declared itself the ruling body, empowered to command the affairs of the empire in Vaul's absence by the magus himself. Vaul's court and family in Valusia disagreed, refusing to allow his killers to claim his mandate to rule. They placed his apprentice Misha in command of the city, and declared Valusia to be the capital of the empire, renaming it the Valusian Empire.

This chaos among leadership created opportunities for the conquered tribes under Icatian rule. The Ephori city-states declared their independence from the Pax Icatia and began slaughtering or enslaving any people within their city walls that were not of the Ephor tribe. The Uruk lands exploded into war, as old feuds resurfaced. The legions of the empire fought among themselves, supporting the senate, the Valusian royal family, or individual generals that dreamed of carving out an empire of their own. Mercenaries flooded into the region, eager for the spoils of the once-mighty nation, and the navy abandoned its discipline and turned to piracy. In less than three years, the Pax Icatia was destroyed, but the war for the spoils would last another fifty.

The City of Icatia

The Second Pax Icatia
After half a century, the civil war began to die out. The senate still held control of the coastal lands and waters as well as the city of Icatia, as well as the allegiance of several Uruk clans and families. The Valusian faction had managed to maintain control of most of the land north of the Cirric, but only by instituting a feudal system that diluted their power. Eventually, the senate found itself too poor to raise armies, and the Valusian nobility refused to continue throwing away conscripts and soldiers on a war that had already lasted longer than most of them could remember. In order to maintain their respective power, the senate and the Valusian court signed the Treaty of Thorns, which officially recognized the other government as sovereign in their respective territories, and ended the conflict.

The second Pax Icatia is significantly smaller than the first one, but otherwise runs exactly the way it did before the war. The senate is the ruling body, passing laws and making decrees under the authority originally given to them by Vaul and Bori. Although rich and powerful compared to their status at the end of the war, Icatia is only a shadow of itself. Their navy is still the greatest in the world, and its legions are still powerful, but the days of imperial glory are passed, and the world knows it. While other kingdoms and nations respect the might of the second Pax Icatia, there are none who fear it as once they did.

The modern Pax Icatia supports itself on trade and piracy, and has begun transitioning itself from being a military power to an economic one. This new strategy has proven successful, and trade with foreign merchants is brisk and profitable, allowing the cities of Icatia to be renovated and for public works to be repaired or expanded for the first time in many places since before the civil war.

Honor

Honor for the Icatians is a very real concept, built of a character’s reputation, moral identity and self-perception. This sense of honor is the guiding principle of Icatian society and is never a matter of mere lip-service. Indeed, honor is an all-important issue. If an Icatian’s honor is impugned, his entire sense of self may be forever damaged.

Icatians have no concept of private lives. They live and die surrounded by other people, and it is from them that an Icatian determines their ability and identity. The entire Icatian sense of self-worth derives from this principle – you are only what you appear to be. It is not enough to behave honorably, you must be seen as behaving honorably as well, or the act is meaningless. On the other hand, an Icatian may act any way they please so long as there are no credible witnesses.

An Icatian’s honor also extends to his family and his beloved. Among the Patricians and the lower nobility, honor is one’s measure of standing among his peers, setting him apart from the common man. Honor is as real as a castle, yet vastly more important - a castle can be rebuilt if destroyed, but honor is wounded forever.

In Icatia, news and gossip spreads quickly, for many of the wealthier citizens spend much of the day talking in public baths or in the Icatian courts. Playwrights write plays that may praise or deride a public figure and the inns resound with songs praising or ridiculing the important figures of the day. This is the nature of Icatian social interaction – public displays of generosity and popularity to bolster a person’s reputation, and an extensive whispering campaign to damage the reputation of others.

Society

Icatians have a strong sense of community and a large share of civic pride. They take tremendous pride in their nation, in its infrastructure, wealth, art and architecture. Most Icatians will gladly answer questions or provide directions to foreign visitors. Their civic pride ends at their coin purses, however. There are no charities in Icatia, no orphanages, and beggars receive most of their alms from people from other lands.

The economics of Icatia depend on the concept of interconnected allegiances. Allegiance is a pledge, a promise and oath, taken faithfully and with full realization that it may mean giving up everything, including but not limited to time, property, even lives. Allegiances involve obligations on both sides and are regarded in some cases allegiances as being more binding than formal law. Written contracts count for little in rural Icatia, although they take precedence in coastal Icatia. Most of the rural nation is illiterate, so only an oath taken before peers is worth anything. These oaths are taken more seriously than any public law. This sometimes creates problems in society in the form of escalating violent vendettas as people avenge each other and counter-avenge in never-ending cycles of blood and war.

Slavery

Slavery is still quite alive in the Pax Icatia, though it is not so prevalent as it once was. The majority of slaves rarely see the city; they spend their days chained to the oaring benches of a ship, either in the navy or aboard one of the larger trading vessels. Most slaves are taken from the lands of The Golden Kingdom and the Abachwezi, and are used for menial, dangerous labor. Those not chained to an oar are likely working the croplands, vineyards and orchards that surround the city or are assigned as workers to the Order of Engineers.

The average Icatian owns no slaves, and has little need of them. In Icatia, the philosophy of ‘a day’s wage for a day’s work’ is a nearly religious dogma, and slavery stands in stark contrast to that. The free farmers of the interior usually cannot afford to feed slaves, so they merely have large families to help work the farms.

The average Icatian of a merchant house or noble family, on the other hand, has never done a day’s work and feels no compunctions regarding ownership of other human beings. More than that, however, they consider slavery a necessity. No free man works the oars of their trading ships like a slave can be made to, and no free man works their farms and orchards from before dawn until after dusk for a wage low enough to maintain profits. More than for the practical reasons, though, many nobles own slaves simply because they enjoy doing so. Maintaining slaves gives them another of the trappings of power so many of them crave. Slaves generally live squalid lives beneath the houses of the wealthy in cave-like warrens of rooms with no natural light or amenities of any sort beyond a straw pallet. Other than gladiatorial slaves, Icatians tend to prefer females and children for slaves because they are easier to control. Most male slaves are children who have been brought up as slaves and have little concept of a different way of life and little martial skill.

Education

There are no formal schools or academies in Icatia. Children are educated according to their parents’ means. For the scion of nobility or wealthy merchants, this means hired tutors or educated slaves to teach lessons in history, etiquette, mathematics, literature and philosophy. For families of lesser means, tutors and knowledgeable slaves may not be an option. A merchant who owns his own shop will generally rear his children to run the business.

Shop-owners with too many children, or those who have no business of their own, have fewer options for their offspring. If the parents are very lucky and very pious, they might arrange to have their child educated by the priests of one of the myriad temples that cover the cities and roadsides. Otherwise, their best option is to petition a guild to accept the child as an apprentice. In time, if accepted, the child may advance to a position of power within the guild, which is one of the only means of social climbing available to those not born to nobility. Being accepted as an apprentice is not common, but it happens frequently enough that many parents hope for it, dreaming that when the time comes, their child will be able to provide his children with the education his own parents could not.

Aside from a career in the military, another option available to the sons of Icatia is the sea. It is a difficult life, but one which can lead eventually to riches or to a painful death on an unnamed beach. The final option is a life as a farmer in the interior.

Women in Icatia

In Icatia, women, whether noble or peasant, hold a difficult position in society. Often assigned such tasks as cooking, baking bread, sewing, weaving and spinning, Icatian women are also expected to use weapons to defend their homes and families. Icatian women, although few ever become masters, do learn to use weapons to defend their homes and castles.

Regardless of the normal positions society attempts to pigeonhole women into, some Icatian women hold occupations typically reserved for men. Women outnumber the men in Icatia, so it is not unheard of to encounter well-respected female blacksmiths, merchants, apothecaries, midwives, field hands, writers, musicians, dancers and painters. Many learn a trade from a father or husband and simply carry on the male’s work when he dies.

Women tend to have an easier time in rural settings. Urban Icatian women tend to be more pigeonholed, as many guilds will not admit women save via their husbands. As a result, establishing oneself as a single woman in a field is difficult and many young women who move to the cities and fail to find domestic situations turn to prostitution.

When peasant girls reach the age of eight years, they work with their mothers doing such tasks as sewing, cleaning and tending livestock. During harvest time the peasant girls join their brothers or husbands in the fields. Girls of the merchant or craftsmen classes are often apprenticed out when they are eight. Usually these girls are apprenticed to another woman but it is not uncommon to apprentice a girl to a man. These girls learn their master’s or mistress’s trade until they earn the right to perform on their own or find a husband. Girls of the noble classes are often fostered out to other wealthy homes and estates to learn sewing, embroidery, manners, music and other leisure skills. Regardless of class, all of these activities revolve around one single goal – marriage.

Women are under the control of their fathers until they marry. Although peasants have more free choice in marriages because their dowries are either small or non-existent, aristocratic women are subject to arranged marriages. Their lands and potential children are too important to noble families to be given away indiscriminately.

Occupations

The people of Icatia generally assume everyone should be employed by the age of fourteen or fifteen. Some occupations require skill at some craft. For example, people may craft their own goods and sell them themselves from storefronts built in front of their own homes or in moveable carts or by hawking their goods in the streets. Some occupations merely require a good reputation. For example, anyone who can attract students can set himself up as a teacher. Regardless of what it is a person does to earn a living, people are expected to earn one.

Women in Icatia also practice trades and many work more than one trade at a time. Knowing a profession or craft practicable at home adds to a woman’s value in the marriage market because any extra money brought into the home by the wife only helps the household. Many of the cottage industries are run by the women of Icatia, which angers the local guilds and occasionally can lead to exclusion.