Druma

Druma 

The Kalistocracy of Druma is a land glutting itself on the wealth of trade, ruled by the high prophet of a strange, secular religion that values wealth and trade above any deity. This religion permeates every level of Drumish society, as followers of the Prophecies of Kalistrade favor each other in all business deals. While other religions are tolerated in Druma, their followers rarely go far, as the majority of the Resplendent Bureaucracy which runs Druma is made up of followers of the Prophecy.

Structure

Druma is run by the Resplendent Bureaucracy, the organization directly responsible for running the nation. Unfortunately, in a nation that values wealth above all else, few people wish to remain in a job that has steady pay but no opportunity for the advancement of their personal wealth. As such, members of the Bureaucracy only tend to stay there for up to a decade while they look for opportunities elsewhere. Above the bureaucracy is the man it serves, the High Prophet Kelldor. While jobs in the bureaucracy are not usually taken by richer merchants, the role of High Prophet is no mere job. Ruling a country of wealth-obsessed merchants and the political connections that brings, makes the High Prophet one of the most powerful men in the Inner Sea region.

Culture

Prophecies of Kalistrade

The most interesting thing about the people of Druma is their almost universal adherence to the Prophecies of Kalistrade. Nowhere else in Avistan are the followers of the prophecy so common. The prophecy states that its followers must adhere to strict rules about diet and sexual activity, and must also wear only white clothing and wear gloves to prevent contact with those outside of the cult. The prophecies' main tenet is that one must attain personal wealth in order to justify one's worth in the celestial order. This belief means displays of wealth are prominent amongst the citizens of Druma, and often gaudy in the extreme. Merchant lords of Druma frequently wear jewellery worth many thousands of gold pieces. Despite this, few would be stupid enough to rob an adherent of the Prophecies, as they are able to afford magical protection, scrying, and assassins, and are often protected by members of the Mercenary League, Druma's highly-paid and well-trained military.

Religion

Religions are tolerated but not encouraged by the Drumish government, but those who do not follow the Prophecies are looked down upon and rarely achieve high positions in the official bureaucracy. Nonbelievers also find conducting business here more difficult, as adherents always favor each other in any business dealings.

The Prophecies of Kalistrade

Roughly a century after the failed Fourth Rebellion, the prophet Kalistrade was born in 187 AR and undertook his journeys, returning with coffers filled with wealth and adhering to a strict lifestyle. A cult quickly formed around him, spurred on by its adherents' financial success, and grew steadily until Kalistrade's disappearance in 251 AR. His followers collected his numerous writings, letters, and journals, forming them into early versions of the Prophecies of Kalistrade, but subsequently underwent a period of religious schisms that left the newborn religion fractured and with little influence. This lasted until Kalistrade's tomb was discovered in 408 AR, allowing religious leaders to commune with his remains and to syncretize their faith into a cohesive whole. One faction remained distinct from the new religious mainstream, however; this sect, known as the Golden Solidarity, relocated to Kestrillon and adopted a life of giving and generosity. This was perceived as wasteful and inadvisable by other followers of Kalistrade, and the island's fall to Tar-Baphon, which led to the massacre of the Golden Disciples alongside its other inhabitants, was perceived by the newly christened Kalistocrats as a cautionary tale.

Over the following centuries, Kalistrade's faith endured but declined in favor of the Light, aided by the Last Azlanti's victory over Tar-Baphon and the efforts of his evangelists to spread his faith. Aroden's status as a near God of Humanity originally served as another rallying point against dwarven rule, but the reticence of his followers to support armed uprisings ultimately crippled his faith's hold on Druma and allowed Kalistrade's following to return to prominence.

Independence

In 831 AR, the Kalistocrats had amassed significant debts among the dwarven governments, allowing them to force the Five Kings to negotiate Druma's independence in exchange for forgiving their debts in the Kerse Accord, signed in 832 AR, which granted Druma full autonomy recognized by both the dwarves and by Taldor. The Kalistocrats established themselves as Druma's new ruling class afterwards, although the Burning Glove Riots of 935 AR eventually forced them to relax taxation and provide greater opportunities for upward mobility. While the newborn country largely flourished after this, a faction driven by lingering resentment against dwarven rule and spurred on by Jelhegi influence and news of Rahadoum's Oath Wars attempted to forcefully seize control of Druma's government, engaging in racially driven retaliation against Druma's dwarven citizens as it did so. Although this attempt failed and the extremist faction eventually lost popular support and dwindled away, Druma's reputation remained damaged for centuries to come.

Relationships between Druma and the dwarves remain cold; even after the establishment of Tar Khadurrm by Khadon the Mighty, the dwarves rebuffed Drumish overtures due to their refusal to send aid when orcish attacks had caused the Five Kingdoms' collapse. The dwarves established trade routes with Cheliax that circumvented Druma altogether, which Druma responded to by strengthening its trade routes to the Shining Crusade to the north. When the Rending of Droskar's Crag crippled Tar Khadurrm and Ordrik Talhrik seized control of the ailing empire, however, Druma opened its doors to thousands of dwarven refugees, helping to rebuild many of the burnt bridges between the two peoples. In the following centuries, Druma prospered through its investments in Cheliax's Everwar, caravans traveling along the then newly discovered Path of Aganhei, and other ventures.

As Druma had never been very reliant on gods, it endured the rise of Razmir's cult, which caused a brief period of instability in Druma's ports, resulting in strict restrictions on the spread of the Living God's cult in Druma. The Goblinblood Wars also impacted Druma, as the threats to its borders and trading networks, and a feeling of kinship towards the Isgeri people, saw Druma involve its Blackjackets in the conflict.

Territories

Druma's centralized location between the bustling waters of Lake Encarthan and the trade routes of Isger leading all the way to the Inner Sea, makes it an ideal place for a nation of traders. Its rich mineral deposits ensure that Druma will never be short on goods to export. Druma is nestled between Lake Encarthan to its north and the Five Kings Mountains to its east and south. Its border to the west with Molthune is the only border not defined by a natural feature. Druma itself is predominantly hilly and much of its terrain is dominated by the mountains that make up two sides of its border. While the hilly nature of the terrain may not make it ideal for agriculture, it does conceal the mineral wealth that has helped to make Druma so rich.

Foreign Relations

Druma's relationship with its neighboring nations is interesting to say the least. Obsessed with trade, Druma is primarily interested in its neighbors as trading partners and little else. It finds Molthune to the west to be naïve and unaware of its power or potential influence. The Kalistocracy owns large sections of Isger, and hopes to purchase more in the future, in preparation for their "hour of victory". Druma cannot understand the strange egalitarian principles of Andoran, its neighbour to the south, and the wealthy merchants of Macridi find interacting with its citizens who (to Drumish sensibilities) do not know their place, particularly annoying. To the east, Druma eagerly eyes Kyonin and the untapped potential of the kingdom of the elves. Boatloads of goods are sent yearly to the Kyonin city of Greengold (the only city in the elven nation that allows humans) in the hopes of encouraging an expansion in trade.