Independent observers who know the history of the Margrave family might say that they have been lucky. To hear the Margrave version of their family history, their success has simply been their rightful destiny. Originating from the Empire of Chrinthania, the Margraves moved further afield due to reasons which are only ever discussed in hushed tones by elder family members, and the family relocated to the venerable Serican port city of Quanzhou in 1801. The city was administered as a 'treaty port' by the Marimaian Caliphate due to the historical ties between Serica and the Cairo-based Caliphate, and the Margraves initially established themselves as tea merchants to capitalise upon the burgeoning tea export markets. In 1824 the thriving Margraves expanded their holdings into the autonomous port city of Macau, finding several business opportunities as well as a city administration more pliable than the Caliphate-influenced governor in Quanzhou. In 1840 the Margrave family were successful in convincing the Macau authorities to legalise gambling within the city's territory and the subsequent licensing system saw over 200 gambling houses paying 'gambling rent' to the Macau authorities, with several of these gambling houses having been acquired by the Margraves during various ventures. In 1853 the Margraves were granted a license to open Macau's first casino, the rather unimaginatively named 'Casino Margravine' which catered to the wealthier members of Macau society as well as any foreign visitors with enough money. The elders of the family subsequently moved from Quanzhou to Macau, which then became the primary home city of the Margraves. Over the next few decades the Margraves became wealthier and wealthier, then in 1923 the family experienced a substantially fortuitous event.
Thanks to the various contacts that the family had developed with Caliphate officials due to their dealings in Quanzhou, Thomas Margrave was able to obtain exploration licenses for his burgeoning 'Margrave Oil Company' in the eastern regions of the Arabian Peninsula. In 1923 oil was discovered, and the find soon turned out to be far more considerable than first expected. Thomas approached the Caliph and his advisors with the offer of handing over the oil and any future discoveries to the Caliphate, as well as assisting with the development of necessary infrastructure; this resulted in the creation of the 'Cairo Oil Corporation' which was seventy percent owned by the Caliphate and thirty percent owned by the Margrave Oil Company, courtesy of some creative negotiations and contract creation on behalf of the Margraves. Just to sweeten the deal, the Margrave Oil Company then began to assist the subsequently created 'Cairo Gas Corporation' with the extraction of natural gas without requesting any shares, asking only for a simple contractor's fee. The elderly then-Caliph Adnan was so grateful to Thomas for the resources which they had discovered 'for the Caliphate' that he created the Emirate of Margravia from the Qatari Peninsula and the Bahrayn archipelago in 1937 to honour him; in 1939, the now-Emir Thomas I 'discovered' oil and gas reserves within the territories which had been awarded to his family by the Caliph. Due to the autonomous status of an Emirate and the fact that Emirs possessed rights over resources within their territory, the Margrave Oil Company had full rights to exploit the oil and gas, and the company formally moved its headquarters to the Emirate. This resulted in a geographical split within the family, between the 'Macau-Quanzhou branch' and the 'Margravia branch'.
The decades following the split have seen a degree of divergence between the two branches. The Macau-Quanzhou branch have continued to profit greatly from the gambling of Macau, controlling a number of large casinos in the territory; they have also diversified into shipping, sportswear, various media, and banking. In addition, the original Margrave Tea Company has been developed into a food and drinks corporation which offers a wide variety of products, ranging from teas and flavoured waters to baked confectionary. They understandably have substantial influence within Macau to the point where they are regarded as the 'true power in the territory' by some, but they never abuse their influence. Instead they prefer to act as patrons of culture and the arts while the family's traditions continue to become a mixture of both Serican and 'Western' aspects.
The Margravia branch, on the other hand.....
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Tomasine Palace, Margravia City
Emirate of Margravia, Marimaian Caliphate
27th June 2018
The administrative divisions of the Marimaian Caliphate reflected both progress and tradition after the reorganisation of the Great Reforms of the 1950s. Under the terms of the reorganisation, the Caliphate was divided into forty-four provinces or 'Wilayahs' and ten 'Emirates'. The Wilayahs had been drawn up by the new democratic government and were under the administration of governors known as 'Walis', individuals who were barred from membership of political parties and were nominally appointed by the Caliph (in practise it was more a case of the Caliph simply rubber-stamping nominations from the central government). While the Wilayahs received central state funding for the day-to-day activities of local government, Walis were also permitted to enter into joint ventures with local private investors if additional funds or projects were required. These investors traditionally proved to be members of the al-a'yan, longstanding patrician families who were mostly either major landowners or the driving force behind the Caliphate's major corporations. The al-a'yan would often contribute funds to hospitals, libraries, schools, universities, and the like for a sense of civil contribution and the opportunity to get their name on projects as part of the familial legacy. However, Walis were forbidden from entering into joint ventures with foreign investors, although corporations with at least 40% local ownership were exempt from this as they were then deemed to be 'sufficiently domestic'. The Emirates, on the other hand, were basically autonomous hereditary fiefdoms which had been awarded to specific families or individuals by the Caliph throughout the Caliphate's history, a practise which had ended after the Great Reforms as Caliph Abdullah had voluntarily surrendered the right to award Emiri titles. The reason for the ending of the practise was officially due to the fact that it was seen as unwise to allow one individual to have the ability to simply hand over areas of the nation to whomever he wished, even that lone individual was the Caliph himself. As they were actually direct vassals of the Caliph the Emirates enjoyed separation from the Parliament in Cairo, meaning that they could implement their own laws and oftentimes act as nations in their own right, entering into their own trade agreements and the like in return for contributing to the Caliphate's exchequer and joining with the Cairo government in times of war.
The ten Emirates were situated across the Caliphate and there were differing reasons for the creation of each one; while they were referred to as 'Emirates' by most Caliphal citizens when discussing them as a multiple, not all of them were actually ruled by an Emir. The oldest and most prestigious of the ten was the Sharifate of Mecca, holding jurisdiction over much of the western coast of the Arabian Pensinula. The Sharif of Mecca was the traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina as well as the surrounding region, which gave the Sharifate control over the bustling commercial city of Jeddah; the Sharif was always a member of the Hashemite clan, direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. Three other Emirates had been founded on religious grounds, all of them along the North African coastline. The Emirate of Benghazi had been created to honour the Ghassaniyya Sufi order which had proven to be a strong influence within the Caliphate after the ascension of the al-Marima dynasty. The Ghassaniyya Order was regarded as rather 'cosmopolitan' by other Sufi orders as Ghassaniyya teachings had developed with some influence from Benghazi's historical status as a hub for trade and intellectual discourse, and the order had always regarded debate and tolerance as more important than 'unquestioning adherence' to Islamic law and scripture; combined with the al-Marima dynasty's origins in the Cyrenaica region, it was perhaps unsurprising that the Marimaian Caliphate had evolved into the state that it was today. As a result of the religious influence behind its creation, the Emirate of Benghazi had flourished as a seat of religious learning with madrasas from all branches of the Islamic faith located with the ancient city of Benghazi itself, alongside branches of Christian seminaries and yeshivas of various Jewish movements. The Exilarchate of Arish had been founded as a home for Jewish citizens if they wished to reside there with a legal framework inspired by Jewish teachings, while the Holy See of Alexandria was the seat of the Coptic Christian Pope, recognising the importance of the long-standing existence of Coptic Christianity in the region. Five of the remaining 'Emirates' were actual Emirates, ruled by an Emir from the tribe or dynasty which had ruled the region in question before Caliphal rule arrived. The Emirate of Ha'il formed much of the northern Arabian Peninsula and was ruled by the al-Rashids, while the south of the peninsula contained three Emirates: the Emirate of Abu Dhabi under the al-Nahyans, the Emirate of Muscat under the al-Saids, and the Emirate of Adan under the al-Abdali. The Emirate of Khartoum lay on the southern border of the Caliphate's African lands; ruled by the Wardi dynasty who styled themselves as 'Gatekeepers of the Southern Frontier', Khartoum was a prolific arms manufacturing state which specialised in supplying poorer nations that were unable to obtain more modern weaponry from the world's more powerful nations.
The tenth and final Emirate to be created was the Emirate of Margravia which occupied the small Qatari Peninsula and the even smaller adjacent Bahrayn archipelago in the far east of the Caliphate, under the rule of the so-called 'Margravia branch' of the Margrave family. The Margraves occupied an interesting niche of their own in Caliphate society. As an Emiri family and one of the al-a'yan families, they commanded respect from the other al-a'yan families for their business acumen, particularly as they always managed to stay within the rules of the Caliphate's market supervisory administration known as the 'Hisbah'. They had also developed strong ties with Khartoum, Abu Dhabi, and Ha'il, creating an unofficial trading and political group occasionally referred to as the 'Block of Four'. In wider Caliphate society, the Margraves were viewed with varying degrees of amusement, affection, and loathing. Their high-flying lifestyle was no secret to anyone and many Caliphate citizens found it amusing to read about the unique projects and exploits of the family, while other observers found their ways somewhat endearing in a strange way, almost as if the Margraves were the Caliphate's own take on stereotypical capitalism. However, there were those who despised the family for their displays of wealth and believed that their oil and gas should belong to the Caliphate rather than to a particularly fortunate transplanted dynasty. There was no doubt as to the strength of the Margravia branch's business empire though. As well as the 'crown jewel' of the Margrave Oil Company which still retained thirty percent of the Cairo Oil Corporation in addition to exploiting all oil and gas within the Emirate, the family owned the Al Jazeera Media Network, the beIN Media Group, the Emirate's English language daily newspaper 'The Peninsula', the Caliphate-wide English language daily newspaper "Marimaian Independent", and the extensive Margrave Holdings investment company which had diversified into a wide variety of subsidiaries. These subsidiaries included the Harrods department store chain and the Maybourne Hotel Group in the United Kingdom, the high-end Margravia Airways airline, the Barwa real estate group, Margravia Emiri Bank, and the Ooredoo telecommunications company, among others.
The capital of the Emirate, Margravia City, had undergone extensive renovation and redevelopment since 1971 and stood as a growing monument to success and 'progress'. Real estate projects continued to drive the city in the 'right' direction, with land reclamation schemes and construction projects creating entire planned communities which had been designed down to the placement of every street light and tree. A four million square metre artificial island known as the Margrave Pearl had also reached completion, featuring beach resorts, luxury boutiques, car showrooms, decadently lavish hotels, and high-end housing which was subject to a three year waiting list. On the inland outskirts of Margravia City lay the sprawling Emiri residential compound named Tomasine Palace, just over five kilometres west from the fourteen square kilometre area known as Education City, which housed educational facilities from school age to research level as well as branch campuses of various universities. Tomasine Palace covered 781,200 square metres including the grounds, consisting of the Emiri palace, three smaller palaces (one for each of the Emir's three children), the servants' quarters (which could be described as a palace in its own right), and various additional structures concerned with security, leisure, and any other aspects of Emiri existence which had been anticipated by the designers.
While Emir Thomas II and his wife Sheika Cleantha carried themselves with some degree of dignity, the same could not always be said for their eldest son. Sheikh Lysander was twenty-five and revelled in the family's position, displaying a definite sense of entitlement and privilege due to the wealth he had been surrounded with since birth. For his eighteenth birthday Lysander had been given a gold Aston Martin DBS V12 sports car by his parents despite not actually having a driving license, but that had been offset by the fact that he also received his own valet for that same birthday. Originally from the Chrinthani province of West Papua, Topan was some eight years older than Lysander and had demonstrated an instant ability to 'handle' his attitude, helped by the fact that he could drive; as of 2018 Lysander had still not bothered with learning to drive because Topan did all the driving for both of them. The pair had become practically inseparable over the years with Topan becoming Lysander's confidante and best friend as well as his valet, chauffeur, bodyguard, and personal trainer; Lysander had repaid Topan's loyalty by insisting that his entire family be employed at Tomasine Palace in some capacity, meaning that Topan was never far from his relatives and that the family enjoyed an excellent standard of living. Due to Lysander being openly gay there had been rumours about the two because Topan seemed to go everywhere with him, but the simple truth was that Lysander relied on Topan as his right-hand man while Topan enjoyed being part of the young Margrave's antics. Lysander had recently acquired a gold Lamborghini Aventador SuperVeloce which had taken the Aston Martin's place as his favourite vehicle, something that Topan had no complaints about because he now got to drive a particularly sleek Latin sports car.
Emir Thomas stood patiently waiting inside the air-conditioned entrance hall of the main palace with the family's long-serving butler Hostewick standing just behind his right side. After about two minutes, the Emir turned to his manservant with a slight smile.
"He said he'd be right over, didn't he?"
Hostewick nodded dutifully. "Indeed, Your Highness."
"How long can it possibly take to get from his palace to ours?" The pair waited for a few moments more before the unmistakable sound of a rapidly approaching car became audible, at which point Emir Thomas smirked slightly and took a few steps forward so that he was standing in the open entrance doorway. As he watched with a mixture of pride and slight concern, the gleaming gold Lamborghini Aventador SuperVeloce roared into view; after it expertly rounded the landscaped island in front of the palace's main entrance and came to a stop right in front of the steps which led up to the entrance doorway where Emir Thomas currently stood, the signature scissor doors rotated vertically and Topan stepped out of the driver side with a rather cocky smirk. A handsome young man with short styled black hair, dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt with black slacks, a black waistcoat and smart black shoes, Topan made his way to the passenger-side door with a slight swagger and offered his hand as an assist for Lysander to exit the vehicle. Dressed in a black jacket, black slacks, white t-shirt and black shoes, the Emir's heir stepped out of the car with a distinct self-satisfied grin, taking time to adjust his designer shades as Topan pressed a button on the keyfob and the scissor doors rotated back into place; the pair then ascended the steps to be greeted by the Emir's amused smile.
"Nice of you to finally join us."
Lysander shrugged in response. "If it was that important then you should've said so."
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A few minutes later, father and son were relaxing together in the reception lounge of Tomasine Palace, yet another testament to wealth and finery in a residence which exemplified both qualities. As with other 'official' rooms within the palace, the reception lounge was decorated in white wall panelling with golden gilding, accessorised with a collection of stylish white upholstered furnishings which included two four-person sofas and four matching armchairs arranged around a central white marble coffee table. The theme of the palace's decor continued with the presence of several artworks displayed in gilt frames on the lounge walls, and two large tinted glass doors provided access to the palace grounds if the Emir wished to stroll with his guests. Emir Thomas reclined in one of the plush armchairs with a cup of milky coffee while Lysander sprawled along the length of one of the sofas on his back, a glass of cherry-flavoured cola with a red drinking straw positioned on a coaster on the coffee table.
"So what was so important that it couldn't wait until dinner?"
Thomas finished his sip of coffee before offering a reply. "Well, as you're undoubtedly aware, Margrave Holdings finalised the deal to purchase Cap Maison Luxury Hotel and Spa on the island of Saint Lucia a couple of days ago. Given the importance that the Saint Lucian authorities seem to be attaching to the deal, I thought it might be a nice idea for them to receive a visit from one of our family. Possibly a family member who isn't particularly busy at the moment."
Lysander turned his head and raised an eyebrow at his father. "You mean me."
"Very perceptive. It won't entail much, in fact you could turn it into a working vacation. Stay at Cap Maison, play nice with the local authorities, eye up any other businesses on the island that might be of interest to us."
The Margrave heir offered a playful grin. "Just a couple of businesses, or all of them?"
Thomas nodded slightly at the suggestion. "Well, it would be within our means. Their entire economy weighs in at about two point one billion, so-"
"We could find that down the back of a couch."
Thomas chuckled and wagged his finger at his giggling son. "Not quite, but I know what you mean. It's not a bad idea actually, we could offer to pay off their national debt and fund some infrastructure projects as well. Their current government is focused on attracting investment to help develop the island, and we certainly have the resources to help with that. It could be your own pet project if you'd like."
"You mean like Uncle Ludlow and that football team of his?"
"Exactly. There's no immediate rush as no-one's mentioned the possibility of a visit to their government, so you could always take your yacht if you wanted. Admittedly it might take you about two or three weeks to sail there so possibly better if you fly."
Lysander 'hmmed' slightly. "Pity, I bet they haven't seen anything quite like Golden Chevalier. Still...if I go by air then I can take the Lamborghini."
"True, although I'm not sure that all of the roads in Saint Lucia will be up to the standard you're used to. It might be best to have a four-wheel drive."
Lysander narrowed his eyes. "I'm not renting."
Emir Thomas laughed at his eldest son's indignation. "I would never expect you to. We'll get you something appropriate, although you'll have to turn it gold after your visit."
The Emiri heir let out a sigh of exasperation. "The sacrifices I make for this family."
Thomas chuckled once more, shaking his head in amusement. "I know, I know, but your sacrifices are appreciated."
