OF IRON AND FIRE APPLICATION
NS NAME: Jade Confederacy
CITY NAME: Almaria
POPULATION: 400,000
SYMBOL OF CITY:
LOCATION OF CITY: https://imgur.com/a/C9nS9uh
MAJOR COLOURS OF CITY: Black and Silver
GOVERNMENT TYPE: Theocracy; the government is run by a priestly caste headed by the Speaker of Life (High Priest of Almeria)
CULTURE OF CITY: Almerians do not believe that death is final and that all that die will be reborn in time to a new body to live again. The Great Wheel of Almeria symbolizes the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. While in death or during "the Darkness in Between", the dead may have their wishes conveyed to the living and offer guidance/protection through the priests. The Almerians are a caste society where everyone is raised in communal creches until the age of twelve. Afterward, the children will be tested and be separated into their lifelong castes based on abilities and the needs of the city. However, the location and background of the child's parents will strongly determine the children's caste position. The son of a farmer raised in a rural creche is unlikely to become educated and rise in the caste system unless he posses great talent or there is a great need.
CIVIC SPECIALISATIONS: Almerians are great engineers and traders. The double walls of Almeria are thick and tall while the fortress-temple at the heart of the city is carved straight into the hills and has never been taken in battle. The city is split among old and new city, connected by a walled corridor. The cold city is centered around the Fortress Temple near the coast while the new city is more exposed and overlooks the Bay of Almeria which hosts the inland harbour. The city's geography also makes it a prime location for sea-trade which it depends upon heavily.
MILITARY SPECIALISATIONS: The Almerians are a primarily seafaring people as they depend on trade and the ocean for their sustenance. Their navy is vast and comprises primarily of double and triple masted galleys. On land, the Almarians favor their armored chariots to deliver quick and decisive charges followed by massed spear infantry.
COMPOSITION OF ARMY: Since the Almerians are a caste-based society, it is impossible for the city to raise levies. Instead, the army is comprised nearly entirely of the warrior caste which replenishes at a steady rate. Due to this, the Almerians are weary of decisive battles and prefer to hide behind their walls if outmatched.
- The Spears of Almeria (2000): dedicated warrior priests that form the elite core of the infantry
- Life Guards (24,000): comprised of the majority of the warrior caste. Professional force dedicated to the defense of the city and her daughter settlements.
- Death Guards(3200): cavalry contingent of the city, comprised of the veterans of the warrior caste. Mostly light cavalry but contain 400 heavily armored chariots.
NUMBER OF SHIPS:
Almeria possesses one of the worlds largest inland harbors and is a nexus of trade for trade in the region. It has one of the worlds largest professional navies which it uses to patrol the coast for pirates (always a problem) and to exact tribute/tax from nearby settlements. Almerian naval tactics are to use the superior speed of their ships to catch and outmaneuver their queries and ram their opponents. The larger three-masted galleys can also fit small artillery to bring down ships from range.
- 140 Two Masted Galleys
- 40 Three Masted Galleys
HISTORY OF CITY:
Almeria is an old settlement with a long history that predates the current written language. The city was formed as much by outside factors as it was by the people who lived within it. Centuries of pirate raids forced the original inhabitants to dig into the hillsides for safety. From the caverns in the hills grew what is to become the massive Fortress-Temple that forms the core of the old city. The endless tide of barbarians from the north required the Almerians to raise stronger and higher walls. Soon the formidable defenses of the city and the safety it provided attracted merchants from all over. Combined with its favorable location on at the mouth of the Salmeron river and the Bay of Almeria which serves as a large, natural harbor, the city becomes a regional nexus for trade.
The wealth of the city attracted many who coveted the city’s riches. After the second time the old city was sacked by a fleet of pirates, the priests made a deal with a barbarian nomadic tribe to overthrow the King of the city. In exchange for protection and a professional standing army, the priests would ensure the barbarians would never want for food or shelter. As the barbarian’s religious and cultural customs soon melded with that of the locals, the compact between the groups eventually evolved and expanded into the caste system of today.
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