Concasse
The League of Concasse is a wealthy human nation settled on a verdant plain in the east of the Midlands, bounded by the Ramparts to the west, Lake Omil to the north and the Strelnos river to the east. The fertile farmlands of Concasse are highly developed, studded by prosperous walled towns and growing villages. While it is an exaggeration, it is not for nothing that foreigners call this land the “Plain of a Thousand Cities.” These “Thousand Cities” are joined together in a federal state centred on the great port city of Concasse itself. The earliest roots of the league date back to the lifetime of Saint Hal over 2,500 years; the intervening period has seen a peaceful unification of the whole of the plain into one loose nation, united by common interests in trade and defence.
The League itself has a grand council chamber in Concasse, to which an elected magistrate is sent by each town to debate matters of high policy. As a rule, however, each town elects its own council to see to local affairs and most citizens have strong loyalty to their home town as well as the League itself. It is far from unheard of for there to be disputes between the towns within the league, but a secondary role of the League council is the resolution of such quickly and amicably. A substantial body of ‘League law’ has been built up over the years to regulate relations between towns and ensure that the stability of the League is never threatened.
Peace has reigned between the Thousand Cities for hundreds of years, bringing prosperity and stimulating trade, both between the towns and with foreigners. People of the Thousand Cities are friendly and outgoing, welcoming travellers and tolerant of difference. A large merchant class has developed as the dominant faction in society, shrewd traders who pride themselves on being able to negotiate an honest deal. Abroad, however, this mercantile nature can sometimes be seen as greedy and somewhat vulgar. Nevertheless, wit, luck and entrepreneurial skill can raise even the poorest man to the rank of Magistrate, such a rise in station that could not be aspired to by many of those in foreign lands.
Concasse itself had humble beginnings thousands of years ago, perched on a rocky cliffside overlooking a safe harbour. Since then it has sprawled down the mountainside and met the sea, and is now a bustling port city. Concasse claims to be one of the greatest cities in the whole midlands and certainly looks the part, filled as it is with churches, statues and elaborate architecture, all funded by the patronage of competing merchant families whose ships sail to such exotic locations as Majantis and Tallorin. The wealth of the League, and Concasse in particular, has given rise to a great flourishing of art and learning. A renowned university as been founded high on the cliff where the city began, and priestly schools dedicated to each of the Saints exist within Concasse’s city limits. At the same time, the city has a vivacious and hedonistic demeanour at times, with hundreds of taverns and a renowned annual street carnival called the “Grand Masque.”
The greatest temple in Concasse is that of Saint Hal, a former citizen who is regarded as a second founder and architect of the League. Saint Hal’s temple not only has a religious function, but acts as the most senior court in Concasse, and also by treaty and convention the appellate court for any citizen of any of the towns in the League. Fair judgement and impartial legal representation are both regarded as holy duties by the priesthood of Saint Hal, a whole branch of the church being in effect practicing lawyers rather fulfilling the healing and preaching role associated with many priests. It should be noted that Saint Hal’s teachings, relating to equality between individuals and enshrined personal rights, have become law in Concasse, and as a result in many of the other cities of the League. This has led to many traditions developing in Concasse that are thought strange elsewhere, such as the premium placed on free speech and the ability of any citizen to seek the protection of the courts. Some aspects of Concassian culture are in fact bizarre, such as the respect that many hold for the law while at the same time ruthlessly exploiting whatever little loophole they can find. One of the most remarkable dissonances is the fact that the purchase or sale of slaves, including half-breeds, is outlawed, yet in the interest of maintaining property rights the actual ownership of slaves remains legal.
The Blueguards are the federal militia of the League of Concasse, well-respected men and women who keep order in the country to ensure continued peace. The Blueguards have rarely had to go into battle in recent years, although they are far from idle in hunting down fugitive criminals and securing borders. Certainly standards of training are high but in truth the Blueguards are more a police force than a true army. Some voices, traders whose custom was with the Wasteland, express a worry about developments on the other side of the Ramparts: as of yet, however, the League Council has not taken such warnings seriously.