Rovel

The most prolific seafaring traders in Gathandia live in Rovel. A large forested peninsula west of Falth and prominent in the Inner Sea, Rovel enjoys warm summers and chilly winters but virtually no major swings to unbearably hot or cold. Seasonal thunderstorms occasionally bring tornadoes with them, though this is not a common occurrence.

Rovel’s docks - especially the docks of Hollyport - are the largest in Gathandia, capable of housing massive fleets of military or merchant vessels. Although they share the Inner Sea with the bloodthirsty Renden, they have proven both militarily strong enough to withstand raids and economically cunning enough to buy out the Renden.

Academic.

Rovel places a good deal of emphasis on a robust education. Merchants that trade internationally bring in most of Rovel’s economic success, and students that learn the cultures of other nations, learn the technical aspects of trade and commerce, and understand the physics of sailing are - in Rovelese belief - the most likely to flourish. Children are expected to receive a basic education and encouraged to take specialized classes in sailing, cultural communications, international commerce, or banking.

Aristocratic and Political.

Rovel has a monarchy, but at any given point a king or queen is really no more than a figurehead. The real political and legislative power in the nation is in the hands of the merchant guilds, and they use the monarch to give legitimacy to any laws that they want enacted.

Mercantile and Trade.

The powerful merchant families in Rovel really run the nation. If they were to remove their support from the monarch, then the monarch’s entire reign would economically fall apart. With their massive, well-armed trade caravels, Rovel’s merchant fleet trade far and wide, extending as far as Yodvan to the northeast and Pash to the southwest. Many merchant vessels keep small chests of gold on board as insurance against Renden raids. Renden raiders know that the Rovelese can put up quite a fight on the water, so they will often accept small tolls in exchange for letting the Rovelese sail through their waters otherwise unmolested.

Militant.

Rovel’s seafaring vessels are fortified and well-armed. Their military is small but adequate to defend against Renden’s coastal raids.

Religious.

Rovelese are more enamored of their economic success than displays of piety. Temples are not very common in Rovelese towns or cities, and the religious among the nation usually practice their religion in the privacy of their own homes with small gatherings of likeminded friends and family.

Social.

Most Rovelese folk are very results-driven and enjoy bragging about their successes. They are willing enough to lend a hand to someone in need, but this is on some level just another data point that they can use when demonstrating that they are good, upstanding folk.

Underworld.

Falthic spies run rampant in Rovelese society. Some such spies - and even some unscrupulous Rovelese - will sell merchant ship sailing routes to Renden, allowing the violent raiders to ambush boats.

Hollyport

Rovel’s capital city is perhaps unsurprisingly its largest port. The monarchy has a decadent but not very defensible palace, and the most powerful merchant lords have incredibly well defended manors that are almost as plush and luxurious as the monarch’s palace. Hollyport has an enormous network of docks and piers that allow their large merchant vessels to maintain year-round trade with the nations in and beyond the Inner Sea.

Quest Ideas

• The heroes are hired as added security against raids from Renden as a merchant ship sails through the Inner Sea.
• Someone in the royal palace covertly gets word to the heroes that the real power is in the hands of the merchant class, and asks the heroes to help restore the nation to a traditional monarchy.
• A merchant leader approaches the heroes and asks them to investigate the leader’s guild, as rumors are circulating that Falthic spies have infiltrated the guild.