Doroska - The Merchant Crown

“They bind the world not with armies, but with debt.” — On Doroska

Extracts from “A Survey of the Known World” by Captain Aderyn Vale of Cezorus, 3358 YL.

“They need no armies; their soldiers wear ledgers and ink.”
The mercantile nexus of the world, balancing every empire’s ambition through trade, diplomacy, and ruthless profiteering.

I. Core Identity

“Every coin in Aesos passes through Doroskan hands — some twice.”

Foundational Identity

Doroska is the beating heart of continental trade — a republic built not on faith or conquest, but on commerce and contracts. It is a nation of merchants, lawyers, and smugglers, where gold and wit buy influence more surely than bloodlines.

Military / Power Base

While Doroska lacks the martial prestige of its neighbors, its wealth funds a formidable mercenary army and a powerful espionage corps. The Doroskan Charter Fleets — privately owned merchant-navy hybrids — rival Cezorus in tonnage if not in technology.

Religious or Ideological Power

Faith takes second place to profit. The Lifestar has temples here, but its influence bends to the Doroskan Guilds, whose economic doctrine — The Ledger of the World — treats trade itself as sacred exchange.

Geography Overview

Doroska sprawls across river-deltas and coastal marshlands, its capital Vel Carthis rising on layered canals and stone causeways. Inland hills house sprawling estates and vineyards, while the Ironstrand Coast hosts its shipyards and fortresses.

II. Technology & Development Level

Vel Carthis and the Republic at Large

“In Doroska, the quill is sharper than the sword, and both are for sale.”
—Common proverb among dockside scribes

Magical or Technological Focus

Doroska’s genius lies not in invention, but in adaptation and replication. It is the black market and legal loophole of Mana-Tech — buying, reverse-engineering, and reselling designs from Cezorus, often under a veneer of “legitimate patent variation.”

Source of Power: Imported Mana-Tech blueprints, salvaged engines, and proprietary alchemical compounds.
Distribution: Concentrated in coastal guild cities and trade hubs. Rural areas function on late-medieval industry.
Control & Secrecy: The Council of Ledgers and the Patent Court regulate trade patents — and secretly finance espionage operations to obtain new technologies.

Applications

Military / Defense

• Guild Marines: Professional mercenaries guarding merchant fleets; loyal to coin, not crown.
• Aether-Cutters: Mana-assisted trade frigates capable of outpacing most military ships.
• Contract Blades: Assassins and bounty agents working under legal sanction (“Letters of Removal”).

Trade & Industry

• Refineries process imported Mana materials into usable commodities.
• Dockyards mass-produce ships with hybrid mechanical and minor Mana-Tech systems.
• Bank networks and bonded vaults provide secure exchange across the continent.

Quality of Life

• Wealthy guild families employ enchanted ledgers that balance accounts automatically.
• City streets glow with limited Mana lighting, funded by merchant consortiums.

Sidebar: “The Patent Court”
A marble hall of laws and lies, where guilds sue one another over identical inventions described with one word changed. Every ruling sets precedent; every precedent creates a new loophole.

The Countryside / Interior Life

“The Republic’s fields grow grain, but its cities harvest gold.”
—Attributed to the economist Renin Val

Rural Doroska remains industrious, though overshadowed by the gleaming coastal cities. Farmers and vintners work leased land owned by merchant houses. Inland trade towns serve as logistical arteries for goods bound for export.

Agriculture

• Grain, olives, and grapes dominate the landscape.
• Irrigation canals make use of imported Cezoran pumps.

Craft & Production

• Artisan guilds craft glass, textiles, and fine metalwork.
• Counterfeit goods are an open secret — often better than the originals.

Lighting & Heating

• Oil lamps and limited Mana-stones illuminate major roads and harbors.

Transport & Communication

• River barges and trade caravans move inland produce to the coasts.
• Courier guilds and encrypted Mana message systems handle long-distance contracts.

Defense & Warfare

• Mercenary companies form regional militias when paid.
• Walled trade towns rely on hired defenders rather than conscription.

Medicine

• Urban healers combine alchemy and basic Mana surgery.
• Guild hospitals offer service by membership tier — or donation.

The Creeping Reach of Progress

• Smugglers’ Guilds: Move black-market Mana components through neutral ports.
• Counterfeiters: Produce unstable Mana devices that flood illegal markets.
• Foreign Scholars: Exiled Cezorans and Kastovians find work in Doroska’s “innovation houses.”
• Guild Apprentices: Experiment with Mana-laced materials for profit, regardless of danger.

Rumors Among the People

• “The Guildmasters have a Mana engine buried under the city — it powers the banks.”
• “Every fifth coin minted in Doroska bears a curse to track thieves.”
• “There’s a guild scribe who sold his shadow for patent rights.”

III. Economy & Trade

Premier Exports

• Refined Mana-Tech parts and devices (semi-legal).
• Ships and modular vessel hulls.
• Financial and mercenary services.

Material Exports

• Processed metals, glass, and ceramics.
• Fine wines, textiles, and crafted luxuries.

Agricultural Exports

• Grain, olives, and dried fruits traded en masse through guild routes.

IV. Imports

• Raw ores and unrefined Mana materials from Cezorus and Skjoldar.
• Spices and exotic goods from Sundaraal and Tzintava.
• Timber, pitch, and naval supplies from Skjoldar.

V. Diplomatic Relations & Trade Partners

VI. Internal Tensions

• Guild Rivalry: Merchant houses vie for power, often through blackmail and assassination.
• Legal Corruption: The Patent Court serves the rich; justice is negotiable.
• Espionage Dependency: National economy relies on stolen foreign research.
• Religious Marginalization: The Lifestar Church exists only as political tokenism.
• Merchant Aristocracy: Wealth has replaced nobility, but inherited privilege remains unchanged.

VII. Summary

Doroska is a nation of ledgers and knives — where law is commerce and commerce is war.
Its brilliance lies in manipulation; its morality in negotiation. Every handshake hides a dagger, every debt a leash.

“In Doroska, you’re either a merchant or a mark.”