The History of the Republic

Cultural event

The Republic that once ruled over most of the continent had a humble origin as a northern coastal city, Mendovar. Mendovar was rich in agriculture, being in a fertile river basin. It saw a great deal of trading pass through its ports, down the great river and out to sea. They possessed craftspeople of great skill, having active cults dedicated to The Founder and The Mule. What they did not have, though, was good governance.   The city was originally ruled over by an extended family, the Mendovarans. This family is said to have been the first to settle the valley in the forgotten mists of time, claiming all the land there and working it. Their children spread out, farming more of the land, until the entire valley was filled with their kith and kin. Others came too and had to integrate themselves into the existing order of things. The population eventually reached a critical mass, and the area around the first dwelling became urbanized. Shops and crafters had sprung up around this center of commerce and politics in the region, and just like that this farming family found themselves masters of a city.   They did the best they could, but they were agriculturalists, not politicians and governors. They tried to look out for others, protect the vulnerable, and keep life stable for the dwellers in their valley. However, there was arising a moneyed class within the community, and they did not like the status quo. They conspired to remove the key members of the family and install one of their own as the ruler of Mendovar. This proved a mistake in the long run.   The new ruler made sweeping reforms, providing rights to the wealthy not granted those of lower stature. Political involvement and equal rights became predicated on property ownership. Written records of transactions and laws became normalized to ensure business could proceed unimpeded. The militia was formalized into an army, albeit a small one, and the new higher taxes were collected at the end of a spear.   This lasted some 150 years, with a succession of hereditary tyrants and usurpers claiming the rulership, each pettier and more arrogant than the last. The people, backs broken under ever increasing taxes and an accumulation of all wealth into the hands of a few, rose up in revolt. The richest families saw their patricians and scions killed or driven off, their coffers seized and redistributed. The dictator was dragged through the streets and horsewhipped, then hanged. Historians believe there must have been some precipitating incident, some injustice that “broke the camel’s back”, but no one knows what it was.   In the weeks that followed a singular voice rose above the din, a voice of vision and direction. That voice was Redolian Mendovar, a farmer from upriver who had moved to the city to provide an education for his children. He was a charismatic and shrewd man who carried the name of the old family, and he was able to read the moods and needs of the mob and direct their energies to useful pursuits. He organized the first vote that created the original “People’s Assembly”. That assembly set about drafting a the “Foundations”, laws that could not be broken or altered except by unanimous consent of the Assembly as well as a majority of the people. By this time Mendovar’s sphere of influence included many surrounding small towns and extended several dozen miles in any direction. These towns were quickly incorporated into the Assembly, now renamed the Grand Council, and The Republic of Mendovar was officially formed. A new calendar was created, dated year 1, on the day the Founding Charter was signed by all the councilors present (before that time humans had mostly been using elven dating systems).   The Republic of Mendovar prospered. They defended themselves against enemies, provided for the general welfare, and ensured the rights of traders, businesspeople, and farmers. Some holdouts from the old system remained though. Voting could only be done by the titular holders of property, by official deed, and by anyone declared a “Hero of the City” (this later came to be called “Hero of the Republic”). This last was a common award for lifelong members of the militia or those who performed heroic deeds for their fellow citizens.   The Republic grew almost exponentially. The loyalty of the people, coupled with industriousness and adaptability brought about by their cultural and religious practices, led them to be victorious in most military engagements. Defeated enemies often joined the Republic after their citizens were given the choice to vote it so. Within a century of being founded The Republic of Mendovar included cities that were larger and more prominent than Mendovar herself, even though she’d swollen due to government bodies, military needs, and increased trade and money. Eventually the name of the founding city was removed from the name of the state, making it simply “The Republic”.   The Republic, now in its second century, had known nothing but prosperity and ruled over everything within 500 miles of the city. Then came the drought. The Great River dried up, crops died, and ferocious peoples from the west and south attacked in force. The economy neared collapse and the Grand Council could not agree enough to act decisively for the people, especially once the treasuries neared emptiness.   Enter General Holan Gatoly. His family immigrated to the Republic from the south, buying a decent sized plot of land and enrolling him in the military academy of Mendovar. He rose through the ranks and eventually won a seat on the Grand Council. Within the decade he had the majority of the council eating out of his hand, creating a web of patronage, bribery, and intimidation (his soldiers still being very loyal to him). Thanks primarily to his efforts the GC decided to create a position of High Councilor, a leader for the Council but officially not of it and selected by the Council. It was no surprise that Gatoly was chosen.   During his first year as High Councilor Gatoly consolidated power while reorganizing the state to combat the problems facing it. He blackmailed and threatened political opponents into silence while having the Council vote him more and more authority, first as commander of the military, then giving him the veto power, and finally the sole authority to propose laws to the Council for their ratification. He raised up new regiments and set them to work defending the borders from invaders. Within another year after that he became dictator in all but name. The Republic seemed to be at an end.   Not everyone who went along with the General got along with him, nor liked his leadership. A conspiracy began to develop among the more prominent and wealthy councilors. Gatoly learned of this, but did not act, for he was worried about a general revolt of the money and merchant classes if he outright killed the heads and scions of so many of their strongest families. His response was instead to do something virtually unheard of, voluntarily cede power.   The system that he came up with was one he felt would play to his strengths, his personal power, charisma, and ability to dominate most any person he went up against. So it was that The Republic became a diarchy, with absolute power resting in the hands of two co-equal High Councilors. Should they disagree on any decision, then it would be the job of the Grand Council to decide between their rulings. The high councilors would serve for life, with their successors being chosen by the Grand Council. No decision could be made by either high councilor without the assent of their co-councilor, even if by letter or official messenger.   This led to a constant three-way balancing act between the two diocrats and the Grand Council. Political identity was centered on which of the three you supported (with the GC often getting seen as homogenous even though it was often quite fractious). The balancing act worked though, with none becoming too powerful. There were periods of more powerful high councilors, and times when the diocrats were weak and the leaders of the Grand Council held sway. However, none grew to dominate the others completely.   Under this system The Republic continued to expand its borders, now more often as outright aggressors. The diarchs were typically made up of one military figure and one politician or administrator, this precedent being set by the first two diarchs, with Gatoly being a former general and his co-councilor, a man named Edarin Mendolar, from an old patrician family, who had spent a lifetime in government.