The Lacliosan Empire

Recovered from the belongings of a dockside oathscribe in Crescent Parade—waterlogged, but mostly legible. This is an excerpt from “Lacliosa for the Newly Promised,” part of a welcome packet distributed to immigrants, oathbound refugees, and aspiring citizens of the empire. It is dated roughly 3,000 years after the calamity.   Lacliosa is new—built not from the bones of what came before, but from ink, law, and relentless ambition. If we are to understand what it became, we must study how it invited others in. Even its hospitality is a form of binding.   – Arch Scholar Anneas

Office of New Promises
Ministry of Transition and Oath Enforcement
4th Ledger Hall, Crescent Parade
Lacliosa, Empire of Coin

A Nation of Promises and Prosperity

Nestled between gleaming coastlines and bustling ports, the Lacliosan Empire thrives as a land of elegant bargains, bound promises, and mercantile ambition. Gold flows as freely as gossip, and nearly every citizen—noble or knave—has an eye for trade and a tongue for diplomacy.

It is a place where no gift is ever free, where a jar of sugar may become a three-week spiral of escalating kindness, and where breaking your word is not only impolite—it may very well kill you.

Government: Bound by Vow

Lacliosa is governed by a Parliament of Ten, with elections held every decade. The final year of each cycle is one of great political theater, as aspiring committee members don ceremonial garb and cursed necklaces known as The Chains of Oath.

These enchanted adornments are beautiful, heavy, and deadly.

Should an elected official break their campaign promises, the curse activates—often resulting in madness, exile, or transformation into something grotesque and unnatural.

Thus, promises in Lacliosa are not made lightly, and oaths are sacred currency.

Common Folk of Lacliosa

The Empire is home to those who live by wit and wealth:

• Elves, elegant and age-old, often as merchants or diplomats
• Seafolk, who tend the ports and whisper to tides
• Changelings, masters of disguise and negotiation
• Humans, adaptable and ambitious
• Goblins, Kobolds, and Kenkus, who thrive in the bartering markets and labyrinthine accounting offices

If you have a nose for coin and a flair for trade, you belong in Lacliosa.

Faith and the Free Spirit

Religion in Lacliosa is fluid as water and wide as the sea.

Deities come and go, and new gods are welcomed just as eagerly as old ones.

Altars are built for gods of ink and scrolls, patrons of the trade winds, or spirits of the salt and silver.

It is not uncommon for a shopkeeper to light three candles—one for profit, one for safe travels, and one just in case they forgot a god who’s watching.

Economy: The Empire of Coin

Lacliosa’s economy is richly layered, reflecting the diversity of its people and the sharpness of their minds:

• Trade Guilds dominate the core, running caravans, fleets, and sprawling market halls
• Fishing and mining supplement the empire’s wealth, particularly in its coastal and mountainous regions
• Banking and legal services are a booming industry—contracts are gospel, and thousands are employed just to enforce or decipher them

A single missed clause in a contract can ruin a noble house—or raise a street rat to prominence overnight.

Culture: Barter, Bonds, and Borrowed Sugar

The people of Lacliosa thrive on found family and fair trades. Included in this care package, you will find several advertisement cards from licensed Gift-Tracking Services—helpful organizations that monitor social exchanges and ensure no kindness goes unanswered. Some even offer subscription plans.

Bartering is a cherished art, and nowhere is this clearer than in the age-old tradition of gift escalation:

• Borrow a cup of sugar? Return it with eggs.
• They bake with your eggs? Gift them cream from your cows.
• They use the cream for tart? You deliver honeycomb or spice.

This spiral of social exchange can last months, even generations, and as such:

• To refuse a gift without reply is a deep insult
• To end a gift chain abruptly is seen as a declaration of dislike (unless done with a gift of poetry or art, which is an accepted full stop)

International Affairs

Lacliosa enjoys prestigious diplomatic standing, with strong relationships including:

• A close alliance with the Southern Suns, from whom they purchase protective contracts and export rare goods
• A rare and envied trade deal with the Republic of Auclan, one of the most isolationist states in the known world

We are the golden thread in many an international tapestry, and we are pleased to welcome you to our coil.

Accessing Support & Starting Anew

Newly sworn citizens may be eligible for Transition Assistance, including:

• Temporary housing in district hostels or temple-funded co-habs
• Seed funds for guild apprenticeship or stall ownership (upon submission of a ten-point contract outline)
• Spirit-cleansing services for pre-existing oaths, at designated legal shrines
• The First Favor Credit: one gift escalation chain started on your behalf, redeemable in any licensed barter zone

To apply, please complete Forms 17A, 92-K, and 1128-INT. Submit them in triplicate to the Office of New Promises. Processing time varies depending on clarity of intent, prior misdeeds, and divine scrutiny.