THE NeighborS
Raptoraem didn’t just break from Solarium—it fractured the MAP that Veilmeer had learned to profit from.
For over a century, Pax Solaria—the legacy of the old Imperium peace pact—meant one thing: Solarium set the terms. Trade flowed through its ports, doctrine through its schools, law through its treaties. Compliance was the cost of stability.
Now a rogue city-state claims autonomy at the empire’s edge—offering untaxed routes, open access, and an ideology no imperial bloc can safely ignore.
The result? Mixed consensus.
Some sniff profit. Others smell contagion.
All of them watch the Drowned Star and weigh whether to trade, tussle, or simply wait until it burns itself out.
⚔︎ Drachenherz — Imperium’s Sword & Shield
A cold heartland of iron plains and black forests studded with fortress cities, run by a war-first High Marshal Council under a ceremonial emperor. They treat Solarium as the rightful center and stand ready to enforce “order” at swordpoint.
Stance toward Raptoraem: openly hostile to rebels and gives no quarter; fatigue at the top makes defections plausible if Raptoraem prospers, though rumored spymaster links remain unproven.
A wealthy river valley of vineyards anchored by a jeweled capital, and steered by a royal regency around Prince Émile and his powerful palace council. They flatter Solarium in public to keep trade smooth, then hedge their bets in private.
Stance toward Raptoraem: publicly denounces the Drowned Star while quietly flirting with trade as salons and pamphlets stir unrest.
⚜︎ Chauveaux — The Perfumed Ally
⚓︎ Rodos — The Turquoise Harbor
A narrow isthmus with twin deep-water ports that function as the sea’s tollgate, governed by a hard-nosed Turquoise Court. They sell passage and insurance to all sides, balancing fees against risk.
Stance toward Raptoraem: views it as a dangerous secession precedent and leans toward Solarium alignments to resist free-trade enticements.
⬟ Suraya — The Desert Jewel
Oasis cities strung along the Redwine River and outer dunes, administered by the Scion Court under a Grand Vizier. Courteous and neutral, they value archives, scholars, and rare stones.
Stance toward Raptoraem: withholds recognition; remains cordial with Solarium but is intrigued by the Drowned Star’s “forbidden” stones and free-trade promise.
✥ Sundhara — Land of Spices & Splendor
A vast subcontinental realm ruling God’s Mouth ocean with unmatched navy and elite cavalry, unified under Sri Mahadewi of the Emerald Rajput.
Stance toward Raptoraem: has not recognized the city; the court publicly pledges loyalty to Pax Solaria, yet Sundharan ships frequent the black harbor and a large diaspora works Raptoraem’s merchant quarter.
☠︎ Salthaven — The Scalawags’ Shore
A ragged storm coast of coves and free docks, run as a loose confederation by the Captains’ Brinehouse. They live on smuggling, pilotage, and privateering, and loathe extradition.
Stance toward Raptoraem: calls it kin—regularly anchors in its harbor and rejects Pax Solaria—making common cause on commerce and cover.
✿ Mossgrove — The Mystic Glades
Deep temperate forests and misted wetlands behind living green walls, guided by three druidic Elders. They trade medicine and timber but punish trespass.
Stance toward Raptoraem: officially no pact with rebels, yet entertains quiet exchanges with the city’s envoys in the market glades.
Sheer sea-cliffs linked by sky bridges and bell towers, overseen by the Celestial Clans. They maintain careful ties to Solarium for prestige and trade, but those ties are reversible.
Stance toward Raptoraem: formally rebuffs alliance even as an exile community inside the city grows potent enough to outflank the home court.