The League history

In the troubled times before the Empire, the bay of Catazar was dominated by three great cities: Sarvos, Tassato and Verrario. The cities were ruled by Merchant Princes whose wealth and taxes raised walls and paid for Free Companies to defend them. Their reach extended beyond their walls to protect the outlying farms and settlements within their dominion although it was rare for a Prince’s will to carry further than an army could march in a day. Threats came from the other cities as often as from the barbarians and bandits that lived beyond the city walls.

Tassato was the first Catazarri city to join the Empire. Defeats in the field had led to increased taxation and from there to civil unrest. The Camorra of the city met with their Prince and pressured her into giving up their power and acknowledging Imperial authority in return for Imperial assistance. Over the following decade they were able to buy off the Free Companies, allowing them to unite the Catazarri cities into the League. Under Imperial rule the wealthiest Camorra in each city would elect a Senator to stand for them. But where before a Merchant Prince would rule their city like a fief, now their powers were limited by Imperial law. The title of Merchant Prince or Princess became the modern honorific, claimed by the heads of the Camorras to indicate their status and wealth.

In the years that followed, the Empire consolidated its control of the lands around the Bay of Catazar, driving the orcs into the wilderness. The cities of the League worked tirelessly to advance the Empire, but despite military successes the Catazarri people were unable to identify any cities that shared their enterprising approach in the lands being conquered. The Catazarri prided themselves on being first amongst equals in the Empire, but they began to whisper to each other about their loss of influence as other Nations gained new territories and senators.

The Varushkan city of Temeswar was the first to see the advantage of joining the League. As the Varushkan people prospered, the city became an important trade hub and prosperity lead to growth. Unlike traditional Varushkan settlements ruled by a single boyar, the city was ruled by a council of boyars, most of whom were drawn from the prosperous merchants of the city. The Merchant Princes laid their plans and sent envoys in secret bearing gifts and bribes for the burghers of Temeswar, but found them more than receptive. The urbanisation of Temeswar had given them more in common with the League than with their own people, and following two years of careful negotiation, they petitioned the Senate to be recognised as part of the League. It continued to serve as an important centre of trade, providing access to the great wealth of Varushkan raw materials for the Empire, and importing vast amounts of finished goods to sell to the Varushkans. Thanks to the people of Temeswar, the League enjoys cordial - and profitable - associations with the majority of the Varushkan people.

A decade later, Imperial forces drove the orcs from a region of pastoral land on the border of the Dawn dominated by the prosperous merchant city of Holberg. The Merchant Princes seized this opportunity and following the precedent created by Temeswar convinced the Senate to declare the city to be part of the League, to the fury of the knights of Dawn who had fought long and hard in the campaign. CHECKToday, when the territory surrounding Holberg is threatened by Orcs, the threat is in no small part due to the political divisions the territory still evokes. Catazarri Senators have claimed that Dawn tarry too long in offering support. CHECKThe accusation is made sharper by the fact that without Holberg's control over the Scorrero river, the League would need to ship goods from Temeswar through Dawn's borders and trade their rights on the valuable pearls and treasures from the bay of Catazar in order to do so.