The League of Three Crowns

In some ways, the League of Three Crowns can be called the preeminent naval power in the Sea of Bartel. The number of trade routes in the sea, going between several wealthy powers, made it an attractive location for merchants, and with the lands of the Northmen close at hand, many of these merchants saw fit to band together for the purposes of mutual protection. Over the years, the nascent League grew powerful from both its wealth and its security, and was able to become a force in its own right.

In the simplest of terms, the League is a confederation of cities located in the region. More precisely, it is a confederation of the mercantile guilds that control both overland and maritime trade routes between these cities and beyond - but often, these guilds effectively control their cities. Many cities in Vardessy, Togarmah, and Kvesland claim membership in the League, and indeed, this reach between the three powers lends the organization its name.

However, the reference to crowns is a bit of a misnomer. Although the Emperor of Vardessy, the King of Togarmah, and the Queen of Kvesland all send delegates to the League Council in Hynden, many cities in the League are, by and large, free from the overreach of their feudal masters and answer only to the guilds, powerful enough to maintain their own armies and delegate their own laws. Despite this, the League is not a nation in and of itself so much as an alliance of cities within other nations.

In fact, League cities do not agree on all matters, even in their management, and what exactly makes a city a League city is difficult to define. The organization is a loose one - each League-affiliated guild nominates representatives to the League Council, who collectively decide on matters of management, and there are certain laws all cities abide by, but by and large every city has its own guild, which has its own structure and is managed separately. In most cases, there is still some measure of feudal authority over a League city. Some, however, are fully autonomous, with the guilds having enough wealth and power to essentially veto any royal decrees they wish and not fear reprisal - they are vassals of the crown in name only.

One thing that links all League cities, however, is that they all have the privilege of erecting a statue of a knight with a sword drawn, holding in the other hand a shield bearing the city’s coat of arms. Though the exact details vary from sculptor to sculptor, the image, usually displayed outside the town hall or in a market square, stands for both the bold independence of the city and - through its standardization - the city's deference to the League charter.

The League Council consists of representatives from the different League cities, with each individual representing one or more member settlements. It is governed by an Archmagister, who can be viewed as the head of the entire League. The current Archmagistress is Lydia Sidaranka. The scion of an influential merchant dynasty in Hynden, she was recently elected to the role, by a vote among the senior council members, after the previous Archmagister, Danne Aldrigamber, was ousted in disgrace for embezzling the League's coffers. Although a shrewd and capable businesswoman, she wasn't expecting to take on the role so suddenly, and struggles under the weight of expectations, maintaining a circle of trusted advisors to keep her on track. She is still early into her tenure, and many are hopeful that she will keep the League's prosperity alive.

Perhaps out of this hopefulness, others in the League Council tentatively put their stock in her. But when merchants are made and broken by the flow of commerce and the survival of their enterprises, the right conditions could easily cause the tides to change, and more ambitious eyes may yet see an opportunity in the Archimagistress. It is not lost on anyone that she is inexperienced and depends on others to tell her what to do, after all...