The Mercantile Republic of Daldineor (DSQ)

"Racca Kinesa Verre Erosa" ("Our Blood The Seas")

The DSQ (Verre Daldineor Sienta Disquarsas -- The Mercantile Republic of Daldineor) is the largest and most powerful empire in Mandeor, with the soul claim to the island chain Dharda, an extensive colony on Dorrok/Nadhall, as well as the island of Brellor, and two islands in The Bueminos.

Additionally, it is the only empire in the region of Central Mandari.

Empire History: From Principality to Kingdom
Originally the leader of a City-State: The Principality of Atzior, Duke Norvol DeLatorez launched a series of military campaigns in the year 449 that lasted nineteen years. Now known as The Wars of Unification, these wars firmly cemented the Duke's political position, and greatly increased his lands, so much so that in the year 469 he declared himself Archduke, and the Kingdom of Atzior was born. However, in the later stages of his campaign, Duke DeLatorez had attacked and captured a town belonging to a vassal state of the Kingdom of Daldineor. War was avoided by a series of hurried peace talks and concessions, however, in the year 470, these talks broke down, and war was declared by the Kingdom of Daldineor on "Duke Norvol DeLatorez". This war would later come to be known as The War of the Two Kings, and ultimately ended in the capture and execution of DeLatorez, and the annexation of the Kingdom of Atzior into the Kingdom of Daldineor in 474. In the year 476, the the city of Atzior replaced Nottigus as the capital of the Kingdom of Daldineor, and in the year 481 the King of Daldineor launched a naval invasion from his new capital to the region of Brellor, and there succeeded in colonising the Northmost half of the island. This placed it's timber and iron at the disposal of Daldineor, and helped build the ships and swords that would be used for deccades after to spread Human influence. However, in the year 486 the son of the Archduke, Norvol DeLatorez II, came out of hiding from a small kingdom to the West of Atzior and during the chaos that ensued the Kingdom of Daldineor lost control over it's colony on Brellor through four full-scale worker rebellions, and though Duke DeLatorez was unsuccessful he escaped with his life and the better part of his army, before returning in the year 487 and re-taking Atzior and the throne. Empire History: From Kingdom to Mercantile Republic In the year 490 the new Archduke Norvol DeLatorez II confirmed Atzior as the capital of his new Kingdom, but re-named his fledgling empire; he was now the Archduke of The Kingdom of Daldineor, under the Royal Archduchy of Atzior. In 492 Archduke Norvol II re-captured Daldineor's northern colony on Brellor, and in the year 493 he conquored the Southern half of the island -- Brellor was now an official colony of the Kingdom of Daldineor, and answered to the Archduke of Atzior. In the year 494 a fleet of ships arrive at the island of Tchaka, and conquer it in the space of nine months -- this island became Daldineor's first colony in the Spice Belt, and it is from this colony that much of Daldineor's power originates. With a colony in the South, Daldineor was opened not only to the spices and copper that are so abundant in the Spice Belt, but also to trade with Dorrok/Nadhall, and maratime access to the resources of the Bromontinez and Bueminos island groups, without having to trade through the Magaives, and through Rhugaiya. In the year 495 the first of three Merchant Rebellions occured. This uprising, though rather small and easily managed, weakens the credibility of Atzior. In the year 499 the Dhardian island of Baston is colonised, and the SMRD is established to govern Daldineor's existing colonies. This organisation became known as a staunch supporter of the monarchy in the years to follow. To augment its own power, and that of Archduke Norvol II, the SMRD proceded to colonise the islands of Morram, Ravakq, Vetorez and Malio in the years 502 through to 510. In the year 511 Archduke Norvol II dies at the age of 48. The folloing year, 512, sees a second Merchant Rebellion that lasts all the way through into 513, and though it too is repressed, the death of Archduke Norvol II, the unrest of the Merchant class, and the high taxes levied by the new Archduke (Archduke Benio DeLatorez IV) leads to the First Populace Rebellion, which results in more dealth than the previous two Merchant Rebellions combined. In the year 516 the island of Quassa is colonised, and plans are made to launch a mainland invasion of Nadhall, however, in the year 518, the Second Populace Rebellion tears through the country, and for the first time the rioting reaches the capital: the Archduke is forced to flee Atzior, and the invasion plans are forgotten. The uprising is put down within six months, but in it's wake the third and final Merchant Rebellion begins, and in the year 519 the Archduke is overthrown and exiled, with his ministers and loyalist forces, to the island of Dozqa. In the year 520 the DSQ is established, and the CMRDSQ is formed as a union for spice merchants. The SMRD is disbanded, and many of it's members move to Brellor, which is then recognised as an official state, rather than a colony, near the end of the reformation. Empire History: The DSQ, the CMRDSQ, and the End to the Pre-Modern Period of Rapid Colonial Expansion In the year 546 the newly-formed DSQ launches a series of military campaigns against the Rhugaiya; capturing their protectorate, the island of Buarno, and in the year 551, after defeating part of the Rhugaiya navy, the DSQ colonises the island of Bardos. The year 554 saw a full-scale invasion, counter-invasion, and repression on the island of North Bardos by the DSQ against the resident Rhugaiya forces: this ended to the benefit of the DSQ, who then controlled all three of The Bueminos islands, and in the year 567 they split up their forces, and sending the better part of their navy north, they attempted an invasion of Tost. This invasion, which has come to be known as The Invasion of Tost, was the deathknell to the unstopable force of the DSQ navy: they were slaughtered. The superior technology and training of the Dwarfen ships and crew allowed them to outmanouver the over-confident under-trained draftees that manned the warships of the Daldineor Navy, and though the DSQ tried three times to force a landing only the third attempt managed to break through the Dwarfen armada, and the invasion lasted less than a day befire the soldiers were captured, killed or fled as their ships burned across the water. Meanwhile the smaller section of the DSQ navy made an attempt to capture the Orcish island of Tinia, but withdrew upon hearing of the northern invasion and the need for all remaining forces to hold the DSQs existing colonies. After a series of bloody encounters the CMRDSQ aided a breakaway faction of the Schlausser, and in return for peace and their position as a protectorate, the CMRDSQ supported their claim to The Brommontinez, as well as granting them the island of Buarno. Two years after the failed invasion of Tost, and 75 years after the first ships landed on Tchaka, the DSQ launched it's new navy (what five years ago would have seemed like a token fleet), and landed in a small port-town of North-East Dorrok. In an attempt to boost popular support for colonialism, amidsts a steadily declining beliefe in Daldinean colonial legitimacy, the DSQ captured the town and re-named it Errisicci. The next fifteen years became known as The Slow Invasion, and during this time the CMRDSQ was instated as the chief colonial administrative body. The CMRDSQ was given full legislative and executive powers over the trade and incomes of Daldineor's colonies -- answerable to none but the Supreme Government of the DSQ itself, and since that day the flag of the CMRDSQ has flown high over nine tenths of the ships that make up the Daldinean navy. In the year 590 the last island of the Dharda region: Malia, was colonised. It is currently the year 600, and the empire is at a crossroads. The CMRDSQ have grown in power, and rivals even the DSQ itself, although the factions inside are at a tipping point themselves: each vieing for ever greater political and economic power in the council; some having lost the authority and influence they one held, and others seeing opportunity in their counyterparts fall from prominence. The DSQ, despite having no ongoing mainland wars, is under military pressure from Eastern Mandari, in the form of the Kingdom of Quastia, and their position as colonial superpower is being directly challenged by the Kingdom of Meshajs. The ruling class of merchants have managed to hold onto their power for over three quarters of a century, but the lower classes are growing restless as these traiders become fat and rich: shifting from well-off middle-class seamen to corrupt and tyranical bourgeoisie overlords. Kommerdask (CMRDSQ) The "Ciecce Romahio Remma verre Daldineor Sienta Disquarsas (CMRDSQ)", or Kommerdask in the Daldein Pigeon of the Dhardan Colonies, is the union of merchants in charge of the governance of the DSQs colonial interests.

CMRDSQ translates to "The Colonial Teritories Under the Mercantile Republid of Daldineor", and is an elected board of seven merchants each chosen by their peers to represent their own stage of trade: Together these Merchants run the colonies and manage trade, all the while reporting back to the DSQ itself.
 * 1 Merchant representing the island of Tchaka
 * 1 Merchant representing the Merchants of Dharda
 * 1 Merchant from Buarmo
 * 1 Merchant from Northern Bardos
 * 1 Merchant from Errisicci
 * 2 Merchants representing the colony on Dorrok

Political Tensions in the CMRDSQ

 * There has been concern expressed that the CMRDSQ might declare independance, or thay some of the factions may break off from the empire, however ties between the Mainland and Colonial wings of the DSQ are currently stable, and none of the Mainland DSQ representatives have seen it as a great enough threat to stability to risk implementing preventative measures at the offence of the CMRDSQ.
 * The merchants of Dharda  are underreperesented in the CMRDSQ. This issue has its source from then the union was first appointed as the chief administrative organisation of Daldineor's colonies: when Dharda was more sparcely populated, and held three seats to Dorrok's one. However, with the introduction and loss of new and old colonies seats have been given, removed and re-shared around in an attempt to keep the party at an odd number to avoid stalemates. This reconfiguration has left the most economically influential, and most heavily populated colonial sector, without the influence it had previously been accustomed to as the first of the existing colonies.
 * Many of the colonies within the DSQ desire their status of "colony" to be upgraded to "state", as Brellor's was in the year 520. This movement springs from the lack of political representation many of the lesser colonies recieve in the DSQ. However both the CMRDSQ and the DSQ dislike the idea of their own power being diminished; either by the loss of direct control over a teritory in the case of the CMRDSQ, or the dilution of DSQ power, shared umong an order of mainland merchants reaching back over eighty years.