The island of Kuntacia is some 175 miles NW to SE and 100 miles SW to NW.
The Freeport of Kuntax, which lies around a sheltered deep water harbour on the SW coast of the island, was established in the Year 1441 by merchants out of Valdrea, as a base for trading operations in the South. It grew rapidly, and when in the Year 1500 the Demarcation of SARAN set the boundaries of the Valdrean Empire as a thousand mile radius from the Sun Diamond in Valdran, its inhabitants took the opportunity to Declare its Independence from the Empire. The merchants retained their hold on the city, forming the powerful Merchants’ Guild of Kuntax (the "MGK") to monopolise trade and all forms of commercial activity, and to govern at first the city but eventually the whole island, which became known as Kuntacia, after the city.
The Guild is governed by a Council, consisting of the top merchants of Kuntax as elected by Guild Members. Membership of the Council is permanent. At present there are 25 Councillors. At the end of each year the Council elects from its number a President and a Vice-President to hold office for the following year. It is usual for the Vice-President to succeed to the Presidency. Each post may be held no more frequently than once every five years.
The Council is predominantly of Neutral / Neutral beliefs, and its traditional policy is "Freedom of Trade and Belief", which has become the motto of the MGK. This is subject to two important exceptions:
Guild Membership is limited to the owners of businesses. Their employees (journeymen and apprentices), together with other ordinary Kuntacians make up the large second class of citizens: the free. Below them are the unfree: serfs and slaves. However, the MGK exercises strict control over the taking of slaves. Most of the vast wealth of Kuntax is in the hands of the Guild Members. But in general it is true to say that the free citizens, and to a lesser extent the unfree, are still better off than their counterparts in the rest of the world. About all it takes for an ordinary Kuntacian to become a Guild Member is plenty of money. Conversely, the Guild Member who loses his business can lose his status.
All the former Gods of Heaven are worshipped in Kuntax. The Temple of KOROS is strongest, but the Gods of Good, Law and Good / Law also command considerable support. The Gods of Evil are also worshipped, but secretly because of the ban.
The MGK maintains a substantial "peacekeeping force".
Go to the People page for this territory
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