Korymbos (pronounced coh-RIM-bose) is a nation at the western gateway to the Chaska whose bustling and vibrant emporiums are the crown jewel of the Bronze Sea, bringing together merchants and peoples from far and wide. The nation's navy, often called the Great Wall at Sea, has earned a reputation as unbeatable after defeating Tamkaranu, the Halakran League, and Viridia in relatively quick succession.
Geography, flora, and fauna
Korymbos encompasses the eastern half of the island of Nivaria at the westernmost edge of the Chaska Sea, as well as the islands of Ombrion, Planasia, and many smaller islands between these three. The eastern coast of the island enjoys much calmer weather than the western side, which is frequently battered by storms from the Sea of Khoros. Generally speaking the climate of Korymbos is characterized by fairly low seasonality and warm yet not hot weather year-round.
Most of the coastline of Nivaria consists of either sandy or rocky shores, but some beaches along the southern coast are instead made of high quality salt. Many islanders tell tales of brine dragons that make their lairs on the shore in these parts, yet these dragons have not been seen in many years, if they ever existed at all.
The interior of Nivaria is primarily scrub forest, full of evergreen shrubs and small trees along with taller pines and cedars. Tar seeps dot the inland hills, far more common in Nivaria than in almost anywhere else in the world. Cypress arboreals can be found in the inland hills and more rarely closer to the Korymban settlements.
In addition to plentiful smaller animals, Nivaria is home to Nivarian sheep, moas, foxes, and more, in addition to many kinds of seals, whales, dolphins, and other marine life. There are relatively few natural predators on the island.
History
Prehistory
Long ago Nivaria was an important part of the ancient cyclopean nations that once spanned much of the Chaska Sea. Still magnificent despite their ruin, many of their old palaces can be found across the island, clearly showing the heights of their wealth and power. Whatever significance Nivaria had that led to the construction of these palaces was lost long ago, even before the end of the city-builder period, and today it has been forgotten entirely, left as an enduring mystery for scholars, archeologists, and sages to puzzle.
Colonization
Centuries after the cyclopean realms declined and abandoned Nivaria, the island was settled once more by peoples of Hellean and Meklovian descent, who established a great many small seaside towns and villages. As they explored Nivaria and scouted the cyclopean ruins they found an oddity - the southeast of the island, though home to some advantageous natural harbors, was seemingly avoided entirely by the cyclops. It was not until several hundred years later, however, that they discovered why. Underneath the small town of Ninmena an anchor site was unearthed, carefully warded by many layers of forgotten cyclopean magic. Unlike all others known at the time or now, this anchor site allowed for teleportation to many locations around the Chaska and even farther afield. Seeing the opportunity in such a discovery, these early settlers were joined by waves of new colonists, primarily out of Tamkaranu, merchants who sought their fortunes through the trade such an anchor site, and Korymbos' ideal location, would allow.
Ninmena grew rapidly into a bustling metropolis, but so too did many other cities up and down the coast, their prosperity tied even more than Ninmena's to merchant vessels plying the waves. Though Korymbos, as the region was now called by its inhabitants, was nominally independent, it retained extremely close ties with Tamkaranu in the eastern Chaska.
Under Tirione
As with other Tamkaranu colonies around the Chaska Sea, the rise of the necromancer Belet-Shuthnir in Y8031* and the subsequent Eastern Crusade had a profound effect on Korymbos. As Tamkaranu attempted to fight back against her undead forces, the colonies were effectively cut loose from the metropole, forced to go their own way. Though most other colonies suffered during this time, their trade routes effectively vanishing, Korymbos continued to thrive, becoming a regional power in its own right.
This was not to last long, however, as the end of the crusade and the formation of the Kingdom of Tirione out of the ashes of Tamkaranu brought further changes. While the new monarchy cared little for the various small colonies on the western and southern coasts of the Chaska, Korymbos was a different matter entirely, as they saw Nivaria and its ports as too great a source of wealth, power, and prestige to let slip from their grasp. Their armies, battle-hardened from the long war against Belet-Shuthnir, were sent across the sea, where they brought Korymbos under their control, ruling it in a far more direct manner than it had enjoyed previously. While its cities were still the destination of many a merchant vessel, the monarchy imposed heavy taxes on the people of Korymbos, funneling the wealth from their trade back to the metropole to fund their own endeavors.
Independence and the rise of the Great Wall at Sea
When unrest in Tirione led to the collapse of the monarchy and the establishment of Tamkaranu as a unified republic in Y9360*, the people of Korymbos saw opportunity and quickly declared themselves independent as well. Even while reeling from the upheaval at home, the new shufet of Tamkaranu were unwilling to let Korymbos go, seeing in it the same wealth as the previous kingdom so coveted. In Y9365* A force was sent west across the Chaska Sea once again, but this time Korymbos was ready, having spent the last five years amassing a fleet of merchant vessels retrofitted into warships. This Great Wall at Sea, as the fleet became known, were successful in driving away the Tamkaranu fleet after a great battle off the coast of Planasia, sending their would-be subjugators fleeing back east.
This was not the end of Korymbos' troubles, however. Other powers around the Chaska Sea saw the still fledgling nation and wished to control it themselves - after all, while it may have repelled Tamkaranu, its war of independence was against a foe still weakened by decades of internal strife and finding its own footing. A coalition of Hellean city-states within the Halakran League, led by Hekaerge, amassed a navy of their own, which they sent forth to Korymbos in Y9392*. This fleet too was defeated, chased back to Hellea by the victorious Great Wall following a series of limited skirmishes near Tarraco and Siga.
But even this attempted invasion was not the last one the nascent nation faced, for Viridia at the time too had ambitions in the Chaska. The Viridian monarch at the time, Avus IV, sought a new victory to bolster the his alliances within the senate following the challenges faced by the legions in holding Razgovir and Ishtar. The Viridian navy left its berths in the Phiora Sea and sailed south in Y9401*, where they encountered the Great Wall over three hundred miles east of Nivaria, near the underwater city of Tritorei. Though the battle was terrible for all, the Great Wall ultimately held - further Viridian attempts at taking Korymbos were halted by the death of Avus IV the following year.
Having successfully defended Korymbos in three successive wars, the Great Wall at Sea attracted a reputation as unbeatable, a legacy they continue to foster in the present day.
Demographics
Even compared to other nations around the Chaska Sea, Korymbos is very cosmopolitan. Humans, dwarves, elves, [[tengu], orcs, half-elves, half-orcs, gnomes, and every other ancestry can be found there, hailing from places near and far. The forebears of most individuals in Korymbos arrived on the island nation from Tamkaranu, Hellea, Thadria, Meklaw, Khapesh, and even Rothurland, but it is not at all unusual to hear a language or see a traditional dress from regions much further afield than any of these.
Culture
Religion
All manner of faiths from around the Chaska Sea are present in Korymbos, and some from places even past its shores. The gods of the Chaskan, Hellean, and Khapeshan pantheon are commonly worshiped in Korymbos, alongside those of the Talgazan, Tengu, Dwarven, and Elven pantheons to lesser degrees. Temples and shrines to all these deities, and to those not associated with any pantheon, are commonly found in the large cities of Korymbos as well as in some of the smaller towns. Faith in Korymbos tends to be highly syncretic, with many people giving offerings to deities of multiple origins. The inhabitants of Korymbos have attracted a reputation for being largely accepting of all religions and systems of belief as long as their practitioners do not engage in violence.
It is common in cities like Ninmena to see public religious ceremonies and celebrations marking special occasions nearly every day of the year.
Travel
A great many ships arrive and depart the ports of Korymbos every day, bringing with them an endless procession of visitors, some of whom choose to stay permanently, and trade goods from foreign lands. These artificial ports, built in the image of ancient Tamkaranu designs, can be found in each major city in Korymbos, though some are the site of multiple, so large is the number of ships they must accommodate.
Though far fewer people travel using to Korymbos using it, compared to those who make the journey over the waves, the anchor site in Ninmena has been crucial in cementing the status of Korymbos as the crossroads of the Chaska. Known as the Eight-Winds Hall, this anchor site connects to at least two dozen others around the Chaska and even to several farther away in the Three Great Seas, such as one in the western Aban Steppe. Discovered by the early Hellean and Meklovian settlers of Nivaria, the city of Ninmena later grew around the Eight-Winds Hall after it was fully excavated. Today it is extremely well guarded and warded to protect against any unwanted visitors. Use of the Eight-Winds Hall is primarily limited to the very wealthy and powerful due to the costs of teleportation, but even then a slow trickle of people come and go via the site every day. Korymban diplomats frequently make use of the Eight-Winds Hall to travel to far-away nations for negotiations.
Trade
Through its position at the gateway of the Chaska equidistant from Hellea and the Western Coast, as well as due to the presence of the Eight-Winds Hall and its connections to many other lands, Korymbos has become an extremely successful center of trade. Every manner of goods can be found in the emporiums of Korymban ports, which are constantly busy and bustling with activity even into the hours of the night. Finished goods of all descriptions, rare resources, foodstuffs, magical items, and more can be bought in the emporiums from merchants both local and from faraway lands. There is a common saying in Korymbos - if you can't find what you're looking for in the emporiums, then it most likely does not exist.
Languages
Most inhabitants of Korymbos are fluent in multiple languages - proficiency in at least three languages is typical, and more is not unusual. Common is spoken by broad swathes of the population, but most people prefer to use their own regional or ancestral tongues when possible. Telan, Hellean, Thadrian, Meroitic, Tengu, Orcish, Dwarven, and others are widespread in Korymbos, though this is in no way a complete list.
Military
Though for centuries they have only been involved in low-scale conflicts against pirates and upstart city-states and areqalates of the Western Coast, the navy of Korymbos, the Great Wall at Sea, has maintained a formidable reputation from their past wars. The Great Wall continues to patrol the western Chaska Sea and eastern Sea of Khoros, mostly to protect the main trade routes to the nation and the merchants that travel them. Service in the Great Wall is considered a respectable way to elevate one's position in society, if one can find their way into a role leading a crew - if nothing else, it certainly pays much better to be a sailor in the Korymban navy than in many others around the Chaska Sea. Like most other nearby navies, the Great Wall primarily fields galleys, largely biremes or triremes.
The Korymban army is almost entirely composed of foreign auxiliaries - largely Meklovian, Ishtaran, and Razivian - who are effectively mercenaries in service to the state. The army primarily guards the ports of Korymbos as well as the Eight-Winds Hall.
Occupations
Artisan's workshops in Korymbos tend to be, but are not always, associated with the temples of its cities and towns, and many of the most skilled Korymban artisans are also priests or priestesses.
Food and cuisine
Though fish and other seafood - molluscs are particularly favored - account for a significant part of the Korymban diet, the nation also relies heavily on the farms of the interior of Nivaria and those that surround all of its major cities. Using terraces inspired by those of Meklaw to build usable land out of the hilly landscape, Korymban farmers grow legumes, grapes, figs, olives, olives, garlic, squash, and more. Especially in the cities this is supplemented by large amounts of foodstuffs imported from abroad. The spice markets in the Korymban emporiums are especially famous for the sheer variety of goods that can be bought and the long distances they were carried to bring them to the island nation.
Architecture and urbanization
Like in Tamkaranu, Korymban architecture tends to favor mud brick or stone construction, usually with flat roofs made of stone or thatch. This simple yet refined architectural style, similar to those long used in the lands around the eastern Chaska Sea, has been fused with styles of Hellean and Meklovian architecture. It is not unusual to see buildings showing all three origins, and blends of them, all amongst each other in the larger cities of Korymbos.
Korymbos has a heavily urban population, concentrated in southeastern Nivaria and northern Planasia and Ombrion.
Arts
Of all of the works of Korymban artists, none are as well-known or as celebrated as their frescoes. Painted in temples, governmental halls, public spaces, the homes of the wealthy, and more, these portray all manner of subjects, though religious and historical imagery are the most common. Korymban frescoes are notable for their sense of movement and their prioritization of expressing life over accuracy.
Fashion
Korymban clothing, like that of Tamkaranu, primarily centers around simple tunics and robes, similar in style to those widespread on the eastern coast of the Chaska Sea. Among the common people clothing is usually sparsely decorated or ornamented, while both are far more widespread among the upper class. Most clothes are made of linen or cotton and dyed in various colors. Purple is especially popular among the upper class. Other often-seen styles of clothing include those of Hellea, Viridia, and the tengu of Meklaw.
Burial practices
The graves of deceased Korymbans, or at least those whose families can afford the expense, are marked by rounded stelae. Upon these are inscribed the individual's accomplishments, familial relations, or whatever else they wish to be remembered for. These inscriptions can become quite lengthy at times, limited only by the size of the stelae.
Government
Korymbos continues to maintain a system of government inherited from Tamkaranu in which most power ultimately rests in figures called shufet, essentially elected judges. Two of these judges are elected by each city in Korymbos to serve one- or two- year terms. While these judges have expansive executive and judicial powers, they also preside over elected city-level assemblies who advise the shufet.
In this form of diarchy, any shufet can veto the actions of their peer, thus forcing them to negotiate and reach an agreement on any issue in which they hold differing views. On certain matters the shufet must defer to their assemblies, most notably on any question of military action, trade embargo, or other such diplomatic activity.
Above the shufet is the judge-council. Formed of all the shufet of each city of Korymbos, the judge-council is responsible for any decision that affects the nation as a whole rather than only a single city.
Korymbos has universal suffrage - any adult inhabitant of a city or its surrounding regions may vote, regardless of time of residency, occupation, social status, or other such factors. Unlike in Tamkaranu, shufet in Korymbos are given a salary as compensation, which has opened the role up to those who were not already in possession of wealth.
Economy
Korymbos' economy is firmly rooted in trade. Merchants from far away flock to the emporiums of its port cities, buying and selling all manner of goods, everything from raw resources to finished goods of the finest craftsmanship. Korymban fishers and farmers support local populations, and its craftspeople meet local needs, but the nation does not export great amounts, preferring instead to make its wealth through imposing tariffs on foreign merchants and visitors and providing them with goods and services while they visit the emporiums.
Relations
The emporiums of Korymbos are open to merchants and visitors from everywhere, even places like the Halakran League, Viridia, and Tamkaranu, all of whom previously waged war against the island nation. The Korymban people prefer to look towards future possibilities rather than towards past strife - after all, their prosperity only increases with more people drawn to their cities and ports.
In recent years the shufet of Korymbos have made efforts towards annexing the various small cities and towns on the western half of Nivaria, mostly independent areqalates, but these efforts have been largely rebuffed.