Politics: Magocracy of Diarl
The Magocracy of Diarl is a loose collection of city-states in and around the Forest of Diarl, in southwestern Molandum. The capital city, Maringolmo (ma-reen-GOAL-mo) was founded by Kalrios Dilark in 178 CR, though it did not become an officially-recognized political body until the early 200's.
History
During the War of the Illusionist, when Kalrios accompanied Tarian to defeat Kotrit Wayveri, he came across - and collected - a number of texts from the Tower of Illusions, in order to better understand the epic magics that Kotrit had commanded. Upon his return to the Hofstadt Confederacy, Kalrios began to study these works intensely, hoping to unlock the secrets that had allowed Kotrit access to magic beyond mortal ken.
The fallout of the War of the Illusionist, however, made the study of magic difficult, even in the Confederacy. Along with the other members of the Nine, Kalrios was hailed as a hero, but his search for the same sort of power that Kotrit had wielded made him something of a pariah; this, combined with the increasing amounts of Technology in the Confederacy, made his studies difficult.
Around 150 CR, having nearly exhausted the entirety of the supply of texts he had acquired from the Tower of Illusions, Kalrios found mention of an ancient library built by the Arkeyans in a long-lost age, in which they had placed a copy of almost every work their civilization had produced - including those on the nature of Magic. Keen on finding this cache of lost knowledge, Kalrios - along with Netanya Loku - set off on an adventure across the globe. Kalrios' search for the library bordered on obsession, and the pair traveled the world hunting down every mention of lost secrets and old cave systems in which the entrance to the library might lie.
At last, in CR 176, Kalrios found what he was looking for. Within the bowels of the Forest of Diarl, what at first seemed to be a natural outcropping of stone amidst the trees revealed itself to be a magically-concealed entryway into what the Arkeyans had named the Great Gubal Library. Finding the wards beyond his power to remove, Kalrios and Netanya set up camp, and Kalrios spent several months studying the abjurations, then - one by one - peeling away the protective layers, eventually gaining access.
Not wanting to take part of this great cache of knowledge alone - and not knowing what perils laid dormant within - Kalrios sent out a call for allies and peers: students of the arcane, warriors interested in testing their skills against whatever monstrosities made the ancient library its lair, and explorers eager to be among the first to enter a place unseen by civilized eyes in millenia. Many answered the call, and a temporary base camp was set up around the entrance to the library. Over time, as more and more people came and more treasures were recovered from the library, more permanent buildings were required to house them and the individuals going in; and thus, what began as a simple camp grew, eventually, into a small village, then into a town. By 178 CR, it was obvious that this settlement was now effectively permanent, and Kalrios gave it a name befitting its purpose: Maringolmo, home of the lorekeepers.
A new library was constructed over the entrance to the old, in part to house the lore and items recovered from the original's depths, but also to help control access to the still-dangerous locale. Despite having been exploring the Great Gubal Library for years, many branches were yet unexplored; shifts in the continents had caused parts of the library to become disconnected from others, great yawning chasms ripping vaulted rooms asunder, while dangerous vilekin that had not seen light in millenia were roused from their slumber by the movements of intruders.
Meanwhile, as the population grew, Kalrios found himself less and less involved in the day-to-day activities of the library and more involved in local politics. Given that it was his camp to begin with, Kalrios himself had initially overseen disputes between individuals: he sought peace and a place that Magic might be studied, above all else, and sought to end disputes quickly with those goals in mind. As more and more people flocked to his cause, however, he found that administration became more important. Once Maringolmo was named, Kalrios resigned himself to becoming its official leader, establishing it as a magocracy: knowledge and skill in the arts arcane were of paramount importance here, and while he welcomed the presence of other forces, made it understood that - here, at least - Magic came first. His goal was not to discourage the study of other forces or even seek them out and destroy them, but his time in the Confederacy had convinced him that while peace among the forces was possible, they would each need their own place to be studied and practiced without the interference of the others.
In 188 CR, James Watanabe, an enterprising economically-minded clavat, who had come to Maringolmo with a shipment of goods, determined that the burgeoning city might be better served by other similarly-minded locations nearby that could supply the settlement with local commerce, rather than importing everything. Watanabe took his crew and a number of malcontents from Maringolmo and settled another city on the nearby coast, establishing roads and travel. While Kalrios was initially distrustful of this arrangement, Watanabe assured him that this new city - Tiriostoldó (tear-ree-oh-STOLE-doe), which Watanabe named using Kalrios' native Quendi - would be tied inextricably to Maringolmo, following its leadership in terms of laws and ideals, and be essentially a client city to Maringolmo. While initially uncertain of how to deal with this notion, Kalrios was reminded of the city-states of the Ronkan Empire, which had seemed to function well enough; Kalrios decided to give the clavat his blessing, and thus was born the first of the additional city-states of the Magocracy. Watanabe's trade contacts would prove incredibly useful over time, giving the Magocracy access to the imports of other nations and eventually allowing the Magocracy to become officially recognized as a nation in 212 CR.
