Delmaran

The Nation of Overworked Clerks

History
A country born of necessity, Delmaran was originally a march, two viccounties, and a handful of baronies that banned together when Arathon fell apart, and they were cut off from the capital by the rise of the Grand Duchy. Most of the nobles who owned the land were in the capital when the fighting started, and the one or two in residence at the time went into hiding for fear they would meet the same fate as the nobles in the capital. As such, the new government was built by stewards and other such highly educated common people or noble adjacents. They named the country something simple yet fanciful as a temporary placeholder until they could establish law and order, but by the time everything settled, the name had become permanent.

''“Why not Delmaran? Meaning ‘from the sea comes the land, and all the people’s prosperity with it’?” Suggested the steward’s aide, quoting an old poem. The steward just harrumphed, but wrote it down, as he just wanted to get the draft written in time for the assembly and the suggestion was as good as any he’d been given that week.''

During the war that broke up Arathon, Delmaran tried to reach the capital by pushing through what is now the Grand Duchy, but failed. This is part of why they own a chunk of the Grand Duchy.

Government
Delmaran is a geniocratic democracy. To join the government, you must pass a government exam to prove that you’re not useless, and can understand and therefore make informed decisions on policy. People who pass this “qualification” exam are sorted based on their scores and expressed preferences. However, top decision-making positions, such as the country’s president, are chosen by a liquid democratic vote from the top officials in the country (meaning those with the highest scores). You cannot re-take the initial exam, but there are “promotion” exams to move higher up in the government.

Position Towards Sladora
Delmaran sympathizes with Sladora, but cannot outright support them, because they have to take care of themselves. They have a responsibility to their own citizens, and thus do not do anything without benefit, though part of that benefit might be “to establish a useful ally” and cause Sladora to be beholden to them.

Support During the Sladoran Revolution
During the Sladoran Revolution, Delmaran offered to send ambassadors to help teach Sladorans how to govern themselves. In return, Sladora had to waive taxes on trade with Delmaran traders for a set amount of time. They also managed to setup a few clauses in the Sladoran government that was beneficial to them, but made sure not to put anything detrimental to the Sladoras in, as they wanted to keep good faith and honor between the two countries.

Treaty with Sladora
Delmaran has slaves, but after the Sladora revolution they brokered a treaty with Sladora to slowly free all slaves in their territory: After 10 years, no new slaves would be created, and all existing slaves would live out their lives as such, unless they purchased their freedom (a system that already existed in Delmaran). With this, Delmaran became the preferred trade partner with Sladora.

Removal of Slavery
Due to the loss of slaves in the country, debtors have instead become “indentured servants”, who hold rights slaves don’t, and have a set amount of time they will serve before being released.