An Overview of Anealeas
Facts
| Fact | |
|---|---|
| Population | ~4,000,000 (60/sqmi) |
| Area | ~65,000 sqmi |
| Government | Oligarchy |
| Ruler | Drani, Suzerain of Oenklay |
| Dominant Species | Myrn, Bryn |
Cities and Towns
| City | Population |
|---|---|
| Maande | 260,000 |
| -------------------------------- | --------- |
| Maidins | 47,000 |
| Walferd | 43,000 |
| Pitworth | 35,000 |
| Plainingsea | 32,000 |
| Durlinghead | 28,000 |
| Urnwick | 26,000 |
Details
Anealeas is by far the most populous of the Five Provinces. Most mainlanders think of Anealeas when they think of Oenklay.
Outside of the towns and cities, feudalistic manorial practices still dominate agricultural lands in Anealeas. The majority of persons are serfs who have guaranteed rights and obligations passed down across generations. This includes entitlement to land to be worked, tithes, etc. A free peasant in Anealeas is looked down upon as man or woman with no position in life who must live from one menial job to the next. Wealth is looked upon as the real source of freedom, not some legal code. A great many “freedmen” toil away working for “non-free” serfs who control far more land than they could possibly ever work themselves. This doesn't mean being a serf is easy, and a great many are barely getting by themselves, but it isn't slavery in Anealeas. The largest city is Maande with a population hovering around 60,000 or so. A substantial portion of the urban population are serfs who have run away from their manors or freedmen who have no place else to go.
Urban society is dominated by the complex relationship between nobles and wealthy merchants. Guilds keep the worst excesses of the elite in check, but only for their members. The lower strata of merchants and guild members have little political voice, but their economic power shields their lifestyle. Town dwellers who do not have the protection of regular employer or guild rely on day labor and less lawful means to get by.
Suzerain Drani rules with an iron hand, but cares little for mundane matters. Thus, the watches of cities, towns, and villages protect the property and revenue of the elite and Drani's government, but leave the small merchants, working class and lower class to rely on their own resources for their welfare. These groups rely on private protection societies that range from little more than racketeering street gangs to the Syndicate - an Oenklay wide organization that is equal parts private watch, mercenary company, and organized crime ring. The Syndicate provides better protection than most city watches throughout Oenklay, but only for its members. Those who do not pay
Anealeas holds a great deal of sway over diminutive Romhai, but the two frequently skirmish over their precise border and who gets to style themself King (Choshre) or Queen (Drani) of Oenklay. Currently, the border runs closer to Anealeas's fortress of Caer Aeti than Romhai's town of Vengril, but both rulers still style themselves as the one true monarch and maintain militaries to protect their claims.