Free-State of Tabis

The Free-State of Tabis is a city-state based in the city of Tabis. A haven for magic users and exiles from other nations, it has a strong independent and deviant culture. It is bordered to the east by the Wide Ocean and to the north, south and west by the Melentine Republic.

History
Recorded history has always shown the Free-State of Tabis as an independent State, having been a monarchy since written word reached the land. It largely weathered the great wars of the eras, famously staying neutral. Despite this, they payed tribute to the Empire of Illafaz after threats of a mass invasion after Emperor Gratiun was displeased with the lack of respect showed by an ambassador in the year -389. After the war of magic, the King of Tabis, Wirst IX, endorsed Aralst of Salran as the rightful claimant to the throne, whist maintaining Tabisian independence.

The rule of the kings came to an end with the ascension of Terrence "the Terrible", widely considered to have a mental illness, in 114. Within months, he closed all borders, and instituted enforced fasting periods, lasting for up to 3 days. This became intolerable for everyone but Terrence in the city, and he was killed by a mob outside the Palace. Afterwards a new Prince and Council system was established, and has been in power to this day.

With the discovery of Nathurmite in the year 870, Tabis made the decision to ban the substance due to the power of magical organization. Because of this, it has had an influx of magic users, as immigrants, seeking to live away from the substance.

Geography
The Free State of Tabis is entirely centered on the city of Tabis, with relatively little development outside of the city. Despite this, the city exerts a disproportionate amount of influence over the surrounding terrain. To the north, the Rocklands strech to the Collio Isthmus. The Rocklands is sparsely dotted with hovels and shacks where subsistence farmers make their meets, occasionally selling food at the markets in the city. Between patches of grazable grass, are wastelands of rocks, largely weathered down over years of coastal rains.

To the west is Lake Collio, a large shallow lake. There are a few small fishing settlements on the lakeside, but despite the treaty which places the border with the Melentine Rebublic at the midpoint of the lake, this border is rarely enforced.

To the south is the Great Delta of the Melentine, where patrol boats actively enforce Tabis' claim of the northern half. Within the delta, there are huts inhabited by fur trappers, and foragers.

To the east is the Wide Ocean, with rocky beaches forming the boundaries. Tabis exerts naval control over a large portion of water from the coast, protecting fishermen from piracy.

Government
The government is comprised of two parts, the Prince of Tabis, Joaxin Aldritch II and the Council. The Prince is the head of the Government and of State, also being the chief diplomat and grand admiral of the navy. The Prince will often designate assistants, often members of the Council to oversee specific affairs of government, although these roles are technically unofficial. The Prince is elected by unanimous consent by the council, although the Aldritch family has effectively had a monopoly on the role for 600 years, albeit with a few gaps in between.

The Council is comprised of 35 members. The members are divided based on the possession of council medallions, distributed in the year 172 to various interest groups. Over time these medallions have found their way to many institutions, including 15 belonging to families, 9 belonging to various workers guilds, 6 belonging to the Magical Union of Tabis, with the remainder belonging one each to the priests of the Tarastacal Church of Tabis, the Harbourmaster, the Rocklands Association, and perhaps more controversially, a representative from the Melentine Republic and the Pirates association. The council passes laws, but most of it's day to day business is as the court of the city, where most cases are held. This has lead to council members referred to colloquially as "Judges".

Politically, there are divides between the wealthy family members and the workers guilds, but these are largely minor. In general the council is in majority consent, with deals being done behind doors to ensure each group gets it's interests met.

Law is enforced by the Tabisian Patrols, a guild of skilled warriors which also guard the borders. On top of this, patrolmen are allowed 8 months of mercenary work a yeat, as the salary provided by the state is note enough to sustain a comfortable lifestyle.

Economy
The economy of the Free State of Tabis is based around a myriad of industries. Many are employed in the fishing industry, supplying the bulk of the food to the city, and often salvaging wrecks off the rocky coast. There is a large artisan industry, famous for making intricate goods. The shipyards are central to the economy, providing a center for trade, transit and fishing. As Nathurmite is banned, there is no mass industry sector, instead being replaced by a large business of magic, centered around the Magical Union. Tabis is a hub for piracy, whilst the practice is technically illegal, it is seldom enforced.

Ethnicity
The Tabisians are a diverse people, with large amounts of migration to and from the city. As a result of this, most people are of mixed ethnicity, often simply referred to as "Tabisian". The native people of the area were melentinian. Here is a table showing the makeup of Tabisian heritage:

Language
Coastian is spoken as the lingua franca between all groups, however Old Melentinian is spoken by some slightly less open communities, making it one of the only places where this language has native speakers. Tabis has it's own dialect called Tabisian, featuring many foreign loanwords.

Religion
Within Tabis, religion is split largely between Personalism and those without faith. Despite this there are strong traditions of Ancient Polytheism, and a small devout following of the Tarastacal Church of Tabis. Here is a table:

Culture
The culture of Tabis is diverse and vibrant, with magic use, artisan-ship and seafaring being large parts of it. People are generally less trusting, and secretive.