Lore

Melluria

"The mines give to me so I give back to them; no one stands alone" — a nation bound to its shifts in the mines.

“The mines give to me so I give back to them; no one stands alone.”

This is the motto that every citizen of Melluria is taught from a young age and takes to heart when they take their monthly shift in the mines. The work may get hard sometimes, but they’re never without help and resources to get the job done and to see that what they do benefits everyone at the end of the day. They take great pleasure as they see the sparks fly and hear the rumble of machines large and small. Melluria is one of the main suppliers of ore, metals, and other materials in Aeledd, and Mellurians are renowned for the high quality of the materials they produce and how they shape it to fill the needs of their culture and the world.

Geography, History, and Climate

Geography

Melluria has many mountains in the southern area of the country where much of the ore they mine can be found. Further north is dotted with a few cities where most of the population lives, with wide roads connecting each. In the far southwest corner of the country are the ruins of the original capital, Silviar, which was abandoned after The Great Tragedy destroyed most of the city. A day’s walk north is the busy port town of Hilltague, where most of the materials and goods that are carried by boat via the inland sea are processed and sent to their destination. The headquarters for the Traders Guild may be found here.

The southern central area of the country contains Mount Carnel, an active volcano which has had a few intense eruptions in the past. Much of the area near the volcano is still hostile to plant life due to the heat. However, rich mineral deposits have also been found there so some are willing to risk the heat to explore and mine.

Further past the cities are the farms that grow most of the food. They’ve become very efficient when using the latest tools and other machines that come out of the cities to plant and harvest. The town of Lake Cavan in the north central region is a popular destination for recreation, especially to get away from the summer heat in the south. Melluria was heavily forested in the past but much of it has been cleared in the south and central regions to be put to use in building farms and expanding the cities to the south.

To the southeast of Lake Cavan near is the current capital, Saphiren City. This is home to the Mellurian Council and headquarters for the Miners, Machinists, Farmers, and Crafters guilds. It is also where the nearest lattice node may be found. Many of the factories in Melluria are nearby, working night and day to produce the goods that make Melluria famous.

Climate

In the far north is the port town of Basanite, where goods that travel via the oceans around the world are traded, other smaller towns dot the landscape.

The climate is generally cool at higher elevations with occasional storms blowing in from the western seas. Summers in the south tend to be hot and vary with the amount of rain, some swear it becomes even hotter when all of the ore processing machines are running full-tilt in the cities. The northern region has long winters but very mild summers in comparison.

The far southeast of Melluria near Kindaria contains a very seismically active area. The frequent earthquakes mean that the landscape continually shifts and it’s nearly impossible to live or work there without a high risk of injury or even death. It is the one area that doesn’t fall under Mellurian laws and regulations and is referred to as the Mines of the Lost. Very few voluntarily venture into that area.

The climate is generally cool at higher elevations with occasional storms blowing in from the western seas. Summers in the south tend to be hot and vary with the amount of rain, some swear it becomes even hotter when all of the ore processing machines are running full-tilt in the cities. The northern region has long winters but very mild summers in comparison. Occasionally the towns in the far north become difficult to access due to snow and ice and trade may be limited.

History

Melluria had once been the kingdom of Ceptaria with a royal family and a ruling class who owned the ancient mines. They developed many of the early metallurgical processes and machine designs. Most of the lower classes were made to work in the mines, which was a hard and dangerous job. The Great Earthquake that struck Ceptaria caused not only a large-scale collapse of Silviar, but many of the mines collapsed as well, trapping and killing thousands. The people were stunned as they had been told this would never happen, that their work and their city was safe and would last under the leadership of the king and the ruling class. The anger and blame was swift.

When the king and the mine owners tried to make the people go back to work, the people fought back, leading to riots and what nearly turned into a full-blown civil war. These events led to the capture and execution of much of the ruling class. It was revealed that many had simply ignored safe mining protocols in order to chase those veins of ore. Most of them hadn’t even touched a mining pick or a cart for years, if at all. Others refused to share their knowledge or pushed out folks that were seen as competition. Those who weren’t executed were forced to hand over their assets and their knowledge. Eventually the king was overthrown as well, considered to be the final source of all of the troubles.

With an eye towards improving their way of life and witnessing what they had done when they banded together, the people started to form initial groups to put together and reinvent their society. This became a long process with a few false starts as some initial governance structures were tried but either were found not to fit with the ideals of the people or started sliding back into the Ceptarian ways.

Eventually, a group led by Isidora Delacroix (Sometimes referred to as Isidora the Stone) proposed a simplified system of a ruling council that is made up of representatives of guilds of workers with similar skills. With her charming and forceful personality she started her journey at what are now known as the Delacroix Cliffs and embarked on bringing this new system to the villages. Her work was a success as the newly formed guilds of miners, metalworkers, builders, and machinists were in favor of trying this out and it became a precursor to the modern Mellurian Council.

Politics, Government, and Economy

Government

Melluria is collectively led by a leadership council of the Miners, Machinists, Metallurgists, Metalworkers, Merchants, Builders, and Farmers guilds known as the Mellurian Council. Each guild elects two members from within their leadership council to represent the guild at the Mellurian Council for a one year term. The council meets twice a year to decide policies for the collective including some economic policies, safety regulation updates, and next directions on what to seek or produce. While the council will have the initial say in setting policy, Mellurians may petition to send the council decision to a national referendum to be voted to uphold or reject it.

Each guild has the authority to decide the structure of their leadership but they are bound by two requirements from the Mellurian Council:

• Their leaders must be members in good standing of the guild they lead.
• There are reasonable term limits in place to prevent leadership from growing stale.

At the cultural level each guild will discuss and make decisions on membership changes, setting guild related policies, hear grievances or other petitions, and appoint representatives to local areas and for visits outside of Melluria. Any policy changes that are made at the leadership level of the guild are put to a full vote of the guild members. Membership decisions are generally left as a board decision but members can petition for a reconsideration. In most local areas there is a council of representatives from each guild that handles the day to day decisions for the area each of them represents.

The main laws and regulations of Melluria are codified in the Mellurian Common Code, which emphasizes safety and the rights of the workers. Guilds may add additional regulations as needed for their work, which is subject to review by the Mellurian Council. Any violations may be handed at the local or guild level, but more serious violations or other crimes may be referred to a tribunal of 2+ judges who are picked from the leadership of other guilds. They’re charged with listening to witness statements for both sides and rendering a verdict and consequences. These consequences may range from a reprimand to being sent to The Mines of the Lost for a period of time. Judgements may be appealed to the council, but they are rarely modified.

Politics

The guilds within Melluria do actively recruit for their ranks and there are generally friendly rivalries between each one. However, the values of everyone being stronger through working together, no single person or guild can survive standing alone, and not forgetting where they came from tend to keep relations cordial among leadership. As Melluria supplies much of the metal and machines that the world uses they have an interest in keeping active diplomatic relations with their neighbors. Occasionally there have been disputes with Kindaria over mining rights where the two cultures share a border but the disputes are typically hammered out with both sides reaching a satisfactory conclusion.

Economy

Melluria primarily relies on the trade of their ore, crafts, and machinery with other cultures to support their economy. With their current reputation they do tend to sell well. All citizens receive a basic income to cover their living expenses. Additional income may be earned depending on the rates that are set by the guild. A progressive tax on income (past basic income) and value-added taxes on goods sold are what fund the social and safety programs provided by the Mellurian Council. If there should be any excess funds half is placed in a special emergency fund while the rest is redistributed back to the citizens.

All of the major businesses are owned and operated by the guilds; other businesses operating in Melluria that do not fit with a particular guild may form a partnership with an existing guild to access benefits.

Everyday Life

Some of the larger Mellurian cities and the mines seemingly never sleep as they are constantly buzzing with activity. Adults typically work an assigned schedule at their job but also are required to work one shift a week at the mines. This is a requirement for all citizens of Melluria with a few exceptions due to injury or disability. Besides this, occasional training is given to refresh current protocols or processes for production and safety, or to learn new ones. Morale is generally high as there have been no severe safety incidents in recent years.

Children spend time with their parents or at central daycare centers or school. As they grow older and begin to show a preference or aptitude for a particular set of skills, they will start an apprenticeship with the appropriate guild. A large part of their focus is on doing their tasks at the highest possible efficiency, which carries over into their careers. They also learn that they can’t do it alone, efficiency means nothing if the results harm their colleagues.

Outside of work many like to gather at the tavern for a drink or gaming. Free time is also spent getting out to the land to camp or fish. Some may also spend time crafting personal objects for themselves or to sell to others. Mellurians also love to play games or sports in their off-time.

Two major events occur yearly in Melluria. One is three days of remembrance for those who perished in The Great Tragedy. No mining or other work takes place and the citizens may make offerings to shrines of remembrance asking that they never have such a tragedy occur again. The other is a celebration of the founding of Melluria, when the people came together to build a better way of life for themselves under the initial leadership of Isidora the Stone and the first Mellurian Council… Work is paused and feasting and revelry take place, including sporting and game competitions between folks. The crafting shows that take place during this time are very popular as folks love to show off what they have been able to shape with metal, stone, clay, or other materials on hand. There are other minor festivals that take place at various times.

Current Events

Recently a new ore was discovered at the Valcroft Grotto Mines. Now known as Valcroftium, it has exhibited some strange qualities, including reacting to certain elements or creatures by glowing, emitting a sound or vibrating. It also cannot be mined or processed by conventional means or it seems to become inert. It is possible to “tune” the ore to react to a given element if it is within a given space. Mellurian Labs continues to research the ore, hoping to further unlock its abilities and properties. A large chunk of it is considered to be “on loan” to the town of Fortune’s Bend.

Occasionally there are folks who try to exploit the abilities of other guild members or who attempt to ignore certain regulations regarding safety and worker morale. There have been calls to clamp down harder on those who would exploit fellow Mellurians. However, that has been resisted as some question the need for more regulations.

There has been a growing concern about impacts to the land and water with the heavy industry in the cities and the scale of mining that is done. Some are trying to see if they can reduce the waste produced or turn it into something more functional but they have had limited success.

Some groups are interested in excavating the ruins of Silviar. They hypothesize there may be additional historical artifacts or information on ancient processes that were lost in the Great Tragedy but would be useful to recover. However, some feel that since so many were killed there that the site should be left undisturbed and to start digging it up is the equivalent of grave robbing and could stir up trouble. Folks who have been charged with guarding the site have reported occasionally hearing strange noises.

Infusing metal with magic has been a difficult process that only a few have been able to master without risking injury or death. The Kodel College of Alloys handles most of the education and research into this process with the goal of making it faster, safer, and more widely available. However there’s been rumors of some outside of the college doing experiments with infusions that would be considered highly unethical.

Notable Mellurians

Isidora Delacroix, AKA “Isidora the Stone” - Considered to be the first leader of the Mellurian Leadership Council, she led the group that developed the initial structure of what has become the modern collective of guilds and the leadership council. Afterward her work in visiting the villages, recruiting people to the given cause, and laying the foundations of the future collective of guilds working together to improve the lives of everyone is considered by many to be how Melluria evolved into where it is today. Additionally she recruited and helped form the local builders guilds.

Alaric Borges, AKA “Alaric the Hammer” - He was one of the first to be recruited to assist Isidora in her work, helping to form and recruit for the local metalworkers guilds. His specialty was in hammering out the thin but strong layers of steel that would become a trademark of early Mellurian swords.

Thalia Tauser, AKA “Thalia the Prospector” - She assisted Isidora by recruiting for the miners guilds. In her work it was said she could smell the ore because she seemed to have an uncanny ability to find it even deep underground. She also helped to develop some of the initial transport systems of ore from the mines to the processors.

Derrick Addington AKA “Derrick the Wrench” - He recruited for the first machinist guild, not only finding those who operated and maintained industrial machines, but also those who were working to invent newer and better ones. When he was around, the machines never seemed to fail. He was always drawing up ideas while training others in working on the ore processing machines that seemed to be his favorites.

Agoris Kodel - They were the first to discover that some materials could be infused with magic. Their first successful experiment was a pendant that glowed with a light that never seemed to fade. A few later infusion experiments failed in producing magic items but instead produced alloys that had not previously been seen in nature. This led to breakthroughs in Mellurian technology. Some of their techniques are still in use today.

Notes for Players

Cultural Plot and Themes

Players involved with Mellurian plot will find themselves exploring mines to collect materials as a part of their obligation to give back to the mines. They may encounter creatures that prefer not to be disturbed and would need to be removed in order to continue. Occasionally they may be called on by their guild to to research new skills or methods for crafting, investigate code violations, represent the guild in a friendly skills competition, or to negotiate/mediate any contracts or disputes within or between the guilds. Opportunities to lend expertise in crafting, refinement of materials, and to move up in rank in their chosen guild will also be available.

Costume and RP Themes

Utilitarian clothes that aren’t too loose to protect from machinery or mining hazards. Sturdy boots and gloves are standard. Many opt to have goggles, a heavy leather apron or a tool belt. Mellurians also love to show their best work, whether it’s a tool (hammer, pliers) or item (necklace, armor, sword, etc.) that their ancestors have made or they have made themselves. A patch signifying the guild that the player is a member of is also worn on the upper chest. Players take pride in their work and actions meaning something and benefiting the people around them, rather than working just to work. Collaboration with fellow players will be highly encouraged.