The Grand Republic of Thasen

The Grand Republic of Thasen is the southernmost of the imperial realms on Elthos and sits to either side of the Thasund, the strait that separates the Encircled Sea from the Sea Between.

The nobility of the old Principality of Thasen had been nearly eradicated during the Third Greytide and people sought to piece a society back together. In those earliest years after the Greytide, the fledgling empire comprised the Realms of Adana, Hana and Dyria, but did not extend its reach to Thasen. The people of Thasen came together to establish systems of governance, initially at a city level, before there was quite any concept of forming a unified polity once more. Over the coming decades, they formed the League of Thasen, then ultimately proclaimed themselves the Grand Republic of Thasen in the mid-100s. Thasen joined the empire in the mid-200s, long after the initial grouping formed by the Realms of Adana, Hana and Dyria.

Thasen is, by 632 AF, a republic in name only. It has a deeply entrenched plutocracy which controls virtually every aspect of Thasen. There is a long tradition of holding votes, but since only the wealthy can vote, and wealth is concentrated into the hands of a few houses, it is exceedingly rare for an individual who is not a member of the plutocracy to rise to even a minor position of power.

Thasen's wealth derives from its dominance over maritime trade, which is due to its position at the entrance to the Encircled Sea. Its ports are the first ones at which ships from elsewhere along the Elthosian coast or from Salthos might stop and its houses have many ships of their own. The direct involvement of the plutocracy of Thasen in commerce, especially to the exclusion of almost all else, is regarded as a peculiar habit by many others in an empire, who may consequentially deem that Thasen's plutocrats are more akin to wealthy burghers than real nobles. Thasen is extremely restrictive where commoners' trading rights are concerned. Elsewhere in the empire, it is a given that mercantile enterprises involve wealthy commoners. In Thasen, that represents a threat to the plutocracy, who instead operate such businesses directly.

Thasen's capital is in the city of Benetta, situated on the eastern edge of the Thasund, the sound that links the Encircled Sea to the Sea Between. No single house has a controlling stake in Benetta, which is administered by a council.

Praesens Althario Damiani rules Thasen and his house is currently the most prominent and wealthiest. He does not however wield absolute power. The senate of Thasen is influential and its input on laws cannot safely be ignored by the praesens.

Thasen finds itself as a crossroads as a society. House Damiani generally sits on the fence about making any consequential changes, and is content with the status quo. Others regard the status quo as no more than dangerous stagnation. House Corti believes that the republic should look beyond its borders more often for reasons beyond just commerce and should extend its overall influence. House Lavini is focused on internal reform, though even within the house, the exact way to go about reform is not clear, whether it is to move towards having full nobility as with other imperial realms, or even to have a functional republic, though that might be much to the disadvantage of the plutocracy.