Mintar

Mintar is a small but densely packed city crammed into every square inch of a bridge known by the same name. Spanning the increasingly polluted Medden River, this bridge connects neighboring nations in an unceasing war that has brought devastation to both adjacent river-banks. Fortunately, due to a web of labyrinthian treaties and bureaucratic proclamations, the city of Mintar remains fully neutral, officially swearing no fealty to either neighboring nation. Mintar has been spared from the most dire consequences of the war, and is thus a small paradise nestled between opposing armies.

As such, Mintar is a bastion of trade, a haven for refugees, and a hotbed of criminal activity. Equally a destination for tourists, dissidents, environmentalists, and
profiteers, Mintar is a cosmopolitan oasis astride wartorn battlefields. Whether you’re in town for trade, negotiations, or just some high-yield fishing, Mintar welcomes you with open arms. Just make sure to bring plenty of coin, and be extra careful to avoid making powerful enemies.

At any given moment, Mintar hangs in a perilous balance. Will a neighboring army decide to disregard Mintar’s sovereignty? Will foul beasts emerge from the polluted river to ransack the city? Will rival gangs or politically motivated companies disrupt the tenuous peace? The future of Mintar is uncertain, and it’s likely your party of adventurers will have a role to play in the days to come.

Thenniden - the Kingdom to the West
Thenniden is a traditional monarchy that has profited for centuries from its technological superiority. In grand but filthy metropolises, the people of Thenniden reap the benefits from their agricultural advances, allowing for an unprecedented division of labor. With garners packed with grain, Thennidanes are free to pursue rigorous educations, careers in the arts, and further studies of technology. Unfortunately, Thenniden’s mechanical marvels have ravaged the countryside and polluted their cities, leading to wave after wave of plague with which medical advancements simply can’t keep pace.

Though Thenniden is a predominately human nation, the next most populous race is a species of fur-covered dog-headed humanoids known as Kennelborn. These bipedal canines make up a large percentage of Thenniden’s middle class and are fully integrated into Thennidane society. While it is considered uncouth to point out the physiological differences between humans and kennelborn, kennelborn do tend to have a keener sense of smell and inferior eyesight. They also seem to be more susceptible to environmentally-induced illness and disease. Even more disappointingly, kennelborn are extremely sensitive
to chocolate.

Eoltheria - the Federated Polities to the East
A nation of lucrative mines, powerful magic, and towering ancient monuments, Eoltheria was once the wealthiest and most advanced civilization in the known realms. However, after centuries of civil war and irresponsible ritual witchcraft, the nation fell into ruin. Only in the past few centuries has Eoltheria begun to pull itself out of an era of barbarous distress.

Echoes of the nation’s fractured past remain. While Eoltheria is technically a sovereign nation in its own
right, it is much more practical to think of it as a union of economically and culturally distinct city states. Each
of these states has a say in matters of nationwide politics, but remains largely independent.

In striking contrast to Thenniden’s rolling plains and bountiful harvests, the Eoltherian terrain is much starker, with vast stretches of arid desert, windswept mountaintops, and soil that resists cultivation despite the best efforts of Eoltherian farmers. Without Thenniden’s agricultural insights, the people of Eoltheria have sustained a decades long famine that has dramatically reshaped their demographics and culture. This ongoing devastation has been exacerbated by the war, but many Eoltherians see continued struggle against the Thennidanes as their only chance at recovering some of the richer nation’s technological knowhow.

The War
The conflict between East and West (known solely as The Long War) has origins that are lost to time. Some suspect there was a racial element at play: presumably Eoltherian antagonism against the kennelborn, though such prejudice is strongly frowned on in Eoltherian society these days. Some suspect it was a lover’s quarrel following a botched political marriage. Still others suspect rising tensions from a technomagical arms race.

While the true origin remains a mystery, these days the hostility is squarely in the realm of economics. The Thennidanes use many of their mechanical advancements such as airships and rudimentary artillery— to maintain a strong mining foothold in Eoltherian territory. Meanwhile, Thennidane agricultural advances are being hoarded, and as famine persists across Eoltheria, the only possible solution seems to be the unlikely chance of Thenniden sharing their secrets. The monarchy of Thenniden seems wholly unwilling to share their technological advances or relinquish their extralegal resource extraction in Eoltheria.

It would be unwise, however, to place all the blame on Thenniden. Eoltherian magi have repeatedly placed bizarre and heinous curses on Thennidane soldiers and diplomats, in brazen violation of international treaties. These same magi have also refused to aid in Thenniden’s struggle against their urban plagues, despite being the undisputed masters of the healing arts. These transgressions have severely hurt Eoltheria’s reputation abroad and has engendered sympathy for Thennidane’s imperialist forces.

The People of Mintar
On the city streets of Mintar, at least nine in ten people you meet will either have been born in one of the two neighboring nations or be descended from kin who have. As such, while it is improper to question residents of the bridge as to their lineage (thereby calling their neutrality into question), it is typically easy enough to determine a country of origin based on their appearance and name alone.

ADMIN
Mintar is less “governed” and more “supervised.” For better or worse, the city is managed more like a company than a sovereign state, with its rulers consisting of five business leaders who each have primarily economic goals. This governing body (as well as their personal assistants and guard detail) are known collectively as ADMIN, presumably capitalized so as to imply an acronym now lost to the ages.

ADMIN’s most important responsibilities are setting laws—few of which are meaningfully enforced—and doling out taxes, which inevitably get fed back into the companies it supposedly regulates. Some Mintar citizens think of ADMIN as a meaningless council of guild agents, while others believe them to be all-powerful oligarchs, secretly wielding far greater power than they let on. Perhaps disappointingly, the answer is somewhere in between. ADMIN is simply an advisory board, a subtle guiding hand which slowly inches the city toward the goals of its entrepreneurial administrators.

Livery Companies
More than half of all bridge residents work for one of the four Mintar livery companies: guilds of artisans, laborers, and service workers working in related subfields that have outsized political power in this dense city. The livery companies are equal parts business, political party, and social outfit. Members of a livery company are overwhelmingly more likely to associate with each other than with anyone else. As such, membership in a company is a defining feature of many of the people a group of adventurers might meet inM intar. Each livery company also places one member on ADMIN, the official governing body of the bridge.
Once a party of travelers gains adequate notoriety on the bridge, the livery companies are likely to take notice and start forming opinions as to whether a given group might be considered an ally or enemy. Visitors need to tread carefully so as to not anger the livery companies and incur their ire.
The four livery companies are:

Each of these companies will be described in greater detail below and in future documents. Importantly, the livery companies have huge social and political cachet which they will happily use to either aid or punish adventurers who become sufficiently notable in Mintar life. Nothing noteworthy takes place in Mintar without the livery companies taking notice.

Gangs
Independent cities like Mintar are often dens of criminal activity thanks both to their comparatively lax legal code and limited resources to pursue and try those who do break the law. Much like the bridge’s authorized commerce, criminal activity in Mintar is highly organized, and anyone committing more than petty theft is likely to be a member of one of three gangs. Each of these gangs has preferred methods, claimed territory, and straightforward political aims. Given the hectic day-today life in Mintar, it’s quite possible that a party of travelers may garner the favor of one gang while creating bitter enemies in another. If goals are particularly aligned, a party of adventurers may see fit to properly join one of these gangs, or at least work together toward
mutually-de-sired outcomes. There are three main gangs in Mintar. The Tarhands, The King's Hounds, The Underfed.

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