Meridia

Meridia is a province of Arzu in Arcanium.

"There are places in this land that have been long acknowledged as dens of filth, greed, and iniquity. And then there’s Meridia."

- Captain Anton Bovar, Meridian Navy

Description
From the official site: The Province of Meridia has long been synonymous with the western coast. A battery of lighthouses guide ships to the Great Harbor. Giant windmills provide power to the buildings. The streets teem with exotic scents from of perfume and spices from distant lands. Above them, the seabirds wheel and call in the ocean breeze.

Meridia functions as the center for maritime trade and industry in Arzu. And while that status has gone unchanged over the centuries, their government is another story.

Some 500 years after the Great War, pirates overran the Meridian capital of Westport. The infamous self-proclaimed Pirate King, Lord Admiral Hyrom Bedlam, invaded the city and launched a coup against the corrupt government. After two years of intense fighting, the government found themselves overwhelmed and were forced to flee to another city. Westport is now entirely in the clutches of Bedlam and his Bloodwater Pirates.

Now, Westport has turned to anarchy. Citizens are free to do what they will, with only the Bloodwater brand of justice keeping the city from complete chaos. Outlaws, pirates, fugitives, criminals, and smugglers have turned the capital into their haven, far from the reach of any law. Criminals have taken over Meridia’s Arcanium and converted it into a gambling den where warriors make their bid for money and fame.

Despite this, Bedlam remains hugely popular among the people in Westport. While not the most religious of people, the Bloodwaters still honor the Lord of the Depths, despite Argos’s abandonment of them. They also kept the city running, and the energy generated by the Arcanium is given freely to the common folk. The Grand Port remains open for trade despite government attempts to blockade it.

However, the pirates have made it clear that only those with a taste for their brand rebellious revelry may stay in Westport; upstanding folk need not apply.

Despite the loss of Westport, the Province still thrives, its cities gathering riches from the Realm by crafting the finest ships and trading artillery and weapons with other Provinces. The official government has relocated to the southern city of Hollowbrook, declaring it as their new capital. An uneasy quiet stands for now, but with Bedlam aiming to break away Westport from the Province and Hollowbrook gearing up for battle, Meridia will soon face all-out civil war.