History of the Protectorate
Exact details about the founding of The Protectorate are a guarded secret of its inner circle. What is most readily known from the outset is that the Protectorate boasts profound defenses and technology, a semblance of modernity absent in other areas. Upon approaching the walls, one can feel power thrumming from the city, though their admittance of lumber and coal can’t possibly amount to this level of energy. Representatives of The Protectorate will insist that their society is sustained through the strength of their community - and it’s true that citizens give their Potentia entirely over to the city in exchange for protection.
Age of Strife
The Protectorate was settled 80 years ago by a great figure known as “The Founder”. He knew and understood that the greed of the individual was the greatest obstacle to peace, and so he established The Protectorate as a community focused on cooperation and furthering of the common good. The Founder did not wish to be revered as an individual, and worked to ensure that his name was not recorded. He sought a history upheld by ideas rather than people.
After the walls were built, the Founder sought to disperse/diffuse power and achieve stability in communal leadership. He convened the First Council, a delegation formed of those most qualified from three aspects of society: Assemblers - architects and artisans dedicated to furthering construction and public works; Sentinels - defenders concerned with keeping the peace and patrolling the walls; and Citizens - the labor force and lifeblood of the community. These delegates would give voice to the will of the people, and act swiftly as necessary to maintain the well-being of The Protectorate. When the First of an organization would seek to retire, the remaining council will select a successor from a pool of qualified Citizens of exemplary character.
The Protectorate has been besieged by beasts of the Wild almost since its inception. It is said that The Protectorate only first made contact with other civilized peoples after the death of the Founder, about 40 years after its founding. These visitors were nomads from among the Wayfarers, who were not yet under the sway of a Trade Prince. In homage to the ideals of the Founder, the First Citizen invited these wanderers into the walls, but they were folk accustomed to a hard life of scavenging. They sought to glean the secrets of The Protectorate’s technology, and absconded with resources in the night. As Sentinels cornered the last of them, the remaining wanderer lashed out with wild strength and brought a building down upon himself. Despite the danger of it, these events were tantalizing. The promise of power and possibility of survival outside of the walls gave birth to a desire for independence among those who had never previously considered something of the sort.
In guarded council it was determined that the will to explore would undermine the community, and the best decision was to let it run its course. Those who wished to leave may do so, and those who wished to join would need to prove themselves dedicated to The Protectorate. Sentinels took on the role of interacting with any travelers for the safety of the citizenry, and Assemblers would sometimes conduct trade outside of the walls with outsiders who showed proper deference. In time, some Wayfarers would establish dedicated trade agreements with The Protectorate, and Citizens tuned their industry towards refining raw materials provided from outside.
Age of Discovery
Recent councilors have been burdened to address more complex relationships with outsiders. Within The Protectorate, the culture has become decidedly nationalistic and somewhat propagandist. Established bureaucrats are fiercely loyal to The Protectorate, but Sentinels are often “misled” by their communications with outsiders. Constant threat of monstrous attack and a heritage of isolation lead many to treasure comfort within the walls, although citizens of rank are working to improve the admittance of outsiders who would seek refuge.
The Founder is memorialized within The Protectorate as a statue without a face. He is depicted laying mortar as smaller figures, a young boy and a young girl, lift up bricks to assist. A plaque reads “The Founder, laying the foundation of our community”. Would-be assemblers often visit the statue before their exams, and rub the tip of the Founder’s boots for luck.
Citizens of The Protectorate regard the walls with an almost supernatural significance. They refer to the outer walls collectively as “The Vanguard”, and insist that the spirits of their forefathers dwell within, watching over the safety of the people.
On a day-to-day basis, citizens of The Protectorate do not weave Patterns or utilize much Potentia at all. Most work within the city is manual labor or operation of simple machinery. The Protectorate operates on industrial-age technology from the cotton gin to the steam engine, but with some anachronistic use of electricity or somewhat advanced machinery. Citizens generally wear matching jumpsuits and dwell in matching homes. Those who have left The Protectorate will often seek to individualize their garb, building up from a very plain baseline. Because Protectorate industry is predisposed towards textiles, Protectorate clothing is more likely to feature quality sewing, collars, zippers, and other features. Trade between The Protectorate and the Wayfarers has introduced clothing of finer quality to groups outside of The Protectorate, but Citizens within the city tend to wear working jumpsuits or blue collar fashions, taking pride in their identity as a united force of industry.
It is rumored that The Protectorate has stockpiled bizarre materials as a result of conflict with highly dangerous monsters, but as of yet no outsiders have secured these materials in trade. If such things are stored within the city, they remain a secret as guarded as The Protectorate’s continued advantage in technology.