Burmese — The Shrouded Ports

Leader: Mistress Nyala Veilclaw
Government: Aristocracy of Merchant-Queens
Population: ≈ 19 million
Religion: Cult of the Eclipse — truth exists only in the moment light meets dark

Economy / Trade:

• Exports: spices, rare woods, smuggled artifacts, information.

• Imports: metal, grain, tools, and occasionally slaves from foreign raiders.

Military:
~160 000 fighters; naval raiders and dockside militias.

Elite Sector: The Umbra Claws — assassins and scouts trained to fight only during eclipses and moonless nights.

Oracles:
The Veiled Matron — an ancient seer kept behind curtains of black silk; she utters only one prophecy per decade, each recorded and interpreted by a council of merchants.

Myths & Legends:
Whispers speak of The Bull and the Bear, two immortal beasts battling beneath the Night Bazaar, whose victories predict the rise and fall of markets throughout Clowdria.

International Reputation:
Mysterious, profitable, morally ambiguous. Feared for its spies and mercantile reach.

Organized Crime:
Thrives openly in the Night Bazaar; the line between merchant and criminal blurred.

Anti-Crime:
The Silent Fins, an elite dock militia answering directly to Nyala, hunt those who cheat her markets.

Population Philosophy:
Profit is purity; secrecy is safety.

Foreign Policy:
Trade with all, ally with none; wealth as weapon.

Allies / Enemies / Neutral:
Secret agreements with Persia and Utilitae; rivalry with Purrinia’s ports.

Intelligence:
Extensive spy network called The Veiled Thread, woven through sailors, brothels, and smugglers.