City-states of La Rossa
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The Rossan city-states were a number of central towns and settlements that had begun to emerge on the coast of the island of La Rossa prior to 2000 TT. Although related culturally and linguistically through coastal trade, the city-states remained self-governing and locally independent for much of the island's history. Although the city-states practiced various forms of government, ranging from early examples of republics to oligarchies and systems resembling monarchies, over time the surviving cities trended towards becoming plutocracies, where the wealthiest merchant families would accrue the power and capital sufficient to impose their will onto the world around them through paid mercenary forces and economic dominance, becoming de facto rulers of their localities, even if the old systems formally stayed in place.
History
Many of the cities were formed along the coastline of the island of La Rossa early in its recorded history, with a lot of evidence surrounding their origins remaining missing. Thought to be drawn to the coast due to the harsh climate and difficult terrain of the mountains, little trace of settlement past the most ancient of history remains in the mountain ranges, with only a handful of small towns ever being formed there. The ruins of Averno (today part of the city-province of Mineria) date back to 3250 TT, thought to belong to the oldest city-state on the island, with historical evidence pointing to the other major cities and towns only forming several hundred years later.
Trade between nearby cities became common after the emergence of larger townships, although long-distance travel would remain out of reach due to the dangers posed by the Storm. Contanzo Miglio (1362/63 TT - 1302 TT), the founder of Padeno, would pioneer such voyages, leading to greater connection and interdependence of the cities around the island. Originally used as naval ensigns for purposes of trade, the flags of the Rossan city-states would be used as major inspiration for the flag of La Rossa following the Second Calming. They would eventually fall out of use following unification.
The Silver Rush of 1296 TT, a scramble for the mountains of Montesuvia, where large silver deposits were found, would prove to be a crucial point in the history of the island. The two centuries of conflict would lead to economic collapses of several of the island's city-states, which would usually find themselves integrated into the rule of their dominant neighbors, through diplomatic or military means. The city of Donua, for instance, would find itself subsumed by the city of Padeno, formed relatively recently as a merchant hub. An economic downturn forced the merchant republic to seek an economic bailout from its closest neighbor, bringing the city into subservience to the Miglio family.
Six cities - Buglio, Lorma, Mineria, Padeno, Salino, and Tolia - would eventually unify under the Dux, giving rise to an island-wide alliance that sought to protect trade and relations between cities for the benefit of all. The island's territory would be carved up into city-provinces, unchanging territories of influence that the local aristocrats would retain rule over. The seat of the Dux, a unifying, elected figure envisaged to protect the negotiated terms, would eventually come to centralize power into the throne, leading to ever-greater submission of the cities to the island's ruler.