The Despotism of Argorin

Argorin is as much a resort as it is a nation, with its territory totally devoted to the service of the rich and famous. Its settlements are almost all constrained in size, enough to allow the wealthy visitors to the nation the ability to socialize without them having to deal with the unwashed masses. Of course, private villas can also be found in abundance here, for when such a patron wishes for more privacy.

While the nation caters to the wealthy, few of them live within Argorin full time. Instead, most view Argorin as a vacation destination, to be visited for a few weeks before returning to their daily lives recharged and refreshed. The government, for its part, is happy to ensure repeat business by allowing these visitors to indulge in their every whim, so long as they can afford to.

This means that, in some places, things can sometimes get out of hand. Wild parties that couldn't be thrown anywhere else in the world find their home in Argorin, and the excess that can be found within is breathtaking by any sane standard. While the government takes measures to minimize risk, such as servants equipped with various scrolls of healing, it's not uncommon for a notable individual to be found dead after failing to realize their own limits.

The full-time residents of Argorin are extremely diverse, as most of them hail from elsewhere in the world. Rather than maintain a natural population, Argorin instead offers work in its service industry to anyone in need of good employment, and finds itself with no shortage of applicants. In exchange for a good wage as well as room and board, these workers agree to work for several years at a time. Their wages typically go to support family or into savings, with the workers then returning home once they no longer need the work.

This means that those who actually live in Argorin are employees of the state, and they find their lives are rather regimented as a result. They are placed according to their skills or talents, with some employed as musicians or bartenders who make more money than they could anywhere else, while others have less glamorous cleaning and maintenance jobs. In both cases, residents tend to have a “live to work” attitude until their term ends.

Argorin is ruled by an eccentric man named Corinth, the latest in a dynasty that has ruled the nation since its founding. The family is remarkably unlucky, however, with some claiming it has been cursed. The patriarch of the family always passes shortly after his heir comes of age, and the women that enter their lives mysteriously disappear.

The nation operates far differently than most, as most functions of government are ignored in favor of services for the nation's rich visitors. Those that do exist are far smaller in scale, as they're devoted to a relatively small population of resident workers. As such, politics barely exists in Argorin. Of course, those involved with politics happily visit and broker deals within the beautiful mansions they rent from the government, but these are always related to some other nation.

Argorin has nearly no urban settlements, as few individuals find the grey of a city to be their ideal vacation spot. Even so, the small city it claims as its capital is something of a destination itself, and contains plenty of entertainment for those looking to enjoy the night life.

Most noteworthy in Corinthia is Corinth's Tower, the seat of the nation's government and the site of the most extravagant party in the world. Each year, a limited number of invitations to this party are offered, and the various elites of the world all compete for their chance. Some spend fortunes, others resort to theft or extortion, all for a chance to attend. While many view this as an opportunity to go wild, others view it as an ideal chance to meet the most influential people in the world in a single place.

Nose to the Grindstone. Characters typically wouldn't be raised in Argorin, but may have worked there since a younger age. For characters employed by the state, their job would be their focus for several years, which could have been either a rewarding or a miserable experience.

Spoiled Rotten. Other characters may have spent time here as one of the few wealthy families that live within the nation full-time. Such families would be exceedingly wealthy by even the most dramatic standards, and an individual raised here would almost certainly have lived a life of unequaled luxury. Such characters could either embrace or resent that luxury, and some may be more insufferable from this upbringing than others. </WRAP>