In Valdris, power followed wealth.
Noble houses existed, but they answered to merchant dynasties. Titles carried prestige; capital carried authority. Military strength wasn't cultivated through generations of martial tradition—it was funded, contracted, and expanded as needed. Armies could be assembled the way other nations assembled trade fleets.
Valdris didn't believe in glory. It believed in leverage.
Its national philosophy was simple: economic dominance outlasted military victories. War burned resources. Markets absorbed them. Where other nations trained soldiers to seize territory, Valdris acquired influence through debt, trade agreements, and quiet ownership. Steel conquered land. Coin conquered systems.
Violence was inefficient unless it protected profit.
There was a saying in Valdris, repeated in counting houses and council chambers alike:
Many people fear Seekers because they build power on the mind's weaknesses.
But money has a spirit of its own.
