CALITHIA

Name: Calithia (kal-ITH-i-a)
Type: Secret
Original aim: Stability
Original membership: Urbanites and crafters
Current aim: "Peace and Prosperity"
Current membership: Bankers, merchants, industry, diplomatic corps
Headquarters: Aurore, Aurore (Allayne, NLR)

CALITHIA is the name given to the society of the city folk during the revolution.  In the beginning, CALITHIA threw its considerable weight behind the king, in the hopes of quelling the rebellions that were threatening to tear the kingdom apart from within, disrupting trade, impoverishing the land further, requiring yet higher taxes, and causing neighbours to look upon Liliana with greed.  However, when the Revolution began, CALITHIA took the side of the rebels, seeing that Liliana's hope lay with them, not the monarchy.  They were seen as traitors by both sides, the remaining aristocracy and the victorious rebels, and they were shut out of the First Republic.  It was only later that they began to establish any influence again, as the folk of the cities became important with industrialization.  As can be expected, the city folk did not welcome their country cousins, and CALITHIA members also do not bear the other societies any goodwill.

Today, CALITHIA works towards ensuring peace and prosperity for Neoliliana.  Although it does claim to work for all Neoliliana, its methods actually use the 'trickle-down' theory, that strong industry and wealthy citizens will ensure prosperous people al around.  Although they are loved for introducing free public health care decades before other nations in Longerath, they are also the butt of spiteful jokes as record profits of the banks come in every quarter.  The legacy of CALITHIA can be seen in the modern institutions of the Central Bank of Neoliliana, the Ministry of Finance, the Department of Trade, the Department of Aid and Development, and the Department of Industry and Labour.

Recently, with the economic downturn in Neoliliana, CALITHIA must have surely lost influence in Neoliliana, or had its membership shaken up, but not a peep has come out of Aurore on the subject.