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 Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:10 am
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 π΄πππππππππππDespite what they might think, the kingdoms of Valor and Trendel, while the largest and certainly the most powerful, are not the only kingdoms to exist in Eoana. Eoana is many kingdoms that have different topographies and their own cultures and traditions and while they are at peace (unlike the two rivals), their relationships with one another are complex, both politically and economically, and very different to their relationships with Valor and Trendel. Unlike their more prominent neighbours, these smaller countries show their displeasureβlike typical politiciansβusing threats, passive-aggressiveness and condescension as they cannot afford to go to war.
While there are many much smaller kingdoms and island nations, in this thread we will go over the larger and more prominent of these relatively 'minor' countries.xxMore Information:xxLarger map
History and the Present |
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:11 am
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 π°ππππIt was on an island off the coast of Valor where the peace treaty between Valor and Trendel was finally signed after centuries of war. The island, while having inhabitants, had no official ruler and was under Valor's protection when it was declared to be neutral land for the signing, which frankly, took the inhabitants by surprise. To celebrate this grand occasion, Valor and Trendel took it upon themselves the name the island 'Eoana' after the land (being very creative and drunk at the time) and the equally inebriated inhabitants embraced the name.
Having one major city, the island is governed by a council of senators elected from the population with the help of ambassadors from Valor and Trendel. It does not have its own military power, relying on its benefactors and its city guards. In terms of resources, Eoana is fairly self-sufficient and does not lack for much, having fertile land for agriculture as well as access to the sea, and its mountains and hills are fairly rich in minerals and metal.
Being a true 'neutral' land and now under the protection of both Valor and Trendel, it was here that the two kingdoms decided to set up the Grand Academy of Eoana as a training school and safe haven for students from all over the land (having realised that land didn't include just the two kingdoms). The founding of the academy, as well as its status as the island where peace was realised, boosted Eoana's economy and tourism and in the short few years since the treaty was signed, it has been recognised a major cultural hub enjoying the same if not more prestige than the capitals of Valor and Trendel themselves.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:11 am
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 πππππValor is arguably the wealthiest and one of the most powerful kingdoms in Eoana. Ruled by the Warsong family, it is one of the oldest and largest kingdoms and is quite prosperous. It has fertile fields and a great deal of natural and mineral resources and while it is fairly self-sufficient, it maintains good trade relations with almost every other country.
The court and capital of Valor is a prestigious place, hosting many talented craftsmen and artisans who are among the best of their craft; the nobles of Valor (who are quite prominent and powerful) were almost like trendsetters and many considered the capital to be the place to be. Valor is ruled by the king, who is advised by a council of lords, and the military is among the strongest, rivalled only by Trendel's. Their forces are supplemented by Court Mages who serve the royal family; powerful magicians and spellcasters who've trained at Valor's Academy of Magic, one of the best and only such schools until it was overtaken by Eoana Grand Academy. The naval forces are also quite powerful as well.
Valor and Trendel have been fighting each other for as long as people can remember, ever since disaster that had struck Trendel ages ago. They've been stuck in a perpetual state of war with short bursts of peace, until the historic signing of the treaty at the island now called Eoana that reopened diplomatic and trade relations between the two for the first time in a long while. However, even after a few years there remains some people who think that this peace is only temporary and some (especially the nobles) who still mistrust Trendel.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:12 am
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 πΏππππππLike its rival, Valor, Trendel is one of the largest and the most powerful kingdom in Eoana; in fact, together they are often called the Big Two. While having some metal deposits, it has less natural resources than Valor and agriculture is the main contributor to Trendel's economy; it relies more on trade than Valor to get everything that it needs.
Trendel's king, from the Cloudheart family, governs the nation with the help of his own advising council and his military, which rivals Valor's in terms of strength and numbers. Trendel's court is almost as prestigious as Valor's and the kingdom has its own school of magic in its capital, that trains people to become Knights, a position that is similar to that of a Court Mages in Valor, although many opt to study as apprentices under masters before becoming Knights. While being incredibly powerful, the wealth difference between the nobles (who hold a great deal of sway and power at the court and capital) and ordinary people is rather stark, owing to the need to maintain the army despite having less resources.
The peace treaty signed at Eoana helped warm relations between the Valor and Trendel and reopen trade and diplomatic ties with each other after centuries of war, to the relief of the ordinary Trendelian citizens who'd enjoy better access and greater supply relief because of this treaty, improving their living situation. This optimism isn't shared by everyone; after years of peace since the treaty, the stability has reassured most people but many of the lords still hold suspicions of future betrayal by Valor.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:13 am
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 π»πππππππPahtavan is a hot, sparse desert that is often besieged by sandstorms. Unlike its souther neighbour Azar, it barely has any natural resources. Cacti grow and there are some oases where bigger settlements have grown. Most people live in such towns and villages either near water or sheltered by hills, with a small number of them remaining nomadic. Animal trading and date farming are incredibly important for survival, but even more vital are trade relations with other countries.
While they lack resources, Pahtavan lies on important trade routes between Trendel and Branjin, or Stoffhelt and Azar, and guiding merchants through these roads in the dangerous desert has contributed a lot to the country's economy, that isn't doing well in the first place. The length of these trade routes and the ruins that dot the landscape of Pahtavan make them more popular compared to longer sea routes and overland travel between these countries.
Pahtavan does not have a king; in fact, there is barely a centralised government. Rich lords who have more control over the trade routes hold more power over in the villages and towns. Culturally, the people keep to themselves excepting contact with foreign merchants, but they have a rivalry with Azar in the south, who despite sharing some similarities in terms of culture, are much more well off and they are considered pompous and snooty.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:15 am
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 π¬πππUnlike their poorer northern neighbours, Azar is incredibly rich in mineral resources and semi-precious and precious gemstones, as well as some metals that it exports widely, making it one of the wealthier countries. Being a desert, it is incredibly hot and very humid with many dangerous creatures, although it is bitterly cold and windy during winters.
The people take pride in their country and culture, (some say to point of arrogance) and have a strong sense of identity. There are many villages and towns built alongside oases and the sea, as well as large cities that are built out of sandstone. The kingdom is ruled by an emperor who is helped by a council of advisors and they share good relations with most of their neighbours, especially Trendel, although they do have ties with Valor. Despite sharing some similarities with Pahtavan, the people of Azar hate being mistaken for them (a feeling that is mutual); there is some rivalry between the two countries (egged on by the nobles from both), although many Azarians think of it as a one-sided affair as Pahtavan can't compete with Azar in their opinion.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:15 am
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 π·πππππππLangfrey is among the most prosperous of the smaller nations. Seperated from Valor by mountains, it is mostly a marshy wetland, especially towards the south away from the hills, that is perfect for growing cotton. It is incredibly rich in resources like coal and iron and its coasts are known for their incredible fish population, enough that their shores are the envy of other nations (or so the people living here claim); exporting these resources and their efficient banking system has contributed greatly to their wealth, to the resentment of many others who say that it negatively affected their attitudes.
Langfrey is a republic, ruled by a parliament and led by a consular who is elected every four years and the population is incredibly proud of their country and governmentβexcessively so others might claim but the people in question don't care about the opinions of foreigners. According to their history, the country used to be ruled by a corrupt and warmongering king until the people rebelled, leading to a civil war that almost devastated their kingdom. After a period of chaos, democracy prevailed, over time evolving into the country as it is recognised today.
The government does maintain good relations with their neighbours, especially Mistun and Valor, and they are cordial with Khosbaina. When it comes to other kingdoms (barring Trendel of course, they aren't stupid) however, Langfrey remains neutral, if a little cold.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:17 am
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 πΈπππππCompared to its peers, Mistun is rather isolated, geographically. Being surrounded by mountains and the sea and quite fertile, agriculture and fishing are the population's main source of income, with rice and peas the most common crop plants. Because of their geographic isolation, they trade with Langfrey and Valor for resources, but rarely with other countries. Most of the population enjoy a sedentary rural lifestyle, living commonly in villages or more rarely, in larger towns.
Mistun isn't just isolated geographically but politically as well. They keep to themselves and prefer to say out of any conflicts. Unlike other countries, there is no centralised government, but rather a handful of noble lords owning and governing tracts of land similar to fiefdoms, all shared by the same cultural identity. There are occasional conflicts along the borders of these lands, but they are relatively stable with the last major conflict between the lords being years ago. Each lord has his own soldiers and taxation system, but the kingdom as a whole does not have a unified standing army or political identity.
Unfortunately, because of their position, many people either have not heard of Mistun, or know nothing about it and believe them to be rather backwards.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:18 am
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 πΆππππππππKhosbaina is incredibly largeβits size rivals that of Valor and Trendelβbut is sparsely populated. The landscape is dominated by hills and grasslands, excepting the western region that is covered by mountain ranges said to be infested with wolves, bears and other dangerous animals. The towns and cities in this kingdom are few and far apart, but they are well-fortified with clustered buildings.
Not many crops grow here and in the few places that do, grains and cereals are the main sources of food. Pottery and bronze-making are the most prestigious occupations here and Khosbaina's bronze is known to be among the finest. Yet, there aren't many resources and metal is often imported to supplement the demand for more bronze. It is for this that while Khosbainan bronze is coveted, the kingdom remains one of the poorest.
Because the kingdom cannot afford to do otherwise, and because of its proximity with both sides, Khosbaina has maintained relations and trade with both Valor and Trendel as well as their allies and other countries. It is because of these relations that many people try to emigrate to support their families, but most do not have the means to do so. Local legend says that it wasn't always like this and things used to be better, but almost everyone dismisses that as wishful thinking and misplaced patriotism.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:20 am
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 πππππππDespite being quite large, Branjin is sparsely populated, with most people living along the coast or the base of mountains where water flows from glaciers. Agriculture and fishing (especially on the coast and south near the lakes) are the main sources of income for the people, but their most prominent and popular exports are berries, with claims that the cold winters in the mountains and lovely spring of Branjin make for richer and tastier berries.
This kingdom is not a big player; beyond berries, they rarely export much and usually trade with its neighbours: Trendel, Azar, Pahtavan and sometimes, Stoffhelt. Being a relatively weaker power, the king has been trying to increase the country's popularity via tourism and trade, although he is not as successful as he'd hope (a fact that some of the richer nobles of other countries find funny).
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:23 am
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 πΎππππππππStoffhelt is a cold mountaineous country that is incredibly wealthy in natural resources like gold, diamonds, obsidian and other precious materials. Mining and crafting are the most prominent industries and Stoffhelt's crafts and jewellery are popular among the nobles of other kingdoms. They are also a big provider of fur, including mink and ermine as well as trophy horns.
The country is ruled by a Duke and has a prominent class of nobles who have the Duke's favour. Its wealth is rivalled by that of Langfrey and Azar, yet it is disproportionally distributed among the population as normal people are nowhere nearly as well off. The mining is incredibly dangerous and often results in many mortalities, and even then doesn't give as much of a payoff as most of the profit goes to the nobles' pockets.
This dukedom remains mostly neutral, although it heavily favours Trendel as they are its main source of imports for other resources; they might have a lot of metal but their agricultural output is quite poor. While its nobles are considered to be extremely snooty by others, they are quite willing to trade with other kingdoms, especially with their noble classes, with notable exceptions being Langfrey and Azar, with whom they share a rivalry in terms of wealth and trade respectively.
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:25 am
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 πΊπππππ πππ πΎπππThe oceans and seas in Eoana are important, especially since they are so widespread. They separate the various landmasses and have given rise to many smaller island nations and kingdoms, albeit not as prominent as the larger countries. The most prominent ocean is the Lightbourne Sea, which is so large it's divided into north and south. It's significant, not because of its use as a trade route but rather for the many naval battles that happened between Valor and Trendel before the treaty was signed; the northern part is often plagued by storms and while the south was more peaceful and safer for merchant ships, pirates frequently operate here, making it a dangerous journey to cross the sea.
While smaller, Caysir, Ampelion and Hesten seas are equally important as they are vital for trade between the countries, especially when merchants want to avoid the dangerous Lightbourne. They have their own dangers, especially Ampelion that is notorious for is low fish levels, and Hesten which also has significant pirate activity, but they are also the quickest and most convenient way to transport goods between countries; leading to a well-established trading and transporting companies and fleets.
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