[h2]Kingdom of Beredia[/h2] [center][h2]Kingdom of Beredia[/h2] [img]http://i.imgur.com/Gr8QMLd.png[/img].[/center] [h3]Nation Overview[/h3]The current incarnation of the Beredian nation is an monarchical state where the Crown has managed to curb the power of the nobility, thanks in part to the long and bloody conflicts against the Timlukid Sultanates, that did wonders to cut down the numbers and wealth of the feudal lords, and the support of the Ambrusian Church. Standing at the edges of the Fiorentian and Timlukid worlds, Beredia spent centuries under partial or total control by several different Timlukid powers. These centuries of conflict against the infidel invader have created a deeply religious and militarized realm, whose rulers are more concerned with watching the mountain passes than meddling with "petty politics". The current ruler is André-Maria Duarte of the House of Abravantes. A competent if somewhat ruthless ruler, André-Maria was crowned at 7 years of age when his father died of dysentery while campaigning against rebellious peasants. During this period the kingdom was ruled by a series of regents, ranging from weak to disloyal. An abortive attempt to weaken the Crown power was brutally put down by the young king and his tutor, Prelate Hermogenes, a few years before the king was of legal age. Which did not stop the "boy-king" from taking direct control of the nation and starting a bloody but short purge of supposed "traitors" and "usurpers". As of now, Queen Joaquina (one of the king's cousins from a lowly but rich cadet branch) is on the final stages of her fifth pregnancy. Of the previous four, only two have resulted in living offspring. And of these two, only one girl has lived beyond early childhood, [i]Infanta [/i] Marina-Josefa. [h3]Geography[/h3][hider=Map Claim][img]http://i.imgur.com/y9mA3l2.png[/img][/hider] (Very WIP) A nation divided between grassy plains and woodland in the north and rugged hills and mountains in the south. The North, with its farmlands and wide spaces is where most of the population lives. Notable settlements include Ilafrânia (Beredia's only port and largest fortified location in the northwest) and Yaramânia (located on the southern shores of lake Viseu, it's the original home of the Abravantes dynasty and second largest city in the kingdom. In the south lies the capital city of Lazamênia, also the largest city of the kingdom. Originally built by the Timlukids, Lazamêmina is the beating heart of Beredia. Home of all Church and State apparatus, the city is also a major stop point in the overland trading routes with the Timlukid Sultanates. And in the very south of the nation lies the Alcazar range. Dotted with castles and watchtowers and inhabited by hardy mountainfolk, the Alcazar mountains are the first line of defense against any heathen raid or invasion, while its foot slopes were often used as staging points for many crusades and expeditions over the years. [h3]History[/h3]: Beredia is an old land. By the time Saint Fiorentino was spreading his word, the lands that would become Beredia had already seen several different rulers. What is known is that the land was inhabited by hundreds of different tribes who shared roughly the same culture and religion. Beredia remained a patchwork of warring primitive tribes for Lord knows how many years before the Guaramini armies crossed the Alcazar range from the south, bringing "civilization" to the natives and conquering vast swathes of the nation, which they called "Ifshenia". [img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ3llNaOUhpJGUCYbDVy1KCOZmFKMiREqP10KoEp_w6RFZ87b7-[/img] [i]Guaramani troops[/i] The Guaramani would experience their imperial zenith followed by stagnation, rot and decline over the next 300 years. And as their empire shrunk, so did their hold over Beredia. Replaced by tribal kingdoms and confederations made up of several different peoples ("Ifshenia being on the receiving end of several migratory waves during that period of time). It was also during this time that the land started being called Beredia, meaning "rugged land" in the language of one of the local dominant peoples. [img]http://67.media.tumblr.com/44ba956483f97685c203a4db5c1e9ad8/tumblr_inline_ns1qcrlSzO1rtdfb6_500.jpg[/img] [i]Beredian Tribal warriors[/i] The land would continue in flux for some more time, being reunited and divided innumerable times by warlords and would be conquerors. Sometime during this period, the first Ambrusian missionaries arrived in the region. Managing to spread their faith thanks to the support of several local kings who used the Ambrusian faith as an excuse to conquer more lands. Eventually, King Recawith of Albuzer, under the aegis of the Fiorentan faith, managed to conquer the whole region. And unlike the previous would-be conquerors who had managed to unite Beredia before, Recawith's kingdom outlived him. [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ff/8e/eb/ff8eeba678df3cf470bc281c6ef34944.jpg[/img] [i]Recawith meeting with foreign emissaries[/i] It would be this state that would be one of the first Antovan lands to feel the might of the early Timlukid Caliphate expansion. Unfortunately for Beredia, Recawith's descendants proved to be no match for the zealous armies of the south, too busy with internal squabbles to stem the tide of conquest. And so Beredia fell once again, save for a few isolated holdouts. [img]http://humshehri.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Arab-conquest-indopakhistorypk.blogspot.com_.jpg[/img] [i]Early Timlukid troops[/i] The next centuries saw Beredia fall under the control of one of the Post-Caliphate Sultanates. And eventually this Sultanate also collapsed into smaller states, the so-called "First Taifa Period". The weakening of the Timlukid allowed for a measure of comeback for the Fiorentian holdouts in the north and west. The next couple centuries saw the land falling into utter chaos as Timlukid and Fiorentian fought against and alongside each other. The land was devastated and the Timlukids slowly pushed back. The First Taifa Period ended with the Verzamid invasion. At the Verzamids were a dynamic new dynasty that had managed to subjugate a considerable amount of land south of the Alcazar range. Such success hadn't gone unnoticed by the Taifas, who appealed to Sultan Al-Murtansir [i]The Thunderbolt[/i] for help against the Fiorentan kings. Al-Murtansir led his host into Beredia and easily turned the tide of war. Pushing back the Fiorentians and restoring Timlukid superiority in the region. [img]http://www.ribatejo.com/hp/estudo/imgs/cristaos_mouros.png[/img] [i]The Thunderbolt[/i] Fortunately for Beredia, Al-Murtansir proved to be just as great a ruler as a general and Beredia soon entered a golden age of tolerance and prosperity. His son even manage to fight back a crusade, thanks in no small part due to the support of local Fiorentian lords. Unfortunately, the Verzamid Sultanate fell just as fast as it had risen. Victim to decadence, radicalization and shortsightedness. And thus started the "Second Taifa Period". [img]http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/content/uploads/2013/01/Crusaders-Kingdom-of-Heaven.jpg[/img] [i]Beredian knights[/i] That proved to be the beginning of the end for the Timlukids in Beredia, and from there on it was all downhill for them. Over the next couple centuries the Fiorentians would gradually push back the Timlukids, though slowed down by their own squabbles and conflicts with neighbouring nations. It was during the period that the Abravantes rose to the position of kings of Beredia and started working to break the power of the nobility. Eventually king José-Maria wiped out the last Taifa and the Timlukid army sent to help them some 109 years ago. And his grandson Pedro the Giant drove back the last serious Timlukid invasion 68 years ago. [img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQU6gIQxZmYy0P97PNo6n8wr2hp_VJug9VGsJjVVD649DvBvi7aRw[/img] [i]Beredian pike bloc during the Battle of Santo Padre de Lusiana[/i] (I have some more ideas, but I will hold off this part until I can get in contact with my neighbours.) [h3]Society[/h3]: The Ambrusian Church plays a major role in Beredia. Belief in the Saint and the Lord is what binds the nation together and drove them to fight off the Timlukid invaders. The Crown uses the Church support to legitimize its rule and centralizing politics while the clergy still holds considerable temporal power. As a matter of fact, Prelate Hermogenes (the highest-ranking Ambrusian clergymen in the kingdom) remains as the most influential adviser to the king and is the second most powerful man in Beredia. For the common people, belief in the teachings of the Saint is absolute. Even if it has its local peculiarities (after all, the Timlukids did rule over Beredia for a long time). Beredian history and folklore are littered with saints and martyrs in the struggle against the heathens. Likewise, festivals and holy days are numerous and provide a welcome distraction from the dreary life of the lower classes. Church life is also seen as a way to rise up in life. And no small number of peasant boys ended up attaining lofty positions within the religious hierarchy after decades of service. Another large aspect of Beredian culture is the idea of war. Beredians see themselves as the shield of Antova against the Timlukids. And centuries under their rule have created a rather martial culture within the nation. For centuries nobles prided themselves in fighting the good fight against the heathen and the heretic while the common man fights to both protect his land and achieve salvation by spilling heathen blood. Likewise, the army is another way for the poor man to improve his lot in life, an infantryman may receive a small plot of land to call his own once his service ends. And campaign wages and looting can make a huge difference in the life of a humble pikeman. Beredians also place a huge emphasis on family and community. With most extended families living together or near each other. And even the most distant relations are supposed to treat each other with familiarity and respect. Honor is another important aspect for Beredians. Minor insults or squabbles can be talked and smoothed over a cup of ale (or wine if you're a nobleman.) But it's generally expected that one should never let insults unanswered. How one should answer varies by situation and place. Ranging from getting your older brother to beat up your cheating husband to duels to the death. Once again, it depends on the situation, the social station of the affected parties and the region where it happens. Centuries of domination and close contact with the Timlukids have undeniably molded Beredian culture and society, not even the Church itself was safe from their influence. And as much as they like to deny it, several festivals, holidays, customs and saints have actually come from the Timlukid times. Language is another area deeply affected, specially in the southern regions of Beredia where local dialects have more in common with their Timlukid neighbours than, for exaple, Choedalian. Beredian architecture is also an interesting mix of influences, of which Timlukid is the most apparent and identifiable. The most egregious example being the royal palace itself, once the seat of Timlukid rulers it still retains much of that time. Likewise, art and literature also show clear influences from Timlukid earlier Timlukid times. Along with some other sources, mostly thanks to the foreign crusaders who fought to liberate the nation. Most Beredians (who probably also have some Timlukid blood in their veins) deal with this fact by ignoring it completely, and pointing it out is considered a great offense in most places. [h3]Economy/Industry[/h3] The flat north is the main source of food and wood for Beredia while the south is rich in mineral wealth. Trade is also a considerable source of revenue for the Crown, being on the border of the Timlukid world allows the kingdom to tax the lucrative overland trade routes, though trade is not as important as it is in the southern city-states. On the same vein, the nation's nobility imports most of its luxury items from outside. Metallurgy is where Beredia prides itself. Both general and military supplies are produced en masse in Beredia's cities while master artisans earn small fortunes for every commission. Both for internal and external consumption. Such is the importance of this sector that the Crown itself has take upon itself to ensure that it remains healthy and productive with tax reductions and other incentives. [h3]Military[/h3]: The [i]Exército Real de Beredia[/i] is the standing army of the Kingdom. Paid, outfitted and trained solely by the Crown, with the help of taxes levied upon the nobility, who for the most part is not allowed to maintain anything larger than small retinues for personal and property protection. The spine of the [i]Exército[/i] is the [i]Terço[/i] (Third). Officially an unit composed of pikemen, swordsmen and arquebusiers further divided into companies. Deployed most usually as squares of pikes supported by arquebusiers who provide fire support and swordsmen to give the unit some close combat staying power. The Terços are usually led by [i]fidalgos[/i], members of lesser nobility with veterans serving as lower officers. [img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Lagos46_kopie.jpg/300px-Lagos46_kopie.jpg[/img] [i]Beredian Terço facing the Timlukids[/i] Beredian cavalry is considered a supporting arm of the Exército, with both heavily armored and light horsemen units fielded by the Crown to provide support for the Terço in battle. Artillery is considered a separate branch and counts with guns of varied calibers and models for either siege or field battles. The Beredian navy is completely unimpressive. Boasting only a single port worth noticing and having little interest in naval matters, the [i]Marinha Real[/i] is the least funded and prestigious branch of the armed forces. Besides the Crown standing forces, several chosen nobles have also been given leave to form their own military units instead of paying the army tax. The [i]Bandeiras[/i] are small companies mostly tasked with keeping order and acting as a impromptu militia, their equipment is completely dependent on the noble that is tasked with training and outfitting them. Besides the nobility, major cities and religious authorities are also authorized to train and outfit Bandeiras for their own protection.