[hider=The Kingdom of Gara][h2]The Kingdom of Gara[/h2]

[b][u]Nation Overview and Government[/u][/b]

The Kingdom of Gara is divided into four provinces. The largest and most powerful province, Aroth, is located in the northwest, and under the direct rule of King Veliath Wilkar in his capital city of Ironhelm. The other three provinces are ruled by Dukes, all of whom swear fealty to him, and are allowed a great deal of independence in the day to day management of their territory. In peacetime, the King's main responsibilities are resolving disputes between Dukes, negotiating trade deals or establishing alliances with other nations, and leading the nation in times of war. He also has the power to declare war, however any one of the Dukes has the right to call the nobles together and vote against it. But if it is the foreign nation that declares war, then no vote is held and the King automatically assumes his role.

Anyways, beneath the King and his Dukes are the Counts. The Count are to the Dukes what the Dukes are to the King. Each Count controls a county, a section of the province consisting of one main city and the surrounding towns, villages, and forts. They swear an oath of fealty to both the King and to the Duke who rules their province (which for some also happens to be the King himself.) Then you have the Barons, who swear fealty to the Counts - they are given fortresses or fortified towns, and are tasked with directly patrolling and protecting the surrounding villages and farmland.

Then you have the Knights. Once used in reference to the armor-clad noble-born warriors who rode in horseback, it is now a term bestowed upon those who make a meaningful contribution to the kingdom. This could be an act of valor on the battlefield, or a revolutionary invention. A knight is automatically elevated to the status of a minor noble, beneath a baron. Although they are not usually granted any land, it allows them and their descendants to marry into noble families, as well as purchase a commission in the army.

The villages and smaller towns of the Kingdom are ruled by Mayors, who are elected by the townspeople. With the vast majority of the lawmaking in the hands of the nobility, the mayor is tasked with training and maintaining the militia, keeping the peace, and resolving disputes that are beneath the notice of the local Baron.

[b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]

The inhabitants of Gara call themselves the Garuth. They are tall with skin that could be described as a bit on the pale side, with either blond or black hair, brown being uncommon and red being extremely rare. Their eyes are generally blue, green, or brown. They have hardy constitutions, and the men often grow thick beards.

[b][u]Geography[/u][/b]

(Apologies, I do not know how I would go about manually adding my claim to the map.)
Located in the northwestern corner of the continent, Gara is a chilly place, with tall mountains in the north and east, hilly forest in the south east, and rolling plains in the center and southwest. The mountains are rich with mineral deposits such as iron and coal, which have made the nation an industrial powerhouse. The coastal waters are teeming with fish, although they are frozen over for much of the year, and the southeastern forests have wildlife which is hunted for food and furs. Although the grasslands to the west can be used to grow food, yields are poor and they are much better suited for farming livestock. The eastern grasslands are close to a lake, which has led to better soil quality, but they alone are only enough to feed the province in which they are based.

As for the borders of the four provinces, Aroth is the largest one, ruled by the King. West to east, it covers the area from the coast to the mountains. North to the south, it also starts at the coast, and extends down, stopping just as it dips into the grasslands. Ironhelm is located next to that particularly large mountain in the center of the nation (not the largest one in the north - it is just a bit south of that.) 

The grasslands themselves are under control of Valender, ruled by Duke Wilhelm, who rules from his city of Daralt, located near the mountains on the western end of his Duchy. The forested area is the smallest Duchy, known as Elkwood, and under control of Duke Torrin in his city of Dunwick, which also happens to be near the mountains in the north. The eastern plains make up the final province, known as Jalka, and is under the control of Duke Edwick, whose seat of power is the city of Solace. As you can probably guess, it too is near mountains - on the northwestern corner of his Duchy. All of these cities originally sprang up near rich mineral deposits.

[b][u]Economy[/u][/b]

As previously stated, Gara is an industrial powerhouse. The iron and coal mined in their mountains are used to build and fuel machinery and weapons. Their currency is the Garune - coins based on silver, another mineral which is of ample supply.

[b]Imports[/b] - Fruits, Vegetables, Ales, Raw Materials.
[b]Exports[/b] - Excess Iron and Coal, Manufactured goods.

[b][u]Culture/Society[/u][/b]

The Kingdom of Gara takes its social order very seriously. You generally don't question those who are of higher birth than you. It is also a patriarchal society - women don't get to serve in the military, though they can take on certain trades involving the manufacturing of weapons or uniforms. Noblewomen only inherit land or titles if there are no male members of their family able to take on the responsibility. Homosexuality isn't explicitly forbidden, but the expectation is that everyone will eventually marry and have children, so such relationships almost never last.

But despite its strict and rigid social order, they do know how to celebrate. They have a large number of holidays, where workers usually take the day off to drink and sing in taverns. They can also be quite rowdy, too. Commoners often resolve their disputes through brawls and drinking contests, and duels are not unheard of among the nobility - although you are not obligated to accept, and you cannot challenge someone of higher birth than you.

[b][u]Military[/u][/b]

The Garan military is quite large, its soldiers trained and well-disciplined. The officers themselves, can vary.

Only nobles are allowed to serve as officers, and promotion isn't based just on merit or seniority, but also on wealth. Nobles must purchase their commissions, as well as all subsequent promotions. That said, there are precautions put in place to prevent a regiment or division from being led by an incompetent. 

First of all, you can't just buy your way to the rank of General. The highest rank an officer can start their career with is Lieutenant, or maybe a Captain if they are directly related to a Duke or King. Secondly, a certain amount of seniority must be acquired before you can buy the promotion, ensuring that the officer has at least some degree of experience. Thirdly, frequent investigations are made into the careers of newly promoted officers to determine if they are suited for command - incompetent officers have even been removed from their post without refund in the past. Finally, there are only a limited amount of commissions, and if two officers go for the same commission at the same time, their careers will be closely examined - whether their noble rank is taken into account or not depends entirely on the person launching the investigation, but those who accept bribes are usually executed.

The system is meant to ensure that only those of the highest social class or with extraordinary merit reach high positions of command. You're either from a high enough birth to afford it, or you're a skilled enough officer to be given the most profitable assignments. Knights and particularly poor Barons often need to be sponsored by wealthier families.

Anyways, enough about the officers. Let's talk about the military itself. Different provinces are known for producing different types of soldiers. Aroth is known for designing and producing the finest cannons, and training the best officers to operate them. Valender's natural talent for breeding livestock also extends to horses, so naturally they have strong horses, and since many of Valender's residents grew up on ranches, they are also skilled riders. Since Elkwood's residents know how to hunt, track, or gather, they naturally end up serving as scouts, skirmishers, or partisans. Jalka is known for its infantry, having been the sight of many a historic battle.

The country also has a small navy - enough to transfer and supply a modestly-sized army if it came down to it, or escort cargo ships. With the harbors frozen over for much of year, it doesn't see much use.

[b][u]Religion[/u][/b]

The Garans believe that the world was created by an individual known only as the Creator, also referred to the as the Almighty or the Allfather. After he created the world, he then sought to guide its inhabitants, but then another being came along known as the Destroyer, and to this day the two are said to still be fighting a cosmic battle which has prevented the Creator from returning to aid his Children. Eventually, one will triumph over the other, and the world will either be destroyed or enter a Golden Age under the Creator's guidance.

This of course gives the Church of the Creator a convenient excuse for why other nations don't share their faith. Having been absent for so long, other nations began to distort or forget the Creator's teachings, forming their own religions. Other religions can be viewed as either naive interpretations or outright blasphemy depending on how similar or different they are.

The Church was once a major political power in Gara. But as the years went on, Kings gradually began to strip away its power. The Grandmaster Cleric is the highest ranking church official, and as it currently stands his only real powers are the ability to declare or remove religious holidays, and he can participate in the vote to veto a declaration of war, with roughly the same power as a Duke. He can also speak freely about the King, but still needs to watch his words as careless talk is exactly why the Church had its power stripped in the past.

[b][u]History[/u][/b]

The Kingdom of Gara was once a series of divided petty kingdoms, city-states, and tribes, frequently fighting amongst themselves. Then one day, the leader of one of these small nations sent out his eldest son, Prince Arrus Wilkar, to explore the surrounding land, posing as a merchant with the intention of gathering as much information as possible. He made maps and took note of their various techniques - everything from farming to fighting to smithing to hunting. 

He returned with he received word of his father's death, and it was time to become king. But after all he had seen, the land he inherited was not enough for him. Having taken note of the strategies employed by the various kingdoms, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, he used them to build up a well rounded army, and through a mixture of conquest and diplomacy he gradually conquered the continent. The leaders who had joined him willingly became the first Duke, Counts, and Barons, and finally the Garan Highlands were united under one King.

[b][u]Characters[/u][/b]

King Edward Veliath - King of Gara. Twenty-nine years old, with a three year old son. His wife died during childbirth.

Duke Wilhelm Nolan - Duke of Valender. Thirty-eight years old, with two sons and a wife.

Duke Torrin Quinlan - Duke of Elkwood. Twenty-three years old, unmarried. Has an illegitimate one year-old son.

Duke Edwick Martin - Duke of Jalka. Fifty-three years old, and a traditionalist. Has three daughters, but no sons. His wife died of sickness.

Count Kennith Vendal - Count of Greenhaven, vassal to the Duke of Valender. Renowned general.

Sir Gerald Arenar - An army Lieutenant who used to be a commoner. He participated in a battle along the border twenty years ago. When the noble-born officers were killed, he stepped up to assume command of the men and led them to victory against nearly impossible odds, although not without heavy casualties that saw most of the troop annihilated. He was knighted for his valiant actions and granted his first officer's commission, and although he has been unable to rise above the rank of Lieutenant, he is a hero to the common folk nonetheless.

Sir Gareth Valyn - Knighted recently for designing Gara's first locomotive - a new means of transportation. Unfortunately, since it is a relatively new vehicle (at least in Gara) there is a great deal of doubt cast upon it. Combined with its great expense and recent events, it will be decades before it sees widespread use. After all, when the world is ending, laying railroads is about priority #1257 for the average person.[/hider]