[h1][i]Benaduza! Benaduza! Lady of all that the sun can reach! Of all the men in the world, no lady is as beautiful as she![/i][/h1]

[img]http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/shipoffools/images/0/00/Grand_Fleet.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170106200855[/img]

[b]Government:[/b] Dual Monarchy

[b]Religion:[/b] The twin gods, The Tall One and The Short One, gods of Humans, war, and the sky, and Gnomes, Halflings, the sea, and naval conflict respectively.

[b]Culture:[/b] Benaduza is a nation obsessed with the idea of beauty and progress, building massive constructions that serve little practical purpose other than aesthetics and building ever larger cities in the name of progression. Halflings and humans are consistantly arguing about who is more important to society, with the humans arguing that as they are the dominant race on the mainland and also the lords of the army, the Halflings should bow to them, while the halflings argue that without their islands and ships, Benaduza would be weak and pathetic. There's a rigid class system, with royalty of both races at the top, priests below them, human soldiers and halfling sailors below them, craftsmen and workers and then farmers. Merchants are treated with little respect and heavy mistrust, as they do not produce anything for Benaduza, and foreign merchants must tread carefully on Benaduzan soil.

The halflings have a strong naval tradition, with admirals often being adopted into the Halfling royal family for their service, considered the greatest gift one could receive, while the humans are of a noble army tradition, with knights considered the height of their society. Halfling society has the markings of a meritocracy, with the lower classes often promoted based on skill, whilst human society is more static. The divides between their two cultures is a large internal threat to the Benaduzan kingdom. Murder, theft, arson, treason, and blasphemy are all punishable by death, and most other smaller crimes carry prison sentences.

[b]Economy:[/b] All that is within Benaduza stays within Benaduza, and trade is strictly regulated by the halfling navy. Gold cannot be given away, meaning that all Benaduzan trade is exports, and even then, meat products, unrefined metals, and lumber are also banned from being given away. Trade in ore, weaponry, herbs, and food is strictly prohibited, potentially leading to execution in the case of weaponry.

[b]Current state:[/b] Benaduza is in the twilight of its power, with declining halfling birthing rates causing a scare as to the empire's dominant race's future, and as the humans gain more power, the dual monarchy is in serious danger of collapsing. Rising nationalism in the eastern islands is also cause for alarm. The halfling king is childless, and his adopted children are all older than he, bringing the future of the royal line into serious doubt, while the humans and gnomes have begun to intermarry, bringing the gnomes further from the halfling power-block and ensuring a continued human-gnome royal line.

[b]History:[/b] The old Kingdom of Benaduza was established hundreds of years ago, when Queen Junio e'Dux conquered the last human kingdom on the mainland through a massive naval assault. The Halfling kingdom of Benaduza lasted for two hundred years until the great civil wars occurred. Angered by their lack of representation, the humans rose up and attacked the halfling castles. They seized the mainland, but proved unable to seize the kingdom's capital in Dux. The halflings sailed to the human capital in Oranth and admitted conditional defeat, creating the framework of the modern Benaduza by creating a second human monarchy and moving from Dux to Oranth.

Over the years, Benaduza has continued to attempt to establish hegemony over the southern and eastern oceans, with an amount of success. But as the streets of Dux get quieter and quieter, the future of the empire lies with the humans on the land.

[b]Cities, forts, and other important locations:[/b]
[hider=Oranth][img]https://images.discordapp.net/.eJwVyVEOgyAMANC7cAAoBSndZZZaCZqoGGFfy-6-7fe9t3ndu3mYdYyrP5xbtq7tXmwf7ZZabG2t7kWurVtth5MxRNejnKO74GHiDOA5ABIS5T9lxDwxEKdfgXcoOiM_KWryFELRTDGlKHlexCvyDAE5or3Oaj5fr80qFQ.BdWQP62UN6MAqMLCC1ansJeDrh0[/img]

The capital of the Dual monarchy, Oranth was originally one of the many castles owned by the many human cultures on the peninsula, before being decided upon as the capital by the halflings and human rebels. Situated in a swamp, Oranth is worthless for most things. Despite its proximity to the coast, Oranth is considered a small city, probably due to its swampy nature. The apartments of the two kings are housed in Oranth castle, and it is from where all edicts are given. Nothing much happens here, and the two kings often hold court in other cities as no citizen truly wishes to travel here.[/hider]
[hider=Dux][img]http://www.rpgcrossing.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=54143&stc=1&d=1354823334[/img]
The largest city in the empire, Dux is home to almost the entire population of halflings. Situated on the southern Dux island, Dux is a temperate paradise with beautiful sun and calm ocean breezes. Despite its beauty and size, Dux is home to a large population of ne'er-do-wells and thieves. It's stated that the safest part of Dux is the sea outside it, as the royal navy is usually docked here. Often considered the heart of the empire, Dux is the home of the halfling temples to the short and tall ones.[/hider]
[hider=Gorinth][img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/309/737/large/scott-duquette-demonwars-reformation-cover-sketch-02-cropped.jpg?1416423256[/img]
The second-largest city in the empire, Gorinth is majority Gnomish. The home of most of the empire's drydocks, Gorinth is a major producer of ships, but the human naval invasion force is also here, prepared to land on any foreign beachhead necessary, Gorinth has a heavy military atmosphere, with small-talk rare amongst the Gnome inhabitants. It's nigh crime-free due to the military presence, but is also incredibly boring.[/hider]
[hider=Hularia][img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/005/667/724/large/jama-jurabaev-bandb-fs-150324-castle-transformation-v001-004-jj.jpg[/img]
A huge castle located to the north of the main peninsula, Hularia castle is the main staging point of all continental invasions. The human king usually holds court here. The castle is massive and constructed against all forms of assault, and if an invasion force attacked, taking over the peninsula, Hularia would be the last to fall.[/hider]
[hider=Neniza][img]https://images.discordapp.net/eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2Rpc2NvcmQuc3RvcmFnZS5nb29nbGVhcGlzLmNvbS9hdHRhY2htZW50cy8zMTA1OTgwMDE5MzAyNzI3NzgvMzEwODI1MzA4MTQ2MTA2Mzc4L3NLUlFLR1IucG5nIn0.MRiyiOPqo1jPF8ZFenxzVoQh9QQ?width=284&height=424[/img]
Located on the Neniza river, Neniza was once the merchant hub of the kingdom, and as a result has been under a stigma for years. Neniza has since fallen into neglect and is unmonitered by the Beneduzans, but, unbeknownst to them, Neniza has, despite getting smaller, grown an identity of its own, and Nenizans travel the globe as mercenaries, their knowledge of the forest incredibly valuable. Neniza is practically independent, and as a result has a large population of exiles who have nowhere else to go. It is also hard to conquer, with many of it's citizens skilled with the bow and knowledgeable in the surrounding forest.[/hider]