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I present to you the Kingdom of Irea and it's two fiefdoms; Nahret and Marecam (Names may be fiddled with a little bit.)
Map FINALLY working, thank you @Golem
I present to you the Kingdom of Irea and it's two fiefdoms; Nahret and Marecam (Names may be fiddled with a little bit.)
Map FINALLY working, thank you @Golem
Backstory:
Nobody is quite sure which peoples originally crossed the Ironpeaks to emerge onto the valleys and plains that are now Irea, but they must have had a very tough time of it to start with. Orcs and Wargs filled the land, preventing the settlers from pushing out into the verdant valleys that would provide them with the food and supplies they needed, forcing them into the mountains themselves for generations.
Nevertheless, the Ironpeak mountains are filled with ore, so much of it that it provided the early human settlers in the region enough weaponry and protection to eke out a living through hunting and whatever they could gather, as well as allow them to weather the attacks by the local Orc tribes, and their lethally vicious Warg beasts. This ore would prove enough to allow them to push the Orcs back step by step, until they eventually broke through stronghold after stronghold, driving back and exterminating the Orcs in a stunning display of martial prowess. It is unknown what happened to divide the original settlers, but eventually the three kingdoms were formed, each with their own way of life and leadership.
The Ireans consider themselves the 'direct' descendants of the original settlers, having continued the tradition of mining and hunting, as well as farming the lands they reclaimed from Orc and Warg alike. In the great plateaus where the capital of Skycaden was to be founded, they discovered a race of horses, far stronger and faster than the horses brought with the settlers. This discovery eventually leading to the formation of the vaulted Winged Hussars.
The Marecams were quite different. Settling down in the great peloponnesian plains, they were the smallest of the original kingdoms, and the first to fall under the Irean advance. Where they had once lead a largely nomadic lifestyle, herding their sheep and harvesting any wild grasses that grew. In contraast, the Irea turned the area into farmlands, awarding Lords with areas of land for them to farm. Eventually, the Lords built up a large farming community with many a pasture filled with sheep and zathians, a race of large reptilian quadrupeds with a taste similar to a gamy chicken, and a hide famed for it's toughness when tanned.
The last group, the Narhets, upon searching further south, found the area to be filled with woodland, but with a great natural cove and wide open beaches, with seas teeming with life. Quickly capitalising on the maritime opportunities they were given, they became a seafaring race, hewing down timber to build great ships to explore and trade. The Ireans, seeing no reason to change this, have left Narhet in much the same way it was before, except with greater industrialisation. Large tracts of forest were chopped down, and roads span much of the southern part of the area, however the northen part, a frigid micro-climate filled with creatures so difficult to battle that even the Hussars fell to them, has been largely left alone, with a great wall built so that they may never enter civilised lands.
Each of the nations have their own capital. The Ireans have Skycaden citadel, built atop a massive outcropping, aqueducts bring water up and down to the main castle, where the royal family and their advisers, as well as the nobles live, the great city itself being mostly focused in the lower plains. The castle is also home to the Pegasi stables, where the Winged Hussars are trained from the age of twelve how to care for their mounts, turning them into a well-drilled fighting order of knights, who are the best equipped in the entire military. The main city itself is a sprawl of stone-brick houses and thatched roofs, with markets hawking Nehrat goods dotted around, their red tents fluttering in the windy climate.
Skycaden is also home to some of the best artisans and crafters in the empire. When the WoTK ended, there was an exodus of crafstsmen from the wooded region in order to utilise the precious metals and geodes found in the region. Because of this, many crafts are exported from Ira to Narhet in order to be traded away in far-flung ports.
Irea itself is much the same. The northern territories are filled with those mining the Ironpeak mountains, excavating iron, copper, silver, coal and much more in order to fuel the forges and smithies that dot the landscapes, much of the country is ruled from castles, with land owned by noblemen and worked by bought slaves, making many slave-owners incredibly rich.
Meanwhile, Nahret have Whitbeach, a city that despite great wealth, also has great poverty. Stilted houses, raised to protect themselves from floods are populated by fishermen, the great docks filled with state trading vessels and triremes side-by-side with small trawlers and dinghies, the High Lord living in a 'mini-city' in which most normal citizens never enter.
Lastly, Marecam has Sherwood, the youngest of all the capitals. Founded shortly before the War of Three Kings, it is one of the few places shrouded in woodland, with the great world trees providing shelter for the High Lord, whilst wooden buildings filled with citizens make a living by tilling the soil or tending to animals.
Of course, this re-unification did not come without a cost. The War of the Three kings was a brutal, bloody affair sparked by the Irean king's want of more land and resources. Raising the first of the standing armies that would become nigh-ubiquitous in the region, he marched his forces into Marecam, sparking almost fifteen years of brutal fighting that left thousands of soldiers and civilians dead, with many towns entirely burnt to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the Narhet raised their own army and marched against Irea, taking advantage of the fact that their army had taken great losses against Marecam resistance.
It was at this time when the perfect mixture of coal and iron was found to produce steel hard enough to withstand blows, but malleable enough to not shatter on contact. The expense of it prohibited the making of widespread full steel armour, however making armour from 'hardened iron,' was much easier, and segmented armour made from this new substance, as well as lances and swords, were created at great cost, and the best knights from Irea were found in order to claim a Wylde Stallion. These new Winged Hussars, elite shocktroops that could ride faster and further, and with their armour protecting them from all but the luckiest or strongest blows, turned the tide of a losing war against the Narhet into a rout.
Narhet soldiers, many believing the end of days to have arrived, fled the battlefields, those that stayed found that even the commanders were shaken by this turn of events. When the power of the shock troops was combined with new battle drills formulated by Irean commanders, the Irean army finally was able to push back Nahret forces until the kingdoms were entirely unified.
The scars of the War of Three Kings, fought centuries ago, are only finally fading, rebellions and uprising by usurper lords and false kings occurring less and less frequently as the populace slowly fails to remember a time when they were ever separated at all, and at last the armies of the Empire are readying for a unified war once more.
Nobody is quite sure which peoples originally crossed the Ironpeaks to emerge onto the valleys and plains that are now Irea, but they must have had a very tough time of it to start with. Orcs and Wargs filled the land, preventing the settlers from pushing out into the verdant valleys that would provide them with the food and supplies they needed, forcing them into the mountains themselves for generations.
Nevertheless, the Ironpeak mountains are filled with ore, so much of it that it provided the early human settlers in the region enough weaponry and protection to eke out a living through hunting and whatever they could gather, as well as allow them to weather the attacks by the local Orc tribes, and their lethally vicious Warg beasts. This ore would prove enough to allow them to push the Orcs back step by step, until they eventually broke through stronghold after stronghold, driving back and exterminating the Orcs in a stunning display of martial prowess. It is unknown what happened to divide the original settlers, but eventually the three kingdoms were formed, each with their own way of life and leadership.
The Ireans consider themselves the 'direct' descendants of the original settlers, having continued the tradition of mining and hunting, as well as farming the lands they reclaimed from Orc and Warg alike. In the great plateaus where the capital of Skycaden was to be founded, they discovered a race of horses, far stronger and faster than the horses brought with the settlers. This discovery eventually leading to the formation of the vaulted Winged Hussars.
The Marecams were quite different. Settling down in the great peloponnesian plains, they were the smallest of the original kingdoms, and the first to fall under the Irean advance. Where they had once lead a largely nomadic lifestyle, herding their sheep and harvesting any wild grasses that grew. In contraast, the Irea turned the area into farmlands, awarding Lords with areas of land for them to farm. Eventually, the Lords built up a large farming community with many a pasture filled with sheep and zathians, a race of large reptilian quadrupeds with a taste similar to a gamy chicken, and a hide famed for it's toughness when tanned.
The last group, the Narhets, upon searching further south, found the area to be filled with woodland, but with a great natural cove and wide open beaches, with seas teeming with life. Quickly capitalising on the maritime opportunities they were given, they became a seafaring race, hewing down timber to build great ships to explore and trade. The Ireans, seeing no reason to change this, have left Narhet in much the same way it was before, except with greater industrialisation. Large tracts of forest were chopped down, and roads span much of the southern part of the area, however the northen part, a frigid micro-climate filled with creatures so difficult to battle that even the Hussars fell to them, has been largely left alone, with a great wall built so that they may never enter civilised lands.
Each of the nations have their own capital. The Ireans have Skycaden citadel, built atop a massive outcropping, aqueducts bring water up and down to the main castle, where the royal family and their advisers, as well as the nobles live, the great city itself being mostly focused in the lower plains. The castle is also home to the Pegasi stables, where the Winged Hussars are trained from the age of twelve how to care for their mounts, turning them into a well-drilled fighting order of knights, who are the best equipped in the entire military. The main city itself is a sprawl of stone-brick houses and thatched roofs, with markets hawking Nehrat goods dotted around, their red tents fluttering in the windy climate.
Skycaden is also home to some of the best artisans and crafters in the empire. When the WoTK ended, there was an exodus of crafstsmen from the wooded region in order to utilise the precious metals and geodes found in the region. Because of this, many crafts are exported from Ira to Narhet in order to be traded away in far-flung ports.
Irea itself is much the same. The northern territories are filled with those mining the Ironpeak mountains, excavating iron, copper, silver, coal and much more in order to fuel the forges and smithies that dot the landscapes, much of the country is ruled from castles, with land owned by noblemen and worked by bought slaves, making many slave-owners incredibly rich.
Meanwhile, Nahret have Whitbeach, a city that despite great wealth, also has great poverty. Stilted houses, raised to protect themselves from floods are populated by fishermen, the great docks filled with state trading vessels and triremes side-by-side with small trawlers and dinghies, the High Lord living in a 'mini-city' in which most normal citizens never enter.
Lastly, Marecam has Sherwood, the youngest of all the capitals. Founded shortly before the War of Three Kings, it is one of the few places shrouded in woodland, with the great world trees providing shelter for the High Lord, whilst wooden buildings filled with citizens make a living by tilling the soil or tending to animals.
Of course, this re-unification did not come without a cost. The War of the Three kings was a brutal, bloody affair sparked by the Irean king's want of more land and resources. Raising the first of the standing armies that would become nigh-ubiquitous in the region, he marched his forces into Marecam, sparking almost fifteen years of brutal fighting that left thousands of soldiers and civilians dead, with many towns entirely burnt to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the Narhet raised their own army and marched against Irea, taking advantage of the fact that their army had taken great losses against Marecam resistance.
It was at this time when the perfect mixture of coal and iron was found to produce steel hard enough to withstand blows, but malleable enough to not shatter on contact. The expense of it prohibited the making of widespread full steel armour, however making armour from 'hardened iron,' was much easier, and segmented armour made from this new substance, as well as lances and swords, were created at great cost, and the best knights from Irea were found in order to claim a Wylde Stallion. These new Winged Hussars, elite shocktroops that could ride faster and further, and with their armour protecting them from all but the luckiest or strongest blows, turned the tide of a losing war against the Narhet into a rout.
Narhet soldiers, many believing the end of days to have arrived, fled the battlefields, those that stayed found that even the commanders were shaken by this turn of events. When the power of the shock troops was combined with new battle drills formulated by Irean commanders, the Irean army finally was able to push back Nahret forces until the kingdoms were entirely unified.
The scars of the War of Three Kings, fought centuries ago, are only finally fading, rebellions and uprising by usurper lords and false kings occurring less and less frequently as the populace slowly fails to remember a time when they were ever separated at all, and at last the armies of the Empire are readying for a unified war once more.
Irea is governed by a royal family, who's word is law. The royal family is assisted by a council of fifteen, each with their own important specialisation in managing the kingdoms. Each kingdom is ruled by a High Lord, who take care over of day-to-day running of their kingdom, normally assisted by a council of seven.
The current ruling house is that of Santasia, who have been ruling since around 300 years ago. The current King (traditionally called Emperor ever since the War of Three Kings,) is Justain III.
The military system is in the middle of a massive shakeup. During the War of Three Kings, a standing army was utilised by each kingdom. After the war, these were disbanded to reduce costs, and instead each kingdom had their own local militia to suppress uprising. Now that Justain has deemed the period of integration over, the standing armies are being re-trained. There are, however, the elite Winged Hussars, steel-clad soldiers that traditionally form part of the Praetorian Guard and ride Pegasi (the only soldiers who do so.) who have existed since before the WoTK.
The Ireans worship a pantheon of Gods, each representing an aspect of daily life (similar to the Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, etc pantheons.) Shrines are quite common, both as buildings and as small rooms within households, and although there is a priesthood, they are not particularly powerful, the nobles seeking to prevent them from gaining major power.
Technology wise, the Ireans are a mix of medieval France, ancient Rome and the Vikings. Wrought iron is reserved for knights and hussars, although crossbows have reached ubiquity for their ease of use, allowing great amounts of men to be trained to use them quickly. Almost every solder is armed with basic iron gear, and they also have catapults and ballistas roughly on par with those found in the Roman conquest of Gaul and Britannia.
The standing army is split into three divisons; infantry, cavalry and artillery, with the navy being a separate division largely used for transportation. Infantry includes the basic footsoldiers (armed with a spear and sword, wearing segmented iron armour) crossbowmen,(armed with crossbows and wearing studded armour,) and pioneers (scouts armed with bows and axes, basically no armour,) among others.
Cavalry includes light and medium cavalry (leather armour and spears/javelins and iron armour and spears respectively) the knights (iron chainmail as well as lance and swords,) as well as the vaulted Winged Hussars (Huberk and gambeson, domed & cheeked nasal helmet, mail mittens and leggings, aventail and a shortened, more angular kite shield. Also armed with lances, along with cavalry sabres.)
The artillery are literally just that. Engineers and soldiers that maintain and fire siege pieces.
The current ruling house is that of Santasia, who have been ruling since around 300 years ago. The current King (traditionally called Emperor ever since the War of Three Kings,) is Justain III.
The military system is in the middle of a massive shakeup. During the War of Three Kings, a standing army was utilised by each kingdom. After the war, these were disbanded to reduce costs, and instead each kingdom had their own local militia to suppress uprising. Now that Justain has deemed the period of integration over, the standing armies are being re-trained. There are, however, the elite Winged Hussars, steel-clad soldiers that traditionally form part of the Praetorian Guard and ride Pegasi (the only soldiers who do so.) who have existed since before the WoTK.
The Ireans worship a pantheon of Gods, each representing an aspect of daily life (similar to the Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, etc pantheons.) Shrines are quite common, both as buildings and as small rooms within households, and although there is a priesthood, they are not particularly powerful, the nobles seeking to prevent them from gaining major power.
Technology wise, the Ireans are a mix of medieval France, ancient Rome and the Vikings. Wrought iron is reserved for knights and hussars, although crossbows have reached ubiquity for their ease of use, allowing great amounts of men to be trained to use them quickly. Almost every solder is armed with basic iron gear, and they also have catapults and ballistas roughly on par with those found in the Roman conquest of Gaul and Britannia.
The standing army is split into three divisons; infantry, cavalry and artillery, with the navy being a separate division largely used for transportation. Infantry includes the basic footsoldiers (armed with a spear and sword, wearing segmented iron armour) crossbowmen,(armed with crossbows and wearing studded armour,) and pioneers (scouts armed with bows and axes, basically no armour,) among others.
Cavalry includes light and medium cavalry (leather armour and spears/javelins and iron armour and spears respectively) the knights (iron chainmail as well as lance and swords,) as well as the vaulted Winged Hussars (Huberk and gambeson, domed & cheeked nasal helmet, mail mittens and leggings, aventail and a shortened, more angular kite shield. Also armed with lances, along with cavalry sabres.)
The artillery are literally just that. Engineers and soldiers that maintain and fire siege pieces.