The Land:
On the southern peninsula of Trellarya is the kingdom of Välsurstägt. It is perhaps the smallest region in this great land. Välsurstägt is of mountainis terrain in the north and west, and the landscape slopes down to lush, green wetlands and jungles in the south, on southern shores, the beaches are of smooth, rippled sand and clear water, but in the east, the frequent storms and violent waves have flung many ships to their demise on the treacherous rocks and cliffs.
The kingdom is divided into four Kantons. Välsurveg in the north and Hientekeinn is the west are nearly completely covered with the Silderslät mountain range. In the south, there is Zevreila, of the foothills and wetlands and Tsehamat of the jungles and beachs.
Commerce:
In Välsurstägt, the faeries have a magical way of life, with many inventions and so on, which they sometimes reveal to the humans and sometimes not. Also, many of the animals have magical powers, but the humans have little knowledge of this. The only remotely magical way of the humans is their language. Once in a while, humans in Välsurstägt are born with an understanding of wind or fire or water or tree. This is very rare and it is not considered magic, it is more like a talent. The main exports of Välsurstägt are silder, lumber, and wool from the high mountain sheep, which is incredibly soft and rumored to have magical properties, although this has never been proved. Silder is what contributes the most to prosperity and power of this tiny land. It is a precious stone, found only in the mountains of Välsurveg. It is coveted throughout Trellarya.
Population:
The main part of the population lives in the mountains. The largest city and the capital is Vandersteg (located in the mountains on the shores of Vanderlak, although the city of Aff ltern in the lowlands is quite prosperous as well. There are also several smaller cities, and hundreds of small villages. The population of Välsurstägt is varied. Human have lived for a very centuries alongside the Fay or Faery folk, and although the cultures mostly go their separate ways, all unite in defense of Välsurstägt. Both species are intensly loyal to their land. The total population of humans in Välsurstägt is 450,000. The faeries have never been counted.
Animal Life:
The animal life in Välsurstägt is diverse. There are two species of Unicorn, the large, wild type who inhabit the mountains, and the small gentle ones, who keep to the lowlands. The dragons are seldom seen in this age, although several sightings have givin rise to rumors that some still live in the Sand Dunes area in the southwest. Griffins and phoenixs also make the jungle and swamp their home. The most dangerous predetor in Välsurstägt is the Onyx panther, a species that keeps to the high, glaciel ranges of the mountains. The other, more common place animals also live in Välsurstägt.
Government:
The system of government in Välsurstägt is a constitutional monarchy. There is one monarch, who must approve laws by the council, which consists of one human from each Kanton and one Faerie from each Kanton. The monarch is chosen by the trial of Vanderlak, and must be a rare person who is half faerie, half human (this system has avoided conflict between the species for centuries). The present monarch is in ill health at the moment, and the realm is awaiting the next trial.
History:
Välsurstägt has remained a relatively peaceful nation for several century, mostly due to the fact that many other kingdoms fear attacking it because of the high mountain ranges that surrond it. These also have cut Välsurstägt off from the rest of Trellarya. Also, the other kingdoms like to stay on the good side of Välsurstägt because it is the only source of silder. The time of chaos has passed Välsurstägt by, and we shall see how the realm fairs as it enters the golden age of Trellarya.
Wednesday
The Phoenician Empire [EDIT]
HISTORY
I called the land Phoenecia, but styled it after 500 B.C. Greece, with some Industrial age and Dark age. There are automatons, airships, and personal flying machines, a sort of mix between Daedalus-type gliders and jet packs. Baltazarr the Great united all the city states 30 years ago, and now his son Baltzar II. He is beginning the excavation of the Isle of Crete, which was mostly destroyed by an earthquake one year before the great unification.
MILITARY
The Phoenician city-states are now peaceful, but before the unification they were all fighting. Several thousand troops remain in reserve, though. There is a police force that helps to maintain peace in the cities, called the Avain guard. A dark-skinned man named Abdul Hakim is the leader of the Avian Guard in Phoenician capitol city of Athens.
POLITICS
The Emperor rules Phoenicia, and has the final word on everything. But each city-state has an elected senator, who represents the people of his city to the Emperor. The Athenian senator is Caedmon Severin, who has a son named Eleazar. Caedmon is good friends with Abdul Hakim.
RELIGION
The state religion is polytheistic. Two siblings are the High Priest and Priestess (Pythians) and are apparently immortal and impartial. No one knows where they came from, but their prophecys have always come true. They live at the Temple to Phoebus at Delphi, and people come from everywhere to make sacrifices to them, and the god. Many of the minor gods have cults devoted to them. The members will generally be unified by a different political ideal or religious viewpoint.
CRETE
Ever since a gigantic earthquake killed almost everyone on Crete, the Pythians have forbidden anyone from landing on its shores, and any ship that sailed there with the intent to land never came back. But now the Pythians have prophesied that Crete should be re-populated, and the senators from the city-states have voted to begin an excavation on the island. A man named Demetrios is in charge of the project.
ECONOMY
Once unified, the city-states isolated themselves, and became economically independent. The population is relatively steady. Most wildlife has been driven into Germania to the south. All timber comes from there, and since the land is fertile there are farms everywhere.
SOCIETY
The wealthy have stone houses in the middle of the city, and the poorest live in wooden huts on the outskirts. Young noblemen can go to schools, and most do. The low-class citizens are uneducated and illiterate, and are content to stay that way, for the most part.
I called the land Phoenecia, but styled it after 500 B.C. Greece, with some Industrial age and Dark age. There are automatons, airships, and personal flying machines, a sort of mix between Daedalus-type gliders and jet packs. Baltazarr the Great united all the city states 30 years ago, and now his son Baltzar II. He is beginning the excavation of the Isle of Crete, which was mostly destroyed by an earthquake one year before the great unification.
MILITARY
The Phoenician city-states are now peaceful, but before the unification they were all fighting. Several thousand troops remain in reserve, though. There is a police force that helps to maintain peace in the cities, called the Avain guard. A dark-skinned man named Abdul Hakim is the leader of the Avian Guard in Phoenician capitol city of Athens.
POLITICS
The Emperor rules Phoenicia, and has the final word on everything. But each city-state has an elected senator, who represents the people of his city to the Emperor. The Athenian senator is Caedmon Severin, who has a son named Eleazar. Caedmon is good friends with Abdul Hakim.
RELIGION
The state religion is polytheistic. Two siblings are the High Priest and Priestess (Pythians) and are apparently immortal and impartial. No one knows where they came from, but their prophecys have always come true. They live at the Temple to Phoebus at Delphi, and people come from everywhere to make sacrifices to them, and the god. Many of the minor gods have cults devoted to them. The members will generally be unified by a different political ideal or religious viewpoint.
CRETE
Ever since a gigantic earthquake killed almost everyone on Crete, the Pythians have forbidden anyone from landing on its shores, and any ship that sailed there with the intent to land never came back. But now the Pythians have prophesied that Crete should be re-populated, and the senators from the city-states have voted to begin an excavation on the island. A man named Demetrios is in charge of the project.
ECONOMY
Once unified, the city-states isolated themselves, and became economically independent. The population is relatively steady. Most wildlife has been driven into Germania to the south. All timber comes from there, and since the land is fertile there are farms everywhere.
SOCIETY
The wealthy have stone houses in the middle of the city, and the poorest live in wooden huts on the outskirts. Young noblemen can go to schools, and most do. The low-class citizens are uneducated and illiterate, and are content to stay that way, for the most part.
Kingdom of Sqwxzz
The Kingdom of Sqwxzz (pronounced Skwixs)
Sqwxzz is run by the Slyg hivemind. The native Slygs are a parasitic hiveminded race. My race will act as one machine with a few distinct personalities, but anyone in particular may be any one personality at any time.
Geography: The area is mainly desert although the borders bordering other countries are mainly forest and grassland. All Slyg cities are underground. Their capital, Sqwxzz is located underground somewhere in the middle of the desert. Other cities, Slkzz(NW), Smvxx(NE), Strkx(SW), and Slwzz(SE) are located in the four corners of the region. The economy is run mainly off of mining and fishing.
Swazighers: The only other creatures native to the area. They are small hedgehogs that can spontaneously burst into flame. Used mainly as scouts by the Slygs although in dire times are quickly recycled into food.
History: Sqwxzz was founded by the Slyg Hivemind around 678 years ago after they first made contact with sentient species. Being a parasitic race, this means that they infested one, gaining all knowledge inside of this creature. This increased their intelligence exponentially allowing them to set up governments and learn the languages of the kingdoms surrounding them. They set up in one area that had been abandoned because of its lack of arable land. They quickly multiplied and within the last few years managed to take over some forest/ grassland areas due to "aggressive diplomatic negotiations". Living mainly underground, they quickly discovered many precious stones underground. Realizing their worth, they mined these and used them as their main source of trading income. Their main food is fish, however they can go several days without eating if necessity dictates it. However, this tends to lessen the lifespan of their host (usually 5-20 years), so it will only be done if absolutely necessary. The entire populace is employed by the Slyg Hivemind bringing money allowing them to purchase any technology and knowledge of other neighboring kingdoms they deem necessary. The greatest asset of the Slyg populace is its ability to remember and access any piece of information that any one of the Slygs have ever had access to. This nation is viewed with mistrust by other nations, as Slygs can easily impersonate any other race as long as they have access to one body to infest. Slygs are recognizable only when they speak in either Sqwxzz which is nearly unrecognizable as a form of speech or when one speaks in another language in a voice in the back of its throat.
Military: The entire nation of Sqwxzz is a militant force. Any Slyg is capable of creating large poisonous spikes from their body which they use as their primary weapons.They are not warlike unless provoked and have told this to other nations. As of now, relations are peaceful.
And so we say to you: Mv vjt chp Let this begin.
Sqwxzz is run by the Slyg hivemind. The native Slygs are a parasitic hiveminded race. My race will act as one machine with a few distinct personalities, but anyone in particular may be any one personality at any time.
Geography: The area is mainly desert although the borders bordering other countries are mainly forest and grassland. All Slyg cities are underground. Their capital, Sqwxzz is located underground somewhere in the middle of the desert. Other cities, Slkzz(NW), Smvxx(NE), Strkx(SW), and Slwzz(SE) are located in the four corners of the region. The economy is run mainly off of mining and fishing.
Swazighers: The only other creatures native to the area. They are small hedgehogs that can spontaneously burst into flame. Used mainly as scouts by the Slygs although in dire times are quickly recycled into food.
History: Sqwxzz was founded by the Slyg Hivemind around 678 years ago after they first made contact with sentient species. Being a parasitic race, this means that they infested one, gaining all knowledge inside of this creature. This increased their intelligence exponentially allowing them to set up governments and learn the languages of the kingdoms surrounding them. They set up in one area that had been abandoned because of its lack of arable land. They quickly multiplied and within the last few years managed to take over some forest/ grassland areas due to "aggressive diplomatic negotiations". Living mainly underground, they quickly discovered many precious stones underground. Realizing their worth, they mined these and used them as their main source of trading income. Their main food is fish, however they can go several days without eating if necessity dictates it. However, this tends to lessen the lifespan of their host (usually 5-20 years), so it will only be done if absolutely necessary. The entire populace is employed by the Slyg Hivemind bringing money allowing them to purchase any technology and knowledge of other neighboring kingdoms they deem necessary. The greatest asset of the Slyg populace is its ability to remember and access any piece of information that any one of the Slygs have ever had access to. This nation is viewed with mistrust by other nations, as Slygs can easily impersonate any other race as long as they have access to one body to infest. Slygs are recognizable only when they speak in either Sqwxzz which is nearly unrecognizable as a form of speech or when one speaks in another language in a voice in the back of its throat.
Military: The entire nation of Sqwxzz is a militant force. Any Slyg is capable of creating large poisonous spikes from their body which they use as their primary weapons.They are not warlike unless provoked and have told this to other nations. As of now, relations are peaceful.
And so we say to you: Mv vjt chp Let this begin.
Tuesday
The Kingdom of Kovàl
Kovàl is a feudal monarchy. The current king is Jamie FinFarland, 7th in the FinFarland dynasty. The hero of my stories will be Andrew FinKaerin, the eldest son of one of the 12 feudal barons. Andrew is approaching his 18th birthday. Following tradition, Andrew will spend a year exploring the kingdom, getting to know the people, and living by his own wits. Having grown up in the lowlands, Andrew has decided to begin his journey in the rugged Highlands, which produce the bravest and most hardy warriors of Kovàl.
GEOGRAPHY
The western portion of the Kingdom of Kovàl, the "lowlands", is mostly composed of broad meadows and rolling hills. Rivers fed by snow melt punctuate the gentle landscape with lakes, stands of trees, and the occasional gorge. Most of the largest cities and commercial centers, along with 7 of the feudal Baronies, are located in the lowlands. The remaining 5 Baronies are located in the eastern portion of the kingdom, the "highlands". The mountain ranges and moors of the highlands provide ideal grazing grounds for the nimble Kovàl sheep, which form the basis of the highland agricultural economy.
GRIFFINS
The most unique feature of Kovàl is the Griffin. Griffins were first domesticated about 2000 years ago, and through the generations have become very loving and loyal animals, though their wild cousins are wary of humans, and can be very dangerous if not approached carefully. The Griffin has the head, forelegs, and wings of an eagle, and the hindquarters, hind legs, and tail of a lion. The Griffin is native to the Highlands of Kovàl, where its wings, tail, and talons make it perfect for negotiating the precarious rocky slopes high up in the mountains.
The Griffin is almost sacred in Kovàl society. Although about a third of the households in Kovàl own a Griffin, they are treated with the utmost dignity and respect. Mistreating one's Griffin is a crime on the level of beating one's child, and killing a Griffin can be a capital offense.
Though Griffins are naturally flightless, using their wings only for display and balance, generations of selective breeding have produced a rare line of flying Griffins. All known flying Griffins are the property of the King. Each of the 12 Kovàl barons, as a symbol of the favor bestowed upon him by the King, is given a griffin for his own personal use. These griffins are considered to be borrowed from the crown, and do not become the property of the baron. The King also maintains an elite bodyguard: the King's Griffins. This band is composed of 50 highly trained archers mounted on flying Griffins. Under ideal conditions, these remarkable archers are able to shoot a man on the ground from the back of a Griffin flying 500 feet in the air.
HISTORY
Almost 150 years ago, one of the many Kovàl civil wars ended in the slaughter of the reigning monarch and all his family, thus ending the FinFlannigan dynasty. This power vacuum was filled by a stranger to the land, Andrew Farland. When he became king, he added the traditional honorific, becoming Andrew FinFarland, first of the FinFarland dynasty. Andrew FinFarland brought peace to the warring baronies, a peace which has been maintained to this day despite significant inter-baronial tension.
MILITARY
The military culture is still a major part of Kovàl society. All young men are expected to be able to wield a sword and a bow, and those of good family always learn to ride a Griffin in battle. Fierce codes of loyalty and chivalry are ingrained at an early age. The king has the authority to raise an army, typically composed of over 20,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 Griffin cavalry. Kovàl is at peace with its neighbors, but ready to defend itself if need be.
MAP
GEOGRAPHY
The western portion of the Kingdom of Kovàl, the "lowlands", is mostly composed of broad meadows and rolling hills. Rivers fed by snow melt punctuate the gentle landscape with lakes, stands of trees, and the occasional gorge. Most of the largest cities and commercial centers, along with 7 of the feudal Baronies, are located in the lowlands. The remaining 5 Baronies are located in the eastern portion of the kingdom, the "highlands". The mountain ranges and moors of the highlands provide ideal grazing grounds for the nimble Kovàl sheep, which form the basis of the highland agricultural economy.
GRIFFINS
The most unique feature of Kovàl is the Griffin. Griffins were first domesticated about 2000 years ago, and through the generations have become very loving and loyal animals, though their wild cousins are wary of humans, and can be very dangerous if not approached carefully. The Griffin has the head, forelegs, and wings of an eagle, and the hindquarters, hind legs, and tail of a lion. The Griffin is native to the Highlands of Kovàl, where its wings, tail, and talons make it perfect for negotiating the precarious rocky slopes high up in the mountains.
The Griffin is almost sacred in Kovàl society. Although about a third of the households in Kovàl own a Griffin, they are treated with the utmost dignity and respect. Mistreating one's Griffin is a crime on the level of beating one's child, and killing a Griffin can be a capital offense.
Though Griffins are naturally flightless, using their wings only for display and balance, generations of selective breeding have produced a rare line of flying Griffins. All known flying Griffins are the property of the King. Each of the 12 Kovàl barons, as a symbol of the favor bestowed upon him by the King, is given a griffin for his own personal use. These griffins are considered to be borrowed from the crown, and do not become the property of the baron. The King also maintains an elite bodyguard: the King's Griffins. This band is composed of 50 highly trained archers mounted on flying Griffins. Under ideal conditions, these remarkable archers are able to shoot a man on the ground from the back of a Griffin flying 500 feet in the air.
HISTORY
Almost 150 years ago, one of the many Kovàl civil wars ended in the slaughter of the reigning monarch and all his family, thus ending the FinFlannigan dynasty. This power vacuum was filled by a stranger to the land, Andrew Farland. When he became king, he added the traditional honorific, becoming Andrew FinFarland, first of the FinFarland dynasty. Andrew FinFarland brought peace to the warring baronies, a peace which has been maintained to this day despite significant inter-baronial tension.
MILITARY
The military culture is still a major part of Kovàl society. All young men are expected to be able to wield a sword and a bow, and those of good family always learn to ride a Griffin in battle. Fierce codes of loyalty and chivalry are ingrained at an early age. The king has the authority to raise an army, typically composed of over 20,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 Griffin cavalry. Kovàl is at peace with its neighbors, but ready to defend itself if need be.
MAP
Updated Map
So this is the updated map, complete with borders and a scale(miles)! The Kingdom names are as follows:
1. -
2. Minorgana
3. Välsurstägt
4. Archeron
5. Phoenecia
6. Akaylia
7. Kovàl
8. Sqwxzz
9. Tirane
Look for kingdom descriptions in the next couple days, and soon after that the first stories!
Thursday
Map
So, here's the map. It hasn't yet been divided into kingdoms. The island from east to west is about 1000 miles.
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