Orenzia, Kingdom of

Orenzia is one of the few kingdoms that predates, mostly intact, the Age of Emancipation. The Garou tribes and their Kinfolk relatives held a position of authority in the region centuries before that period. The various churches had no choice but to coexist with the noble families who could turn into nine feet tall killing machines at will. The Garou and Kinfolk themselves did not worship gods but revered the Planet itself as Gaia and the Moon as Luna.

In the early decades of the Age of Emancipation, as the churches were under attack by the Mages of Tasnica and the Dragonborns of Thamasa, the Orenzian branches of the cults tried to rally the majority human populations against the Garou, Kinfolks and generally every non-human races in Orenzia. Harpies, Lamias , Syrens and Nixas were particularly targeted because of their liminal nature. However Elves, Goblinoids and Dwarves fared little better. Orenzia spent the next century embroiled in civil war. During that time, what would become the Imperial provinces and later Kingdoms of, Dacia, Lorinth, Sanguis and Sorengar became independent theocracies. Elven settlements and Dwarven strongholds were collateral damage during that conflict, sacked or razed with their population enslaved, as much larger populations of humans and Kinfolk were displaced into their territories. The constant low intensity conflict with the city state of Prima and its amphibious population made navigating Lake Orenz particularly treacherous.

In 2759, King Albrecht the First of the Silver Claws tribe finalized his reconquest of the area currently known as the Kingdom of Orenzia. Albrecht had successfully allied himself with Prima and most of the organized non-human tribes. Unfortunately, his victory would be short lived. As Orenzia was consuming itself, the Thamasan Empire had already secured the Northern Plateau and had already taken over parts of the former Kingdom Orenzia (Lorinth and Sanguis). The Dragonborn Emperor of the time saw an ally in King Albrecht, given that he had spent most of his life fighting the churches. He offered to integrate Orenzia into the Empire, keeping the Garou tribes in charge as long as all worship be banned. Orenzia became an Imperial province in 2762. Imperial troops moped up the few remaining Elven and Dwarven settlements without the aid of the Orenzian military as King Albrecht had formed alliances with some of them during his war to reconquer Orenzia.

Over the centuries, the Garou tribes were gradually ousted from their positions of power with Dragonborn and Undead governor's dividing Orenzia into smaller provinces and playing the tribes against each other.

Immediately after the Great War, Orenzia experienced a short but bloody civil war as the Garou tribes, human populations and Dragonborn governors sought to establish dominance. Ultimately, the Garou tribe Stargazers formed a coalition with humanoid groups, Garou tribes and other shapeshifter tribes to pacify the Kingdom once more.

The Stargazers were known for their wisdom more than prowess in battle. Nevertheless, what they were offering as a long term solution for the prosperity and stability of the kingdom were accepted by a broad range of the population and factions.

The Stargazers tribe leader, Antonine Teardrop, would become King but his power would be limited by a constitution and a parliament which would also guarantee basic rights (free speech for parliamentarians, protection from cruel and unusual punishment and arbitrary imprisonment). Regional leadership would be left to the dominant group but with built-in protections for minority races.

The parliament was composed of two Chambers, the house of Commons and the house of Lords. The Lord titles were identified in the constitution among the winning factions and are hereditary. Members of the house of Commons are elected every five years in elections across the Kingdom.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom