Avalin
Avalin (ævʌlɪn), officially the Fiefdoms of Avalin, is a sovereign nation in the central plains of Summum. Its borders extend from the Ayoric River in the north to the River Ordun in the south and shares it eastern border with Solana. It is currently engaged in a border dispute with west-neighboring Enia.
Avalin's terrain is chiefly open grasslands and floodplains similar to Thetlin, however it also possesses dense forestry in its northern region. Avalin is a feudal state dominated by local lords with its capital in Marrenvale, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial center; other major urban areas include [Nameable Town B] and disputed [Nameable Town A].
Avalin was settled by Edoic settlers during the Resurgence Period as part of Ayoria. The Edos Civil War prompted famed separatist and the country's namesake, General Tiberius Avalin to proclaim the region's autonomy until the rightful heir of the Alderic Dynasty could reclaim the throne. General Avalin's death in 516 sent the untried nation into its own civil war amongst his remaining officers until its stabilization under Lady Kotryna Lazaric. Recent events have seen Avalin become a regional aggressor, entering into several border skirmishes with Enia and supplying Solana with troops against possible Ordun advancement.
Structure
Avalin is a feudal state, its internal borders divided into localized fiefdoms ruled by lords and officially overseen by the High Lord. The lords themselves find their origin in the court of General Avalin, typically gifted lands in exchange for former service and continued allegiance. After the claiming of Avalin's throne by Kotryna Lazaric and the nation's reconstruction, many of the old guard lords have been replaced by Lazaric's own supporters.
Culture
Avalin society is one of ascetic simplicity fabricated in a nation created by soldiers - self-discipline, stoicism, and austerity pervade every aspect of life. While the people of Vedea and Copoa may see their lives as a thousand doors to be opened and closed, Avalinian’s see a hallway with nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine distractions from the single door at the end. The life of the average Avalinian is one of conformity and obedience, each individual intent on playing their part and avoiding the possibility of becoming the squeaky wheel.
Remaining deferential to your purpose, your lord, and your god are above all else - the pursuit of self-indulgence is, ultimately, a distraction from a higher purpose. None of this is to suggest that the people of Avalin are not creative or driven, the opposite is quite true. Within the realm of the Avalinian’s self-described ‘Destinia’ they are perfectionists to rival the utilitarian purists of Elyra’s smogged lands.
History
Formation
Forged in the fires of Edos’ civil war, Avalin and her people find themselves in a constant struggle for survival, self-determination, and power. Avalin found its origins in the Stoutguard of Avalin, the namesake legion of General Tiberius Avalin. The Stoutguard were one of Edos’ many legions in the new world charged with keeping the peace and protecting Edoic interests from Outlanders and the creatures of the Dawncrest Mountains. General Tiberius, himself a well honored lord in the Court of Vecatus in Edos, embodied what many considered the ‘ideal’ Edoic soldier.
He was resolute in the face of danger and unwavering in court, calculating and subtle Tiberius epitomized the rise of peasantry to aristocracy in Edos during its golden age. In 513 with the death of Queen Ladina and the ascension of the Triumvirate to Edos’ seat of power, General Avalin opted to wait at his position in Fort Marrenvale for orders. The civil war erupted shortly thereafter and General Avalin continued his neutral stance, opting instead to fortify the city and the banks of the River Ordun before eventually siding with General Zephyrine and Admiral Theotime.
The governing of Avalin began with general simplicity - General Tiberius Avalin solidified his rule in Marrenvale and throughout the Edosian Civil War expanded his influence all the way to the border of Nameable Town A, capturing and expanding farmland. While unwilling to name himself a king (famously stating “Ladina is gone - no kings endure.”) Tiberius named himself High Lord and bestowed the conquered lands to his officers and named them lords of his court.
Tiberius oversaw the region with a practiced and steady hand. Understanding that the Edos Civil War was likely the first of many matters in Summum’s soon-to-be turbulent tale, he focused on rebuilding the Ayoric Lowlands famed agriculture and was met with early success. Tiberius and his lords were quickly able to restore Avalin to its former production, enabling him to feed his troops and his peoples with little issue.
The War of Fifteen Lords
The final years of General Avalin’s life remain veiled in the tumultuous shadow of the Edos Civil War and the critique of his decisions remain varied amongst scholars. His ultimate decision to join with Zephyrine and Theotime earned him his place as third of the “Failed Triumvirate”. His early success in assisting General Rowland at the First Battle for Irrigan quickly turned as his deteriorating health forced him to his home in Marrenvale until his death in 516.
Post-mortem General Avalin’s command structure fell apart and the countryside surrounding Marrenvale descended into brutal skirmishes amongst his former lords, each utilizing the situation to enact vengeance on perceived slights they were unable to answer during the nation’s founding. Scholars of Solum placed an hourglass on Avalin - most likely they would be consumed by Enia’s wealth, feasted on by General Lugotorix’s armies in Ordun, or mangled by Kratis’ growing power. The warring lords of Avalin spilled across the former Ayoric Lowlands, their loyal subjects wholly willing to eviscerate those who had been neighbors but a few weeks prior. In 517 a new banner would fly over Marrenvale - the bleeding fleur de lis of Lady Kotryna Lazaric, intent on reunifying Avalin under her rule.
Reconstruction and Expansion
Lazaric’s brisk success at the reunification of Avalin was initially met with general unease by Ordun and Kratis, unsettled by her force's continued durability. With the War of the the Fifteen Lords over many believed Lazaric would return to the seat of power at Marrenvale, and were alarmed when the Avalin flag marched along the River Ordun and laid claim to Nameable Town A, clashing with Enian forces. The result of this claim ended in the allyship of Enia and Ordun and the receding of Avalin forces, leaving the town and its farmlands contested.
While the specifics remain in question, Lazaric’s gambit appears to have paid off - Enia and Ordun declare their official partnership, and the Brassics have since begun their courting of Avalin support. The Fall of Irrigan in 522 prompted Lazaric to dispatch 10,000 soldiers to the Solanic town of Solon's Rest to check Edoic aggression, weakning her position on the Enian border. The region remains unstable and the war drums of the Brass Accords boom across the continent as their terms of armistice come closer to closing.
Territories
Major Cities
Marrenvale
Marrenvale boasts the highest density of Avalin's population as the former agricultural capital of Ayoria. After General Avalin's claim of the city it underwent a severe transformation into an extremely defensible city capable of enduring long sieges. The city is cut through by wheel-and-spoke streets of Edoic design, allowing troops to quickly mobilize across the city in times of crisis.
Landscape and Rivers
Originally the breadbasket of Ayoria, Edos' continent spanning settlement of Summum, Avalin finds itself in open countryside with exceptionally loamy soils. Its proximity to the Ayoric and Ordun rivers cements itself as a high-production agricultural society. The old-growth forestry in its northern reaches produce exceptional hardwoods used across the entirety of the continent.
Climate
Like much of central Summum the climate of Avalin is firmly temperate, receiving ample rainfall in the spring and summer, and light snows in the winters. Floods are common in the summer months, though Edoic irrigation endeavors during the Resurgence off-set most of the damage caused by high waters.
Nature and Wildlife
Avalin presents little exotic wildlife compared to many of its neighbors, instead offering a variety of game in its forests and seasonal bird migrations across its great plains. The only known predator in the region - the Ayoric Boar - has not been seen in the region after intense hunting, it can still be found north of the Ayoric River in Kratis.
Military
Avalin maintains its authority over the region with a sizeable military presence of 30,000 troops spread over multiple legions and disciplines. Its recent aggression towards Enia has been matched by Edoic response in Ordun, prompting the dispatch of 10,000 troops to Solana's capital.
Laws
The law of Avalin is based primarily on the (now antiquated) Edoic Discipline, a document defining the duties and responsibilities of a member of the Edoic army. The enforcement of those laws are left primarily to the fief-lord, though punishments typically involve "equal measure" of docked wages or reassignment to more dangerous regions. More severe crimes are met with more severe punishments.
Nation Info
Official Name: The Fiefdoms of AvalinCapital: Marrenvale
Population: ~165,000
Government: Feudal
Leader: Kotryna Lazaric
Leader Title: High Lord
Demonym: Avalinian, Avalinic
Major Exports:
- Lumber
- Grain
- Adventuring Supplies
Military
- 15,000 Combatants
- Warships: No Naval Access
Breed Distribution
Religion Distribution
- 60% - The Guardians
- 20% - The Manifold Path
- 10% - The Sentinel
- 5% - The Highlord
- 5% - Other
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~ Dylan Thomas