Serana

Serana is the only land with a sort of democracy in Arthenos. It was a harsh battle to have the people have power over the land. It started with the invasion of the Therian Empire.
City States against an Empire
Serana had a lot of city states, where multiple races had their own state or form of government. But most of the lands they controlled wasn’t a lot more than a couple towns and villages. They had trading agreements with each other but also attacked one another quite frequently. But then they needed to band together against a great threat from the west . This happened in the years 40-63 of the Dark Era. The Therian Empire from the land of Coldaran in the west amassed an enormous army, invaded Serana and completely destroyed the Dvergur city of Burnadash. Emperor Therian didn’t want to stop there. The whole of Serana would kneel before his might.
The city states held a congress where they formed an alliance with each other. Two bonds were forged. The Seranian Bond with its leader Actaeon of Amarynthos (now known as Dumvellën) and the Akroinon Bond with its leader Zelos of Myos (an ancient city now gone). Together they fought of the Therian invasion by battling in the Longwater Bay and the King’s Bay. There was also the slaughter of the First Wood, where they killed many Therians using the First Wood as cover.
The great Therian Empire was defeated in battle by the small city states of Serana. Something which would echo through history. They drove the empire back to their homelands and they never dared attack again.
The Seranian War
But the victory wasn’t savoured long, for now they turned their gaze towards each other. It was the Seranian Bond which attacked the Akroinon Bond, after the war against the Empire. The Seranian war started in 111 of the Dark Era. It lasted for twenty years until the year 131 with the victory of the Seranian Bond after the leader of the Akroinon Bond Thelos of Myos (the son of Zelos) was killed in the battle of Virmin Forest.
During the war many of the city states were either absorbed by a bond or destroyed in the war. The city of Durn near Ragnar Mountain was left by itself, mostly out of fear of what the Ragnar Mennin would do. The Seranian Bond sent an envoy to Durn in order to ask them to join their side but they refused sending the scorched bodies of the messengers back to them.
The Dvergur City of Vaikum, was attacked by the Akroinon Bond but the ingenuity of the Dvergur was too much for the armies of the bond. Their specialization in armor and weapons and many more technological advanced weaponries, easily wiped the floor with a great chunk of the Akroinon Bond’s army. They retreated and the Dvergur built a wall to keep out any intruders who would dare come to Vaikum with war. The Iron wall still stands to this day and Vaikum has known peace ever since.
The last city that was left alone was the city named Coedwig Senlìn, now known as Temple City. It was a city in the far north of the First Wood. Humans didn’t go there, and the First Wood was more dangerous and vaster than it is now. Coedwig Senlìn was, because of this, inhabited by the most exotic races imaginable and they all lived in harmony. The Akroinon Bond left them be, but the Humans would come back later.
The Invasion of Helfell
After the Seranian Bond won the war, they named the land Serana in honor of their victory, which is still the name today. The power of Serana was seated in Dumvellën, then still called Amarynthos. Serana was now ruled by what is called the Tyranny of the Thirty Tyrants. Now nobody really disagreed with their rule and the land was prosperous during that age so people didn’t complain about the tyrants. A small few did.
The Thirty Tyrants wanted to expand their lands. They knew some lands were off limit but next to them was the land of Helfell, which was up for the taking. They invaded with a great force, imprisoning or slaughtering the survivors or people from the villages they raided.
They were able to take in the province until reaching the Mountains of Lys. There they couldn’t face the cold of the mountains, but they didn’t care; they had more than enough land to rule over. Their rule lasted until the year 524 of the Dark Age.
The Fall of Amarynthos
Amarynthos was the capital of Serana for a long time. It was there the Thirty Tyrants were seated and ruled over the land. But after Boros II Halfdan, king of Helfell, reclaimed their lands the land of Serana grew restless. They lost one of their major food sources: grain. They had neglected their own grain crops to grow other things, but grain was the main food source for the poor and now they no longer had it. People were starving, sickness was spreading. Serana grew weak. There was talk of Helfell going to war against them in revenge, only they had problems of their own. Also talk of the south attacking them. People wanted change. They rebelled against the Thirty Tyrants, killing them all and sacking the city of Amarynthos in their rage. Many died.
During this time the mage Kalimos used his powers to separate the continent with the Great Flood and killing himself in the progress. The Rebellion was the perfect distraction for his plan. But after the flood even more people died. The land of Serana became a wasteland. But the rebels won. This brought forth the Provectus Era.
The rebels called themselves the Thinkers, because they thought that only through knowledge one can rule well. So, they formed what they called a democracy. It was the first of its kind and is at the moment the only of its kind. People could vote if they paid taxes to the state. They would elect three consuls, which is called a triumvirate, who would then rule over the land. They would appoint governors to every hold, which would stay there until they died. The three consuls have an equal say in the matter and the decision are based on argumentation and reasoning.
They created a whole army by paying the soldiers and giving them a piece of land after they came back from war. Slowly but surely the holds grew once more. Many races were accepted, and prosperous times came once more. It was then they built the city of Novostad as a new capital for government.
The Democracy of Arthenos
After establishing Novostad as their new capital, they instituted a democracy. Only those paying taxes could vote for the consuls and those who payed more had more votes to give. So, it wasn’t really that fair. But throughout the times they became more lenient in their system. Women could vote if they contributed to the economy and were regarded as equal in their votes.
The Provectus Era was an era of stability and flourishing. It is said it was the best time to live anywhere in the world. Novostad was a being metropolis where trade, liberty and freedom stood central. Everyone benefitted from the system. Those who had money became richer, but those who had nothing at least got something.

Type

Geopolitical, Republic

Demonym

Seranians