Coul

Structure

Coul is a kingdom, with a monarch at its head. This can be a king or a queen, and they are the most powerful person in Coul. They rule Coul from their palace in Viercourt, and their word is, essentially, law. The monarch has several advisors, who are usually powerful in their own right. They tend to be heads of powerful organizations or guilds, and tend to organize much of the day-to-day running of the kingdom.
From there, the rule is passed to Earls, who watch over collections of towns and villages known as earldoms. They send out tax collectors, and manage the governmental affairs of their earldoms. The towns that Earls rule are usually home to mayors, who manage individual towns or villages.

Public Agenda

“None shall take from us,
The land that we love.
Formed from many, now as one:
Head, heart, and hand,
Fight forever for honor and truth.
Never forget,
Strong deeds, gentle words.
For the people, for the realm.
Spirits watch over us,
Together, as one.”

Assets

Coul inhabits a large swath of land in northwest Quarasia. Forests, plains, even small deserts and mountain ranges, alongside lakes and a large seafront all provide opportunities for Coul to harvest logs, ore, wild edibles, wildlife for meat, furs, and domestication, fish, and much more, alongside plenty of land for farming and settling towns. Coul engages in mutually profitable trading with Villkommer and New Moqueira, and to a lesser extend with Quarez.
Many skilled craftsman and artisans live and work all throughout Coul, allowing access to many hand crafted assets such as tools, clothes, weapons, mechanisms, and much more. Cities and towns throughout Coul all pay taxes to the royalty, who uses the funds to maintain the nation - and the palace.

History

Coul was founded in 949 by refugees fleeing Vilkommer during the violent wars that ravaged the continent, having heard faint stories of a land to the east the the Shoas Pranan had found, free of the death and destruction of the Villkommt Revolution.
Settlers initially arrived in the northern reaches of Coul, but migrated south due to the cold climate and scarce food. As they spread across the land, they settled towns and villages, fighting back against the wild dangers that threatened to destroy them. Initially, the population was tiny, but as word reached Villkommer that refuge could be found in Quarasia, more and more refugees, mercenaries, farmers, and even the odd aspiring entrepreneur reached Coul, where they continued to expand the newborn nation.
Viercourt, the eventual capital of Coul, was founded near the center of Quarasia in 961, where it thrived as a center of commerce and art. Later, in 979, the first(short lived) King seized power, leading a small army he had amassed to force each of the cities and towns of the realm to swear their fealty to him. Then, he established Viercourt as the capital of Coul, and began construction of the palace.
For nearly two centuries after that, there was peace. Aside from the occasional hobgoblin attack or minor catastrophe, little happened. Then, however, the Quarasian War broke out, the first battle taking place in 1172.

Demography and Population

~150,000 people live in Coul. The population is spread out all across the nation, though more people live in the warm, fertile southern regions than in the frigid north.

Military

The Coulian Military is split into 3 divisions - the Sentinel, the Guard, and the Garrison.
The Sentinel is a military force that is dedicated to act as a mobile set of trained soldiers that can deal with all sorts of threats all over the kingdom on short notice. The Sentinel is made up of lots and lots of patrols, groups of ~20 soldiers usually wielding spears. Each earldom has a set of patrols assigned to serve it, with the number of patrols proportional to how many people live in a given earldom, as well as simply how much land is considered part of it. Each patrol is headed by a commander, and while they usually answer to the earl they are assigned to, they ultimately serve the royal family.
The Guard is a system of troops being distributed throughout the kingdom to supplement(or replace) whatever troops individual villages, towns, and cities are able to muster for themselves. The equipping and dispatching of guards is handled by the earldoms, and the earls are obligated to send a minimum of 3 guards for each 100 residents of a settlement, with settlements holding fewer than 100 residents receiving no aid.
The Garrison is the conventional military force of Coul. They are trained and armed soldiers stationed in major cities such as Viercourt, and often patrol the borders of Coul. In the event an all out war breaks out, they will be the ones fighting battles that decide history.

Foreign Relations

Basic trade relations are established with East Villkommer, New Moquiera, and to a lesser extent Quarez.

Alone, yet together, we stand.

Founding Date

949

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Viercourt

Demonym

Coulian

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Traditional

Legislative Body

All governance is trusted to the monarch and their advisers.

Controlled Territories

• Kolskegg

Related Ethnicities

• Coulian