Astoria

Demographics

Whereas the march of progress has only continued to bring the people of Provinces closer and closer together into cities and towns, as nobles and commoners alike embrace the shared gains of widescale organization and the efficient movement and use of resources, the vast plains of Astoria almost stand as an affront to this growing sentiment.

A Province in only the loosest of technicalities, Astoria has no true ruling house, no cities, and is primarily occupied by large swaths of forests and farmlands. In many ways, the lands of Astoria are a time capsule, a frozen snapshot of the feudal ages before the birth of empires, and the Age of Conquest. The entire Province is comprised of large chunks of land owned by individual noble houses, which each noble given all but complete jurisdiction over their lands and the people within them. Each noble possessing something akin to a kingdom of their own, complete with small towns occupied by slaves and paid servants, farmlands, and private armies. With even the smallest region housing enough land to contain two to three small towns with plenty of workable lands to spare.

As such the noble estates have always prided themselves on their autonomous nature. Often requiring no direct assistance from the Empire, aside from the protection conferred to them by their place within Byronsworth's borders. However, despite their autonomy, this protection is vital for Astoria to survive, for without it no estate houses nearly enough forces to defend against invading forces. Thus they remain a province rather than a loose collection of independent states, burdened by the regulations and expectations all other provinces share. For while accepting such restrictions might initially seem antithetical to their desires for true independence, they have been given little choice but to accept them. For as long as Astoria has been a vassal of the Empire, there has existed an arrangement. So long as they maintain the veneer of conformity and pay the taxes they owe, all that happens within their borders are their matters and their matters allow.

Government

While Astoria has no appointed ruling house, it was quickly discovered that lacking representation within Valencia's Court and a single voice made it extremely tedious to leverage the crown and steer the Empire in accordance with their collective desires. For while the noble houses disagree on far more then they don't, there are still certain things the vast majority of them are in agreement. Such as first and foremost the preservation of Astoria's relative freedom. A fight they must stand united in if they wish to have any chance of winning. As such, the position of Astoria's Provincial Lord is occupied by a single elected family, in which the weight of each vote is determined by the amount of land under the voter's ownership. The Lord takes no taxes and is expected to act in the best interests of the majority in all matters regarding Astoria and to continually advocate for their rights.

This position is currently occupied by House Winterson, who took the post after their predecessors were removed after failing to retain Astoria's rights to wage internal military skirmishes.

Given that individual estates often act as microcosms, they typically have some form of governance within their borders. Landowners are allowed to enforce whatever law they see fit within their borders, so long as those the law is enforced upon are there of their own will, in the case of servants and workers, or are the property of the noble, in the case of slaves. A law primarily enforced by small provincial armies who often serve as manor security, slave patrols, and town constable. However, those found trespassing, or are otherwise unaware of the laws of the noble's land may only be tried in Byronworthian court and punished to the extent that Imperial law dictates. This comprises allows both Astorians to lead their estates however they see fit, without the risk of a harsh reign or cruel punishments negatively effecting those caught unaware.

Defences

While the province itself lacks any true organized defense force, it is extremely uncommon for an estate within the province to not have a band of soldiers under their employment. With many often having a garrison large enough to rival a small province's forces, and those unable to maintain a constant army are never far from hiring mercenary to bolster their strength. The reason for this constant need for strength despite their relative safety from external threats is a simple one. With so many estates within close proximity of each other, with each landowner typically looking to increase their wealth or assets whenever possible, conflicts were bound to arise.

As parties rarely wished to involve the Empire if caught in a dispute, most would seek to resolve the matters themselves. While this would often mean arriving at some form of compromise or settlement, sometimes an agreement simply could not be reached. At which point estates would rely on the oldest form of persuasion, force. These small wars were commonplace within Astoria, and there was rarely a moment in time where there was no conflict within the region. Yet there was an unspoken law to these conflicts, damage to other's estates or assets not related to the war itself was to be avoided whenever possible. While this law was never enforced, there was an implicit understanding. Once one crossed that line of common courtesy, they could never return. Wars in which this line was crossed often descended into chaos, irreparably ravaging all estates involved in the process.

Yet in recent decades, following the abolishment of Astoria's war complex under the late King Oliv, many of these estates were forced to downsize their standing forces.

History

Astoria's induction into the Empire was a relatively painless one given how strenuous their relations are currently. Before the region was dubbed Astoria, the area was occupied by several small scatted feudal lands. While no single landowner possessed enough land to be considered one of the great houses Alistair initially sought out when growing Byronsworth, combined they occupied a vast sum of what he wished to turn to Imperial land. Yet attempting to seize such a large area by force would not only be extremely taxing, but it would likely require far more time than they possessed with Duma fast approaching from the south. However, the looming threat of the Southern Behemoth was one many from the lands were watching just as intently.

Aware they could not hope to fight such a war as individuals, they began to look towards the fledgling Empire as a form of protection. With many nobles financing the Byrons and offering troops with the simple understanding that if war broke out, Astoria would be defended. For many, this arrangement wasn't much different than hiring a mercenary band. At the time, few realized the scope of Alistair's ambitions or quite how successful they would be. They simply believed that so long as they funded the crown and accepted the empty title of Province, they would be allowed to operate independently. For generations they were correct, but eventually, their unchecked behavior was challenged.

While the occasional mandate from the crown would force regulations upon Astoria for the benefit of the greater Empire, these were not only extremely rare but often only forced minor changes to the Astorians way of life. Furthermore, for whatever loss they suffered, they were often well reimbursed at a later point. The Astorian's backing of the Empire had long since been held as vital for the Empire to maintain, and few were bold enough to risk disrupting it. Few, but not none.

After emerging triumphant after Kiyora's Insurrection and the subsequent civil war, the newly crowned King Oliv finally decided that the nobles of Astoria had run amuck for far too long. Nursing the fresh wound of a civil war, and having so recently bore witness to the horrors that it brought Oliv could not believe that for so long they had allowed nobles to pit brother against brother to settle petty squabbles. Seeing the loss of Bryonworthian lives as both pointless and utterly barbaric, throughout his time as monarch he systematically stripped the Astorian nobles of as much sovereignty as his advisors would allow, invoking royal decree wherever possible to bypass any attempted obstruction.

For a King known for his appeals for compromise and desire for a unified court, his relentless drive when it came to the abolishment of Astoria was not only out of character, but many would argue, excessive. As tensions continued to rise, the possibility of Astoria breaking off from the Empire and provoking another civil war arose. Yet with the court still recovering from the damage of Kiyora's short yet militant rule, few were able to stand in Oliv's way. Bringing the nation to the brink of war once more, the still young king called the province's bluff. Marching the Royal Army directly onto Astorian land before personally storming the estate of Mattis vus'Litner, the acting Provential Lord, and leaving with a signed agreement.

Aside from putting an end to the conflict, his maneuver sent a message. That the might of the Empire had long surpassed Astoria, and that no man, no province could stand against the will of the crown. It was as blatant an insult as could be, as King Oliv trampled on the Astorian's pride and forced them to kneel. A slight they have not forgotten.

"AS SURE AS THE RISING SUN"

Alternative Name(s)

The Dawn Plains

Type

National Territory

Inhabitant Demonym

Astorian

Location under

West Uros

Owner/Ruler

King Evric vus'Byron

Owning Organization

The Empire of Bryonsworth