The Blackstar Malkuth ('blak-star 'mahl-kuth)
History
The Blackstar Malkuth was once a single duchy of a larger kingdom located on Treblecliff. As the power of that monarch family waned, the Blackstar family ambitions grew. They began building up their own military power and securing separate trade agreements with other nations and even other duchies. It was the Thin White Duke's great-grandfather, often called the Rebel Duke, that finally broke away from the old kingdom. He declared his duchy as it's own soverign state. This prompted several other duchies to break away and the kindgdom of old was reduced to about one tenth it's original size.
It soon became clear to the Rebel Duke that other duchies were following in his footsteps, but had no intention of joining under his rule. He tried to acquire more territory through marriages and diplomacy. Both efforts yielded little to no results. If he was to realize his ultimate goal of conquering territory, he would need to engage in more open warfare.
It was the Rebel Duke's son, however, who would begin to attempt the conquest his father had wanted. Age and an unexpected illness took the Rebel Duke's life before his expected time. Thus his son continued building the nation's military and pressing its leading minds into service to the Malkuth. More sophisticated weapons, ships, and magics would be needed to launch an invasion of the mainland.
With the first assault on the mainland, the Rebel Duke's son earned a moniker of his own - The Duke of War. Each campaign the Duke of War launched against the mainland led to meager territory gains along the coast. These campaigns were costly in both personnel and equipment, often losing a third or more of their forces in the capture of a small port town or minor military outpost. The Duke of War, however, was overconfident in his troops and chose to lead an assualt himself against the old kingdom's capital. What the Duke of War did not expect was for the other duchies to come to the aid of their former monarch. He didn't count on their fear of being the next target to unite them. Thus was the Blackstar Malkuth dealt its most humiliating defeat and the Duke of War was killed in the battle.
It took little time in routing all the Blackstar forces back to their islands after that. Despite his best efforts, the Duke of War's son failed to hold the line with any of his strategies. Loss after loss led the Malkuth's people to despair and resentment of their duke. The Fallen Star, as he came to be known, had to tighten his grip and look inward for many years to build up his forces and retain his power over the Malkuth. It would be his son, the Thin White Duke who would open the floodgates of war out of the Major Keys.
Having seen the effects of his grandfather's defeat on his father and his father's self-loathing at his own failures, the Thin White Duke took power and decided to turn his attention away from the mainland and look to the Middle Sea. He knew from both trade and several spies that the islands were friendly to each other, but there was no alliance or federation among them. This, he thought would make them easy to conquer and absorb into the Malkuth. He would take the islands one by one, and use their resources to build an even greater force. Only then, with the might and resources of the Acapellago at his command, would he be able to right his family's failures and realize the Rebel Duke's vision.
Military
The Duchy of has always made efforts to build up and maintain a large military. All able-bodied persons of adult age are required to serve at least 5 years in the military as soon as they are eligible, with very few exceptions. Many choose to remain in the services for their entire working career. Military service offers the greatest benefits for those who live long enough to retire. Military families are also well cared for by the Duchy.
The Blackstar Malkuth boasts an impressive navy and army for a nation of its size. Nearly all sailing vessels are armed and even private vessels carry permanent letters of marque which can be activated at a moment's notice. Many merchant vessels are crewed by folk who have at least served their 5-year stint. This has given Blackstar vessels a greater than usual protection against pirates.
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