Adaetha (/Ah-day-thah/)
History and Government
Adaetha is an anomaly upon the Kcalsbury Continent. On a landmass whose rulership has primarily been dominated by humanity and the doctrines of the Prime Canon, this mountainous nation is primarily composed of Halflings under the protection the great Celestial Dragon Vesamir. Its countryside is dotted with the small homes of its denizens - entrenched right into the hills - and tunnels are said to run between each of these hovels, connecting the nation through a complicated underground. Adaetha was not always like this. All manner of races lived in harmony across its fabled lands when Althraxia dominated them. Centuries of destruction throughout the West March Wars, however, caused a mass migration away from the empire, while the The Half-Homes Bull saw active deportation of Halfling families to the unpopulated frontier that Adaetha once represented. When the Empire fell, it was these Halflings who remained to defend their land, protected beneath their mounds of earth. They burrowed in much like the Dwarves in the mountain ranges around them, and fought the Beast-Hordes in a protracted guerilla war from within the land itself. When their old rulers returned and sought their fealty, the Halflings turned their weapons against them, sparking the so-called Little War. This period of conflict would coincide for decades with the latter half of the West March Wars, though active hostilities largely ended when Althraxia adopted a policy of unofficial acceptance without official recognition towards the independence of these lands. Official recognition finally came when organized Adaethan forces aided in the Erthanian Uprising, routing the Althraxians and bringing a final shatter to their dreams of empire. And what of Vesamir, that blessed dragon? Few things are known about him beyond the Halfling's lands, as only the Muse-Speakers can claim to unravel his riddles. It is generally believed that Vesamir came shortly before the nation brought the final blow to Althraxia, and that he himself gave them the power to deal it. This falls well in line with the eccentric (and potentially insane) rule of King Dundane the Little, the last Halfling King before the dragon's ascension; some, however, believe that Vesamir's influence on Adaetha stretches back far longer, and that he is the reason it fared so relatively well in the West March Wars, as well as the reason for the royal bloodline's famed madness. In any case, it is Vesamir and his Muse-Speakers who now rule today, and they protect Adaetha's Halflings fiercely from any outsiders. And outsiders rarely come, for life cannot be safe in the lands of a dragon! But, the Adaethans would insist, Vesamir is not like any other dragon. He holds love - love for his people, love for his land, and even love for the gods themselves. The dragons' drive towards extermination does not brew deep in his blood. Those who have seen him describe him as a dragon like no other. He is said to be prismatic and translucent, like the light-weave and void in the skies above, and he does not claim to be part of any of the Color-Flights. The title which he carries, that of the Living Love, contradicts directly common presuppositions of dragons - he is a god, in his own right, though he has chosen to stand amongst his children. As for the Ones Above, the fated enemies of dragonkind? Vesamir respects them. Their churches lie across the land, and their worshippers act freely and publicly - but Adaethans, nonetheless, place Vesamir first.Cities
Adel-Aetha
On its surface, Adel-Aetha might seem more hamlet than capital city. Its hovels number in the few hundred, but they are heavily scattered across the land, giving the area a largely rural feel. Beneath these hovels lies a particularly vast network of tunnels, however, and a carved-out underground which few outsiders are privy to see. Rumors have long spread about what happens in this underground; they focus primarily on the illegal or immoral, and some go as far as to suggest the Ratlings themselves live alongside the Halfling population!Geography
Much of Adaetha is geographically monotonous - a mere mass of hills and bumpy farmlands within the shadow of the Far Peaks. Beyond this ever-present feature, tributaries of the Savirree River cut through its center and the Esian Forest sprouts vibrantly in the nation's west. Possesssion of this forest has long been a contention with the kingdom of Erthania, which has historical claims upon the Adaethan nation, but tensions have long been diffused due to a focus on other troubles.Resources
Though Adaetha is fairly insular, there are no official limitations on international trade. The nation is in fact quite famous for its vineyards and wineries. On most summer days, one can see hundreds of Halflings tending to these fields as a coordinated unit, and some have joked that their efficiency makes the prospect of industrialization pointless. Alongside these vineyards, Adaetha is also famed for the growth of various exotic spices. The protection of Vesamir has afforded this nation greater stability than some of its neighbors, and it has become somewhat of a regional breadbasket for luxury foods. These foods use hefty amounts of cilantro and chilis, for which Adaethan cuisine is famed, and these spices are produced heavily within its borders. Peanuts are also a prominent snack, and Adaetha is the leading producer of tobacco within the Kcalsbury Continent.Ethnicities
Most of modern Adaetha owes its ties to the Ziva-Adaxa and Sygultaz, which are also uniquely welcomed within its orders despite the nation's general distrust of outsiders. Many families have traces of the Border Kingdom's other cultures within their blood and traditions. Most prominently, this is the Ziva-Orthsco and Ziva-Cadir, for these regions were once unified under the Althraxian Empire. Althraxian heritage also runs in Adaethan families, though it is often generations-old.Diplomacy
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"Children of the Living Love"
Adjectives: Adaethan
National Animal: Axe-Beaks
National Instrument: Harp
Ethnicities: Ziva-Adaxa, Sygultaz, Ziva-Cadir, Ziva-Orthsco, Ziva-Phrastrana
Languages: Holothetic (Aedethetic), Human Common (Modern Gultic), Sygultic
Capital: Adei-Aetha
Ruler: Vesamir and the Muse-Speakers
Government: Draconic Monarchy
Hallmarks: Dragon worship, strong Halfling population, farm economy, little knowledge of outsiders
Characteristics: Insular, suspicious, heretical, patriotic
National Animal: Axe-Beaks
National Instrument: Harp
Ethnicities: Ziva-Adaxa, Sygultaz, Ziva-Cadir, Ziva-Orthsco, Ziva-Phrastrana
Languages: Holothetic (Aedethetic), Human Common (Modern Gultic), Sygultic
Capital: Adei-Aetha
Ruler: Vesamir and the Muse-Speakers
Government: Draconic Monarchy
Hallmarks: Dragon worship, strong Halfling population, farm economy, little knowledge of outsiders
Characteristics: Insular, suspicious, heretical, patriotic
Type
Geopolitical, Principality