The Little Kingdom is a country founded in the relative safety that the Great Planescape Basin provides. It is a confederation of largely independent city's that rule over sections of the kingdom, but answer to the Embershade Alliance as well as the king in Hearthhome. While its people are primarily human, it is a place where many races coexist and live in peace. The combination of geographical barriers and constant vigilance has kept their people safe for nearly 500 years.
King: Leader of the Little kingdom, is elected by members of the Embershade Alliance. Serves for no more than 100 years.
Counsel Member: A member of the Embershade Counsel, often the governor of the lands that they are representing, but not always.
Governor: The leader of a major city, charged with protecting that city and ruling the land round about, as well as aiding the Kingdom at large in any way they can. Often a hereditary position, but not always.
Lord/Lady: A member of a noble house, often leaders of guilds or knightly orders. Have much sway in the politics of the Little Kingdom, and are often appointed as advisers or military leaders.
Town-master: The local leader of a town, they owe their allegiance to a nearby city, and ultimately to the Little Kingdom itself. The Town-Master is often an elected official, but can also be an awarded position. They are charged with the protection of villages near them as well.
Mayor: The elected leader of a village that is in charge of reporting concerns and such to the town-master of the nearest town.
Guild-master: A prominent person or group of people that head a wealthy guild, whether that be a merchant guild or a fishing guild. These people wield a good amount of power, but are often kept in check by the desires of rival guilds.
The little kingdom was founded after a Civil war between the forces of the Embershade Alliance and the Crime Syndicates. The Alliance won after a long and bloody war, and Kadolan the Righteous was crowned the first king. The Little Kingdom has lived in relative peace for hundreds of years, fending off the occasional Raid from the south or the Black Coast. The current king is Kadolan the third
The population of the Little Kingdom is not very high, with its large city's having an upwards of 15,000 citizens. Most of the inhabitants are human, with the next largest demographic being dwarves. Elves are fairly common as well, but other races are considered rare, and you will often only find them in isolated communities or big cities.
The Little Kingdom is split into three Providences. The Hearth Plains, The mist step Prairie, and the Sylic Vale. These Providences each have a city where their leaders reside, and a number of smaller cities, towns, and villages dotting the landscape.
The Military is split into three groups. The navy, which is used mostly to protect from pirates and other threats that reside within Embershade; The army, which mostly garrisons cities with guards, and mans the fortresses such as the blackguard and whitespire tower; and the magistrate, which is in charge of reacting to magical threats, while also supporting the other branches of the military. Other elite branches of the military also exist, such as the knights of the hearth and the blackwood rangers.
Many in the Little Kingdom, and especially in the Heartland, follow the Church of the twin Gods.Their following is largely human, as other races have ancient cultural beliefs that tell them that gods do not exist on Ember. A small cult exists around The Chained God as well, though it is actively rooted out and destroyed by both The Church of the Twin Gods and the Little Kingdom at large.
Trade in the Little Kingdom is largely done by sea, with ships taking goods across The Embershade Sea. Once they have crossed, they are delivered to caravans that take the goods to inland cities.
The General population is educated only as far as they need to be to do their professions, unless they seek out higher education of their own accord. Nobles and high ranking officials generally have a very high level of education, and there are various institutions dedicated to research, magic, or and teaching.
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