Alsona
The Kingdom of Alsona rests along the southern frontiers of the Empty Plains, stretching from the Sypi River in the west to the Apps Mountains in the east. The Alsonans place great emphasis upon the arts and music in particular as cornerstones of their culture. They are proud of their independence in both language and culture.
Structure
Alsona is a matriarchal monarchy with a queen at the top of the chain. From her, the lands of Alsona are divided among a variety of Dukes, Counts, and Barons, who administer locations and various holdings in her name. These rulers are appointed by the Queen, in theory, but in practice have descended through families for countless generations. Under the various hereditary leaderships are elected village headmen and town mayors who act as advisors towards lords and unelected nobility, but lack any real decision making power unless it is bestowed upon them by the noble of the region.
The majority of laws that are created in the Kingdom of Alsona are created directly by the Queen of Alsona. Although many will be proposed by advisors or noble councillors from the various cities and duchies of the kingdom, the queen has the final say in the passage of any new ordinances and laws. These laws are usually reviewed by the queen's advisory council, and for the most part, the queen rubber stamps based on the advisor's recommendations. Only on matters of great political division or interest does the queen intervene directly in the actual creation of the law.
Interpretations of the laws and administration of justice throughout the Kingdom of Alsona is handled by a collection of magistrates who are appointed by the queen or her designated representatives. These magistrates are appointed for each major population center of five hundred or more people, and often they are also the local leaders of the town guard or militia. Magistrates are expressly not appointed by the local lords or elected leaders, in order to create a balance against any corrupt lords, being answerable only to the office of the queen. Crimes committed in villages or hamlets too small to have a magistrate are usually referred to the local village headman, or in the case of murder, to the nearest community that does have a magistrate.
History
The Kingdom of Alsona was established by a loose collection of small towns seeking to resist Shin expansion northwest out of the Apps Mountains. They were unable to fully defeat the Shin incursion, but they did cause enough casualties to force the Shin to negotiate. The end result of the negotiations was the recognition of the ruler of Parthenonas as the new Queen of Alsona. The kingdom was forged with Shin support, and in exchange for regular payments of tribute in the form of levies and resources, the Alsonans were left alone to build a new society.
The Kingdom of Alsona remained under Shin supervision for nearly three generations, during which time, Alsona became a beacon for refugees from the south, fleeing Jakonian conquests. New towns and cities were established, but the Alsonan heartland remained focused around the key three cities of Gordon, Parthenonas, and Pegrama. New infrastructure was developed and a true nation was forged by the monarchs of the day. For a time it seemed as though eventually Alsona would be incorporated directly into the Shin Empire, but fate had other plans.
In 302, the War of the Five Hammers began, as four dwarven cities in the Apps Mountains rallied together to fight the continued expanse of the Shin Empire into the northern Apps. The war proved lengthy and costly, as the Shin struggled to make headway into the dwarven strongholds which remained connected by underground tunnels, even as their above-ground portions were besieged or occupied. The Shin, desperate in need of resources, called in their Alsonan vassals to aid them. Seeing the vulnerability of the Shin, Queen Miranda II declared the nation's independence and rejected Shin dominance. A army was sent to correct the Alsonans, but they proved outnumbered and were overwhelmed by the Alsonan militias. In 305, full independence was granted to the kingdom.
The Kingdom of Alsona remained mostly isolated from the affairs of the southern nations of Emicara, and most of its land continued to be wilderness. This made it attractive to migrants and the kingdom slowly swelled its population. In the 400s and late 500s, there was a period of unrest as the various nobles sought to obtain greater powers, and the new holds began to challenge the authority of the three cities, and numerous minor wars were fought, as the Shin eagerly stirred the pot. Eventually, in 533, the Razing of Gordon led to a shift in power, and the queen was forced to grant new authority and powers to the nobility.
The Kingdom of Alsona's greatest challenge in the centuries to follow was dealing with the rising amount of centaur raids from the north. These tribes occasionally would unify under a great khan that would ride south and attempt to loot and sack the Alsonan kingdom. In frequent battles, the Alsonans sometimes held the assaults back, and sometimes entire cities would burn, including the Sack of Parthenonas in 655, which nearly extinguished the royal family during the massacre. Sometimes the queens of Alsona would muster armies and funds to send punitive expeditions or preemptive expeditions north, but in time these proved more costly than useful. Occasional centaur invasions eventually just became an inevitable fact of life.
The Battle of Conecuh and the collapse of the Jakonian Empire was essentially unnoticed among the Alsonans, and the kingdom continued as normal. During the mid-900s, the Alsonans began to face new challenges, as the dwarf strongholds of the Apps suddenly began collapsing. Through war, violence, and the rise of a power-hungry dwarven king, the dwarves could no longer reside in their holds. With the Shin borders closed to them, and the Kingdom of Populres only offering slavery for their kind, the dwarves naturally began fleeing into the kingdom of Alsona, where their industry and ingenuity was welcomed. Many began taking up work within the mines of the Crysos Mining Company, and finding employment as mercenaries and guards. A large number who broke Alsonan laws soon found themselves mining without pay in the Crysos Company Wingo Mine in the western province.
Unfair laws and xenophobic mayors and rulers in the provinces contributed to the large number of dwarves that ended up working in the Wingo Mine, and conditions became unbearable. In 1021, the dwarves rose up in rebellion, slaughtering the overseer and the Crysos mercenaries that were maintaining order. Their mercenary army destroyed, the Crysos Mining Company asked the queen to intervene and aid in the conflict. An Alsonan army was sent to crush the uprising and in a pitched battle in the woods, they found that the dwarves were no longer alone, now backed by a elven army from the previously mythical Tenashi Kingdom. The army of elves and dwarves defeated the Alsonans and sent them running.
The Wingo War dragged on for nearly five years, costing the Alsonans much in manpower and treasure, as they sought to restore order in the west. Despite some minor battlefield triumphs, towards the end of the war, the Alsonans mostly became focused upon preventing the enemy's conquest of eastern lands more than regaining the west. Thankfully, at the Second Battle of Zachari Crossing, the dwarves and elves were stopped, and their alliance began to strain. A ceasefire was declared in 1025, and the war was at an end, though no peace treaty was ever signed. To this day, it seems probable that one day a new war will erupt, and the Alsonans remain vigilant and constantly train for a new chain at reclaiming the west.
Demography and Population
The majority population within the Kingdom of Alsona are the Alsonan humans. They are a vast and overwhelming majority compared to residents of any other race or origin. Some communities even lack any other races altogether. The second largest group within the Kingdom of Alsona are the Mountain Dwarves. Over the past century, mountain dwarf kingdoms in the Apps Mountains have been falling to conquest and disaster. They have migrated in large numbers into the Kingdom of Alsona. Most of these individuals live poor lives, as a working underclass and enjoy very few legal rights, constantly facing discrimination from the humans. The handful of other people of other races that live within Alsona find a much more peaceful life, even if they are treated with more suspicion than a human may face under similar circumstances.
Territories
Before the Wingo War there were three duchies, or key provinces of the Kingdom of Alsona. The first of these was the Dytikaxylo, the western and least populated province, consisting mostly of thick and impassable forests. The second was the Patridaxos, the central province, considered to be the heartland, consisting of ranching and farming land, mostly open plains with forests to south. The third duchy is known as the Appsdilyxos, consisting of the eastern forests and the portion of the Kingdom of Alsona within the Apps Mountains. After the Wingo War, the Dytikaxlyo was lost to the dwarven uprising, but the territory was never officially ceded to the dwarves or the Tenashi elves, and remains claimed by the Queen of Alsona. The other territories are securely managed and maintained by the Kingdom.
Military
The Royal Army of Alsona was reorganized during the course of the Wingo War. Prior to the Wingo War, the kingdom relied heavily upon local lords and their retinues and levies that they would train and muster during times of peace. When the Wingo War broke out, it became clear that at best they were a bit lax in their duties in that respect, having only handfuls of trained troops, and many levies never even drilled during the winter. Therefore the first few battles were embarrassing defeats for the Kingdom, which never truly recovered in the war.
In 1023, the Royal Army of Alsona was declared, and taxes increased upon lords, while military rights were stripped away from them. This centralized army was placed under the direct supervision and guidance of the queen. With the lords' own armies devastated from the fighting, few were in a position to resist this proclamation. The Royal Army was professionally drilled, ironically predominantly by mountain dwarf refugees who had previously served in the guards of their old homes. Trained with dwarven tactics, the Royal Army was able to fight the Wingo dwarves to a standstill, stopping a dwarven invasion of the east. The Royal Army continues to be centrally organized, with the Queen of Alsona as the head of the army and various officers appointed by her to lead the administration of their efforts.
Technological Level
The Kingdom of Alsona is probably the least advanced of the kingdoms of Emicara, with the possible exception of the Sypi Confederacy. Due to the remote nature of the kingdom from the other states and its frontier status, the Alsonans rarely receive word of new technological developments, much less the materials to exploit them. The focus of local learning on arts and music further contributes to this, as the great thinkers of Alsona find themselves pushed more in that direction than towards the advancement of science. Prior to the closure of the Shin Empire, they could at least expect some handovers of technology from the empire, but today even those trinkets have dried up.
Religion
The King's Host is the dominant religion in the Kingdom of Alsona, and the only legal one. Practice of other faiths or worship of other gods is technically illegal, but exceptions have been made for mountain dwarves, as long as they practice their faith out of sight and not in any public shrine or temple. The King's Host is a major part of the governance of the Kingdom of Alsona, and when advisors or counsel is sent from the Tomb of the King, it is taken very seriously. Although they have no direct or legal political power, the priests of the King's Host, especially priests of the King, are treated with immense respect by the rulers of Alsona, and their advice is usually the course that ends up being taken.
Foreign Relations
The Kingdom of Alsona is very remote from the majority of organized kingdoms in Emicara. They possess only a handful of neighboring states with which they have regular relations. To this end, the majority of nations lack even embassies in Alsona, with only a small consulate from the Free City of Riveraineville, and a delegation from the Sypi Confederacy. Relationships and discussions with other nations usually must take place through the way of emissaries and ambassadors sent for specific purposes or discussions.
Valtkos Wingo and the Tenashi Kingdom are the two neighboring states that have recently taken up the most discussion in the court of Alsona. The end of the Wingo War in 1025 was not the end of hostilities. Although the alliance between the Tenashi and Valtkos Wingo has apparently collapsed, the humans of Alsona are worried at what may occur should they align once more. Similarly, the towns of Tinnt and Efimeros rest under Wingo control, both possessing large Alsonan populations. These populations are constantly watched by the queen, for fear that they may one day be the subject of pogroms or mistreatment, like the dwarves in Alsona.
The Sypi Confederacy is another major neighbor of the Kingdom of Alsona, although they do not border directly since the end of the Wingo War. The Confederate times were long time trading partners of the Alsonans, and when their Civil War broke out in 1020, the kingdom nearly sent support for their efforts against the Sihka and the Church of the One Sun. Unfortunately, the outbreak of the Wingo War forestalled the mustering of an army to send south, and relations between the Kingdom and the new High Chief deteriorated. Today, the two states find common cause in enmity versus the Lewite Tribe, which has seceded from the Sypi Confederacy and taken over a small swathe of former Alsonan land. Although this land is currently claimed by Valtkos Wingo, it remains in close contention and the Confederates are working close with Alsona to keep an eye on the Lewites and any further expansion they may attempt.
Finally, the Shin Empire remains a constant concern in the back of the mind of the Queen of Alsona. Ever since they officially closed their borders in 999, people have been concerned it was a precursor to a major war or offensive against the rest of the world. Although this feared offensive hasn't emerged yet in the past forty years, no one still knows why the Shin did this. Smuggling still takes place between some of the border towns and villages, but even the Shin in those regions have little clue what is taking place in the center of the Empire. Military efforts in the west have been persistently hampered by the constant need to maintain soldiers in the east, watching for signs of Shin aggression.
Agriculture & Industry
The Kingdom of Alsona is still very much a frontier nation, and it lacks any major exports that head to lands further south. Its remote location, the presence of the closed off Shin Empire, and the difficulty of trade means that few in the south know anything about what the Kingdom could offer, even if it had anything. For the most part, the kingdom is self-subsistence based, with large stockpiles of iron ore and ample space for agriculture. Lumber is also produced in large amounts, mostly for purposes of fires and construction of various tools and vehicles. As for the mines, ores are plentiful, but it is difficult to transport in large quantities to other kingdoms, making it more expensive than its worth. Still, two large mining companies have become the most powerful economic and industrial forces in the kingdom: The Apps Mining Company and the Crysos Mining Company.
Trade & Transport
The bulk of trade that takes place within the borders of the Kingdom of Alsona occurs upon the paved stone roads that connect the towns and cities. Protected by regular patrols by the Royal Army and the Alsonan Rangers, the roads are typically safe and easy to travel upon. Trade leaving the country is much more difficult. The closure of the Shin Empire in 999 closed off trading routes directly through the Apps Mountains which were safe and readily available. The Wingo War closed the routes through the Sypi Confederacy, leaving only one route left for trade departing the Kingdom of Alsona: the Long Road.
Built originally by several dwarven strongholds, the Long Road crosses the Apps Mountains through a series of tunnels and bridges, each of which is an engineering marvel. The journey winds through the Apps, and with the fall of those same strongholds, has become significantly more hazardous. Only a single, well-fortified inn exists at the center of the road, maintained by a group of well paid mercenaries. Caravans leave once a month to cross the Apps along this route, and none can make it over the winter, as most of the road closes due to snowfall. The road exits at the Kingdom of Recfrere, but the journey still continues over stark overland routes until it reaches the city of Saya.
Education
The majority of education in Alsona is handled by private tutors and a handful of universities that exist in the realm. For the most part literacy and education is the province of the wealthy and middle class, with few poor folk being able to afford to take the time or money to educate their young. However, even the poor can see the opportunity for higher education. The University of Pegrama is always on alert for talented musicians, regardless of social class, and if a working class individual displays enough talent, they can be treated to a completely free education. The University of Pegrama specializes most in training new bards and musicians, and the arts program is at the center of their curriculum, while engineering and similar practices have been allowed to fall to the wayside.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of Alsona is based mostly in stone and marble. Most of the major towns and cities have well paved and maintained roads, and Parthenonas even boasts a sewer system. The other cities lack much more than that, with most sewage and waste being collected by gatherers who take it out of town for disposal or use in the leather industry. The roads of Alsona outside of the cities are well paved and maintained, as the cornerstone of trade and transportation. The army has viewed these roads as a defense necessity, allowing the quick movement of armies from one end of the kingdom to the other. The cities of Xiros, Potamipoli, and Notostrophi possess a well tuned ferry system that allows the transport of goods and people across local lakes and rivers free of charge as the lords of those cities pay for the whole affair.
Forever Live the King
Founding Date
Riftwatch 1, 198
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Demonym
Alonsan
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
Copper/Silver/Gold Coinage
Major Exports
Lumber, mineral ore
Major Imports
Luxury goods, technological and magical items
Legislative Body
Court of the Queen of Alsona
Judicial Body
Magistrates of the Queen of Alsona
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
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