Koraq
A small Bysian nation-state that was obliterated by the neighboring Kingdom of Sol, which would massacre its people and become known as the Eclipse.
Public Agenda
Preservation of the Koraqi nation and its people were the overriding reason for the existence of the ruling royal family. Its leaders gladly participated in the game of diplomacy and economics, trading its precious resources for political leverage and successfully following its last line of succession for over two centuries. This reserved and cautious approach to the continental stage kept the landlocked kingdom out of poverty and excessive warfare, until its once-benign neighbor, the Kingdom of Sol, inexplicably turned to unchecked expansionism.
History
The feudal kingdom of Koraq, while never particularly prosperous, had kept its identity and its people alive for almost an entire millennia since the late First Age. Its final ruler sought to continue the family tradition of reservedly defending the Koraqi population and its resources. Its deep coal veins in particular promised to potentially give the noble class much leverage over the industries of its neighbors, and was accordingly heavily guarded.
Unfortunately, Koraq was caught completely flatfooted by the storm of expansionist fervor and fanaticism that overtook its longtime neighbor, and when their vastly superior forces invaded Koraqi defenders were scattered and hunted down in the first action of the Great War.
Disbandment
Militarily annihilated in one of the first campaigns by the Kingdom of Sol, which revealed itself as the Eclipse. The population was exterminated for their violent opposition to the new regime, and the once jealously-guarded coal mines were stripped to fuel the Eclipse's factories.
Military
Even by the pre-War standards of its day, the defenses of Koraq were unimpressive. The kingdom relied on the defense treaties it had signed being able to draw in defenders from abroad to aid it in the unlikely event of conflict, and the only standing army it had were the guards for the noble families. These were well-trained, drawing upon centuries-old martial tradition and well-supported by their blue-blooded leaders, but few in number and somewhat quaint in their equipment and doctrine.
Theoretically a respectable number of fighters could be drawn from the population in the event of war and equipped with the Koraqi armories' blades and bows, and the palaces and cities were each defended by handfuls of muzzle-loading guns. Noble warriors' retainers also often included mages trained internationally, which on paper should have made up for this lack of heavy artillery. But the swift offensive and overwhelming of command and control by the terrifyingly quick and ruthless forces of the Eclipse meant that Koraq was never able to call its men to arms in any meaningful amount, and its better artillery, logistics, and magical support were more than enough to sweep the floor with the antiquated defenses.
While none would deny that the few defenders Koraq was able to bring to battle fought fiercely in the face of certain death, most historians agree that the kingdom put on a rather poor performance even taking into consideration that they faced alone what was almost a force of nature.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Demonym
Koraqi
Government System
Monarchy, Theocratic
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Barter system
Location
Neighboring Nations
