The Kingdom of Bommbergonia
Quite a spiffing place old chap, wot wot?
Arguably the largest and most powerful nation on the Great Inland Sea, The Kingdom of Bommbergonia controls the only natural entrance to the Great Inner Sea via the bommbergonian strait, granting them a great deal of political power when dealing with the other nations in the region. Bommbergonians, particularly members of the upper class, are well known for their loud patriotism and condescending attitude towards residents of "lesser" nations.
History
Founding
The Kingdom of Bommbergonia originated in the coastal city of Watfordford, the seat of power of the Bommbergon family. The Bommbergons were a dynasty of warlords who had taken control of Watfordford over the bodies of it's previous rulers. Not content to simply control the city and it's outlying settlements, and not wanting to contend with the orcish warlords who overran the lands to the east and south, they expanded northwards and westwards into the fens. They set men to work building drainage canals and converting the marshes into usable farmland, offering free land to aspiring farmers in exchange for two generations of serfdom.
As they expanded, the Bommbergon's men began to run into patrols from the city of Knutterden, and soon the two came into conflict. In april of 1066, after a good deal of posturing and threatening, the armies of the two powers met in what would become known as 'The Battle of the Bog'. When it was all over, The ruler of Knutterden was dead and their army had surrendered. The Bommbergon's declared their rulership over Knutterden, appointed one of their loyalists as a duke to run the region, and declared that they now ruled the Kingdom of Bommbergonia.
Expansion
After Knutterden fell, the city of Horsmouth would be next, being conquered within a decade, and then the rest of the fens, all the way west to the edge of the moors. With the fertile heartland of the region under it's control, Bommbergonia turned it's attention to the east, and the foothills of the Spine, and south, down the coast towards Nosleton. The orcish tribes had been encroaching on Bommbergonian territory from their strongholds in the foothills of the spine, and this was now a top priority. Armies were mustered, supplies were gathered, and before long they were marching east to drive the orcs back into the spine.
As they marched, word came that the city of Nosleton, long rivals of Watfordford, was under siege by an immense orcish force, and they redirected their path south to relieve the besieged city. They hit the orcish siege camps hard while the orcs were launching an assault on the walls, burning their siege weapons and supplies, and massacring the orcs left behind in the camps. When the orcs abandoned their assault to deal with the Bommbergonian attack, the defenders of the city sallied forth, and between the two forces the orcs were crushed. Nosleton had suffered greatly under the depredations of the orcish hordes, with most of it's outlying settlements sacked and it's military decimated, and they soon agreed to bend the knee to the Bommbergonians.
Following the submission of Nosleton, The Kingdom began securing it's borders, building a series of forts along the foothills of the spine and along the coast. The moors in the west were not seen as worth settling, so for the next several centuries, Bommbergonias borders remained unchanged. It wasn't until the late 1300s when large amounts of trade began moving down the Bommbergonian strait from The Crater Sea that Bommbergonia turned it's eyes to Dalphin and all of the territory on it's side of The Serpent's Tongue.
Dalphin
In the late 1300s, the amount of trade moving into the great inland sea region through The Serpent's Tongue and the bommbergonian strait increased dramatically, and Bommbergonia began to eye the nation of Dalphin. Dalphin occupied an important position at the main bend in The Serpent's Tongue and there had been attempts by Galacia to assert influence over the small but fiercely independant nation. Fearing that Galacia might gain complete control over traffic entering the Great Inland Sea, Bommbergonia decided to take Dalphin for itself.
To say that the conquest of Dalphin was not a smooth endeavor would be understating the situation greatly. The Dalphinians made use of massive longbows which outranged anything that the bommbergonians fielded and were capable of punching through all but the thickest armor. The lightly armored dalphinian longbowmen would strike from the woods and then disappear, subjecting the Bommbergonian forces to nonstop harassment as they marched. When deployed from castle walls they were a formidable defense, and the Dalphinians adopted the infuriating habit of waiting for the Bommbergonians to set up their siege camps and fully construct their siege engines before surrendering, sparing themselves from the siege while wasting as much of the besiegers time and resources as possible.
The locals were universally unwilling to assist the invaders, and were tremendously creative with their verbal abuse, shouting borderline unintelligible slurs and making rude gestures at them wherever they went. Outside of the towns, things became much more dangerous, and the bommbergonians found themselves unable to send out patrols or foraging teams without being subject to deadly ambushes. This situation continued for several months before outside influences changed the entire nature of the conflict.
Galacia had been watching the conflict with no small amount of anger, upset that their plans for Dalphin had been pre-empted, but as the invasion dragged on and seemed to stall, they saw an opportunity. Declaring that they were going to free Dalphin from the invading Bommbergonians, they raised an army and launched their own invasion. To the shock of both the bommbergonians and the Galacians, the moment the Galacian forces began landing the Dalphinians joined forces with their original invaders to fight them off.
The combined forces of the Bommbergonian and Dalphinian armies drove the Galacians off handily, and when asked why they changed their attitudes so rapidly, they would usually be told something like "Ye might be numpty bawbags wit wagons fer mums, but least yer not them drewgi". Following the defeat of the Galacian invasion, the Dalphinians proved more willing to talk with the Bommbergonians, and in the end Dalphin became a protectorate of Bommbergonia, with the vast expanse of Certaintree Forest to the north being ceded to the Bommbergonians entirely.
Society
Bommbergonian society is a deeply unequal one, with the upper classes controlling not just all the power, but most of the means to raise ones social status as well.
The King
Held by the Bommbergon family since the founding of the kingdom, the position of king is a hereditary one passed down the male line of the family. The King of Bommbergonia has absolute power within the nation, although most of the actual work is delegated to the members of the nobility, leaving the king to make the larger, long term decisions.
Nobility
Granted their titles, lands, and authority by the king, Nobles are responsible for ruling over the lands granted to them in the king's name, collecting taxes, maintaining order, and raising men in defense of their lands. All titles in Bommbergonia are patrilineal, passed from father to eldest son regardless of any elder daughters.
Dukes
The highest noble rank in the kingdom, the title of Duke doesn't actually come with many responsibilities or lands, generally granted to already wealthy landholding individuals as a way to strengthen their loyalty to the crown. Despite not having governmental responsibilities, a duke outranks everyone but the king and is expected to be obeyed by governmental officials. The duke and dutchess are addressed as "Your Grace", while their non-titled children are addressed simple as "Lord" or "Lady"
Marquis
Ranked just below duke, Marquis is a title granted to lords who have been granted rulership over Marches, or large stretches of borderlands. Their distance from the centers of high society and generally undeveloped conditions of their lands lead to them having a lower social position than their rank might suggest, but a marquis wields far more actual power than even a duke. Their position on the borders and undeveloped frontiers comes with the responsibility to raise and maintain the men at arms necessary to secure and protect their lands. A Marquis is addressed as "The Most Honorable", their wife and non-titled children as as "Lord" or "Lady".
Earls
An earl functions essentially as the royal governor of an earldom, which is composed of a collection of shires. The earl is responsible for raising men at arms and maintaining order within his lands. An Earl is addressed as "Lord", their sons as "The Honorable", and their wife and daughters as "Lady".
Barons
Appointed by the earl to run a region within the earldom, barons are responsible for an area typically composed of a large town or city and it's outlying settlements. They are responsible for enacting the earl's will within their barony, raising men at arms, and maintaining order. A Baron is addressed as "Lord", their wife as Baroness, and all their children as "The Honorable".
Peers of the realm
Not granted any title other than "Lord", the position of peer of the realm is one which can be theoretically granted to any bommbergonian for services to the realm. Those inclined to cynicism would note that the "service" that it's most commonly awarded for is some combination of "being rich" and "kissing up to ones social superiors". Like the other noble titles, the position of peer of the realm is a hereditary patrilineal one.
The Shire Reeve
Not strictly a member of the nobility but appointed directly by the duke, rather than the earls or barons on whose land they work within, the position of shire reeve is unique to bommbergonia. The Shire Reeve is assigned a single shire, or portion of an earldom, and within it is responsible for enforcing the king's law, capturing criminals, and most importantly collecting taxes for the duke. Because the shire reeve is independant of the local baron or earl, answering only to the duke, it's a position which is notorious for corruption, with abusive reeves extorting the locals to enrich themselves.
The Class System
In Bommbergonian society, class is everything; determining everything from what jobs and education are available to where one can travel without being harassed by the guards. The bommberonians often boast of their superiority over the Alborians because they have moved past feudalism, but whether the lowest strata of bommbergonian society live better lives than serfs is arguable.
Working under an employer of higher class often means having your accomplishments claimed as theirs, regardless of whether you are in the military, a government job, or in business. Many successful adventurers, mercenaries, and ships captains started their careers after leaving military service, disgusted at having their successes claimed by unqualified lordlings granted officer's commissions, or having had their careers destroyed due to being blamed for their superior's failings.
The Aristocracy
In The Kingdom, titled nobility sit at the top of the class ladder. Nothing is out of their reach, high ranking government officials will go to great lengths to gain their favor, and members of the upper and middle classes will vie for their attention. They have their pick of any educational institution that they might want, although they typically hire private tutors for their children. They typically live off of passive income, hiring other people to run their extensive estates, and working is seen as something that the lower classes do.
The Upper Class
Below the aristocracy sit the members of the upper class. In many cases only the lack of title seperates their from their social superiors, and many members of the upper class are actually wealthier than most lower titled nobility. There are strata within the upper class, with everything from lordships to wealth to social influence coming into play. At the bottom rungs of the upper class are those who still run their businesses themselves, rather than leaving their estates in the hands of trusted managers.
The Middle Class
Merchants and shopkeepers, barristers, bankers, teachers, and mid level government employees make up the bulk of the middle class. People who work in good jobs which can support a family and still set a little aside, some running their own small businesses and the rest aspiring to. They make enough to send their children to schools, and aspire to send them to some of the nicer schools to rub shoulders with the children of the upper class, gaining social connections that their parents lack.
The Working Class
Working menial or low skilled jobs, the bommbergonian working class work long hours for low pay and small chance of social advancement. Rarely educated beyond basic numbers and letters, and often less than that, few better jobs were available to them, although some at the upper end of the range of working class income try to have their children educated. Sadly, even when they have the money to pay for education, their children are often passed over in favor of those from higher classes unless there is plenty of spare room.
Many members of the working class have limited access to clean water and food, poor housing, and it isn't uncommon for even children to have to work to support their families, often in the same dirty and backbreaking work as their parents. When work is hard to come by, it isn't unheard of for children to be dumped at orphanages by their desperate families, hoping that they will at least get adequate food there.
Religion
The Kingdom of Bommbergonia isn't known as a particularly pious state, their national pride conflicting with the fact that none of the most prestigious members of The Ascended are from bommbergonia. The most prominent bommbergonian member, Ambroys, the saint of the slums, isn't popular with the upper classes for obvious reasons, and is a poor fit for the over the top cathedrals that the bommbergonian upper class would likely want to build. Among the lower classes, Ambroys is by far the most popularly worshipped god, small clinics and houses of healing dedicated to him can be found all over the kingdom, usually in working or lower middle class areas.
The Royal College of Surgeons
The pride of bommbergonia, doctors from the Royal College of Surgeons work as the personal physicians for the elite of bommbergonian society. Taught the latest medical theories and properly educated in the correct behaviours and social etiquette expected of them when dealing with high society, they are in high demand among the bommbergonian elite. Graduates of the college are renowned for the speed at which they can conduct surgeries, and for their expert grasp of humeric medicine and the art of bloodletting.
Among the lower classes and ignorant foreigners, the royal college has a rather different reputation, that of turning out puffed up hacks who should be allowed no closer than shouting distance to an actual patient. Most people will turn to a Ambroysian clinic or house of healing for their medical needs, prefering actual treatment to being told to bleed themselves, or how best to balance their humours.
Major Settlements
Watfordford
The capital of The Kingdom, as the city of Watford's Ford grew from a small seaside town into a bustling city it's name was condensed into it's current form of Watfordford, pronounced Watford. Guarding the entrance to the Bommbergonian Strait, it's towering walls have stood as a challenge to Bommbergonia's enemies for nearly a millenium.
Nosleton
Best known for it's many conflicts with the orcs who have historically infested the foothills of the spine to it's east, Nosleton was built on top of the ruins of a massive serpentfolk city, and as such is a multi layered city, with more and more serpentfolk architecture visible the deeper one goes. The lower levels of the area known as the Upper City, the wealthier portion of town, are well explored, developed, and cleared out, but the same can't be said about the lower city. Comprised largely of slums and lower class areas, the Lower City's catacombs are less well mapped, and new areas are broken into several times a year, often unleashing monsters into the streets of the slums.
Horsmouth
Straddling the mouth of the mighty Hor river, a massive waterway stretching from the spine in the east to the waters of the eastern strait in the center of the northern coast, Horsmouth is a major trading hub, shipping the tremendous agricultural output of The Fens out to all ports outside of the Great Inland Sea region. It's thick walls and experienced navy have withstood multiple sieges by the enemies of bommbergonia, as it's position guarding the mouth of the Hor river is tremendously strategically valuable.
Knutterden
A port city located on the southern shores of The Eastern Strait, Knutterden is home to Bommbergonia's northern fleet and most of its shipbuilding capacity outside of The Great Inland Sea. The city is famous for being besieged by The Alborian Empire during The Hor's War where it held out for six months along with with the famous island forts known as "The Twins" until the bommbergonian military was able to break the siege.
Minenow
Formerly the Galacian city of Notyers, this massive cliff fortress built into the sheer rock at the end of the Galacian Peninsula watches over the Strait Promiscum, giving whoever controls it a tremendous amount of political leverage in Great Inland Sea politics Captured in response to the construction of The Bite by galacia while Galacia was preoccupied by a minor war with Fruchtbarland, the Bommbergonians have held on to it tenaciously in the centuries since it's capture and rather rude renaming.
Foreign Relations
As one of the most powerful nations in the Shattered Continent, bommbergonia has relations with every nation in the region, and although the region is currently at peace, not all of the relationships are good.
Alboria
Historically poor, the events of the Hors War brought the relationship between The Kingdom and The Empire to new lows. While limited trade does occur, it is limited due to high tariffs and behaviour bordering on harassment by customs officials on both sides. Both sides regularly employ privateers to harass each other's shipping, and their relationship is closer to outright hostility than any of the other nations of The Shattered Continent are comfortable with.
Galacia
Occupying opposite banks of the entrance into the Great Inland Sea has put Galacia and Bommbergonia at odds since their inception. They have clashed mutiple times over the centuries, from the first battle over control of Dalphin to the various wars they have fought over control of the shores of the Bommbergonian Strait. Most recently, the Bommbergonian capture of the fortress of Minenow at the tip of the Galacian Peninsula and construction of The Bite in response have further strained their relations, although after a century or so of relative peace things have had a chance to cool down slightly.
Oenotria and the Achaean City States
The Bommbergonians have long desired to control the Oenotrian Peninsula, thereby gaining complete control over the Strait Promiscum, but the mighty phalanxes of the Achaean City States, who Oenotria is a protectorate of, have always denied their ambitions. On the water the Bommbergonians have been more successful, denying both Oenotria and The City States any naval presence within The Pickett Sea. Despite their historical clashes, the last few centuries have been peaceful, and they maintain a normal trading relationship, the vinyards and olive groves of Oenotria providing Bommbergonia a replacement for heavily taxed Alborian oil and wine.
Alhamland
A combination of shared disdain for Alboria and the cold climate of Alhamland has resulted in a healthy trade relationship between the two nations, with food from The Fens flowing northward and coal, iron, and other metals flowing south.
Fruchtbarland
Shared emnity of Galacia has lead to a friendly relationship between the Fruchtbarland and Bommbergonia, although only limited trade occurs between the two, as they both export similar goods. Fructbarland's good relations with both Alboria and Bommbergonia has put it in an awkward position at times, frequently putting it in the position of neutral intermediary between the two during times of war.
The Republic of Lechia
Despite their close relationship with Galacia, Lechia's distance from Bommbergonia has prevented it from being involved in any major conflicts with The Kingdom, and it has profited during times of war by selling Bommbergonian goods to Galacia and vice versa.
town name ideas: Winkleighin Blechtonces Buggersford Padsboreham Todgersore Ballinamallard
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