The Oenotrian Republic
The besta food, the besta wine, the besta oil, and the a mosta bella countryside, what's a not to a love?
The self proclaimed gastronomic capital of the Shattered Continent, a claim much disputed by the Alborians, Oenotria is a region with a tremendous amount of fertile farmland and a rich tradition of turning the food it produces into some of the best food in the entire continent.
History
Oenotria has had a remarkably uneventful history compared to some of the larger nations around it, with it's citizens largely content to mind their own business and enjoy the fruits of their hard work growing, cooking, and brewing some of the best food in the continent.
Formation
Originally a number of seperate city states, oenotria underwent a similar process of war, conquest, and consolidation that most of the nations of The Shattered Continent went through. In the end, Oenotria came together as a single nation with Risinium as it's capital.
Gaining a Protector
When Bommbergonia turned it's attention towards the Oenotrian Peninsula and the prospect of gaining control over the south coast of the Strait Promiscum, Oenotria went to it's powerful neighbor to the south for help. After an emergency gathering, The Achaean City States declared Oenotria as their protectorate and the army of Tyros marched north. The forces of Bommbergonia were driven from Oenotria and despite mutiple attempts over the years would never gain a foothold on the peninsula.
Society
Oenotria is an agrarian society, with hills lined with olive groves and vinyards, fields sewn with tomatoes and other produce, and herds of buffalo grazing wherever no crops are planted. Oenotrians pride themselves on their food, particularly their olives, oil, tomatoes, and wine.
Government
Oenotria is a republic, where all citizens are given a voice through their elected senators. Citizens vote every three years for their sentator, and those senators represent them at the senate in the capital of Risinium. Only the male heads of household are allowed to vote, with the mothers of underage heirs voting for them in cases where the father is absent.
Religion
Most Oenotrians worship The Achaean Pantheon, although more recently, the worship of The Ascended has increased.
Foreign Relations
Not being one of the larger powers of Great Inland Sea, much less The Shattered Continent, Oenotria is content to allow it's larger neighbor and protector to the south to direct it's foreign relations for the most part. Oenotria enjoys trade with nearly every nation in The Shattered Continent, although there are a few places where their relations have diverged from those of their protector.
The Achaean City States
Oenotrian opinion of their protector to the south is overwhelmingly positive. Oenotrians are acutely aware that the only thing saving themselves from being conquered by Bommbergonia and potentially subjected to the greatest torture of all... bommbergonain food.
Bommbergonia
Knowing that being a protectorate of The Achaean City States is the only reason that they haven't been subjugated by the Kingdom of Bommbergonia didn't provide a good starting point for their relationship, but there is another factor that has held their relations at extremely poor levels. One might think that this factor would be the repeated bommbergonian invasion attempts or the refusal of the bommbergonians to allow Oenotria fishing rights within The Pickett Sea, but there is a far worst offense that they are guilty of. The discovery of bommbergonian food has ensured that oenotrian opinion of their northern neighbors will never rise above rock bottom.
The Alborian Empire
While ordinarily a small nation like Oenotria would have limited relations with a nation as far away as Alboria, competition and ego has lead to strong opinions between the two countries. Both claim to be the gastronomic capitals of the continent, and enjoy a friendly rivalry assisted by a shared distain for bommbergonia.
Galacia
Seperated by just a few tens of miles, at least before Bommbergonia took the tip of the Galacian Peninsula, Oenotria and Galacia have engaged in trade for centuries, and this relationship continues today, buoyed by their shared feelings about their disruptive neighbor to the north and east.
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