Estia
The Estian empire once spanned the entire continent, and while the empire and since been divided and the Estian empire much reduced, the continent as a whole is still typically referred to as Estia.
Origins & History
The Estian empire originated in the south-west of the continent south of the Jůthroûw mountain range with the capital city and acclaimed fortress of Talsila. During the Age of Chaos, the dwarves who dwell in the mountain range along Estia's border diverted a critical river that flowed from the mountains into the southern lands. The diversion destroyed relations between the elven country and the dwarven undermountain settlements, but there was little the Estians could do about it given the Dwarves strength and protection in the mountains. As the southern lands began to dry up and turn to dust, the elves migrated and settled north of the mountain range. To avoid losing their connection with the homeland, Estian Kings redrew borders and claimed large swaths of land as their own, triggering immediate backlash from neighboring nations.
Once king Ulron Minyan got a taste for conquering other nations and found he was quite good at it, the elves domain quickly spread across the west half of the continent. Within a few decades they laid claim to everything from the Nänem mountains to the south sea, and the capitol had been moved to Arantalduin as part of a treaty that folded in another elven nation into Estia.
The final campaigns to conquer the east took another few decades, and the final assimilation of the region now known as Escar triggered the beginning of a new age, the Age of Kings.
Estia maintained several dynastic periods and about two thousand years of control of the continent, finally dissolving after a series of poor decisions and horrific infighting amongst the family members of the Illimyra. After the kings disbanded and fled into hiding, The Royal Army took control until order could be re-established. Today, The Royal Army still maintains control of Estia and it's capitol waiting for the return of an Estian King of Illimyran descent to take the throne.
Political Climate
Military officers do not make the best politicians. In fact, they refuse it altogether and only participate in matters of defense and diplomacy. No new laws have been enacted or repealed since the last Estian King, leading The Royal Army to be steadfast in enforcing laws from a thousand years ago. This has led to some conflict and stifling of the growth of the nation, and rampant growth in other areas. But the ability in The Royal Army to defend the nation's borders has made Estia one of the safest places to live, and so despite the antiquated laws many peoples find themselves content with the situation.
The Royal Army does not recognize any other nations on the continent, instead referring to them as provinces and allowing them maintain their own military force. "Provinces" that do not accept a treaty with The Royal Army are considered in rebellion, and face conflict with the once great nation, but The Royal Army is usually too busy defending and maintaining it's current borders to deal with rebellious "provinces" on the other side of the continent.
Industry & Trade
Trade
Arantalduin is a massive hub of trade with one of the largest ports on the continent. It located on a well-protected bay where a major inland river meats the ocean. Being on the west coast within reasonable shipping distances to Koljorn and nations further south means the country has no problem profiting off of trade and shipping.
The Military Machine
Much of Estia's economy today is centralized around the military. Estia boasts some of the most skilled blacksmiths, and they import large amounts of smelted metals for making armor and weapons. Taxes on trade and the people support large barracks for training and maintaining a much larger force than the small country needs.
Farmlands
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