Kingdom of Rhio
"The king of Rhio must be the favored son of the gods to be blessed so greatly with such lands of abundance."
The Kingdom of Rhio comprises of all lands south of the Barhar forest to the southern most shores of Abunda on the great island of Rhio. It is ruled by Holvantiir, King of the Fields and Lord of of the City of Hrunt. His territory produces legendary crops of immense size. The oversized fruits and vegetables grown in the fields of Abunda, Regash and the Westwald are famous throughout Everim and are prized by all peoples who can acquire them.
This kingdom however is plagued by constant raids and attacks by their sworn enemies, the Nortilians. Pirates scour their shores for undefended towns and villages which the kingdom spends much of its time fending off.
Structure
The Kingdom of Rhio is the one of the purest examples of a rough, northern monarchy outside of Nortillia. Its ruler, Holvantiir, wields authority absolutely with full sway to make or break any law which he chooses, appoint any leader he wishes and take whatever he pleases from the peasants and freemen of his realm. It's a fairly simple set of affairs. The king conscripts forces from the population to protect its boarders. In return the common people till the fields, sell their goods, pay their taxes and live as peacefully and lawfully as possible. There isn't much in the way of court intrigue on Rhio as all that is expected by the king's appointees is that they fulfill his commands to the letter with full loyalty. Any betrayal is met with unrestricted violence against the traitor or anyone associated with him be they friend or kin.
Culture
The Kingdom is highly similar to their northern rivals, the Nortillians, as they were settled by the same migrants from Aramana many ages ago. This makes all Rhioans of Inbetwer decent. However, you will find Rhioan's of a much more agrarian type of people than Nortilians as their massive crops have proven to be very much their means of survival and a staple of their culture.
Public Agenda
What is most important to the Kingdom is the Sacred Harvest and the defense of the city of Hrunt. All else can be feasibly sacrificed so long as these two things remain unscathed.
Assets
The greatest asset of Rhio is their gigantic harvest which not only provides ample sustenance to the kingdom but also heavy sales at the markets across the world along with fertilizers. The wealth gained from this is constantly sought after by the Nortilians so home defense by the Kingdom's navy as well as the ships of their allies is paramount in protecting it.
History
In the year 1220 AGD in the midsts of the twilight years of the Emperal Civil War, the Battle of Abunda was underway. The native Rhioans, yearning for freedom, allied with the rebel Emperal general Fadina Klovai against the forces of general Jahori Vaitnai. General Vaitnai placed the city of Hrunt under siege for 2 months and held most of the territory west of Sadman's Lake in Central Rhio. At the moment the occupying Emperal forces broke through the walls, General Klovai arrived with his rebellious army to relieve the city and the day was won by him and the island of Rhio. However, General Klovai attempted to establish himself as the ruler of the island. Once he secured the city he stole the Crown of Hrunt and crowned himself king of Rhio in a blasphemous ceremony. At this time the native warrior bands rose up again and continued the struggle until every last Emperal soldier, regardless of allegiance, was killed or exiled from the whole island. General Klovai was publicly executed in a carnival spectacle with his remains tossed into the sea. Peace, however, was not the final result.
Over the next few months, feuds erupted between factions on Rhio over the spoils of the island which lead to even more open conflict and underhanded assassinations. Eventually, the warrior band known as The Blades of the Westwald arose as the dominant and most martially gifted of the tribes south of the Barhar Forest and defeated nearly every engagement against opposing groups. This allowed them to secure enough villages and farms to create a loyal and strong parameter around Hrunt stretching all the way across Abunda to the interior of their homelands in the Westwald. Their main rivals and most powerful foes, The Sythes of Sagaar, challenged their hold on Hrunt to a winner takes all gambit of a climactic battle on the border between the regions of Abunda and Regash. There on the open fields they met and, after the bloody fight was over, the Blades of the Westwald stood victorious and established their leader, Nolantiir, as king of Hrunt. Nolantiir in turn established the Kingdom of Rhio which stretched from the eastern shores of Outriver to the western shores of the Westwald.
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