Free Kingdom of Soldern

The kingdom of Soldern is split between mountainous highlands and swampy lowlands. Life in Soldern is mostly harsh and short for the average person. The region is regularly torn apart with civil wars, its kings dethroned or rebelled against regularly - although some stability has arrived in recent years. Those who live in this region follow an animistic religion, worshiping the elements of nature, animals, spirits, and the mountains and swamps themselves. Many druid circles have made their homes here thanks to much of the land being uninhabited and too dangerous to settle in. Despite one of the poorest populations in Galledall, the capital is the headquarters of the richest guild to ever exist, the Golden Mountain Trade Guild.

History

Age of Mortals

During the Age of Mortals, the land that became Soldern was largely ignored by both the warring dragons and giants, allowing the few mortals in the area to settle uninhibited. Those who fled here typically lived in either the high mountain forests or the low swampland, leading to the formation of the Highland and Lowland peoples. Though some more typical settlements were created, these were more open to attack from both dragons and giants, even after their war had ended and lesser mortals began to emerge.

Once the dragons and giant's power waned, more traditional settlements began to appear. While the Highlands became more developed, the Lowlands continued to remain attached to their old ways. The land became infamous for the constant rise and fall of local warlords who would conquer part of the land, only to lose it. Most of the warlords hailed from the highland region. While foreign powers would typically take over one section, none would ever manage to conquer the entirety of what is now Soldern. For the majority of this time period, the region remained isolated and underdeveloped compared to its neighbors.

Post-Cataclysm

The First Cataclysm had little effect on the region overall, which was already mostly devoid of scholarly magic users and infested with monsters. The region became more divided and isolated than ever before. The Second Cataclysm had a negligible effect on Soldern's lack of magic, but the increase of monsters did impact many of its settlements. As a result, the region was covered by a large amount of abandoned cities, towns, and villages that were slowly reclaimed by the land. One of the few cities that managed to avoid destruction was the city of Soldernis. The lord of the city took advantage of this and managed to unite the entirety of the highland region. However it would not last as the region came under attack by the Virdamidian Republic in the north starting in 1479 P.C. The lord of Soldernis was killed, but the city itself spared.

Though the Virdamids tried to pacify the area, they never truly conquered it. The Highlanders who lived in the region's mountains proved exceptionally difficult to defeat, holding their mountain fortresses which proved impossible to overcome. In the end, the Virdamids ultimately abandoned the region, leaving the area to once again fall into war.

In the year 1935 P.C., on the 4th of Ekeros, a new warlord began his conquest to unite both the Highlands and the Lowlands of Soldern. Over the next three years, the Highlands and the Lowlands were finally united for the first time. However this warlord would not survive a year after his conquest and was replaced by one of his generals, Edward Fulke. At that point, the united region became officially known as Soldern.

Age of Restoration

The beginning of the Age of Restoration began with a coup led against the old Fulke family, who had ruled over the region for over 4 centuries at the time. The new lord was a young Adrian Valt, a lord of Blucher, a city in the lowland region. Despite a brief civil war, the whole region recovered rather quickly. After Adrian Valt gained control of the region, he learned that the Hadaran Empire had been using the Fulke family as its puppet leaders, and the empire was upset with its loss of control. On the 4th of Landir in the first year, the Hadaran Empire declared war on Soldern, and quickly seized control of the area bordering their nations. Despite the Hadaran Empire's superior military, Adrian Valt proved to be an able tactician. He managed to negotiate with the Republic of Viltanorr to get involved on their behalf, which stretched the Hadaran military. Furthermore, the heartland of the Hadaran Empire began to suffer from plague and famine, resulting in their withdrawal on the 28th of Rathiel in the 4th year of the age.

Social

"It is better to be born condemned to a life of grime, labor, and disease yet be free than to be born into a house of gold, silver, and plenty if you are no more than livestock to your 'lords.'"

Most of those who live in Soldern have deep ties to the land, their ancestors having lived there since the Age of Mortals. The land is littered with small settlements that rarely get visitors, especially if they are out of the way of trade routes. Many towns choose to live as their forefathers did, making contact with the outside world only on occasion. This is due to the two highest values of Soldern: freedom and tradition. Those who initially migrated to the land of Soldern did so seeking peace and freedom from dragons and giants. The nation's history of foreigners trying to conquer the area and failing has only reinforced their value of freedom. These values are held so high that there is little centralized power in Soldern, even including the king. Most settlements have local authorities watch over them, and don't rely on others for help. Even the low centralization of power is too much control for some. There are groups of both Highlander and Lowlander people who refuse to acknowledge they have a king, and therefore refuse to pay taxes or obey any kinds of universal decrees. While most of these groups are either forced into hiding or destroyed, the most infamous is the city of Trokos, where Highlanders in the central mountains are so well defended behind their walls that the local lord of the region simply ignores them in return for trade with the city.

Political

The political landscape in Soldern is constantly shifting, since assassinations, blackmail, and minor skirmishes between lords are not uncommon from year to year. Soldern itself is split into four regions each with their own lords, with one of these lords also being the king of the nation. Because of this, the Lords of Soldern make up more of a loose coalition than a cohesive government. Each lord is responsible for selecting their own officers and servants, rarely meeting with others lords unless it is on urgent business, such as during a war. One way they do interact however is through taxes. Lords get quite a large tax cut for themselves in return for being loyal to the king. The lords of Soldern commonly have disputes with each other. Often times, these are over the extent of borders and who controls what territories. Ultimately these are up to the king, but if the king is indisposed the lords may decide it best to fight it out themselves. Events like these have sparked miniature civil wars that may last days to months before the king finally gets involved.

Typically, the region is ruled by two Highlanders and two Lowlanders. However the current leader, King Adrian Valt, is a Lowlander, making it the first time three Lowlanders rule the land.

Economic

Most of Soldern is very decentralized when it comes to both politics and economics. Most towns produce little excess, and many others keep to themselves. Much of the kingdom lives in poverty with the highest population of impoverished people anywhere in Vadovass. Which does not mean that the people of Soldern are not resourceful or skilled. The Highlanders are known for their work with wood and stone, while the Lowlanders have a great deal of knowledge concerning herbs and potions. Despite their talents, few of these skills are used in a profitable way, and so the economy languishes.

Despite being horribly poor, the city of Soldernis is actually home to the largest and riches merchant's guild on the continent: the Golden Mountain Trade Guild. The guild operates in the city and is able to trade oversees with Viltanor, Charmonte, Hadar, the Domuc, and Midiiz, while overland the guild trades with the Almaridian Empire, region of Sunar, and everywhere else from there. It is rumored the guild set up shop in Soldernis since the taxes are much less than would be in other coastal nations. This has helped boost the economy of Soldern somewhat and has kept the kingdom from falling into total economic lethargy. The wealth and power that the guild has amassed has also made them a very influential power in the Kingdom.

Religious

There is no official state religion in Soldern. Most of those who live in rural communities adhere to local traditional, spiritualism and animism. Many druids are known to operate in these areas who worship nature itself as a force, though these are mostly in the Lowlands. There, as well as a few other areas, they act as the closest thing that exists to a priesthood. In recent years, the Highlands have seen more adoption of the Galledallian Pantheon, while Soldernis and the west are primarily practitioners of the Wizgaran Pantheon. Some northern Highland areas have started adopting the Church of Mortals as an official religion, though these are uncommon. Despite all different pantheons being adopted, the traditional spiritualism and animism from the area is often mixed in.

Military

More than nine tenths of the military during wartime are levied troops. This makes the bulk of the military poorly trained and easily defeated by most other professional armies. Particularly because two of the Soldern's neighbors are militaristic empires. Because of that all wars are fought defensively. Nearly every soldier fights near where they grew up. Therefore they all know the area well, and use its oddities and geography to their advantage in battle. Marching up mountains or through swamps is very unattractive to most potential aggressors anyway, who often decide to deal with the kingdom in some other way. Many armies have tried to take the land regardless and are met with adversity against everyday citizens. The people of Soldern have an innate yearn for freedom that has fueled brave acts against invaders.

Foreign Relations

Few who are neighbors to Soldern think anything of it, and those that do tend to think of it as an unpleasant place to live with destitute inhabitants. The only real ally of the Free Kingdom of Soldern is the Sunar Confederacy because they share values of freedom and a common rival in the Almaridian Empire. Though the Almaridian Empire has considered attacking the area, they ultimately have decided it would not be worth the expended resources. The Hadaran Empire is the biggest enemy of of Soldern. The proud nation is livid for losing a war to people they view as uncultured, unintelligent, blasphemous swine. However, empire's lack of direct control over the region of Charmonte means that the Hadarans are no longer a direct neighbor with Soldern. The people of Charmonte have few opinions of their neighboring kingdom. They see Soldern as a blight that is contained behind their northern mountains. And finally, though not an ally, the Republic of Viltanor has assisted Soldern on several occasions, especially when the Hadaran Empire controlled Charmonte, hoping to keep the Varotra Sea out of complete Hadaran control.

While many view the Kingdom of Soldern as a worthless corner of the world, the rise of the Golden Mountain Trade Guild in the area has made others think twice about it. Now attacking or harming the trade of the region would directly harm both other nations and themselves, making attacking or provoking the kingdom unwise.

Magic

Though magic has returned, Soldern has seen little of it. While many know that magic exists, few understand the extent of its power, and overestimate or underestimate its potential. The few magic users of the land are either an odd mage in larger cities or a druid who lives in the more rural regions.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom