Kingdom of Balios
Balios, the Kingdom of the Northern Sea, an unexpectedly prosperous merchant nation, given its position of being located entirely inside the confines of the dense forests of Everwoods. Its capital city prospers due to its invaluable rescources, mainly the Fire-Eating Amberwood.
The variety of craftsmen and artisans in Balios rivaled even that of Tildarra, with which the nobles of the Kingdom held a long running rivalry.
It is said that the skills of an artisan from Balios were so great, one could steal a man's wife while leaving him living happily with her sculpture.
Despite the great wealth of the city, and the beauty of its legendary gardens, the greatest pride of any citizen of Balios were the refreshing waters of lake Asmul. Said to have healing properties, its clear waters and beautiful shores would always appear on any paintings depicting the Kingdom.
History
Balios was founded later than most of the Seven Kingdoms, due to its geographical position and distance from the others. The location for its capital was decided after a group os loggers ventured in too deep into the Amberwoods and got lost. After finding and following the Bali River downstream, they came across the awe-inpiring sight of lake Asmul, and decided that they would never want to live anywhere else.
After trade routes trough the southern Amber Forests were established, the first King of Balios decided that the place would be a suitable location for his divinely ordained capital, and named both his city and Kingdom after the river that saved the lifes of those loggers.
For the first couple generations the Kingdom's economy relied heavily on the exportation of the Amberwood, known to be light, flexible and resistant to fire, and very beautiful when worked on properly. It was only when the civil unrest in Tildarra forced out a great number of artists that Balios begun developing its own professional guilds of craftsmen and artisans.
After a great fire broke out in 197 AoL the citizens of Balios noticed that the homes built mostly of amberwood did not burn as badly, and the families that lived there remained mostly safe even when the structures incorporated different types of wood. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that the wood had special properties, which would absorb some of the heat around it when subjected to fire so that it wouldn't burn as hot.
When the citizens of the Bright Lands first heard about the different beigns that inhabited the world beyond their holy lands, the people of Balios were among the first to depart in search of them. Using accumulated knowledge from decades of wood craftsmanship, and helped by Tildarran scholars, the very first large ports of the Brightlands were established in Balios, where geat ships made of amberwood would gracefully carry its citizens to the confines of the world.
Military
Our clear Souls Reflect the Brightest Light
Maps
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Political Map of Balios
Founding Date
154 AoL
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Alternative Names
Lake Kingdom, Amber Kingdom, Northern Kingdom
Demonym
Balian
Leader Title
Founders
Parent Organization
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Comments