Southwythe
Encompassing the large peninsula extending southwards from the Wythian subcontinent, Southwythe is a region which has a long history of settlement and warfare before being unified first under the Empire, and again following its collapse during the troubled reign of the "boy king" Elric Wythe. At present, the more powerful factions supporting the rule of the latter have managed to secure the cooperation of most of Southwythe's city-states, although sectionalism, stagnant trade, and geopolitical isolation represent enduring issues in the new kingdom.
Pre-Imperial Era
Southwythe's division into various city-states stems from several deep-rooted circumstances which stretch into ancient history. While most of its population, especially in the northern reaches, is of Proto-Wythian stock, the spread of these peoples outpaced the ability of the earliest forms of rulers in Westwythe to govern them. Instead, new settlements and colonies in the area's mountains or coastlines became a patchwork of smaller, self-sufficient governments. Earlier branches of Wythian migratory populations, caught amidst this expansion, also adapted and organized themselves along similar lines, as did other groups of formerly migratory peoples or mixes thereof, such as the Aparnovosi. While generally growing steadily over the centuries, the societies within Southwythe were always undergoing a degree of flux as city-states vied for influence or outlying lands. During times of disease, famine, or declining population, the region would often break down into an even more complex tapestry of warring feudal magnates characterized by a heavily localized, personal style of governance. During such cycles, the capitols of each city state would lie almost abandoned, until times of plenty, population growth, or the need to organize in light of new threats rekindled their habitation. To this day, many of the monumental stone structures and fortresses in cities such as Erithstone bear traces of having been built, abandoned, re-inhabited, and subsequently expanded or adjusted numerous times over thousands of years. During the latter centuries of more high-intensity state formation and warfare between city-states, these population centres boasted formidable defenses: the cities themselves could usually weather constant assault, while conflicts were often resolved by their outlying lands and fiefdoms changing hands. This has in turn lead to sharp divides within the population, especially between city-dwellers, who have a strong sense of identity and stake in systems in rulership, and the inhabitants of the surrounding areas of production, who may find themselves owing allegiance to one city-state after another as wars proceed, and whose priorities align more with the necessities of survival.
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Demonym
Southwythian
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Subsidiary Organizations
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities