Socaris
Socaris is a Kingdom located in what was once the Krothian Empire. It is still considered by most to be a territory of that Empire, but it exists in the present day as its own political entity. It is located along the Western coast of Veland and along the South-Western coast of Lake Arnach. It borders Ustvala to the East, the Empire of Carladia to the South, and the Kingdom of Grimsaldr to the North. It is easily one of the most diverse regions on Veland, hosting nearly every race on the continent within its borders. The local orc tribes that migrated during the period of the Krothian Empire are friendly with the locals, choosing to trade rather than raid, although they still often choose to live separate from the rest of civilization. It is currently ruled by King Vitus Serapio, a weak but well-liked ruler.
Founding
Fall of Krothia
During Tab-Rophan's return in the 11th century, Socaris was terribly affected by the expansion of the undead out of Ustvala. Monsters overtook many of the towns, forcing the citizens to flee. Some fled North and some fled South, but in the process most towns were left abandoned. To the surprise of many, the Munbruther tribe of orcs held back the invading undead monsters as long as possible while the rest of the citizens escaped. The orcs were forced to flee deep into Chatstall Wood. The forest, notoriously difficult to navigate and full of large swaths of poisonous briars, allowed the tribe to disappear during the crisis and remain safe.
After the Second Shining Crusade marched its way through what used to be Krothia, they liberated Socaris to the best of their ability, destroying or driving all monsters back into Ustvala. Refugees followed behind the crusaders, returning to their homes and cities and attempting to recreate habitiability among the destruction and corpses. The Guilds moved in quickly as well, reoccupying their old holdings in the region, and sped up the reoccupation process by focusing on clean-up of any remaining monsters from the Undead Empire. Government began to reform, beginning with local townships, and within two years it had reached across the region in a monarchic dynasty that perpetuates.
New Kingdom
For the first time in its history, Socaris existed as a unified and independent kingdom. It didn't have to answer to an Emperor, nor was it simply a loose collection of towns spread across an uncontrolled region. The first King, who was elected and chosen by the people, was a human named Jilved Serapio.
His dynasty has ruled for the last two hundred years in peace and prosperity, bringing slightly higher taxes, but also greater security and infrastructure. The Kingdom rebuilt their capital of Gokolsahn, with Jilved building a large Manor home and surrounding it with a park, that he opened to the public in the walls of the city. He decided quickly that he would need to rely heavily on others more experienced in governing than he, so he selected a collection of hand-picked mayors from around the Kingdom to sit on his council and provide advice on where funds were most needed. One of these decisions ultimately led to a large boost of wealth for the Kingdom, as he expanded the trading ports on the Western Coast. These ports had been mostly neglected during the reigns of the previous Krothian Emperors, but with their expansion came an entirely new source of income, and connected Socaris with not just the rest of Veland overseas, but also far-off continents and countries of their own. Jilved encouraged acceptance of all races and species, and encouraged immigration to further the wealth and prosperity of his region. It was this encouragement, passed down from him to his descendents, that has led to Socaris being the home of nearly every known species, some of course being more common than others. It also exists as the only known country that willingly hosts and interacts with tribes of orcs.
Socaris in the 13th Century
Socaris is currently ruled by Vitus Serapio. He has failed to implement many reforms to the Kingdom as a whole, but he has been successful with diplomatic missions to other nations, as well as the Guilds. He has expanded the Martial Guild to supplement his own guardsmen, leaving them to deal only with crimes, any other threats are handled exclusively by Guild Members. The Mage Guild has also been expanded in the capital of Gokolsahn, and has even been allowed to create a College for the study of magic that answers exclusively to the Guild. This has drawn in both warriors and academics to the capital, creating a strange mix of local populace traveling for trade, travelers from other far away lands, warriors looking for easy work with the Martial Guild, and academics either attending University or working at the Mage Guild.
The rest of the country is managed by the Mayors of different towns, all of which operate mostly independently from each other. However, since the coronation of the Serapio dynasty, the towns' guardsmen are centralized, with guardsmen appointments being managed in Gokolsahn. The addition of a centralized council of Mayors has also created an importance of elections that did not exist before, as a good mayor can change influence of a town within a single generation. This type of importance has created certain alliances between Mayors, who assist each other in elections, and also assist each other so that policies that get passed benefit each other at the expense of other Mayors. This type of competition ends up being beneficial to regular citizens, since it forces the Mayors to band together in common cause to push their own agendas through. The largest parties of Mayors are the Merchant Party and the Farming Party. The Merchant Party members are highly concentrated on the coast and along trade hubs throughout the Kingdom, and the Farming Party are more rural and focused on production, be it grain or livestock. There are other smaller Parties on the council, but none of them carry the same influence as the 2 largest parties. They often serve as tiebreakers to get small concessions from the larger parties, but rarely drive policy by themselves.
Notable Locations
Gokolsahn
TBC
Greenport
TBC
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