Coastland

Country of the Little Greenwood

Coastland is an area with lush forests and acres of farmland, geographically the area is called the Little Greenwood. The forested areas are more prominent in the west and the north with a variety of megafauna that is mostly peaceful. There is no single ruler of this area, the government is a representative coalition that elects a council member to sit for seven years to make decisions on their behalf. Many issues local to an area are voted on and cared for by the elected representative but only certain people can vote. In order to gain the ability to vote or to become a representative, you must either own land or have a family connection to a landowner. Because of this, Coastlanders almost never sell land to outsiders and are cautious about who marries into their families. It is quite common for outsiders to rent farmland or buildings for reasonable rates, they are welcomed but there is a distinction between those that are part of Coastland and those that have come from the outside.
The Ruling Council of Coastland attends to the issues of the area they were elected from, including gathering taxes and managing civil services while the council as a whole handles matters of international trade and relations. They determine how people are allowed to enter the country and they keep a small militia in each area that is managed by the representative. Having a larger council gives them the autonomy to rule independently and handle the flourishing agricultural economy that their farmlands support. Members of this council are made up primarily of Halflings, Rodenta, and other Animal Kingdom species.
Coastland is a major area for trade routes because it is the most hospitable shoreline for ships to make land with gentle beaches and a sheltered coast. All the nearby countries have roads that connect to a well-developed highway system that runs throughout Coastland, giving access to a variety of major port towns to enable access to the Zóni and the Southern Continent. Though even with all these points of interest, the truly valuable thing about Coastland is the strange, high potential for agriculture in the area.
It is not uncommon to see any species in this area, even those from distant lands can often be found in Coastland passing through on their way to somewhere else. In many ways, this seaside country acts as the gateway to the Northern Continent. The larger cities and those along the plentiful roads are often welcoming of peaceful travelers though those out in the country are often more guarded. This region is known to be one of the wealthiest due to the sheer amount of traffic that comes through in addition to their agricultural exports.

Demographics & Territory

The population of Coastland is a difficult one to nail down because the sheer amount of travelers and merchants is not quantified. Despite its incredible value, it is difficult for anyone to move to Coastland, even if they marry into a family, because of the long lineages that control the area. The majority of the population are Halflings comprising 60% of the country, varying species of Rodenta comprise the next largest group at 30%, and this is the only notable source of Greater Golems on the Northern Continent with about 6% of the population. Greater Golems were not originally a significant portion of the population but several outstanding members of their species became renowned as heroes during the Eldritch War in this area which earned them the respect of the Halflings.
Coastland is comprised of several small forests clumped together, acres of farmland, rolling hills, and a gentle coast that is ideal for

Quick Facts

Population Breakdown

Halfings

60%

Rodenta

30%

Greater Golems

6%

Others

4%

Other Information

Military Protectorate

Human Empire

Major Focus

Infrastructure

Common Flora

Stout Barks
Fruit Trees

Common Fauna

Draguna

harboring. The soil and climate here produce a unique effect that makes all plant life grow much shorter than anywhere else in the world but also several times wider. This has an incredible impact on crops and certain types of fauna, the difference is most easily seen when comparing something like a potato grown in Coastland. The average potato grows in half of the time and is over 4 times as large as even the most well-cared-for crops from other regions. Legend says the soil quality and temperate climate are the aftermath of an ancient brawl between Dern and Caspian long ago when they decided to see who between them was strongest. The country's borders are marked by the Great Plains to the north, the sea to the east and south, and the Spine of Kallex leading to the Fairy King's Wood to the west.
Taxation here is conducted by council members, each of them lobbies for the various projects that need to be completed. The primary source of government funds comes from the profits made by those that pass through or trade with Coastland while the residents pay a moderate tax in accordance with where in the country they live. These taxes pay for roads and various public services, though there is no standing military to represent Coastland. In exchange for excellent trade standards, the military protectorate of Coastland in a time of war comes from the Human Empire. Towns will often source their own guards from residents, while larger cities often have enough wealth to train professional Soldiers. During the past ten years there has been a preference for hiring Adventurers through the Dagger Guild or contracting services through Fire & Gold, Inc..

Coastland Insignia

Coastland Insignia by Crest via Armoria, created by RiverFang

The symbol of the ruling council is a tree with many branches and many leaves, it is not tall but it is wide. This is to denote the particular agricultural phenomenon of their region and also to show that they are not ruled by any one person. They are many pieces that come together to make up a whole, the cities and farms compose the leaves while the government and infrastructure are the branches. In this way, those on the council and in the station of governor see themselves as servants of the people so that their way of life may be held together. This insignia is found on their currency and on all official documents made by the ruling council.

Military

While there is no standing, national military that exists in this country, there are often varying levels of guards stationed in towns and cities. This is directly proportionate to whether the area is wealthy or whether the local citizens are heroically inclined. These groups are labeled as Militias that have varying names, rank structures, and organizations based on whatever prominent personality is leading the area.
Some of the most passionate and well-trained individuals come from the Mauskin that live closer to the border of the Human Empire. The Militias in the north have a higher level of organization, creativity, and training due to their proximity to the Great Plains. These groups are more widely known as the Meadow Thorns, they have acts noted in history annals dating back to the Eldritch War where they dealt with many of the monster races that chose to run amok in more peaceful lands. The Meadow Thorns have various units that are identified by specific landmarks near where they live and the specific tactics that they employ including taming a variety of megafauna as mounts.
In more recent years, the various militias and town guards of the area have contracted trainers and ranking officers from the Human Empire to teach them tactics, Elves from the Elven Kingdom to build up their proficiency in magic, and Dwarven-made equipment. While not a large or wholly coordinated force, the strength of these Militias varies, they could be composed of mostly rookie forces or they could have the training of a veteran that has seen decades of monster hunting. Adventurers and traveling heroes often augment these Militias for a good salary from time to time as well, it would not be advisable to think that even a small town would be easily bullied without first assessing their militia.

Foreign Relations

Coastland is a merchant hub, they have trade deals in almost every country that can be reached by road or by sea. This has grown to such a degree that Halflings and Mauskin are often the movers of great caravans or ships that travel with all manners of good. Their strongest relations are the Human Empire, the Dwarven Kingdom, the Fairy Kingdom, and the Federation of the Fearsome Maw. They seldom have disputes with other nations as they are most often interested in trade though they are also heavily targeted by criminals abroad due to their reputation for carrying expensive wares. Notably, they do not have trade relations that extend into the underground areas of the world, though their relations with the aquatic races, most notably the Phorcydes are well-developed.
Coastland acts as the largest seaport in the world with the capacity to harbor thousands of ships along the port cities. Many look to Coastland as a peaceful place, for leisure travel or holiday, while those that live there with

an urge to go abroad can easily find themselves pointed towards any part of the world with just a few gold coins and a cloak. This also makes it an ideal place to disappear into, without a large government to scrutinize movements, many things can easily go unnoticed.
Abroad, Coastlanders are well-received as peaceful folk or traders. Those that live in Coastland often lease farmland to others or travel on large caravans to move goods from one place to another. They are usually welcomed but not usually treated as a threat, in some cases, they are seen as a weaker nation due to the stature of their people and their lack of an organized military. This has subtly changed in the last decade with the appearance of a new business, Fire & Gold, Inc., a business that specializes in trade and talent development. It was founded ten years ago by an outsider, despite being led by a Human that isn't even a proper resident of Coastland, it has become the largest corporation in the country in a short time due to the ambition of the owner. Because of this, the owner is often invited to travel with representatives of the country and work on international trade deals.
Coastland only keeps representatives in two countries, those being the Human Empire and the Dwarven Kingdom. The rest are engaged with through correspondence on a regular basis by the Ruling Council. These relations are generally business oriented. This country lacks a magic academy, so it has no standing with the High Council of the Arcane though it does boast a high presence of Metallic Dragons that favor their coastal shores. This grants their land unique favor with the Council of Metallic Dragons. They are also one of three countries with a prominent Monastic tradition, the Rodenta have a Monastery dedicated to their Animal Lord with a focus on open-handed martial mastery.

Government Bodies

There are only two levels of government in Coastland. They are a lower, settlement-based governor and the ruling council of the nation.

Governors

These are elected representatives of the people that must come from a prominent family of at least three generations in Coastland. Governors must be land owners that are elected by the people. These leaders are charged with understanding the infrastructure and needs of their communities. Though they wield a substantial amount of power in terms of civil services they are never appointed as military leaders. Militias are always controlled by experienced Soldiers that manage their own rank structure. Governors are often highly experienced in city planning, agriculture, or business depending on the region that they are from.

Ruling Council

Made up of elected representatives of the people, each region gets a representative based on its population. These representatives must be land owners in Coastland of good standing and repute among their neighbors. This Ruling Council handles the overall infrastructure, roads, and international relations of the country. They are also the ones that determine the funding that can be received by individual Militias so that the idea of governing the people at the level of the governor and protecting the people through the use of trained Soldiers is never consolidated under one person. These people are often accomplished Soldiers, experienced farmers, or merchants that have benefitted their region in some large way.

Founding Date

100,000 IM

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Ruling Organization

Ruling Council of Coastland

Location

Little Greenwood

Controlled Territories

• Toadstool Infirmary

Neighboring Nations

• Dwarven Kingdom
• Human Empire

Related Items

• Flames

Related Species

• Halflings
• Mauskin

Related Ethnicities

• Halfling Culture
• Mauskin Culture

Related Historical Events

• 108 EA
  Building of the First Toadstool Infirmary

Religion

This area worships two primary deities but has been heavily influenced by the Human Empire to gravitate towards more general temples that have areas of worship for each pantheon. The only dedicated temples that are found in Coastland that place a higher emphasis on one over the other would be temples dedicated to Riona (found in large farming communities) and temples dedicated to Caspian (found along the coast). Education on religion in this country outside of those two deities is often lacking because the inhabitants are often in favor of recognizing the two aforementioned deities or a variety of demigods that fall under greater pantheons.
Simple places of worship are often erected in communities with specialized areas for recognition of one of the two primary deities of the area along with any demi-gods or Animal Lords that are recognized. Most famously in this region, Fous the Animal Lord of the Rodenta is recognized at the Temple of Five Ways. This is the most famous holy site in Coastland and a large destination for pilgrims on the Northern Continent seeking enlightenment through physical and mental discipline.

Currency

The specific currency used within the Standard Metal Value system for Coastland has only recently been unified in the last ten years. Up to that point they used a scattering of coins that had regional symbols or no symbols that served as little more than chunks of metal. Due to the frequent change of the Ruling Council, currency was often changed to reflect the varied level of interest for a given area.
It wasn't until the last ten years that a company large enough to affect trade on an international level succeeded in proving the merits of a standardized coin for the country. The current coin of Coastland is called Flames. They have identical designs across all of their values as a prominent flame on one side and the Coastland Insignia on the reverse side. These coins also have a raised ridge around their circular edge to prove they are the correct size and to denote that they haven't been tampered with, shaved, or decreased in value.
These coins, due to their short tenure, have no additional value to collectors yet. Though they are one of the few coins that have circulated Adamantite currency on a scale only outpaced by the Dwarven Kingdom.