Ravenashen
The Gerontocracy of Ravenashen is a land of tall mountains, high fir forests, and permafrost lowlands to the east of Belahm. The elder council that governs the land is composed of the five eldest dwarves and five eldest humans from the deep-rooted and expansive Mine-City of Kamendo.
Ravenashen has its origins in a slave revolution that had overthrown the dwarven monarchy that had upset the balance of dwarven clans with the use of enslaved humans. The disenfranchised revolutionaries set up the new country around their strengths and so Reavenashen is known for its amazingly manufactured and advanced weaponry - including even guns, its mined materials, and its vast number of dedicated soldiers, both human and dwarven. It has numerous well-maintained roads that funnel trade, and at one time soldiers, into its neighbor countries of Pei-tsu, Belahm, and even north into the badlands where they trade with the roaming tribes of varied nomads that live amongst the badlands.
Though dutifully and consistently ruled, few would consider Ravenashen fair. Its Dirt Cast of diggers, dirt haulers, foot-soldiers, and dangerous material or waste carriers are primarily human, dwarves of newer, and weaker, clans, and beastkin races. Its Mine Cast of miners, general smiths, and ranking knights is worked harder than the more numerous dirt cast and death from exhaustion, even among dwarves, all but guarantees only the hardiest races survive long enough to reach middle age. And the Master Cast consisting of merchants, high artisans, and government officials are frequently put to death for failures - ensuring that the Elder council goes largely unopposed save for those new leaders they allow enough privilege and age to join them.
Lives are plentiful and cared for little in Ravenashen, and when death comes is almost upheld as divine proclamation of worth, leading its people to swing between dour, stalwart, and quite fatalistic to incredibly ambitious, callous, and obsessive. This dismissiveness towards death has served them poorly since they were forced to retreat from Belahm and talk of revolution and starvation reaches even into the neighboring countries, some of who rely on Ravenashen's maintained roads to reach the east or west, as the mountain ranges that cover Ravenashen block easy travel without them.
Structure
The Caste system of Ravensashen is defined through practical need, family standing, politics, grading in their military schools, and displayed aptitude for creative arts such as magic or smithing. A lack of need for a smith could see a Master Cast craftmen executed or demoted and replaced, or a perspective candidate's low family origin could drag him down a caste level in spite of his job. In this way the original dwarven and human rules have been able to control the high ages that qualify individuals for the ruling council. Petitions for increases in rank tend to be frequent however, and there is often social movement according to the aforementioned qualifications. In both directions.
Advancement to the council requires one of the existing members to die and for an individual to be the next oldest member of the capitol city that shares the deceased's race. Only capitol citizens are currently selected and the council seems consistently split 50/50 in opening the selection up to the country as a whole. Cities and towns outside the capitol have controllers selected by the council from their Master class.
Culture
Ravenashenan are protective, traditionalistic, militaristic, ambitious, and frequently dour. They focus heavily on avoiding the loss of ranking within their caste system and in expanding their family house's influence both internally and externally.
Assets
Ravensashen maintains a healthy ore and gemstone export, charges tolls on roads for foreign travel through its rough terrains, and maintains a standing army that is heavily outfitted with the weapons and armor of exquisite make. They also have made strides in the creation of even advanced weaponry, such as firearms, particularly heavy firearms such as blunderbuss.
To break the stone is to reveal the gem
Founding Date
Year 303 of the Green Rains, 503 ES, 16th of Locus
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Alternative Names
The Rookery of the World, The Unbreakable mine, and The Old folk's home (derisively)
Demonym
Ravenashenan
Currency
Ravenashen uses stone chips to set a standard. Bloodstone chips are equivalent to Copper, Opal stone chips are silver and the standard, and Onyx or Agate slices are considered gold. These chips weigh 25 to the pound.
Peaceful trade
Though early invasions dirtied their relationships, Pei-tsu's isolationism and needed trade with Ravenashen has improved their relationship. Ravenashen remans suspicious of Peinese dignitaries, however, especially considering rumors of psionic powers.
Peaceful trade, Insinuations of Espionage
Ravenashen has been increasing its peaceful trade and ambassadorial relations with Belahm as of late. While this has increased Belahm tensions of foreign interference or espionage from the desperate, militarist power they have acquiesced in accordance with the Owl oracle's directions.
More recently Ravenashen's relations have become more complicated with the madam ambassador's daughter being rescued by servants of the state and the revelation of the same madam's potential involvement in a terrorist instigation/attack and her subsequent confinement into custody. Currently Ravenashen has sent letters demanding the return of their diplomatic envoy and Belahm has denied the request until the end of the investigation (and potential interrogation). This has increased tensions, and foreign tradesmen undergo heavier checks at the Ravenashen border for the forseeable future, but direct conflict has yet to break out though additional protections are being heaped on the surviving ambassador and her daughter to avoid assassination from their home country.
Trade
Although Baactri-Tochar has taken a similar tactic to Ravenashen that they have to Irenvald, bad blood between the two kingdoms is not entirely eased. Ravenashen's long memory has generally viewed Baactri-Tochar's war actions, and their seeming flippancy of their actions, as a loath-some insult. However the value the Emperor's nation provides is great enough that a begrudging, although robust, trade route has sprung up between the two nations. This is espescially true fo Ravenashen's more remote regions to the south, closer to the badlands of Tochar, where fears of partisan influencers forces Ravensahen to hold a military presence.
At War
Irenvald's history of slave taking of dwarves, such as those that bore the creation of gnomes, has lead to a violent hatred of Irenvald by Ravenashen. Irenvald, meanwhile, who has never had a successful invasion by Ravenashen is far more focused on Mourholm. While they maintain a slightly negative relationship with Ravensashen this is more of a result of their refusal to open up trade deals, particularly for guns which Irenvald's rules are interested in, and their sale of cold iron to Mourholm.
Though supposedly still at War, there has been no directly aggressive moves between either in recent history.
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