The Petty Kingdoms

The Petty Kingdoms of Turath are all that remain after the fall of the Turathi Empire. Living in the shadow of a great power has dramatically altered the psyche of its people. The great capital of Regnum lies in ruins, and much of the ancestral cities of the paragons are but hollow shells of their former glory. Yet despite the stagnation and corruption abundant through the land, the inhabitants have managed to resist complete subjugation. When the empire fell, many of the senators and Exarchs that had secured private resources for themselves managed to weather the fall, and secured pocketed domains. Devolving into despotic regimes, each has now worked to secure more power among an ever diminishing amount of territory. Yet, despite the weakened populace, stalemates have abounded, and a balance of power has crystallized, as each force now works to maintain what they have gained against the threat of the others.
Culture The Turathi people are the inheritors of one of the oldest human tribes. Their ancestors were born in Kreata, and had developed multiple kingdoms and empires over the millenia, though they have often fallen as well. They are a rough and pragmatic people. A wide variety of local and regional customs are observed among the turathi, as various diverse groups were brought together under the rule of the Turathi Empire.

Foreign Relations

To say political alliances are complicated in the Petty Kingdoms would be a severe understatement. While there were many factors to the fall of the empire, one of the largest was the failure to unify so many different cultures and peoples. Unsurprisingly, the relationships between nations, cities, and even families weave a complex web of alliances, truces, and hostilities between political entities.
Among the most pressing and current issues, however, is the recent shift in power between the kingdom of Euremyer and its immediate neighbors. Considered to be the dominant power within the realm, Euremyer has recently claimed the territory of several minor houses and a few key territorial locations. If fully secured and nurtured over a generation, Euremyer’s position could become unassailable, permanently altering the dynamic in the region. As such, each neighbor is making moves, either to undercut Euremyer’s ability to secure its strength, secure an alliance with them, or undercut another rival, and capitalize on the distraction.

Kingdoms and City-States

Despite all claims to the contrary, there is no true unified government in the old empire’s territory. After the fall of the empire, the high warlocks, their exarchs, and their local fiefdoms devolved into feudal warring states. There are currently eight major territories, as well as a handful of independent provinces not under the direct rule of any other sovereign nation.
Each kingdom is ruled by an Exarch. Originally, the title referred to those governors who were assigned to the region to supervise and administer the dictates of the emperor. After the fall, various nobles, senators, merchants, and magi would work to usurp the power, but they would keep the title to claim a sense of legitimacy from the local populace. Beyond a few other trappings, however, each kingdom has slowly come to emulate the preferences of the power holders.
The current major territories are: Euremyer, Ikaros, Alkandros, Kyrene, Kallistratos, Milon, Thele, and Selene. There are also several independent City-States, soverign cities neither under protection nor subjugation by any other nation. Among the most well known are Jathe, Mytiapetra, Santargos, Baeleth, and Garrott.

Ecology

The petty kingdoms encompass a variety of climates, ranging from the cold forests and tundra steppe in the north and west, to the arid deserts and semi-tropical isles in the south. The bulk of the territory, however, consists of a fairly warm and mild weather patterns of the middle lands, populated with scattered forests and vast fertile plains. The only disturbance in the local weather are the powerful thunderstorms and cyclones that arise during the summer seasons.
The Anaellas river forms the core of the river basin, and serves as a lifeline to most of the region. The Kajatokpa mountains (commonly called the Toks) range to the north east, and the Pentasis mountains to the north. To the south lies the Lorian Straits, and further west is the Bay of Kor and finally the Halien Sea). Across those lands live plentiful amounts of wildlife. Notable among them are Slate Wolves, King-tailed Eagles, Eure Deer, and half-tusk Boars.
While the former imperial territory has been heavily scoured and mined for resources, there still exist several large areas that have felt barely the touch of civilization. Primarily on the edges of the kingdom territories, these regions tend to harbor the largest forests, and deepest natural caverns.

Economy

The total resources of the petty kingdoms is more or less balanced, and in some point you have access to a variety of necessity commodities, including food crops, mineral ores, and domesticated animals. Furthermore, given the region's long history of civilized society, there is also a wealth of manufactured goods and luxuries that continue to pay dividends through the ages.
However, these resources are not distributed equally, and so a lot of trade occurs between kingdoms, often taking several trips as trade between rival kingdoms is severely limited. As the competition grows, each kingdom has begun to invest more heavily in their specialties, and to eliminate competition, in order to preserve their various positions.
This specialization, combined with the general political situation has allowed the dwindling wealth in the region to stabilize, albeit still at a much lower amount than the height of the empire. Many valuable trades, artifacts, and trade alliances have either been squandered, or wrestled from the kingdoms by foreign competitors. This deficit has subsequently been felt by the lowest classes, who are often squeezed with little recourse or organization to resist the more despotic elements of their respective kingdoms.

Military

With the fall of the empire, the great many legions quickly turned to banditry, pillaging, and overall left to their own devices. Much like their economies, each kingdom has certain military specialties, such as Theles veteran warriors, Alkandros superior weaponry, or Euremyers substantial overall size.
Would the armies of each of these kingdoms ever be united once more, it is unlikely any other nation could provide a defense without severe casualties. However, splintered as they are, each kingdom seeks to leverage their clear advantage and close any openings.
As such, each kingdom takes a careful balance in using their military prowess to expand their territory and/or gain hold of strategic locales in an effort to secure a more advantageous bargaining position with allies and rivals.

Type

Political, Confederation

Demonym

Turathi

Subsidiary Organizations

• Alkandra
• Euremyer
• Ikaros
• Kallistratos
• Kyrene
• Milon
• Selene
• Thele

Location

Kreata

Civic Summary

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Region

Size: Huge
Major Cities: 11
Density: Very Low
Infrastructure: Moderate

Ecology

Climate: Sub-Tropical
Wilderness: 30%
Wild Animals: Common
Natural Resources: Many
Seas/Oceans: Three (Asimi, Kor & Mehana)
Mountains: Two (Pentasis & Kajatokpa)
Disasters: Storms/Cyclones

Population

Urban: 20%
Rural: 80%
Literacy: 25%
Immigration: 45%
Sex Ratio: .8 male(s)/female
Fertility: 3.8 children/family
Life Expectancy: 57.6 years

Culture

Highly Values: Variable (see kingdoms)
Known For: Dark Magic
Popular Entertainment: Celebrity Antics
Respected Profession: Athlete
Discrimination: Race-based
Major Taboo: Magic
Major Social Ill: Corruption

Politics

Structure: Feudal/Oligarchy
Influenced by: Variable (see kingdoms)
Popular Issue: Legal system
Stability: Poor
Personal Freedoms: Few
Scandals: Many
Foreign Relations: Mixed

Economy

Main Export: Historic Artifacts
Main Import: Manufactured Goods
Trade Balance: Slight Deficit
Strength: Poor
Wealth: Held by Elites

Military

Size: Large
Focus: Defense
Main Units: Calvalry
Soldiers: Militia/Mercenaries
Promotion: By purchase

Religion

Type: Polytheistic
Focus: Merit
Worship: Joyous prayer in public spaces
Associated Art Form: Sculpture
Prevalence: Believed by Most
Holidays: Few

Magic

Occurrence: Average
Primary Source: Heriditary
Major Use: Crime
Percieved as: Suspicious