The Ardità States
Look to the sky, for the Comet lights All
Structure
The Ardità States are highly divided, with each state vying for power against one another while having to fight the encroaching darkness. Vast tribes of pagan cultists and other monster's also complicate matters. Some city states are run like monarchies, while others are run like republics, making it a vastly diverse nation
Culture
Inside the walls are vast cosmopolitan oceans of walls and flesh. People of widely different beliefs and faiths come to settle in the imagined safety of the walls. Culture and technology boom in the walls, with the most famous inventors living within Ardità, such as Niccolo Acharigi or Vincenzo Barbi. The streets boom with constant activity, and occasional arguing amongst people as they go about their day. However, outside the walls is truly a grim land of death and war. Those who join the armies of the city states consider it a great honor to serve their Duca or Duchessa, but the cost is great indeed. Many die in service for the threats they face are great indeed.
This dichotomy between outside the walls and inside have led many soldiers to adopt a rather black comedy of the whole thing. Taking land only to lose it, fighting defensive wars against vast hordes of undead or demons, how can one not laugh to keep their own sanity. With gunpowder and steel they scream their faith and black comedy into the air as they lay down their lives for the land. The dragon watches all, and they will not be found wanting, or that's the hope anyway. The pay is good, and you get to be trained with advanced weapons and armor, and so the Arditàns have gotten very good at war. This bleeds into their culture back home where the bravery of a person is considered highly important, as well as their ability to not only be a master of war but to also know how to write and paint. They also adopt cultural ticks from across the world, leading to them being a diverse people. The Arditàn's are also famous for their plays and libraries, as well as their large festivals.
History
The land now inhabited by the Arditàns is an ancient one, inhabited by men and beasts. Dragonnels and great flying creatures roam the sky, while giants and ogre like creatures also inhabit the land. It is believed that the first Arditàns came from the tribes around Ashenfeld, moving south past the Crown Mountains. These tribes, known as the Latruci, came to the land after having seen a bright glow in the sky arching towards the land. Believing it a sign of the gods, they soon began to settle down amongst the land, taming the wild swamps and forests of the land and thus named it Ardità. They would grow rich off the vast wealth of the land, and the great city states would be built. These vast seas of buildings became a center of learning and creativity. The leaders of these city states became vastly wealthy merchant princes and republics, ushering in a bright age of learning and culture.
This all changed however when the Darkness came. It is said a great doom befell the lands at around 2456EC, while it did start slowly it rapidly gained momentum. Vast swathes of land became cursed and dark, and undead and necromancers began to surge from the forests. Terrifying druidic pagan cults began to raid cities, and villages outside the walls of the city states were ravaged and ransacked. All was thought lost as the sky was completely blotted out, but then hope blazed from the heavens. The comet from the founding of Ardità blazed across the sky, with many believing it to reveal its true form for but a moment. Its great form was Sobruus, a dragon god of light, civilization, and progress. Sobruus brought light to the city states just when they were about to fall to the waves of monsters, repelling the invaders and saving the city states. Thus the new pantheon was formed with Sobruus as their head of the pantheon.
Sobruus bade the leaders and people to take back the lands from the invaders, and to spread the word of the flaming comet. While they then left for the heavens, there was soon arguments of who should lead the charge. Soon the city states began to war periodically with one another, but did focus on ridding the land and purifying it from darkness. This pattern has repeated again and again, with them gaining land only to lose some later on. City states have risen and fallen, and they have at times gone to war with foreign nations to try and gain territory and resources. However in the end, Arditàns are confident that Sobruus will see them through in the end. With the world growing ever darker in this day and age, some believe Sobruus will come to reveal his form to the world again, and choose who will reign supreme. Thus the lands of progress and culture do war with one another about as much as they have to fight desperate battles of survival.
Demography and Population
Most who live in Ardità are the standard assortment of races, with the exception being the lamia who live there in surprising quantities. Koshmin cat folk and a unique sub species of ogre known as Ogrill that also inhabit the beautiful but dangerous landscape.
Technological Level
The Ardità States have made great strides in the use of gunpowder technology imported from far off into the sea. Due to this, entire regiments are being outfitted with gunpowder weaponry, though the cost and time needed to do this remain extremely high, and so only highly trusted and trained regiments are allowed such technology. Ardità also has been experimenting with revolutionary war engines to one day help them drive out the dark scourge that infests their land, and have even been purchasing ship wrights to build airships for them to travel over the enemy and free up the states to war and trade with one another again. They are also famous for alchemy and other magical like technologies.
Religion
While Sobruus is the main god of the Arditàns, the Church of the Flame has had great progress in introducing the Flame to the land. Vuyaja, goddess of knowledge has become a very common goddess to worship in Ardità.
Sobruus is a dragon god of Civilization and Light. His servants are said to also be dragons, such as Nannith the goddess of hearth and fertility, and Mukadi the God of Afterlife. This worship of dragons has led to the Dragonnels being seen as great creatures of cultural import.
Foreign Relations
Being south of Ashenfeld, they have a complicated relationship. They occasionally do war with Ashenfeld for territory bids, and so Treehold and Ardità have a complex history. However they also trade with Ashenfeld regularly, and also maintain good relations with Tajir who also trade with them.
Infrastructure
The city states of Ardità are massive and highly independent, housing entire farming districts, ranches, basic services, trade districts, and more. Many comment on how it is like being transported into another world when entering a city district for the first time
"un altro giorno!" - One more Day!
Maps
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The Ardità States
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Demonym
Arditàn
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
