The Ustarian Empire
Structure
The land of Ustaria is made up of the Summer and Winter Kingdoms. Rasko, Bolsilva, and Trocno (though this has become complicated in recent years) are a part of the Summer Kingdoms, while Tilvania and Rustil make up the Winter Kingdoms. These were made in reference to the fey courts, and Nedda and Veran, and each of the kingdoms make sure to have their senators and politicians represent them. In a great mountain, the Summer and Winter Kingdoms can meet in times of peril in this hallowed neutral ground maintained by monks who have cut themselves off from the world. When dealing with foreign powers, there is a small group of nobles that all the kingdoms must unanimously agree to have them be considered a representative of the entirety of Ustaria, and so can present themselves as a single, unified nation.
Culture
To call the Ustarian Empire a unified, single culture is perhaps the most foolish and insulting thing someone could suggest. The empire is made up of several unique ethnic groups, being the Rasko, Bolsilva, Rustil, Trilvania, and Trocno peoples. However, in truth there are even smaller ethnic communities within Ustaria, but these represent the largest and most well-defined. These ethnic groups all hailed from the tribes that roamed the land for ages before eventually becoming the lands they are today. Each of these peoples have unique histories, familial ties going as far back as the first Starborn, saints, customs, forms of worship, and so on. This makes Ustaria one of the most ethnically diverse lands in the continent of Nilush, and it is a hot bed for intrigue and harmony, as well as conflict.
If one had to describe the Ustarian people in general: it is a land of superstition and faith meeting each other, as well as stubbornness rivaling a dwarf (at least in the case of the Rustil) and practicality. While some have said that the north people are dour and grim for being invaded by many foreign enemies, in truth the people in all tribes try to live life joyfully and proudly. Dance and song echo through the forests, almost as an act of defiance against all the strange and horrible creatures and shadows that lurk in the dark canopied forests. An example of dance is something called the Horo, where people join hands in a circle and spin while stepping forward and back. While this happens, one can exit the circle and enter in the middle, showing off their moves or even challenging others to a dance off. It is also seen as a good time to share a romantic dance with a prospective lover.
Such simple acts of joy and happiness shine brightest in this land due to how dangerous the land itself is. While by no means the land is all doom and gloom, make no mistake that the land is dangerous indeed. Monsters stalk the land in numbers unheard of in the rest of the world, shadow demons skulk about, and while hags have had an odd relationship with the Ustarian people, even the Ustarians are smart enough to know that not every hag is a friendly one. Fey energies run strong here, though not as strong as say Vebastonne, and so fey like wonders and creatures also stalk the land. The land is primarily made up of forests and large steppe land, with great mountains dotting the land. Such lands, however, breed hardy souls, and so there are many folk tales of great and strong heroes and adventurers as there are folk monsters to fight them. Much of the warriors of the Ustarian Empire are busy fighting the many threats of the land and defending their villages and cities, however in times of invasion, all noble sons and daughters of Ustaria are ready to heed the call of war to defend their ancestral land.
For as much as the Ustarian people bicker and squabble amongst one another, they still work together at the end of the day. It is quite common to hear many jokes and jabs at each other, and it is not unheard of for brawls and skirmishes to occur, but when faced with a great enemy, they unite. This is because, at the end of the day, all peoples of the land are children of Nedda and Veran. This is a fact the Ustari are proud of, for while the rest of the world tears itself apart (especially these days) the lands of Ustaria have been mostly stable. Even though these "families" fight amongst each other, to hurt one is to hurt them all.
History
The lands in the north of Nilush are a world of varied climates, and varied peoples. The lands known as Ustaria, that now are home to the Ustarian Empire, are made up of countless diverse, and colorful groups. The empire itself is a mighty confederation of some of the largest ethnic groups that used to be kingdoms in their own right. It is also a land of some of the most strange, terrifying, and yet beautiful history in the lands of Nilush.
The origins of the world and the empire are steeped in mysticism and superstition. However, the people of Ustaria have many different ideas as to the origins of their peoples. Many believe that their origins may lay in the Wyld Realm (alternatively known as the Fey WIld) where their gods were born from the primal nature of the realm. Specifically, their creator god Dona was born and, seeing this realm, yearned to create his own. So it was that Dona sacrificed himself and let his body become the universe, the world, and all the stars that blazed in the sky. The land was beautiful, but without seasons, the land would not give life. To acknowledge this, 2 gods were born of Dona's sacrifice (some argue if they came from the sun that Dona created or the world itself) these being Veran and Nedda. Veran would take on the powers of summer, and Nedda the powers of the winter, in inspiration from the fey courts of the Wyld Realm.
With this, the world finally bloomed, with every passing of the season one of them is made to slumber, and the other to live, and so the passing of seasons was made into a cycle. Nedda and Veranwished to see more than just animals walking the world, and so they did marry each other and sleep together amongst the heavens. It is believed that they would have children of nearly every species, and the other peoples are the result of distant fey ancestry. The first of these children were the gods that, along with Veran and Nedda, became known as the Starborn, or Zvezdorodni. After the first few generations, regurarly mortals began to dot the world. The Starborn watched with pride, and eventually asked some friends amongst the hags back in the Wyld Realm to come to this new realm and guide some to the lands that now make up Ustaria. One of these hags, Old Yegi, would become the spirits and land of Ustaria itself, and would wow the mortals as much as terrify. There they settled admist the land, and the great peoples of the land came to be: the Rustil, The Bolsilva, the Rasko, the Tilvania, and the Trocno
For years upon years, the mortals enjoyed their kingdoms and the many gods that now dotted the night sky: Perun, Senredur, Inera, Edomir, Veliko, and many more. However, peace never lasts in this world, for the realms of hell are jealous of the beautiful land Nedda and Veran created. In their hateful spite, they lured Senredur and then cast curses unseen upon him, fracturing him. Incapacitated, the shards began to wreak havoc, warped and corrupted with hate, as the forests began to become shadowy lands of monsters and shadow demons. This allowed for a portal to the hells to be opened up, and demons to pour forth. While the gods did war to try and protect the “true” Senredur from the corrupted shards, to the surprise of the gods, the mortals would wage bloody, stiff war against hell. For 5 years, they resisted the demonic incursions, while the rest of the world remained unaware of the horror going on in the lands of Ustaria. However, it was a losing battle, as scattered as the kingdoms were they were unable to amass great strides of conquest. That was, however, until a lich woman named Mosaleva Amaliya Petrovna made a deal with the spirits and hags of the Rustil lands to summon a great army of the fallen ancestors. With this sudden surge and new army of nearly unstoppable ancestral warriors, the kingdoms united at last, and the ancestral army was at the vanguard that led to the hell portal. The gods watched in pride as their children fought long enough for the ancestral ghosts to sacrifice themselves to close the hell portal, ending the invasion.
Senredur was roused from his near death sleep, but was wounded and distraught at the damage he had inadvertently caused. So it is that Senredur and his cult now seek to purge the shards of evil from his soul that still exists to this day, hiding in the shadows of the forests and mountains. While this was happening, the kingdoms would realize that together, they could resist against opponents far mightier than them, and so would unite into the mighty Ustarian Empire, forming Summer and Winter Kingdoms and Courts in honor of Nedda and Veran.
Which brings us to now, the empire still stands, but it is a tumultuous time indeed. The Church of the Flame has been making great strides in converting much of the Summer Courts (and nearly the entirety of the Rasko lands) to the belief of the flame. While not all the summer court has been converted, it is enough to cause tension between them and the Winter courts. The shards of Senredur still skulk about in the foreboding and dark forests, monsters roam the land and prey on the weak, and the empire must continue to resist foreign invasion from Aldinnheimr, Helltribes, and now the Goblin Bandit Kingdoms. However, such dark times have never dulled the spirit of the many peoples of Ustaria, and their stubbornness to resist death in a world that seems to want to swallow them whole.
Demography and Population
Humans, Winter Elves, Dwarves, Ursine, Catfolk, and a type of Lamia known as Drako make up a majority of the population
Religion
Religion is a complicated topic for the Ustarians, even more so now with the coming of the Church of the Flame. The belief in the Flame has uprooted as much tradition and beliefs as it has introduced them. Though thankfully, much of the old faiths still survive, the gods being:
- Dona, the Father of all Creation
- Veran, God of The Sun, Summer, Fire, heroism, honor, and glory
- Nedda, Goddess of the Moon, Winter, Death, Balance, Spirits, Resolve, and the Underworld
- Perun, God of Storms, Thunder, Lightning, the Sky, Justice, Power, Order, Judgment
- Inera, Goddess of Joy, Harmony, Beauty, Love, Weddings, Peace, Water, Marriage, Promises
- Edomir, God of Hospitality, Patience, Knowledge, Tradition, Festivity, Strategy, and Storytelling
- Veliko, God of Smithing, Fire, the Forge, Crafting, and Invention
- Senredur, The Fractured God of Shadow, Darkness, Chaos, and Trickery
- Velmira, Goddess of Wilderness, Hunting, Wildlife, Forests, Protection, and Archery
- Alinar, The Dirt, the Harvest, Livestock, Herbs, Foresight, and Motherhood.
Foreign Relations
Relations are shaky, as while the direct neighbor of the Ustarian Empire is the Vebastonne who are typically caught up in their own affairs, some wonder if its only a matter of time before they seek to secure the resources of their northern neighbors. Due to their distance from the other kingdoms, many do not parlay much with the Ustarians unless to secure trade deals. However the vikingir of Aldinnheimr are the sworn enemy of the empire ever since the raids and the War of Bitter Cold. Recently, the empire has sought to open up trade with Catai and Al-Hinoso, in hopes to secure the wealthy trade opportunities of Orliea
Maps
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Ustaria
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Alternative Names
The Empire of Ustaria
Demonym
Ustarian when dealing with outsiders, though when dealing internally this changes based on which ethnicity one comes from.
Controlled Territories
