Location/Geography

Hopefully 3

General Introduction

The Resomi are a diminutive race of avian raptors, barely reaching two feet in height. They are overall a major cultural center, creating massive cathedrals in the name of their god, the patron of arts. They have an incredible commission-based art flourishing, and many art schools can be found in the city states. The center of this conglomeration that every once and a while fights against each other is Tivoli. It is the most magnificent city, and most immigration traffic is routed to it.

History

The Resomi developed in a frozen wasteland of a land, and quickly became extremophiles designed for cold. At first, they were tribes. However, once they began to organize, they rapidly developed into towns. They managed to do this by learning to ranch the local wildlife and importing food from various nearby sources.
The city states were formed a long time ago, and were quickly turned against each other. Adversity fueled creativity, and soon they flourished into the first golden age of arts. This was akin to a classical age, and many empires conquered the other city states.
Soon it was left to two empires, whom have had their names lost to the sands of time. They created great works of arts and amazing constructions, which would influence the province for centuries to come. The province, while in a permanent winter and wracked by blizzards, would always be a nation of culture. This was their beck and call.
The empires sparred every once and a while, but by and large they mainly exchanged culture, developing incredible feats of classical art and architecture. Even to the present day, ancient and beautiful artifacts from these times can be found.
These empires, eventually, collapsed. This descended the province into city states waging war against each other. This did not stop their desire for culture, however, and while the arts and architecture took a blow from the fall, they did not stop. They devolved, but began their redevelopment once again.
This was essentially the dark ages for the province. Kingdoms eventually formed. They rose and fell in warfare between each other, before they eventually cracked once again into city states.
These city states took the idea of exploration and seized it, sailing in the name of the goddess Ariana. They traveled the world, about three hundred years before present time. They met new cultures and diffused their information into their own. Thus began the second flourishing of the arts.
The arts had finally recovered from the fall of the empires. The Resomi used all they had learned from the other cultures to cultivate their own. Architecture soon returned to magnificence and religion continued to be strengthened. The modern city states were born.
A notable event in their history that truly bore the third flourishing of the arts was the war against the Order. The Crown of Virith was attacked and the Resomi came to their aid. The pike and shot forces landed in the southwest of the Virithian mainland, and moved northwards. There, they participated in several battles.
However, the order learned that the city states were highly undefended as a result. They sent a fleet to invade, and managed to attack the city state of Sira. Despite defenses by both the Eloia and the Mystrost, the city fell. It, however, held out long enough for the forces of the city states to return and push them back. Thus ended the involvement of the Resomi in the war.
Now the Resomi are in the middle of a power vacuum, continuing to create great works of art and architecture as they war between each other.





The Resomi are a cultural people, governed by independent city states. These city states are incredibly different from one another, some being monarchies, others being republics, some being democracies, and so on. But adversity drives innovation, and so they have become a foremost cultural power in the world. Their religion, the Sect of Insight, lead by the Archbishop of Tivoli, has spread far and wide. Their fine art is heavily desired in foreign lands, and there is always plenty paintings to go around.


The City States of Brescia are varied in what they creat, but in general they create the arquebus, pikes, fine art, and architecture plus building materials. Their economy is based on fine art and banking, and the rich families get to where they are banking. There they commission and sell fine art. The church draws from the fund of rich worshipers to fund their great cathedrals.

Military Overview

The Brescian military is unique in that there is no cohesive mass. Each city state has its own army, often based off of mercenaries. This is where Tivoli comes in. They use mercenaries only as an ancillary, and focus instead of a highly trained, highly loyal militia force. This militia force is equipped with the best of the best, and like the rest of Brescia, focuses on the pike and shot doctrine.

Location/Geography

Ardonia is a small but fertile land of gently rolling hills and bubbling brooks. Though not heavily forested, it has an abundance of small glades and woods, and the rivers which help form the nation's borders are bursting with life. The nation has a large coastline for its size, and along the whole of it are small fishing villages and port towns.

The Dagger Mountains are tall and sharp, but also very beautiful. To travel across them is arduous and costly at best and impossible in the winter season, though the dragon-blessed monks of the Order of Dragonkin are uniquely gifted to traverse those peaks. The Heartwood is a favorite hunting ground for nobles and wealthy halflings alike, and the two seas which flank the nation - the Ardonian Sea and the Shining Shores - are known to be stormy in the summer and winter.

General Introduction

Men of Ardonia

A feudal peoples, who love their God, and their King.

The Men of Ardonia are a soft, yet progressive breed of humanity, who value honour and compassion above all else. From the lowliest of peasants, to the most regal of champions, all strive in their love of God to achieve a state of being that reflects the better side of their race.

This was not always their way, however, for once the Men of Ardonia were the founders of the Ardonian Empire - a massive military and political power that, aided by Dragons, held much of the continent under its sway. It was only through the cataclysmic Civil War, the Dragon Cull and the ultimate fall of the last Emperor that the Kingdom of Ardonia found its modern-day roots.

Indeed, the Kingdom's early history is soaked in the blood of the innocent, and it is a fact that many live with in denial. Even the name of the last Emperor is considered an insult to be hurled at one's most hated adversary.

Now however, the Kingdom is relatively peaceful, with a small yet professional army of knights, and a progressive yet equally entrenched society.

Since the Civil War, the Dragons of the Sapphire Isles no longer play a direct role in government, and they are content to keep themselves a safe distance from mankind. However, the King still holds occasional meetings with them, to discuss worldly matters and to keep relations between the two races current and friendly.

Halflings of Heartvale

A friendly and jovial people, the small but stout halflings are steadfast subjects of the Knights of Ardonia. Though far from being mighty warriors, the kindness, generosity, and peace-loving nature of the little people belies a lion-like courage and optimism. Many a song has been sung of the heroism and loyalty of the halflings, yet these goodly folk remain one of the most humble peoples in the world.

The halfling people have called Heartvale home for as long as they can remember. Indeed, the name for Heartvale in the ancient halfling tongue is Breost. It means "Land of Heart," which carries connotations of eternity and home. Their people's name in the same language, Breostlings, means "People of the Land of Heart." The Heartvale is theirs and theirs alone, and proudly do they fly the symbols of their land: the dove of peace, the olive branch of wisdom, the sickle of labor, and the circle of community.

Farmers and woodsmen, the gentle halflings have ever favored the plow over the sword. They are the backbone of Ardonia, working as tillers and tailors, trappers and traders. A few claim noble titles, and some live outside of the Heartvale, but the vast majority are content to be called "Mister" or "Miss" by their neighbors in their traditional homeland.

People of Sontica

Those who dwell in the city-state of Sontica, the vassal realm of Ardonia, are perhaps less concerned with virtue than the rest of Ardonia. It is the pursuit of gold which drives their society, and their love of it which made them great. They control the eastern mouth of the Golden Road, and so Sontica enjoys the status as one of the major trade centers of the world.

Sontica is not an entirely human country. A halfling town, Fairweather, has long existed within its territory. There are a few orcs and elves living among them, and some half-breeds as well. Even a few Jakai call the city home. The vast majority of its citizens, however, are human.

Monks of the Order of Dragonkin

The Order of Dragonkin draws its members from several races, each member an ardent worshiper of the One True God. They alone are allowed to walk upon the Sapphire Isles. They alone may speak the Draconic tongue. They alone represent the magnificent blue dragons and serve as their emissaries to the people of Ardonia and the world beyond.

It is a difficult task, joining the Order of Dragonkin. Most who take the initiation rites fail. The test takes place on the Sapphire Isles, and would-be monks are given an enchantment that marks them as one who is taking the test. The details are unknown to the world at large. What is known is that most who attempt the test fail and are sent back to the mainland. Some succeed. A rare few simply never return.

The monks of the Order of Dragonkin are utter pacifists. They are blessed with supernatural fortitude, longevity, and even the ability to breathe underwater, but they will not use these abilities in self-defense. Those who do are banished from the Order.

The Knights Draconis are the sole exception to this rule. They are warrior-monks sworn to the service of the King and the blue dragons of the Sapphire Isles. However, they will only take to the field if they believe a cause if truly just.

History

Knights of Ardonia



Halflings of Heartvale





People of Sontica





Kingsland



Goldmarch



Heartvale



Sontica





Generally speaking, Ardonia is a peaceful realm, largely content to maintain its present borders. Its people believe in the tenets of honor, chivalry, and justice; so, there is little drive for expansionism.

Because of that, Ardonia gets on relatively well with its neighbors. Its greatest friend is Zhodul, and the two countries share many values, and their religions are very similar. While Zhodul's take on Revelationism may ruffle some feathers in Ardonia, the two nations by-and-large are fast friends, always happy to do whatever they can to support the other in politics. Their history of warfare against one another has, in a strange way, perhaps brought them closer together.

Ardonia also gets along fine with the Republic of Vuts, with whom it has a healthy trading relationship. Still, it would be a stretch to call the two nations "allies," though perhaps "friends" is a fair term. Halflings get along better with Vutsians than other races in Ardonia do; this has much to do with the Vutsian religion, which has some similarities to the traditional faith of the Heartvale, and also has much to do with the acorn bread the Vutsians export. Halflings love acorn bread. They love it a lot.

The City States of Brescia are somewhat influential culturally on the Goldmarch. In days of yore, the avian peoples known as the Resomi once had townships and cities in that region. With the collapse of their empires, however, came the collapse of their defenses; ancestors of the humans of Ardonia drove out the Resomi and colonized the land for themselves. Still, their architectural influence remains, as do their works of art, and even in the modern day Resomi art is imported into Ardonia. They are not friends of Ardonia, but neither are they enemies. Religiously, there is some conflict between the two nations, but that has not stopped them from having fair and peaceful dealings with one another.

There are peaceful trade relations between Ardonia and the Order of Anvill, although they are strained to some extent due to the conquest of former neighbors of Ardonia by Anvill. Still, their religions are similar to some degree (both praising God), and Anvill merchants taking port in Ardonia are generally polite to both the halfling and human inhabitants. They are, however, not allies by any stretch of the imagination.

Unbeknownst to Ardonia's leaders, the Blacksmiths Guild - a powerful organization in the country, and the force behind the creation of the New Army - consists largely of Anvill sympathizers. They wield considerable political clout.

The Golden Horde, however, is seen as a threat to the sovereignty of the realm. While the situation is peaceful at present, the Horde has been known to raid weak parts of Ardonian territory, and tensions are high between the two realms. Thus, the majority of Ardonia's forces are stationed in the general area of Sontica and the Heartvale, as those are the places which are most threatened by the Horde. For now, there is trade and diplomacy, but could war be on the horizon for these nations?

Besides this, Ardonia is generally receptive to having foreign merchants enter its territory. It happily allows river caravans from the Arcturian Empire into its midst, and Ardonia considers the Arcturian Empire to share cultural roots with itself. There is trade with Myrstrost (Ardonian merchants find themselves in a good position to act as intermediaries between the fog-hidden isles and the Vutsians), and the emissaries of the apple lands are always welcome in Ardonia.

Military Overview

The armies of Ardonia are a varied lot, with each province specializing in producing certain kinds of troops. The High Sheriff, the King of Ardonia, and the Doge of Sontica all command their own forces. Such is the way of feudalism.

It should be understood that while Ardonian forces are varied, covering every combat role in some fashion, the vast majority of their armies are unprofessional. Two thirds of the men and women in the armies raised in Kingsland and the Goldmarch are simple peasant levies. The bulk of Sontica's forces are citizens drafted for war, and the next largest lot are mercenaries. The halflings, oddly, have the largest professional army, but they are only fit for light infantry roles in war. Halfling skirmishers alone do not an army make.

Thus, while there are elite warriors such as the Ordo Draconis, the Manticore Infantry, and the Underfoot Rogues, these warriors are few and far between. When deployed properly, however, they can be used to devastating effect.

The navy is not Ardonia's strong point. It is largely a merchant fleet that can be converted to war in times of need. However, it and the Ardonian armies are supported by the blue dragons, powerful semi-aquatic creatures which can breathe lightning, fly, and breathe underwater. Without them, it's very possible that Ardonia would have been destroyed long ago.