Orthea
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About
Orthea is one of nine nations on the continent of Valos. It is renowned for its abundant natural resources, cultural centers, and trading ports. Located on the south-westernmost point of the continent, the kingdom resides on a peninsula surrounded by the sea to the north, south, and west. The only nation Orthea borders is Fennmor, a marshland nation.
- Orthea is divided into six marches, with four overseen by a marquess. Emilon, the main province, is overseen by the royal family.
- House Duval of Deauvin
- House Palmer of Mercia
- House Eleo of Ironell
- House Blackwood of Ferolla
- House Monir of Montelon
Geography
The Orthean peninsula has a desert to the east connecting it to the mainland. While most of the land is made up of hilly forests, Ferolla is a fertile valley perfect for farming and Montelon is filled with craggy coastal cliffs and mountains. The climate is mild, with cold winters and warm summers.
Artwork by Orthean Culture
Religion
- Orthea's official religion is the Church of Light worships Brynn, the Goddess of Life.
- Brynn is seen as Light itself - she crafted the world out of the darkness and guided humanity in the world's early years. Brynn is believed to be an immortal living among humanity, traveling the continents and spreading love and warmth where she goes.
- The Church of Light spreads Brynn's guidance, and have translated their holy book into several languages. The March of Ironell's capital, Brynnvale, is considered by many in the church where Brynn first stepped onto the world. The most pious followers will make journeys through the desert to the holy site.
- New Year's Day - The first day of the year is the Summer Solstice, the longest day.
- Brynn's Week, the week of the Summer Solstice. Large banquets are held each day in honor of the gifts bestowed by Brynn.
- Lovers' Day, where couples, families, and friends reinforce their love for each other by having a town-wide feast.
- Various other small holidays
While the Light is Orthea's official religion, the people of Montelon have their own pantheon that has spread into areas of Mercia. This pantheon has a very small following in remote areas. For example, the town of Ara's Cove worships Ara, an ocean goddess.
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- The religion gained significant influence after Marquess Eleo of Ironell converted to the Radiance.
- Its members use a new form of magic - White Magic. White Magic is used for healing and performing small miracles, such as purifying diseased water or praying for favorable weather for crops and ships.
While many praise the Radiance for all its good, members of the Light worry it may be growing too influential. The Radiant church is highly confined and insular. Users of White Magic are also known to have shorter lifespans than any other mages for unknown reasons.
Government and Military
- The Orthea is ruled by Queen Cecile Greystone II, who recently came to power after her mother's assassination by a former royal guard. Even though she is only 14, Cecile takes an active role in governing her kingdom. Her advisers, Ysolt Monir and Fernand Duval, oversee affairs with her and the war in Montelon.
Orthea regularly involves itself in trade and travel with other nations, importing magical and technological knowledge in exchange for its vast wealth of foodstuffs.
Civil holidays include the Summer Solstice/New Years, Queen Cecile's Birthday, Founding Day, Lovers' Day and Brynn's Week.
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The Orthean Army is commanded by the royal family, but each march has its own small army for internal affairs and bandit hunting. Orthea will also hire mercenaries in times of great need.
While Orthea has not engaged in many wars since its modern inception, the army's tasks include accompanying merchants and maintaining infrastructure. Low enlistment and the war in Montelon have spread soldiers thin, leaving many outlying forts and towns with barebones defenses. Pirates, political exiles, and others have taken up empty forts as bases of operations, terrorizing villages and unlucky travelers.
The army has recently begun deploying magic battalions, consisted of drafted and mercenary mages whose abilities specialize in combat.
The Officer's Academy in Astril trains most knights and future leaders of Valos. Notable graduates include Fernand and Lauren Duval, Edlyn Talae, and Ophira Anthor.
The Knights of Orthea are an elite group of soldiers whose purpose is to lead and set an example of behavior for the people. The Knights are different from the rest of the military as they are chosen based on merit, not birth status. Notable knights include Lauren Duval and Edlyn Talae.
The war in Montelon has led to a higher military presence in the region in order to find and capture dissidents.
Daily Life
- Orthea and the rest of Valos celebrate the New Year on the Summer Solstice, the "brightest day of the year."
Magic was imported into Orthea about a century ago. There are two classes of mage: Those with wealth and time enroll in the colleges located in Astril and Cienne. These students go on to be powerful wizards who can craft tomes and spellbooks, or become court wizards for the nobility.
Those without wealth are available to enroll in local mage guilds and are more narrowly specialized than their more educated comrades. Most mages from these guilds learn either combat magic or how to maintain the cities' infrastructure. Many combat-oriented mages have gone under the radar recently, hoping to avoid being drafted into the army.
Most of the food in Orthea is grown in Ferolla and shipped across the country. Mage farmers have discovered a way to keep food preserved for weeks during transport.
Orthean pastimes include hunting competitions, inter-city sailing competitions, swimming (towns and cities may have a public pool), listening to travelling bards and poets, and reading novels. Arenas were very popular up until the last couple of decades, but are now illegal. One can still find underground circles if they know where to look.
Founding, F.E. -33 - F.E. -4
Orthea was formed in the year -33 F.E. After a decade of war and attempts at conquering each other, the five warlords of Orthea agreed to put aside their conflicts and form an alliance. The noble houses: Duval, Wythers, Palmer, Greystone, and Blackwood formed a council to meet twice a year. For three decades, this council ran smoothly with relative peace.
The Heiress' War, F.E. -4 - O.E. 0
In -4 F.E. Damien Wythers of Montelon attempted to consolidate power for himself. He and his soldiers stormed the council meeting, taking the other house leaders hostage. He demanded they bow to him and appoint him king of Orthea or be executed. House Palmer pledged their loyalty, while Lords Duval and Greystone and Lady Blackwood were executed.
News of Wythers' betrayal traveled fast across the kingdom. Upon hearing of her father's execution, Emelia Greystone took command of the her late father's army. She rallied houses Blackwood and Duval and declared war on King Wythers.
Emilia had the citizens' favor, who offered supplies and bolstered the army's numbers. After a bloody three year conflict House Palmer had abandoned Wythers, whose forces had been routed back to his capital of Carthens. After a fierce battle, Emelia slew Wythers in his throne room. With Wythers dead and his family slain, the city was razed to the ground to make an example.
Instead of reinstating the alliance council system, Emilia took power for herself and formed a new monarchy under Greystone rule. The other houses, battered and in a state of disarray after the war, reluctantly relinquished most of their power. Emilia was crowned Queen of Orthea.
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Modern Day, O.E. 295
Orthea has enjoyed stability for a majority of its current existence. While not heavily involving themselves in foreign conflicts, Ortheans have healthy trading alliances with other kingdoms. The Church of Radiance has recently taken up residence in Brynnvale, the current home of the Church of Light.
In A.C. 290, an army of Monteloni civilians and former knights led an independence revolt against Orthea. The Montelon Sentinels, led by former knight Ophira Anthor are fighting to establish Montelon as an independent nation.
Note - Profiles have been put into spoiler tags due to length. Feel free to browse! | |
| Emilon | Named after the first queen of Orthea, Emilon is a densely forested area with its large southern hills acting as a natural border with Ferolla. The capital, Astril, lies on the coast and is surrounded by a dense forest - The Queenswood. The two major roads of Emilon are the coastal road to the north dotted by coastal forts and towns, and the river road which snakes through The Queenswood. Astril lies on the Fork, connecting it to the sea. Deauvin's Hemlock River runs into Emilon. Astril is home to all kinds of nobility, scientists, and magicians alike. The Orthean Officers' Academy trains future leaders from across Valos. At the center of the city is the royal family's keep, which is surrounded by steep walls and heavily guarded. |
| Deauvin | Deauvin is a region of green hills and vineyards in the western and southwestern parts of the province, while the northeast is flatter and has a dense forest that spills into Emilon. The Deauvin River is vital to farmers and traders for irrigation and transportation. Cienne, the capital of Deauvin, lies on the Deauvin River which runs through the city, cutting it in half. The river to the east that runs into Emilon is called Hemlock River, after the trees that are native to the region. Fernand Duval, the Marquess of Deauvin, is both uncle and adviser to Queen Cecile, and his daughter Lauren is an Orthean Knight. |
| Mercia | Mercia's capital, Hemford, is seen as a bastion of the arts. Musicians, artists, and cartographers call Hemford their home. While not ones to shy away from politics when it concerns them, the Palmers of Hemford tend to keep to themselves, funding the arts and public works projects such as aqueducts, bridges, and roads. The Tanas River runs through Hemford all the way to the ocean. Southern Mercia is covered in deciduous forest, with scattered plains used for farming. The southern coast is dotted with coastal towns and shipping ports which see people from across the world. Northern Mercia is a swampy, mountainous area, with average rainfall, cool summers and cold winters. |
| Montelon | Montelon has rolling hills on its northern border, but these hills make way for larger mountains and craggy coastlines. The river that runs into Estuary Point is named Blackrock River, flowing from the mountains into the southern coast. In the southeast lies Carthens, the original capital of Montelon before The Heiress' War destroyed the city around it. Wythers' castle rests in the middle of the city, and the entire place has been long abandoned. It's capital, Estuary Point, and Carthens both reside on sheer cliffsides over the ocean. Estuary Point's mountain areas are less intense than the latter, making it easier for travelers and traders to get around. Montelon is unique among the Marches where it was initially a city state colony of a far off nation half the world away. When Orthea was being formed, the people of Carthens fought to retain their independence but were crushed. An allied Monteloni was elevated to run the region, and House Wythers was created. In secret, the House was biding its time, taking the peace to rebuild the region's strength before trying to conquer Orthea in revenge. This led to the The Heiress' War and the Carthens' destruction. In recent years, an independence movement has been building in Montelon, hoping to free itself from monarch rule and establish a democracy. The Montelon Sentinels took up residence in the ruins of Carthens, and have been at war with the Orthean Knights for over a year with no significant progress on either side. |
| Ironell | A large arid flatland, with the large Geonnus Desert in the center. The major population of Ironell resides on the coastline and the Orthea-Ferolla border in the north. Mercenaries make a healthy living as escorts for pilgrims hoping to travel through the desert to Brynnvale - a faster, but more dangerous route. Some ambitions prospectors have moved into towns in Geonnus after the discovery of precious metals under the sands. The capital of Ironell is Brynnvale, which is home to the Churches of Light and Radiance. |
| Ferolla | Ferolla can be summed up as a valley of farmland flanked by large hills to the north and south. The capital is Harveston, located in the middle of the province. Ferolla is the agricultural center of Orthea, providing most of the food to the kingdom and abroad. A railroad connects Ferolla with most of Orthea to quickly ship goods across the kingdom. Ferolla's land is dotted with homesteads and farms, with a few large cities dotting the countryside. Local farmers focus on cash crops such as tobacco and rye, and take pride in their hard but rewarding work. |
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