The Kingdom

The Kingdom is older than the men who inhabit it, generation after generation has passed giving the lands their own colourful history, but much of what happened in the dark ages of the Aphotic Epoch is of stories and myths. The oldest of the Kingdoms history has been lost to man for hundreds of years, the details of their arrival in the Kingdom and the knowledge of what lies beyond the Great Wall could fill but the contents of a single page.

The Kingdom itself is divided into distinct territories that collectively fall under the rule of the new King Arenti I, his ascent to the throne eight years ago was marked by the end of the great War of the Duchies.

Of the territories Arentis has an unrivaled rule, uniting the Kingdom and drawing the last of it's territories into the folds of the Duchies. With this unity it is a land that many believe can prosper, where war will be but a thing of the past and the people will benefit from its wise and benevolant ruler... but such things can never truly stay this way.

The Duchies
The territory of the Kingdom is broken down into eight distinct duchies, each ruled by their own duke or duchess who has now pledged their allegiance to the Crown.

Valor
Now one of the largest duchies in the Kingdom and the seat of the Crown,t he Duchy of Valor is home to the capital of Highcliff where the King himself keeps his residence. A prosperous and fruitfal land it holds both the wealthiest and highest of nobles across the lands and is the center of politics and intrigue within the Kingdom.

Foals
One of the southern most duchies and the last to pledge allegiance to the Crown at the end of the War of the Duchies. A territory that slowly rivals that of Valor itself, though much of its land is made up from the Great Plains, its people and its rulers are of a warrior caste with a savage and barbaric history that the King is slowly trying to tame and civilize.

Sandsdown
Sandsdown breeds the finest sea fairers across the land, both captains, sailors and maritime merchants. Much of the duchies wealth comes from the port cities and towns it has established along its coastal borders and the exotic trade they can bring from the nearby islands and export them to the north.

Ashen
Ashen has always been one of the more secluded duchies in its past, but the new radicals have begun to cast away tradition to make way for progression, creating a clash between the older and younger generations. Involving themselves in the War of the Duchies their victory claimed them the old capital of Corinstad, which they have made Ashen's new capital city.

Chalk
Away from the talk of the nobles the Duchy of Chalk is more commonly known as Northwood after the sprawling pine forest of the same name that covers the majority of the duchy. Though many have tried to settle the land to the north giving rise to the duchies capital of Tomony and other larger keep towns between there and the Great Wall, the true inhabitants of Chalk make their living as hunters within the untamed wilds as forest folk.

Scarfell
The Duchy of Scarfell consists of little more than the high uninhabitable peaks to the harsh norths and little else. It's people are a hardened folk, shaped by the bitter colds and frozen landscape Scarfell is known for forging an iron will in its people; it takes more than bad weather to break the men and women of the snowpeaks.

The Dales
Home to some of the greatest crafters the Kingdom has to offer. Whilst many may travel to the likes of Highcliff to find their fortune, to find the true masters of their art then you need look no further than the city of Tink; the capital of The Dales. Men travel far to see the artisans of this place, but it will often take more than simple coin to make them part with their goods.

Moldovia
Mysterious recluses, the duchy of Moldovia though small in stature boasts one of the most efficient and military minded populous throughout the Kingdom. Keep themselves hidden away in the mountainous region they interact little with those outside of the Great Wall; the location of all their cities including the Drachenwand wall keep which has been converted into their capital city.

The Grand Duchy of Corinstad
The now fallen Grand Duchy of Corinstad for generations sat at the heart of the Kingdom, its borders stretching far in all directions, its influence was unrivalled. Its capital by the same name, Corinstad, was the cultural capital of the lands where the most learned minds would gather to talk of religion, philosophy and science. The Grand Duchy of Corinstad was conqured during the War of the Duchies, its lands divided up to the victors and the majority of its populous killed or enslaved.

The Great Wall
Surrounding the Kingdom is the structure known as The Great Wall ; the ancient fortification that has stood against the tests of time for hundreds of years. Who was responsible for constructing the mamoth feat of engineering has long been lost, believed to be constructed perhaps even before the Aphotic Epoch its initial purpose as to what the wall was defending the Kingdom from is also unknown.

Population Density
The population of the Kingdom varies throughout the land, the largest swells of people settling more towards the most prosperous of cities, where some of the areas lacking in resources have more sporadic inhabitants.

Highcliff and New Faeven have by far the highest concentration of citizens, within the city walls many of the more common districts have people packed closely together. Outside the walls numerous hamlets and villages have been established as permanent features to the land made up from farmers and peasent folk that either dont want to live within the cities walls or simply cant afford to.

The lowest populated placed that have any real significance within the Kingdom are usually found on the outlying borders of the Great Wall, both the Wall Keeps or Keep Towns themselves, often little more than a long established location for travelers to rest. In comparison to the likes of capitals such as Cadish, where their numbers have made for a thriving and bustling town, this same demographic can be seen in Northwood, where thousands choose to live as forest folk, but the dispersion of the populous there is far more widespread.

Duchies Populous
Though any exact measurement in this time is impossible to make, there have been rough estimatations made to account for dispersion of a duchies populous, taking into account the high populations of the cities which take up little land, to the likes of the Great Plains and the nomadic clans that roam its lands.
 * Valor - 950,000 people
 * Chalk - 245,000 people
 * Scarfell - 50,000 people
 * The Dales - 455,000 people
 * Ashen - 750, 000 people
 * Sandsdown - 600,000 people
 * Foals - 300,000 people
 * Moldovia - 250,000 people
 * Kingdom Total = 3,400,000 people

Population Before the War
Prior to the War of the Duchies the the population and distribution looked considerably different. New Faeven standing at around roughly 200,000 people originally had double that number when it stood as Corinstad before the Grand Duchy's fall and it held around 1.7 million people in its borders. The Great War sent many refugees to the other cities not directly involved and swelled their own populouses, combined with the number of deaths of soldiers and civilians directly involved in the engagement, it is believed that around 500,000 people died throughout the eight years that the war had happened, the vast majority being from the soldiers and citizens of the Grand Duchy of Corinstad.

Religion
The people of the Kingdom are diverse in many aspects of their lives, traditions and cultures but often more importantly in their faith. Wars have been fought over faith, entire populouses persecuted, and many of the laws and traditions that are most prevalent in the Kingdom have roots buried deep in religion. Of the Kingdom some faiths have risen in popularity over others and depending on where a traveler finds themselves they will often witness the day to day affects these different faiths have on their people.

Law & Punishment
Inheritance - The laws of inheritance. These are the Kings Laws based from the idea of birthright and the "Firstborn" and how titles, land and assets are passed on.

Traditions, Cultures and Festivities
Language - The Kingdom is now a vast and open place with people moving between nations freely, but it was not always so and ovet the centuries has created a number of languages throughout the lands.

Birthright - Particularly in the northern duchies and those religious/traditional families that follow the order of birthright as set by the Progeny.

Slavery - A growing trade within the Kingdom is slavery, predominantly from the south in Foals this despicable trade is now slowly taking hold in the northern duchies.

By Foot
Still the most common form of travel across the Kingdom, for those traveling long distances this had been made considerably easier by the construction of many of the great roads that stretch across the land. Though not all of the Kingom is so readily accessible and many areas require crossing hills, mountains, forests and even marshland.

By Horse A mount is an expensive luxuary, the costs in feeding and keeping it can soon add up, and so only those who need one or are wealthy enough to own one for pleasure will usually be in possession of a horse. A popular and far prefered mode of transport for those who spend much of their time traveling, it not only assures a speedy arrival to your next destination but also makes the journey considerably safer.



By Boat
Smaller craft are quite abundant throughout the Kingdom, from cannoes, rowboats to smaller ferries and the like which travel the rivers, lakes and various waterways of the lands. For transport or plying trade the boat has broadened mans possibilities and enabled them to travel, hunt and trade upon the waters.

With little incentive for exploration into the Distant Waters there has been little advanced in the way of seafaring. The most commonly used ships are made in a caravel fashion, able to be made to any length due to their design, they can suffer from a difficulty in making them absolutely water-tight. Whilst perfect for the calm water of the coast and traveling to the nearby islands, they would suffer the rigors of ocean travel and their open decks meant little protection for crew or stores.

Traveling typically at around 5 knots (about 1.5 leagues per hours) with a good wind a caravel can travel around 25-30 leagues per day, covering as much ground as a horse but without the need to stop during the night.

Timeline
The setting of the story is eight years after the War of the Duchies in the year 741AE where the Kingdom has seen almost a decade of peace after the bloody war that permanently reshaped the land forever.