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Post by sharkitect on Jun 2, 2016 18:22:16 GMT -6
As of today, this is the state of Torgia.
Sentea: Located in the literal center of the kingdom, Sentea is the seat of power for the kingdom, its rolling grasslands and plains home to the royal family and nobility that govern the huge kingdom. Its armies are still powerful, its lands fertile, and its people faithful to their king and their God. Looking at it now, one would scarcely guess its humble origins. Sentea isn't nearly as old as many of the other lands, its territory simply being a set of tribes too splintered and stubborn to unite, and certainly too weak to stand in the way of Hibernia, Genovia, and Arria. It was only when Mannoroth made his conquest were all the tribes united, and together they were able to create the kingdom of Torgia.
It is this knowledge of their history that makes the Sentean people believe in unity, and make them such determined people. They know if they work together, man can achieve anything.
Sentean life is defined by patterns. Sun up, work, sun down, sleep, and every sunday you go to church. It's just how things are. From the humble farmer to the most powerful of barons, everyone has a place in the machine, and no one is more important than the other. At least in theory.
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Post by sharkitect on Jun 2, 2016 20:03:31 GMT -6
Hibernia
Situated in the vast north of Torgia, Hibernia is the largest land in the kingdom, accounting for the moors and hill lands of the south, to the icy tundra in the northernmost reaches, to the swamps and bogs of the west, and the mountains to the east. Even today, Hibernia is a fierce land full of fierce people. Many Hibernians are taught how to use a weapon from the moment they can hold one. More Hibernians know how to use a sword than who know how to read. (at least the common alphabet, anyway.)
Back before the kingdom, hibernia was a collection of clans, each warring with each other and occasionally making raids down into sentean lands and across the waters to Genovia. That is until Mannoroth came with his message of unity. Or, as the Hibernians saw it, a challenge. The Hibernian war was long and bloody, but eventually, they fell, ironically lacking the unity the Senteans did. Ever since then, they have been a somewhat quarrelsome yet valued addition to the empire.
Even more fell upon them when the avatar came through, and most of their lands were taken or destroyed by monsters that found quite an opponent in the Hibernian people, especially the orcs. Even after the Avatar was banished, the orcs have persisted, and a bitter hatred exists between both sides as they periodically war. Some Hibernians even look forward to conflict with them. Old grudges to be settled.
As a people, Hibernians are relatively simple. They respect strength and honesty, a people known for their boldness and temper as well as their undeniable skill with smithing. They look askance at the fancy magic that nearly destroyed the kingdom. Magic is seen a dishonorable and deceitful, though some take a bit more pragmatic view of it.
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Post by sharkitect on Jun 2, 2016 21:43:38 GMT -6
Arria
While magic is used in almost all parts of the kingdom, nowhere is it embraced so wholeheartedly as it is by the people of desert lands of Arria. Many legends and myths surround the origins of how the people came to be in that harsh desert land, but against all odds, they survived and even thrived. The harshness of their environs promoted a culture of teamwork and bartering, making some people very wealthy from trade as resources could be scarce. Despite bandits and raiders, many people decided to band together and combine their efforts, creating a system of power in Arria that stood even as Sentean soldiers marched into the sands from the west.
Everything in Arria changed however, when they breached the secret of magic. Suddenly, foraging for water was a non issue. Houses could be built in an instant. Bandits could be blasted away. Life changed for the arrian people as they had something they had never had before...leisure. suddenly unconcerned with survival and ducking raider's scimitars, they could focus on something far more lucrative: trade. Silk, spices, incense, art...all could be turned to gold.
Even after the downfall of such magic, Arria still found a way to keep magic, creating the college of mages and creating a much safer form of magic with much more rules. Many who learned the arcane arts these days went to the gilded cities and hot sands of Arria.
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Post by sharkitect on Jun 2, 2016 23:43:00 GMT -6
Genovia
Before Sentea came to be, before Arria, Before Teng'Se, and even before Hibernias tribes united at all...there was Genovia. The oldest governing body in Torgia, Genovia was coming together into a republic while the other nations were still wandering about in tribes. They grew to a powerful nation, one that soon looked to expand its own borders. At one time Genovia nearly conquered the known world. Nearly.
Today Genovia is a far cry from its former (self-proclaimed) noble and militaristic self. Today Genovia is the wealthiest nation in Torgia...and is also the poorest. While some of its residents are wealthy beyond reasoning, some are incredibly poor, living in the slums of southern Genovia. A land of contrasts, Genovia is a center of culture, art, philosophy, architecture and also a center for poverty, crime, and all sorts of illicit activity. The divide is clear between the two ethnicities in Genovia, the lower class Scizari and the upper class Florenti.
Oddly enough, when approached by the Senteans to join, Genovia made no effort of resistance, instantly deciding to join the kingdom, considering that they had seen the military conquest of the Hibernians (something they themselves had failed to do) and could smell a good deal when they saw one. Today, they pay lip service to the church, but their trade routes and support of torgia keep them in good stead with the throne.
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Post by sharkitect on Jun 3, 2016 0:56:12 GMT -6
Teng'se
Until quite recently (comparative to the histories of the other lands at least) Teng'se was not even a nation at all. In fact for most of its history, Teng'se was a land of violence and blood as many warlords from different islands fought for power to unite the islands under their own vision. While some came close, it seemed that the islands would never be one. Many called it a fools hope. And yet one man finally did it, the now "Shogun" of Teng'se Towagama. He did the one thing none of the other ones would even think of doing: asking for outside help. For the isolationist and internal Teng'se, this was unthinkable. And yet an emissary was sent to Sentea promising to join the kingdom in return for aid. And so Teng'se was united for the first time in its history.
And yet as much as everything has changed for the nation, everything has remained largely unchanged. Its people still live in a strict but stable culture, where knowing one's place and loyalty to one's lord is highly valued. The lower classes serve those above them and they would do well to remember it. Social mobility is nearly unheard of, and much of the power is in the hands of a military elite class. However, with the recent changes in the world and an era of relative piece, some of those warrior find themselves fighters in a system that needs them less and less.
Outside of Teng'se, they are quite secretive and barely co-operative with torgia as a whole. Practically no one of note worships the Emperor of man, a source of disquiet in the noble courts. They prefer to handle all issues themselves, and it is begrudgingly that they ask the outside world for help. Some have no idea how the common folk of Teng'se live. In fact there are many discontent voices muttering about the weakness of the government and its reliance on foreign help...
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