Tierra

Tierra is a constitutional monarchy ruled by the Edurian Dynasty and Parliament, a gathering of magelords who vote to approve the monarch's decisions. Known for its rather liberal views and growing economic dominance, Tierra became a full fledged military power after its defeat of Antar in the Dozen Years' War. Tierra has military alliances with most of its neighbours and Kian'Zi.

Basic Statistics
Full Name: Unified Kingdom of Tierra

Government: Feudal Monarchy Capital: Tierra

Population: 15 600 000

Army: 6 500 (standing), 4 000 (militia), 26 000 (feudal levies)

Navy: 73 000 men on 112 ships

Cultural Influences: Hanoverian England/Habsburg Spain (capital), varies (duchies)

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Brief History
For the past 150 years, the crowd of small islands at the center of the Infinite Sea has been dominated by the Unified Kingdom of Tierra, ruled by the surprisingly competent heirs of Edwin the Strong, the Duke of Eduria who ousted the Doges of Tierra and established his own royal line. The city of Tierra itself is completely surrounded by water, encircled by a series of low fortress walls. It relies on food shipments from its vassals to feed itself and as such, has built a very strong, modern and professional navy. The kings of Tierra rule from the Northern Redoubt, one of the four great fortresses which anchor the walls of the city. Although the current king, twenty nine year old Miguel II (called the clever) has gained great popularity amongst the commoners for his bravery and excellent handling of the recent Dozen Years’ War, the kingdom is still mostly controlled by the four other men in the council of Dukes, a small group of noblemen who rule over the largest of the islands which comprise of Tierra, and in fact supply much of the Unified Kingdom’s military forces and food in return for free reign over their fiefs. These five powerful men are, in order of seniority;

King Miguel of House Eduria (as the Duke of his ancestral island)

Duke Johann of House Findlay (Duke of Cunaris)

Duke Lucas of House Havenport (Duke of Centaur)

Duke Ewen of House Candless (Duke of Wulfram)

Duke Emil of House Harris (Duke of Warburton and the king’s illegitimate brother.)

The five islands that these men rule as dukes of comprise of well over three-quarters of Tierra’s land mass and more than half of its population. Each one is an integral part of Tierran political and economic system, and each is considered an irreplaceable part of the kingdom.

Duchies
Eduria is a rainy, cold island, the smallest of the ducal fiefs. Save for a few smallish coastal towns and Highwater Tower, the ducal seat, the island is almost completely covered in dense coniferous forest. As such, the Edurian diet has long consisted of small game, berries and naturally occurring root plants. This lack of serious agriculture has left no need for serfs. Instead, rugged and resourceful yeomen compose of the often-querulous majority. These Yeomen have become excellent archers over the centuries, an asset which has served the Dukes of Eduria well, even more so now that the royal family has funnelled millions of crowns worth of subsidies into the island over the past century and a half, gaining both the loyalty of the people and a wealthier, more productive fief. Influences: Rural Wales@ approx 1700

Cunaris is a land of gently rolling foothills and vast, grassy plains; perfect terrain for raising horses. As such, a great proportion of Tierra’s cavalry comes from Cunaris. The current duke is, himself a hero of the Dozen Years’ War, leading a distinguished and celebrated career as the commanding officer of the Royal Dragoon Regiment. Cunaris’ rich topsoil and warm climate mean that the area is perfect for growing food and wines and allows the duchy is make a tidy profit exporting foodstuffs to Tierra and islands with less fortunate climes. This also means that even the peasants of Cunaris live relatively well, as the current duke and many of his retainers spend much of their time in Tierra, leaving administration to low-born, but competent bailiffs. Influences: Normandy, Southern England@ approx 1500-1650

Centaur is a windswept land of steep drumlins made of black, brittle rock and thin, sandy soil. It has been described as “only suitable for sowing folly and reaping frustration” by one if its own dukes. As a result, the Centauri diet consists almost entirely of roots and the lean, tough meat of wolverines and coyotes, raising a crop of aggressive, lean and cynical people who are fanatically loyal to the ruling Clan Havenport for developing and administering the dockyards of Centaur Roads, the single precious lifeline to Tierra. As a result, Centaur’s main export are the wooden walls of Tierra’s warships and the iron men of her highland regiments. Influences: Scotland@ approx 1750-1850

Wulfram's people carry a rather heavy stereotype with them, as industrious, overprotective and efficient to a fault. This is not completely unfounded. Wulfram was once a major outpost of the old Calligian Empire. After the Magedeath, the Wulframites found themselves with a large population and no way to feed them. As a result, they desperately developed new and more machinery intensive ways to coax crops from the ground whilst constantly teetering on the edge of starvation. While incorporation into the Unified Kingdom has solved Wulfram’s food problems, her forges continue to work day and night, putting out weapons and armour for His Majesty’s Army and iron fittings for the fleet. Influences: Ruhr Valley@ approx 1800

Warburton is a bit of an anomaly. Although it has had no trouble feeding itself, the Dukes of Warburton have always been an eccentric lot, often using their own personal holdings for outrageous experiments. The people tend to put up with this as long as the occasional success keeps bringing the resulting success to their shores. The current Duke of Warburton also happens to be the head of Royal Intelligence and a massive womanizer, a reputation which has led many fathers to begin grooming their daughters for espionage work for the sake of the benefits which any mistress of the duke might bring their families. Influences: Hanoverian Cornwall