The Silvers of the Lakelands are deeply religious, with their faith based in a pantheon of dozens of faceless, nameless, all-powerful gods. People worship in shrines, often built around water or fountains. The Lakelander religion is strongly rooted in balance, as well as the afterlife. Silver Lakelanders bury their dead in their abilities, and those who live evil lives are said to meet punishment in the afterlife. Red Lakelanders do not follow this faith, and very little is known about their religion. Not because they do not believe, but because their faiths are numerous and carefully guarded within their communities.
The long-lasting war between the Lakelands and Norta was ended by a peace treaty proposed by King Maven. He then married Princess Iris Cygnet to cement a new bond between nations in alliance against the Red rebellion that was brewing across both countries. The Scarlet Guard, a Red rebel organization, had begun in the Lakelands and trickled across the Nortan border to fight both nations.
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by their definition
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Despite their tumultuous history, Norta and the Lakelands have similar societies, with noble Silvers serving in government, common Silvers possessing little but still-existent upward mobility, and severely restricted Red citizens. The Lakelands have fewer tech towns than Norta, and mostly keep their Red workers in agricultural work. There is food in abundance in the Lakelands, though electricity is scarce in Red communities.
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THE PRINCIPALITY OF PIEDMONT is an oligarchic aristocracy. The government of the nation is shared by ruling princes and princesses, each with their own territories, families, and resources at their disposal.
Ultimately, rule of Piedmont is ceded to the most powerful prince or princess in the country. The oligarchy can elect this position through popular vote, though sometimes it is taken through military strength. At present, that title belongs to PRINCE BRACKEN of the Lowcountry, the largest holding in Piedmont, with valuable access to the coast and fertile farmland. Other ranking Silver nobles within Piedmont include PRINCE DENNIARDE, PRINCESS ANA, and PRINCESS MARRION. One of Bracken’s strongest supporters, PRINCE ALEXANDRET, was killed while visiting the court of Norta, putting undue strain on the once-strong alliance between Norta and Piedmont.
Unbeknownst to the monarchs of the north, Prince Bracken is currently under the control of the Scarlet Guard, aided by the Republic of Montfort. His extensive resources are at the disposal of the Scarlet Guard and Montfort. His military base in the Lowcountry is the first solid foothold for either in the east.
As in Norta and the Lakelands, the lives of Reds in Piedmont are severely restricted, and the population largely works in agriculture or industrial production. Piedmont also utilizes conscription, both to bolster its armies and to control the size of the Red population.
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THE PRAIRIE LANDS are strange in comparison to their neighbors to the east, due in large part to their sprawling geography and lack of centralized population. Their government can only be described as a feudal kraterocracy. The will of the strong rules across the endless plains. Warlords and warladies control their varying fiefdoms through power and cunning, and land often passes between Silver bloodlines from generation to generation. The son of a warlord is just as likely to lose rule of his father’s territory as he is to gain it. For this reason, bloodlines and dynasties are not so important to the Silvers of the Prairie lands. Sometimes the Prairie rulers will even adopt or choose successors from outside their own bloodline.
There are four major territories within Prairie, controlled by their respective rulers. Warlady HENGE, a windweaver, rules from the Ark River to the plains north of the Crane River, known as the SANDHILLS. Her fiefdom regularly contends with the Silver raiders driven out of Montfort, both in conflict and peace. She maintains a small city at LIGHTNING ROD, a rock formation in the midst of the plain.
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Based on Montfort intelligence.
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Farther north, the stoneskin Warlord CARHDON rules the vast territory known as FOURSKULLS, centered upon a sacred and strange mountain into which are carved the gigantic heads of four men. Erosion has weathered them into cracked and disintegrating specters, their names and faces lost to time.
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Still unclear
Is that a challenge?
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The swift Warlord RIONO controls some of the most valuable farmland in Prairie, and rules from the city of Mizoura. His territory, THE HEART, shares a tumultuous border with the Disputed Lands, and he is known to execute Reds who attempt to flee his fiefdom. The Heart sits at the convergence of the Prairie lands, Tiraxes, Piedmont, the Lakelands, and the Disputed Lands, making it a chaotic place.
Finally, Warlady NEEDA, a nymph, rules the territory THE MIRRORS from the city Geminas, sharing a thin border along the Great River with the Disputed Lands and the Lakelands. Needa is rumored to be a distant cousin of House Cygnet, the rulers of the Lakelands, and she openly encourages Reds to flee across the border and work her fiefdom.
Reds in the Prairie lands are generally bound to the land they are born on, and belong to the Silvers who rule that piece of field or plain. The Silvers then in turn owe fealty to their lords, up to the Warlords and Warladies in feudal hierarchy. Therefore, most Reds in Prairie are bound in servitude, with little education. Their life spans are shorter than their counterparts in neighboring nations, and most of the Reds in the Disputed Lands are refugees from Prairie.
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THE FREE REPUBLIC OF MONTFORT was formed from the collapse of several smaller mountain kingdoms ruled by Silver overlords and monarchs. The new government relies on people’s representation, from both sides of the blood divide. Representatives are elected from communities within the Republic to serve in the People’s Assembly, where an even split of Red and Silvers is maintained. The head of state is known as a premier, and while the first premier was elected directly by the People’s Assembly, the system has expanded to utilize a national vote.
Currently, PREMIER DANE DAVIDSON is several years into his term as leader of the Free Republic. He is a newblood shield who was born in Norta and fled to Montfort after escaping the Nortan military, which was attempting to exterminate newbloods.
Montfort is uniquely situated as the only nation on the continent with blood equality, which was only achieved after total civil war. Following the collapse of the mountain kingdoms and the formation of Montfort, the Silvers who chose to remain in the Republic swore an oath to uphold the new status quo. They were granted amnesty for any crimes committed before or during the wars. This approach was championed by LEONIDE RADIS, a Silver prince of the former kingdom of TETONIA, who abdicated his throne in favor of the Republic. He now serves as a representative in the Assembly.
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And will be running for premier in the future if my instincts are correct.
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Due to still-chaotic volcanic activity in the northwest, as well as the barren Grand Desert on the Cironian border, the majority of Montfort’s population is clustered in the east. The capital of ASCENDANT is the largest city, followed by CROWNWATER, BRONCO, and THE PAINTED GATES. The port city of CASCADE is the only Montfortan holding on the Western Ocean.