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| Regalian Archipelago | ||||||||
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| Geography | ||||||||
| Full Name | The Regalian Archipelago | |||||||
| Pronunciation | Reh-Gall-ean Ark-apel-ago | |||||||
| Demonym | Regalian | |||||||
| Area | 3,900,000 mi² | |||||||
| Population | 111,700,000 | |||||||
| Flora and Fauna | ||||||||
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The Regalian Archipelago is considered in many ways to be the center of Aloria. Because the archipelago is the capital of the Regalian Empire, it has experienced many changes and turns over the years, leading to an influx of migration into the continent. People from Daen, Essalonia, The North Belt and Oldt Era, and more all flock to Regalia's lucrative wealth and security, all eager for a piece of the plentiful pie. From its inception to its current status as home to perhaps the most powerful empire of Aloria, Regalia is home to many, whether they are advocates for the empire, or criminals hiding in plain sight.
Western Archipelago
Anglia Heartland
The Anglian Heartland is considered the Empire's grain barn, a source of all major food shipments which are used to feed the far-flung regions of the Empire, as well as the source of the Anglian Culture. In addition to being where the Five Family Rebellion started, the Heartland has always styled itself as a loyal and faithful core region of the Empire, yet the locals have always retained a higher loyalty to their long-ruling noble families as opposed to full devotion to the Crown. House Kade rules supreme here from their capital at Axford, with many thousands of troops at their command. The region has undergone few changes in the three centuries since the Cataclysm, with its society still largely peasant-filled plying the same trades their forefathers did generations ago. The region is open and filled with plains and areas of forest, containing a section of the Nort Beesterwald in its northern lands. It is also crossed by various famous local rivers like the Axel River.
Morris and Medway
Morris and Medway is the name of Anglian-culture regions which fall under the control of House Kade. It is less arable and more rocky than the other Anglian regions, being home to the Dragoncrown Peaks which once held the dens of Feathered Dragons. Such sites are now centers of Dragon Worship. It is also dominated by the wildest and darkest areas of the Nort Beesterwald which extends out onto a series of rocky peninsulas known as The Roots.
Anglian Morass
The Anglian Morass is a largely swampy and Anglian cultured territory overseen by House Kade. It also has the most lakes of any Lordship, one of the main reasons for the marshy ground. The terrain also holds the Morass Willow Walds, an old growth forest deeply ingrained in the local marshy ground filled with multiple willow trees.
Lokinge
Lokinge is an urbanizing and Anglian cultured region that exists almost in a border capacity between the traditional Anglian lands and the other-cultured regions of Dragenthal and Vixhall. The region is largely controlled by House Harhold.
Angle Veer
The Angle Veer is an island, literally and figuratively, west of Lokinge. It is controlled by a myriad of small Houses with lands which are mostly a peaceful mix of Unionists and Old Gods, which has drawn the ire of Lokinge in recent years. Their attempts to end such a mix have, however, ended in humiliating failure thus far. These aggressions against the Veer were also one of the reasons various northern regions and nations left the Empire in 306 AC, wishing better treatment for those of their faith and their culture. The region is largely sheltered by the Westwall Forest found along the western coastline of the island.
Regalian Heartland
Crown Isle
The Crown Isle, while the smallest of all the lordships in the Regalian Archipelago, is by far the most significant. Resting at the very heart of the Archipelago, the Crown Ise has been a seat to leadership for centuries, going back into the days of the Regalian Kingdom which existed before the Regalian Empire we know today. As a result, while the island does possess farms and other minor industries across much of its surface, it has largely geared itself toward the City of Regalia, the core of the entire Empire which rivals most Altalar cities in Daen with its sheer size and massive population. Vast and advanced works of technology have been constructed and now sit maintained to help fuel this city and ensure the majority of its inhabitants live in amicable conditions to help facilitate their service to the Empire’s capital. People of every Race and Culture fill this city and occasionally filter out into the surrounding countryside, all there for some reason, some purpose, whether it is aiding one of the most powerful nations of Aloria or hindering it.
Hawthe
Hawthe is a region located just above the Crown Isle. It is the homeland of the Kinthyr culture.
Dragenthal
Dragenthal is a heavily divided and dangerous region of the Regalian Archipelago for a number of reasons. Politically, it has been divided for over a century with various flare-ups over the years between the many barons and leaders across its vastness. The most well known of these events of instability was the Drachenwald Crisis which collapsed one of the Five Families and forced the Regalian Senate onto the Empire. Geographically, the region is massive and contains the second-largest population in the Archipelago behind the Anglian regions. This population is a mix of New Regalians and Heartland Ceardians, which further adds to political tensions. Much of eastern Dragenthal is forested, and sometimes so dense that whole villages can be swallowed up and they are forgotten to exist or difficult to reach for long periods of time. This dark forest, Drachenwald, is punctured with large mountain ranges and many rivers. The north of Dragenthal is also home to a forest, the Danecap. The western half of Dragenthal is more lightly forested and home to the most important river in the Archipelago, the Schön River, which serves as a major transportation highway right to the capital from the southern Archipelago. It is supported by many other often-traveled trade routes which exist across the nearby lands. It is home to the Heartland Ceardian, Stednhanze, Düdesche and New Regalian Cultures
Southern Archipelago
Vixhall
Vixhall is synonymous with House Ivrae, the former Imperial Family, carving out a rich and Ithanian-cultured heartland for themselves and those whom they drew to the region. With the Kade Settlement now releasing the Ivrae from their obligations of the Imperial Seat, they have largely retreated inward to quietly live out their lives in their territory which takes up half the region and on either side of the Loiree Straits. War has not come to this region in years, not since the Regalian Empire conquered the kingdom found there, and as a result, it is highly developed and very wealthy. Multiple palatial estates, vineyards, and manors exist while quaint provincial towns help keep these large structures and their lands staffed and maintained. It is a common holiday destination for Ithanians and their allies. It is home to the Gondian and Ithanian Cultures.
Rivellia
Rivellia is a multicultural and multiracial province which was originally inhabited by Ithanians, who slowly accepted even Songaskians and Qadir into their population alongside a variety of other Races. Rivellia is often considered the foreign immigration hub for non-Ailor attempting to migrate to Regalia, as it is located near the mouth of the Loiree Straits which lead to the Schön River, with offices existing to clear newcomers to access to the capital city. The region has been the site of intense scrutiny in recent years though, as it was here the Songaskian Masaya landed their Archipelago invasion force with the aid of local agents in the First Songaskian War. Investigators found a practically polluted bureaucracy filled with corruption and illegal trade which has been rigorously corrected, resulting in many of the old land-holding families losing their power in exchange for the rise of three regional cooperatives. It is also home to the Bijoux-plus-grand-vert, a gemstone tied into the regional legal framework which gave whoever possesses it the right to rule all of Rivellia. Currently, a non-aligned Emerald Warden possesses and guards the jewel at the behest of the Imperial Court. Rivellia is a humid region with light forests, dry mountains and low-lying river valleys, a diverse series of landforms to match the diverse inhabitants. It is home to the Tolonne Culture.
Basta
Basta is the Unionist Synod controlled landmass of the Regalian Archipelago. Ironically located next to Angle Veer, the entire local population is strongly Unionist with multiple facilities set up on the three islands to facilitate the continued training and education of various Unionist religious and military orders. As a result, the nobility of the region is extremely passionate and militaristic Unionists, the most prominent of these being Duke Florent de Gosselin who has seized Ithania and is currently intent on becoming its king. His lands back in Basta, however, are safe due to capable male relatives pinning down his regional opponents. The church remains largely out of these affairs though they did originally endorse the Duke. Basta itself is fairly raised above the sea level, with steep terrain leading to peaked crags or small mountains scattered throughout the region. What areas are inhabited are densely populated, with multiple churches, seminaries, and monasteries spread out across the entire region as well. The region is culturally Ithanian.
Bragaco
Bragaco is an urban area found in the far southwest of the Regalian Archipelago next to Girobalda and Montania. It is home to the Forriesta Jello and the Bragacao Culture.
Girobalda and Montania
Girobalda is an important region of the Regalian Archipelago well known for its Daendroque population and for being the birthplace of House Anahera, a family with a deeply checkered history concerning the Regalian Empire. Since the Anahera Occupation was instigated by its now dead patriarch, the House has recovered its titles and its mercantile involvement with the Poppy/Opium trade. However, the region is also known for producing many of the Imperial Navy’s warships through what has been a slow but continuous peel back of the Forriesta Natal. Neighboring Montania, on the other hand, is the birthplace of the Dressolini culture up in their high mountains where a mix of Daendroque and Regalian values produced the strategically minded people. The region was also once home to a variety of warring, but their internal strife was curbed first by the Regalian Empire, and then by The Vultarian Hegemony to their east. The region is now firmly under the control of other lordship, much to the disdain of the local Dressolini. Both regions are on the warmer edge of the scale, with Girobalda in particular feeling the heat along its arid coastline. Montania, on the other hand, is largely an inland territory with multiple mountain ranges holding and helping to cool the Dressolini cities with the mountain breeze. This altitude difference also makes Dressolini dishes very interesting, especially their deserts as they are often cooling and made with mountain ice. It is home to the Dressolini, Daendroque and Narroa Cultures.
Vultaro
Vultaro has gone through a rapid and violent change over the past several years. Once a region rich in coal and other base minerals useful to the Regalian Empire, it has since fallen from high society due to the actions of its leaders. House Lampero went from a respected and powerful family to one lacking any suitable male heirs, which resulted in the bastard half-Lampero Tristan (now Kade) rising to lead them. Under his tenure, things went from bad to worse. Vultaro’s coalfields were burned, and thousands died as the region violently rejected Lampero and Imperial control, becoming almost the equivalent of a rogue state. In 306 AC, Tristan’s Half-Orc son came home with an Orc army at his back, challenging those from nearby Montania who were establishing control over the region to a combat dual for control of both regions. He then cut them all in half and made the region an Orcish stronghold. The region is now under his strict control, and nearby Montania is also ruled by figures he has put into place. The region, as a result of all of this, is battle-scarred, and smoke plumes pouring into the sky are a common sight as the Orcs make grand bonfires for their camps. It is home to the Dressolini and Azzizzari Cultures.
Brissiaud
Brissiaud is well-known to modern Aloria, though a mere 50 years ago, it would have been considered the forgotten sister-lordship of Vixhall. It is the homeland of the Leutz-Vixe culture (a fusion of Regalian and Ithanian ideas) as well as the power base of the well-known House Ravenstad. This family is most notable for its on and off again patriarch Percy Ravenstad who is also the on and off again romantic interest of former Emperor Cedromar I. Married, then separated, the mere existence and public presence of a homosexual Emperor’s romantic interest immediately brought attention to this little, out of the way Lordship. The Ravenstads no longer possess the same fame they once did, though Brissiaud is thankful for those who visited, exchanged and dealt with its isolated people. Covered largely by swamps and small forests, the region is also commonly beset by rainfall which has resulted in a rather dour look to a location many visitors attempt to find exciting. Its southern coastline touches the Leutz Gulf, a major region of trade for the Regalian Empire accepting goods from their southern and eastern holdings.
Genevaud
Genevaud is an extreme oddity in the Regalian Archipelago, existing as a series of minor administrative regions (known as cantons by the locals) which banded together to push both Brissiaud and Brixoid territory aside in favor of making their own unique Lordship between the two. It sits on the Leutz Gulf and is home to the Genevaud Culture.
Brixoid
Brixoid is a sister lordship to Brissaud with a similar population and geography but currently finds itself unable to share a border with its progenitor region due to the rise of Genevaud between them within the past 100 years. It has also fallen to the Genevaud Culture.
Bythnalost
Bythnalost is a region populated mostly by Etosian and Vladno migrants, but also numerous slaves and accompanying slave pits. While the region was once lightly populated by the Etosians and Vladno, the authorization of slavery activities has drawn far more Vladno and thousands of new slaves to the region, though of course not of their own will. The region also holds the Uttífos Forest on its eastern coastline and is also home to the Szabadok and Gariyan Cultures.
Eastern Archipelago
Opper and Neider Calemberg
Opper and Neider Calemberg are two of the three Calem regions of the Regalian Archipelago. They once existed in the territory of the prestigious Wirtemcaller Kingdom before the Skagger Horde attacked and helped destroy the Kingdom. As a result, both regions severely dislike the Velheim culture and all “barbarian” Ailor whom they view with a collective disdain. The region is also politically dominated by House Typhonus, one of the oldest noble houses, and often cited as an example of the almost extinct Alt-Regalian culture (though they are in fact closer to New Regalian). The regions are also home to the Osterwald and Opperwald Forests along the eastern coastline and throughout much of the interior while the Mittelwald is located in the far southern reaches. It also has people of the Düdesche Culture spread out on the eastern coastline.
Hinter Calemberg
Hinter Calemberg is the final of the three Calem regions which make up eastern Regalia. The region was overwhelmed during the time of the Wirtemcaller Kingdom by the Skagger Horde, and they share the local dislike for the Velheim as a result. However, they also share a vague dislike of the more aristocratic Calem regions who essentially use this region as a buffer between them and Drixagh. In recent years, a wall has been built across this long border, more firmly separating the north from these eastern regions. The region is home to the Calderwald, which covers most of its terrain, and the Kalrike culture.
Northern Archipelago
Gallovia
Gallovia is synonymous with the Highland Ceardians, a group which has survived there for many generations isolated from the rest of the world. They also fended off the Velheim on their own, though it did take time. Currently, the region is absolutely dominated by House Howlester, with little to no territory outside of their sphere thus granting them the title of Lords, on par with nearby Anglian lands controlled entirely by House Kade. The House is heavily involved in the military and in mercenary forces who go on a variety of missions both for the Empire and for the highest Ailor bidder. The region itself is made up of chains of islands (known as Pachs by the locals) and several larger island landmasses. All of these are mountainous and rough, with mist rolling off of them and adding to the level of danger on certain harsh terrains.
Brzeg
Brzeg is unique as a small region considered to be more “civilized” of the two Veheim lands in the north. It is currently dominated by House Sorenvik and is home to both the massive Lake Brezren and the Brzeg Culture.
Drixagh
Drixagh is a wild terrain which has suffered much at the hands of the Regalian Empire over its lifetime. First it was home to the invasions of the Regalian Empire seeking to drive the Skagger Horde out or into submission, while in more recent years the Burning of the North has devastated the local population, their culture and their trust in the Empire. The region has no major house to lead it, though several have tried to over the years. At this time, House Zastorzy controls the most territory though it matters little since much of the region has ceded from the Empire pending an improvement to the treatment of Velheim and their religion. This has robbed the Empire of a valuable fighting force but also increased tensions along the border they share with the New and Alt-Regalian Calem regions to their south. The region is largely made up of tundra, with wide open spaces punctured only by the occasional pine forest, though the large and prosperous Frondenstog lies in the east and the Throatcapstog rests in the west. The coastline is rocky and often difficult to access, particularly along the downright hostile stretch of turf known as the Czabri Bone Shores. It is home to the Velheim, Sudemo, Fridsaelt, and Holzskag Cultures.
Trivia
- Archeological evidence suggests the Ailor and even the Altalar may not have been the first people to occupy the Regalian Archipelago.
- The Regalian Archipelago was once covered in other Ailor nations and states which the Regalian Empire conquered. The ruins of these different groups can be found scattered across the Archipelago, particularly in the forests.
- The Regalian Archipelago has such a massive population because of its relative stability compared to the wider world. It did not suffer the Cataclysm, the Wildering, the Great Storm, or any other freak world events which all damaged the populations of foreign nations.
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