Vellaria, the State of Strategians (Ve-lah-ree-ya)

As the state of Vellaria borders on both the Kingdom of Arvanoc and the Kingdom of Räehal on one side and the mountains of the Dragon Spine and the Fallen Kingdom on the other, it sees its fair bit of brewing conflict every season. However, it is not a state that dreads its location but rather revels in it as they believe that are able to provide the lands what could be a way to prevent further conflict and loss of life.

History

Before the Sovereign Concordance, the State of Vellaria was one of the largest states which spanned the vast majority of the north western lands. Its people were used to combat due to their location and instead of seeking to join the bloodshed, they were more interested with resolving it at their borders and maintained a policy of neutrality which is rumored to have inspired the future sovereign into adopting its policy.
As one of the oldest states, Vellaria is rumored to have knowledge spanning generations of stories that are rumored to have been lost or forgotten in regard to its surrounding regions which see destruction of local lives more often than not. While it has mostly been collateral damage in the wars between Arvanoc and Räehal, the state never once fell or came close to ruin and instead had held firm against both powers having trained the best reserve of soldiers due to its embracing the same technology that had catapulted the likes of the Kingdom of Arvanoc and the Queendom of Ithliond to unique heights of power.
After the Sovereign Concordance, Vellaria requested that new states be formed from land they wished to cede and was one of the three (of the twenty seven states at the time) to willingly adjust their borders. From their land,s three more states would rise at their borders and each of them just as loyal to serving the Alliance as Vellaria.

The Houses of Vellaria

As it currently stands, the Court of Vellaria is ruled by the Highlord and six major families who had proven their worth in the years before the creation of the Alliance.

House Arnaís

House Korsayn

House Lehavor

House Revanon

House Aíehn

House Ylsan

House Khntion

Ever seeking a way to ensure its people were kept safe, the ruling council focused many of its efforts into its diplomatic relations as well as its shadow organization to gain as much information as possible and gauge the climates to anticipate a war.

Crossroad State

Again, due to its location, Vellaria has become somewhat of an interesting state where unique aspects of the surrounding regions reemerge in the cultur with a very distinct touch.
It was in Vellaria that the La Fête Caravan started its tours and it was Vellaria where at one point, many refugees from surrounding conflicts sought asylum, thus bringing with them their local beliefs and traditions. The diffusion into Vellaria was so great over the course of the decades that many forgot the rumors of where its original founders and many old families came from.

By Blade and Belief

As many of its people are warriors or have seen great conflict in their lives, it is no wonder that many follow and worship the Goddess Kerythae. However, most of all, they hold most true to one of the tenets of the goddess's aspect of war.

Respect the warriors by your side and against you. There is always another perspective of the conflict but that should not mean that darkness and evil is to be given free reign. End lives in battle, but understand the consequences of your actions and move forward.

It is because of this that many look down upon those that have committed war crimes and nobles and other people of power found guilty of this in times of conflict are served with severe sentencing. In contrast, as positions of government are viewed as being integral to maintaining a stable and secure state, any corruption that is rooted out may be dealt capital punishment if not exile upon pain of death.
As such, it is considered a great honor to serve in either the military or to take up seats of government and many believe that having many family members in these fields elevate one's social standing.

The Nature of Conflict

While disagreements were bound to occur within the newly formed Alliance, the Council of Vellaria paid close attention to their neighbors and knew very well that should conflict erupt once more they would be thrust once again into needless bloodshed. Unsure of how long the peace would last, they worked toward a solution that could possibly form a tentative truce between all three major powers. Thus, the idea of a strategian academy was born.
After nine years of construction, mage work, and preparation, an academy that stretched across the nation with three monumental campuses opened its doors to any and all that wished to attend and to learn war strategy-- with a focus on learning how to end conflict through bloodless means. As the Alliance remained neutral in the conflict between Arvanoc and Räehal like they had since the very beginning as singular states, Vellaria's direct engagement and invitation was seen as something novel. While it drew many critics from within the Alliance, it received interest from the sovereign herself and many in her court who believed that should Vellaria's strategy work, perhaps another grand war could be averted.

The Strategians of Vellaria

No other state or any other academy in the surrounding regions rivals the Academy of Vellaria in producing sought after individuals for their insight, opinion, and skills. While no payment is exhanged for a strategian's work, it is well known that the Academy believes that by spreading its knowledge through their graduates further conflict and bloodshed can be avoided.
While graduate Vellarian Strategians ultimately choose where they go, there are those that wish to answer a petition. In these cases, it is through a screening process by an elite board within the Academy that determines whether or not a petition is worth having a strategian dispatched. Once petitions are approved for that half of the year, any strategian wishing to answer a petition may have their choice of location. As most of the graduating classes either return to their homelands or choose to remain within the Alliance to develop recovery strategies or fight the rift invasions, there are very few that are ever sent out on official assignment and many regions find themselves having to petition every other season.
The demand for a strategian became so high that the opulent citizens of Eastwatch offered ridiculous sums in order to have one in their household. While, to no one's surprise, the Academy always rejects their requests, opportunistic graduates all of whom owe no loyalty to Vellaria or have somehow forsaken their homeland's views formed a guild in order to protect its members and at the same time make a fortune off of the frivolity of the rich.

A Very Visible Secret

While many know that the House of Arnaís has served the state for centuries, it is a well-known and very rarely brought up fact that ever since their rule began, only thirteen High Lords and Ladies have come and gone while many other states have seen dozens rule and pass within the same time. While many believe that it is because the Arnaís household has elven or perhaps aasimar in their bloodline, it is clear to those of either race that this is not the case.
The truth can be seen in the crest of House Arnaís which is known to be an old tree... an Enchanted tree.