Xanthios

Xanthios is the most devleoped of states outside of the land of origin, Appollonia. Xanthios is comprised of a set of feudal provinces who, through the Church of Palanos, are unified under a solitary King. Each State in Xanthios is governed by a Duke who is the monarch of the province. The Duke usually resides within the capitol city of the province and also serves as the authority for that city as well. Dukes are typically dynastic with the blessings of the Church of Palanos. Royal Princes are the direct heir to the throne, however, other Princes may live and work within the realm with great auhtority. Marquis is the governor of a City (as established by city size). A Marquis is usually hereditary following the bloodline of one of the founding Mayors of the city (when it was of town or village size). A Marquis may also hold the title of Count, however, this is frowned upon because the needs of a city are pressing enough. While a Marquis needs broad public support to rule, they also need the approval of the Duke and the Church of Palanos. Counts is a person of station who has been elevated from a Barony (by appointment by the Duke) to be responsible to all the local Baronies who will swear allegiance to join his County. The title of Count is hereditary unless the Count can no longer hold together their County. A successor can be chosen amongst the Barons to replace the old Barony (Selection can be influenced by great works, political favor, or wealth). A Viscount operates as a proxy for the Count within a County. A Viscount operates with full authority of the Count so they are chosen wisely. A Viscount can become a Count should the Count who employs them be disgraced or die without an heir. Barons are the primary authority in most cases. Barons are personage who have been granted (or purchased) land from the Count. The land can incorporate towns and villages, however, cities almost always have their own governance (Marquis). A Marquis and a Baron will often have a good working relationship so they may aid each other in times of trouble. Baronies and Counties are typically hard to define, geographically, within a province. A Barony usually consists of a number of farms worked by the peasantry and towns are independent of their authority, however, in certain cases a township or village can be served by a Barony, whereas a County is the area of land that incorporates all the land from the Baronies who have joined the county.   Most dwellings in Xanthios are made of stacked kiln-fired bricks or half-timbered made form wood and stucco. Very low peasantry typically make their houses out of available resources including stacked stone, thatched roofs, and rough cut timber.   With the sea to the west, the Xanthic coast is a formidable obstacle to create ports given that a tremendous amount of the coast is a raised natural sea wall. Very few specific port settlements have been made and they tend to no be tremendous trade facilities given the long distances that need to be traveled to reach them. Once in the interior, the terrain is dominated by temperate deciduous forests that often gives way to temperate rainforest as a natural belt of moisture sweeps in from the north west and the coast. These forest transition to taiga in some locations, most typically in the north area which sees frequent snowfall during the winter months. The eastern portion of Xanthios is home to the formidable Dragonwing Mountains which block nearly all trade routes in or out of Xanthios. The routes that do exist are dangerous and closely watched by the Baronies that are charged with their protection.   The Yusuf Desert in the south is thought of as part of Xanthios, however, there is little interaction between the people of Yusuf and the northern provinces.   Serving the crown of Xanthios are, approximately, 54,242 soldiers (0.05% of the population) formed into 50 legions. Each legion has a standard garrison location amongst the poulation that they were formed from. These are trained regular troops serving in a variety of positions (see Alciryan Legion). Each province also has legions that serve at the behest of the Duke (roughly the same percentage of their local population). Additional fighting forces can be called up from Baronies and Counties should their lords choose to serve the realm. The estimated fighting forces (Duke controlled legions plus Baronies and Counties but not including the King's Legions) are 325,448 soldiers.   Nobility: One, and one’s family, who has achieved the station of Baron, Viscount, Count, Marquis, Prince, Duke, Royal Prince, or King/Queen. This term only applies to non-Appollonian land (Appollonians nobility is established by prestige within a school of magic). Royalty: The King or a member of the King’s family.   King:: Most typically, a King presides over a collection of Provinces. Kingships are hereditary and, often, a Kingdom has a history of how that seat was established. Some Provinces use the term King instead of the term “Duke” (usually for historical reasons). Province: A large state including all Baronies, Counties, cities, towns and villages within its borders. County: An area of land ruled by a Count that has a series of Baronies who have formed an alliance. Barony: An established area of land ruled and protected by a Baron. A Barony usually consists of a number of farms worked by the peasantry and towns are independent of their authority, however, in certain cases a township or village can be served by a Barony. Baron: A person who has been granted (by a Duke or King) the right to hold a segment of land within a County. The land may be acquired through payment or land grant. Viscount: One who operates in as a proxy for the Count within a County. A Viscount operates with full authority of the Count so they are chosen wisely. A Viscount can become a Count should the Count who employs them be disgraced or dies without an heir. Count: A person of station who has been elevated from a Barony (by appointment by the Duke or King) to be responsible to all the local Baronies who will swear allegiance to join his County. The title of Count is hereditary unless the Count can no longer hold together their County. A successor can be chosen amongst the Barons to replace the old Barony (Selection can be influenced by great works, political favor, or wealth). Marquis: A Marquis is the governor of a City (as established by city size). A Marquis is usually hereditary following the bloodline of one of the founding Mayors of the city (when it was of town or village size). A Marquis may also hold the title of Count, however, this is frowned upon because the needs of a city are pressing enough. While a Marquis needs broad public support to rule, they also need the approval of the Duke or King. Prince: This is a hereditary heir to a Duke or a King. While a Prince has no technical power, they are often highly regarded because of their influence within their family. A standard Prince is never the direct heir to a Province (or greater), instead they are usually 3rd (or great) in line. As nobility, a Prince often acts with the authority of a King and can displace or ignore those that are their lesser. Duke: A Duke is often the reigning monarch of a Province, however, some provinces prefer the title of “King” instead. Dukes often reside in the Capitol city of the Province . Duchy: Alternate name for a Province.